NMTraveller

We always got our coffees on the Millenium at Cafe Al Bacchio.

Yep. On our last Celebrity cruise, we got All Included as part of a TA group rate on Celebrity. Looking at the rates now, I would probably drink by the glass or choose another line... Probably a higher class line. All of those added fees add up very quickly.

I suspect that number is growing as the price of Celebrity's premium package is very pricey. Compare it to Princess who gives you unlimited specialty for roughly the same price ...

Apples and oranges. Even in specialty dining Celebrity does not compare to the nicer restaurants and should not command the higher fees. I give them 3 out of 5 stars on a good day. Replace Celebrity's Michelin Man with a Michelin star and then perhaps I would agree...

LOL. Back and forth and back and forth ...

Thanks everyone. I noticed the lower pricing on Viking and I was wondering if they were comparable. I will stick with AMA. They have done a good job and I am very happy with them.

To hear the simultaneous popping of corks in the dining room ...

Celebrity has double booked before. It would not be their first time or last ...

Then you have a TA that works for the cruise line. How is that going to work? Seems like a conflict of interest...

My TA would have been on the phone with Celebrity or submitting the insurance claim...

Yes mostly from my one cruise...

So what do they charge if you uncork the bottle of wine yourself in the dining room? Do they still charge you the ridiculous fee? 🤣

I have sailed AMA, but I am thinking about a Viking cruise. What are the noticeable differences?

We passed on this. Just too many people and too much of a circus ...

Murano for the food. Tuscan for the views.

Well on Princess the corkage fee is $20. You can bring more than 2 bottles of wine onboard, you just pay the $20 corkage fee for each bottle over 2... I am not sure why Celebrity is twice as expensive?

Cairns is a beautiful place. Snorkeling on the Great Barrier reef is a must. We did a land trip to Cairns, Uluru, and Sydney.

Ah yes. They are doing this for the cruiser's health 😁

True. One is a more luxury experience and the other is more mass market ...

Virgin took away the food awards from Celebrity. I would probably consider if they had longer and more varied itineraries. Oceania is a step above ...

The AMA Waterways cruises that I am pricing out are definitely lower priced than when I compare pricing to an inside cabin on Celebrity with drink packages, excursions, room service, and chefs table. Plus you know that you are going to run into other fees on Celebrity such as additional fees for wine with the drink package, etc., etc. AMA Waterways does not have any inside cabins to compare with. I had zero additional charges on AMA Waterways. This kind of reminds me of the discount airlines. Celebrity's prices are low, but when you add in everything they can be more expensive. Trying to get around the high drink prices, corkage fees by pouring in the room is probably not the way to go... Skip drinks on Celebrity, excursions, and chefs table and Celebrity would be less expensive.

I think that when you consider all of the extra charges on Celebrity, you will find out that Oceania or the other premium lines are the same price, or priced better...

For some ... For others that 70-85 bottle of wine is a 15 to 17 bottle at home. Why drink meh wine? I don't see many purchasing by the bottle... Some...

Here is what I think is going on. They have raised the price of the drink package so high, people are bringing their own wine onboard. They are trying to recoup these losses through raising the corkage fees. 🤣 Does anyone think that this will work out for them?

I prefer to uncork in the room and carry the glass to the dining room. During one of my cruises the waiter was having a difficult time getting the cork out. I wanted to help out so much 🤣 I suppose if the cost was inconsequential then I might just take the bottle. But $42 is the highest corkage fee I have heard of. Perhaps they should send their management to Econ 101 and not Nickel and Dime 101. The more that they raise prices, the less corkage fees that they will collect. I doubt that they collect many at this price.