jagoffee

Thanks for the quick replies! I'm all set then. I'll be purchasing the classic alcoholic package bright and early on the 2nd day of the cruise, will be charged $44/day x 6 days = $264 x15% = $303. And from hours of reading, it seems the only thing i'll miss by not getting the premium package ,besides the obvious dollar limitations on alcoholic drinks, is red bull and vitamin water, which i think i can do without. Can't wait!

Your calculations are correct and if you purchase the 7 day package you can use it on the last morning. Please report back when you return on how it works when you purchase the package for only 6 days. Can you actually purchase it in the morning on the second day? If you can purchase it very early, you would get more than six days of use. Let us know after you return.

Accounts are terminated late on your last evening- 23.59 I believe.

Your statement will then be slipped under your door early on your last morning ( typically between 2-5am)

So no you will not be paying for anything on departure day( you cannot even use your sea pass- payment method)

I suspect that they have changed the process. I just returned from a cruise on Friday and Celebrity did not provide a paper statement. Everything was updated and available via the account section on the TV. I missed the list of drinks that I received with my package, but I did not want to go to the Desk to ask for a copy.

My husband got the soda package for my daughter and grand son...A total waste ! Hubby signed up six months in advance and they switched to cans so the kids didn't even get a cup ! What a waste !

I know that they added cans to the package, but are you saying that the eliminated the option of fountain drinks for the package? That would be surprising IMO.

Both my husband and I have the premium beverage package, and I am under the impression that I can take his card and use my card and get us both a drink at a bar. Is this not correct??

Lsimon was answering a different question.

You are correct. If you both have the package you can take both cards and get two drinks. This is what we did on our last cruise. You would not be able to take his card without yours and get a drink.

With a drink package, if a guest were to order a "double" (as in two shots of rum with ice in a tall glass with cola and a lime slice, or two shots of scotch either neat or on the rocks) would the guest be breaking the one drink at a time rule of the package or potentially exceeding the dollar limit of the drink package?

As far as I understood it when we had the drink packages, we were not allowed to order "doubles". That being said, there is nothing prohibiting you from ordering a drink at one bar, walking 50 feet and ordering from another bar....

My experience was different. I had the premium package and I sometimes order a tall Captain and Coke and I was asked if I wanted a double several times after finding out that I had the premium package. I suspect that it would depend on the cost as long the double cost was less than $12. I would think that if you had the classic package and a double costs more than $8 it would not be allowed.

We are sailing on our first Celebrity cruise on The Silhouette on November 18th. We were told that only Select was available as early/late was filled. We prepaid and really don't have that much of a problem with it. We also bought the premium drink package,:) so I am looking forward to seeing $0.000 at the end of the cruise.

 

It is my understanding that we prepaid all of the tips, no just dining. Is that correct?

Obviously being forced into Select dining is more common than realized. Select Dining is now my first choice and I have no issue with the policy. But IMO it is not really fair to force people into the Select Dining option especially with the requirements. Disappointed to hear.

sparot5,

Are you saying that your TA has informed you that neither the early or the late traditional dining is available? I am a little surprised that Celebrity is forcing you to use Select dining. You can make a reservation in advance, so you can still dine at the time that you want. I may have missed it, but I have never read about anyone else being forced to use Select Dining.

If the limit on the classic package for wine is $8.00 can you get a glass for $8.00 sincewhen they add the 15% it will be 9.20.:confused:

Yes, the $8 limit for the Classic and the $12 limit for the Premium package is without the 15%. The 15% is added to the cost of the package when you purchase the package.

So my question is more in concern for another person in our party on a 4 day caribbean cruise. I intend to get the drink package as I like to have the freedom to get specialty teas, wine at dinner, drinks by the pool, etc, and not worry about my bill racking up.

 

One of the members in our party has only been on 1 prior cruise which was Carnival. When I mentioned the drink package she mentioned that she intended to smuggle on her alcohol in her luggage. I read on the X website that they can kick you off for doing so. Has anyone heard of this actually happening? How easy/hard/strict are they on this policy? It would put a lot of stress on the group if she was kicked off, but so far it seems like she is bound to at least try. I guess I just didn't know how serious of a thing this was. Is it a smack on the hand, or a serious offense?

 

She seems to not understand that this is not in the same category of cruises as her prior Carnival cruise. She is very "cheap". I am budget oriented, but I feel like vacations should be a time to relax and kick back. I am hoping to make this a enjoyable experience for us all.

 

Anyone have any info on what usually happens in this situation as well as how we could possibly convince her to just go ahead and buy drinks on the ship?

If you do a search you will find many threads discussing this topic to get your answer. Let's hope that this thread turn into one of those.

I haven't seen this answered in this thread...

 

My wife and I are both getting the Premium Package.

 

I do enjoy a nice beer with a snifter of sambucca on the side. Do you have to order one thing, consume it, then order another, or can I sit at the bar and order both at the same time? Can I walk away with this combo or will I be flagged as a potential cheater now having security tail me throughout the ship? :D

 

I don't want them (or anyone here for that matter) to think that I am trying to pull one over on X, that's why I wrote that we are BOTH getting the Premium Package.

 

Thanks,

MrJulius:)

Very good question. You should probably ask since the total will probably be over $12. I am not 100% sure, but I think that I ordered a drink and a large bottled water at the same time. Although I found Celebrity to be very cooperative with the Premium drink package I am not sure that I would be confident in the actual practice in the different bars. If it was me I would confirm each time that I ordered it. The staff will tell you how best to handle your order.

Enjoy your package and cruise.

I disagree, even if the subject was already addressed, a lot of us like to have different opinions and I would imagine that if a sight like this one was created, then we should be free to ask any questions we want (that is without being rude or grotesque in any way.).

 

dh

Of course, but you have asked the same question many times. You keep saying that you want to lie and cheat the system by having a drink when only your husband pays for a package. I suspect that you are really not trying to get people to respond to you obvious attempt to cheat the cruise line, but I would hope that you understand that it is tempting. Especially consider that you keep repeating yourself. If your sense of integrity allows you to have a drink for yourself without paying you might get away with it and you might not. I suspect that many of use are not necessarily wishing your good luck in your attempt. Are you actually expecting us to wish you good luck?

I am on the fence what to do the classic or premium as I can only drink white wines due to Migraines with red/blush wines. Would I do better with the premium with more choices of white wine?

From my experience you will have a much better choice of white wines if you have the premium package. It has been reported that you might be able to pay the difference between $12 and the cost of even a more expensive wine. IMO the main reason to get a premium package over the classic is the better wines and the martinis.

The X website says the premium package includes drinks up to $12.00. I hope this is another example of the website being out of date!!

I believe that it is update.

If you get the premium drink package, are you charged for the day you disembark?

No, you are charged for 7 days on a 7 day cruise. You do get to take advantage on the day your disembark and the day you embark, so the total time is technically slightly less than a full 7 days.

We also are debating between the soft drink package and the classic alcohol package. We do drink mixed drinks (captain/coke) and wine? We are crusing mid-march so have time but we are trying to budget.

If you do not mind the hassle Celebrity does allow you to bring on soft drinks and water at any time.

38anchor, Thank you for posting your responses from Celebrity. This will make our Premium package even more enjoying on the Silhouette in November for some additional wine selections. Enjoy your cruise.

When our ship was in port in Barcelona as we were getting ready to do the sail-away at 5 pm, YES, we were charged a sales tax on my beer purchase on the Sunset rear deck. It can happen, depending on the port/country rules. Open seas were totally different with no sales tax added. I would say such sales taxes are pretty rare, but it did and does happen while still in the Barcelona port.

 

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I have not purchased a package in Barcelona, so I obviously do not know. I have read that if you purchase a package that they will actually charge you after you leave the port, but I do not actually know from experience as I have always purchased mine in advance.

The OP listed her coffee and Bailey's as costing $10 so it's a "Premium" drink that is more than $8. I was wondering if it would be possible to get it through the Classic package by ordering the two ingredients separately (coffee and liqueur) since individually they would cost less than $8 each.

Good point. I forget to review the original posting. Now, I see the wisdom of your question. From my experience you could order a shot of Bailey's at one bar and then add it to a latte that you purchase at the Cafe.

So do I have this right? With a Classic package I get to order a latte but if I want a shot of Bailey's in it I have to have the Premium "Specialty" coffee package? Can I pay an upcharge to add the Bailey's or will I be charged for the full cost of the drink? Can I order a separate "Classic" shot of Bailey's on the side to add to my "Classic" latte and avoid a "Premium" drink by pouring it into the coffee myself??

It is my understanding that if you have the Classic alcohol package you will be able to order the premium coffee drinks as long as the cost is less than $8.

Wow, I hope this is true on Eclipse.I thought the up charge was only available if you had the premium package.

I am not sure why Celebrity would want to get people to buy the Classic Package instead of the Premium, but it would be a good way to get people to buy the Classic. Dizzyheights were lucky perhaps their "deal" was not available to everyone? Good for them IMO. Besides the Martinis the better wines is the reason that I prefer the premium package.

These is the first report that I have heard about paying the difference on a Classic Package. Perhaps a future change being tested? Although I suspect it may have been a server or bartender just being nice?

I believe there is another benefit to purchasing your package once on the ship and in international waters: No tax. Tax is added to the package if you purchase before your trip. So if you are thinking about it and not sure, don't fret, you may save a bit more money in the end.

If Celebrity charged you a tax when you purchased the package in advance, you may wish to ask for a refund. They have never charged me tax when I purchased the package in advance just the service charge. Perhaps you have the two charges mixed up?

Hi, thanks in advance for assisting me with my questions regarding the drink packages. We are not new to cruising, but are new to Celebrity. If I purchase no package, what is available to me to drink on board without an extra charge? My previous cruises have been on Princess; we were able to get coffee, iced tea, lemonade, and glasses of water without charge. On our last cruise we purchased a coffee card to have access to espresso, cappuccino, and high-end tea without extra charges. We are not “heavy” drinkers, but would likely have 4-6 drinks per day between us on vacation, in a combo of 2 beers, 1-2 wines, 1-2 mixed drinks at most. If these don’t exceed the $62.00 per day per person charge of the premium package, then I see no reason to purchase it unless I am going to go over by purchasing coffee and tea; we don’t drink soda at all. Also, on Princess passengers are allowed to bring a couple of bottles of wine on board. I haven’t found any policy on the Celebrity web site; can one carry on any alcohol? Thanks, Laurie

The items that you listed that were free on Princess will also be free on Celebrity. With your consumption I would agree that it would not be worth it to purchase a premium drink package. You would have to pay for the items that you received with your Princess coffee card. (they are included with packages less expensive than the premium one) Fresh squeezed OJ is another charge.

Yes, per the policy you can bring two bottles of wine per cabin. The same a with Princess. You can also bring on bottled water if you wish.

Enjoy our cruise.

whichever package we buy (probably premium non alcohol) we will definatly buy on board the morning of the 2nd day- it has been pointed out elsewhere that you pay the same amount for each day & since the day you board the ship is not a full day, you will lose money for that day

For us we did not "lose" money on the first day, but I am sure that it would depend on your habits on the first day. For instance if you go to bed early and just take it easy on the first day. I do wonder what time you can buy in on the second day. Early in the morning? I know for us the last morning was included in our package for OJ and premium coffee.

Has anyone tried the lessor Classic Package? Bob

We did the premium package and loved it. For us there is nothing like not having to sign for your drinks. The Celebrity Xpedition spoiled us with it's all inclusive.

If you do not care about more expensive wines, drink Martinis, or drink more premium beers then IMO the classic package would be fine. The $8 limit covers a lot.

I must be missing the value in the beverage packages. I just looked on the Celebrity website and noticed that the cost for the 11 night Classic package is $556 per person + 15% gratuity! We do drink frozen drinks and beers at the pool daily, a drink before getting ready for dinner as well as wine with dinner and a few cocktails after dinner along with bottles of water for use in the cabin and in ports. Having said that, we have never spent $556 for the both of us on a 7 night cruise so I am wondering if I am missing something here since the total bill for an 11 night cruise with gratuity is $1,446 for the classic package. Someone please let me know if I am confused as I am trying to find the deal here. Thank you-

Of course it would depend on your indiviual habits. Reference post number 1 on this thread that is an excellent example of what you might be missing and/or confirm that your preference do not justify the package. The packages are not a good buy for everyone or perhaps not even for a majority. I can assure you that it is a good deal for some of us and to me the convenience is "priceless". But I do not think that anyone that does not purchase a package should feel that they are "missing" something.

Hi, After speaking with customer service my friend was told that the gratuities when purchased on the ship were added and not included in the per day price. She was charged $54 / day per person for her 10 night cruise and $162 was added for the 15% gratuity. Which does work out to the correct amount. I guess it must make sense to someone.

She did say it was worth every penny and she would purchase the premium package again in a heartbeat.

Happy sailing to all, if only RCCL would get a decent package!

The Celebrity website/quote states that the price is $54 per person per day with an * that states that 15% will be added for gratuities. 15% is $8.10 per person per day for gratuities. That is equal to $162 total gratuity for two people for ten days. It makes sense to me. Hope this helps.

here how the package work if you buy a classic package all cocktail price from $8 below included in the classic

example

grey goose is a premium but it only cost 7.5 its still included if you have a grey goose and tonic

only big martini is not included on the premium package

but any spirit that will cost $8 below it will be coverd so drink 10 small grey goose martini on the classic package

 

for beers some imported are not included on the classic but all domestic is

 

for water evian and pellegrino are not included only spring water but some bartender dont know that

Are you saying that Evian and Pellegrino cost more than $8 a bottle?

Can you ask for a double shot?

 

Sometimes the drinks are so weak you can barely taste the booze. :rolleyes:

The drinks did not seem weak to me' date=' but if you have the premium package to can get doubles.

DH and I just got off the Equinox this past Friday after a wonderful 11 night cruise. We are both retirees so not as young as many of you so maybe our imbibing was more limited. However, we do enjoy a cocktail or two or three while cruising. Our final bar tab for 11 days turned out to be $610. This included an afternoon cocktail, pre dinner drink, two glasses of wine with dinner and an apertif just about each evening. Needless to say, we are glad that we did not purchase a beverage plan as we would have lost alot of money. It was easy to bring your onboard account up on the TV screen so each day I just threw the bar receipts away.

Five drinks a day per person for 11 days would be 110 drinks without any OJ, speciality coffees, regular soda, or bottled water. I suspect you drank less expensive wines and/or were able to take advantage of some of the drink specials in order to average $5.XX per drink with tip. Good for you. Based on your needs the drink packages are not a good value.

My final bill with the package did not list the actual drinks with the price, but it did show the scans and locations for all our drinks.

Apparently, there is no hard and fast rule.

 

Some people who purchased Celebrity Passages certificates were required to pay full deposit when they eventually selected a cruise (and not just for suites). It also seems that some of the future cruise consultants onboard the ships are confused as well, as the information they give is, at times, quite erroneous.

 

We were on Eclipse last week, but for us, it didn't pay to do a Passages certificate (I didn't have a specific cruise ship/date/itin selected, so doing an onboard booking wasn't worth it) since we were told that the full deposit would be required when we selected our cruise. And since we're shareholders and can't combine perks, the only reason for doing a Passages cert would be for the reduced deposit. For longer cruises, I hate to tie up so much money.

 

It's all so confusing...I just wish they wouldn't complicate issues so.

 

Jo-Ann

I was on the 2/5 and 2/12 cruise and I purchased two Open Passages during the 2/5 cruise and I am looking at a blank form that I saved. It would appear that you had a miscommunication. The Celebrity Open Passage Booking Request Form clearly states that

1. A reduced deposit of $100USD is required per person to qualify for the OBC offer.

2. No additional deposits are due until final payment.

3. You also receive two Friends and Family Certificates.

It does state that is not combinable with the shareholder credit.

It is an official written form that looks like a standard form.

Whoever told you that you would need to pay a full deposit when you decided must have assumed that you were booking a suite?

Jim

I was thinking that the Molecular Bar is not included in the package, but I may be wrong. The self-serve wine in Cellar Masters is not included.

The drinks at the Molecular bar are included and I do not think that they had any drinks on the menu that were over $12.

Did you have any trouble getting more than one or two glasses of wine at dinner in the MDR? Do you have to flag the sommelier down each time?

Thanks!

We had no trouble getting one or more wines at dinner. Yes, the sommelier must take the order and poor the wine. They only scanned each of our cards once usually at the end.

There is a particular sommelier assigned to a section of tables, so as we moved around in Select dining we had a different person sometimes. IMO the service was excellent and you need the premium package for a good selection of wines. The Nickel Nicke Pinor Noir was one of my favorites. They also had choices not on the official wine list.

I just returned from a B2B on the Eclispe and I thought I would share my experience with the full Premium drink package. My DW and I both had the package and it was really convenient. Perhaps they have changed the process, but I did not ever get a receipt or was I asked to sign anything. They always took our cards and scanned whenever we received a drink. At the end of each cruise, we received our itemized bill that included a list of each scan, but it did not have a price or state what was purchased. It just included the bar and time. This did not show on the T.V. account just on the final package given to us at the end of each cruise.

I would say that I would not have normally purchased fresh OJ each morning or used the Cafe as much. My wife found a Decaf tea that she iced each morning. From our perspective the better wines and Martinis would be the main reason to get a premium package instead of a classic package. The wines available for $8 were limited and the $12 improved the wine options significantly. Normally I bring CF Diet Coke and bottled water on board, but I did not on this cruise. It was great that CF Diet Coke was readily available. I also only attended two Elite cocktail parties in the Sky Lounge over the two week period and none of the special Cocktail party events. My DW and I both felt that since we already had the package, we did not want to get changed to attend the event. We just went to the Martini Bar in our shorts prior to getting ready for dinner.

The bottom line for us is that we really enjoyed the convenience of the package. I am going to go back and compare the costs from some of our other cruises, but I would say that we are likely to purchase a package for our next cruise.

If you have any other questions, just ask.