Always Included- Elevate & Indulge Package

[Seany527]

I booked with “always included” and upgraded to the Elevate package. 

 

If I walk into a bar and order a $12 drink, is there going to be a gratuity charge added to my card?
 

I don’t know why I’m having such a difficult time grasping this through all my research.

[ShawninFL]

On 4/21/2021 at 9:29 AM, gridirongrace said:

HI! Is it worth upgrading to  the Elevate or  Indulge Package?  I was wondering it made sense to upgrade? Thanks for your thoughts? 

 

We don't ever take cruise line excursions so upgrading to Elevate or Indulge is useless to us as the OBC (or a portion of) are earmarked as excursion credits. It's better for us to just upgrade our drink package once on board.  And we've never required streaming WIFI.  Just things to consider in evaluating whether upgrading would be advantageous to you.

[PTC DAWG]

1 hour ago, Seany527 said:

I booked with “always included” and upgraded to the Elevate package. 

 

If I walk into a bar and order a $12 drink, is there going to be a gratuity charge added to my card?
 

I don’t know why I’m having such a difficult time grasping this through all my research.

No, you are good to go. 

[Alsmez]

On 5/18/2021 at 6:04 PM, ShawninFL said:

We don't ever take cruise line excursions so upgrading to Elevate or Indulge is useless to us as the OBC (or a portion of) are earmarked as excursion credits. It's better for us to just upgrade our drink package once on board.  And we've never required streaming WIFI.  Just things to consider in evaluating whether upgrading would be advantageous to you.

 

Same here. I also priced it out for our upcoming 11-day cruise and at $330 pp, it's only a savings of $2 (yes, TWO) over what you would pay if you upgraded drinks and bought excursions separately ($132 for 11 days of drink upgrade plus $200). Kind of silly to market it as a "deal" under those circumstances.

[HskrCrsr]

2 hours ago, Alsmez said:

 

Same here. I also priced it out for our upcoming 11-day cruise and at $330 pp, it's only a savings of $2 (yes, TWO) over what you would pay if you upgraded drinks and bought excursions separately ($132 for 11 days of drink upgrade plus $200). Kind of silly to market it as a "deal" under those circumstances.

It's funny but I generally have not thought X is suggesting it's a deal, but something to make vacations "convenient and relaxing," or simpler. But they clearly list it under Deals, as shown here, where they also claim it's popular:

Maybe if they say it often enough, it will become true?

[cheeseheads4ever]

I guess if you upgrade the the premium package it’s up to you what you are used to drinking. If you drink martinis for example like my DW then I would highly suggest to upgrade to premium. If yer an average guy like me who’s satisfied with absolute vodka in your drinks then Classic or what ever they call it now is fine for me.
But... if you want to experiment into higher end liquors move up to premium.

We get it all on our next cruise have retreated everything premium included.

I like the idea no slips to sign and drink what I want.. Hey I’m on vacation! I’m not counting pennies at least to some extent..

Happy Sailing!!

 

 

 

 

[foggyphils]

I booked the Elevate package with my cruise in June so that it was built in with my fare.

The positives are that my OBC from my agent was more. So I got about 10% back in OBC. I also was was offered a $9 pp/per day upgrade to whatever they call the super premium package that includes 4 bottles of wine, wine tasting, $100 in casino chips and free mini-bar set up for 2.($126 total) Additionally, I was able to use the built in $150 pp OBC for the dining package. So it doesn't really have to be used on excursions. 

The negatives are that my insurance may have been a bit more because I needed to include that part of the cost in insurance. (I bought through a 3rd party.) Also, if you plan to try and use Move-Up for a suite, it's a partial waste as it comes with the premium package already. You still would get the $150pp OBC but lose $60pp. I wonder if they might give you a credit? I'm guessing no, though?
 

[HskrCrsr]

2 hours ago, foggyphils said:

The negatives are that my insurance may have been a bit more because I needed to include that part of the cost in insurance. (I bought through a 3rd party.) Also, if you plan to try and use Move-Up for a suite, it's a partial waste as it comes with the premium package already. You still would get the $150pp OBC but lose $60pp. I wonder if they might give you a credit? I'm guessing no, though?
 

I am curious if you do get the premium package for moving up into a suite. The General Terms state this:

^{General Terms}

^{By submitting an Offer, Guest agrees to the terms and conditions of this Program. Offer to participate in the Program is non-transferable and applies only to the Guest and booking identified in the email invitation. Any promotions associated with the original booking will remain in effect. The Upgrade will not be eligible to receive any promotions or benefits that are applicable to the stateroom had it been originally booked at that stateroom category.} 

 

I have never done this but I have wondered if you get the suite benefits or now. I would appreciate hearing from someone who has done this.

[foggyphils]

Here are the benefits listed in the description for suites on the Move-up page. It's kind of confusing because it says it comes with all suite amenities and benefits. 

 

 

 

[wrk2cruise]

Prior to AI you would get what was listed as a a stateroom amenity like Premium Bev Package, Wifi and Specialty Dining in Royal Suite and above.   In lower suite you only got perks you had included in your original booking.

 

With AI I assume it will be the same.   If for instance you MoveUp from Aqua to Sky Suite you will still get the basic AI CPB, Surf Internet, and Gratuities but nothing else.   You would get Retreat Lounge/Sun Deck and Luminae as those are amenities which come with the stateroom.

 

Think of it as getting the Sail Only on the suite but keeping any benefits you already had.

[AutumnorFall]

On 4/27/2021 at 3:49 PM, HskrCrsr said:

The drink package differences are shown here:

https://www.celebritycruises.com/content/dam/celebrity/pdf/beverage-package-flyer-optimized.pdf

 

My wife enjoys the better wines and does not want to be concerned about price, so she finds the Premium Beverage Package to be a good value just for the simplicity. You can upgrade just the drink package from Classic (provided in All Included) for $12 per person person, with a small (5-10%) Captain's Club discount possible once inside final payment. You can also just go with the classic package and pay the difference (plus gratuity) per drink if it costs more than the package allows. Menus with prices can be found in these threads if you search for them.

 

Wi-fi is a different story and I hope others will weigh in. For me and checking email, the standard Surf package is good enough. You can upgrade to Stream for $20 per person per day, although I think this is for a single device. Captain's Club discounts may apply here, too. Some tiers get free minutes of streaming access. If you need multiple devices, you can log out on one, then log in on another and still get by with a single device package.

 

Captain's Club discounts are shown here:

https://secure.viewer.zmags.com/publication/cc0ce13c#/cc0ce13c/2

 

My personal opinion on upgrading to Indulge or Elevate are:

In general, if Wi-Fi upgrade is not needed, Indulge is not a good investment.    
If Wi-Fi upgrade is not needed but drink upgrade is needed, Elevate may be good for cruises 10 (7) days and under.

If Wi-Fi and drink upgrades are wanted, Indulge is good for cruises 14 (10) days and under.
The days in parentheses are valid if Captain's Club discounts are included.

 

My choice has been to simply go with standard Always Included and just upgrade the drink package. Personal preferences and desire for simplicity will always factor in.

 

 

I have only done one cruise and it was with carnival.  I shopped around for the one we will do next which is going to be in January (when hopefully COVID things are done).  Something that is confusing me is the advertisement for the drink packages.  Premium lists "premium coffees and teas" while the classic does not.  Whenever you click on the list provided, the premium coffees are under the classic.  Are there premium and then PREMIUM coffees or something. 

 

I'm a bit confused on the math.  It's $30 per person per day so $120 per person. With 4 days. So, $360 total?  But that doesn't sound right because it says it gives you $200 per person for shore excursions.  So they're really going to pay $600 while I pay $360?  Or am I doing something wrong? 

 

Nevermind, I figured it out.  It is based on length of cruise.  So no.  Not gonna get the full $200.  I need to learn to math and read better.  

Edited May 23, 2021 by AutumnorFall
Fix math and reading.

[HskrCrsr]

1 hour ago, AutumnorFall said:

 

 

I have only done one cruise and it was with carnival.  I shopped around for the one we will do next which is going to be in January (when hopefully COVID things are done).  Something that is confusing me is the advertisement for the drink packages.  Premium lists "premium coffees and teas" while the classic does not.  Whenever you click on the list provided, the premium coffees are under the classic.  Are there premium and then PREMIUM coffees or something. 

 

I'm a bit confused on the math.  It's $30 per person per day so $120 per person. With 4 days. So, $360 total?  But that doesn't sound right because it says it gives you $200 per person for shore excursions.  So they're really going to pay $600 while I pay $360?  Or am I doing something wrong? 

 

Nevermind, I figured it out.  It is based on length of cruise.  So no.  Not gonna get the full $200.  I need to learn to math and read better.  

I don't have much experience with their premium coffees, but others on here have suggested much like you did, there's premium and then there's extra (maybe with booze).

 

When you mention $30 per person per day, I assume you are looking at Elevate and Indulge. Since the price increments the same per day, but the benefits (primarily excursion or onboard credits) jump at different times (as you noted), sometimes these upgrades are worth it and sometimes not. My opinion is that if Wi-Fi is not important to you, just upgrade the drink package for $12 per person per day (a small Captain's Club discount may apply). If Wi-Fi matters, then the upgrade might be worth it. The savings tend to be small. And you can also just upgrade the Wi-Fi separately, if desired. They market Always Included (and upgrades) as making things simpler, not cheaper. I think that's accurate in most cases.

[AutumnorFall]

2 hours ago, HskrCrsr said:

I don't have much experience with their premium coffees, but others on here have suggested much like you did, there's premium and then there's extra (maybe with booze).

 

When you mention $30 per person per day, I assume you are looking at Elevate and Indulge. Since the price increments the same per day, but the benefits (primarily excursion or onboard credits) jump at different times (as you noted), sometimes these upgrades are worth it and sometimes not. My opinion is that if Wi-Fi is not important to you, just upgrade the drink package for $12 per person per day (a small Captain's Club discount may apply). If Wi-Fi matters, then the upgrade might be worth it. The savings tend to be small. And you can also just upgrade the Wi-Fi separately, if desired. They market Always Included (and upgrades) as making things simpler, not cheaper. I think that's accurate in most cases.

Yeah.  I think I ended up going with them primarily because I could see what the price would be with the tips and drinks on the search list rather than figuring it in.  It is easier to look at it with it all there instead of looking at prices that are going to be hundreds of dollars more with just adding in tips and all of that.  

[Catclaws]

According to my travel agent, the Elevate package includes money for shore excursions which is different than onboard credit since it can only be used for excursions.

[foggyphils]

1 hour ago, Catclaws said:

According to my travel agent, the Elevate package includes money for shore excursions which is different than onboard credit since it can only be used for excursions.

That may be what is on the official documentation, but I was able to use mine on the dining package for the June 5th cruise in a couple of weeks. I got the 4 night package which used it all up. 🤪

[Esprit]

4 hours ago, Catclaws said:

According to my travel agent, the Elevate package includes money for shore excursions which is different than onboard credit since it can only be used for excursions.

Well, I've used some of mine to book Murano on the first night of our Silhouette cruise this July, 

[wrk2cruise]

The above 2 posters are referring to the fact that the Elevate OBC is added to your Cruise Planner and can be spent on anything available for sale there including Shore Ex, Dining, Drinks, Photos, Casino.

 

Once onboard the situation "may" be different but I suspect it will just be on your account as OBCN which is available to be applied to anything charged to your onboard account.

[4774Papa]

On 4/21/2021 at 10:25 AM, Pickels said:

Agree, it' a personal choice!

We don't drink umbrella drinks, mainly wine, so paying more would be a waste for us.

[armadillo]

My understanding was that the main difference in these packages (Elevate and Indulge) wa in Elevate the $150 per person was NOT OBC, it was only for Shore Excursions and nothing else. With Indulge it was simply OBC to be used wherever you desired. Is this still true?

[HskrCrsr]

1 hour ago, armadillo said:

My understanding was that the main difference in these packages (Elevate and Indulge) wa in Elevate the $150 per person was NOT OBC, it was only for Shore Excursions and nothing else. With Indulge it was simply OBC to be used wherever you desired. Is this still true?

There is a Wi-Fi upgrade too, but the rest is credit. And note that the amount of credit varies with cruise length. You may be considering the 7-night cruises going first, so $150 is correct.

 

They spell it out this way:

The Elevate package includes; Premium Beverage Package, Gratuities Included and an Onboard Credit (“OBC”) for all guests in the stateroom plus an Unlimited Surf Internet Package for the first and second guest. OBC amount varies by length of sailing: $100 per person for 1-5 night sailings, $150 per person for 6-9 night sailings, and a value of $200 per person for 10 night or longer sailings. The Indulge Package includes; Premium Beverage Package, Gratuities Included and an OBC for all guests in the stateroom plus an Unlimited Stream Internet Package for the first and second guest. OBC amount varies by length of sailing: $200 per person for 1-5 night sailings, $300 per person for 6-9 night sailings and a value of $400 per person for 10 night or longer sailings.

 

Note that they do not differentiate in the text between shore excursion credit and general OBC. Some have commented on here that once it's credit, it's all the same and can be used however you'd like.

[armadillo]

I did call Celebrity to get clarification and she said pretty much what your above example shows.  Elevate only gets Shore excursion OBC, must be used for shore excursions and nothing else onboard.  Indulge includes the shore excursion OBC, which has to be used for Shore Excursions and an additional General OBC that can be used on all items onboard.  So the $150 you get with Elevate can’t be used for dinners, upgrades, or purchasing items.  Indulge comes with $300, $150 for Shore excursions only and $150 for anything. 

[AbbyCruiser45]

9 minutes ago, armadillo said:

I did call Celebrity to get clarification and she said pretty much what your above example shows.  Elevate only gets Shore excursion OBC, must be used for shore excursions and nothing else onboard.  Indulge includes the shore excursion OBC, which has to be used for Shore Excursions and an additional General OBC that can be used on all items onboard.  So the $150 you get with Elevate can’t be used for dinners, upgrades, or purchasing items.  Indulge comes with $300, $150 for Shore excursions only and $150 for anything. 

Has anyone tried this yet? I have a July cruise with the elevate package and the OBC window pops up that I have $300 (for 2 people) in OBC to use for anything. 

[foggyphils]

3 hours ago, AbbyCruiser45 said:

Has anyone tried this yet? I have a July cruise with the elevate package and the OBC window pops up that I have $300 (for 2 people) in OBC to use for anything. 

Yep, my cruise leaves on Saturday from St Martin and I was able to use my $150 per person OBC (apparently designated for shore excursions only) on anything I wanted. I used it on a 4 night dining plan. 

[wrk2cruise]

Well documented it can be used for anything on cruise planner.   Question will be if they do anything different onboard.  My personal opinion is their onboard accounting system would need quite a bit of work to categorize purchases to be able to differentiate.  My bet is it will all be applied to your onboard account and all charges against the account will be debited against the total.

 

Hopefully in a couple of weeks we can get some real life experience, and that OBC is the least of their worries on these early sailings.

 

[armadillo]

1 minute ago, wrk2cruise said:

Well documented it can be used for anything on cruise planner.   Question will be if they do anything different onboard.  My personal opinion is their onboard accounting system would need quite a bit of work to categorize purchases to be able to differentiate.  My bet is it will all be applied to your onboard account and all charges against the account will be debited against the total.

 

Hopefully in a couple of weeks we can get some real life experience, and that OBC is the least of their worries on these early sailings.

 

I agree and look forward to getting real answers as opposed to us guessing what might be the case after 15 months of not cruising. Even checking on hotels, excursions, etc. all of it will be so different from the 'old answers" we use to know and give.  Thanks