Enter Your Question P&O Cruise

[sandmaster]

We are about to go on our first cruise. P&O offer a non alcoholic drinks package costing approx £20 per day each person. So for one month that will cost £1200. It seems a lot but has anyone here cruised with P&O and can confirm if this is worth taking?

[Sqad]

You mean "alcoholic?"

[jno]

apparently not, Sqad

https://www.pocruises.com/content/dam/po/marketing-assets/onboard-activities/all-inclusive-beverages/non-alcohol-terms.pdf

[Sqad]

jno....you are absolutely correct........we have never encountered this .

[jno]

plus you get 20% off big bottles of water. So generous!

I suppose you'll need to work out just how much tea, coffee etc you drink in a day (plus are you going somewhere hot that will require a lot of cold fizzy drink). If you don't think you'll have £20 worth a day, just pay as you go.

[THECORBYLOON]

You can have only one drink at a time with at least fifteen minute between drinks, all adults sharing a room must pay and folk cannot share their drinks.

[calmck]

What is included? Water, tea,coffee, sodas,non alcoholic beer or wine? What is the price of each drink? How many would you have a day? Is it worth just doing for one person and ordering two drinks at a time? When I went on a cruise tea and coffee were always available and free or I could make it in my cabin

[sandmaster]

As this is our first cruise we have no idea of on board prices. We are teetotal but may enjoy non alcoholic lagers in the evenings. Tea and coffee are free with meals and in our cabin but mid morning and afternoon we may want more. I really need advice from someone who has sailed with P&O

[jno]

a fairly rough outline of drinks prices

https://www.cruisemummy.co.uk/po-cruises-drinks-prices-menus/

[Hopkirk]

Just nip down the supermarket and buy your own. Oh, hang on ....

[Buenchico]

Vampiress88 kept a record of what her family spent on drinks on P&O Britannia in April 2018. (The list includes both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks). If you look at this list, and allow for the price increases over a 5 year period, it might help you to work out what your own expenditure would be on a drink-by-drink basis:
https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2875776-drink-package-is-it-worth-having/
(Scroll down to the relevant post. It's the one with a long yellow column of figures in it)

[Sqad]

Personally.......nothing to do with cost or value, we would never go on a cruise and have to add upp each day how much we had drunk in our "package."

To avoid an unnecessary "situation" we would pay for what we used.

[teacher1]

...... or find a cruise line that includes drinks in the total price.

[andy-hughes]

sandmaster - // As this is our first cruise we have no idea of on board prices. We are teetotal but may enjoy non alcoholic lagers in the evenings. Tea and coffee are free with meals and in our cabin but mid morning and afternoon we may want more. I really need advice from someone who has sailed with P&O //

We have cruised many times with P & O, and have never entertained 'drinks packages' - as we are also tee-total.

You will find that the occasional coffee and drinks for you both at night are perfectly reasonable, probably less than you would pay at home, so my advice would be to 'pay as you go'.

If money is tight, buy bottles of water ashore, and if you are worried about your spending, reception will give you an interim cabin account print-out any day - just ask.

[sddsddean]

We are off on our 30th cruise next week on P&O (not all cruises with P&O!). We have never had a drinks package of any sort, 'cos when you work it out, you have to be drinking about a dozen drinks a day to make it worthwhile. Haven't been on P&O for a couple of years, but normally their prices are roughly pub prices eg £4 - £5 for a beer or spirit + mixer (I realise you are non alcoholic, but just trying to give you an idea). If you go on Royal Caribbean or Celebrity, their prices are higher (around $7 -$8 for same) and their packages are more expensive, so as I say, we never have a drinks package.
As this is your first cruise, another piece of advice...DO NOT buy a wifi/internet package! You will be paying every day for what you can get for nearly all year at home. Most cruise terminals have free wifi (just follow the crew!) and the internet on board is normally really slow and cr@p anyway.
Have fun!

PS Are you going on Ventura?...we are.

[roopower]

Quite often in pubs non alcoholic drinks are nearly as much as alcoholic ones.

[andy-hughes]

I don't drink in pubs often, but I would repeat - soft drinks and coffees on board are no more expensive than a hotel on land.

You are on holiday! Don't spoil it by worrying about a few drinks.

[smurfchops]

Royal Caribbean and Celebrity sometimes offer Drinks included in the price. Go to reception when you board, say you do not want to pay tips every day, cancel that, say you want to pay just who you want, at the end of the cruise. We eat in the buffet most nights so do not want to pay waiters and maitre’d when we don’t eat there. We just pay the room cleaning staff at the end. Lots of extras you have to look out for. Also we don’t go on the excursions, we just get off ship and walk around the port, people watch, go shopping, then back on board for lunch!

[smurfchops]

Sddsddean, I agree with everything you say!

[andy-hughes]

Smurchops, P & O have dropped mandatory tipping, it's discretionary for anyone. Many passengers don't tip any crew at all, it's personal choice.