Premium Drink Package - Celebrity Reflection

[louiseemma1000]

We are debating whether or not to go for the premium drinks package. We are not big drinkers but will have a few cocktails throughout the day and night with wine at dinner. Would anybody recommend the package? would we get our moneys worth? Thanks :)

[cruisejunkie136]

I definitely recommend the upgrade.

Under the classic package if you order a drink not covered under the package you pay the full cost of the drink as opposed to the difference.

To explain, under classic..... a drink up to $8.00 is covered; however, if you order a $12 beverage you are charged $12 as opposed to just the $4.00 difference.

Most of the Martinis we enjoyed on the Reflection last year were coincidentally $12 so having the premium package saved us quite a bit of money.

 

It is $80 extra per person. I also recommend you pay for the package before you sail. I read somewhere that there is a $35.00 surcharge on board if you pay for your upgrade on board at sailing. I have not confirmed that info but there is an 1800 number you can call to make this arrangement.

 

happy travels.

[louiseemma1000]

Hi. Thanks for your advice. We do not have the classic drink package either. I have noticed a few people talking about upgrading. Do you get the classic package automatically?

Thanks:)

[dwhe]

You do on the 123 package. When I was on the Reflection last year and being a beer drinker, I found it quite hard to get a drink over $8, even in Michaels which never had the more expensive beers available.

 

My advice is if you drink a lot of Martinis go for Premium other wise most else is covered by clasic.

[CaroleSS]

There is a promo out (123Go!) from Celebrity where you can get the classic package. It is supposedly for "new bookings", but I've been able to apply it to "old" bookings with no difficulty.

 

We have always upgraded to the premium.....I don't think we "get our money's worth", but for us that's not the reason we get it. We do so for the convenience. I like not having to worry about whether a drink is covered. I like having wine with dinner and the classic wines don't really appeal to me. I like not having to sign and keep up with slips. I like not having a seizure when I get my final bill and see how much we've spent. I like being able to grab water on my way out for an excursion.....or a soda by the pool. DH likes coffee after dinner and I like the fresh squeezed OJ with breakfast.

 

I get my money's worth through piece of mind!

[Wine-O]

You do on the 123 package. When I was on the Reflection last year and being a beer drinker, I found it quite hard to get a drink over $8, even in Michaels which never had the more expensive beers available.

 

My advice is if you drink a lot of Martinis go for Premium other wise most else is covered by clasic.

 

With the 123 package (Classic), you only get beers up to $6 (Bud/Heineken/Amstel and the like), so almost all of the beers in Michael's wouldn't qualify -- you would have to have the premium package.

[louiseemma1000]

Hi CaroleSS

 

So how would I go about applying the promotion to an old booking?

Thanks:)

[jagoffee]

You do on the 123 package. When I was on the Reflection last year and being a beer drinker, I found it quite hard to get a drink over $8, even in Michaels which never had the more expensive beers available.

 

My advice is if you drink a lot of Martinis go for Premium other wise most else is covered by clasic.

 

I was on the Reflection in November and the Silly a few years ago when it was new. Michael's always had a large selection of beers available. Fuller's Vintage Ale and Orval were my favorites. They always had a wide selection of inventory.

[CaroleSS]

Hi CaroleSS

 

So how would I go about applying the promotion to an old booking?

Thanks:)

 

If you booked through a TA, you'll have to go through them. From there it is the same....Ask X to have the beverage package applied to your booking.

 

NOW, if your cabin price is MORE now than it was when you booked, you may be asked to pay the new cabin price. That may/may not be financially worthwhile.

[dwhe]

With the 123 package (Classic), you only get beers up to $6 (Bud/Heineken/Amstel and the like), so almost all of the beers in Michael's wouldn't qualify -- you would have to have the premium package.

 

Michaels didn't have a lot of the over $6 beers in stock went I was there, so for me personally I wouldn't bother again.

[jagoffee]

Michaels didn't have a lot of the over $6 beers in stock went I was there, so for me personally I wouldn't bother again.

 

Even if you do not get the premium package you might want to stop by and look at all the beers in the cooler if you are on the Reflection or Silly. What was the date of your Reflection cruise that did not have a lot of the beers over $6 in Michael's. I suspect this must have been some kind of an unusual set of circumstances. You are the only person that I can recall ever reporting that Michael's on those two ships did not adequate inventory.

[We're The Groupnors]

It's not just Martinis that make the Premium Package worthwhile. I'm a wine drinker, and the selections for wine under the Classic Package were very limited. Also, if you want a glass with a value of more than $8 you would have to pay the full amount. Under the Premium Package there are many more wine by the glass choices up to the $12 limit, and if you want to upgrade to a more expensive glass you would only need to pay the difference between the $12 and the higher price of the wine.

[rvalente74]

There is a promo out (123Go!) from Celebrity where you can get the classic package. It is supposedly for "new bookings", but I've been able to apply it to "old" bookings with no difficulty.

 

CaroleSS, please, how did you manage to do that?

I tried asking concierge by phone, they just said "no, only for new bookings".

[BrendaJ]

I just got back from a wonderful cruise on the Silouhette. My husband and friend stuck with the basic package, and I upgraded to premium because I like sparkling water and Sauvignon Blanc. Strangely, although the main dining room did not have a Sauvignon Blanc $8 or under, they did in Qsine.

 

I found upgrading made sense for me for the above reason, however my friend and husband were quite happy with the choices under the basic package. They enjoyed many frozen cocktails, mixed drinks and beer. Our sommerlier always had good options for my husband, and she got me to try a few I would otherwise not have tried.

 

If you are a big fan of the Molecular bar or Martini bar, or are picky about wine or high end liquor brands, you're probably best off upgrading.

[wpgcycler]

CaroleSS, please, how did you manage to do that?

I tried asking concierge by phone, they just said "no, only for new bookings".

 

I know I'm not Carole but here's my experience... I should state first that I booked through an online TA- but it's not clear to me that should matter. My original booking included some OBC - an amount from Celebrity and an additional amount from the TA. When I discovered that, since booking, the 123 promo was resurrected, and that the drink package for 2 of us was worth more than the on board credit they gave me, I called the TA. They said they had to check with Celebrity. They came back with some nonsense that there was no more availability for that sailing - I knew this was complete BS as I was sitting in front of a dummy booking I had just made on my laptop. To cut to the chase, with firm but polite insistence that they find a way to accommodate me, after two or three calls they agreed to cancel my booking, waive the cancellation fee, re-book (same stateroom), give us the Classic Package (from Celebrity) AND provide (from the TA) pre-paid gratuities - something I wasn't even asking for.

 

You may want to consider calling again and you may get a more informed concierge. If that fails, I would express deep appreciation for the agent's help and let them know that you are very sorry to be wasting their time and suggest that it may be best for them to direct your call to someone with the appropriate authority to address your requirements.

Edited January 15, 2014 by wpgcycler
spelling

[akowilm]

I was also able to add the 123 to 2 bookings; one through a TA and one directly through Celebrity. You are not past final pay, so unless the price of your stateroom has gone up significantly, you can cancel and re-book if needed.

[cherylroslyn]

There is a promo out (123Go!) from Celebrity where you can get the classic package. It is supposedly for "new bookings", but I've been able to apply it to "old" bookings with no difficulty.

 

We have always upgraded to the premium.....I don't think we "get our money's worth", but for us that's not the reason we get it. We do so for the convenience. I like not having to worry about whether a drink is covered. I like having wine with dinner and the classic wines don't really appeal to me. I like not having to sign and keep up with slips. I like not having a seizure when I get my final bill and see how much we've spent. I like being able to grab water on my way out for an excursion.....or a soda by the pool. DH likes coffee after dinner and I like the fresh squeezed OJ with breakfast.

 

I get my money's worth through piece of mind!

I spit coffee all over my desk when I read:

 

"I like not having a seizure when I get my final bill and see what we have spent".

 

 

That is priceless.....I've had a few of those seizures myself........

[dwhe]

With the 123 package (Classic), you only get beers up to $6 (Bud/Heineken/Amstel and the like), so almost all of the beers in Michael's wouldn't qualify -- you would have to have the premium package.

 

I've just checked a Michaels bar menu and my memory did serve me right

 

26 beers were over $6 and 26 beers were under $6.

 

I had the Premium package but was not able to buy quite a lot of the over $6 beers because on this particular cruise they were out of stock.

 

But there was still quite a good selection of beers under $6

 

Bud, Amstel and Heineken are all well under $6.

[wallie5446]

We are debating whether or not to go for the premium drinks package. We are not big drinkers but will have a few cocktails throughout the day and night with wine at dinner. Would anybody recommend the package? would we get our moneys worth? Thanks :)

 

We upgraded last Nov on Reflection and IMHO it was well worth it for the other items besides liquor. We did try a few different things that we would not normally try.

[kcvillager]

Another question. Is Michael's a craft beer venue or is it a club for guests with a suite?

[rvalente74]

It's a venue, but will be transformed in the future. I think this cruise it will be a venue yet

 

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[Wine-O]

Another question. Is Michael's a craft beer venue or is it a club for guests with a suite?

 

It used to be a craft beer venue, but it didn't work out for them, so they discontinued and turned Michael's into a Suite Lounge.

[joehick]

Does anyone know or remember what the fuzzy drinks cost on the deck? This will determine classic vs.. premium for me.

[Sloop-JohnB]

Does anyone know or remember what the fuzzy drinks cost on the deck? This will determine classic vs.. premium for me.

 

There are lots of different "fuzzy" drinks to be found on Celebrity (Passport Bar - Mast Bar / Pool Bar - Martini Bar - Molecular Bar)... So it will come down to what suits your fancy.

 

On past cruises we've gone on we noticed that the best drinks / most elaborate drinks (premium named alcohol) were always priced to be in the Premium Package.

 

Hope this helps,

 

Cheers!

[Kinofdc]

Another question. Is Michael's a craft beer venue or is it a club for guests with a suite?

 

All Michael's clubs on various Celebrity ships have been converted to VIP Lounges for suite (CS and above) guests and Zenith members as of May 2014. In fact, most of them were converted in April, 2014.

 

I know the press release states April 2015 as the implementation date for the Suite Class project, but in reality, the Michael's Clubs conversion component has been completed 11 months ahead of the aforesaid date.