gratuities on drinks package..

[ule]

Sorry to be beating a dead horse.... I know this has probably been discussed at length already, but I've been off the boards for a while.

 

We're looking to book a cruise and they are "giving" us Classic Drink package.  It says that they are going to add a $14 a day charge for gratuities.  I didn't realize they were still doing this.  What I'm really annoyed about is the Classic package is $59.99 a day, the Premium is $69.99 a day.  So they are applying gratuities based on the Premium package even though we are only receiving the Classic.

 

Any thoughts or information on this?

[mikkelhansen]

Beverage package as a perk has NO additional cost. The gratuities are only added if you buy the bverage package in your Cruise Planner or onboard.

Are you sure the 14$ are not "service charge" gratuities for your stateroom?

Edited July 17, 2020 by mikkelhansen

[4774Papa]

We never opt for promos like the drinks package, since we are moderate drinkers and have the free elite happy hour every night, but one.  

 

We have cruised on NCL and on one cruise with NCL after they started offering the drinks package, there were no gratuities if granted, not purchased later.  That rule lasted about a year and NCL has been charging for years now.  Their gratuities are sometimes more than we would spend on alcohol for an entire cruise.

 

I am no authority on this issue for Celebrity, since we have never opted for promos on that line, but I seem to recall that Celebrity may have changed its policy by adding gratuities.   I am sure that someone else can answer with direct experience.

[Lady Arwen]

You do NOT pay gratuities on the bev package if it’s an added perk.  It’s included, thank goodness.

[yorky]

38 minutes ago, ule said:

Sorry to be beating a dead horse.... I know this has probably been discussed at length already, but I've been off the boards for a while.

 

We're looking to book a cruise and they are "giving" us Classic Drink package.  It says that they are going to add a $14 a day charge for gratuities.  I didn't realize they were still doing this.  What I'm really annoyed about is the Classic package is $59.99 a day, the Premium is $69.99 a day.  So they are applying gratuities based on the Premium package even though we are only receiving the Classic.

 

Any thoughts or information on this?

The $14 a day grats are nothing to do with the drinks package.

[ule]

Thank you all....that was what we thought.  I was looking on a major cruise site (for all cruise lines, am I allowed to mention it here?)  and it specified a $14 a day charge.  Right on Celebrities website the statement below was taken from today and it also says that if you choose a beverage package as a perk you will have a price increase. It's kind of misleading.  I know that the perks cost money.  This made me think that I had to pay more on top of the cost of the perk.

 

I did just chat with someone from Celebrity and he confirmed that there is no additional charge......  

 

 

 

Classic Beverage Package option includes beer, spirits, cocktails, frozen drinks and, wine by the glass up to $9 per serving, all soda selections, juices, premium coffees, teas and non-premium bottled water, and server gratuities (amount based on gratuity guidelines). Classic Non-Alcoholic Beverage Package includes all soda selections, juices, premium coffees, teas and non-premium bottled water and server gratuities (amount based on gratuity guidelines). Terms of Celebrity’s Alcohol Policy apply, including a minimum drinking age, which varies by itinerary. Each guest must provide date of birth at the time of booking. Guests in the same staterooms must select the same option(s). Selecting the Beverage Package Perk will result in a price increase to the cruise fare; amount varies by lenght of sailing

[sandancer]

We have 4 cruises booked for 2021, all with classic beverage packages included. No gratuities charged on any of them. If you choose to upgrade to the Premium package you will be charged a gratuity on the cost of the upgrade. If you stick with the Classic and order any drink with a higher value then you pay a gratuity on the extra cost. 

[sandancer]

“Guests in the same staterooms must select the same option(s).”
This is a change. Normally I stick with the Classic and my DH upgrades to the Premium in order to have the malt whisky he enjoys. It has never been a problem. 

[barbette165]

13 minutes ago, sandancer said:

“Guests in the same staterooms must select the same option(s).”
This is a change. Normally I stick with the Classic and my DH upgrades to the Premium in order to have the malt whisky he enjoys. It has never been a problem. 

I don't think it's a change - the note refers to the selection of perks at booking time. i.e. if you choose 2 perks, then both must choose the same two perks - so one can't have OBC and Wifi, whilst the other goes for OBC and Bev.

[ule]

Below is the paragraph from one of the sites where is mentioning the $14 charge for the beverage package.  It never says anything about if you purchase it as an add on.  Where it is placed does make it seem like it is added on to beverage packages. 

 

I'm glad that the person from Celebrity and all of you have confirmed what I thought and that there is no added charge.

 

 

5 Day Sale: 3 Free Perks for ALL Guests (Including Drinks & More)

For a limited time only receive 3 free perks when you book an Inside - AquaClass category on select Celebrity cruises departing October 2020 - May 2022. Enjoy free Classic Beverage Package for 2 (a $14 per person per day charge will be added for this amenity), free Pre-Paid Gratuities, and free onboard spending ($150 per person)! As an added bonus save up to $1,000 instantly on your cruise fares. Pricing shown reflects savings. New bookings only, not all fares displaying online qualify, other restrictions may apply. Hurry! This offer ends on 7/20/20!

[George C]

With suites and getting 4 perks we get premium drink package, if I don’t get the perks we will get our drinks in suite lounge.

[sanger727]

1 hour ago, ule said:

Below is the paragraph from one of the sites where is mentioning the $14 charge for the beverage package.  It never says anything about if you purchase it as an add on.  Where it is placed does make it seem like it is added on to beverage packages. 

 

I'm glad that the person from Celebrity and all of you have confirmed what I thought and that there is no added charge.

 

 

5 Day Sale: 3 Free Perks for ALL Guests (Including Drinks & More)

For a limited time only receive 3 free perks when you book an Inside - AquaClass category on select Celebrity cruises departing October 2020 - May 2022. Enjoy free Classic Beverage Package for 2 (a $14 per person per day charge will be added for this amenity), free Pre-Paid Gratuities, and free onboard spending ($150 per person)! As an added bonus save up to $1,000 instantly on your cruise fares. Pricing shown reflects savings. New bookings only, not all fares displaying online qualify, other restrictions may apply. Hurry! This offer ends on 7/20/20!

There was a point (I believe sometime last year) where celebrity did decide to add a $14 per person per day charge if you chose the beverage package. That was quickly discontinued. I believe it has never re-surfaced.  Celebrity's T&C's don't contain this language, simply that there could be additional fees (I think at the moment they are only reserving the right as opposed to actually charging them). Either way, those fees were added on in the booking engine, so the price you see at the end of the booking engine is inclusive of all extra costs. 

[jelayne]

There was a short period of time last year  when Celebrity was adding a $14 per day charge to the cost of  the cruise when the beverage package was selected as a perk.  That lasted roughly 2 weeks and was dropped.  Apparently there are some websites that didn’t get updated. We booked a cruise last week with no extra charge for the beverage pkg 

[ule]

31 minutes ago, jelayne said:

There was a short period of time last year  when Celebrity was adding a $14 per day charge to the cost of  the cruise when the beverage package was selected as a perk.  That lasted roughly 2 weeks and was dropped.  Apparently there are some websites that didn’t get updated. We booked a cruise last week with no extra charge for the beverage pkg 

 

 

I remember that and I thought they did away with it again.  That's why I was surprised to see the statement about the charge.  Surprising that there are so many websites that do not have the correct information

[ChucktownSteve]

As stated previously there is no additional gratuity charged on drink packages as a perk. You both must select the same package when booking.  However once on board, only one person can upgrade to premium while the other remains at classic. The upgrade includes the difference plus 20% gratuity on the difference.  That's $10/day plus $2/day gratuity.

Edited July 17, 2020 by ChucktownSteve

[mikkelhansen]

12 hours ago, ChucktownSteve said:

As stated previously there is no additional gratuity charged on drink packages as a perk. You both must select the same package when booking.  However once on board, only one person can upgrade to premium while the other remains at classic. The upgrade includes the difference plus 20% gratuity on the difference.  That's $10/day plus $2/day gratuity.

Upgrading for one person can also be done in the Cruise Planner before departure, however the beverage packages are usually not loaded into the cruise planner before 2-4 weeks before departure. If you call the Cruise Planner team at Celebrity, they can load it manually before that time. For example if there's a sale on the upgrade that you would like to use. Rarely, both the beverage packages AND the upgrades are on sale, but you clearly have to purchase the package/upgrade during the sale, hence you would need Celebrity to load the package in your Cruise Planner earlier than the automated loading.

[ule]

Since we now have the answer to my tip question, let's hear some of your favorite drinks to indulge in.  When on the Reflection last year we used to stop at the Martini bar while we were waiting for our table to be ready at dinner time.  I can't remember which one I used to get....but it was real good.  Maybe the Peartini???  We also take full advantage of the drink package getting bottled water and hitting the coffee shop for coffee and tea.  And of course wine with dinner.