Parents and coffee

[cle-guy]

We are new to Celebrity, sailing for 14 nights in just 369 days, but who's counting?

 

In reading the boards, I feel we must be the only ones on the entire ship without the beverage packages.

 

Our cruise is a gift from my in-laws, and we have OBC that will take care of our gratuities with a little bit left over, but since we are four (me, husband and two teenaged daughters) in our cabin, the cost of the beverage packages is prohibitive (2 Premium non-alcoholic = $480; two Class Packages = $1372; total of $1852). The girls like hot chocolate and smoothies, and we like coffee and a drink or two but we'll just have to go ala carte.

 

Instead of the package, I wish Celebrity sold a "coffee card" like Princess that had a set number of specialty coffees and it was punched as you ordered.

 

Just go a'la'carte and pay for each as you go billed direct to your onboard account.

 

I realize it's a gift, but perhaps you are able to have the perks changed, give up the OBC and instead go for beverage package....now you get classic for 1st 2 Passeners and soda for the 2nd 2, it'd be ideal for your situation.

 

May be worth a call to the TA that booked it for the inlays or whoever else to see.

 

Unless the in laws got a free cruise somehow, someone paid for it, so modifications should be able to be made, especially this far out. Even with a slight fare increase (you pay) if it involves that it may offset the adding of the Beverages.

 

I just checked a site that tracks fare changes, and insides have not changed in prices since going on sale. Other cabins have noticed increased fares varying based on cabin type. If you have an inside, definitely change! if another type, consider the cabin cost increase if any.

 

When did they book the cruise? Fares changed basically mid march, mid june and end of june. If they JUST booked, you should be able to change with no cost.

Edited July 7, 2014 by cle-guy

[MoyCoy]

I'll add you to the list. There may be a vacancy in 2027 or so :D

 

'Pied Piper" Excuse my ignorance , but what/who is this ( apart from the children's tale)

[MoyCoy]

I'll add you to the list. There may be a vacancy in 2027 or so :D

 

 

 

 

'Pied Piper" Excuse my ignorance , but what/who is this? ( apart from the children's tale)

[cle-guy]

'Pied Piper" Excuse my ignorance , but what/who is this? ( apart from the children's tale)

 

They organize group cruses for the GLBT community and our supporters. Generally 30-100 in the group depending on the particular itinerary, and the annual Thanksgiving cruise hosts 700-900.

[Cruising89143]

We typically stay in a lesser cabin, and yes, the coffee delivered to the room in the morning is much better than the buffet. DW usually gets breakfast delivered to the room in the a.m. I help her drink the coffee.

Still, suites could be getting better coffee.????

 

I don't think suites get better room service coffee. On my last cruise I thought it tasted just like the stuff in the Oceanview Cafe which is mediocre at best. The only place that I like coffee is from al Bacio.

[Lsimon]

I don't think suites get better room service coffee. On my last cruise I thought it tasted just like the stuff in the Oceanview Cafe which is mediocre at best. The only place that I like coffee is from al Bacio.

 

The only thing you can count on with the regular ship's coffee is inconsistency and varied opinions among passengers as to whether it is worth drinking or not.

[C-Dragons]

We are new to Celebrity, sailing for 14 nights in just 369 days, but who's counting?

 

In reading the boards, I feel we must be the only ones on the entire ship without the beverage packages.

Our cruise is a gift from my in-laws, and we have OBC that will take care of our gratuities with a little bit left over, but since we are four (me, husband and two teenaged daughters) in our cabin, the cost of the beverage packages is prohibitive (2 Premium non-alcoholic = $480; two Class Packages = $1372; total of $1852). The girls like hot chocolate and smoothies, and we like coffee and a drink or two but we'll just have to go ala carte.

No, you are not the only ones without the beverage package. :)

We have never, and will never, choose this perk. Having done the math, we found that ala carte is better for us. There is no way we would get our money's worth on a beverage package. Others find great value in this option, but it doesn't work for us.

[GranthamMommy]

My sister and daughter thought it was undrinkable swill and went to the Café AL Bacio for their coffee. Both bought drink packages without the alcohol.

 

May I ask does this mean that a beverage package would cover pre paid coffee from Cafe Al Bacio? I proudly admit to being a coffee snob as are many Melburnians. It would please me no end if I could use a bevy package for my coffees.

 

My favorite coffee ever was when I traveled to Melbourne. You have the right to be a coffee snob.

 

I purchased the premium non alcohol package for my first celebrity cruise. We didn't drink alot of alcohol - maybe a drink or two a day. But made many trips to Cafe al Bacio. Coffee was wonderful. I had a cold towards the end of the trip and tea with honey and lemon was a frequent treat. Well worth the price. No comparison with the free stuff.

[Ballard67]

The non-alcoholic beverage packages are very reasonable. I think the premium one, which covers the frozen drinks as well, was about $20 per day including gratuities. It has been a while since I purchased, though.

 

The less expensive one doesn't include frozen drinks, and I think it was about $16 per day.

 

After a cup or two from the coffee shop, a can of Coke and 2-3 bottles of water a day, it more than paid for itself. Mom didn't originally want one, but was glad she had it. Sis bought one as soon as she tasted the coffee in the buffet.

 

"I think the premium one, which covers the frozen drinks as well, was about $20 per day including gratuities"

Ok I am new to Cruising, but what Is with the gratuities?. Your already dishing out pre paid money/gratuities for the trip, now for the drink package? does the staff make a hourly wage??

[cle-guy]

"I think the premium one, which covers the frozen drinks as well, was about $20 per day including gratuities"

Ok I am new to Cruising, but what Is with the gratuities?. Your already dishing out pre paid money/gratuities for the trip, now for the drink package? does the staff make a hourly wage??

 

I see you're from Seattle home of the new $15/hour minimum wage....

 

bar staff make "servers wages" typically way less than the standard minimum making it up instead in tips/gratuities. In Ohio, Minimum is $7.45, restaurant staff, $3.98 plus tips.

 

The prepaid gratuities you mention cover only main dining room staff and cabin staff, not bar staff.

 

Not sure what waitstaff make on ships, assume USA minimum wage standards don't apply, assume they make even less as a starting wage. They also pool tips to share with barbacks, dishwashers and other related bar staff.

 

This wesbsite http://www.cruiseshipjob.com/bar-waiter-steward-server-jobs.html suggests they make an average of $1200-$2800 per month depending on their gratuities earned.

 

Your $12.50 per day gratuity is divided up as follows:

Restaurant Service* Per Person Per Day

Waiter $3.65

Assistant Waiter $2.10

Dining Room Management $1.00

 

Stateroom Service* Per Person Per Day

Butler (Suites Only) $3.50

Stateroom Service $3.50 ($4.00 for Concierge Class and AquaClass staterooms)

 

Alternative Service*

Other Service Personnel $1.25

Edited July 9, 2014 by cle-guy

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

"I think the premium one, which covers the frozen drinks as well, was about $20 per day including gratuities"

Ok I am new to Cruising, but what Is with the gratuities?. Your already dishing out pre paid money/gratuities for the trip, now for the drink package? does the staff make a hourly wage??

 

No, the staff does not make an hourly wage. If they did, many of them would be happily retired as they work very long hours for about $50/month. Gratuities are the method cruiselines use to supplement the crews' meager salaries. Nobody really likes this system, but it is the system on all mainstream cruiselines. Just consider it part of the cost of the cruise. Otherwise, you need to cruise on premium lines that include the gratuities in their MUCH higher fares.

[texasgirl29]

I realize it's a gift, but perhaps you are able to have the perks changed, give up the OBC and instead go for beverage package....now you get classic for 1st 2 Passeners and soda for the 2nd 2, it'd be ideal for your situation.

 

May be worth a call to the TA that booked it for the inlays or whoever else to see.

 

We spoke to my FIL last night (he's in California, we're in Texas) and suggested we look into rebooking if it's more advantageous. We're going to do a conference call tonight with the TA to look at our options. If it's a few hundred dollars more, we will pay the difference, because we'd come out ahead. My FIL is an experienced cruiser, but he doesn't read CC, he only knows what his TA (Costco Travel) tells him.

[cle-guy]

We spoke to my FIL last night (he's in California, we're in Texas) and suggested we look into rebooking if it's more advantageous. We're going to do a conference call tonight with the TA to look at our options. If it's a few hundred dollars more, we will pay the difference, because we'd come out ahead. My FIL is an experienced cruiser, but he doesn't read CC, he only knows what his TA (Costco Travel) tells him.

 

A couple of my friends use Costco travel, they seem to love their experience with them. Good luck!

[Banjo]

the lavazza coffee for free on celebrity is one hundred times better than the free coffee on princess

 

They want to push the coffee card.

 

Which actually is pretty good because it comes with, I believe, its been awhile on Princess, 15 specialty coffees. Works great for a 7 day cruise when after dinner I get an espresso and wife would get a mocha.

[Ballard67]

I see you're from Seattle home of the new $15/hour minimum wage....

 

bar staff make "servers wages" typically way less than the standard minimum making it up instead in tips/gratuities. In Ohio, Minimum is $7.45, restaurant staff, $3.98 plus tips.

 

The prepaid gratuities you mention cover only main dining room staff and cabin staff, not bar staff.

 

Not sure what waitstaff make on ships, assume USA minimum wage standards don't apply, assume they make even less as a starting wage. They also pool tips to share with barbacks, dishwashers and other related bar staff.

 

 

 

This wesbsite http://www.cruiseshipjob.com/bar-waiter-steward-server-jobs.html suggests they make an average of $1200-$2800 per month depending on their gratuities earned.

 

Your $12.50 per day gratuity is divided up as follows:

Restaurant Service* Per Person Per Day

Waiter $3.65

Assistant Waiter $2.10

Dining Room Management $1.00

 

Stateroom Service* Per Person Per Day

Butler (Suites Only) $3.50

Stateroom Service $3.50 ($4.00 for Concierge Class and AquaClass staterooms)

 

Alternative Service*

Other Service Personnel $1.25

 

No the Min wage is not 15.00hr here in Seattle, please read more about it. Its only in one district by the airport. For Seattle its still in the planning stages and it will be years before we see that wage. Gratuities is what i always understood as a tip for services done, not to be done. Also suppose to be per the service quality you received, it sounds like its just a part of the ships company way out of paying more.

[cle-guy]

[quote name='Ballard67']Gratuities is what i always understood as a tip for services done, not to be done. Also suppose to be per the service quality you received,[B] it sounds like its just a part of the ships company way out of paying more.[/B][/QUOTE]

The way you understand it is how it works in most land-based restaurants. Even there, general USA culture and custom says you still provide an average 15% even for just normal service, 20% for great service, and if it's awful you talk to a manager and decide how to proceed based on that interaction.

However on Crusie Ships, and many resorts, it is in fact how cruise ships compensate their staff and as such they ensure it's clearly stated up front about required gratuities when booking and in the cruise documents. It's part of Cruise Ship Culture. Just like some restaurants, probably even in Seattle, automatically add a gratuity to large parties, sometimes as small as 6, generally 8 or more.

You are still free to add to the gratuity if you wish to do so for superior service, and you can actually go to the Guest Services desk up until 2 days prior to the end of a sailing and remove gratuity if you are so inclined, unless u have chosen "Select Dining" and pre-paid the gratuities in which case gratuities may not be adjusted.

If you are finding service to be lacking you should immediately call it to the attention of the Hotel Director or Maitre 'd who will ensure the issue is well taken care of. Many people never bother to take this step, and you'd be surprised how well they recover from such issues if made aware.

I had an issue, and not only did they refund my entire onboard spend, they also gave ma a $300 credit to my card, all over an issue dining in BLU. I expected nothing of that sort, I'd have been happy with a free dinner in BLU with a guest. SO i left a 7 day cruise to get home and have a $300 profit from the sailing :D , just because I took the time to discuss my issue.

But be aware the affected staff does get lists daily as to removed gratuities so they can determine if they have not provided appropriate service and to enhance their service, or on the flip side to do as little as possible since their tip got taken away.

[Algebralovr]

To add a little bit to this, we consider the recommended gratuity to be essentially the "resort service fee" that so many properties now charge. We may add more to a server who has provided exceptional service to us in the MDR or to a room steward who has gone above and beyond.

For example, conceriere class and above provides free shoe shine service. Last February, we were in a 2C instead of the C2 we had the year before. I left a note for the room steward to ask if she could get my black pumps shined before dinner that night, along with a $5 bill. We assumed she would speak with one of the CC stewards and borrow the shoe polish and tip them $1 in return, or pass it on to someone else to do for $3 or so. Not exactly, but my shoes looked better than before I set them out. Beyond that, our service was OK, but not as good as the previous three cruises.

The bar servers are apparently paid a token, and get 15% of the sales charged to them. Plus, some of us provide extra tips (in cash) to our favorites who take extra good care of us.

[Ballard67]

Yep in Seattle there is restraunts where you have a surcharge of 15% for groups of about 6. But where not talking Seattle, or a another city, where talking about a boat, and assuming a service qualty. Your expectations might be diffrent then mine or the next person. It should be left up to each person. Yep I under stand the culture and everthing, but times do move on and paying for what you recieve should never be a assumption. Just my personal 2 cents lol

[Banjo]

[quote name='Ballard67']Yep in Seattle there is restraunts where you have a surcharge of 15% for groups of about 6. But where not talking Seattle, or a another city, where talking about a boat, and assuming a service qualty. Your expectations might be diffrent then mine or the next person. It should be left up to each person. Yep I under stand the culture and everthing, but times do move on and paying for what you recieve should never be a assumption. Just my personal 2 cents lol[/quote]

I don't know. I recall about a decade ago when cruise lines had the envelop system. You were given envelops for tips towards the end of the cruise for the room steward and your waiter/server. Seemed like the last night of the cruise in the MDR, the MDR would be empty. Having been a bus boy/waiter in my youth I felt bad seeing the restaurant staff getting stiffed.

To me I just consider it the price of the cruise and don't worry about it.