Question about non-alcholic vs. classic alcoholic pacages for light drinkers

[naturelady1960]

My husband and I are sailing the Solstice Alaska Sawyer August 15-22. Bucket list and early 35th anniversary celebration. :) I am a light drinker and am wondering if it would be better to purchase the premium non alcoholic for myself and pay per drink or would I benefit by purchasing the classic alcoholic package. Will be getting the classic alcoholic for hubby.

 

I can't find a good price listing of non alcoholic drinks so I can figure which way to go. Also, will Celebrity allow an upgrade from a non-alcoholic to alcoholic once on board? Can't get much feedback from Celebrity. Keep getting put on hold then told system is down.

 

Not new to cruising but last cruise was on RC in 1998; the good old days when you could byob:rolleyes:

 

Any thoughts or info would be appreciated.

[GranthamMommy]

I am a light drinker as well. On our last cruise we purchased the premium non-alcohol package instead of the classic alcohol. I definitely saved money and loved all the premium waters and coffee drinks etc.

 

I typically had a glass of wine with dinner and maybe another drink during the day. I enjoyed having my way at Cafe al Bacio!

 

YMMV.

[naturelady1960]

Thank you for the quick reply. I figured the premium non alcoholic would be best for myself. Hubby still is getting the classic alcoholic or the savings will go out the window. :p

 

Can't wait for this cruise!!!!!

[wpgcycler]

I am a light drinker as well. On our last cruise we purchased the premium non-alcohol package instead of the classic alcohol. I definitely saved money and loved all the premium waters and coffee drinks etc.

 

I typically had a glass of wine with dinner and maybe another drink during the day. I enjoyed having my way at Cafe al Bacio!

 

YMMV.

 

Indeed!

[Sloop-JohnB]

I've always said that everyone needs to do the math for themselves (several posts on here that layout the cost per item)

 

Generally speaking if one drinks 3 or more alcoholic bevvys a day then an alcoholic package is the way to go

 

The other differences between Classic & Premium come down to personal preferences:

 

Name Brand "Rail" Spirits vs Premium Brands

Higherend Beers & Wines

Regular Bottled Waters vs a choice of Still, Carbonated & Flavoured

Juice from Concentrate vs Fresh Squeezed

Regular Teas & Coffees vs Premium (think Starbucks)

Smoothies & Iced Teas & Coffees

 

Hope this helps,

 

Cheers!

[Queen of Oakville]

Hope the OP doesn't mind me butting in here.

 

A question about the smoothies .... is it possible to get green smoothies on board? {like spinach+ fruit}.

 

I have the classic alcohol, and I'm thinking about upgrading to the premium alcohol, just to get the benefits of the premium non-alcohol.

 

I am a coffee snob. Is the coffee at Bacio better than the MDR? Could one get a coffee and take it into the MDR for breakfast?

[Turtles06]

I'm not a big drinker either (of alcohol), and I like the Premium Non-Alcoholic Package because it includes "premium" sparkling water like San Pellegrino, which I really enjoy drinking at meals, and probably go through a few bottles daily. The Classic Alcoholic Package does not include premium bottled waters.

[virginialucy]

Hope the OP doesn't mind me butting in here.

 

A question about the smoothies .... is it possible to get green smoothies on board? {like spinach+ fruit}.

 

I have the classic alcohol, and I'm thinking about upgrading to the premium alcohol, just to get the benefits of the premium non-alcohol.

 

I am a coffee snob. Is the coffee at Bacio better than the MDR? Could one get a coffee and take it into the MDR for breakfast?

 

Here's a link to the drink menu at Aqua Spa Cafe: http://www.thepreismans.com/ecarib_reflection_menus.htm#aqua

 

They have green juice which has spinach, but none of the smoothies have spinach or any other vegetable. Maybe they could make something off-menu for you if you asked.

 

As for coffee, Cafe al Bacio doesn't have regular brewed coffee, only espresso-based drinks. You can get a drink there and take it into the MDR (or anywhere else on board) but I've heard of people getting cappucinos/espresso/etc in the dining room at dinner so I don't think it would be a problem for breakfast. I'm hardly a coffee snob but I found the brewed coffee in the MDR to be very "thin"...kind of like it was either watered down or not enough coffee was used to brew it.

[GranthamMommy]

Loved Cafe al Bacio for yes, the espresso based drinks. Chai Latte was the way I started the day. Double espresso for the DH. I caught a cold towards the end of a two week cruise and the quality tea with honey and lemon was a god send.

 

Loved the San Pelligrino at dinner.

 

Yes, we will upgrade our "free" Classic Alcohol to the Premium just for Cafe al Bacio .

[Adammara]

We love Latte's, and we found the latte's in Cafe al Bacio far superior to the lattes's elsewhere on the ship. We often had 'Takeways' to drink in our cabin, especially when Cafe al Bacio was crowded.

[Queen of Oakville]

Thanks! Can anyone use the Aqua Café? {i.e. not aqua class?}. I trust the drink package works there?

[Turtles06]

Thanks! Can anyone use the Aqua Café? {i.e. not aqua class?}. I trust the drink package works there?

 

Yes and yes. :)

[bbappel]

We bring our Contigo coffee cups (thermal) and get a double shot latte for breakfast the at the MDR we turn our coffee cups upside down and just enjoy our lattes with breakfast. I'm guessing you could get an espresso and add it to the MDR coffee. I wouldn't count on getting a latte with breakfast from the MDR since we did it once and got the coffee as we finished the last morsel of breakfast. I think they may be understaffed at breakfast. The buffet has an espresso machine on the S-class ships. Not sure about M-class ships.

[kevinyork]

I've always said that everyone needs to do the math for themselves (several posts on here that layout the cost per item)

 

Generally speaking if one drinks 3 or more alcoholic bevvys a day then an alcoholic package is the way to go

 

The other differences between Classic & Premium come down to personal preferences:

 

Name Brand "Rail" Spirits vs Premium Brands

Higherend Beers & Wines

Regular Bottled Waters vs a choice of Still, Carbonated & Flavoured

Juice from Concentrate vs Fresh Squeezed

Regular Teas & Coffees vs Premium (think Starbucks)

Smoothies & Iced Teas & Coffees

 

Hope this helps,

 

Cheers!

 

 

Fresh squeezed juices, Premium Coffees , Smoothies and Iced Teas are included in the Classic Package. No need for Premium for those.

[naturelady1960]

Thanks to all for the feedback. Still one unanswered question: will Celebrity allow an upgrade from a non-alcoholic to alcoholic once on board?

 

I know you can upgrade from classic alcoholic to premium alcoholic but need to know if I can go from non alcohol package to the classic alcohol if I find it is more economical.

[maisiecat]

I'm still trying to get a simple answer to a simple question. Is o'doulls non alcoholic beer available in the classic alcohol package?

[Lulubelle45]

Fresh squeezed juices, Premium Coffees , Smoothies and Iced Teas are included in the Classic Package. No need for Premium for those.

 

Really??? Because my DD wants a smooth or 2 a day and all I see on the website is its mentioned in the premium package only. Will I be able to upgrade to premium on board if it's not on the classic?

 

Sent from my SGH-I337M using Forums mobile app

[kroberst]

Really??? Because my DD wants a smooth or 2 a day and all I see on the website is its mentioned in the premium package only. Will I be able to upgrade to premium on board if it's not on the classic?

 

Yes you can upgrade to premium once onboard - at least I did that in April on the Reflection. Enjoy!

[Barwick Cruiser]

We were on the Silhouette in June and my DH had smoothies almost everyday in the AquaSpa on the Classic Alcohol Package. There were a variety of smoothies to choose from as well as fresh squeezed juices, also included in the package.

[Lulubelle45]

We were on the Silhouette in June and my DH had smoothies almost everyday in the AquaSpa on the Classic Alcohol Package. There were a variety of smoothies to choose from as well as fresh squeezed juices, also included in the package.

 

My mistake. Thought you meant the classic Non Alcohol package.

 

Sent from my SGH-I337M using Forums mobile app

[CanWeGoYet?]

Interesting. I had thought my classic non alcohol package covered virgin frozen drinks & smoothies - but I just looked up what it includes again & apparently not.

 

For another $4 per day I would consider it if it were just a week. But probably not on a 17 day cruise. Will already be needing to watch what I eat calorie wise, last thing I need is unlimited access to smoothies & virgin coladas.

 

I may buy 1 or 2 drinks a day, absolute max. If I bring on a couple bottles of wine that will go a long ways with me.

[Queen of Oakville]

We were on the Silhouette in June and my DH had smoothies almost everyday in the AquaSpa on the Classic Alcohol Package. There were a variety of smoothies to choose from as well as fresh squeezed juices, also included in the package.

 

Awesome! That would be our only reason for upgrading hubby. now we'll just upgrade me : )

 

I had a look at the wine list, and it doesn't look like the have a cabernet on the classic. I'm not a fan of the varieties they include with classic, but perhaps they plan it that way :confused:

[Barwick Cruiser]

Awesome! That would be our only reason for upgrading hubby. now we'll just upgrade me : )

 

I had a look at the wine list, and it doesn't look like the have a cabernet on the classic. I'm not a fan of the varieties they include with classic, but perhaps they plan it that way :confused:

 

Can't help you with the reds, I only drink white and I was happy with their Bollini Pinot Grigio...until they ran out with two days left but fortunately they substituted another PG for no extra charge yay!! It's no difference in cost to upgrade prior to the cruise or once onboard so you could always wait and see what you like on each package and upgrade then...it's prorated for the remaining days of your cruise.

 

Enjoy your cruise...love Celebrity!!

[phoenix_dream]

There is information you can search for on these boards that gives you prices of different drinks on board. It really all depends on what you plan to drink, and how much. For example, I do not care for sparkling water, so buying a package to get that doesn't help me. I only have at most one specialty coffee per day, so that would not entice me. Fresh squeezed orange juice? Nice but I don't miss it if I don't have it. You can bring on unlimited bottles/cans of soft drinks and bottled water at embarkation and at each port. You can also bring on two bottles of wine per cabin (to be consumed in your room if you don't want a corkage fee). You can order a bottle of wine at dinner, and they can keep the 'leftovers' day to day so that is usually a more economical option than per glass. Do the math, and then factor in the convenience factor - it matters to some and not to others. Enjoy!

[Lsimon]

Some of the posts above infer that you must have the premium package for the premium coffees. All premium coffees are included under both the classic and premium beverage packages. There are a few "specialty" coffees which are sometimes excluded. I say "sometimes" because the interpretation of this is not consistent from ship to ship.

 

Here is a post I made a year ago that explains further: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=39322013&postcount=14

 

Bottom line: If you're concerned mostly with espresso, lattes, cappuccinos and Americano coffees and the premium teas then you'll find them in the classic packages.