13 Nights across the Atlantic spent less than $100 on drinks

[roxievegas]

Everytime we have cruised, we have had the drink package. With the transatlantic no perks. We were considering a drink package, but decided to go day by day and see how were were doing.

We received a complimentary bottle of champagne to start the cruise, and we received another bottle later on from fellow cruisers that did not want the champagne. Each bottle gave us each a drink a night for 3 nights

We had a total of 11 sodas at $3.50 + .63 tax = $45.43

We had two glass of wine $21.24

We had one double wine, two bottles of water $23.01

grand total $89.68

We are staying on the Silhouette for the next cruise and will be going from an Aqua cabin to Sky Suite with all four perks - premium package. We probably won't drink enough on a daily basis to cover the costs but I want to try the Martini Bar and it will be nice to get drinks without having to sign for the drinks each time.

So now I am glad that we did not spend the money for a drink package.

[donaldsc]

No big deal. I have done 7 day cruises where my total paid for drinks was 1 beer. This does not count the 1 bottle each of wine that we are allowed to bring on board.

 

DON

[swigso]

Everytime we have cruised, we have had the drink package. With the transatlantic no perks. We were considering a drink package, but decided to go day by day and see how were were doing.

We received a complimentary bottle of champagne to start the cruise, and we received another bottle later on from fellow cruisers that did not want the champagne. Each bottle gave us each a drink a night for 3 nights

We had a total of 11 sodas at $3.50 + .63 tax = $45.43

We had two glass of wine $21.24

We had one double wine, two bottles of water $23.01

grand total $89.68

We are staying on the Silhouette for the next cruise and will be going from an Aqua cabin to Sky Suite with all four perks - premium package. We probably won't drink enough on a daily basis to cover the costs but I want to try the Martini Bar and it will be nice to get drinks without having to sign for the drinks each time.

So now I am glad that we did not spend the money for a drink package.

 

I guess the drink package is not for you, the sparkling wine (it's not champagne) on night 2 or 3

must have been really good , it usually gets better with age,

as on the first night it isn't that good,

Did you have any coffee from Al Bacio?

Edited April 22, 2016 by swigso

[gopro63]

It is nice to be served what you are on the Ship for to be served. OBC,TA perk, etc.. either way good for you

[MR_T]

That's amazing, I think I spend that (or that's worth) a day on a TA on my own... And I don't consider myself a massive drinker! [emoji51]

Edited April 22, 2016 by MR_T

[4774Papa]

You have to drink quite a lot for the drinks packages to be economically wise. This is particularly true for us, since we are elite and enjoy the free happy hour.

[cpj]

You have to give Celebrity credit. It's a good marketing tool. Some people make out on it some don't. But Celebrity has them thinking it's free. My neighbor got the drink package and I did not. My cruise was 3 hundred dollars cheaper. Per person. Of course I book mine after they stopped running the perks. We would not spend 6 hundred on drinks.

[CHEZMARYLOU]

We like our wine so could never make it on$100 for a 14 day cruise. With a beverage package we can easily drink a bottle of wine at lunch, cappuccino after lunch and dinner, sparkling water at all meals, a glass or 2 of wine at Cellar Masters, another bottle of wine at dinner and maybe a desert wine or glass of port.

 

For us the free classic package is a welcome perk and we upgrade to the premium package.

[MR_T]

You have to drink quite a lot for the drinks packages to be economically wise. This is particularly true for us, since we are elite and enjoy the free happy hour.

 

 

This is true but not necessarily on alcohol, I can quite easily drink $40-$50 worth before touching alcoholic drinks so for us it's a no brainer, so with a couple of martinis we are ahead of the game [emoji4]

 

As for the elite drinks we generally start off in the martini bar so never use the elite perk, but for those that do like it I can see why that stops them getting the package,

[excitedofharpenden]

I can't help thinking that if this is your typical alcohol consumption then it wouldn't take much working out to decide that the money spent on a drinks package is a waste.

 

Phil

[4774Papa]

This is true but not necessarily on alcohol, I can quite easily drink $40-$50 worth before touching alcoholic drinks so for us it's a no brainer, so with a couple of martinis we are ahead of the game [emoji4]

 

As for the elite drinks we generally start off in the martini bar so never use the elite perk, but for those that do like it I can see why that stops them getting the package,

 

That works for you, but DW and I don't drink soda or bottled water. We drink the perfectly safe tap water on the ship.

As for specialty coffee, we have a cup of coffee for breakfast (not specialty) and are fine with that. While I was working, I would consume 3-5 cups of coffee per day. After a checkup my Doctor queried me on coffee and soda consumption. He advised me to reduce my caffeine consumption, after I had some involuntary twitching of my eye. I thought I had had a ministroke. Since I retired, I had no more high pressure situations like working toward a deadline. My coffee consumption has dropped to one or two cups in the morning. Haven't had diet or other sodas for 15 years.

[IsanTom]

Good for you! Not for me!

[little britain]

I still can't understand how one bottle of champagne can last 3 nights......for 2 people?!?! :rolleyes:

[4774Papa]

I still can't understand how one bottle of champagne can last 3 nights......for 2 people?!?! :rolleyes:

 

Agree, you would think the Champagne went flat.

 

We were in Russia in 2011 and I bought a bottle of vodka on shore while on a river cruise. It was good vodka, but DW, myself and a friend didn't want to drink it all, but we discovered that in Russia vodka bottles have a cap that once opened cannot be placed back on the bottle to secure it.

 

I guess Russians always finish a bottle of Vodka once it is opened. Of course, we learned that the average life expectancy of males in Russia is 58 years old.

[wallie5446]

Before drink packages we had a cruise with no charges for any drinks.

 

Last 3 years with the Premium pkg we had 6-7-8 pages of almost zero.

The red wine the wifester drank cost us .59 cents per, and some of my craft beer's were a couple 3$ over the cap.

 

We paid less for our A2 with all 3 perks than the couple next to us paid with no perks at all. So in our case, yup, we could say it was free, but rather call it 'included'.

EW

[SetU2]

I could cruise without drinking, but I rarely do. My goal is not to cruise as cheaply as possible but to maximize my enjoyment. I don't drink crazy, I don't fill ports with double excursions, I don't eat like a glutton. I do what I want at the pace that is comfortable for me. So long as you enjoy your time and find it rewarding, well awesome for you. That's what cruising is for me.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[grandgeezer]

We haven't paid for a drink of any kind on the last seven cruises. We refuse to pay the high price, we don't at home and we surely don't on the ship. We are more than happy with all the different drinks covered by being Elite Plus and what we can get in ports. We had the Classic drink package in December and had about six drinks each. We have it now on the Silhouette. With only three sea days we'll probably have less. In both cases, we didn't have a choice. In December, if we picked the drink package, our ta threw in prepaid gratuities and $200 obc. I tried to trade the package for more obc but Celebrity wouldn't do it for any amount. When we booked this Europe cruise it came with all three. we refuse to alter our drinking pattern just to justify having it.

If it works for everybody else, more power to you.

[roxievegas]

The "sparkling wine" that we got in our room was the Celebrity Vintages.

Using the champagne glass you can get 6 total glasses. After my husband opened the bottle, I took my nail file and cut the cork down so it would fit back in the bottom - i get creative. It was still bubbling after two days

Today we started the 2nd cruise and we now have the premium package. But celebrity has it in their system that we are classic package. We have had to go through three different people to get it fixed. i have my paper work that shows were are premium.

so far we have had 3 drinks total in Michael's Club and then two glass of wine each at dinner.

[twin123185]

I just did a 13 day transatlantic earlier this month. I bought 2 bottles of wine for $5 each and a case of 28 20 oz. bottles of water for $5 (They are $4 each on the ship!) at a grocery store in Fort Lauderdale before the cruise. I didn't drink on the ship nor did I want to. I drink plenty at home.

[MR_T]

I just did a 13 day transatlantic earlier this month. I bought 2 bottles of wine for $5 each and a case of 28 20 oz. bottles of water for $5 (They are $4 each on the ship!) at a grocery store in Fort Lauderdale before the cruise. I didn't drink on the ship nor did I want to. I drink plenty at home.

 

 

I'm the opposite... Never drink at home, only ever drink on a ship!! [emoji483][emoji4]

[pammi44]

Just off Eclipse a week ago. Had the drink package from 123Go promo. First time I had a package. I rarely drink at home, but drank every day on the ship - 1 alcoholic beverage (I know....PARTY ANIMAL). However I did some real damage in Cafe al Bacio and took advantage of the sparkling waters and bottled water and sodas. So nice not to have to sign receipts. Everyone should do what makes them happy :-)

[Mr. Click]

Neither DW or I drink alcohol, it has little appeal to either of us but she needs bottled water all of the time, she loves her Al Baccio coffees and I do enjoy a diet coke each day so if we were paying for a package it would be a losing proposition for us. But when our TA is paying our grats and Celebrity is "giving" us $300 or more in OBC and the bev package why not take it? The only other option is to take the internet package and ship's internet is so bad most of the time why bother....now that we are both retired there is no need to check in with the office so we really limit our internet use now. Like everything else in the world, we all have choices to make...