The "Real" Cost of Alcohol Packages

[Chanbre]

We intended to have the CBP on one of our Celebrity cruises but somehow it was missed off of the booking - that was our mistake. On the ship we priced our drinking plans and opted for the Classic Non-Alcohol (NA) Package. Most of our drinks are NA: nice fruit juices at breakfast; the NA cocktails in OCV at lunch; several teas or coffees in Al Baco at other times; and bottles of water for excursions etc. All without having to sign anything. For our one or two alcoholic drinks per day we signed and we paid much less than the full CBP.

 

For people who like nice drinks but little or no alcohol, I recommend exploring the Classic Non-Alcohol Beverage Package.

[helen haywood]

On 2/27/2019 at 12:40 PM, Tourist1292 said:

It saved us around $500 per state room for a 7 night cruise by not choosing the two "free" perks. So it may still worth that $500 if one really needs the perks like drinking and internet package.

Well, if you subtract roughly $200 you will be paying for gratuities, then not selecting two perks saves you $300 per stateroom.  We could certainly run up a bar bill over $300 without a beverage package.

[TFLG]

 

I've "grown" past looking at the small detail of what this and that costs.  Now I just look at the total price and decide if I feel its reasonable.  As long as I am happy with the total cost of the cruise I don't worry about the details.  Of course I still keep an eye out for price drops 😉.  It's a far more stress free method for me. 

[mickey89]

14 hours ago, waggie said:

...........this itinerary is predominantly Spain and I understand we will not only pay gratuities per drink (as expected) but also Spanish VAT. Can someone confirm if this is throughout the cruise or only in Spanish waters. 

The IVA which you refer as the Spanish Tax is applied throughout the cruise if the only ports of call are within the EU.   If Gibraltar is included on your itinerary NO Tax will be incurred during the cruise.

[kearney]

We usually don't get the beverage package... being Elite the Captains Club cocktail hour took care of our alcohol and we are not big specialty coffee or soft drink consumers. In the past I tracked our wine purchases and they generally ran about $350-$400 for a 10 day cruise... so it really didn't pay to pay a lot extra for that. On our Edge sailing we did get a drink package.. and it was nice to have a fancy coffee every now and then... so that was nice. We did take advantage of the Veterans day 4 perk deal to upgrade two cruises this year.... so it will be interesting to see if I can go back to no perks after experiencing four. Now in reality while the package was better than the price we paid when we booked on board... comparing it to past cruises... it was significantly higher in total than what we usually pay. So instead of 4 cruises this year we will do 2 with the bells and whistles... it is an interesting experiment. I dont mind keeping track of our spending on board... I will do that with or without a pre paid package... if for no other reason than to see how much OBC remains. 

[grandgeezer]

I have a stress free method. The only perk I care about is recovering the prepaid gratuities either through the obc or the gratuity perk. Being Elite Plus, that more than covers our drink and internet needs. I always get more than enough obc to cover gratuities with some left over to take home if it comes to that. We have 0 spend on the ships and will continue until they start pricing at a reasonable rate.

[waggie]

3 hours ago, mickey89 said:

The IVA which you refer as the Spanish Tax is applied throughout the cruise if the only ports of call are within the EU.   If Gibraltar is included on your itinerary NO Tax will be incurred during the cruise.

Gibraltar is on this itinerary - thank you for explaining this. I can let our Celebrity advisor know!!!

[mickey89]

That is the primary reason why cruise lines include Gibraltar on the West Med cruises and Kotor or any Turkish port on the Eastern cruises to avoid the VAT charge.

Also if you don't have a non-EU port on the itinerary you can avoid the charge by pre-purchasing the Drinks pkg, Drink upgrades, Excursions, Specialty dining reservations.

[terrydtx]

We booked our 10 day August 2021 Infinity Best of Spain and Portugal Cruise during Thanksgiving week and my TA negotiated a deal with X that I couldn't believe. It will be over our 50th wedding anniversary and the TA said this was why X gave us the deal. We booked an AQ aft facing cabin on the 11th deck. For $200pp more we got the pre-paid gratuities ($150pp value) and the CBP ($590pp value) plus $150 total OBC. The pricing on X website at the time we booked showed the 2 free perks for over $600pp more in cost than the prcing without them. We have never purchased any beverage packages in the past as we may have one drink before dinner, a beer with lunch and a glass or two of wine with dinner, not worth the beverage package costs. However for this cruise we got a total of $1630 in benefits for an extra $400 in cost, this means $1230 in free benefits, a no brainer for us. We have been a loyal HAL customer for the last 10 years but never got a deal like this.

 

Edited January 2, 2020 by terrydtx

[poffles]

The beverage package really is very subjective to a persons 'drinking' habits and also the true cost for particular cruise. 

 

My first three cruises (other lines) were without a package and I definitely over thought every beverage purchase, from a can of soda to a bottle of beer.  Did I still enjoy my cruise, yes, but I know it had an impact.

 

Fast forward to my first Celebrity cruise where the drink package was included, and it really was included as I had been watching the cruise cost for a long time but I knew a 123 deal was expected at a certain time of year so I waited and to my surprise the perk was added and the cost didn't change a cent.  I grabbed it and it changed my view from that sailing on, it spoiled me.  Interestingly that cruise fair sky rocketed within the month so I lucked out.

 

Fast forward again since then and today I will never dispute that the cost of the perk(s) is buried in the cost, sometimes it is more transparent than others so I am not fooled.  Regardless, I still want the package if I can work it to not be a ridiculous cost and felt to be a 'deal' to me.

 

Like others have said, it is not just alcoholic drinks one needs to consider.  Love my coffee in the morning, OJ with breakfast, cappuccino/latte here and there, water, beer/cocktails .. and I typically upgrade to premium to get the Evian and Perrier and better drinks.  Love having the package and not thinking about whether to have a drink due to cost or having to sign a slip ... 🙂   Oh and not being Zenith class or in a suite, I don't get any free drinks in Micheal's to factor in as others would, that could definitely change things but I will never have to think about that LOL

 

Have a great cruise !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  🍻 🍸

 

 

[4774Papa]

15 hours ago, kearney said:

We usually don't get the beverage package... being Elite the Captains Club cocktail hour took care of our alcohol and we are not big specialty coffee or soft drink consumers. In the past I tracked our wine purchases and they generally ran about $350-$400 for a 10 day cruise... so it really didn't pay to pay a lot extra for that. On our Edge sailing we did get a drink package.. and it was nice to have a fancy coffee every now and then... so that was nice. We did take advantage of the Veterans day 4 perk deal to upgrade two cruises this year.... so it will be interesting to see if I can go back to no perks after experiencing four. Now in reality while the package was better than the price we paid when we booked on board... comparing it to past cruises... it was significantly higher in total than what we usually pay. So instead of 4 cruises this year we will do 2 with the bells and whistles... it is an interesting experiment. I dont mind keeping track of our spending on board... I will do that with or without a pre paid package... if for no other reason than to see how much OBC remains. 

We are like you, we are Elite and that cuts down on how much we spend on alcohol.  We usually buy wine for dinner, but don't drink enough outside the happy hour to want a drink package.  We usually spend about $350 for both of us for a 14 day cruise.  We don't drink coffee after breakfast.  Also, we drink the ship's tap water, don't drink soda, etc.  We appreciate the option to choose lower cruise prices than one with perks we don't want.

[cementhands]

We’re celebrity Elite level and enjoy the excellent evening drinks and it’s perfect. My wife doesn’t drink so the prepaid tips are our favorite options.
Elite lounge is nice for a few drinks for me. RCL has both options as we’re separate Diamond with lounge and 3 drinks each out in other bars which we’ve never used all of. Bottles of water in lounge a big perk.
On Ncl the drinks package cost more in uncharged room plus tips fees. So you pay perhaps $1,000.00 more than a sail away price.  Bottles of water excluded. That’s a lot of drinks to justify it. So as a platinum on Ncl I’ve got to weigh it out depending on each cruise.
Each and every person has their own criteria.

[jrgray]

For me, and your mileage may vary, the premium package is worth it for the convenience. I do drink a lot more than I would if I didn’t have it because I would be watching my costs. With the package, I already budgeted it. I’ve also ordered drinks I would not normally order because if I don’t like them, I can just get something else.  I can order a scotch and not guess if I will have to pay extra.  And since my wife loves martinis, we’d be paying a few dollars for every drink if we were on classic.

[sayvan]

Drink packages are where its at for us. Its so much more convenient. No signing, no concerns on that final bill on debarkation day. To add to that, coming from the great white north those drinks suddenly become even more costly thanks to our lousy Canadian dollar value against the US dollar. On average, its an extra .30-.35 on every dollar spent on board. That adds up quickly. A bill of $600 US is suddenly an extra $170 on top give or take for us. So a prepaid perk or upgrade is worth it on our end. I know some folks say get a US credit card.. either way at some point this Canadian has to pay it whether its in US dollars or Canadian dollars. Outside of the a savings on exchange fees you still have to pay the rate of exchange! 

 

Now that being said, what really gets me is the cost of the internet packages. This is probably the single most rip off on a cruise ship. In this day and age to have to pay $500 dollars for a decent internet package for 7 days in terrible. This is where the revolt needs to start!  

[shipshape sam]

On 2/27/2019 at 10:47 AM, mfs2k said:

For the last 6 years, my wife and I have given up cruising in favor of all inclusive Caribbean vacations where we didn't have to think twice about the cost of drinks.  It was so nice compared to our 11 previous cruises where we'd drink when we wanted, but we'd constantly be wondering what our drink bill was adding up to...

 

We decided to go on a 20th Anniversary Celebrity cruise next month.  I was happy to see that I could select 2 perks for an added fee, and one was the Classic Beverage Package.

 

I valued the "cost" to me of the Classic Beverage Package for 7 nights as equivalent to the alternative $150 per person on-board credit I could have chosen, or $21.43 per day. (prepaid tips had a cash value of $105 per person).  (I also selected the internet package, which seems worth more than the cash equivalents)

 

Today, I upgraded online to the Premium beverage package for $11.80 per day, so the total cost for me  for Premium is $33.23 per day per person, or $232.61 per person. ($465.21 for 2 ppl) 

 

10-20 years ago, before beverage packages, the liquor bill for my wife and I on a 7 night cruise was about $500 so $465 now seems more than reasonable. 

 

If we didn't have the beverage perk option, and we still wanted the Premium beverage package, it would have cost $69 per person per day, or $966.00 which is WAY more than I'd be willing to spend for coffee, soda, smoothies, glasses of wine and drinks.  I would have gone the ala carte route. 

 

I realize everyone has different scenarios and many don't drink much, or at all.  

 

This definitely worked out for us.

 

Thoughts?

Thought  -  glad it works out for you!  It does not for us with us bringing on 2 bottles of wine and going to Captains Club evening event with free drinks or free drinks at bars, it makes no $ense to us to buy the alcohol package, either one. NOTE, we are limited to the very restrictive selection of beer and wine spirit drinks, and we are  okay with that.  We do love to enjoy a Martini, and thus do have a few of them onboard, but not enough to buy the package.  I also will buy a craft beer on occasion. The good news is it is worth it to you and many others and thus having the option is always nice.

 

 

[grandgeezer]

2 hours ago, sayvan said:

Drink packages are where its at for us. Its so much more convenient. No signing, no concerns on that final bill on debarkation day. To add to that, coming from the great white north those drinks suddenly become even more costly thanks to our lousy Canadian dollar value against the US dollar. On average, its an extra .30-.35 on every dollar spent on board. That adds up quickly. A bill of $600 US is suddenly an extra $170 on top give or take for us. So a prepaid perk or upgrade is worth it on our end. I know some folks say get a US credit card.. either way at some point this Canadian has to pay it whether its in US dollars or Canadian dollars. Outside of the a savings on exchange fees you still have to pay the rate of exchange! 

 

Now that being said, what really gets me is the cost of the internet packages. This is probably the single most rip off on a cruise ship. In this day and age to have to pay $500 dollars for a decent internet package for 7 days in terrible. This is where the revolt needs to start!  

If you cruise enough with Celebrity, not only free drinks, but internet too. We are Elite Plus and we each get 240 minutes for a seven day cruise and we never come close to using all of it. No revolting for us over the drink or internet pricing

[sayvan]

15 minutes ago, grandgeezer said:

If you cruise enough with Celebrity, not only free drinks, but internet too. We are Elite Plus and we each get 240 minutes for a seven day cruise and we never come close to using all of it. No revolting for us over the drink or internet pricing

 

You miss my point. I cruise a lot! My point is that the cost of the internet is incredibly ridiculous and unnecessarily over priced. In this day and age the internet is a necessity for many and we shouldn't be robbed blind by a cruise line to receive what really is a basic service.  It is us as passengers that allow them to get away with it. 

[grandgeezer]

1 hour ago, sayvan said:

 

You miss my point. I cruise a lot! My point is that the cost of the internet is incredibly ridiculous and unnecessarily over priced. In this day and age the internet is a necessity for many and we shouldn't be robbed blind by a cruise line to receive what really is a basic service.  It is us as passengers that allow them to get away with it. 

If you think almost 500 days at sea is a lot, then we also cruise a lot. Maybe you should take the internet as a perk. I don’t feel the internet is anymore overpriced than the drinks so I refuse to pay for either one. You’re right, if people continue to pay their price, the price will only go up.

[4774Papa]

13 hours ago, sayvan said:

 

You miss my point. I cruise a lot! My point is that the cost of the internet is incredibly ridiculous and unnecessarily over priced. In this day and age the internet is a necessity for many and we shouldn't be robbed blind by a cruise line to receive what really is a basic service.  It is us as passengers that allow them to get away with it. 

We rather enjoy being away from the internet while on a cruise.  Of course, we are both retired and have no job responsibilities.

Agree, the internet costs onboard are ridiculous.  The alternative is to find an internet cafe in each port.

[Mark_T]

1 hour ago, 4774Papa said:

We rather enjoy being away from the internet while on a cruise.  Of course, we are both retired and have no job responsibilities.

Agree, the internet costs onboard are ridiculous.  The alternative is to find an internet cafe in each port.

It may be a contrary view, but I'm actually glad the internet prices are as high as they are.

 

Even at the current utilization rates the service remains marginally functional for anything beyond email/web, if there were more people casually using it without limits it would soon drop to unusable levels.

 

Satellite based services are inherently expensive and not easy to scale up much further than they have already so for me at least, I'm happy to see the costs high and the utilization kept down as a result...

[sayvan]

On 1/5/2020 at 9:50 AM, Mark_T said:

It may be a contrary view, but I'm actually glad the internet prices are as high as they are.

 

Even at the current utilization rates the service remains marginally functional for anything beyond email/web, if there were more people casually using it without limits it would soon drop to unusable levels.

 

Satellite based services are inherently expensive and not easy to scale up much further than they have already so for me at least, I'm happy to see the costs high and the utilization kept down as a result...

 

Glass half full... I like that! 

[denatravels]

Perhaps someone can answer this question about the drink package. I just upgraded to 4 perks (there is a sale and it was a pretty good deal!). 
In doing the research, it seems like maybe gratuities are now added to each drink on the ship. Before you answer, please see the pic that I’ve included. 
“A 20% service charge is added to each check”. 

Edited January 11, 2020 by denatravels

[cangelmd]

"I valued the "cost" to me of the Classic Beverage Package for 7 nights as equivalent to the alternative $150 per person on-board credit I could have chosen, or $21.43 per day. (prepaid tips had a cash value of $105 per person).  (I also selected the internet package, which seems worth more than the cash equivalents)"

 

I'm not trying to be contrarian, but why did you value the Classic Beverage Cost this way? Wouldn't it be more accurate to compare to how much you think you would spend per day on drinks? We are looking hard at our alcohol spending, we have just made Elite, and are looking ahead to doing some longer cruises on a budget, and the beverage packages add up when you are talking 14 days or longer.

 

Oh and not being Zenith class or in a suite, I don't get any free drinks in Micheal's to factor in as others would, that could definitely change things but I will never have to think about that LOL

 

I'm not sure you can book a suite without a beverage pkg, I thought that was part of how they covered the cost of Michaels?

[mikkelhansen]

On 1/11/2020 at 8:54 PM, denatravels said:

In doing the research, it seems like maybe gratuities are now added to each drink on the ship. Before you answer, please see the pic that I’ve included. 
“A 20% service charge is added to each check”. 

This is a VERY frequent subject in the Celebrity forum here on Cruisecritic. It is badly worded on Celebrity's side.

You will NOT pay 20% on every drink you order onboard, AS LONG as the drink's within the package's maximum per-drink price (I believe it's 15$ for the Premium package).

When you buy the package on Cruise Planner, a 20% service charge will be added to the package price. Likewise, if you buy a drink OVER the package's limit onboard, you will pay the difference + 20% service charge. I.e. the package's limit is 15$, you buy a drink at 18$, so you'll pay 3$ + 20% = 3,60$.