Non-drinking Princess cruiser considers Celebrity

[Loreni]

There are a few reasons we have not tried Celebrity yet. The 123Go/pick your perk promotions are one of the reasons. We do not drink and do not want to indirectly subsidize the drinking of others. Is there a way to book without these promotions and just get a lower cruise fare instead. If so, how?

 

I should mention that we also do not drink juice, soda, or coffee. So the drink package is really of no value to us.

Edited May 26, 2014 by Loreni

[blindrid]

There are few reasons we have not tried Celebrity yet. The 123Go/pick your perk promotions are one of the reasons. We do not drink and do not want to indirectly subsidize the drinking of others. Is there a way to book without these promotions and just a lower cruise fare instead. If so, how?

 

I should mention that we also do not drink juice, soda, or coffee. So the drink package is really of no value to us.

 

Huh??? How would one subsidize as there are other choices in the promotion than booze. I believe you are misinformed.

[DebbieMacG]

There are few reasons we have not tried Celebrity yet. The 123Go/pick your perk promotions are one of the reasons. We do not drink and do not want to indirectly subsidize the drinking of others. Is there a way to book without these promotions and just a lower cruise fare instead. If so, how?

 

I've never yet had a drinks package (like you I wouldn't want one) the offers don't run all the time and sometimes give OBC or money off instead. Often bookings after final payment are on special offer and don't offer incentives.

[travellink]

There are a few reasons we have not tried Celebrity yet. The 123Go/pick your perk promotions are one of the reasons. We do not drink and do not want to indirectly subsidize the drinking of others. Is there a way to book without these promotions and just get a lower cruise fare instead. If so, how?

 

I should mention that we also do not drink juice, soda, or coffee. So the drink package is really of no value to us.

 

 

We chose the onboard credit and our online TA matched it. At that time it was $300.00 for a balcony so we had $600.00 OBC to spend on whatever we wanted.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Cruise Critic Forums mobile app

[CruisingGatorGirl]

My husband does not drink at all. I may have 5 glasses of wine total on a 2 week cruise. With the 123GO promo- we picked the OBC for our previous cruise.

 

However, for our 2015 cruise, the 123 promo was not being offered. If you do not want the 123promo- book now :)

 

We booked our May 2015 cruise 2 weeks ago- no promos were offered except the early booking OBC of $175.

 

We use our OBC for gratuities and any other cruise incidentals that might come up, such as sun screen, maybe 1 picture we buy, maybe 1 coffee etc.

 

Not all celebrity cruises pick the beverage package :) we do not. :)

Edited May 26, 2014 by CruisingGatorGirl

[Loreni]

Huh??? How would one subsidize as there are other choices in the promotion than booze. I believe you are misinformed.

 

My understanding is that the beverage package normally costs fifty dollars per person per day. Gratuities are what 12 dollars. Is 12 dollars less than 50 dollars. Yes. So if I do not pick the beverage package, what can I pick instead that would normally cost 50 dollars per person per day. If nothing, then I believe I am subsidizing the drinking of others.

[Loreni]

Thank you all for your replies. So one option is to book after final payment. Another option is to book when the promotion is not running. So are these prices often less than when the promotion is running?

[monicajay]

My understanding is that the beverage package normally costs fifty dollars per person per day. Gratuities are what 12 dollars. Is 12 dollars less than 50 dollars. Yes. So if I do not pick the beverage package, what can I pick instead that would normally cost 50 dollars per person per day. If nothing, then I believe I am subsidizing the drinking of others.

 

The beverage package does not cost the cruise line $50 per day. They buy the booze all duty free so many of the drinks cost just pennies. Not all of us who pick the drinks package really drink that much. We just enjoy the ease of not signing slips and not thinking about the cost of things.

 

You are not necessarily subsidizing the drinks of others.

[DebbieMacG]

Thank you all for your replies. So one option is to book after final payment. Another option is to book when the promotion is not running. So are these prices often less than when the promotion is running?

 

Yes but more so around the time of final payment. :) often less but not always!

[Loreni]

The beverage package does not cost the cruise line $50 per day. They buy the booze all duty free so many of the drinks cost just pennies. Not all of us who pick the drinks package really drink that much. We just enjoy the ease of not signing slips and not thinking about the cost of things.

 

You are not necessarily subsidizing the drinks of others.

 

Good point.

[NLH Arizona]

There are a few reasons we have not tried Celebrity yet. The 123Go/pick your perk promotions are one of the reasons. We do not drink and do not want to indirectly subsidize the drinking of others. Is there a way to book without these promotions and just get a lower cruise fare instead. If so, how?

 

I should mention that we also do not drink juice, soda, or coffee. So the drink package is really of no value to us.

You would not be subsidizing anyone's drinking. Just pick one of the other two perks. I took the OBC. Or you could book when this promotion is not being offered.

[NLH Arizona]

Thank you all for your replies. So one option is to book after final payment. Another option is to book when the promotion is not running. So are these prices often less than when the promotion is running?

Prices could be less or more, depending on the cruise and supply and demand.

[ScarlettMLB]

My understanding is that the beverage package normally costs fifty dollars per person per day. Gratuities are what 12 dollars. Is 12 dollars less than 50 dollars. Yes. So if I do not pick the beverage package, what can I pick instead that would normally cost 50 dollars per person per day. If nothing, then I believe I am subsidizing the drinking of others.

 

I think you're confusing price with cost.

 

With gratuities, what you pay $12/day is what it costs the cruise line. That money is given to the staff in tips directly. There's no markup.

 

With beverage packages, there's a pretty big markup. Chances are people aren't going to drink $50/day worth of alcohol for every day on the cruise. Even if they do, Celebrity is still making a ton of money. Coke does NOT cost $2/glass (or whatever it goes for), nor is their wine cost anywhere near a minimum of $9/glass.

 

Celebrity doesn't need you to choose gratuities to "subsidize" the drink package of others, because they're already making a ridiculous amount of profit on that. In fact, even if you were regular drinkers, you'd probably still be taking more money directly from Celebrity's bottom line by choosing gratuities vs the drink package.

[Christine Frances]

The COST to Celebrity is approximately the same for OBC, Free Gratuities or the Drink Pkg. It is up to you to put a VALUE on these perks. You obviously don't want (or value) the drink package so which one would you prefer from the other two? As has been said, a lot of people do not opt for the Bev Pkg

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[royalcruz]

We've never had the drinks package or 123. It does seem like the prices tend to be higher when this is offered. We have booked under other promotions, like balcony for inside price, and senior and resident rates. So keep checking. :) If you enjoy the cruise, you might find that the booking on board deals are really good, with reduced deposits and perks.

[RDC1]

There are a few reasons we have not tried Celebrity yet. The 123Go/pick your perk promotions are one of the reasons. We do not drink and do not want to indirectly subsidize the drinking of others. Is there a way to book without these promotions and just get a lower cruise fare instead. If so, how?

 

I should mention that we also do not drink juice, soda, or coffee. So the drink package is really of no value to us.

 

More so than drink packages one point to consider is how do you usually spend your evenings on the ship. Other than the main show in the theater Celebrity tends to have little entertainment outside of the various lounges. Their live music is in the atrium which is also the location for their lounges.

[snowyboy]

There are a few reasons we have not tried Celebrity yet. The 123Go/pick your perk promotions are one of the reasons. We do not drink and do not want to indirectly subsidize the drinking of others. Is there a way to book without these promotions and just get a lower cruise fare instead. If so, how?

 

I should mention that we also do not drink juice, soda, or coffee. So the drink package is really of no value to us.

 

I booked my June 2014 cruise June 2013 when the offers were on, the price I paid was the cheapest the cruise has been so nothing added for drinks package

£ 1,599 2013‑03‑23 2013‑04‑06

£ 1,804 2013‑07‑07 2013‑07‑09

£ 1,854 2013‑07‑10 2013‑07‑15

£ 1,954 2013‑07‑15 2013‑07‑31

£ 2,054 2013‑07‑31 2013‑08‑16

£ 2,061 2013‑08‑16 2013‑09‑04

£ 1,849 2013‑09‑05 2013‑10‑04

£ 1,961 2013‑10‑04 2013‑10‑19

£ 1,665 2014‑05‑22 2014‑05‑26

As long as your'e happy with the price thats it pay it.

 

By the way drinks package covers Water and Tea's neither listed that you don't drink.

[drarill]

There are a few reasons we have not tried Celebrity yet. The 123Go/pick your perk promotions are one of the reasons. We do not drink and do not want to indirectly subsidize the drinking of others. Is there a way to book without these promotions and just get a lower cruise fare instead. If so, how?

 

I should mention that we also do not drink juice, soda, or coffee. So the drink package is really of no value to us.

 

Hi. The 123 offer also includes free gratuities or an OBC, you don't have to chose the free drinks. BTW, I don't drink either and still used the drink package for water, sodas, coffee and freshly squeezed orange juice, every day, on our last cruise through the offer. This year we didn't get the 123 promo, we took advantage of another offer that gave us 15% off from the cruise fare. It was a better deal for us. Still, I bought the premium alcoholic package for my husband and the non-alcoholic for me. :):)

[Guernseycruiser]

The current offer for this month is Take2 plus. For example, a balcony cabin would entitle you to $300 discount or OBC, plus a further $300 OBC. We are also not interested in the free drinks package, so although the 1,2,3go offer was available when we booked onboard earlier this month, we took the Take2 plus offer instead.

[Starry Eyes]

I agree with others that cost to cruiseline and price to consumer are different.

 

Each time I have seen the offer, it has been for Oceanview or higher, so if it really bugs you, one way to avoid the irritant is to book an inside cabin. There has been a large price differential between inside and Oceanview on many cruises, so if you can manage in an inside cabin, you might get a bargain...you might be able to feel that on some level the drinkers seeking the 123 package are keeping the price of your inside cabin low;).

Also I think special rates (like senior or residency rate) are not combinable, so maybe you can score a special rate. Finally, there are excluded cruises, like transatlantic and transpacific; maybe those strike your fancy.

[happy cruzer]

Last dec, celebrity had an offer to buy a gift certificate and have the amount matched at booking. I liked that promo because it applied to all cabins, incl inside. The are plenty of marketing options just like princess does. They come and go.

[iHeartGlaciers]

I booked a Celebrity cruise a few months ago during the Pick Your Perk promotion. I got $600 off our stateroom instead of picking the beverage package. The requirement for that perk was to also book our flights through Celebrity, but their rates were $200 less per flight than I could find online. So we saved $1200 between the Pick Your Perk and Choice Air (we have three people in our cabin).

 

Other alternatives to the beverage promotion (that didn't require Choice Air) were an OBC or free gratuities.

Edited May 28, 2014 by iHeartGlaciers

[blindrid]

My understanding is that the beverage package normally costs fifty dollars per person per day. Gratuities are what 12 dollars. Is 12 dollars less than 50 dollars. Yes. So if I do not pick the beverage package, what can I pick instead that would normally cost 50 dollars per person per day. If nothing, then I believe I am subsidizing the drinking of others.

 

I don't believe you are subsidizing. Alcohol package (or drinks singly) are the highest profit margin departments on a ship. That's why they can include it in their promotions.

 

Grats are a true cost as that's what gets paid out. If anything, my drinks are probably subsidizing your overall cruise cost.

[jgreenwo17]

There are a few reasons we have not tried Celebrity yet. The 123Go/pick your perk promotions are one of the reasons. We do not drink and do not want to indirectly subsidize the drinking of others. Is there a way to book without these promotions and just get a lower cruise fare instead. If so, how?

 

I should mention that we also do not drink juice, soda, or coffee. So the drink package is really of no value to us.

 

Book a transatlantic or transpacific. They rarely offer 123 promos and the fares are excellent!

 

Otherwise use the perks for onboard credit or to pay gratuities.

Edited June 6, 2014 by jgreenwo17

[spookwife]

There are a few reasons we have not tried Celebrity yet. The 123Go/pick your perk promotions are one of the reasons. We do not drink and do not want to indirectly subsidize the drinking of others. Is there a way to book without these promotions and just get a lower cruise fare instead. If so, how?

 

I should mention that we also do not drink juice, soda, or coffee. So the drink package is really of no value to us.

 

 

book a cruise where the 123 promo is not offered. or just take the OBC or gratuities instead.