Drinks Packages....are they worth it?

[HoganUK]

Hi All,

 

The obvious answer to this is "it depends how much you drink".

 

But, i embark on my first Celebrity Cruise on 28th November from Miami, i am just pondering to see if its worthwhile added a drinks package.

 

Premium drinks package id $65 per per person day, or $910 for the full 7 nights.

 

Has anyone any experience of booking one? And was it worth it?

 

Thanks!

 

Craig

[sound_guy0918]

We got the basic package as a 1-2-3 Go perk...and loved it. Neither of us drink a lot of alcohol anymore, but I enjoyed as many O'Doul's by the pool as I wanted and my wife enjoyed a glass-and-a-half of wine at dinner...all without worrying about the cost.

 

That being said, I would never be able to drink enough to justify the brochure price for the packages.

 

The Premium package is really dependent on your taste for those labels.

 

The best part of the package was handing your stateroom key to the server or bartender, and they hand it back with a drink. No signature required, no gratuity slip, nothing but a smile. Clearly Celebrity is making sure they get their share of tips, so the service was always excellent.

[ClaudiaB]

There are people on cruise critic who have itemized their typical daily intake of all beverages. For some of them, it's a no-brainer. The premium alcohol is worth it because they come out ahead.

 

It would never be something we'd purchase. We have our first included beverage package in November and a lot of OBC and we plan to upgrade just for the cost of a single martini a day.

 

On all our other cruises we have *maybe* had a bill of about $450 in extra drink purchases on a 10-14 day cruise, and that includes a few bottles of wine and a martini or two every day. We don't drink coffee at all and don't drink alcohol at all during the day, so unless it's included we will never purchase it.

 

But if people like espresso with a shot in the a.m. and some beer, umbrella drinks, etc. during the day, and wine and cocktails all evening - with coffee drinks throughout the day and after-dinner drinks, then it does add up and it could be worth the purchase.

 

You just have to do the numbers. Imagine a typical sea day and a typical port day and get our your calculator.

 

I would never buy a package just to avoid signing a slip of paper or to not have to think about it, for the convenience. It just isn't that inconvenient to me. Not having to sign anything will be nice I admit but signing for something is definitely (in my opinion) not a reason to buy a package.

[Sandy1975]

IMO, if you can't the package under a promotion, you might be better off paying as you go. You can las bring 2 bottles of wine with you and bringing water on board is never a problem, just put a luggage tag on it.

 

I would never be able to justify buying one.

[POA1]

Try to find a current list of drink prices and see what it would normally cost you. Don't base your calculation on what you have spent elsewhere, because Celebrity's prices are probably different. You'll also have to factor in the 18% service charge, unless that's included in the drink costs you're using for comparison.

[greydog]

On a port-intensive cruise your off the ship time reduces opportunity to take advantage of a drink pkg. Try going pay-by-drink the first couple days and check if your spending is over/under the drink pkg cost.

 

A couple bars offer a few drinks for half price around 4-6pm - Loss of Words is nice cocktail - they can adjust for less/more sweet. Daily bulletin will indicate where half-price promo is or ask.

 

If you buy the pay-4-get-5 bucket of beer just drink 1-2? and take others back to cabin. Either chill in refrig or take unopened warm bottle to swap for cold at bar you bought bucket.

 

We would never benefit paying for the drink pkg separately ($55/65 pp) but do enjoy it under the BBB pricing bundle. There it is alternative to $150 pp onboard credit choice, so if you'd drink (including waters, fancy coffees) more than ($150 / 7) $21.43 daily its worthwhile.

 

If you take say $200 sr, mil, residency pp discount instead of bev pkg in BBB perk price, then your opportunity cost of pay-as-go for drinks changes to spending less than ($200 / 7) $28.57 per day out-of-pocket. HAPPY CRUISING

[bigbenboys]

I dont think we would ever buy the drink package out right. It is nice with the 123go promo or the BBB. As we go to the Elite events. We get plenty of drinks. We have had the drink package on our last 2 cruises. It is just nice not to have to sign or get a receipt. Is it worth the cost no. Getting OBC as a perk would cover all my drinks bought onboard.

[dewesd]

For us it was a no brainier, and we upgrade to the premium every trip. Espresso coffee in the morning, bottled water as you leave the ship in port, a drink or 2 pool side when you come back, a cocktail or cappuccino before dinner and a glass of wine with dinner that never empties. Then if your off to the show, a drink while relaxing during the entertainment. It adds up quickly, and if you enjoy a premium vodka or whiskey, it adds up faster.

[flames9]

On both our 2 celebrity sailings, we had the "free" classic pkg. Both cruises were around 2 weeks in duration and very port intensive. We drank plenty of specialty coffees, beer, rum/coke.....and at the end of the cruise, when I added up the total drink bill.....would have been better off to pay as we go. many times I just got a drink (beer, rum/coke..coffee) just to get 1, as it was "free" not that I really wanted one. But you have to know ur own drinking style.....one can wait until you get on the ship to purchase a pkg

[K.T.B.]

If you get it as a perk and then upgrade to the premium once on board, it's worth it. But if you're paying for it in full and you're not someone who "drinks a lot", then probably not. You're more likely to get more bang for your buck by paying as you go, or even getting the Soda Package. And Sandy1975 nailed it in terms of what you can bring on board to offset some costs.

[mafig]

We have it for the first time on our upcoming cruise.

 

If it wasn't included, we wouldn't get it.

 

Great idea for the bucket of beer to exchange the warm one for a cold one at the bar .... never would have thought of that.:)

[maggie.1008]

Years ago we could get our monies worth but not now. We are Elite Plus so Happy Hour and free coffee `s covers most. We use our OBC for wine with dinner. If you drink most of the day and want waters and coffee than the package would be worthwhile. We have 1 2 3 on our next cruise and the package is included, but it won`t change our drinking habits.

[sarnold2245]

We bought the premium on our last cruise and I wanted to say between the two of us we came out even. You can see all your drink charges on your folio at the end of the trip and I had ~50 drinks durning the 7 day so came out on top by just a little. My gf had about 40 and was a little below so we lost money on that. Keep in mind we had 3 full days at sea so you definitely drink more on Those. It was nice not worrying about your bill. My next cruise on the summit this weekend we got the basic package and I plan on upgrading to premium. Th gf is going to see if the classic will cut it for her

[stratixman]

This has go to be one of the most frequently discussed topics. Asked so often it ought to merit a sticky. ANyway the simple answer is it deepends basically on what you consume and how much.

 

Somewhere somebody had created and posted a spreadsheet to help cruisers calculate the relative values of the packages based on guestimated consumption. I don't have the link but doing a search of the forum probably would turn it up. Keep in mind that the packages do cover more than alcoholic beverages - specialty coffees, fresh juice, soda drinks, bottled water, etc. - so be sure to factor that into your assessment. Here is a link to a recent very well written article specifically assessing Celebrity's packages.

 

http://www.savoredjourneys.com/2015/06/is-the-beverage-package-worth-it-on-a-cruise/

 

From my perspective I would first determine whether the classic package might be justifiable. If it is then I think it is a no brainer to pay the extra upgrade to the premium package at a cost per day of $11:80 ($10.00 upcharge plus 18% gratuity). Why? Because premium cocktails (martini bar and world bar for example) aren't covered by the the classic package and I frankly find the wines by the glass included in the classic package to be pretty pedestrian. Just one premium drink per day ort a better wine choice makes up the difference in the upgrade cost. Also bear in mind that drinks that exceed the covered prices in the classic package are charged at full value, whereas drinks that exceed the covered prices in the premium package are only charged the additional cost over package limit plus gratuity amount.

 

Disregarding the aspect of whether one actually breaks even or comes out ahead by buying a package there are other, more subjective aspects worth considering: not having to sign bar chits every time one orders a drink, being able to try different drinks one might not normally try due to fear of wasting money on something you might not like, and not stressing over whether one has exceeded their daily budget for refreshments if they aren't on a package.

[snowyboy]

Hi All,

 

The obvious answer to this is "it depends how much you drink".

 

But, i embark on my first Celebrity Cruise on 28th November from Miami, i am just pondering to see if its worthwhile added a drinks package.

 

Premium drinks package id $65 per per person day, or $910 for the full 7 nights.

 

Has anyone any experience of booking one? And was it worth it?

 

Thanks!

 

Craig

 

I found a drinks package from 2014 calculator work it out for yourself.

Celebrity Drink PKG Selector 2014.xls

[schlimazel_traveler]

I would consider getting the Premium Non-Alcoholic package if I didn't have a package included as a perk. I've purchased a soda package on previous cruises, but after having the Classic alcohol package as a perk on my last cruise, I did appreciate the bottled water, iced coffee drinks, and virgin bar drinks enough that I'd probably spring for the upgraded NA package. Although I would probably pay less with pay-as-you-go.

[wallie5446]

Hi All,

 

The obvious answer to this is "it depends how much you drink".

 

But, i embark on my first Celebrity Cruise on 28th November from Miami, i am just pondering to see if its worthwhile added a drinks package.

 

Premium drinks package id $65 per per person day, or $910 for the full 7 nights.

 

Has anyone any experience of booking one? And was it worth it?

 

Thanks!

 

Craig

 

It will all depend on just how 'adventurist' you want to be while on your vacation.

 

The better wines will run $8-$14 a glass.

 

The craft beers run $7-$35 each.

 

And then you have the wonderful Martini Bar, and the new World Bar where things run up to $18 each.

 

Here is my "RUFF" run down of a day with a drink pkg on another thread

 

For us at least, the package was not just about drinks that would make us not remember the cruise! It was everything else that the pkg includes.

 

A specialty coffee each on the balcony while the wifester is putting on her face, $5 ea.

 

Evian or San Pellegrino with fresh squeezed juice with that second coffee at breakfast, $15 ea.

 

Grab a bottle water on the way to stake out a deck chair, $4 ea.

$24 each before any mind altering liquid is consumed.

 

A beer or the drink of the day by the pool, $6 ea

Then off to lunch, maybe a soda, or another San Pellegrino $5 ea

The sun is hot hot hot! A cold beer or drink of the day is in order, $6 ea

The burger at the Mast Grill is calling our names, it does not go down with out some liquid assistance, $5 ea, then it is time to meet friends to watch the sun set from the Sunset Bar, $6 ea. Afternoon total $28.

And the evening fun has yet to begin.

San Pellegrino and a couple of glasses of wine with dinner, and another speciality coffee with desert, $26 ea

Now it is time for some mind altering sampling to happen, or not A cocktail with friends at one of the watering holes on ship $7 ea, or 2 if we are letting our hair down!

One more bottle water on the way back to the cabin just in case we get thirsty during the night, $4. Evening total, $44.

Morning, $24, day, $28, evening $44, total $96.00 each using the low end of the cost scale and not much mind altering substance.

Some evening's we will grab another coffee ( or worse) and go and sit on deck 5 to unwind, listen to the swoosh of the waves gently breaking down the side of the ship before heading to the cabin.

 

Depends on how you make use of the package.

 

We have upgraded to the Premium on our last 2 cruises. Our friends stayed with the Classic and were fine. I like the Craft beer selection, the wine the wifester drank last yr was $14.00 a glass x 3 @ dinner = $42.00 without a pkg every dinner.

 

ps: we did the 11 day Equinox last Nov, upgraded to the Premium pkg, and our 'tab' for 9 pages of 'drinks' was $3.75 ( plus the $130 ea cost to upgrade )

[rjrpar]

I think the best (and only) answer is your first sentence.

[GUT2407]

I think the best (and only) answer is your first sentence.

 

Yep.:D

[GUT2407]

I always get a non alcoholic package.

 

Convenience is great.

 

Not having to worry will I have a drink or save a few $?

 

Being able to try something new not worrying what about waste if I don't like it?

 

They are also reasons DW often gets one.

 

But for me the clincher is that I usually reach break even about a third of the way into the cruise.

[dmccue]

I have made an Updated drink package calculator with current 2015 package prices and 18% grats.

 

I purchase the package last time and have booked it for my next cruise as I see the value in it and it is not just about drinking alcohol as it includes nicer coffee from the bars & cafes, bottled water and soft drinks as well.

Celebrity Drink PKG Selector 2014 calculator.xls

[cheeseheads4ever]

So just so I'm clear if yer on the classic pkg and you order a drink that exceeds the price of a classic pkg drink? $10 instead of $8 you pay $10?

Why don't they subtract $10 from $8 and charge you $2?

This makes it all so confusing. But maybe that's what celebrity wants it to be is confusion.

Next question do they have crown,Seagrams 7 and CC. I see none on the list but is it everything that's on the list..please let me know your thoughts..Larry

[ScarlettMLB]

 

For us at least, the package was not just about drinks that would make us not remember the cruise! It was everything else that the pkg includes.

 

A specialty coffee each on the balcony while the wifester is putting on her face, $5 ea.

 

Evian or San Pellegrino with fresh squeezed juice with that second coffee at breakfast, $15 ea.

 

Grab a bottle water on the way to stake out a deck chair, $4 ea.

$24 each before any mind altering liquid is consumed.

 

A beer or the drink of the day by the pool, $6 ea

Then off to lunch, maybe a soda, or another San Pellegrino $5 ea

The sun is hot hot hot! A cold beer or drink of the day is in order, $6 ea

The burger at the Mast Grill is calling our names, it does not go down with out some liquid assistance, $5 ea, then it is time to meet friends to watch the sun set from the Sunset Bar, $6 ea. Afternoon total $28.

And the evening fun has yet to begin.

San Pellegrino and a couple of glasses of wine with dinner, and another speciality coffee with desert, $26 ea

Now it is time for some mind altering sampling to happen, or not A cocktail with friends at one of the watering holes on ship $7 ea, or 2 if we are letting our hair down!

One more bottle water on the way back to the cabin just in case we get thirsty during the night, $4. Evening total, $44.

Morning, $24, day, $28, evening $44, total $96.00 each using the low end of the cost scale and not much mind altering substance.

Some evening's we will grab another coffee ( or worse) and go and sit on deck 5 to unwind, listen to the swoosh of the waves gently breaking down the side of the ship before heading to the cabin.

 

 

I've seen this same rundown on other threads and it's definitely a good way to think of things - it's not just about alcohol. But I also don't think you can just look at this and say "look - I saved ~$30 a day with the package." (Not saying that's the message here, but it could be interpreted that way by others.)

 

First, you have to figure what you would have honestly spent without a package. That's really your basis of comparison. If you wouldn't have ordered premium bottled water at every turn, then it's really not a "savings" - it's a nice perk. So say you would have spent $40 that day on alcohol without the package - you're basically getting all those other drinks for $25. That may absolutely be worth it. But Celebrity still upsold you to get you to buy more drinks - it's not really a "savings."

 

You also have to figure in port days. The example above is a sea day, but a port day may be roll out of bed, throw down some room service coffee at 6 am, go into port, come back late, go to dinner and have a drink or 2 and go right to sleep. Total you would have spent is $25, so the package cost you $40 without any added benefit - and you could have just bought the extra drinks the sea day yourself. Or maybe you spent all your money having drinks and coffee in port and experiencing the local flavor and don't spend a dime on drinks onboard that day at all - but you're still paying for that day in the package.

 

It's a balance of what you would have spent without a package, how much you'd use a package, and how much value you place on being able to go crazy and order drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) that you otherwise wouldn't get to order.

 

We've never had a drinks package and even though we love having 2-3 drinks in the evening most nights, it just doesn't work out economical. I REALLY want to have a package on our upcoming TA honeymoon, but we just can't make the numbers justify the purchase. Unless you're heavy drinkers or you have a free package, I think Celebrity comes out ahead with the packages.

[AtleeH]

I would never get a drinks package if I had to stroke a check for the full amount. I just wouldn't drink that much, especially if it was just the Mrs. and me.

 

Last Jan 2015, we were with a group who did drink a lot of cocktails. None of us had promo drinks packages. I had to watch very carefully how much I rang up on the bar tab. I was able to keep mine down to about 100+ dollars.

 

Much of the same group are going on another cruise this coming January 2016. This time we have the 123!GO! promotion. We could either get a classic drink pkg for each of us or get $200 OBC for the cabin. Bottom line, we are getting a classic drink pkg for $100. Can't beat that deal with a stick.

[wallie5446]

So just so I'm clear if yer on the classic pkg and you order a drink that exceeds the price of a classic pkg drink? $10 instead of $8 you pay $10?

Why don't they subtract $10 from $8 and charge you $2?

This makes it all so confusing. But maybe that's what celebrity wants it to be is confusion.

Next question do they have crown,Seagrams 7 and CC. I see none on the list but is it everything that's on the list..please let me know your thoughts..Larry

 

Larry, don't get the drink package. Then you will know that anything you order, you will pay the market cost for. Takes all the guess work out of the equation.