Drink package disaster

[Iamcruzin]

Delete double post

 

 

 

 

 

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Edited April 17, 2014 by Iamcruzin

[cruzsnooze]

It makes perfect sense to me that water and wine at the same time at a meal is a logical order and not abusive in any way. I had a soda card on our cruise earlier this month and had a lot of issues getting a diet coke. Very few bars had the diet coke but tried to substitute coke zero which I don't care for. I found that the bar service was lacking, I understand your frustration.

[Queen of Oakville]

Next time just dispute the charges with your CC later, X has to respond to denied charges or just take the loss. Either way it would save you time and a headache.

 

Maybe someone has more experience with this, but I don't think you can dispute a partial charge, just a full charge. For example, if she was only disputing the $32 but her whole bill was for $345, she would have to dispute the whole amount. I would personally want it settled on the hsip, and not leave it to a credit card dispute.

[jannam]

On our recent Silhouette cruise, we had a similar situation, but it was resolved quickly by guest relations. One of the nights in the dining room, I was charged for my after dinner Cappuccino. My guess is that since the Wine Steward waited until the end of dinner to run my card, that the two charges were too close to one another.

 

But I noticed it before we left the ship and they reversed it for me.

 

I found it much easier to find wrong transactions on the TV display of our charges where they don't show all the $0 charges from the drink package. The printout they give you had so many $0 charges it was hard to find the actual charges.

[kayehall]

That's one of the reasons I get the drink pkg....so I don't have to check my accoount everyday. I am on vacation and don't have time for that:D

[cherylroslyn]

We were recently on the Silhouette and had the Premium a Beverage a Package. The first day we went to The a Porch for lunch and when I checked my bill we were charged for our wine. I went to the guest relations desk and a very arrogant woman named Vera said we ordered water and wine too close together that is why we were charged. We were at the Porch for 2 hours for lunch.and they took our cards at the end. How was it charged too close.

 

At the end of our cruise we were charged $32 for wine which was all charged at the same time. We only ordered 2 glasses of wine. We had to go again to guest relations 3 times to get this resolved. This is not the way we planned on spending our cruise disputing charges that should have never been.

 

This is just a word of advice to check your bill everyday. I don't understand how they can charge for drinks when it clearly states on our cards that we have the drink package.

OMG you troublemakers!!!!!!!

 

 

Hope you had a great cruise!!!!

 

Tell Michael I said hi!!!!!

 

 

Your problem is simply that you decided to abandon "our normal cruises"....

 

 

When you stray from the pack these things happen:)

 

We are leaving in a week and will miss you this time around:)

[cle-guy]

Maybe someone has more experience with this, but I don't think you can dispute a partial charge, just a full charge. For example, if she was only disputing the $32 but her whole bill was for $345, she would have to dispute the whole amount. I would personally want it settled on the hsip, and not leave it to a credit card dispute.

 

My experience is that this is the case.

 

However as you file the claim with the Card company, the process allows you to let them know that you only dispute a portion of the charge and how you come to your math. But they immediately credit the full charge back awaiting the vendor (cruise line) to provide appropriate backup and documentation.

[RickT]

To the OP, I feel your pain and frustration in being charged for something you shouldn't have been as well as the efforts you needed to go through to get it resolved.

 

That being said I would hardly call this a Disaster (From Webster's Dictionary: something (such as a flood, tornado, fire, plane crash, etc.) that happens suddenly and causes much suffering or loss to many people). Maybe disaster wasn't the word you were searching for but too many times people take trivial problems and react as if the world has ended for them.

 

As far as being treated rudely by Vera... I wasn't there to see/judge but when I've seen the abuse that many cruisers inflict on the front desk staff I sometimes wonder how any of them have a smile on their face.

 

Thank you for the heads up... I'll keep my eyes open should this happen on my next cruise.

[Colorado Buffalo]

on our Silhouette cruise last week the 'Ocean View Cafe' was the culpret

three different times where we were charged when I had the Premium Package- unlike my VERY BAD 1st day experience with Guest Relations...

these were taken off the bill without issues-

 

but yes...check your bill- you would be crazy not to

[Max Circus]

I am one of those people that checks our account each morning since it is always easier to resolve an overcharge during the cruise than on debarkation day or after. We had one stray charge on our recent Summit cruise from the MDR. It was for two glasses of wine at 9.50 each. We had the Premium package so they were covered. It was quickly resolved at guest services without question.

[cherylroslyn]

To the OP, I feel your pain and frustration in being charged for something you shouldn't have been as well as the efforts you needed to go through to get it resolved.

 

That being said I would hardly call this a Disaster (From Webster's Dictionary: something (such as a flood, tornado, fire, plane crash, etc.) that happens suddenly and causes much suffering or loss to many people). Maybe disaster wasn't the word you were searching for but too many times people take trivial problems and react as if the world has ended for them.

 

As far as being treated rudely by Vera... I wasn't there to see/judge but when I've seen the abuse that many cruisers inflict on the front desk staff I sometimes wonder how any of them have a smile on their face.

 

Thank you for the heads up... I'll keep my eyes open should this happen on my next cruise.

Rick I have to stop you there....

 

 

Donna (mrsz) is one of the sweetest, cutest soft spoke and charming people I have ever met........ if Vera gave her a problem, I can assure you, the problem was on Vera's end and not on Donna's.

 

As for her use of the word disaster, I see many words thrown around here and in our normal lives. Was it a Tsumani or an earthquake, no.....but who hasn't said "this is a disaster" when referring to a crowded parking lot at a mall, or a huge line at a restaurant on Saturday night, or a terrible rain storm at a kids soccer game........

 

Please save your Websters definitions.......we are all well educated people and really don't come here for English/usage lessons.........

[shoreham01]

I thought the idea of a drinks package was to ensure that you had no extra drink bill to pay at the end. I think most of us realise that you cannot order two drinks together, but I would have thought a bottle of water and a glass of wine at MDR would be acceptable even if they were ordered within a few minutes of one another. Different if you are ordering glass after glass of wine within minutes.

 

It would seem that this is yet another example of the very 'excellent' Celebrity IT department.

 

Have to admit that I too would be rather fed up to have to keep going to CR to get my account problem resolved. I would like to make it quite clear that I would try and resolve this matter with a smile on my face and I would not want to make someones day unpleasant by being rude.

 

Thanks for the warning OP

[JetCruister]

Our issue with the drink package this trip was this. We always purchase the premium drink package, and when ordering anything over the allotted amount,you were only to pay the difference. For instance....a martini flight was 16.00, so we should only be charged 3.00 plus tax and tip. The first night, they were trying to charge us the full amount, but after talking to the bar management, they charged us the difference.

 

I also noticed that since Celebrity is offering the drink packages as a perk, the bars and coffee places are more packed with people. I have never seen the martini bar so busy on all the other cruises where this perk was not offered.

[cle-guy]

I'm not CERTAIN that the drinks and their price and are posted automatically based on a card swipe.

 

I notice the staff when ringing in sales often look quite carefully at the card to tell the package type leading me to believe they have to apply manually a discount thru the POS system to close the tab as a beverage package sales. In fast serve low-light environments like MDR, I can see this causing issues.

 

As an operations guy, this makes further sense on how they have to charge for only the balance above for drinks that exceed the package allowance when under the premium package.

 

I've been able to get a drink and water at same time at several bars, (and sometimes told no only 1 at a time, YMMV) so know for that reason the system itself isn't using any logic to time out between transactions.

 

For this reason, I PREFER the sticker on my sea pass card to the pre-printed beverage plan, seems to make them see it much easier and process the charges more accurately.

Edited April 17, 2014 by cle-guy

[cle-guy]

Our issue with the drink package this trip was this. We always purchase the premium drink package, and when ordering anything over the allotted amount,you were only to pay the difference. For instance....a martini flight was 16.00, so we should only be charged 3.00 plus tax and tip. The first night, they were trying to charge us the full amount, but after talking to the bar management, they charged us the difference.

.

 

I've always understood multi-drink purchases are not covered, like you can't get a bucket of beers, nor the 6-glass martini flight with the package. Nor will it work with the wine tastings or whiskey tastings that involve multiple beverages served at once.

[ghstudio]

I've always understood multi-drink purchases are not covered, like you can't get a bucket of beers, nor the 6-glass martini flight with the package. Nor will it work with the wine tastings or whiskey tastings that involve multiple beverages served at once.

 

Ok...so I now have two questions:

 

1) where is it documented that you can only order one drink at a time...eg a drink and a bottled water?

 

2) where is it documented that the package does not apply to a martini flight or a vodka tasting at the martini bar?

 

I guess since I'm paying for something, I should understand the terms and conditions...right?

[GOLDENBONNY]

I don't have any personal knowledge so take it for what it is worth.

 

By trigger, I mean a database trigger, the programmer has said "if 2 drinks are ordered on the same card within x amount of time, charge for 1 because they are sharing cards" obviously it is more complicated than this, but the idea is to stop people from sharing cards, one with the package and one without. I suspect something went wrong here and they were inadvertently charged probably because the staff messed up. A warning or message probably came up on the screen and the staff said to charge them by mistake.

 

If I came to DR I will order water and wine in same time for sure I siuld not be charged for this.

[GOLDENBONNY]

I thought the idea of a drinks package was to ensure that you had no extra drink bill to pay at the end. I think most of us realise that you cannot order two drinks together, but I would have thought a bottle of water and a glass of wine at MDR would be acceptable even if they were ordered within a few minutes of one another. Different if you are ordering glass after glass of wine within minutes.

 

It would seem that this is yet another example of the very 'excellent' Celebrity IT department.

 

Have to admit that I too would be rather fed up to have to keep going to CR to get my account problem resolved. I would like to make it quite clear that I would try and resolve this matter with a smile on my face and I would not want to make someones day unpleasant by being rude.

 

Thanks for the warning OP

 

 

What if I order coffee and water or coffe and juce ? I love to drink coffee and water no charges should be I guess . :o

Edited April 17, 2014 by GOLDENBONNY

[sasset]

Ok...so I now have two questions:

 

1) where is it documented that you can only order one drink at a time...eg a drink and a bottled water?

 

2) where is it documented that the package does not apply to a martini flight or a vodka tasting at the martini bar?

 

I guess since I'm paying for something, I should understand the terms and conditions...right?

 

I'm with GHSTUDIO. I have read here that it is understood that some things are not covered. This is the only place I have read it. I can't find it on the Celebrity site, nor in any of my upcoming cruise documents. I would like to see the actual rules for the program as this will be our first cruise with a beverage package.

[Queen of Oakville]

Here is a question {I've never had a drink package before}

 

If I don't have a drink package, and I order a drink. They will ask for my seapass card, and bring back the drink with a chit that I sign for - which clearly states the drink charge on it.

 

If I have a drink package, what is the process? Do they bring back a chit showing no charge, or a chit showing a charge, or no chit at all?

[erin_cruisers]

To the OP, sorry you had an issue with your drink package.

I wouldn't necessarily call it a DISASTER. ;) A disaster is where you board the ship, and order your first drink only to be told there is absolutely no alcohol on board because they ran out. :eek:

What you had was a mistake. And it happens.

It happens because this isn't a perfect world, and people are people and, make the odd mistake.

 

We were on the Silhouette last week, and yes we too had a couple of charges on our bill that shouldn't have been there. Happens every single cruise on every single line we've been on.

But Its not the end of the world. We go down to Guest Relations, (with a smile I might add), kindly ask them to remove the incorrect charges, say thank-you and thats it. We check our seapass bill twice during a cruise, and also check the final one at home. We have called from home when we note a last minute discrepancy and its always been corrected promptly.

 

As far as ordering multiple drinks at a time - you do have to space them out.

The bar tenders want to see about 5 - 10 minutes between drinks or they will think you are passing drinks on. It probably does happen during spring break time.

 

Here is a question {I've never had a drink package before}

 

If I don't have a drink package, and I order a drink. They will ask for my seapass card, and bring back the drink with a chit that I sign for - which clearly states the drink charge on it.

 

If I have a drink package, what is the process? Do they bring back a chit showing no charge, or a chit showing a charge, or no chit at all?

With the drinks package there are no chits. They take your card, punch the info into their computer and give the card back.

The only time we received a receipt was in the specialty restaurant when we ordered wine that was over and above the "Premium" limit. We had two glasses each, @ $0.50 extra, and so received a bill for $2.00 at the end.

Edited April 17, 2014 by erin_cruisers

[Oville]

It was resolved. Unfortunately it took us a long time to get the charges taken off the bill, but it is funny how they showed up immediately. We had drink package on the Summit last year and never had a problem.

 

It happened to us in the middle of a cruise in March. Honestly it was do big deal. Went to Guest Relations and they removed the charge. People are human and occasionally we make mistakes as the bartender did to us and you. The word disaster never remotely crossed my mind and starting a thread about........

 

You can't really think bartenders are charging others' drinks to your card. I hope you were joking.

Edited April 17, 2014 by Oville

[4774Papa]

It seems that our cruise experience is much simpler. We don't do the drink packages, since we don't drink specialty coffee or bottled water. Also, we are elite so a lot of our drinking onboard is without charge.

Life is good.

[Oville]

 

If I have a drink package, what is the process? Do they bring back a chit showing no charge, or a chit showing a charge, or no chit at all?

 

As mentioned by Erin cruises, no chit but each drink does show up on your Seapass account.

[maxsales]

We were recently on the Silhouette and had the Premium a Beverage a Package. The first day we went to The a Porch for lunch and when I checked my bill we were charged for our wine. I went to the guest relations desk and a very arrogant woman named Vera said we ordered water and wine too close together that is why we were charged. We were at the Porch for 2 hours for lunch.and they took our cards at the end. How was it charged too close.

 

At the end of our cruise we were charged $32 for wine which was all charged at the same time. We only ordered 2 glasses of wine. We had to go again to guest relations 3 times to get this resolved. This is not the way we planned on spending our cruise disputing charges that should have never been.

 

This is just a word of advice to check your bill everyday. I don't understand how they can charge for drinks when it clearly states on our cards that we have the drink package.

 

I am constantly amazed at the over statement of negatives on cruise critic. Why is this a " disaster " seems mire like a minor problem to me a