huskerc

Thanks, I know the drink prices are going up on April 20. My question is though, is there any difference between buying it now before hand or buying it on board on the 19th, before the increase?

According to the official post, onboard prices have already increased:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2190579

Only by booking pre-cruise will you get the current prices, and only through the 19th.

Note that your reservation will be locked from changes ~4 days before sailing.

To clarify further, let's say there wasn't going to be an increase on April 20. Is there any advantage to booking the drink package prior to boarding? Or is it the same price no matter when you buy it?

Leaving price and any OBC aside, not really. You get the package pre-printed on your card vs. a sticker, but your card can always be re-printed. Also one time we were charged tax after upgrading right after boarding, but this isn't usual.

You should have said it was 1620! Agree completely with the previous poster--this and 1605 are the best cabins you can get without springing for a suite. Enjoy!

Never had an issue with meals. I generally have sparkling water, a few glasses of wine, and espresso with dessert--all covered by the package.

Most bars are also accommodating if you are ordering truly different things--a coffee and a water early in the morning, for example.

A1 will be a better location than a C3, generally. For $100pp I would definitely do this--that covers the cost of the persian garden pass you would otherwise have to buy (if you want it). It also gives you access to Blu. Those are the two most tangible Aqua benefits.

If you are with a TA, you cannot call Celebrity or Capt Club. Can your TA get an upgrade for you?

Absolutely.

I have never been turned down for a post-final payment upgrade. However I have never specifically done it with an exciting deal. And as mentioned, you will definitely not keep perks like 1-2-3 when they aren't being offered with the deal.

1605 is our favorite A1. Huge balcony. On the Equinox I believe this is below the pool deck.

We did a 7 night on the Equinox last year for Thanksgiving. There weren't a tremendous number of kids--more than average for sure but not that many. We saw far more on the spring break cruise last month on the Reflection.

We did the post-Thanksgiving cruise on the Summit out of San Juan before and there were quite a few kids, but even then the kids club staff said there were twice as many the week before thanksgiving. The cruises out of SJ tend to draw a lot of local families, so it may not be a great data point for you to compare to.

In general a 7+ night cruise on Celebrity, unless it is during a traditional family vacation time, is not going to have many kids.

I see it three times actually. First next to my name as "Primary Pass Holder" and then next to each name in the "Cruise Ticket Contract" section.

We sailed in the aftermath of a hurricane and had very rough seas on the way out--some of the roughest I have ever seen. The way back was very calm. There's just no way to know, but the potential is definitely there.

I have to agree that I'd be skeptical of anyone who talks about it as "withdrawing OBC". You're just making a charge to your seapass account.

Where are you looking? When I sign on to Celebrity's site, the landing page (the one listing upcoming reservations) shows my Elite status. No individual reservation page does though.

It should be printed on your xpress pass. This will let you use the Elite line for check-in which is generally one of the shorter ones (depending on the cruise).

If you get to the ship and don't have elite benefits (not printed on your card, wrong coupons, etc.) then let the CC host know and they'll correct it.

Would someone please explain the difference between the brands of non-premium bottled water offered in the classic package and the brands of the premium bottled purified water offered in the premium package.

 

Thanks for the link posted below.

 

Betsy

Typically I have seen Evian as the premium brand and Crystal Geyser as the non-premium. I can't really tell a difference--in fact often a bar will be out of Evian and give me the other, and I certainly wouldn't consider it worth a walk to the next bar to get the right brand.

I don't think any sparkling water is included in the classic package though.

We take the opposite view--given that we always have the drink package, the elite benefits are of low use to us. We don't tend to travel with other elites, so the social hours are already limited. Breakfast we typically eat in Blu. Sometimes we'll stop by the elite breakfast afterward for a coffee and the view.

It's really a very individual thing. If the hours of the elite event and the drink choices suit you--and particularly if you are plus and get included espresso drinks--then I could easily see the drink package taking a back seat.

There are many days where my first alcoholic drink comes after the elite hour has ended, so the times in particular don't work well for us.

It's very easy to stay under the cost of the package if you are paying by the drink. It's also very easy to exceed it. For us, we do drink somewhat more with the package, but not all alcohol. Bottled water for excursions, coffee in the morning and espresso with dessert. Sparkling water with meals. The packages let you enjoy a lot of nice touches that you might not be willing to pay for individually.

That does seem odd, as usually you're using nexus to clear the security area. We're all massed together at that point. It's not until you hit the boarding gate that your airline has any control.

In the US at least, the airline is part of the security line. TSA pre-check for example requires your airline to be participating and for it to be pre-printed on your boarding pass.

Hey folks, be aware that Cellar Masters is no longer on Equinox. They have taken it away (we actually love it for quiet during cocktail hour. Martini Bar way too noisy with music, but that's another topic). It is now a beer place. :mad:

 

I imagine if this works for them they just might change the other ships also.

 

Pat

Seems like it didn't work. On the Eclipse they have decided to leave Cellar Masters and are putting the GastroPub in place of the Passport bar instead.

Does Princess's package include bottled water, sparkling water, and espresso? Serious question. The non-alcoholic coverage on X's packages is what pushes them past the break even point for us.

I do not believe this brunch is held anymore at all.

Yesterday I was told I am cancer free, today a gin and tonic never tasted better, and tomorrow I don't care what it cost. In two weeks time my cruise will never be better...

 

It's all perspective...

Congratulations! I'm sure you'll be back to caring how much things cost in no time. :)

Were it not being on a 16 day cruise and already having a problem with paying over $1800 for 2 we might have done the Premium. I've never sailed Celebrity before, and from some of the feedback, i.e. having trouble getting Classic package alcohol in the dining room and other places, and having to pay for sandwiches at one of the restaurants, it may not be the line for us. I feel a bit of a nickel and dime issue and haven't even boarded the ship. I'm hoping that some of you posters can tell me otherwise.

You also have the option to upgrade mid-cruise (I believe with at least 3 days remaining, check onboard) so if you decide the classic isn't good for you or you want to try the premium towards the end of the cruise, you have that option.

I am curious as to how many here received the Classic Package as part of a promotion, & how many actually paid for it? If it was a perk, would you have paid for it anyway? Would you have bought the premium package?

 

I may be way off base, but I think that the vast majority only have the package because it was free in the first place, so why the complaining?

 

If it was a perk, why not consider it just that, something that was "free", & look at it as money saved, regardless of what it costs to upgrade?

It was never free. Celebrity's prices have increased substantially since they have been including drink packages. I hope no one thinks these packages have been free--we have certainly all been paying for them.

Yes.

If one itinerary is even slightly better, definitely go with that. The ships are very similar. Most people would prefer the specialty restaurant selection on the Reflection, and that ship also has a somewhat bigger and better Persian Garden. There are other nice touches and overall Reflection is a mild improvement over other S-class ships.