Are Celebrity Century Beverage Packages worth it?

[OOB]

Thinking of purchasing the Classic Package and Premium Non Alcoholic package and would like to know your thoughts.

[Freecall]

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http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1243495

 

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[firstplacechef]

agree with Freecall. Check out the link. It really depends on how much you drink. For some it is worth it and others, not so much.

[Lsimon]

If you browse through some of the back posts on beverage packages you'll see this is a common topic of discussion.

 

We're frequent cruisers (two a year for the past few years) and I used to think our bar bills were pretty high - that is until I saw the prices of the beverage packages and the number of cruisers here who think they are a good deal.

 

My own conclusion is that they are pretty expensive and only worthwhile if you are an above average consumer. As a bit if a number cruncher I've done a lot of analysis of recent cruise accounts and our past consumption always fell short of the package prices. Worse yet the packages do not include room service (we have a lot of bottled water delivered to our cabin) or wine by the bottle (much larger and more varied selection than wines by the glass).

 

But you'll see a lot of postings from cruisers who love the packages.

 

My advice is to do a little research on it and if you aren't sure the packages are for you wait until you're on board and can check things out for a day and then decide. You can buy the packages on board the first few days of your cruise and the cost will be pro-rated for the remainder of the cruise.

[capecodder2]

I agree with Lsimon, you need to do some serious drinking to get your money's worth. We are just off the Equinox 11-nt cruise and we spent $175 less than 1 premium package. We bought 2 bottles of water from Celebrity at $3 each and the rest we bought at different ports and brought back. 6 bottles of wine ($39-$48 range) and a few glasses of wine at lunch or a cocktail in the afternoon maybe 6 or 7 times, 3 special coffees. We don't drink soda or smoothies. Either we don't drink enough or some other folks need to have liquid in their hand or mouth all the time. Unless you are serious drinkers (of any liquid), this first time I would not buy the package and then compare how you made out after the cruise, which is what I did. Just my thoughts.

[eandj]

Agree. Figure out your average intake. Then add in the fact that you will be gone from the ship for ? many days at ports. We generally start a cruise drinking more than we do at home. But after 3 days or so, back off to a more "normal" amount. Wouldn't be worth it to us.

But... some do prefer an all inclusive type arrangement and will pay more for that convenience. Not worrying if they are overpaying.

[Bruin Steve]

For me, it's easy...NO...

For others, some seem to like it...Often, I think what they like is the pre-payment aspect, not necessarily the pricing...

I would prefer to be a "free agent" ...to drink what I want and not be limited by whatever type or level of package I've bought...

I also figured you'd need to drink about six drinks a day, every day of your cruise just to break even...and "just breaking even" isn't a "deal"...

 

I also figure in how much time I am off the ship...

And how many "free drinks I get on top of the "package"...

 

In fact, of late, I don't pay for many drinks at all...

As an Elite Captains Club member, I have free drinks in Michael's from 4:00 to dinner time...

By the time I'm done there, I've pretty much done my drinking for the day...If I want a drink or two earlier than that--on an "at sea day" or later in a lounge or at a show, I just pay for it per drink...and I am WAY ahead of that "package" cost...

 

Of course, many don't have the free Elite drinks...but there are some freebies--say at the Captain's reception...and, if you are like me, you may have a drink or two while touring in port...so, add those to your expected drink consumption...Now, figure out if you're likely to have SIX additional drinks each day...and, AT THAT POINT, all you've done is broken even!!

 

Of course, some folks say they just don't like to worry about the bar bill...so, buying the package lets them relax...

For me, I DON'T worry about the bar bill...I drink what I want to drink and pay for whatever I've ordered...just like most things in life...I'm pretty secure in knowing that I'm never that out of control that I could run up a bar bill bigger than my ability to pay...

 

JMHO...

[kitkat9438]

We both had the premium alcohol package on the Eclipse and Loved it. We weren't looking to "break even" and in fact didn't even calculate how much we would have spent if we had purchased the drinks without a package. For us, it was making our vacation all inclusive, having our drinks paid for in advance, with the ability to try out different drinks we would never have done otherwise.

 

I agree with the others. Look at the prices in the sticky at the top of the Celebrity boards and make a list of the drinks you would probably order, including bottled water, soda, fresh juices, bottled tea, wine, beer, frozen drinks, martinis, specialty coffee, etc. If you drink coffee, bottled water and wine and martinis, it all adds up to more than the cost of the package and the package includes tipping.

 

While there are a lot of people who say "no" they wouldn't buy the package, you won't find very many who have actually bought the package that did not love it. You can do a search on packages and see the many threads.

 

It's all a matter of personal choice. We personally love having the options and will gladly do it again, whether or not we have port intensive days. You can fit in coffee in the morning and after dinner, bottled water to take on shore and in your room, a martini before dinner, margarita out by the pool, wine (paired with your meals and not stuck with one kind of wine by the bottle) with dinner and drinks at a show and/or nightclub later.

 

Good luck with your decision and enjoy your cruise whatever you decide.

[cruisinitaliano]

I chose the premium non alchohol package.

 

As others have stated, look at the threads that have prices, and determine for yourself.

 

An average day for me was 3-4 smoothie type drinks ( pina colada with o.j., chocolate banana smoothie..YUMMY!!)..2-3 diet cokes, 1 coffee drink from deck 5.

 

I also would get a frozen bottle of water about 25 min. before getting off ship in port, and another at the gangway to keep me hydrated in port.

 

Might sound like alot of beverages, but poolside, at lunch and dinner, at the shows, at comedy club...good thing I don't do alchohol, could you imagine??? total cost w/tax and tip..$126.00

[chive]

I'm with the "it doesn't pay for me" people when I looked at all of the drink options and our consumption history.

 

I did have one thought, however, and wonder if anyone has considered this. We pay for our food for the length of the cruise and yet many of us do not eat all of our meals on board. We go on excursions or to a favorite restaurant we once went to on a previous visit. Or, we are on board and we opt for "light" meals or snacks at the "cost" of prepaid, more expensive available meals. Many of us dine at specialty restaurants at extra cost.

 

It seems as though not everyone wants to "eat their money's worth" to the same extent that many want to "drink their money's worth". I understand the concept of "it's paid for and I'll let what happens happen" as far as the end result bar bill, just as perhaps people are not considering the cost of any particular meal. Couldn't buying a beverage package be considered the same as prepaying for a trip's worth of food? Is this a valid analogy? Thoughts?

[Alsmez]

I'm with the "it doesn't pay for me" people when I looked at all of the drink options and our consumption history.

 

I did have one thought, however, and wonder if anyone has considered this. We pay for our food for the length of the cruise and yet many of us do not eat all of our meals on board. We go on excursions or to a favorite restaurant we once went to on a previous visit. Or, we are on board and we opt for "light" meals or snacks at the "cost" of prepaid, more expensive available meals. Many of us dine at specialty restaurants at extra cost.

 

It seems as though not everyone wants to "eat their money's worth" to the same extent that many want to "drink their money's worth". I understand the concept of "it's paid for and I'll let what happens happen" as far as the end result bar bill, just as perhaps people are not considering the cost of any particular meal. Couldn't buying a beverage package be considered the same as prepaying for a trip's worth of food? Is this a valid analogy? Thoughts?

 

I see your point, but since there is no option to pay for your food a la carte on a cruise, it's not exactly the same thing. Going to a specialty restaurant doesn't make me feel like I'm losing money on the meal I've already paid for; actually, given the relatively low cost of the specialty places in relation to the cost of their food, I sort of feel like I'm getting more bang for my buck. With the drink packages, since ALL alcohol is going to cost more, it seems silly to me to buy the package unless I am reasonably sure I'm going to benefit from it - otherwise, I would just pretend I had one, order whatever I wanted, pay for it a la carte and still come out ahead!

[capecodder2]

For many it seems that the perception of convenience wins out over cost, just like my ancient marketing class said it did way back when. Whatever floats your boat........I mean ship.

[cadburysmom]

Also keep in mind you don't have to buy the beverage package for the full duration of your cruise.

 

On our 14 day Eclipse Baltic cruise, I only purchased it for the last 4 days of the cruise when we had several days at sea. It worked well for me as I upgraded from the regular soda package and enjoyed my fill of specialty coffees as well as sampling nearly every scrumptious concoction the fabulous Martini Bar had to offer. ;)

[ukfamilycruisers4]

we had the premium non alcohol package on the century last summer and it certainly paid for itself. We particularly enjoyed cappucinos at cova cafe and to be able to help ourselves to unlimited bottled water was great especially when we left the ship for tours. We will certainly buy it again on our next cruise

[firsttimecelebritycruiser]

Has anyone ever bought one beverage package to share among 2 people? Does Century allow it? Cruising on the 16th :D

[rhuntington3]

Has anyone ever bought one beverage package to share among 2 people? Does Century allow it? Cruising on the 16th :D

 

Sharing the packages is not allowed.

[NSgal]

We both had the premium alcohol package on the Eclipse and Loved it. We weren't looking to "break even" and in fact didn't even calculate how much we would have spent if we had purchased the drinks without a package. For us, it was making our vacation all inclusive, having our drinks paid for in advance, with the ability to try out different drinks we would never have done otherwise.

 

I agree with the others. Look at the prices in the sticky at the top of the Celebrity boards and make a list of the drinks you would probably order, including bottled water, soda, fresh juices, bottled tea, wine, beer, frozen drinks, martinis, specialty coffee, etc. If you drink coffee, bottled water and wine and martinis, it all adds up to more than the cost of the package and the package includes tipping.

 

While there are a lot of people who say "no" they wouldn't buy the package, you won't find very many who have actually bought the package that did not love it. You can do a search on packages and see the many threads.

 

It's all a matter of personal choice. We personally love having the options and will gladly do it again, whether or not we have port intensive days. You can fit in coffee in the morning and after dinner, bottled water to take on shore and in your room, a martini before dinner, margarita out by the pool, wine (paired with your meals and not stuck with one kind of wine by the bottle) with dinner and drinks at a show and/or nightclub later.

 

Good luck with your decision and enjoy your cruise whatever you decide.

 

 

I totally agree with this. I just finished an 11nt on Millie and loved that I didn't have to worry about my bill at the end. I drank MANY lattes in Cova and fresh OJ at breakfast everyday as well. I would definitely do it again

[marie61]

I totally agree with KitKAt: we both had premium alcohol packages and we loved it! it made the cruise all-inclusive...I never had to think about the cost of anything since it was prepaid, and I found I was ordering loads more juices and sparkling water than I would have if I had had to pay individually.

 

Another point: with the package, wine by the glass up to $12 is included. When we went to dinner, the sommelier would visit us, listen to what we had ordered, and recommend wines (which we tasted before accepting). Basically we were adventurous and tried wines we never would have ordered in a regular restaurant because it would have meant committing to an entire bottle :eek: If the bottle is $45 and you don't like it, what then? This way, she'd pour a taste and you could accept it or ask for something else...I enjoyed so many different wines on the cruise!

 

My husband would also enjoy Irish coffee for dessert (included) and I'd have a couple of cappucinos...we definitely got our money's worth!

[ping1]

I agree with Lsimon, you need to do some serious drinking to get your money's worth. We are just off the Equinox 11-nt cruise and we spent $175 less than 1 premium package. We bought 2 bottles of water from Celebrity at $3 each and the rest we bought at different ports and brought back. 6 bottles of wine ($39-$48 range) and a few glasses of wine at lunch or a cocktail in the afternoon maybe 6 or 7 times, 3 special coffees. We don't drink soda or smoothies. Either we don't drink enough or some other folks need to have liquid in their hand or mouth all the time. Unless you are serious drinkers (of any liquid), this first time I would not buy the package and then compare how you made out after the cruise, which is what I did. Just my thoughts.

 

You mentioned that you bought water bottles at different ports. So, let me get this right, Celebrity allowed you to bring the (I'm assuming, sealed) water bottles onboard? On my recent Royal Caribbean Cruise, I wanted to buy some water in Bermuda and bring in onboard. I checked with Guest Services first, and the young man called Security and they said no--and that they would confiscate them and return them on the last day of the cruise (like alcohol purchases).

 

thank you for your resonse

[mpbmark]

You mentioned that you bought water bottles at different ports. So, let me get this right, Celebrity allowed you to bring the (I'm assuming, sealed) water bottles onboard? On my recent Royal Caribbean Cruise, I wanted to buy some water in Bermuda and bring in onboard. I checked with Guest Services first, and the young man called Security and they said no--and that they would confiscate them and return them on the last day of the cruise (like alcohol purchases).

 

thank you for your resonse

 

RRCL has the strictest water, liquor and wine policies of any cruise line, which is one of the main reasons I've given up on them. You won't be able to bring any "liquid for drinking" on board. Over the past several years, they have become even more strict and people are reporting even items in checked luggage are being discovered. Not to say you can't be successful smuggling stuff on board, but the chances of getting caught are more likely now then in years past.

 

Also, don't count on getting the confiscated alcohol returned. Many times, things just "disappear" and you never receive it back.

 

Can't say whether Celebrity allows water to be brought on board, but they generally have a more lenient policy.

[Lois R]

Has anyone ever bought one beverage package to share among 2 people? Does Century allow it? Cruising on the 16th :D

 

That was April 16th, correct? How was your cruise? Did you purchase

a drink package?

[Lsimon]

You mentioned that you bought water bottles at different ports. So, let me get this right, Celebrity allowed you to bring the (I'm assuming, sealed) water bottles onboard? ...

 

Yes. I've read about this done before. I usually don't bother but last year I carried a case on at one port. This year I brought a case to the port on embarkation day, slapped a luggage tag on it and they delivered it to my stateroom. I still bought a LOT of bottled water on board as we go through quite a lot.

[miched]

I am not a tea toddler and can drink more than most but I don't find it to be worth the money. All it will do is make you drink more. We found that with the happy hours, days in ports and other specials you won't spend as much as the package will cost. I bought a bucket of beer on the second day and still had 3 left on the last day. In the ports I would buy a few beers at the stores and drink them while walking around. While specials drinks may cost close to $10 you would have to drink 5 a day to justify it and that is a ton of calories.

 

There was an article in the AARP magazine discussing how people spend money foolishly because numbers play tricks on their minds and one of the things it touched on was the pay one price. Most times it is not worth paying for but people think it is because they aren't paying for each individual item.

[Wylie Coyote]

When we vacation, we tend too drink way more than when we are at home. Having said that.... the $49 + 15% tip (nearly $400 per person for a 7 night cruise) is totally worth it. In the morning, we enjoy a mimosa or bloody mary with kettle vodka (high end vodka - but less than $12 per drink). During the day and early evening a couple of beers. At night, wine with dinner and maybe a few cocktails during a show or at a bar venue. This is not too mention waters, specialty coffees and tea hour. It is a no brainer for us...last 7 night cruise on NCL drinks alcohol and non-alcohol = $1300+ for two.

 

I thought we were totally toss pots when I saw the bill, but then chatted with people we met online later to find out that many of them had the same if not more in drink purchases on the same sailing.

 

I am looking forward to making good use of the drink package including specialty waters, foo foo deck drinks, coffees, teas, cocktails and some nice wines and cognacs on out next Celebrity cruise in June.

[sczcardfan]

I agree with the others. Look at the prices in the sticky at the top of the Celebrity boards and make a list of the drinks you would probably order, including bottled water, soda, fresh juices, bottled tea, wine, beer, frozen drinks, martinis, specialty coffee, etc. If you drink coffee, bottled water and wine and martinis, it all adds up to more than the cost of the package and the package includes tipping.

 

Exactly, it all depends on how & what you drink. I've looked at the prices, and know how (and what) I drink when I'm on vacation. Will a drink package save me a ton of money? No. Is it likely to be cheaper for me than what I would spend paying individually? Yes. Is it going to be easier than paying individually? Yes. Am I likely to try drinks I might not otherwise? Definitely (but I'd be having that drink anyhow, I just know that I'm more willing to explore if it won't cost me anything to decide I don't like the something new I'm trying).

 

Maybe I drink too much (topic for another day :o), but I'm often going to have a bloody mary in the morning. When I get back onboard I'm going to have a beer. And then a martini (or molecular bar) drink before dinner. And then 2-3 glasses of wine with dinner, and maybe an after-dinner drink. Then add a morning latte (I'd say that's my vice, but then I look at my drinking... :eek:), and a couple bottles of water (to take onshore, plus sparkling water is yet another vice :rolleyes:) and I'm at or above the cost of a premium drink package. With the package, add in fresh squeezed juice in the morning (which I would likely skip most days if I was paying individually), and the comfort of knowing if I don't like my drink choice I can easily (and freely) change to something else.

 

Do I wish it was cheaper? Sure. But I know what I'm like on vacation, and what I like to enjoy. I'm going to spend the money enjoying it regardless, and expensive though it is, a drink package is very likely to be cheaper for me than paying individually.

 

But that's me, I don't think anyone can tell someone else whether they'll get value from a drink package, because it depends on your drinking preferences. If you only want a glass of wine with dinner each night, obviously the package isn't a cost-effective choice. And as others have mentioned, if you would only have a drink or two normally but then have 7 or 8 because you bought a package...well, the package might be cheaper than paying for each drink, and you might be happy (or not) that you had those drinks, but did you really save money??