Drink Package was best cruise deal ever!

[reded]

Silly question probably but is there anything to stop one person in the couple getting the drinks package instead of both buying it and sharing drinks?

[Lsimon]

Silly question probably but is there anything to stop one person in the couple getting the drinks package instead of both buying it and sharing drinks?

 

This question was just asked a few posts earlier on this thread and I responded with two pretty good things that should stop one from sharing a package. Here is a copy of the response I posted:

 

The prices are per person.

 

What stops a person from sharing a package? I can think of a couple of things:

 

1. Honesty!

Are you a thief? If you don't normally steal things from others or shoplift then why would you want to steal beverages for others when you've only paid for yourself? But if you are the sort that doesn't give theft a second thought then that brings us to #2:

 

2. Ship's prevention measures. The ship is aware that some may try to cheat the system in place. I'm sure that they have some prevention measures in place to detect just as any business subject to theft might. I don't know exactly what they are but I do know that every drink one obtains with their package is logged onto the computer system so usage can be monitored and they only allow one to obtain a single beverage at a time. I'm sure no one really wants to take a chance on their cruise ending prematurely, along with other consequences, because they got caught stealing a few dollars worth of drinks.

[misha1]

Good morning everyone...we tried the premium alcohol package on our last cruise for the first time. The convenience was great! Many times we were not charged the overage (ie I had a glass of French Champagne that listed at 18 dollars a glass.) The Sommelier said that this was over the package allowance, I said fine, he served it, we were not charged on our stateroom account. This happened a few more times. Another perk, I did not like a glass of wine that was suggested by the Sommelier for dinner one night (he did not pour a small amount for me to tasted first), sent it back and ordered something else. I did think that having the package encouraged us to consume more, and that is probably my own weakness. One thing we will do on our next cruise is...order the premium alcohol package. One thing we won't do is feel obliged to attend the Elite offerings where we consumed the free stuff too. I think that is where we over saturated the liver. Overall, we were very pleased with the package and the all-inclusiveness it provided.

[daxwise]

You mentioned specialty coffees. I have had the drink package three times and everytime I ask for a specialty coffee after dinner I am refused at the main dining room. Any suggestions?

 

What?

You should've asked to see the Maitre'D, and the Maitre'D would've kicked the waiters butt...

Celebrity do NOT deny service to anyone unless the customer has been very very very obnoxious.

[jkgourmet]

Is there any way around this?

Yes! Either the package works for you or it doesn't. If it doesn't then just buy by the glass, ala carte, like we all did before the packages. This solution works on any cruise line whose package doesn't work for a particular person or couple.

 

 

 

Are you seriously suggesting the best way to sneak wine into the dining room on a cruise ship is in a Gatorade bottle? :eek: :confused:

 

Of course not!!!!! Go back and read the post from Miataman that I was responding to. HE was the one trying to beat the corkage fee by opening the wine himself in his stateroom then carrying it down to the MDR!

[Lsimon]

Of course not!!!!! Go back and read the post from Miataman that I was responding to. HE was the one trying to beat the corkage fee by opening the wine himself in his stateroom then carrying it down to the MDR!

Sorry. I must have been tired or a little brain fogged when I wrote that, to have not noticed that your comment was critical satire of the prior post.

[Aunu]

I like the "drinks of the day", you know,the ones with the umbrellas :) Are those included in the Classic package or the premium package? If so..... Can you use the package on Labadee?

[F858MM]

Ok, I need your help I like my martini's with absolut vodka? What package should I get?

Do they have proseco?

[Wifflebat]

Is the 2 bottle wine carry on per-person or per-cabin?

 

Thanks

[Nole0202]

Per cabin....

[MellaYella]

Isn't it one bottle per person, not two per cabin? We will be three adults in a cabin and thought we could bring one bottle each = 3 bottles total.

[villauk]

Can someone please confirm the following about the premium non alcoholic drink package:

1. It includes all speciality coffees at anytime i.e. breakfast through to bedtime, lattes, cappuccinos etc., and at any location throughout the ship e.g. MDR?

2. Can we take the bottled water off the ship with us and is it restricted to one bottle per package at a time i.e. if we were going off for most of the day, could we only take one bottle each?

3. Most of the time we drink virgin frozen drinks, however on a couple of nights we may decide we want alcohol added, would the bartender just charge for the alcohol shot or do you pay for the whole new drink (no biggie, just wondered so we'd be prepared as not previously had drink package).

[Lsimon]

Isn't it one bottle per person, not two per cabin? We will be three adults in a cabin and thought we could bring one bottle each = 3 bottles total.

 

The written policy is 2 bottles per cabin. I'm not going to comment on the odds of the third bottle being confiscated at embarkation if you are each are carrying one bottle. But if one of you is carrying three bottles you may have an issue no matter how many adults are in the cabin.

 

Can someone please confirm the following about the premium non alcoholic drink package:

1. It includes all speciality coffees at anytime i.e. breakfast through to bedtime, lattes, cappuccinos etc., and at any location throughout the ship e.g. MDR?

2. Can we take the bottled water off the ship with us and is it restricted to one bottle per package at a time i.e. if we were going off for most of the day, could we only take one bottle each?

3. Most of the time we drink virgin frozen drinks, however on a couple of nights we may decide we want alcohol added, would the bartender just charge for the alcohol shot or do you pay for the whole new drink (no biggie, just wondered so we'd be prepared as not previously had drink package).

 

The packages cover specialty coffees at anytime at any location on the ship that serves them at the time other than room service. At times you might find their availability limited at some locations other than the Cafe al Bacio coffee bar.

 

You can take bottled water off the ship. You can only obtain one bottle at a time per package holder so if you want to take two bottles per person off then you're going to have to buy a bottle earlier and hang onto it then buy the second bottle as you're leaving the ship.

 

I suspect the charge for the alcohol shot to be added to a "package" non-alcoholic drink won't be any higher than the cost of the alcoholic drink. I don't know what the practice would be if there is a price difference.

Edited November 6, 2012 by Lsimon

[tom_uk]

This is an interesting thread but it's just got too long to re-read and take it all in.

 

One question, if I may: does anyone know if it's possible to have "non-package days"? Our strategy as regards drinking on a cruise is to enjoy ourselves most days, but to also have a few sober days - we'd aim for two on an 11-night cruise, for example. (We might actually hit one.....) Our livers are on holiday as well as us! But I think the packages mean that you've already paid for the drinks for every day in the cruise and doing what we like to would make them much less value for money.

[u2cruiser]

This is an interesting thread but it's just got too long to re-read and take it all in.

 

One question, if I may: does anyone know if it's possible to have "non-package days"? Our strategy as regards drinking on a cruise is to enjoy ourselves most days, but to also have a few sober days - we'd aim for two on an 11-night cruise, for example. (We might actually hit one.....) Our livers are on holiday as well as us! But I think the packages mean that you've already paid for the drinks for every day in the cruise and doing what we like to would make them much less value for money.

 

Hi tom.

You can't purchase the package for certain intermittent days, but you can purchase the package at any time during your cruise for remaining consecutive days, up to the last 2 days (I think that's correct). It's useful if you have sea days towards the end of your cruise. :)

[cruisestitch]

It is not possible to have "non package days" interspersed within the other days of your cruise. Once you purchase the package it is in force from that point forward to the end of the cruise. You don't have to purchase it on day one, but you can't just buy days 1, 3, 5 as an example.

[kitkat9438]

This is an interesting thread but it's just got too long to re-read and take it all in.

 

One question, if I may: does anyone know if it's possible to have "non-package days"? Our strategy as regards drinking on a cruise is to enjoy ourselves most days, but to also have a few sober days - we'd aim for two on an 11-night cruise, for example. (We might actually hit one.....) Our livers are on holiday as well as us! But I think the packages mean that you've already paid for the drinks for every day in the cruise and doing what we like to would make them much less value for money.

 

No it's not possible. The only way would be if you didn't purchase the package right away and bought it a few days into the cruise. You would then only be charged for the remainder of the cruise.

 

Keep in mind that the packages cover a whole lot more than alcohol. You get specialty coffee, soda, bottled water, energy drinks, fresh squeezed juices, etc. on top of the beer, wine, martinis, frozed drinks, etc. Add it all up and it is still a good deal.

[Crazy Cruzer]

... does anyone know if it's possible to have "non-package days"? Our strategy as regards drinking on a cruise is to enjoy ourselves most days, but to also have a few sober days - we'd aim for two on an 11-night cruise, for example....

 

As others have said, no. But you do have two options: Make your "sober" days the first two days of the cruise then buy the package and go like crazy for the next 9 days! Or, just drink a little extra every other day to get your moneys worth!

[eddieg07410]

Let me start by saying we are not big drinkers per say, however on a cruise, we do like to enjoy ourselves, after all it is a carribbean vacation! We were on the Connie last January and purchased the Premium Drink package prior to boarding. Initially we were concerned that with so many port days we might not get our money's worth.

 

Not only did we get our money's worth and more, there were other perks that we didn't anticipate. Aside from no slips to sign etc, often around the pool when a frozen drink started melting often the staff would ask if they could just make a new one. We tried many different types of drinks esp Martinis that we might not have bought otherwise. If we tried a new drink and didn't like it it was replaced with another drink of our choice without question.

 

In order to show you why we felt this was a great deal I will describe a typical day. Disclaimer... based on this, some may think that we are heavy drinkers...if that is the case , while we appreciate your perspective and opinion please do not comment on our consumption ( this is our first post and we have seen some petty unnecessary replies). The purpose of this information is not to expose our consumption for review and/or public scrutiny, but to demonstrate to those who like to let their hair down a little and are wondering from a ecocnmic standpoint is it worth purchasing a package.

 

0830-Latte with one and half shots of Bailys..........$10.00

1100-large water...............................................$ 3.50

1230- Frozen drink..............................................$6.50

1430- Beer........................................................$5.00

1600- Frozen drink..............................................$6.50

1800- Glass of wine while dressing for dinner............$10.00

1930- Martini and dancing prior to dinner.................$12.00

2030- Dinner ( 4 different types of wine by the glass as suggested with each course by sommommlier-not all entirely consumed)..$ 40.00

2215- Specialty Coffee..........................................$ 8.00

2300- Dancing/Bar/Show/Casino Cocktail.............................$10.00

2400- Nightcap.(wearever..maybe brought back to balcony) $10.00

 

Total...$121.50 ( Drink prices are approx by memory-please don't bust me for not remembering exact price..probably cause I drank too much..Ha ha)

 

Cost per day...$55.00

Remenber this is for one person double the savings when we each bought one!

 

Only difference on port days was that we had two beers when back on ship as compared to 3 poolside drinks. Many nights we actually stayed out dancing etc later and maybe had another one...or if really hot day at the pool and having fun with poolside neighbors maybe snuck in an extra beer!

 

If you think this might come even close to a typical carribbean vacation day for you, then you can see what a true value it is. The other convieniences were no slips to sign, bar servers, waiters and sommoliers knowing your preferences and offering drink suggestions and special cocktails that we had never tried before. We told our assit waiter the first night about the specialty coffee and we had it served with our dessert every night...no hassles. It really added to the vacation atmosphere that we enjoy!

 

Hope this helps!

 

My wife and I do not drink alcohol but love specialty coffees. Do they have a specific package for coffee only?

[cruisestitch]

No, there is no specific coffee package.

[villauk]

eddieg07410,

 

That's why I asked about where we could get speciality coffees onboard on a previous post (couple of posts up). The premium NON alcoholic package includes speciality coffees, sodas, water, frozen drinks, but obviously no alcohol. This may also appeal to you rather than the usual premium package :)?

[Runaways]

Hi,

 

You can still go to the Celebrity website to read about the packages offered...and once you have your booking number, book online there...or you can wait and purchase the packages onboard. Quite a few people seem to wait until the second day onboard to purchase the package...especially if they have a late embarkation the first day. The packages will be available for purchase at any bar onboard !

 

Enjoy

Woody

 

I would appreciate clarification: Is the Premium Alcohol Package price the same if pre-purchased or bought on-board? Is it true that the Package price is discounted pro-rata if purchased after the cruise commences, i.e. bought on day 2 or 3, so at a lesser cost? The Celebrity brochure I have states that the Packages are only available for purchase for the entire duration of the cruise, however many days that may be, and not for a certain number of days. Thank you.

[librarylady19]

I purchased my premium package right after we boarded the Summit (at Cellarmasters) as I wanted to use OBC. The price was the same as online - no sales tax was charged even though we were still docked in NJ.

Do not personally have experience of purchasing on 2nd day or later but read that if you opt to do this it has to be for the rest of the cruise.

Edited November 29, 2012 by librarylady19

[Runaways]

I purchased my premium package right after we boarded the Summit (at Cellarmasters) as I wanted to use OBC. The price was the same as online - no sales tax was charged even though we were still docked in NJ.

Do not personally have experience of purchasing on 2nd day or later but read that if you opt to do this it has to be for the rest of the cruise.

 

Thank you Librarylady. So, the way I understand it is that the daily price is the same, no matter when or how the package is purchased, but if bought a couple of days into the cruise the package price is pro-rata so we would pay only for remaining cruise days. Best wishes and thanks again.

[Pamster]

That's the spot...open at 0700

 

Cafe al Bacio

 

Is there such a place on the Century? I'm not finding one of these on the Deck Plans.