Upgrade to Premium Drink Package

[wrk2cruise]

14 minutes ago, airhose said:

Can you use your Celebrity OBC (available on cruise planner) to purchase the upgrade before the cruise?  I assume VAT would be charged on a Mediterranean itinerary if I wait until on-board.

 

Yes.  If you are a Captains Club member and entitled to a discount on the upgrade you will need to call to get them to do it.  The discount can only be applied pre cruise as well.   There's no way to apply the discount online.

[RICCruisers]

41 minutes ago, airhose said:

Can you use your Celebrity OBC (available on cruise planner) to purchase the upgrade before the cruise?  I assume VAT would be charged on a Mediterranean itinerary if I wait until on-board.

Yes you can use the OBC in your cruise planner and you are correct about the VAT that may be added depending on which ports are included in your itinerary. 

[Wine-O]

3 hours ago, zitsky said:

I paid for the Premium package on my previous cruise on X.  With the all included I don't see a reason to upgrade to Premium.  I'd rather pay a little extra each time I want something.  I'm pretty sure I will spend less than the upgrade price from Classic to Premium.

You can certainly get by with the Classic package and paying for an occasional upgrade here and there.  It all depends on whether you enjoy upgraded wines/beers and some of the after dinner cordials all the time.  My wife is good with the classic, but I upgrade myself to the premium mostly for the better choices of wines and a double B&B as a night cap.  🍷 

[Wine-O]

1 hour ago, airhose said:

Can you use your Celebrity OBC (available on cruise planner) to purchase the upgrade before the cruise?  I assume VAT would be charged on a Mediterranean itinerary if I wait until on-board.

If your entire cruise is within the EU, you will pay VAT.  If you visit a non-EU port, you won't have to pay the VAT.  The only exception I am aware is leaving out of Barcelona.  In Barcelona and Spanish waters, they charge you the VAT.  Most of the time they will ring up the upgrade purchase once you leave the port.  🍷

[zitsky]

28 minutes ago, Wine-O said:

You can certainly get by with the Classic package and paying for an occasional upgrade here and there.  It all depends on whether you enjoy upgraded wines/beers and some of the after dinner cordials all the time.  My wife is good with the classic, but I upgrade myself to the premium mostly for the better choices of wines and a double B&B as a night cap.  🍷 

 

I didn't realize you could upgrade just one person.  Thanks.

[Lastdance]

I mistakenly upgraded to "Elevate" package, so called immediately to have it taken off.  Well, as I found out, that is not possible even though it states that my "Elevate" package is refundable.  I even took a screen shot for my records.  However, what they do not tell you is that you will pay(in my case) $500 more for the cruise without the "Elevate" package.  My husband and I are both elite+, so we did not need to pay for our own OBC, or the full price to upgrade from Classic to Premium.  Actually, a supervisor was going to correct this for me, but instead she left the price the same, but took off the "Elevate" package.  I cannot make this stuff up.  Now, my personal TA is checking on this for me, as for some reason my reservation number was also changed in the process. I thought that mistakes could be changed within 24 hours, but I guess that is only if you get an individual that understands and honors your situation.  

 

I think I will just go ahead and cancel my Galapagos cruise for the summer, as it most likely will not go anyway, thus receiving my $1,800 deposit returned.  Sorry, but I am thinking outloud... The individuals who work in Captain's Club are wonderful, but this particular supervisor made me spend 2 1/2 hours on the phone having others straighten out her mistakes.  

 

I try so hard to read everything, take screenshots and follow the rules.  Thank goodness I only lost about $100.00.  It just leaves a very bad taste in my mouth. My onboard experience is always excellent, but on the phone it can be time consuming, along with a challenge to communicate.  I learned a valuable lesson, so just be very careful...I understand this is a little off-topic, but wanted to share my personal experience.

Edited December 31, 2020 by Lastdance

[zitsky]

13 minutes ago, Lastdance said:

I mistakenly upgraded to "Elevate" package, so called immediately to have it taken off.  Well, as I found out, that is not possible even though it states that my "Elevate" package is refundable.  I even took a screen shot for my records.  However, what they do not tell you is that you will pay(in my case) $500 more for the cruise without the "Elevate" package.  My husband and I are both elite+, so we did not need to pay for our own OBC, or the full price to upgrade from Classic to Premium.  Actually, a supervisor was going to correct this for me, but instead she left the price the same, but took off the "Elevate" package.  I cannot make this stuff up.  Now, my personal TA is checking on this for me, as for some reason my reservation number was also changed in the process. I thought that mistakes could be changed within 24 hours, but I guess that is only if you get an individual that understands and honors your situation.  

 

I think I will just go ahead and cancel my Galapagos cruise for the summer, as it most likely will not go anyway, thus receiving my $1,800 deposit returned.  Sorry, but I am thinking outloud... The individuals who work in Captain's Club are wonderful, but this particular supervisor made me spend 2 1/2 hours on the phone having others straighten out her mistakes.  

 

I try so hard to read everything, take screenshots and follow the rules.  Thank goodness I only lost about $100.00.  It just leaves a very bad taste in my mouth. My onboard experience is always excellent, but on the phone it can be time consuming, along with a challenge to communicate.

 

Thank you for the warning!  Sorry to hear about your experience.

[ChucktownSteve]

17 hours ago, LGW59 said:

For us, cruise line and itinerary go hand in hand, go to Celebrity, look at the itineraries then pick the ship.  No problem with AI here, actually like it.  Laundry, gelato, special coffee do not factor in our decision.  I suppose if we were doing a B2B2B et all it may, but we do not do that.  What they offer has always worked very well for us.

 

From someone who's not reached Elite or higher, I understand.  Besides you now book Suites, which you've bragged about, so the AI is irrelevant since they charge you through the nose to include the perks anyway.  🤣 

 

I don't understand why you keep pointing out gelato in your examples.  That "PERK" is included for every person in any Captains Club level including the lowest one above preview.

[jagoffee]

20 minutes ago, ChucktownSteve said:

 

From someone who's not reached Elite or higher, I understand.  Besides you now book Suites, which you've bragged about, so the AI is irrelevant since they charge you through the nose to include the perks anyway.  🤣 

 

I don't understand why you keep pointing out gelato in your examples.  That "PERK" is included for every person in any Captains Club level including the lowest one above preview.

The same applies to anyone that previously paid a premium for the Best Package which included more than the current AI.  We will never know, but it would be interesting to know what % of previous customers had the Best Package or the 123 inclusive.  
I certainly believe that an increasing number of passengers had at least one of the drink packages.  
If I did not have the Best package, I always paid to upgrade.  My wife and I enjoyed the better wines and expanded list of drinks.  

Edited December 31, 2020 by jagoffee

[LGW59]

2 hours ago, ChucktownSteve said:

 

From someone who's not reached Elite or higher, I understand.  Besides you now book Suites, which you've bragged about, so the AI is irrelevant since they charge you through the nose to include the perks anyway.  🤣 

 

I don't understand why you keep pointing out gelato in your examples.  That "PERK" is included for every person in any Captains Club level including the lowest one above preview.

🙄

[zitsky]

9 minutes ago, LGW59 said:

🙄

 

I think free gelato is pretty cool.

[LGW59]

8 hours ago, ChucktownSteve said:

 

From someone who's not reached Elite or higher, I understand.  Besides you now book Suites, which you've bragged about, so the AI is irrelevant since they charge you through the nose to include the perks anyway.  🤣 

 

I don't understand why you keep pointing out gelato in your examples.  That "PERK" is included for every person in any Captains Club level including the lowest one above preview.

you seem so jealous, your posts are so negative

[LoveThatCorgi]

Our 17 year old loves mocktails while on vacation.  Does anyone know if he will be covered with the included classic non-alcoholic package, or is there a need to upgrade him to premium?  This will be our first Celebrity cruise, and the FAQs aren't very clear with the non-alcoholic packages.  

[Lastdance]

On 12/30/2020 at 6:37 PM, zitsky said:

 

Thank you for the warning!  Sorry to hear about your experience.

 

My TA is working on this, so just maybe it will be straightened out for me, but if not, at least I can hopefully help others.  We all make mistakes, but how we handle them is the key...Happy New Year & hopefully a return to cruising!

Edited January 1, 2021 by Lastdance

[LGW59]

On 11/19/2020 at 1:56 AM, lifeisrealygood said:

My wife and I always seem to receive the classic beverage package as one of our perks when we book our cruises.  We have three upcoming cruises, one at the end of 2021 and two early in 2022.  We always upgrade to the premium drink package a month or two before we sail.  With all the changes to pricing being made, does anyone think you can still upgrade your classic drink package to premium?  Or, since so many of us have cruises booked, will they honor our perks when we cruise, as the new pricing is just for new cruises being booked?

This AI FAQ may be helpful to you.

 

https://www.celebritycruises.com/faqs/always-included

[LadyBerard]

Today, I called and upgraded our Classic Bev. Pkg. to Premium.  I inquired about receiving a discount as we are Elite, and was advised that the only discount you get is when purchasing the package,  not on upgrading a free perk.  Our cruise is in Nov. on the Constellation.  Hopefully, we will cruise!!  Oh yea, it cost us $60 each for a 5 night cruise, which we used OBC funds.

 

 

Edited March 27, 2021 by LadyBerard

[airhose]

Although it's not much less, the discount should apply; from the Celebrity website for loyalty benefits:

"10% off beverage package upgrade to Premium pre-cruise"

Our benefits have been eroded with the Always Included, so we should use this one.   Glad to hear that you could use OBC.  

[zitsky]

2 hours ago, airhose said:

Although it's not much less, the discount should apply; from the Celebrity website for loyalty benefits:

"10% off beverage package upgrade to Premium pre-cruise"

Our benefits have been eroded with the Always Included, so we should use this one.   Glad to hear that you could use OBC.  

 

I like Celebrity but is this an example of bad information plus bad computer systems?  

[HskrCrsr]

5 hours ago, LadyBerard said:

Today, I called and upgraded our Classic Bev. Pkg. to Premium.  I inquired about receiving a discount as we are Elite, and was advised that the only discount you get is when purchasing the package,  not on upgrading a free perk.  Our cruise is in Nov. on the Constellation.  Hopefully, we will cruise!!  Oh yea, it cost us $60 each for a 5 night cruise, which we used OBC funds.

 

 

 

4 hours ago, airhose said:

Although it's not much less, the discount should apply; from the Celebrity website for loyalty benefits:

"10% off beverage package upgrade to Premium pre-cruise"

Our benefits have been eroded with the Always Included, so we should use this one.   Glad to hear that you could use OBC.  

Airhose's response about package upgrades would seem to be perfectly accurate - package upgrades should qualify for the discount. However, Celebrity has a phrase on the CC page that starts "As more and more members start to sail with our Always Included package and have drinks included in their ticket..."  This makes me wonder if perhaps you booked your cruise prior to AI and therefore are cruising under the prior CC benefits? I believe prior to AI, Capt Club benefits did not include the discount on upgrades, only on the package, and that discount started at Elite Plus. I think there will be quite a few of us that get caught in a confusing situation with this change. And this might also be why Celebrity is insisting that a lot of changes occur at prevailing rates, to force us into the new program and winnow down the number cruising under the old program, whether for profit or consistency.

 

If you are cruising under the AI promotion, then Airhose's response would apply and you should get that discount. 

 

Certainly some benefits have eroded. I am keeping my fingers crossed that as COVID restrictions ease, some benefits, such as Happy Hour gatherings, will return. And I hope that Celebrity does not forget how the phrase I quoted above ends: "we’ll be introducing new events and benefits so stay tuned."

[wrk2cruise]

That's not how it works.   The loyalty changes went into effect as soon as they were announced, not phased in by sailing date.   They are entitled to the discount.

[HskrCrsr]

3 hours ago, wrk2cruise said:

That's not how it works.   The loyalty changes went into effect as soon as they were announced, not phased in by sailing date.   They are entitled to the discount.

To be clear, I said nothing about sailing dates. I was talking about booking dates, and booking dates matter. I was wrong to suggest sailing under prior CC benefits might be the problem. While the Capt Club benefits changed immediately, promotions and such did not. One sails under the promotions at time of booking, not time of sailing.

 

One of the FAQ's is this:

How will beverage benefits for loyalty members be impacted now that beverage is part of Always Included?

Previously, the only beverage package discount available was 10% off for Elite Plus members.  We have updated and expanded this benefit now that the Classic Beverage package is part of Always Included. 

Now, if you sail with Always Included, Classic Members and above can enjoy a 5% – 10% discount to upgrade from the Classic Beverage Package to Premium Beverage Package before you sail (pre-cruise).  If you do not sail with Always Included, Classic members and above , can  receive a 5% - 20% discount on Classic and Premium beverage packages purchased pre-cruise. Elite members and above that do not sail with Always Included can also continue to enjoy the daily cocktail hour with unlimited drinks from the Captain’s Club menu from 5pm – 7pm at bars and lounge throughout their ship. 

Zenith members will continue to enjoy a complimentary Premium beverage package in both scenarios.

The complimentary specialty coffee benefits for Elite Plus members will continue to be available for those that do not sail with Always Included.

(Emphasis mine)

It is clear that sailing with or without AI makes a difference. This clearly says what discounts you get with or without AI. What it fails to say clearly is what you don't get in either situation. That leaves room for misinterpretation.

 

LadyBerard "was advised that the only discount you get is when purchasing the package,  not on upgrading a free perk." Is this under AI or not? How was the Classic BP a free perk rather than a package? 

 

So you may be right. I said above that the discount applies if sailing under AI. If not sailing under AI it is less certain and the Celebrity agent didn't think it applied - I am just trying to suggest reasons why. Their agents have been wrong before. As have I.

[LadyBerard]

As a follow up, I booked this cruise a long time before "Always Included" came out.  I booked in a group rate which included the Classic Beverage Package, $300 OBC for the cabin, and Prepaid Gratuities. 

[wrk2cruise]

I was unaware of the details you provided in the FAQ.   From that I do suspect that the discount on the upgrade is only applicable if you are booked under an AI fare.    Boy I thought the purpose of AI was to make things simple.   Now you need to bring your lawyer to upgrade your bev package 😀

[HskrCrsr]

In late 2022 when almost everyone will be under AI, it might get simpler. All the Lift & Shift cruises should be completed and no one could have booked under pre-AI conditions, so perhaps only the "select sailings" that get booked inside final payment (and maybe some group rates?) will not be covered by AI. Celebrity can roll out the new benefits and events they have suggested will happen as more and more sail under AI. Maybe then the majority of us will have a clear understanding of the system. Then maybe just a legal assistant will be needed. CC benefits will vary with the ship: Edge, Apex and other E-class ships will have their Sneak Peek and Create & Pour events while other ships might or might not. I see lots of discussion forum posts trying to keep all that straight. 🤪

[hvbaskey]

On 3/27/2021 at 9:49 AM, LadyBerard said:

Today, I called and upgraded our Classic Bev. Pkg. to Premium.  I inquired about receiving a discount as we are Elite, and was advised that the only discount you get is when purchasing the package,  not on upgrading a free perk.  Our cruise is in Nov. on the Constellation.  Hopefully, we will cruise!!  Oh yea, it cost us $60 each for a 5 night cruise, which we used OBC funds.

 

 

In the CC benefits description, it states that you can upgrade with the discount “but” only after final payment has been made.