Surcharges for drinks in Retreat Lounge

[drakes2]

7 minutes ago, Rmoosh said:

That’s crazy ! Should be a classic drink for sure !

Especially when the pours are no more than a half ounce and lots of soda water. I use either perrier or san pellegrino. 

[terrydtx]

3 minutes ago, drakes2 said:

Don't like them on the cruise ships especially in small plastic glasses and too much ice.  They tasted very watered down.

in Italy no ice is used.

[drakes2]

29 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

 

Try writing your recipe on a 3x5 card.  Take a couple of those with you on your cruise and hand one to the bartender. I'd be willing to bet they would make it to your specifications if they had all the ingredients. 

 

My "go to" for a refreshing drink is either a Sidecar or a Cucumber Martini. 

 

Cucumber martini sounds wonderful 

[drakes2]

1 minute ago, terrydtx said:

in Italy no ice is used.

The best I've had is at the bar at Pulitzer hotel in Amsterdam. Tried it with Campari but not as good. 

[Dolebludger]

Let me clarify something here. I don’t expect spirits that sell in stores for maybe $1K or more per liter to be on any cruise line’s included list. Here’s an example. We drink lemon drop martinis, made from Grey Goose or Kettle One vodka plus lemon cello (any brand). We also drink Prosecco — the brands that sell from $15 to $25 per bottle. Also craft beer locally, but no ship has those, so Heineken or equivalent is fine. Now, if these drinks are included in the premium package that comes with the Retreat, we don’t have a personal problem with the drinks. But if they are surcharged, this alone is a deal breaker. I can get these included on Regent. But of course, the Retreat deal is already broken, as on Regent we get $1K room credit, some included excursions, included specialty restaurants, full included room service, included tips, included use of mini fridge contents which are restocked daily, and (best of all) a lower fare that for a SS. 

[Cruise Junky]

5 hours ago, drakes2 said:

The best I've had is at the bar at Pulitzer hotel in Amsterdam. Tried it with Campari but not as good. 

I loved that hotel. Such a great bar.  

[cve]

On 12/23/2023 at 9:15 AM, 39august said:

On another thread I read that World Class Bars still have some of their special drinks at $17.  However, the Zacapa Old Fashioned was listed at $19. On yet another thread someone posted that all WCB drinks were over the $17 limit. Anyone else able to clarify about WCB drinks?

I ordered 2 last night (Zacapa Old Fashioned) with the premium package on reflection. Nothing was said about the price difference and no slip to sign. 

Woke up to find this:

Edited December 24, 2023 by cve

[39august]

Thanks for the latest on WCB. At least you didn't have to sign anything!  Did you notice if any other WCB drinks were still $17? 

[Dolebludger]

cve, were you asked for your card when you bought the drinks at WCB? Also, what’s the deal with the additional tip? Many are cruising with “grandfathered” included tips. Others are cruising with pre-paid tips. So the tips on overpriced drinks seems strange.

Edited December 24, 2023 by Dolebludger

[cve]

22 minutes ago, Dolebludger said:

cve, were you asked for your card when you bought the drinks at WCB? Also, what’s the deal with the additional tip? Many are cruising with “grandfathered” included tips. Others are cruising with pre-paid tips. So the tips on overpriced drinks seems strange.

I did give them our cards.
 

Anything food/drink related onboard that you’re paying extra for has an additional 20% gratuity added.

[terrydtx]

32 minutes ago, Dolebludger said:

cve, were you asked for your card when you bought the drinks at WCB? Also, what’s the deal with the additional tip? Many are cruising with “grandfathered” included tips. Others are cruising with pre-paid tips. So the tips on overpriced drinks seems strange.

Included or pre paid tips have never included drinks not in a drinks package or on other purchases like specialty restaurants and bottles of wine.

[HMR74]

1 hour ago, cve said:

I did give them our cards.
 

Anything food/drink related onboard that you’re paying extra for has an additional 20% gratuity added.

specialty dining you bought before the cruise adds the  gratuity of 20%.

 

My wifes question last night was if you order a drink in the premium package for example, and there is an upcharge, when do you learn of the upcharge. When you order or when a chit is presented for you to sign. Not necessarily the money but more the irritation. (I trade stocks and options now and pennies per share are important-better in my pocket than someone elses).

 

keep in mind that if you have the same server and asst each night, they usually do not ask for the card after the first night.

 

 

 

[Ex-Airbalancer]

5 minutes ago, HMR74 said:

specialty dining you bought before the cruise adds the  gratuity of 20%.

 

My wifes question last night was if you order a drink in the premium package for example, and there is an upcharge, when do you learn of the upcharge. When you order or when a chit is presented for you to sign. Not necessarily the money but more the irritation. (I trade stocks and options now and pennies per share are important-better in my pocket than someone elses).

 

keep in mind that if you have the same server and asst each night, they usually do not ask for the card after the first night.

 

 

 

If there a charge they should really get you to sign the bill 

[HMR74]

10 minutes ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

If there a charge they should really get you to sign the bill 

my wifes point is no surprises.

 

eg, if she goes to a restaurant and asks to substitue a different veggie, she does not expect to see an upcharge on bill, so that the server should advise that there is.

 

Given the complexity of the drink packages and upcharges situations, I really doubt servers will know most issues until the bartender gives them the chit.

[jelayne]

20 minutes ago, HMR74 said:

my wifes point is no surprises.

 

eg, if she goes to a restaurant and asks to substitue a different veggie, she does not expect to see an upcharge on bill, so that the server should advise that there is.

 

Given the complexity of the drink packages and upcharges situations, I really doubt servers will know most issues until the bartender gives them the chit.

If the wine or drink is listed on the wine list or drink menu for the venue then the price will be shown and it would be clear if it was over the package limit.  
 

I have frequently seen passengers walk up to a bar and order a drink without looking at the menu.  Many times I  heard bartenders or sommeliers tell someone that what they are ordering is over the limit and what the upcharge will be.  

[Dolebludger]

I liked the posts above contrasting what used to be good business practices to what they are now. Management goals used to be establishment of regular, repeat customers, and working to expand that base. Regulars cost less to keep (massive advertising isn’t required) and a strong repeat base produces reliable, predictable revenues in the long term which aids long term planning. 
 

Now, all that matters is meeting or exceeding quarterly revenue goals, without regard for impact on the longer term. Often, changes and actions that improve quarterly revenues have an adverse impact in the long term. 
 

In Celebrity’s case, there is probably pressure on quarterly revenues. While ships are sailing pretty full, many are using FCCs from the pandemic. These produce no new fare revenues. So it looks like Celebrity is panicking  — trying to raise current revenue even in little, silly things (I.e., the cookie fiasco). And now the little silly thing is to surcharge guests who have bought AI drink packages. And Celebrity has raised Retreat fares above its real competition, which is the high premium and lux lines. Hopefully, these panic moves will all go the way of the cookie fiasco. And hopefully, Celebrity will stop making panic moves and cuts. Until it does, we all would do well to shop around other lines and select one with some confidence that we will get what we book. 
 

In the military we all were taught “don’t panic — that never works out well”. Perhaps those in charge at Celebrity were never taught this — or have forgotten it. 

 

[High on the Seas]

They serve 10 specialty cocktails at the WCB. According to the app, the upcoming Ascent sailing shows 4 of them at an up charge over the premium drink package. What’s the point in selling a premium package when 40 percent of your drinks at that bar cost more than what is covered. Since it’s inception, I have spent most of my pre and post dinner time enjoying their craft cocktails but with a B2B (14 days total) coming up I don’t what to be constantly up charged for a drink. By the time we board, it wouldn’t surprise me if many of the martinis at the Martini bar had an up charge. 

[Dolebludger]

I think it is good, when I order something like a cruise several months out, that I can know what to expect and that there will be no additional negative changes to surprise me. And I am not alone.

 

Example: McDonalds is successful. Not because their burgers are especially good, but because you can walk into McDonalds anywhere in the world and know what you will get. In the world of marketing, this is known as “duplication” or “standardization” . The problem now with Celebrity, with the current bunch of changes, is that those booking months ahead several months can have no idea what to expect. And there seems to be a new change every week on Celebrity, none to the advantages of guests. Scary for this consumer.

[terrydtx]

14 minutes ago, High on the Seas said:

They serve 10 specialty cocktails at the WCB. According to the app, the upcoming Ascent sailing shows 4 of them at an up charge over the premium drink package. What’s the point in selling a premium package when 40 percent of your drinks at that bar cost more than what is covered. Since it’s inception, I have spent most of my pre and post dinner time enjoying their craft cocktails but with a B2B (14 days total) coming up I don’t what to be constantly up charged for a drink. By the time we board, it wouldn’t surprise me if many of the martinis at the Martini bar had an up charge. 

In September on the Apex many of the Martini bar large martinis had been priced at $18 and $19, just above the PDK cap. I hate to think what they will be next month on our two Edge cruises. We loved Celebrity because they were not as bad as other lines with nickel and diming, now they are no better than those other lines.

[High on the Seas]

Hopefully by the time we go in February there will be a few drinks with no up charge that we can enjoy. We scheduled this cruise almost two years ago and it’s hard to believe all the changes in that time that have not been positive for the consumer. This is our last booking on any cruise line for the immediate future. We really loved getting out of the cold Michigan weather in the winter but the current pricing models no longer support the product in my opinion. We are headed to Spain and Portugal for 15 days in March and April and although I will have to pay for a few meals the cost of the trip is $1200 less than this cruise. 

[HMR74]

well, to be honest we all accept the  X contract where all is written for their benefit and littel for ours/

The change is that where as in the past ya got what you rpaid for and signed up for, now it vis astly different between what you paid and signed up for and get.

 

Its only your  money and your time.

[cve]

4 hours ago, 39august said:

Thanks for the latest on WCB. At least you didn't have to sign anything!  Did you notice if any other WCB drinks were still $17? 

 

[Dolebludger]

2 hours ago, HMR74 said:

well, to be honest we all accept the  X contract where all is written for their benefit and littel for ours/

The change is that where as in the past ya got what you rpaid for and signed up for, now it vis astly different between what you paid and signed up for and get.

 

Its only your  money and your time.

Well,  we have to do so, because the Celebrity contract limits jurisdiction to FL courts, and most of us do not live there. For us, litigation in FL would cost more than a victory would be worth. So Celebrity (and other lines) get away with things it wouldn’t in Colorado courts. Until somebody knocks down the jurisdiction in FL courts provision, Celebrity (and other cruise lines) can get away with many things. So we have to rely on the track record of each line concerning cutting of benefits after booking. Right now, Celebrity’s track record does not look good, while that of other lines look better.

[jelayne]

4 hours ago, terrydtx said:

In September on the Apex many of the Martini bar large martinis had been priced at $18 and $19, just above the PDK cap. I hate to think what they will be next month on our two Edge cruises. We loved Celebrity because they were not as bad as other lines with nickel and diming, now they are no better than those other lines.

We were on the Edge for B2B last month and the martinis were $17.  There is the 25th anniversary martini ( or similar name) that was over the limit but it has been that way for a long time.  
The Rain vodka was $19, so if someone ordered a martini made using Rain it would be over the limit.

Edited December 25, 2023 by jelayne

[Texed]

5 hours ago, Dolebludger said:

 

 

Example: McDonalds is successful. Not because their burgers are especially good, but because you can walk into McDonalds anywhere in the world and know what you will get.  The problem now with Celebrity, with the current bunch of changes, is that those booking months ahead several months can have no idea what to expect.

 

Excellent post.