More Beverage Madness

[TFLG]

We just got off the Solstice after doing the 12 day Great Barrier Reef cruise. Had an amazing time;p. On day three I checked my account and saw all these $1 charges on my account. Since I had not ordered anything over my package limit (or so I thought) I went down to guest services to see what's up. They tell me I've been ordering Moscow Mules which are NOT covered by the PREMIUM package LOL:rolleyes: Seriously how is a Moscow mule not covered. Even the bar staff don't know because I never got a receipt to sign. So I started ordering Vodka with ginger beer with a lime in it. That was fine, no problems after that. Could just be the Solstice because I've been ordering them on every other ship for years without any problems.

[Want2Cruise 701]

We just got off the Solstice after doing the 12 day Great Barrier Reef cruise. Had an amazing time;p. On day three I checked my account and saw all these $1 charges on my account. Since I had not ordered anything over my package limit (or so I thought) I went down to guest services to see what's up. They tell me I've been ordering Moscow Mules which are NOT covered by the PREMIUM package LOL:rolleyes: Seriously how is a Moscow mule not covered. Even the bar staff don't know because I never got a receipt to sign. So I started ordering Vodka with ginger beer with a lime in it. That was fine, no problems after that. Could just be the Solstice because I've been ordering them on every other ship for years without any problems.

 

We ordered them on our Eclipse cruise in December and they were covered. That's odd. What's even odder is that the bartenders didn't even know or tell you it wasn't covered. It just seems like less and less is being covered. We'll be on the Equinox is June. We'll see.

[helen haywood]

When X first changed the policy to the Classic Package just paid the upcharge for non covered drinks, I was ordering “a glass of Sauvignon Blanc” at the Buffet...and several times saw those charges on my TV. The staff never told me there was an upcharge nor did I sign anything. I went to Guest Services and said if I had been told there was no Sauvignon Blanc in my price point (which there is) then I would have ordered something else. They agreed that I should not have been charged for something without being told.

 

And we just got off Reflection and twice I ordered a martini at the Martini Bar and both times I was told about the upcharge. If you weren’t told and signed nothing, I would have insisted the charges be removed.

 

 

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[BlueLobster]

We usually get "go best" and get the premium package, but still ask the bartender to make sure the drink, and especially wine, is included on the package. Never hurts to ask. I also usually tip $1 or $2 when get the drinks (I get 100 $1's from the bank before the cruise - - and no, i've never used them all) and the bartenders usually remember us and know we want the best we can get that is covered by our package.

[BEAV]

We just got off the Solstice after doing the 12 day Great Barrier Reef cruise. Had an amazing time;p. On day three I checked my account and saw all these $1 charges on my account. Since I had not ordered anything over my package limit (or so I thought) I went down to guest services to see what's up. They tell me I've been ordering Moscow Mules which are NOT covered by the PREMIUM package LOL:rolleyes: Seriously how is a Moscow mule not covered. Even the bar staff don't know because I never got a receipt to sign. So I started ordering Vodka with ginger beer with a lime in it. That was fine, no problems after that. Could just be the Solstice because I've been ordering them on every other ship for years without any problems.

 

Were you getting charged $1 for Moscow Mules no matter which bar you ordered them from, or did you only buy them in one specific bar?

 

We leave on Solstice soon, have the Go Best (Premium Drink Package) but I noticed in the “order summary” area of my booking on line it said “Classic Package”. So I called and the rep got it corrected. Had I not caught it, I wonder if my Sea Pass card would have been coded with the wrong drink package and I’d be wracking up extra charges for drink upgrades.....

[TFLG]

Were you getting charged $1 for Moscow Mules no matter which bar you ordered them from, or did you only buy them in one specific bar?

 

We leave on Solstice soon, have the Go Best (Premium Drink Package) but I noticed in the “order summary” area of my booking on line it said “Classic Package”. So I called and the rep got it corrected. Had I not caught it, I wonder if my Sea Pass card would have been coded with the wrong drink package and I’d be wracking up extra charges for drink upgrades.....

 

I saw it listed on my account from the pool bar, the sunset bar and the martini bar. I had the premium package and they did remove the charges. I think it was just an error in the price on that particular ship. It was a bit amusing though that I could order a vodka and ginger beer and that was fine but if I asked for a moscow mule there was an upcharge

[miched]

We had the Premium Pack on the Silhouette. My wife ordered a Moscow Mule using Russian Standard in the Ensemble Lounge. The server said it was a premium Vodka and would cost $2 more. My wife said forget it and use Grey Goose. We were doing a B2B and on the next cruise we seen that Russian Standard was in the Classic. We asked the Bar Manager and he said that there were a lot of changes between the 2 cruises. I think the ships, and servers do what ever they want when it comes to the drink packages

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

[phoenix_dream]

Anytime you are charged more you should be asked to sign for it. Since you weren't I would have insisted the charges be removed. Not familiar with ordering that drink so not sure if it should be covered or not.

[helen haywood]

As Miched mentioned, the drinks seem to vary as to price. But you should always be told if a drink is over your price point and you should be presented with a bill to sign. If you didn't read Cruise Critic you might not have known that Jim Beam or Bailey's, which used to be available under the Classic Package, had been moved to the Premium Package. So the server should tell me.

[fizzy1]

As Miched mentioned, the drinks seem to vary as to price. But you should always be told if a drink is over your price point and you should be presented with a bill to sign. If you didn't read Cruise Critic you might not have known that Jim Beam or Bailey's, which used to be available under the Classic Package, had been moved to the Premium Package. So the server should tell me.

 

 

 

Do all the bars have their own drinks menu with prices? If so isn’t it easier just to look at it and order up to your package?

 

 

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[ghstudio]

We just got off the Solstice after doing the 12 day Great Barrier Reef cruise. Had an amazing time;p. On day three I checked my account and saw all these $1 charges on my account. Since I had not ordered anything over my package limit (or so I thought) I went down to guest services to see what's up. They tell me I've been ordering Moscow Mules which are NOT covered by the PREMIUM package LOL:rolleyes: Seriously how is a Moscow mule not covered. Even the bar staff don't know because I never got a receipt to sign. So I started ordering Vodka with ginger beer with a lime in it. That was fine, no problems after that. Could just be the Solstice because I've been ordering them on every other ship for years without any problems.

 

I've had a similar experience at the captain's club party where drinks on the menu are included, but if you order something off the menu, you pay for the drink. I ordered a bloody mary and the bartender pointed out was not on the menu. I asked if vodka was on the menu...yes; was tomato juice on the menu...yes. I said would you give me a glass of vodka and a glass of spicy tomato juice. He looked at me....and made me the bloody mary. (note: I've actually gone through this routine on at least three cruises)

[varoo]

Anytime you are charged more you should be asked to sign for it. Since you weren't I would have insisted the charges be removed. Not familiar with ordering that drink so not sure if it should be covered or not.

We have had extra charges appear on our account a number of times. But it was never really a problem, only a slight annoyance.

It just made us aware that we do need to check our account every day or two, which is what we do.

 

Apparently it is a common occurrence, one with which they are quite familiar.

Whenever we find an erroneous charge, all we do is pick up the phone and call Guest Relations.

As soon as we start to explain what happened, whoever answers the phone immediately volunteers to reverse the charge on our account, before we even ask.

Then the next time we check our account, usually a day or two later, the credit is there.

 

I totally agree that they should not be charging passenger accounts for anything unless the person has signed for it.

That would not only eliminate the issue and save time for us, but for them as well.

[jagoffee]

Anytime you are charged more you should be asked to sign for it. Since you weren't I would have insisted the charges be removed. Not familiar with ordering that drink so not sure if it should be covered or not.

Yes, I have always been given a receipt to sign when I order something over the Premium limit.

Although it is when I receive the drink.

 

I agree with the general consensus here that if a charge appears on you bill without signing a receipt it should be removed. (Unless of course you knew it was over the limit)

I have occasionally found drinks that were charged to my account by mistake when I had the package. I have never had an issue getting the charges corrected. Sometimes the back office reverses the charges without me asking. I believe Celebrity has some kind of overnight audit.

[varoo]

I've had a similar experience at the captain's club party where drinks on the menu are included, but if you order something off the menu, you pay for the drink. I ordered a bloody mary and the bartender pointed out was not on the menu. I asked if vodka was on the menu...yes; was tomato juice on the menu...yes. I said would you give me a glass of vodka and a glass of spicy tomato juice. He looked at me....and made me the bloody mary. (note: I've actually gone through this routine on at least three cruises)

I wonder if this reminded anyone else of the scene where Jack Nicholson's character asks for a side order of toast in the movie Five Easy Pieces.

 

The waitress refused his request because toast was not on the menu, even though a chicken salad sandwich on toast was on the menu.

[Pepsi36]

I'm not a big drinker so wanted a carbonated bottle of water while we were sitting in a bar and was told I would need to upgrade from my premium package. Seems weird that I could order wine beer spirits cocktails which would cost much more but no carbonated water.

[Csardas]

Will I manage to get a French Martini on the Classic package if I specify the Classic package vodka?!?

[wwcruisers]

Anytime you are charged more you should be asked to sign for it. Since you weren't I would have insisted the charges be removed. Not familiar with ordering that drink so not sure if it should be covered or not.

 

Agreed! I'd go one step further and insist that the customer be told in advance, as well. When you have ponied up all of that $$ for the premium package, it's easy to forget that it doesn't cover everything, and there is a limit ($13/drink). To his credit, the head bartender at the Summit Martini bar reminded us of this, when we were considering one of the super-special martini's on the menu. It was only a $1 up-charge, but I really appreciated him pointing that out to us, before we ordered! :halo:

[Pepsi36]

I'm not a big drinker so wanted a carbonated bottle of water while we were sitting in a bar and was told I would need to upgrade from my premium package. Seems weird that I could order wine beer spirits cocktails which would cost much more but no carbonated water.

Classic package not premium sorry.

[Cruise Raider]

Classic package not premium sorry.

 

Club soda out of the nozzle is covered under the classic package ... a bottle of Perrier is not, though.

[Pepsi36]

Club soda out of the nozzle is covered under the classic package ... a bottle of Perrier is not, though.

Yes that's what I ordered but it does seem strange it's not allowed when a $10.00 or more cocktail or wine is on the classic package.

[villauk]

Yes that's what I ordered but it does seem strange it's not allowed when a $10.00 or more cocktail or wine is on the classic package.

 

Same with soda in cans - not on Classic package only on Premium (when you sail in Europe), even though they pour it from the can into a glass. Don’t get me started :D..

[helen haywood]

Do all the bars have their own drinks menu with prices? If so isn’t it easier just to look at it and order up to your package?

 

 

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The bars all have menus with some of the drinks they can make. By no means does it list every drink they can make. For example, I saw a menu at Sushi on 5 that listed Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc as $10; $1 dollar over my Classic Package. However, I was not charged extra for it there. I asked for "a glass of Sauvignon Blanc" at the wine/beer stand/cart set up outside the buffet outdoors during lunch....no menu or prices anywhere. I was again poured Villa Maria and not charged extra. I am pretty certain if I asked for Villa Maria in the MDR I would be told it was over my price point. So its not as simple as looking, checking and ordering.

 

In my experience the bartenders have gotten pretty good about telling you if the drink was going to be over your price point. If I were not told, and did not know, and was not given a bill to sign I would certainly request the charge be removed at Guest Services.

[eaglesfaninfl]

My wife and I are sailing on "X" for the first time. All of our previous cruises have been on RCCL. What is the difference between the Classic and Premium beverage pkgs? I enjoy a Beefeater martini before dinner, so I'm curious!

[miched]

I've had a similar experience at the captain's club party where drinks on the menu are included, but if you order something off the menu, you pay for the drink. I ordered a bloody mary and the bartender pointed out was not on the menu. I asked if vodka was on the menu...yes; was tomato juice on the menu...yes. I said would you give me a glass of vodka and a glass of spicy tomato juice. He looked at me....and made me the bloody mary. (note: I've actually gone through this routine on at least three cruises)

 

Too bad that doesn’t work at the Elite morning breakfast. You can get a Bloody Mary and Mimosa but they won’t make a screw driver even though you can also get orange juice.

 

They won’t give you a separate shot of vodka and a glass of OJ.

 

I had a classic bev pack and wanted a regular martini at the Martini Bar. He said that he couldn’t do that because they didn’t stock the small glasses. I told him to make it using classic liquor and put it into a Manhattan glass. He said then it wouldn’t be a martini and I said ok call it what you want but it will taste the same to me.

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

[fizzy1]

Too bad that doesn’t work at the Elite morning breakfast. You can get a Bloody Mary and Mimosa but they won’t make a screw driver even though you can also get orange juice.

 

 

 

They won’t give you a separate shot of vodka and a glass of OJ.

 

 

 

I had a classic bev pack and wanted a regular martini at the Martini Bar. He said that he couldn’t do that because they didn’t stock the small glasses. I told him to make it using classic liquor and put it into a Manhattan glass. He said then it wouldn’t be a martini and I said ok call it what you want but it will taste the same to me.

 

 

 

Happy cruising [emoji305][emoji568][emoji631][emoji560]

 

 

 

Hahaha !!!

 

 

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