Drink package upgrade

[Mkripke]

Is it better to wait until you are onboard to upgrade from the Classic package to the Premium package or do it online prior? Also do they give you the 10% Elite discount?

[mayleeman]

It is the same price (dunno about discount). Some have recommended doing it onboard so you can have a favorite bartender get the gratuity. 

 

Also, it is prorated for the remaining days of your cruise. So you can save money by adding it after a couple of days of testing the Classic pkg.

[AlbertaCruisers]

As a note, the website says the Elite discount only applies pre-cruise, so I don't think they have to honor that onboard.  I haven't tried.

 

The bartenders for sure like to do the upgrade onboard, I think they get some type of a benefit.  I have heard they get the full gratuity amount for the upgrade, but I'm not sure.

[Mkripke]

thank you

[miched]

You will save $1/day pp. doing it before

 

Buying it from your favorite and most frequently used BT will more than pay for itself by their appreciation and other little extras they may provide.  😉

 

PLEASE DO NOT buy it from those hawks hounding you when you board the ship.   They are after the tip portion and you will never see them again.

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

[Projunior]

The cost of the upgrade is $12/day, so $84 for a 7-day cruise. With the Elite 10% discount it's still $75.60. If you know you will spend $150 on board (shore excursions, specialty restaurants, shopping, whatever), then the best way to upgrade from Classic Beverage Package to Premium is by purchasing the Upgrade Package. The Upgrade Package ($30/day or $210/week for a 7-day cruise) includes a $150 OBC making the net price of the beverage package upgrade portion just $60.

[jelayne]

2 hours ago, miched said:

You will save $1/day pp. doing it before

 

Buying it from your favorite and most frequently used BT will more than pay for itself by their appreciation and other little extras they may provide.  😉

 

PLEASE DO NOT buy it from those hawks hounding you when you board the ship.   They are after the tip portion and you will never see them again.

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

Some of those “hawks” as you call them are sommeliers and bartenders

[HskrCrsr]

10 minutes ago, Projunior said:

The cost of the upgrade is $12/day, so $84 for a 7-day cruise. With the Elite 10% discount it's still $75.60. If you know you will spend $150 on board (shore excursions, specialty restaurants, shopping, whatever), then the best way to upgrade from Classic Beverage Package to Premium is by purchasing the Upgrade Package. The Upgrade Package ($30/day or $210/week for a 7-day cruise) includes a $150 OBC making the net price of the beverage package upgrade portion just $60.

 

Note that upgrading to Elevate supposedly converts the fare to prevailing rates, so if the price for the cruise has increased since original booking, upgrading via Elevate or Indulge can cost a pretty penny:

If a guest books Always Included and sometime later decides they want to add on the Elevate or Indulge package, will they have to shift to prevailing rate, or will we protect the original Always Included rate they booked at?

If a guest would like to upgrade from Always Included to the Elevate or Indulge package after the original booking is made, their reservation will be converted to prevailing Always Included pricing on the day the package is added.

[neverlaysup]

4 hours ago, Mkripke said:

Is it better to wait until you are onboard to upgrade from the Classic package to the Premium package or do it online prior? Also do they give you the 10% Elite discount?

Do it at least three days prior online. If you are elite, it will be $10.80 per day for the upgrade (that reflects the 10% discount). 

[D C]

3 hours ago, miched said:

You will save $1/day pp. doing it before

 

Buying it from your favorite and most frequently used BT will more than pay for itself by their appreciation and other little extras they may provide.  😉

 

PLEASE DO NOT buy it from those hawks hounding you when you board the ship.   They are after the tip portion and you will never see them again.

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

I didn't realise there was a gratuity battle afoot.

 

One of the issues with upgrading from a favorite bartender is that they seem to have almost random assignments on embarkation day.  I frequent the Sunset Bar and always ask on embarkation day if they'll be there the entire cruise.  If so, I'll be sure to tip them with cash then and during the cruise.   Knowing they get something from the upgrade is a bonus.  

[DENIE]

I can vouch for the "favorite bartender" theory.  We always go to a bar that we intend to frequent (usually the Martini Bar), and purchase the upgrade from him/her.  Yes, they will definitely give you great service!

 

Dale

[jelayne]

YMMV  but 30+  cruises on X rarely upgrade onboard,  never flash $ to a bartender expecting  better service , tip them every few days and rarely have waited to get a drink!

[miched]

I don’t expect any line jumping from any BT by purchasing the premium pack for them or giving them extra tips.    I wait my turn and will always tell them who is next if they ask.  Sometimes I will tell them to wait on someone else as they seem to be in a hurry.   I am not going to die from thirst but may by drinking too much alcohol on board

 

The extra that you may get is if they don’t have anything they normally don’t stock at that bar they may get it and keep it for you.    If you want a drink made a little different than what the menu says they may do it.    At the World Class Bar I asked for bourbon instead of rum in a drink and I got it.  Little things like that.   One time they were in the process of making different drinks that weren’t on the menu in the World Class Bar and I seen them serve them to some staff members sitting off by themselves at a table.  I asked what it was and was told they were trying different drinks to be added to the bar.  I got a sample. 
 

I like Sazeracs and got them served at one bar where he kept the bottle of Absinthe stored just for me.  I would ask for a speak easy.    It was left over from a NOLA cruise.   One night he told me no speak easy tonight,  try tomorrow.    Must have been something going on.   Got it the next night 
 

Besides them getting the upgrade tips I would always give them extra during the cruise.   Win / win    
 

I would order a drink and they wouldn’t take my card as they knew who I was.  Get drinks to take back to my cabin and I would get 2 without my wife’s card because I forgot to get it.  
 

It has nothing to do with getting served first.  I don’t do that.   

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

Edited July 31, 2021 by miched

[hiccups]

11 hours ago, Projunior said:

The cost of the upgrade is $12/day, so $84 for a 7-day cruise. With the Elite 10% discount it's still $75.60. If you know you will spend $150 on board (shore excursions, specialty restaurants, shopping, whatever), then the best way to upgrade from Classic Beverage Package to Premium is by purchasing the Upgrade Package. The Upgrade Package ($30/day or $210/week for a 7-day cruise) includes a $150 OBC making the net price of the beverage package upgrade portion just $60.

According to X's website, that $150 OBC is only for shore excursions.

[D C]

10 hours ago, jelayne said:

YMMV  but 30+  cruises on X rarely upgrade onboard,  never flash $ to a bartender expecting  better service , tip them every few days and rarely have waited to get a drink!

"Flash" money? 

Tip them as an actual gratuity for their service, engage in friendly conversation with them, and treat them as equal human beings.  Show respect, get respect, make new friends.  

 

I've come to know some servers quite well over a week's time. Stories of home, sharing photos of kids,and so on.  

 

Yes, service is certainly better than that received by the entitled who look down upon the staff. 

[Projunior]

9 hours ago, hiccups said:

According to X's website, that $150 OBC is only for shore excursions.

Not accurate. It is a regular OBC that can be used for any purpose. How do I know? I sailed on the Summit July 17-24 with the Elevate Package.

[Keys Kathy]

2 hours ago, D C said:

"Flash" money? 

Tip them as an actual gratuity for their service, engage in friendly conversation with them, and treat them as equal human beings.  Show respect, get respect, make new friends.  

 

I've come to know some servers quite well over a week's time. Stories of home, sharing photos of kids,and so on.  

 

Yes, service is certainly better than that received by the entitled who look down upon the staff. 

We get to know our Bartenders. There was one on the Millie, Edgar, who was abrasive, but fun. We saw him for several cruises and the next thing we knew, he was on the Equinox in the World Bar. 

 

He confided that he was getting married. He had always admired DH's hand tied Bow Tie, Cummerbund and penquin studs and cuff links. DH gave Edgar his tie and told him if he could tie it by the time we got off the ship, he could have the lot. 

 

On the last night, Edgar managed to tie the bow tie on the third try. He got the tie, cummerbund, cufflinks and studs.

 

Then there is James, one of the few Americans. He was a bar manager, we saw him on many cruises.

 

We could go on about Catherine a bar server, Aiden, who started at "Cova Cafe", now El Bachio, and worked himself up to a bar manager, and we are still Facebook Friends with Chef Jason Banyon. 

 

Yes, getting to know the staff is a great way to get to know different cultures and people.  

 

[GTarrant]

14 hours ago, hiccups said:

According to X's website, that $150 OBC is only for shore excursions.

It does say that on the website, and someday they may actually enforce the whole "$150 OBC for excursion and $150 for anything else" that you get in some packages, but right now it just gets put into one big bucket that can be used for anything.

[work4cruzn]

Thanks as always to these boards, I upgraded my drink package for oct Edge cruise. I had OBC and was going to do it online, but my elite discount didn't show up. I did the "live" chat but was told I would have to call. Thankfully it was a short wait time and I was able to get my 10% discount and upgrade my package using OBC! Only 84 more days to go (who's couning) and I hope this pandemic settles back down more by then!

[the penguins]

On 7/30/2021 at 6:57 PM, Projunior said:

The cost of the upgrade is $12/day, so $84 for a 7-day cruise. With the Elite 10% discount it's still $75.60. If you know you will spend $150 on board (shore excursions, specialty restaurants, shopping, whatever), then the best way to upgrade from Classic Beverage Package to Premium is by purchasing the Upgrade Package. The Upgrade Package ($30/day or $210/week for a 7-day cruise) includes a $150 OBC making the net price of the beverage package upgrade portion just $60.

For most passengers upgrading is a bad deal. Far cheaper to just pay the extra on the odd drink that's not included in the basic. You only pay the difference which can be just a dollar a drink plus the tip on the dollar. Also udually both people in the cabin have to upgrade. Finally you can be sure the harder Celebrity push the deal it's for their benefit not yours. Look up the bar prices and you will be able to work out how many extra drinks at the higher price you need just to break even.

[Keys Kathy]

We always upgrade, especially for the wine and the Martini Bar. 

[barneyboy]

37 minutes ago, Keys Kathy said:

We always upgrade, especially for the wine and the Martini Bar. 

Yes we’re the same as the Marlborough Sauvignon Blancs and the Pinot Noirs we like are not in the classic package. We also prefer to drink Grey Goose in our martinis. I know a lot of people say you can’t tell the difference in a mixed drink but we definitely prefer it. 

[terrydtx]

2 hours ago, Keys Kathy said:

We always upgrade, especially for the wine and the Martini Bar. 

As do we ,big difference between a $9 and $15 glass of wine. Also I only drink higher end Gins in my martinis that are only available in PDP. The premium martinis in the Martini Bar are all around $15 each, 2 of those per day and the extra cost of premium is covered. Same for better whiskey. 

[wendyam76]

4 hours ago, the penguins said:

For most passengers upgrading is a bad deal. Far cheaper to just pay the extra on the odd drink that's not included in the basic. You only pay the difference which can be just a dollar a drink plus the tip on the dollar. Also udually both people in the cabin have to upgrade. Finally you can be sure the harder Celebrity push the deal it's for their benefit not yours. Look up the bar prices and you will be able to work out how many extra drinks at the higher price you need just to break even.

Fortunately you don’t both have to upgrade - many times I’ve upgraded myself (online or on the ship)  and not my mum. Definitely worth the upgrade for me for the martinis and better wines.

Wendy

[Luckiestmanonearth]

4 hours ago, the penguins said:

For most passengers upgrading is a bad deal. Far cheaper to just pay the extra on the odd drink that's not included in the basic. You only pay the difference which can be just a dollar a drink plus the tip on the dollar. Also udually both people in the cabin have to upgrade. Finally you can be sure the harder Celebrity push the deal it's for their benefit not yours. Look up the bar prices and you will be able to work out how many extra drinks at the higher price you need just to break even.

I completely agree .  My wife always brings up doing the upgrade as she likes martinis but she only usually drinks max 1 per day so it hardly makes sense to upgrade vs just paying the extra for the upgrade.