Bev Package Upgrade

[canadianont]

Is is possible to upgrade in advance of getting onboard? Sailing on the Silhoutee next week and have the classic package through the 123 Promo and want to upgrade to the premium package. Hoping to upgrade while still on land so that we can pay for the upgrade in Canadian $$$.

[4powells]

Is is possible to upgrade in advance of getting onboard? Sailing on the Silhoutee next week and have the classic package through the 123 Promo and want to upgrade to the premium package. Hoping to upgrade while still on land so that we can pay for the upgrade in Canadian $$$.

 

Well, you can upgrade in advance, but if you want, you can use OBC to pay for it.

[4powells]

Well, you can upgrade in advance, but if you want, you can use OBC to pay for it.

 

By waiting until the cruise, I meant.

[isnowman]

If you pay for the upgrade to the premium package months before sailing do you get charged any tax. I would like to save my OBC credit for other things.

Thanks

[4powells]

If you pay for the upgrade to the premium package months before sailing do you get charged any tax. I would like to save my OBC credit for other things.

Thanks

 

Yes, you do.

[Iamthesea]

The ink isn't the issue, it is the mag strip. Ours stopped working properly after 10 days or so, door and bars. Overuse and or exposure to the magnetic closure on my iPad. No big deal, a 5-minute reissue at Guest Services.

 

 

If I wait until I get onboard to upgrade my Non-Alcoholic Classic package to the Non-alcoholic Premium package, I know that a sticker will be put on my card. Can I take that card and get a new issue that has the package listed on the actual card? I just can't decide if I should call ahead and have this changed, or wait until I board and use some of my OBC to make the switch.

[ORV]

If you pay for the upgrade to the premium package months before sailing do you get charged any tax. I would like to save my OBC credit for other things.

Thanks

 

Yes, you do.

 

I don't think this is right. You pay gratuities, but not tax if you pay in advance. Tax only comes in when you upgrade in a port.

[4powells]

I don't think this is right. You pay gratuities, but not tax if you pay in advance. Tax only comes in when you upgrade in a port.

 

You may be right. I thought i read somewhere that the best time to upgrade was after you had left port and could avoid paying the taxes then.

[schlocklate]

How and where do you upgrade online ahead of time?

[GottaKnowWhen]

How and where do you upgrade online ahead of time?

 

Go to the Celebrity website. If you haven't already, create a sign-in (name, password etc). Once you are set up, then log in, look for the button that says Manage My Reservation. You'll need your reservation number. Once you are into this part of the system, you can buy excursions, drink packages or package upgrades, buy gifts, etc. For example, before my recent cruise I bought valentine flowers for my wife and two bottles of wine to be delivered to our stateroom.

 

Or, if you have a travel agent, you tell him/her what you want and they go through this process for you.

 

Any charges go against the credit card you specify when you do your sign up. And it does not need to be the same card you tell them you'll use onboard.

[monicajay]

If you pay for the upgrade to the premium package months before sailing do you get charged any tax. I would like to save my OBC credit for other things.

Thanks

 

We have done this on both of our Celebrity cruises by phoning the cruise line. No tax was paid and the currency exchange rate to CAD was better than if we had waited and done it on board.

 

I would have a hard time doing just the classic after 2 cruises with the premium. In fact, I would have a hard time doing a cruise without a beverage package. So much more relaxing and vacation like than signing for each drink and thinking about the price of things.

[El Gran Crucero]

Heck of a good idea, packing tape!

While I'm no spring chicken, my previous Celebrity cruise in 2014 was my first with a drink package...and, of course, I went premium. Word of advice: You're paying for the luxurious super-convenience. Enjoy the liquor, the fancy waters, the foofy coffee drinks, milkshakes and what-not. I suggest you NOT try and "Beat the drink package" though! Speaking out of experience here.:(

Edited March 19, 2015 by El Gran Crucero
Want to add more info.

[Iamthesea]

Heck of a good idea, packing tape!

 

Thank you! I also take strips of Duct tape for emergencies, or to hold down the button on the hairdryer. I cut several 6" or so strips and layer them on a non-stick card. When I need a strip, I just pull off what I need. I think I will layer a few pieces of the packing tape on the other side of the card. ;)

[Ma Bell]

I would never put duct tape on anything that wasn't my property.

[Iamthesea]

It's a tiny strip about 1" long and 1/2" wide. Just enough to cover the button. I always remove and clean the area when we leave. If I did not hold the button down with tape, I would not be able to use the provided hairdryer. I have even arrived in the staterooms to find that someone else had used and left duct tape on the hairdryer. It's a widely used trick for CC'rs.;)

Edited March 19, 2015 by Iamthesea

[CruisinCrow]

Curious why you had to get new cards during the cruise? Was it because the ink wore off? That happened to us on our 11 night cruise. By the end, you could barely make out the wording on the card, but they seemed to scan fine. I am going to take a roll of package tape on the next cruise and place a layer of tape over the card.:)

 

This happened to my husband. He must have had sunscreen on his hands and all the ink smeared right off! They made him get a new card because you couldn't read his name or folio number.

[Ma Bell]

It's a tiny strip about 1" long and 1/2" wide. Just enough to cover the button. I always remove and clean the area when we leave. If I did not hold the button down with tape, I would not be able to use the provided hairdryer. I have even arrived in the staterooms to find that someone else had used and left duct tape on the hairdryer. It's a widely used trick for CC'rs.;)

 

Yes, I'm aware of that.

[cjmayes51]

Called two weeks ago to upgrade Classic to Premium-did with a CSR over the phone - 10 day cruise was $118.00 per person- no sales tax charged . Charlie

[Iamthesea]

cjmayes51Called two weeks ago to upgrade Classic to Premium-did with a CSR over the phone - 10 day cruise was $118.00 per person- no sales tax charged . Charlie

 

Was this with the Alcoholic or Non-Alcoholic package?

[cjmayes51]

Premium Alcoholic :) Charlie

[vulcan1971]

Greetings

 

As per the sales tax on the upgrade I have noticed the following when sailing out of Florida: If you upgrade while still in port at a bar AND they run your SeaPass card and give you a printed receipt to sign then the computer automatically adds the sales tax (that's what the terminals are programmed to do on purchases while in port). If you upgrade while still in port at one of the tables set up around the ship they hand write you a receipt to sign then they enter the info into the computers at a later time and no sales tax is charged. Again this is just what I have seen.

 

Good Sailing

Tom

I think you've got it exactly right.

 

Agreed! The accounting elves are hard at work at night to tabulate and post your charges to your shipboard accounts.

[phoenix_dream]

On the topic of upgrading packages, can you upgrade from the non-alcohol package to the classic package while onboard? I am third in our cabin so did not get the Classic assigned (figured DH and DS would make better use of it than me). Not sure if I want to upgrade, but want to know if I can use the amount of that package as a credit towards an alcohol package if I decide I want to?

[vulcan1971]

Curious why you had to get new cards during the cruise? Was it because the ink wore off? That happened to us on our 11 night cruise. By the end, you could barely make out the wording on the card, but they seemed to scan fine. I am going to take a roll of package tape on the next cruise and place a layer of tape over the card.:)

 

On my 2013 Reflection Transatlantic, I must have used my card A LOT :D:eek:;) because the ink on the front did mostly wear off before the end of my cruise (15 days). You could barely make out that I had beverage package, let alone that it was the Premium Alcohol package. On a number of different occasions after ordering a drink at the bar, the server would put a black bill holder down next to my beverage. I'd open it up and see that there was an actual receipt where he was going to charge me for a beverage that was covered by my package. At that point, I would need to remind the bartender that I had a package. He would go check and scan my card and ultimately see that I did have a package and then proceed to remove the charge from my account. This happened about 5 or 6 times that cruise. I should have gone to Guest Services to get a new card, but I didn't. Next time I will do it if the ink starts coming off. I would check each evening before bed to see that any errors were corrected so I didn't have to make a trip down to Guest Services.

 

What I learned about this process is that if the server (or bartender) does not clearly see the pre-printed ink, they will automatically proceed with charging you for the drink and bringing you a slip to sign until you either say something to them or they become familiar with you as a regular customer.

 

Case in point, I was at Cafe al Bacio every day (and sometime 2 or 3 times). The staff there all knew me and my partner well.... mostly because of our non-routine orders (and because we were really nice and actually talked to the staff).

Edited March 20, 2015 by vulcan1971

[vulcan1971]

I don't think this is right. You pay gratuities, but not tax if you pay in advance. Tax only comes in when you upgrade in a port.

 

This has been my experience and I usually upgrade pre-cruise.

[rkeate0804]

Just upgraded from classic to premium yesterday and it was 82.60 for 7 days....only 18% gratuity and no taxes....did it with my TA but can also be done with celebrity directly