Evaluating a beverage package? Here is a beverage list with prices, as of mid-2010.

[ljandiernp]

Just thought I would check again if anyone has returned from their cruise and purchased a drinks package pro-rata - say for the last 4 days of a 7 night cruise . I realize their have been posts suggesting this is possible , but has anyone actually done this ??

Cheers :D

 

Hi,

I spoke to someone at Celebrity 2 days ago (9/21/11) and asked the questions that I needed answered; although these may not be all your questions, I recommend calling the Celebrity consultants at 1-800-722-5941, option 2. The person with whom I spoke was very helpful! If you are primarily a wine drinker I'd recommend asking about the Taste of the Vineyards packages. These are divided into the Captain's Package and the Sommelier's Package; it was reported to me that the first is a "higher end" choice of wines. These can be purchased for 3, 5 or 7 bottles of wine for the cruise, and range in price from $150.00- 345.00 PP (lower end is 3 bottles and higher end is 7 bottles for each package) for the Captains selection, and $114.00-264.00 PP for the Sommelier's package. I was given a price of $50.60/day/PP (354.20 PP for 7 days) for a classic alcohol package and $62.10/day/PP (434.70 PP for 7 days) for a Premium package and these prices included gratuity. The price limit for wine on these packages was $8.00 for Classic and $12.00 for the Premium packages. They confirmed that: 1. You CAN pay the difference between the upper limit of your package drink price and the cost of an ordered drink with the Premium package but NOT with the Classic. 2. You CAN upgrade a package purchase during the cruise for the duration of that voyage, and in fact if you are on the fence they recommend that you do this in order to see what a typical day or two will be like for expenditures before deciding and thus you won't spend money needlessly (although of course you will if you immediately excede the package price per day).

I was actually more interested in the costs of the non-alcohol packages and learned that the only real difference between the Classic and Premium packages was whether or not you got Evian water, Red Bull, and frozen concoctions without alcohol. Believe you me, if I am wasting calories on frozen concoctions then they will have alcohol in them for me, LOL! Since I am likely to drink 2 drinks per day on average (at most 3 based on experience), I have decided to buy a classic non-alcohol package so I can have the teas and coffees included in these packages, and then I'll get my alcohol al la carte. If this turns out to be too expensive I'll add the appropriate alcohol package on during the cruise. Hope this is helpful to some, Laurie

[cwayne]

Excellent information! Thanks so much for sharing. Okay - now I'm on the fence again between ala carte and the Classic Alcohol package.....:o

[feebs]

i have heard that there is arizona ice tea onboard. does anyone know what package this would be included with??

:confused:

[luvtacruise27]

Just FYI - I called Celebrity and it is too early yet to purchase packages for a June 2012 cruise. :( She said I should try back around December. I think I'll try a little earlier,maybe prices will still be the same.

 

luvtacruise27

[ljandiernp]

Just FYI - I called Celebrity and it is too early yet to purchase packages for a June 2012 cruise. :( She said I should try back around December. I think I'll try a little earlier,maybe prices will still be the same.

 

luvtacruise27

 

I'd suggest you call and ask, then you won't have to wonder... 1-800-722-5941, option 2. Laurie

[hammo]

If this turns out to be too expensive I'll add the appropriate alcohol package on during the cruise. Hope this is helpful to some, Laurie

 

Thanks for the info Laurie --- to be clear then -- you are saying you can purchase an alcohol package part way through the cruise ? I still have yet to hear first hand of someone actually doing this succesfully :confused:.

[juanitabonita]

Hi,

 

I spoke to someone at Celebrity 2 days ago (9/21/11) and asked the questions that I needed answered; although these may not be all your questions, I recommend calling the Celebrity consultants at 1-800-722-5941, option 2. The person with whom I spoke was very helpful! If you are primarily a wine drinker I'd recommend asking about the Taste of the Vineyards packages. These are divided into the Captain's Package and the Sommelier's Package; it was reported to me that the first is a "higher end" choice of wines. These can be purchased for 3, 5 or 7 bottles of wine for the cruise, and range in price from $150.00- 345.00 PP (lower end is 3 bottles and higher end is 7 bottles for each package) for the Captains selection, and $114.00-264.00 PP for the Sommelier's package. I was given a price of $50.60/day/PP (354.20 PP for 7 days) for a classic alcohol package and $62.10/day/PP (434.70 PP for 7 days) for a Premium package and these prices included gratuity. The price limit for wine on these packages was $8.00 for Classic and $12.00 for the Premium packages. They confirmed that: 1. You CAN pay the difference between the upper limit of your package drink price and the cost of an ordered drink with the Premium package but NOT with the Classic. 2. You CAN upgrade a package purchase during the cruise for the duration of that voyage, and in fact if you are on the fence they recommend that you do this in order to see what a typical day or two will be like for expenditures before deciding and thus you won't spend money needlessly (although of course you will if you immediately excede the package price per day).

 

I was actually more interested in the costs of the non-alcohol packages and learned that the only real difference between the Classic and Premium packages was whether or not you got Evian water, Red Bull, and frozen concoctions without alcohol. Believe you me, if I am wasting calories on frozen concoctions then they will have alcohol in them for me, LOL! Since I am likely to drink 2 drinks per day on average (at most 3 based on experience), I have decided to buy a classic non-alcohol package so I can have the teas and coffees included in these packages, and then I'll get my alcohol al la carte. If this turns out to be too expensive I'll add the appropriate alcohol package on during the cruise. Hope this is helpful to some, Laurie

 

Thanks very much Laurie! This is just what I was looking for. Have done the Premium Non-Alcoholic before and had to drink a lot of San Pellegrino to make me feel like I was getting my money's worth. I only had one "frozen concoction" for the same reason as you posted. So after reading your post, we may try the Classic package and see how we go.

Thanks again!

Bonnie

[ljandiernp]

If this turns out to be too expensive I'll add the appropriate alcohol package on during the cruise. Hope this is helpful to some, Laurie

 

Thanks for the info Laurie --- to be clear then -- you are saying you can purchase an alcohol package part way through the cruise ? I still have yet to hear first hand of someone actually doing this succesfully :confused:.

 

Hi, this is what the Celebrity rep stated to me on the call: You CAN upgrade a package purchase during the cruise for the duration of that voyage.

In fact the person with whom I spoke suggested that I do this because I would have the opportunity to see what a typical day or two will be like for drink expenditures before deciding and thus I won't spend money needlessly (unless of course I will if I immediately excede the package price per day). You can also call the number I posted and ask them anything you'd like to reassure yourself that you are comfortable with your decision. Laurie

 

 

[ranchette]

If the limit on the classic package for wine is $8.00 can you get a glass for $8.00 sincewhen they add the 15% it will be 9.20.:confused:

[cwayne]

If the limit on the classic package for wine is $8.00 can you get a glass for $8.00 sincewhen they add the 15% it will be 9.20.:confused:

 

Surely it is the price of the drink excluding the gratuity.........wow, I just looked at my countdown clock and realized that I only have 112 days till my next cruise......brightened my day!

Edited September 27, 2011 by cwayne

[jagoffee]

If the limit on the classic package for wine is $8.00 can you get a glass for $8.00 sincewhen they add the 15% it will be 9.20.:confused:

 

Yes, the $8 limit for the Classic and the $12 limit for the Premium package is without the 15%. The 15% is added to the cost of the package when you purchase the package.

[raphaela]

wonderful for a first time cruiser. Thanks

[cherylroslyn]

I am just back from the Infinity Ultimate Alaska 10 day cruise.

 

I was on the fence about ordering the premium alcohol package for a cold weathr cruise, I am very glad that I did. My friend who said she didn't "drink enough to make it worth it" had a $784.00 bar bill. Mine was $621.00 for the package. I must have drank $100.00 worth of specialty teas at Cova Cafe alone........and another $100.00 in water.........

 

 

 

I feel the wine pours are very small but I didn't care because I had the package....but if I had been paying per glass they were tiny.....

 

I bought some of the more expensive wines and was only charged the difference betweeen my package and the wine........and a few times I was charged nothing........

 

You can absolutely order the package during the cruise and they were actively trying to sell the packages the first few days......... I arranged to buy it the second day.....but then said what the hell and just purchased it in the terminal.......glad I did.......first night was a lot of fun!!!!!!

Edited September 29, 2011 by cherylroslyn

[Fisherlady48]

Cheryl does your card get swiped every time so you see what you consumed? Sounds like a good deal for 10 days.

 

K

[eadien7]

Thanks for your response.

No, it is a seven day cruise. And the price was the one given by the web page, the $900 plus total that I quoted earlier.

 

When I booked mine a couple of weeks ago it seemed to be charging the 15% fee twice through the booking process, but the price at the end was correct. Not sure if that's what is happening to you, but its a possibility.

[sczcardfan]

Cheryl does your card get swiped every time so you see what you consumed? Sounds like a good deal for 10 days.

 

K

 

Not Cheryl, but purchased the premium package for my recent cruise.

 

My experience was yes they did swipe my card every time. Not so easy to see exactly what you consumed however. You get a printout detailing all the charges to your seapass, but it just line-items the bar that charged you and the charge (zero), but did not include information on what you ordered and were charged for.

[cherylroslyn]

Not Cheryl, but purchased the premium package for my recent cruise.

 

My experience was yes they did swipe my card every time. Not so easy to see exactly what you consumed however. You get a printout detailing all the charges to your seapass, but it just line-items the bar that charged you and the charge (zero), but did not include information on what you ordered and were charged for.

Fisherlady48 my experience was the same as sczcardfan. Although the main bars that I went to most of the time didn't ask me for my card, that was because they knew my number and when I looked at the bill I could see the swipes.

 

I can figure out based on the time of day which of my charges are for coffees, teas and waters and which were for wine, martinis and adult coffees. I was even sick for 4 days of the cruise and I still think the package was a bargain for me.

 

 

I love the total freedom to order what ever I wanted whenever I wanted and not have to worry about an ever growing bar bill......

 

 

I am one of those people who can't drink ship water so for me that rules out all of the machine juices and teas that are made with water. The only ship water that I am able to handle is in the tea or used to make the expresso for the latte.

 

 

I also like being able to experiment and try things I might not like.....

 

Oh and anyone who thinks service is not as good if you have the package......think again....service is amazing.

[Cavallo]

A big thank you to all who have posted on this thread. We will be buying a premium package each because we are sure we will come out ahead in the end. Without everyones input I would never have been able to work out if it was worth it or not. Cruise Critic proves it's worth again !!!

[sccat]

A big thank you to all who have posted on this thread. We will be buying a premium package each because we are sure we will come out ahead in the end. Without everyones input I would never have been able to work out if it was worth it or not. Cruise Critic proves it's worth again !!!

 

Hi! Just back from the Celebrity Solstice 12-day Med cruise (rd trip from Barcelona). We had purchased the Classic Alcohol Package @ $39 (before the price increase) per person per day.

 

I had debated about it before we left and thought of cancelling several times but trust me .... it was worth it! We had no problem using it everyday, even the 7 port days! We figured we avg. about $50 a day in drinks !

 

Sample port days: We started out with cafe-lattes ($4.50 each) and fresh squeezed juices for breakfast ($2.50 each), tea in the late afternoon ($4.00 each), before dinner cocktail ($7 each), 2 glasses of wine with dinner ($8 per glass) , after dinner drink at show ($7 each), a couple of bottled waters for port and in cabin ($3.50 per bottle). Sea days: same as above but add in a couple diet cokes ($2.50 each) and/or beers ($5 each) for lunch and relaxing at the pool.

 

We loved the convenience and trying things we normally wouldn't with out a care what it cost! They swipe your card and you're done... nothing to sign!

 

We normally do not drink or eat like we did these 12 days but it was vacation and we enjoyed every minute ! We especially liked lattes and tea at the Cafe al Bacio! They had great little pastries to go with the beverages! And the other place we loved was Cellar Masters for pre-dinner wine and cheese & crackers!

 

I would recommend the beverage pkgs!

[sccat]

Thanks very much Laurie! This is just what I was looking for. Have done the Premium Non-Alcoholic before and had to drink a lot of San Pellegrino to make me feel like I was getting my money's worth. I only had one "frozen concoction" for the same reason as you posted. So after reading your post, we may try the Classic package and see how we go.

Thanks again!

Bonnie

 

The "premium" water, vitamin waters, red bull, and smoothies is the only difference between classic and premium.

I found it very strange that "premium" waters was a dividing issue since the cost difference was minimal. We had the classic alcohol and had to have the "cheapo" Ibanzo bottled water at $3.50 for a large bottle vs. the Evian at $4.00 for a large bottle. And there was no small bottled water for us although they had small Evian water for $2.00. And we couldn't have San Pelligino sparkling water . It didn't make a difference to us, though.

Yet we could get the same teas, specialty coffees, sodas, etc.

[librarylady19]

 

We normally do not drink or eat like we did these 12 days but it was vacation and we enjoyed every minute ! We especially liked lattes and tea at the Cafe al Bacio! They had great little pastries to go with the beverages! And the other place we loved was Cellar Masters for pre-dinner wine and cheese & crackers!

 

I would recommend the beverage pkgs!

 

thanks for the info.could you tell me more about the pre-dinner wine and cheese option. I assume cheese is free? Do they have a good choice of wines in the package price ranges?

[milokama]

Hi There!

BRAND SPANKIN NEW TO CRUISE CRITIC!

 

I've tried to search for a former posting with regards to this question but, alas, there are sooooo many postings and truly not enough time in the day. (My husband already thinks I'm addicted to this board).

 

I'll be sailing Alaska on the newly refurbished Infinity in May '12. I'm sold on buying the drink packages for myself and my familial traveling group of 6 adults and two children.

 

Being the "Travel Coordinator" I'd like to have my answers straight when I pitch the purchase to the group... so my question is this:

 

When you buy (any) drink package, is the service charge that you pay based on the price of the drink package or is it tacked on at the end based on how manny drinks you ordered?

 

Thanks so much

 

W. T.

Edited October 1, 2011 by milokama

[Lsimon]

...When you buy (any) drink package, is the service charge that you pay based on the price of the drink package or is it tacked on at the end based on how manny drinks you ordered?

 

Thanks so much

 

W. T.

 

When you buy the drink package they'll add on the 15% at immediately.

 

For example the premium alcohol package is advertised at $54 per night

but you will actually pay $62.10 per night after they add on the 15% service charge.

[startrek77]

Hi There!

BRAND SPANKIN NEW TO CRUISE CRITIC!

 

I've tried to search for a former posting with regards to this question but, alas, there are sooooo many postings and truly not enough time in the day. (My husband already thinks I'm addicted to this board).

 

I'll be sailing Alaska on the newly refurbished Infinity in May '12. I'm sold on buying the drink packages for myself and my familial traveling group of 6 adults and two children.

 

Being the "Travel Coordinator" I'd like to have my answers straight when I pitch the purchase to the group... so my question is this:

 

When you buy (any) drink package, is the service charge that you pay based on the price of the drink package or is it tacked on at the end based on how manny drinks you ordered?

 

Thanks so much

 

W. T.

 

Welcome,

 

The service charge is based on the price of the drink package not the number of drinks you order. :D

 

So if you order 50 or 100 drinks the service charge is already paid for and does not go up.:rolleyes::o

[CruiserFromMaine]

The service charge is based on the price of the drink package not the number of drinks you order. :D

 

So if you order 50 or 100 drinks the service charge is already paid for and does not go up.

Correct on both counts!

 

But I believe the servers get paid based on the number of drinks they serve, so someone who doesn't order that many drinks subsidizes the gratuities actually paid for someone who orders a lot.

 

If I'm wrong, I'm sure someone will correct me. :p