Do we need to buy a beverage package?

[DinaS]

16 day for only a $1,000? Doesn't sound right but I'll believe you.

 

Classic package is $49 a day plus 15% gratuities. That's $901.60 at current pricing.

 

Premium package is $11.50 per day more than classic. That's a total of $1085.60 at current prices. He said the prices increased since then.

 

Makes perfect sense to me :)

[vulcan1971]

16 day for only a $1,000? Doesn't sound right but I'll believe you.

 

 

I did indicate that I bought my package before the price increase.

 

Simple math... 16 days x $54 = $864. Then add 15% gratuities of $129.60 and you get a grand total of $993.60.

 

:D

 

 

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[vulcan1971]

Classic package is $49 a day plus 15% gratuities. That's $901.60 at current pricing.

 

 

 

Premium package is $11.50 per day more than classic. That's a total of $1085.60 at current prices. He said the prices increased since then.

 

 

 

Makes perfect sense to me :)

 

 

I actually got the Premium Package when it was still only $54 per day. As you can see, planning ahead to save even $5 per day is worth the planning. ;)

 

 

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[Sloop-JohnB]

Here is my "RUFF" run down of a day with a drink pkg on another thread

 

For us at least, the package was not just about drinks that would make us not remember the cruise! It was everything else that the pkg includes.

 

A speciality coffee each on the balcony while the wifester is putting on her face, $5 ea.

 

Evian or San Pellegrino with fresh squeezed juice with that second coffee at breakfast, $15 ea.

 

Grab a bottle water on the way to stake out a deck chair, $4 ea.

$24 each before any mind altering liquid is consumed.

 

A beer or the drink of the day by the pool, $6 ea

Then off to lunch, maybe a soda, or another San Pellegrino $5 ea

The sun is hot hot hot! A cold beer or drink of the day is in order, $6 ea

The burger at the Mast Grill is calling our names, it does not go down with out some liquid assistance, $5 ea, then it is time to meet friends to watch the sun set from the Sunset Bar, $6 ea. Afternoon total $28.

And the evening fun has yet to begin.

San Pellegrino and a couple of glasses of wine with dinner, and another speciality coffee with desert, $26 ea

Now it is time for some mind altering sampling to happen, or not A cocktail with friends at one of the watering holes on ship $7 ea, or 2 if we are letting our hair down!

One more bottle water on the way back to the cabin just in case we get thirsty during the night, $4. Evening total, $44.

Morning, $24, day, $28, evening $44, total $96.00 each useing the low end of the cost scale and not much mind altering substance.

Some evening's we will grab another coffee ( or worse) and go and sit on deck 5 to unwind, listen to the swoosh of the waves gently breaking down the side of the ship before heading to the cabin.

 

Depends on how you make use of the package.

 

My wife liked the Shariz that was $12 a glass, and I liked the Craft beers that were any where from $10-$14 each, so we got the Premium pkg last yr, and plan on doing so again in 12 days!

 

 

Mr Sloop & I are in the same camp as WALLIE5446...

 

When it comes to the Bevvy Pkgs for us it is not so much about Alcohol or Quantity... It s about Quality of our Drink Choices

 

We COULD CHOOSE to consume just the FREE items onboard (Ships Desalinized Water - Reconstituted Juices, Lemonade & Ice Tea - Regular Tea - Regular "oil made" Coffee - Hot Chocolate - and Milk)

 

But we aren't that crazy about the Ship's "tap water" (taste, bloating) so we try to limit that as much as possible... And the Regular Teas & Coffees in particular when it comes to taste / quality leaves a lot to be desired.

 

Everything beyond the above list costs money... The sort of money per item you pay ashore in a nice Restaurant or a Hotel / Resort. That really adds up day after day

 

Cause we are on vacation and have a Bevvy Pkg we make the most of it...

 

Mornings include - Premium Teas & Coffees from Cafe al Bacio - Fresh Squeezed Juices with Breakfast. If we are going ashore we each pack along 2 Bottled waters, if it is a Sea Day then maybe we will relax over another Tea & Coffee

 

We tend to eat all our meals on the ship... Even on Port Days. Either eating late (2 to 3 PM) or coming back mid-day before going out again. Lunch usually includes a Beer for Mr Sloop & a Glass of Wine for me. We finish up with Tea & Coffee.

 

Afternoon - on a Port Day we will again pick up 2 Bottled Waters each... Sea Day mid afternoon we might sip on a cold pop, bottled water, or a Beer / Frozen Cocktail

 

If its been a long day ashore... Nothing better when coming back to the ship than an Iced Coffee from Cafe al Bacio

 

Evening - before dinner we might have a drink if we are meeting friends. At dinner we start with a bottle of San Peligrino Water... And with our meal a glass of Bubbles or Wine is our norm, and Fancy Coffee (Capuccinos with Dessert)

 

Total Drinks Each (Average Day)

Non Alcohol = 6 to 8 At $ 3 to $ 5+ each

Alcohol = 2 to 5 At $ 6 to $ 13 each

 

So in our experience it does not take a lot to make it worthwhile... Classic or Premium

 

And that partly is because of the Non-Alcohol items aboard and what they cost... And we have also noted on vacation we drink more just because we are busier / doing more adventurous activities ashore... And need to stay hydrated (especially in a hot climate like the Caribbean). Small bottled waters at $ 4 each really add up quickly.

 

I have often said that by our calculations to take all that into consideration... Then it just takes 2 or 3 alcohol drinks a day to break even on either the Classic or Premium Pkgs

 

How to decide which Pkg ... Well that comes down to your preferences in alcohol brands.

 

We like imported & craft beers, and better quality wines... So for us the Premium has more to offer

 

Hope this helps explain how things work.

 

You will find there are several good background posts here on CC in regards to the fundamentals of the various Bevvy Pkgs... Understanding how they work - Costing Spreadsheet - Wine Lists - Bar Menus - and the Official Celebrity Bevvy Pkg Lists of items / brand names.

 

All of those can be quite helpful in determining which Pkg is the best one for you (if you need help finding them / links... Just ask)

 

Cheers!

Edited October 29, 2014 by Sloop-JohnB

[jasm8449]

We are not big drinkers. I might have one alcoholic drink a day, plus Al Bacio, bottled water. DH will have a scotch or 2, and a couple glasses of wine with dinner, and a drink at Al Bacio plus a bottle of water at dinner.

 

Last cruise, I broke even on the premium non-alcoholic package, and he lost money. So this time, we won't get the package. But I've bought OBC gift cards, so those will pay for our drinks and we won't see the 'big' drink bill at the end of the cruise.

 

I can certainly see, though, how the premium alcohol package would work for those who will be having several alcoholic drinks a day.

[monicajay]

Happy to have it when I have gotten it as a promo, not sure I could justify the cost if I had to pay for the whole thing. :rolleyes:

 

I'm hoping Celebrity continues to offer these promos, then I'll continue to travel on Celebrity.:D

 

In fact, I'm not even sure we have 'gotten our monies worth' if we had paid for it. I just like not having to think about it. No slips to sign, no concerns about price......feels like a vacation to me.

[blindrid]

Classic package is $49 a day plus 15% gratuities. That's $901.60 at current pricing.

 

Premium package is $11.50 per day more than classic. That's a total of $1085.60 at current prices. He said the prices increased since then.

 

Makes perfect sense to me :)

 

Times 2 per cabin?

 

I agree Monica. It made a difference to us choosing a cruise/line.

 

Vulcan: did you have to pay for 2, or am I missing something like a single?

Edited October 29, 2014 by blindrid

[vulcan1971]

Times 2 per cabin?

 

I agree Monica. It made a difference to us choosing a cruise/line.

 

Vulcan: did you have to pay for 2, or am I missing something like a single?

 

 

No.

 

I buy a premium alcohol package for myself.

 

 

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[ellasmomanddad]

After 4 days we had a $800 bill i never had a buzz and im not a big drinker so i regret not forking it over upfront and getting a drink package. After taxes and gratuity i avg 7 dollars a beer for sam adams my wife avg 9 for a cheap pinot. Hope that helps a little

[phoenix_dream]

Boy, you have already gotten a lot of feedback. Here is my two cents. If you feel like using all the good information you have received to do a 'cost/benefit analysis', that is the best suggestion. If you don't want to bother and the cost is not a big issue for you, go for a package for the convenience and to try different drinks - your wife and you do not need to each buy the same package if she would be happy with the lower priced option. If you want to be more thrifty, wait until you have sailed for a day and determine then based on what you find.

 

A few things to keep in mind:

- you are able to bring onboard unlimited amounts of soft drinks and bottled water. This is true initially, and at each port

- you are able to bring onboard two bottles of wine (which must be consumed in your cabin unless you want to pay a corkage fee in the dining room)

- Various drinks are free (juices, hot tea, not-so-great coffee, lemonade, milk, water from the tap which most are fine with)

- There are wine packages available for purchase onboard which reduce the cost by a varying percentage depending on how many bottles you buy

[stuartgrn]

We had many cruises without purchasing any sort of package. We spent most of the time drinking soda/water and maybe a beer here or there. Then we booked a Transatlantic cruise that included a premium drinks package. What a different cruise that was. After that we always have a package. I don't like sweating over my bill at the end of the cruise and before getting the packages I would constantly be looking at our account throughout the cruise. Of course, the package is suitable for people who like a drink or two and should not be bought by people who genuinely have maybe one drink a day. The absolute BEST thing about the package, for us, was the ability to try all sorts of drinks without worrying about the cost - many of my favourite drinks now are the expensive martinis - without the package I would never pay for one of these incase I didn't like it. With the package we can "go through the menu" to find new drinks that we never knew about. For us, this freedom to try other drinks gives the package even more value. Just my 2 pence worth!

[ellasmomanddad]

We had many cruises without purchasing any sort of package. We spent most of the time drinking soda/water and maybe a beer here or there. Then we booked a Transatlantic cruise that included a premium drinks package. What a different cruise that was. After that we always have a package. I don't like sweating over my bill at the end of the cruise and before getting the packages I would constantly be looking at our account throughout the cruise. Of course, the package is suitable for people who like a drink or two and should not be bought by people who genuinely have maybe one drink a day. The absolute BEST thing about the package, for us, was the ability to try all sorts of drinks without worrying about the cost - many of my favourite drinks now are the expensive martinis - without the package I would never pay for one of these incase I didn't like it. With the package we can "go through the menu" to find new drinks that we never knew about. For us, this freedom to try other drinks gives the package even more value. Just my 2 pence worth!

You are absolutely correct everyday if not twice aday i had to check my account

[blindrid]

No.

 

I buy a premium alcohol package for myself.

 

 

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Gotcha. Thanks and Cheers!

[dh1drill]

My thoughts we are doing a b2b celebrity and then princess on celebrity no drink package for us because we have a 250 dollar a per person obc and 4 stops on 7 day cruise so not worth it on princess we have 50 dollar per person obc and 3 stops so we will purchase it on princess so just do the math on what you will drink and decide.:rolleyes: