Beverage package

[Wavelet]

DH and I just got off the Star Princess yesterday. Since we both had the package, DH could order drinks for both of us and just show his sticker.

 

BTW, it's not that easy to cheat and buy drinks for other people with your sticker. It only takes the bar staff a couple of days to figure out who has purchased the sticker, and in our case, we knew two of the bar staff from prior cruises. It's also awkward to use your sticker to get a glass of wine at dinner and then hand the glass to the person who didn't buy the sticker.:eek:

 

My advice is that unless one person really doesn't drink at all, or drinks very little, both people should buy the sticker. That last thing that I would want to worry about on vacation is being watched to see if I was using my sticker to buy drinks for my spouse.

 

 

I forgot to add that we did tip a little extra on the last night to a few of the bar staff, and our waiters, for bringing us our drinks, but we normally do that anyway.

 

My DH and I are each planning on purchasing a pkg (thanks to the person who made a spreadsheet several posts ago). My question is this: since we are newbies on this cruise, no waiter is going to "know" us. Can/should we tip as we go along or just tip at the end? We cruised several years ago and tipped waiters, bartenders, etc in the bars as we went along, but didn't order drinks from the other venues. Should we do this and if so in what currency (dollars or euros)?

(We are cruising the Med. in July). Thanks

[caribill]

My DH and I are each planning on purchasing a pkg (thanks to the person who made a spreadsheet several posts ago). My question is this: since we are newbies on this cruise, no waiter is going to "know" us. Can/should we tip as we go along or just tip at the end? We cruised several years ago and tipped waiters, bartenders, etc in the bars as we went along, but didn't order drinks from the other venues. Should we do this and if so in what currency (dollars or euros)?

(We are cruising the Med. in July). Thanks

 

When you purchase the package, a 15% gratuity is added to it ($51.45/person on a 7-day cruise). This is shared by the bar staff and some also goes to waitstaff. In addition, the daily gratuity added to your cabin statement is shared by waitstaff.

 

So all who are involved in serving you drinks from this package are being tipped by you already. Of course you can tip extra if you wish.

Edited June 18, 2014 by caribill

[mytime53]

We tipped extra to the staff that waited on us frequently. Since we got more than our $ worth from the package :D, we tipped enough to cover the extra.

[Colo Cruiser]

We are going on the Emerald in Novemebr and wr're definitely getting the drink package! This will be our first cruise that it had been offered. My question is, when do you buy it? Do you buy it before you cruise or as soon as you board? Our ritual when we board is the head to the first bar we see and get a Beverly Hills Iced Tea :rolleyes:

Thanks!!!

 

When you board there will be tables set up in the elevator lobbies (Piazza) and outside the HC. ;)

Edited June 18, 2014 by Colo Cruiser

[partybarbie]

My DH and I are each planning on purchasing a pkg (thanks to the person who made a spreadsheet several posts ago). My question is this: since we are newbies on this cruise, no waiter is going to "know" us. Can/should we tip as we go along or just tip at the end? We cruised several years ago and tipped waiters, bartenders, etc in the bars as we went along, but didn't order drinks from the other venues. Should we do this and if so in what currency (dollars or euros)?

(We are cruising the Med. in July). Thanks

 

We tipped extra at the end, but only for the servers that brought us drinks on a daily basis. This included our waiter and asst. waiter at dinner, our bartender and servers at Skywalkers, and a couple of servers at other venues. As others have said, you are already charged the 15% gratuity when you purchase the sticker, but we felt that a few people (the ones that served us the most drinks) deserved a little extra.

[jagoffee]

Even on port days, we still broke even on the drink package. On sea days, we came out a little ahead.

 

We were traveling in a group of eight, and we never bought anyone a drink using our stickers. If enough people try to "cheat" with the drink package, Princess will just stop offering it. Or maybe they will be like Celebrity where one has to finish their beverage in the lounge where it was purchased?

 

I sincerely hope that there are enough honest people purchasing the drink package so that Princess will continue to offer it.

 

You must have misunderstood something you read about the Beverage Package on Celebrity. You have obviously never had one. You can take your drink anywhere you wish. In fact if you both have the package one person can get two drinks and take them back to your cabin.

 

You might be confusing the package with the Elite cocktail party where the drinks are free during Happy Hour for Elites and above. Unless Celebrity is using vouchers you are asked/required to keep your free cocktails in the assigned location.

 

What there really saying is "We know that Princess passengers are honest and won't share. We hope they're better than that."

Obviously they know that some sharing goes on to some degree & really can't be controlled. I'm surprised that they haven't gone to requiring that all people in a cabin to purchase the package like other cruise lines.

 

They did initially, but changed it. Celebrity does not require both people in the cabin to purchase the package. I have no experience with other cruise lines.

 

Controlled? Probably not 100%, but they certainly can prevent you from getting two of the same drink at the same time. I have not yet tried Princess's package (soon), but I have not noticed any cheating on Celebrity. Of course I would not necessarily notice, but it was not obvious. Celebrity scans you card with ever drink, so they would know your frequency.

Edited June 18, 2014 by jagoffee

[Pam in CA]

What there really saying is "We know that Princess passengers are honest and won't share. We hope they're better than that."

Obviously they know that some sharing goes on to some degree & really can't be controlled. I'm surprised that they haven't gone to requiring that all people in a cabin to purchase the package like other cruise lines.

James was quite clear as we discussed this in our Meet & Greet with over 100 people present. I was pretty skeptical that people wouldn't cheat but he was insistent that in talking to passengers and research, Princess passengers are classy and honest. Based on what I've seen onboard and CC posters telling others to cheat, guess they aren't.

 

The bottom line is that if you share, you're hurting yourselves in the long run because the price will just keep going up to make up for the cheaters.

[St Paul Girl]

WE have sailed on Celebrity and my husband purchased the "Premium" Alcohol beverage package and I did NOT. He would bring a drink back to the room with no problem as the bartenders knew us and knew that I do NOT drink alcohol. Also, for dinners, our waiter would ask if we wanted a premium bottled water and would bring us a large bottle for our sharing.

The system(only having to purchase for one) works and I like to believe that we are all very honest people.

Happy sailing!

[janetz]

What there really saying is "We know that Princess passengers are honest and won't share. We hope they're better than that."

Obviously they know that some sharing goes on to some degree & really can't be controlled. I'm surprised that they haven't gone to requiring that all people in a cabin to purchase the package like other cruise lines.

 

Not all cruise lines do. RC did but not anymore.

[luv2c00k]

We are just off the STAR Princess. I purchased the Ultimate Drink Package for my husband and I by calling Princess prior to our cruise. When we were given our cruise cards at check-in they already had the sticker on them.

 

We found that those bar servers who got to know us through the cruise would not need to see both cards when we ordered drinks. Those that did not know us wanted to see both cards before filling our order. If I was getting a drink for each of us - I made sure I had both cards with me.

[partybarbie]

You must have misunderstood something you read about the Beverage Package on Celebrity. You have obviously never had one. You can take your drink anywhere you wish. In fact if you both have the package one person can get two drinks and take them back to your cabin.

 

You might be confusing the package with the Elite cocktail party where the drinks are free during Happy Hour for Elites and above. Unless Celebrity is using vouchers you are asked/required to keep your free cocktails in the assigned location.

 

 

 

I wasn't referring to the beverage package. On our last cruise, another CC Member told me that if one purchases a drink, one has to consume it in the bar/lounge where it was purchased.

 

You're absolutely correct that I have never purchased a drink package on Celebrity. After cruising with them twice, they couldn't pay me enough to sail with them again.

Edited June 18, 2014 by partybarbie

[giselleacttwo]

On our last cruise, another CC Member told me that if one purchases a drink, one has to consume it in the bar/lounge where it was purchased.

 

 

That's just silly. I know on land due to liquor laws this is usually the case, but I thought you had free range at sea. How many people do you see getting a pre-dinner cocktail or glass of wine while waiting for a table in the MDR? What are they supposed to do, leave their glass and grab another when their buzzer goes off?

[karena1]

That's just silly. I know on land due to liquor laws this is usually the case, but I thought you had free range at sea. How many people do you see getting a pre-dinner cocktail or glass of wine while waiting for a table in the MDR? What are they supposed to do, leave their glass and grab another when their buzzer goes off?

 

You can. We walked all over the ships with our drinks, never had to finish them in the lounge where we got them.

[partybarbie]

Who knows where people come up with things? :confused: I had a lady tell me once that Princess takes on supplies when they tender at Christmas Island. I'm guessing the Celebrity drink thing fits in with that.;)

[ddvq]

Is there a limit with beverage package

as to how many drinks you can have a day?

It's our first time using the beverage

package. We have purchased just the soda

package before and didn't find it was worth

it.

[Colo Cruiser]

Is there a limit with beverage package

as to how many drinks you can have a day?

It's our first time using the beverage

package. We have purchased just the soda

package before and didn't find it was worth

it.

 

 

No limit for the person that purchases it.

[rdsqrl]

Who knows where people come up with things? :confused: I had a lady tell me once that Princess takes on supplies when they tender at Christmas Island. I'm guessing the Celebrity drink thing fits in with that.;)

Must be where they get their Christmas trees and holiday decor.

[jagoffee]

I wasn't referring to the beverage package. On our last cruise, another CC Member told me that if one purchases a drink, one has to consume it in the bar/lounge where it was purchased.

 

You're absolutely correct that I have never purchased a drink package on Celebrity. After cruising with them twice, they couldn't pay me enough to sail with them again.

 

The other CC member was wrong if one purchases a drink on Celebrity one does not have to consume it in the bar/lounge where it was purchased.

 

From you other post you obvious know this stem end is not correct, so why did you even mention it?

Edited June 19, 2014 by jagoffee

[rdsqrl]

The other CC member was wrong if one purchases a drink on Celebrity one does not have to consume it in the bar/lounge where it was purchased.

 

From you other post you obvious know this stem end is not correct, so why did you even mention it?

What's a "stem end"? Is that where you have to have the end of your wine glass stem in your hand at all times? Or where the end of the stem has to be in the same lounge you purchased it in? Celebrity seems like a very confusing line to cruise on . . . .

[likeadisguise]

No limit for the person that purchases it.

I'm pretty sure they cut you off if you're visibly too intoxicated, but they'll do that if you're paying per drink, too!

[Colo Cruiser]

I'm pretty sure they cut you off if you're visibly too intoxicated, but they'll do that if you're paying per drink, too!

 

Well that was not part of the question, but we could what if.

Probably get there faster with the sticker. :eek:

[partybarbie]

must be where they get their christmas trees and holiday decor.

 

lmao!:d

[shsce750]

And only that person could partake in the package. ;)

 

Here's the link for Cruise Critic's page showing different cruise line's policies. Appears that only one person per cabin needs to purchase the package on Princess.

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=1470

 

And here is the quote if the link does not work. Pay attention the the Fine Print at the end:

 

Princess Cruises

 

Ships: Star Princess, Sapphire Princess, Crown Princess, Coral Princess, Royal Princess, Island Princess, Emerald Princess, Ruby Princess, Grand Princess, Caribbean Princess, Golden Princess and Regal Princess.

 

Package Details: Princess Cruises' package costs $49 per day, plus a 15 percent gratuity per person, and includes all cocktails, spirits, beer and glasses of wine less than $10. Also, all nonalcoholic drinks served in cans or bottles, as well as mocktails and shakes are included, as are all coffee, tea, espresso and specialty drinks and any food items such as crepes and gelato included with the coffee card. Each purchaser of the package also receives a 40 percent discount on all bottled wine less than $100.

 

Fine Print: Princess cruisers may purchase the package on seven-night or longer cruises. All passengers traveling in the same stateroom do not have to purchase the package