I read some interesting news this week that Royal Caribbean is going to be experimenting with different all-you-can-drink packages at various price points. At first I thought this was great, but after thinking about it, I realized it is only for those that like little hassle or surprises at the end of the cruise. It is a convenience, and people will gladly pay for it thinking they will get some value out of it. However, like most things, it really depends on your expectations of the trip on whether it is worth the investment.

The basic packages are as follows:
– $29 per person per day for all beers, house wine by the glass and a 25% discount on all other wines and liquors
– $39 per person per day and includes all beers, house wine by the glass, all liquor (except premium and specialty brands), cocktails and 25% discount on all other wines and premium and specialty liquors
– $49 per person per day offers all that is included in the Classic Package plus glasses of wine that normally sell for up to $10, cocktails, premium liquor brands and a 25% discount on all bottles of wine, glasses of wine over $10 and specialty liquors

At first, lets break down the quick economics of this program and assume that those fancy cocktails you order by the pool cost $10 each. If you drink more than 4 drinks each day, then maybe the $39 package will work for you and be of some benefit as it will be cheaper. However, even if you assume you have two drinks with lunch, two for dinner, and then another two drinks in the evening, your six drinks are costing $6.50 each, still no bargain by any means. On top of it, you would need to drink like that every night of the cruise.

I have only been on three cruises in my life, and only one of them was with my wife a couple years ago when I was old enough to drink. In general, both my wife and I are not big drinkers. Yes we like to enjoy a glass or two of wine with a nice meal, or the occasional cocktail drink. However, for all intensive purposes, we would not drink enough to benefit from this program, especially now that we have kids.

The all-you-can-drink option is geared more towards those that are blown away at the end of their cruise by the drink bill. It is for those that can drink a bucket or more of beers each day. Basically, I think this is a horrible decision for Royal Caribbean to introduce, and is going to cause more problems than value for them. As Americans, and maybe even as humans in general, we are all about over consumption. As soon as we see a buffet or endless supply of something, we use it to excess. There are going to be some people that are going to drink until they are excessively drunk just to try and get their money worth. As I said early, we are not big drinkers, but I would think if I signed up for this package, and knowing how I like to feel some value out of what I pay for, I would likely be drinking way more than I would normally.

At least prior to the implementation of this program, one could have some control of how much they were drinking because they knew in the back of their mind that the bill at the end of the trip would not be cheap.

I understand what Royal Caribbean is trying to do to drum up additional business in a tough economy, but I think this is a horrible idea and may ruin their credibility. I fully could see Carnival doing this type of program because they are geared towards a younger audience, but Royal Caribbean, in my mind, was always more upscale. It will be interesting to see how they handle the possible increase in drunkenness. I foresee this program not lasting to long after they start having issues beyond the norm. What will be surprising to see is if any of the other cruise lines follow suit and start offering their own all-you-can-drink packages.