Premium beverage package

[lawk]

For those who have sailed recently - is a service charge added when you get a beverage? The website indicates a 20% service charge is added to each check. 

[rebeccac]

If you have the package, the service charge is added to the cost of the entire package and not the individual drinks.  

[tomcruiser1234]

No.  It’s included in your package.  You can a $1 if you like

[oneputt18]

If you purchase the Premium Beverage Package, the 20% grats are added to the purchase price.

If it was a perk, the 20% is included in the perk.

If you upgrade, the 20% is added to the upgrade price.

You never pay for a gratuity if you have a drink package unless to you exceed the maximum drink price covered by your package.

Then you pay the difference plus 20% gratuity.

[mfs2k]

I sailed last week on Equinox with Premium Beverage Package.

 

I had ZERO beverage charges or beverage service charges added to my folio all week. (I randomly tipped additional cash to bartenders and servers when I wanted to)

 

I didn't think twice about ordering any brand liquor or cocktail I wanted, and we limited our wine choices to $15 or under per glass.

I got large bottles of Pellegrino at dinner nightly (included) and large Evians whenever I wanted too.  

 

We did not order bottled wines. 

 

Premium was definitely the way to go for us.

[steandho]

We were on the Silhouette last week.  We had the Classic as a perk and planned to upgrade on board. 

The sommelier in Cellar Masters recommended we upgrade and we did. 

Promptly after upgrading to the Premium package all venues starting running out of the premium wines.

We went to Guest Relations to complain and the only option they suggested was to go back to the Classic package.

The reason given for premium wines running out was that a pallet of the premium beverages had been left back at port.

We advised Guest Relations we would wait and see.

We then found that the sommeliers would dig deep and find some interesting wines that we would enjoy.

Others on board said they were getting the same excuses for premium rums, vodkas etc.

 

[cruiserchuck]

1 hour ago, steandho said:

We were on the Silhouette last week.  We had the Classic as a perk and planned to upgrade on board. 

The sommelier in Cellar Masters recommended we upgrade and we did. 

Promptly after upgrading to the Premium package all venues starting running out of the premium wines.

We went to Guest Relations to complain and the only option they suggested was to go back to the Classic package.

The reason given for premium wines running out was that a pallet of the premium beverages had been left back at port.

We advised Guest Relations we would wait and see.

We then found that the sommeliers would dig deep and find some interesting wines that we would enjoy.

Others on board said they were getting the same excuses for premium rums, vodkas etc.

 

 

That is not good.  I was thinking about upgrading on my upcoming cruise, but will probably stay with the classic package.

[mfs2k]

It’s highly unlikely the liquor and wine was sorted by vendor on pallets into premium and classic categories. Liquor/wine vendors deliver the products they represent 

 

Its more likely a beverage manager forgot to order some of the wines and liquors for the sailing. 

[Muffinz]

we had the classic package on our Solstice cruise last year - we had no problems getting a good quality drink like wine, beer, spirits and even some cocktails

[DebInAntigua]

11 hours ago, mfs2k said:

I sailed last week on Equinox with Premium Beverage Package.

 

I had ZERO beverage charges or beverage service charges added to my folio all week. (I randomly tipped additional cash to bartenders and servers when I wanted to)

 

I didn't think twice about ordering any brand liquor or cocktail I wanted, and we limited our wine choices to $15 or under per glass.

I got large bottles of Pellegrino at dinner nightly (included) and large Evians whenever I wanted too.  

 

We did not order bottled wines. 

 

Premium was definitely the way to go for us.

Pay attention then to the new pricing strategy coming out April 4th (another thread here on CC has links). X is changing the "all 4 perks" option to include only the Classic package now, not Premium. I think it's going to be a cash grab to get people to upgrade on top of buying the perks. I doubt the pricing will come out cheaper than the current Go Best offer for all 4 perks, which includes Premium.

[NantahalaCruiser]

15 hours ago, rebeccac said:

If you have the package, the service charge is added to the cost of the entire package and not the individual drinks.  

OP's post was probably due to the misleading language in the website description of the package pricing.

 

However, does anyone know what gratuity is currently being charged on individual drinks if you do not have a package? 18% or 20%?

Edited April 2, 2019 by NantahalaCruiser

[cruiserchuck]

It was reported that the rate was raised to 20 percent several days ago.