When my best friend Keri and I went on our annual girls cruise earlier in the year on the
Norwegian Pearl, our sailing happened to be the first ship to offer a new upgraded unlimited beverage package called
Premium Plus. This package offers essentially everything on board and select bottles of wine at dinner. Being our sailing was the first one to offer this package - and we were the first people on the ship to upgrade, we were likely the first people fleetwide to have the Premium Plus Package. I deserve a trophy!
Some asked why one would spend additional to upgrade a package when we already had a decent drink package included... well the
NCL Premium Plus Package is a taking it up a few notches. If you enjoy a good glass of wine, good tequila or fine bourbon, this is the package you want. Since we had the Premium Package already included, it was $30 extra a day to upgrade and it went on our sail account. First we hesitated as a lot was included in our original package. When we learned Veuve Clicquot was included on the Premium Plus upgrade, we signed away. Unlimited Veuve for the duration of our cruise? Hello lover!
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| Double Fisting... Veuve |
Aside from unlimited Veuve - here is what you need to know about the
Norwegian Cruise Line Premium Plus Beverage Package - and why we decided to upgrade.
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| Grey Goose and Cointreau Cosmo |
Liquor Options
Keri and I are both extremely picky when it comes to our alcohol. One of the reasons we upgraded was with the Premium Package, you couldn't order a drink that was valued over $15 - so if you're looking to have a margarita with Patron & Cointreau or a Espresso Martini with h Grey Goose & real Espresso, it isn't happening without an upcharge. It sounds trivial, but Cointreau makes all drinks better and neither of us can do triple sec. With the Premium Plus Package, you can have all of this along with Patron Anejo and Don Julio Reposadoo. The list of upgrades is quite impressive.
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| Unlimited Veuve! |
Wine & Champagne by the Glass
Far more wines and champagnes are offered by the glass with the Premium Plus Package, including Veuve Clicquot. This was a huge selling point for us. Meanwhile, the
Premium Beverage Package offered 20 wines by the glass and from my recollection, only one sparkling wine.
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| NCL Wine Aerator |
Bottles of Wine
The Premium Plus Beverage Package offered a large variety of wines by the bottle at dinner. On our sailing, they would allow us to take a bottle back to our room (this may vary ship by ship). We found a Malbec we fell in love with while dining at Cagney's Steakhouse and were able to continue drinking that after dinner. If you get a bottle of wine there, you will get it presented with this awesome wine aerator, which you can purchase. It made a really cool gift!
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| Not water - could be energy? |
Bottles of Water & Energy drinks
Bottles of still and sparkling water are included with the Premium Plus Package but not the Premium Beverage Package. We pre-purchased a case of water to be delivered to our room prior to knowing about the upgrade option. It was $28 for 12 1 liter bottles. We did get refunded for this when we upgraded our drink package. Also included in the Premium Plus Package are soda's and energy drinks which are at an addition to the Premium Package
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| Grey Goose Espresso Martini |
Coffee Drinks
Specialty Coffee drinks are included in the Premium Plus Package. I drink espresso on a daily basis so having my morning pick me up is a must. Also as mentioned above, you can get a liquor drink with espresso in it with the Premium Plus package!
You can compare the two drink packages on Norwegians website. If you are going to get the Premium Plus Beverage Package, I would strongly suggest getting the Premium Beverage Package as a free perk when booking and upgrading to the Premium Plus Package when on the ship. As of right now, you are unable to book the Premium Plus package ahead of sailing and can only do it on the first day of your sailing.
Norwegian Premium Plus Beverage Package
Norwegian Premium Beverage Package
In 2016, the Carnival Vista was named the first cruise ship to have a RedFrog Brewery & Pub on board (her sister ship the Horizon also has one). This is a full working brewery where they brew their beer while at sea. When I sailed the Vista in 2017, I had the opportunity to visit the brewery and try their delicious brews firsthand.
Although I am a wine drinker, there is nothing better than a frosty glass of beer on a hot day and while on a week long Vista sailing, I found myself at RedFrog Pub & Brewery daily and even bought a growler of beer! Carnivals craft beers became famous among cruising craft beer lovers. However, when you went on a ship that didn't have a RedFrog brewery on board, you weren't able to indulge in their delicious brews.
So what does the RedFrog Pub & Brewery have to do with the announcement made on the Magic? On Sunday March 17th, Carnivals three most popular craft beers will be available fleet-wide, on all 26 ships! This includes the Parched Pig Toasted Amber Ale, Parched Pig West Coast IPA and Thirsty Frog Caribbean Wheat Ale.
