Was it worth the Premium Drinks Package??

[missminnie]

thanks so much for the information, would you know if the package is available for part of the cruise, we are on the Constellation trans atlantic nov 20, would probably only want to to this on sea days during the last half of the 13 night cruise, thanks. Lynn

 

I beleive you can buy onboard during the cruise and only pay for the remaining days but not sure when they stop doing this i.e so many days before the end of the cruise.

[2morecruises]

<Raises Hand as an affirmative vote> :)

 

Spent 12 days this past May on Equinox, paid for the Premium version.

Without a doubt money well spent.

 

Just keep the idea in your head that it's not just ALCOHOL .

 

Shoot, I drank a boatload (excuse the pun) of fresh OJ, cappucinos and bottled waters besides the mandatory Martini (or 2) each night before DinDin.

 

Never felt pressured to drink just for the sake of making sure I didn't "cheat" myself.

 

Will be doing again starting this Saturday. :D

[rice7r]

Everyone keeps talking about the Premium package, what about the lesser alcohol package, or the premium non alcohol package?

 

Are they worth it for the people who got one of those? First time cruiser so I have no experience.

[SusieV]

I think I take a slightly different view than some on the drinks package.

 

On my last cruise, I purchased the premium package. If I just do the straight math of what I consumed versus what I would have paid if those drinks were paid for individually, I "got my money's worth."

 

I don't think that's the whole story though. When I consider how I got my money's worth, there were many instances where I got a drink that I never would have gotten if I was paying for it. For example, I drank at least 3 premium coffees every morning. I probably would have been just as happy (maybe mildly less) with the free coffee in the Waterfall cafe. I ordered plenty of bottles of water that I would have been just as happy drinking the cruises filtered water.

 

So when I really look at it on this particular seven day cruise--if I were paying for the drinks and even through caution to the wind, ordering what I felt like when I felt like it, I might not have ordered some of the things that I did, knowing I had the package. I think my ultimate bar tab would have been less than the package.

 

So, I think basically, by buying the package, Celebrity managed to get me to pay more and drink more than I otherwise would have. When you add up my drinks, did I get my "money's worth?" Yes. Did Celebrity increase its revenue (and likely its total profits)? Yes. That too.

 

Don't get me wrong, I'd consider getting the package again--maybe. I might also just run up my tab as usual and take my chances.

 

That's why I see it as a win-win for Celebrity and for me. I can really enjoy my vacation by having whatever I want and not worrying about it. I can try new drinks knowing if I don't like them, I can just get something else. And in some areas of the ship, like the casino, it's tough to get water unless you want bottled. With the Premium package, the waitress was bringing me a bottle of water 5 minutes after my drink because she knew I liked to alternate alcohol with water. Now that's service!

 

I used to buy maybe 1 can of Coke Zero on vacation because 2 bucks for a can of pop bugged me. When it's included and I don't feel like drinking alcohol, it's nice to have a can or two a day.

 

There wasn't a single day I didn't get my money's worth... and my tab might have been close to it before that because I was ordering bottled wine.

[LannyLee]

For us it is so nice just not dreading the bill that will be waiting at home at the end of the cruise. It is a vacation and running the bill in your mind or worse yet checking it every day detracts from the relaxation. We did the premium package on the last cruise and we didn't drink more or less because of it. In my opinion, it all comes down to what you are comfortable with, I just enjoy knowing we prepaid our bar tab.

 

This is exactly why my DH & I are purchasing the packages for our upcoming Equinox cruise (only 30 days & counting now! :D) As I'm now pregnant (:p) I'll be having the non-alcoholic & my DH will have the prem alcoholic & even though we'll prob only just break even or maybe with 2 sea days just 'make' money it's worth it for the no hassle & not feeling like we have to mentally tot up all out drinks to make sure we don't have a nasty surprise bill at the end.

[Esprit]

We were on Solstice in August and I prepaid the premium package. I definitely got my monies worth but admittedly drank more than I would have had I done "pay as you go".

 

I would still buy another but perhaps consider the classic package instead. I only got the premium for the Peroni beers but on reflection I could have just as easliy survived with Becks as my 5 O'clock tipple.

[LegalCat]

Well, doing the package definitely does take the worry out of it... I'm going back and forth obviously... but since the cruise is not until April, I may do it a little at a time...

[eadien7]

What you did after your cruise is what we did in advance prior to starting our June Solstice cruise. Hard to make the numbers worked, especially if you have a fairly port intensive cruise. That's why we skipped those packages and just bought individually as we needed. Worked well!!

 

Here are the detailed specifics from our mid-June 2011 cruise on the Solstice from a menu/pricing card that I borrowed from the Sunset/Oceanview area:

 

BEERS: At $4.50 each (plus the added 15% service charge), it is Bud Light, Budweiser, Coors Light and Miller Lite; at $5.00 (which goes to $5.75 with tip), there is Amstel Light, Beck’s, Corona, Corona Light, Leffe Blonde, Heineken, Heineken Light, O’Doul’s (NA), Red Stripe and Samuel Adams; at $6.00 (which goes to $6.90 with tip), it is Bohemia, Grolsch, Guinness, Stella Artois, Newcastle Brown Ale and Peroni.

 

RED WINES: At $5.50 each, Cabernet Sauvignon/Pinotage “Basket Pressed” Heron’s Nest, Stellenbosch; at $6.50 each, Tempranillo, Marques de la Concordia, Crianza, Rioja; at $7.50 each Cabernet Sauvignon “Heritage” Wente Estates, Livermore; at $8.00 each, Merlot, Rutherford Ranch, Napa Valley and Shiraz “The Barossa” Peter Lehmann, Barossa Valley; at $8.50 each, Chianti Classico Riserva Tenuta di Nozzole, Tuscany and Pinot Noir, Kendall Jackson, “Vintner’s Reserve”.

 

WHITE WINES: At $5.50 each, Viognier, Maison Paul Jaboulet Aine, Rhone Valley; at $6.00 each, Riesling “Kabinett” Selbach-Oster, Mosel; at $6.50 each, Sauvignon Blanc, Southern Right, Walker Bay; at $7.50 each, Pino Grigio, Bollini, Trentino; at $8.00 each, Chardonnay, St. Francis, Sonoma; at $8.50 each, Pouilly Fume “La Moynerie” Michel Redde, Loire Valley.

 

ROSE-BLUSH: At $5.50 each, White Zinfandel, Beringer, North Coast; at $6.50 each, Rose de Provence, Jean-Lux Colombo.

 

The $8 glass of wine goes to $9.20 with tip added. A $6.50 wine goes to $7.48 with tip.

 

NON-ALCOHOLIC: At $2.50 each, it is Evian, Pellegrino and Perrier smaller-sized; at $3.00 each, they offer Arizona Premium Iced Tea, Green Tea, Lemon Tea, Peach Tea and Diet Lemon; at $4.00 each, they had Strawberry Banana Soda, Peach Sangria, large Evian and Pellegrino, Sparkling Mint Lemonade and Watermelon Tropic; at $5.00 each, it is Red Bull, regular and sugar-free. They also offer various Coca-Cola soft drinks, but those prices were not listed on this card.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

 

The service charge shouldn't play into the equation -- you pay it either way.

 

And if you are willing to drink the cheap stuff all the time, then the beverage package doesn't pay off.

 

I usually splurge for a nicer wine at dinner so with the premium package, I can pick a nicer wine or pair the wine with my courses. So, even on port days with three glasses of $10-$12 wine, a premium coffee or two in the morning (I am a bit of a coffee snob), maybe one with a shot of Baileys and a drink after dinner - along with water for the excursion and juice at breakfast, not sure its hard to spend $54 a day.

 

I also like the idea of it being prepaid -- I don't have to worry about ordering that $12 martini and not liking it.

[hichachoc]

How did you get a drink package for free?

 

I'm confused:confused: I always thought that free was something you didn't have to pay for

 

This really is a no-brainer. :eek:

 

Read the post again - if you start drinking early, and drink a lot, then by 11am you have drunk 1 day's worth of your Premium Package. :p :p

 

Which is what you have paid for.

 

So after that all the drinks are free! :)

 

Geddit? :cool:

[Baileybasset]

We had Premium Packages on a 15 night cruise, 9 of which were Sea Days. We definitely got our money's worth and it was so nice to not have to keep track of charges, sign receipts, or pay a huge bill when returning home. I don't think we would do a package on cruises unless there were a lot of sea days.

 

Over the length of the cruise we drank bottled waters daily, speciality waters daily at the shows, fresh squeezed juice or champagne daily at breakfast, specialty coffee daily, wines (4 daily), beer at lunch, martinis (1-2 daily) and the occasional after dinner ports, amaretto, etc. The wine steward would keep topping off our wine glasses at dinner when they got low.

 

We might has done OK with the Classic Package, but with the Premium you also were allowed to order over the package's money limit and just pay the difference. This enabled us to try some higher priced wines, ports or liquors that we can't afford to buy at home. And if you didn't like something, no problem, just order something else.

[Poppet1964]

For us it is so nice just not dreading the bill that will be waiting at home at the end of the cruise. It is a vacation and running the bill in your mind or worse yet checking it every day detracts from the relaxation. We did the premium package on the last cruise and we didn't drink more or less because of it. In my opinion, it all comes down to what you are comfortable with, I just enjoy knowing we prepaid our bar tab.

 

 

Totally agree! Planning a cruise on Reflection in December 2012 (yes, I"m a planner)... plan to purchase the appropriate package for my husband and myself so I"m not worried about the bill at the end.

[royalcruz]

Over 2200 views to this thread...I bet I'm not the only reader who wants to see more people post their list of typical daily drinks...this is the funniest thread ever!!!! Another reason to want to know the room layouts, to see if the bed is next to the bathroom!:D

[LegalCat]

Lol. Well I will post my Millie results. Do they give receipts showing original price or anything?

[LegalCat]

I'm a little confused on the pricing... for example on my upcoming Millie cruise it says the classic pacakge is 176.00 USD Per Package, when I click purchase now it says it is 202.40 USD and then says Total 228.80... whats up with the pricing? obviously one increase is for the tip... are they charging tax as well?

[eadien7]

I'm a little confused on the pricing... for example on my upcoming Millie cruise it says the classic pacakge is 176.00 USD Per Package, when I click purchase now it says it is 202.40 USD and then says Total 228.80... whats up with the pricing? obviously one increase is for the tip... are they charging tax as well?

 

It may be an error. When I booked mine, it showed that is was charging the service charge twice during check out, but at final payment the price was correct.

[bobandidnas]

I wouldnt bother with a package unless you really like a drink on holiday. We had 2 x premium packages on our last cruise and my wife who likes a fair few glasses of wine / beer on an evening and plenty water / soft drinks during the day probably would have been better paying by the drink.

 

That said I have to say I do like a drink on holiday as it usually comes after a really long spell at work and not having a drink for a while. So I really got my money's worth.

 

I was actually gobsmacked to see on one sea day I'd had

 

16 coronas

4 glasses of red wine

2 glasses of White

3 guiness

2 gin and tonics

2 bottles of San pellegrino

2 speciality coffees

 

Without adding it up I would imagine that's a couple of days worth of drinks package in one day at least.

 

Looking forward to having a go at the beer menu on our upcoming Silhouette cruise on 30th November.

 

See you there Milo

[Presto2]

We enjoy a drink but as our cruise was pretty port intensive (and we had lots of trips planned) we decided to cancel our premium drinks package. In the end we found that we saved about £300 or more. We still had enough, with bottles of wine every evening and bottle of water, drinks from the mini bar frequently and room service more than once. We did stock up on bottled water from the ports we visited as well. We also had quite a number of cocktails on sea days - Pirates Punch I think they were called (very nice)

 

All in all, for us it gave us greater flexibility and saved us money in the end. I think only you can decide what to do -- we are cruising again next year (and yes we do like a drink) but will not buy a package.

[pxy cda]

I am considering this. I think you are paying for enhanced selection and convenience.

 

I cant stand the cruise line coffee flavoured hot water so I have an espresso every night. I also have a few lattes in the morning. I typically buy a bottle of wine that I ration over a cruise and order one or two glasses of white wine at dinner.

 

I am not a big pop drinker and usually just have the lemonade or water or share a sip of my DH's coke (he gets the soda package).

 

I typically enjoy 1-2 daily cocktails prior to dinner and maybe 1-2 after. I also may have a cocktail if I am by the pool and the mood strikes. so say 3 average a day.

 

If I stick to my typical drinking pattern this would be my estimated daily minimum cost (based on feedback here):

Coffee - 1 latte/1 espresso daily $4 each - $8

Cocktails - 3/day @$7average - $21

Wine - 2 glasses per dinner $16

Total: $45 per day

 

So for an extra $10-15 per day, I can order anything I like (not commited to the drink special to save $), maybe have a baileys or special coffee after dinner and be released from the signing chit and keeping track of the bill. It also opens up the premium non alcoholic drinks (fruit juice etc that would be nice addition to the selections, the bottled water on the way off the ship for port is another nice convenience)

 

So yes I may end up spending @$100 extra for a 7 day cruise, but I gain convenience, choice of enhanced drink options (which = more enjoyment) and a set cost- when you think of what you are investing on the trip to begin with - This seems to me to be worth it.

 

Questions -

Is champagne bar selections included in this? Oh... I can drink champagne like water to get my $ worth no problem!:cool:

Are soy lattes available on board?

[MaryKP]

I'm a little confused on the pricing... for example on my upcoming Millie cruise it says the classic pacakge is 176.00 USD Per Package, when I click purchase now it says it is 202.40 USD and then says Total 228.80... whats up with the pricing? obviously one increase is for the tip... are they charging tax as well?

The exact same thing happened to me. I tried calling but was placed on hold for too long and had to run. I'm going to call back later tonight to solve the issue.

[MaryKP]

I just called and the woman on the phone assured me the correct price is the second one ($202.40 including gratuity) and that once you get to the end of checkout where you enter your credit card information that is the price that is displayed and charged to your card. I guess this is another example of Celebrity's less than stellar website.

[FrankinPA]

I love this. With all the meals added, this a great 10,000 calories a day diet.

 

 

I wouldnt bother with a package unless you really like a drink on holiday. We had 2 x premium packages on our last cruise and my wife who likes a fair few glasses of wine / beer on an evening and plenty water / soft drinks during the day probably would have been better paying by the drink.

 

That said I have to say I do like a drink on holiday as it usually comes after a really long spell at work and not having a drink for a while. So I really got my money's worth.

 

I was actually gobsmacked to see on one sea day I'd had

 

16 coronas

4 glasses of red wine

2 glasses of White

3 guiness

2 gin and tonics

2 bottles of San pellegrino

2 speciality coffees

 

Without adding it up I would imagine that's a couple of days worth of drinks package in one day at least.

 

Looking forward to having a go at the beer menu on our upcoming Silhouette cruise on 30th November.

[LegalCat]

I just called and the woman on the phone assured me the correct price is the second one ($202.40 including gratuity) and that once you get to the end of checkout where you enter your credit card information that is the price that is displayed and charged to your card. I guess this is another example of Celebrity's less than stellar website.

 

Thank you! I didn't go to the last page because I dont want to charge any more on my credit card until the 1st LOL...

[LegalCat]

I love this. With all the meals added, this a great 10,000 calories a day diet.

 

Thats a horrible thing to say, you take that back!!! LOL... calories do NOT count on vacation....

[FrankinPA]

Thats a horrible thing to say, you take that back!!! LOL... calories do NOT count on vacation....

 

I take it back. I am sorry. :(. You are exactly right.

[stickks]

I ordered it ahead...paid for before I stepped on board...:D

 

Its only worth it if you drink alot, and you plan on being on the ship all the time. If your having 4 alcoholic drinks aday even on vacation, ya might want to slow down alittle. Just my opinion.