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Premium Drinks Package-Upgrade Worth It?

granddutchess

By granddutchess,
in Celebrity Cruises

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granddutchess

granddutchess

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We will be sailing on the Silhouette at the end of March 2022.  Given the supply chain issues is it worth it to upgrade to the Premium Drinks Package?  Those who currently are on board are you finding that the cruise ship has the premium brands?  Want to see before I upgrade from the Classic Package to Premium.  Thank you so much for your comments.

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PTC DAWG Holiday Sharing Rare

PTC DAWG

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27 minutes ago, granddutchess said:

We will be sailing on the Silhouette at the end of March 2022.  Given the supply chain issues is it worth it to upgrade to the Premium Drinks Package?  Those who currently are on board are you finding that the cruise ship has the premium brands?  Want to see before I upgrade from the Classic Package to Premium.  Thank you so much for your comments.

IF you really want to see what's on the ship, just wait.  Things change every sailing. I prefer to upgrade on board myself.  Bartender gets as cut, and will remember it the entire cruise.  I always do it this way.  

 

Now I'm waiting for someone to call it a bribe.  

Edited by PTC DAWG
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Yvonne

Yvonne

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2 hours ago, PTC DAWG said:

IF you really want to see what's on the ship, just wait.  Things change every sailing. I prefer to upgrade on board myself.  Bartender gets as cut, and will remember it the entire cruise.  I always do it this way.  

 

Now I'm waiting for someone to call it a bribe.  

My husband did it this way after stopping at a couple bars and finding favorite bartenders. He also tipped them extra, and was extremely well taken care of for the entire cruise.  It was very much worth it to him to upgrade.

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leaveitallbehind

leaveitallbehind

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Celebrity's classic package is somewhat limited in it's offerings and caps the per drink value at $9.  The premium broadens the overall selection and raises the cap to $15.  IMO that makes it worth upgrading to.  Otherwise you will pay for any drink that is not in the classic package separately as well as paying the difference on any drink with a charge above $9, which is many.

 

As indicated there are several ways to do it but the differential typically is around $12 per day per person.

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Bo1953

Bo1953

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3 hours ago, PTC DAWG said:

IF you really want to see what's on the ship, just wait.  Things change every sailing. I prefer to upgrade on board myself.  Bartender gets as cut, and will remember it the entire cruise.  I always do it this way.  

 

Now I'm waiting for someone to call it a bribe.  

LOL

 

Cheers and bon voyage

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drakes2

drakes2

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23 minutes ago, Bo1953 said:

LOL

 

Cheers and bon voyage

I upgrade using my 10% Elite discount and I also saw there was a bit of a price drop so worth it to me. I drink martinis some of which are priced at $16 per drink so it just added an extra buck to my bill.  Slightly off topic but anyone know what a bottle of Grand Mariner is onboard or duty free? 

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NC State

NC State

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2 hours ago, leaveitallbehind said:

Celebrity's classic package is somewhat limited in it's offerings and caps the per drink value at $9.  The premium broadens the overall selection and raises the cap to $15.  IMO that makes it worth upgrading to.  Otherwise you will pay for any drink that is not in the classic package separately as well as paying the difference on any drink with a charge above $9, which is many.

 

As indicated there are several ways to do it but the differential typically is around $12 per day per person.

We are taking our first Celebrity cruise in December.  We haven't purchased any extra package for drinks because we thought they were included.  Do you know of a list that shows the $9 drinks?  and a list of the $15 drinks so we can decide if we want to upgrade?

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leaveitallbehind

leaveitallbehind

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1 minute ago, NC State said:

We are taking our first Celebrity cruise in December.  We haven't purchased any extra package for drinks because we thought they were included.  Do you know of a list that shows the $9 drinks?  and a list of the $15 drinks so we can decide if we want to upgrade?

The classic package is the one that is included with the Always pricing.  I'm not aware of a list of drinks per se as it is more what alcohol is used.  The classic package is well-liquor based generic cocktails, and base line beers and wines.  These would typically fall in the $9 limit category.   Any premium liquor and higher end cocktails, beers, and wines, would exceed that and would have the upcharge up to the $15 level added per drink.  What also is missing from the classic package is bottled (now canned) water, soda's (and other beverages), which would also be charged per drink.

 

The premium package - as it's name implies - covers the higher end cocktails and other drinks along with including water, soda, etc. This takes the per drink value to the $15 drink and is pretty much unlimited in terms of selection. 

 

You have to base your decision on your typical drink consumption and variety of beverages desired.  IMO the upcharge is worth it as it takes away any guessing or concerns for upcharges to your sea pass account.

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rmalbers

rmalbers

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19 minutes ago, NC State said:

We are taking our first Celebrity cruise in December.  We haven't purchased any extra package for drinks because we thought they were included.  Do you know of a list that shows the $9 drinks?  and a list of the $15 drinks so we can decide if we want to upgrade?

There's a list on X's website, etc.  Just keep in mind that they can be out of anything at any time, usually not the really common stuff though.  Take advantage of bringing two good bottle of wine on board for sure, even with the package. 

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LGW59

LGW59

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7 hours ago, granddutchess said:

We will be sailing on the Silhouette at the end of March 2022.  Given the supply chain issues is it worth it to upgrade to the Premium Drinks Package?  Those who currently are on board are you finding that the cruise ship has the premium brands?  Want to see before I upgrade from the Classic Package to Premium.  Thank you so much for your comments.

I always have the premium medicinal beverage package before I sail.  That said, it works for me, YMMV.  Lot of drink menus available on here, check them out, do a cost comparison, though many say do it on board.

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drakes2

drakes2

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33 minutes ago, LGW59 said:

I always have the premium medicinal beverage package before I sail.  That said, it works for me, YMMV.  Lot of drink menus available on here, check them out, do a cost comparison, though many say do it on board.

I'm not so sure there's a benefit to upgrading on board as I frequent many different bars and the bartender that you bought the upgrade from may not be there all the time. I also have 4 bottles of perrier during the day that alone pays for the upgrade. I work it all out on a cost per drink basis but I guess for some may not be worth it.

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Froufie

Froufie

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20 minutes ago, drakes2 said:

I'm not so sure there's a benefit to upgrading on board as I frequent many different bars and the bartender that you bought the upgrade from may not be there all the time. I also have 4 bottles of perrier during the day that alone pays for the upgrade. I work it all out on a cost per drink basis but I guess for some may not be worth it.

How much is the daily upcharge for premium? and how much more are the perriers (than the water with the classic package)???  Are they that expensive??

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leaveitallbehind

leaveitallbehind

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3 minutes ago, Froufie said:

How much is the daily upcharge for premium? and how much more are the perriers (than the water with the classic package)???  Are they that expensive??

Depending on the purchase timing, it is typically in the $10 - $12 per day per person range.  Don't know the specifics on the different water pricing, and singular to that item it may not be worth it.  But overall, as I've mentioned before, given the variety of beverages included and the premium alcohols involved, the upcharge certainly can be worth it if you have several drinks per day and include all types of beverages.

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leaveitallbehind

leaveitallbehind

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28 minutes ago, drakes2 said:

I'm not so sure there's a benefit to upgrading on board as I frequent many different bars and the bartender that you bought the upgrade from may not be there all the time....

The bartender you purchased it from on board has no bearing on it as he just transacts the purchase for you.  (Whether or not he gets a "cut" from it!) The resulting upgrade to Premium is added to your account and confirmed by way of your sea pass card, and is good anywhere on the ship with any bartender serving you.

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Froufie

Froufie

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12 minutes ago, leaveitallbehind said:

Depending on the purchase timing, it is typically in the $10 - $12 per day per person range.  Don't know the specifics on the different water pricing, and singular to that item it may not be worth it.  But overall, as I've mentioned before, given the variety of beverages included and the premium alcohols involved, the upcharge certainly can be worth it if you have several drinks per day and include all types of beverages.

Really?  I am not seeing pricing like that anywhere  More like $25-30 per person per day - so for a 10 day cruise that is around another $600 and for us would not be worth it at all!

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drakes2

drakes2

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23 minutes ago, Froufie said:

How much is the daily upcharge for premium? and how much more are the perriers (than the water with the classic package)???  Are they that expensive??

@Froufie I upgraded online for the Elite discount for $133 canadian so around 13 bucks a day for 10 nights. Totally worth the upcharge as a san pellegrino is $3.50 and Evian $5.50 plus 20 percent.  Drink prices are in USD

 

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