Premium v Classic Beverage Package

[missminnie]

Hey All

 

Just looking through our options as not sure whether to get 1 classic for me and 1 premium for other half. This is probably a really stupid question but I like the drinks in the classic selection but would like to have cocktails/martinis/wines which are probably more than $8 per drink etc so thinking of 2 premium packages but does the premium also include that of the classic package? i.e I don't see drinks such as Irish cream, absolut, malibu etc mentioned in the premium but they are in the classic and can't see any mention that the premium includes the classic but also in addition x&y. It says all the benefits of the premium non alcoholic but not classic

 

Could someone clarify this for me please?

[SusieV]

Premium includes all drinks up to $12; Classic includes all drinks up to $8 (beer to $5).

 

So yes, Premium includes everything that Classic does. I'd go Premium; you get better wine options, martinis, and those lovely creations at the Molecular Bar.

[Iamcruzin]

Hey All

 

Just looking through our options as not sure whether to get 1 classic for me and 1 premium for other half. This is probably a really stupid question but I like the drinks in the classic selection but would like to have cocktails/martinis/wines which are probably more than $8 per drink etc so thinking of 2 premium packages but does the premium also include that of the classic package? i.e I don't see drinks such as Irish cream, absolut, malibu etc mentioned in the premium but they are in the classic and can't see any mention that the premium includes the classic but also in addition x&y. It says all the benefits of the premium non alcoholic but not classic

 

Could someone clarify this for me please?

I was thinking of getting one of each package myself. My wife drinks wine and the premium package has the better selection. As for the liquor selection, I am fine with the brands that are offered in the classic package. Will I have a problem being able to get an $8 cocktail at any venues with the classic package?

[missminnie]

I was thinking of getting one of each package myself. My wife drinks wine and the premium package has the better selection. As for the liquor selection, I am fine with the brands that are offered in the classic package. Will I have a problem being able to get an $8 cocktail at any venues with the classic package?

 

Hey Mike

 

I thought the same. I do tend to drink quite a bit of soft drinks but on our last cruise had a LOT of cocktails so hence why I'm thinking the premium. Looked online and saw the Martini's are $10 each (albeit I know you can ask for smaller version but don't feel right doing this) hence my reasoning for a premium for me. But it's a lot of money at over £900 for the 2 of us for 12 days!

[Iamcruzin]

Hey Mike

 

I thought the same. I do tend to drink quite a bit of soft drinks but on our last cruise had a LOT of cocktails so hence why I'm thinking the premium. Looked online and saw the Martini's are $10 each (albeit I know you can ask for smaller version but don't feel right doing this) hence my reasoning for a premium for me. But it's a lot of money at over £900 for the 2 of us for 12 days!

 

I am not a heavy drinker myself. I enjoy a cocktail before dinner, beer at the pool but I mostly drink soft drinks or coffee and the ships free coffee is usually good enough for me. This will be my first sailing on Celebrity and after viewing the price list that a member posted it would seem that the only way to go is the premium package. The price of cocktails on Celebrity is steep compared to Princess. On Princess I was able to get a Grey Goose martini for around $7.50 and a bucket of beer for around $21. Celebrity seems to charge Mid Town Manhattan prices. Even the soft drinks seem to be listed at Citi Field and Yankee Stadium prices. At these prices I am sure that I can drink at least $50 worth of water, and soda a day especially sailing in the Caribbean. The nice thing about it is if my beer gets warm on deck I can just order a cold one. I think if I was on a port intensive itinerary such as Europe I would probably opt for a soft drink package.

It just seems like a lot of money for drinks but in the end my on board account is about that much anyway and we don't even take cruise line excursions anymore in the Caribbean. When you get down to it I guess it doesn’t matter whether you pay out of your left pocket or your right pocket.

[missminnie]

I am not a heavy drinker myself. I enjoy a cocktail before dinner, beer at the pool but I mostly drink soft drinks or coffee and the ships free coffee is usually good enough for me. This will be my first sailing on Celebrity and after viewing the price list that a member posted it would seem that the only way to go is the premium package. The price of cocktails on Celebrity is steep compared to Princess. On Princess I was able to get a Grey Goose martini for around $7.50 and a bucket of beer for around $21. Celebrity seems to charge Mid Town Manhattan prices. Even the soft drinks seem to be listed at Citi Field and Yankee Stadium prices. At these prices I am sure that I can drink at least $50 worth of water, and soda a day especially sailing in the Caribbean. The nice thing about it is if my beer gets warm on deck I can just order a cold one. I think if I was on a port intensive itinerary such as Europe I would probably opt for a soft drink package.

It just seems like a lot of money for drinks but in the end my on board account is about that much anyway and we don't even take cruise line excursions anymore in the Caribbean. When you get down to it I guess it doesn’t matter whether you pay out of your left pocket or your right pocket.

 

Very true - see ours is Med Venice cruise with only 3 sea days hence my dilemma. We have 3 full day tours already booked, a half day one and the other 3 ports we're doing our own thing so think we'll be off ship quite a bit compared to Caribbean. But we're thinking as we're going with 2 others this time and meeting others on board then we'll end up in bars before and after dinner every night!

[Pam in CA]

We are still debating this very issue and were startled at the drink prices on Celebrity... we're just not used to those prices. For instance, I had lemon drop martini's on Princess in January that cost $7.20, including the 15% service charge. Yes, it was a full-sized martini. And no, they don't water the drinks down. We've decided to wait until we're on the ship next Sunday and see what the prices are for our drink preferences.

 

Two questions:

 

1. It's too late now but is there any benefit to pre-ordering a drink package?

 

2. I've already ordered the soda package. If I upgrade to the Premium package, will that be credited or will the Premium package be charged on top of the soda package I already have?

Edited May 29, 2011 by Pam in CA

[missminnie]

We are still debating this very issue and were startled at the drink prices on Celebrity... we're just not used to those prices. For instance, I had lemon drop martini's on Princess in January that cost $7.20, including the 15% service charge. Yes, it was a full-sized martini. And no, they don't water the drinks down. We've decided to wait until we're on the ship next Sunday and see what the prices are for our drink preferences.

 

Two questions:

 

1. It's too late now but is there any benefit to pre-ordering a drink package?

 

2. I've already ordered the soda package. If I upgrade to the Premium package, will that be credited or will the Premium package be charged on top of the soda package I already have?

 

1. I'm not sure if there is any benefit of pre-ordering - just you get it printed on your seapass rather than a sticker but I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong.

 

2. I beleive you have to cancel your soda package and then order your premium package otherwise you'll still be charged the full price.

 

Hope that helps

[NSgal]

We are still debating this very issue and were startled at the drink prices on Celebrity... we're just not used to those prices. For instance, I had lemon drop martini's on Princess in January that cost $7.20, including the 15% service charge. Yes, it was a full-sized martini. And no, they don't water the drinks down. We've decided to wait until we're on the ship next Sunday and see what the prices are for our drink preferences.

 

Two questions:

 

1. It's too late now but is there any benefit to pre-ordering a drink package?

 

2. I've already ordered the soda package. If I upgrade to the Premium package, will that be credited or will the Premium package be charged on top of the soda package I already have?

 

One benefit to pre-ordering is that you may get a better price (I saved money because the Canadian dollar was better at the time I paid for it.

 

You can upgrade once onboard. I upgraded from a Classic to Premium and was just charged the difference.

[bighairtexan]

PAM, if I were you I'd wait until I boarded. There's really no advantage to doing it now (prior to May 22 the packages were notably cheaper, so if you ordered online before then you could take advantage of the cheaper prices, no matter how far out your cruise was).

Also if you're not sure, take the first short day and see how much you drink. Get the lay of the ships bars. You can order a package several days into the cruise, but once you order it must be for the remainder of the cruise. After several days, they will tell you via the dailies that it is the last day to order the package.

[cynbar]

We were on Eclipse in January, both DH and I got the premium package although we were skeptical about it going in ---- we just weren't sure we would drink enough to justify it. Well, we LOVED it, and are planning to book it again for our Summit cruise in July. I'm pretty sure we did end up at least breaking even, but it was just such an elegant feeling that it was worth it to us. Every evening in the DR, we were brought San Pellegrino and selections of various wines, chosen by the sommelier to complement our courses, and I must say we were surprised by how this enhanced our meals. We had after dinner drinks, specialty coffees at the coffee bar and in the DRs, soft drinks and bottled water and an occasional umbrella drink (or two ) during the day, picked up bottles of San Pellegrino to bring back to our cabin, tried cocktails we have never thought of ordering before. It reminded me of our first days cruising, when it was such a treat to try all sorts of different foods without thinking of the expense --- same thing now with drinks. I'd love to see the other cruise lines adopt this idea.

[marieps]

Like the OP, we bought a classic and a premium on Equniox, but I upgraded after the first day. The atmosphere of the martini bar was the main reason, along with a newly acquired taste for san pellegrino water.

 

We ojnly went to the molecular bar once....not much for people watching. The martini bar was hopping all the time.

Edited May 29, 2011 by marieps

[Pam in CA]

PAM, if I were you I'd wait until I boarded. There's really no advantage to doing it now (prior to May 22 the packages were notably cheaper, so if you ordered online before then you could take advantage of the cheaper prices, no matter how far out your cruise was).

Also if you're not sure, take the first short day and see how much you drink. Get the lay of the ships bars. You can order a package several days into the cruise, but once you order it must be for the remainder of the cruise. After several days, they will tell you via the dailies that it is the last day to order the package.

Thanks. That's what we planned to do but I was second-guessing myself. :) It's only money.

[TRadle]

Do you still have to sign for every drink if you have the package? When we had it last year I was really disappointed with having all those receipts. I was really hoping to be paperless.

 

Since we break even on the packages if we still have to sign slips we will just pay as we go. Our OBC is our drink package either way! ;)

[Ocean Dancer]

If you have any drink package, you DO NOT sign a thing!!! It becomes all inclusive:D But DO check your statement, as we have been charged for drinks and had to have the charges removed, no problem.

[bighairtexan]

When the packages were new it was hit or miss as to signing for the drinks. Sometimes you signed and it showed a -0- charge. Other times I didn't have to sign. Last month I didn't have to sign at all.

[TRadle]

Thanks! We will buy them on board so that the OBC pays. I sure wish our credits could be used for our pre-cruise purchases. :D

[dforeigner]

If you have any drink package, you DO NOT sign a thing!!! It becomes all inclusive:D But DO check your statement, as we have been charged for drinks and had to have the charges removed, no problem.

 

I second this. We had Cova add a couple of charges for espressos and cappuccinos. I went to the front desk and was told they would have to contact the bar manager in order to get this resolved; although I had not signed anything. Possibly in case I ordered some drinks for other individuals not partaking in the beverage package.

 

By the following day, the charges were credited and the issue resolved. Things do happen some times. :D

[kenorus]

Dd celebrity in march and both of us had the drink package. Did a carnival cruise in may and wow what charges. 24 dollars for 4 beers that was there bucket. OUr bar bill was enormus. First time cruisers with carnival and will never sail again. FOOD WAS HORRIBLE! ONLY GOOD THING WAS THE STEAKHOUSE. The smoking in the bars were terrible. only good thing is that we had a group of 10 so we had company. get the drink package well worth it.

[VulcanVixen]

We had the classic and should have upgraded to the premium. As you said, this is vacation and a time to do something special. I did not order the special drinks that I desired because I had the classic and I do feel like I missed out and will only do the premium in the future for many of the reasons you did!

[Sloop-JohnB]

We had the classic and should have upgraded to the premium. As you said, this is vacation and a time to do something special. I did not order the special drinks that I desired because I had the classic and I do feel like I missed out and will only do the premium in the future for many of the reasons you did!

 

HI VULVAN VIXEN,

 

See that you are a brand NEW Member to Cruise Critic... so a BIG Welcome Aboard !!

 

Happy to hear that you enjoyed your cruise... sad to hear that you ended up with Classic package when the Premium would have been a better fit (BTW in case you didn't know... you could have "upgraded" it when aboard, vs paying all the ala carte prices for items that went over your limit of $ 8 per drink / $ 5 per beer)

 

Not sure how this happened, but you have somehow "resurrected" a post from back in early 2011... guessing that most of these folks have long sailed by now :confused::)

 

Suggest that in the future, you might want to check out the dates of the topics you are commenting on (nothing wrong with commenting on "old" toipcs, just that the original posters may not see your comments as they have moved onto planning their next vacations / cruises)

 

Hope to see you around the CC CELEBRITY BOARD in the future...

 

Cheers!

Edited March 12, 2012 by Sloop-JohnB

[Logger1]

My wife is not a hudge drinker. I do enough for both of us anyway. I will buy a package for me. Is it easy enough to treat my wife to a drink or two during our cruise?

[Sloop-JohnB]

My wife is not a hudge drinker. I do enough for both of us anyway. I will buy a package for me. Is it easy enough to treat my wife to a drink or two during our cruise?

 

Hi LOGGER1,

 

Sure you can BUY your wife all the drinks you like (ala carte)

 

Anything else is well... considered "stealing" by Celebrity (in that you've paid for the benefit of the program and she hasn't)

 

The Beverage Programs are "per person"... period.

 

Infact Celebrity does watch to see if passengers are "sharing" (not to mention that it is a hassle to keep switching bars everytime your partner wants a refreshment)

 

Do the honourable (right) thing and pay for her drinks as required... if she is an "occasional" drinker, it sure isn't going to break the bank !!

 

Cheers!

 

PS... If you read the "fine print" on the Beverage Programs (the contract), sharing is against THE RULES and on the low end can mean your "priviledges" are forfeited (ie you bought the program, but they'll keep the money and not serve you under it any more)... OR worse case scenario on the high end, they have the right to "put you off the ship at the next port of call" (rare for sure, but they can do it)

 

Skip the hassle, play by THE RULES.

Edited March 12, 2012 by Sloop-JohnB

[RosieCanberra]

My wife and I had the premium package on our last cruise, we will go for the classic on our next, we did get value and it was great but I felt like sometimes you are drinking for the sake of getting your monies worth. As I mainly drank beer and spirits (with the occasional wine with meals), I think the classic is better value for me. My wife was similar in her choices, apart from adding the ocassional cocktail.

 

cheers Mic:D

[yknot13]

Are the packages still valid for drinks while on Labadee?

Thanks