New to RCCL - need help planning Anthem cruise

[njaloha]

Hi,

DH and I are Celebrity Suite cruisers who are interested in potentially booking an Anthem cruise. All you experienced RCCL and Anthem Grand Suite cruisers, please I need your help. We're used to the all-inclusive suite experience on X.

 

I just called RCCL and received info on cost of beverage packages. Holy cow!!!! $600 bucks for an 11-night cruise for a booze/beverage pkg? That's insane.

 

Refreshment Package is $286 for the 11-night, but with this pkg all our booze would be available in Diamond Lounge or Concierge Club, right? Now at meals, we can order a drink but we'd have to pay ala carte for it if we are on the Refreshment pkg?

 

Bottom line, Do we really need a package if we're Diamond and in a Grand Suite? I'm considering just the refreshment pkg so we have water, soda, juice, coffee, tea.

 

If this has been hashed to death in other threads, my apologies. I've tried searching other threads and have had no luck finding info.

 

thanks

:D

[Biker19]

Refreshment Package is $286 for the 11-night, but with this pkg all our booze would be available in Diamond Lounge or Concierge Club, right? Now at meals, we can order a drink but we'd have to pay ala carte for it if we are on the Refreshment pkg?

:D

Only during happy hour.

Yes, though on some ships they allow use of D drinks in the MDR during happy hour.

 

The refreshment package does nothing to help with alcoholic drinks.

[Clarea]

... I'm considering just the refreshment pkg so we have water, soda, juice, coffee, tea. ...

Not exactly sure what you mean, but these beverages are included with your basic cruise fare, no packages needed: tap water, coffee, hot tea, iced tea, lemonade, milk, juices at breakfast.

[Merion_Mom]

Only during happy hour.

Yes, though on some ships they allow use of D drinks in the MDR during happy hour.

 

At least as of February, Anthem is not one of them.

[njaloha]

Not exactly sure what you mean, but these beverages are included with your basic cruise fare, no packages needed: tap water, coffee, hot tea, iced tea, lemonade, milk, juices at breakfast.

 

 

 

Bottled water. Premium coffee.

 

 

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[Biker19]

^ you can get a coffee card for that.

[njaloha]

^ you can get a coffee card for that.

 

 

 

And how much is that please?

 

 

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[Biker19]

At least as of February, Anthem is not one of them.

I guess one needs to stop at Boleros on the way in then.

[Merion_Mom]

Hi,

DH and I are Celebrity Suite cruisers who are interested in potentially booking an Anthem cruise. All you experienced RCCL and Anthem Grand Suite cruisers, please I need your help. We're used to the all-inclusive suite experience on X.

 

I just called RCCL and received info on cost of beverage packages. Holy cow!!!! $600 bucks for an 11-night cruise for a booze/beverage pkg? That's insane.

 

Refreshment Package is $286 for the 11-night, but with this pkg all our booze would be available in Diamond Lounge or Concierge Club, right? Now at meals, we can order a drink but we'd have to pay ala carte for it if we are on the Refreshment pkg?

 

Bottom line, Do we really need a package if we're Diamond and in a Grand Suite? I'm considering just the refreshment pkg so we have water, soda, juice, coffee, tea.

 

If this has been hashed to death in other threads, my apologies. I've tried searching other threads and have had no luck finding info.

 

thanks

:D

 

The Concierge Lounge has its "free cocktails" happy hours for three and a half hours every night. (although I read somewhere recently that they have just increased this - on Anthem only - to four hours). Compare that to Celebrity where the time is two hours per night plus no happy hours at all on two of the nights of your cruise.

 

The list is limited, as it is on Celebrity, although the lists are not the same on the two cruise lines.

 

You can carry out your drinks (for instance, to take a drink to dinner with you) on the Anthem, which I was never permitted to do on Celebrity.

 

If you are really going to book a cruise on the Anthem, you may find that the deluxe beverage package goes on sale in your Cruise Planner.

 

If you want to compare prices, you need to add the price of the deluxe beverage package to the fare you are looking at for the Grand Suite on Anthem for the actual cruise you are pricing, then look at the price for whatever suite you would book on a Celebrity cruise, and see how that comes out, rather than being shocked by separate prices.

[Clarea]

^ you can get a coffee card for that.

Not sure if that covers bottled water.

[Biker19]

And how much is that please?

$31 +18% for 15 coffees.

 

You can bring a case of water with you.

[Merion_Mom]

I guess one needs to stop at Boleros on the way in then.

It depends on where you are eating and which Lounge you are using.

 

:)

 

Carrying out from the Lounge is the easiest thing to do.

 

Boleros is close to the MDR.

 

The pool bar is the closest to CK.

 

:)

[Merion_Mom]

And how much is that please?

 

 

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$31 plus 18% gratuity for 15 coffees.

[Clarea]

And how much is that please?

I believe around $31 plus 18% for 15 coffees. However, I suggest you purchase this onboard after confirming how many punches they will use for the coffee size you intend to order. Some ships require mulitiple punches for larger sizes.

[Merion_Mom]

Not sure if that covers bottled water.

It certainly does not. It covers coffee. :)

[138east]

It depends on where you are eating and which Lounge you are using.

 

:)

 

Carrying out from the Lounge is the easiest thing to do.

 

Boleros is close to the MDR.

 

The pool bar is the closest to CK.

 

:)

And the Casino Bar is close to Grand and Chic MDR's on Deck 3. Boleros works for Silk and American Icon (Deck 4 MDR's).

 

Also the Diamond and Concierge lounges have cappuccino machines. If you don't use your coupons directly at bars, you can use them to get water and sodas during the cocktail time.

[Merion_Mom]

And the Casino Bar is close to Grand and Chic MDR's on Deck 3. Boleros works for Silk and American Icon (Deck 4 MDR's).

Yes, but the smokers keep me far away from the Casino Bar. I know that this doesn't bother you, but it does me. ;)

[njaloha]

The Concierge Lounge has its "free cocktails" happy hours for three and a half hours every night. (although I read somewhere recently that they have just increased this - on Anthem only - to four hours). Thanks for this info!. Compare that to Celebrity where the time is two hours per night plus no happy hours at all on two of the nights of your cruise. I'm not concerned with this comparison because as a suite cruiser on Celebrity I have access to Michaels Club all day, Premium Beverage Pkg included so booze booze booze all day long wherever on the ship I want to get it, at a bar, in the buffet, at Luminae, in Michael's Club as many as we want. weeeeeee! ugh. Coffee at Cafe Al Bacio, Bottled Evian anywhere, pool drinks at the pool.

 

The list is limited, as it is on Celebrity, although the lists are not the same on the two cruise lines. No limited list in Michaels or in suites restaurant or in bars. Remember I'm in a suite on Celebrity.

You can carry out your drinks (for instance, to take a drink to dinner with you) on the Anthem, which I was never permitted to do on Celebrity. We carried out of Michael's all the time.

If you are really going to book a cruise on the Anthem, you may find that the deluxe beverage package goes on sale in your Cruise Planner. Good to know

 

If you want to compare prices, you need to add the price of the deluxe beverage package to the fare you are looking at for the Grand Suite on Anthem for the actual cruise you are pricing, then look at the price for whatever suite you would book on a Celebrity cruise, and see how that comes out, rather than being shocked by separate prices. And my spreadsheet is being updated as soon as I'm done posting this!!! :) It just may be that I book Celebrity and have to fly to Florida. Looking for options so I don't have to fly.

 

See comments in blue above, thanks.

[njaloha]

$31 +18% for 15 coffees.

 

You can bring a case of water with you.

 

Oh Goodness! That would cover DH for ...... calculating ....... 5 days. ;p;p;p

[lovescats5]

If you want all inclusive book a suite that is Star Class. You will get all the speciality restaurants, the ultimate drink package, internet, and anything else the genie can do for you. You might check out the perkes that come with the Sea and Sky Class. They might have some of the perkes you are looking for also.

[srdancer]

On our 12 day cruise DH got a refreshment package on 30% off sale before the cruise. He doesn't drink much alcohol so just ordered by the drink and paid with obc. I don't drink alcohol or even coffee. I ordered a water package - 12 one liter bottles of Evian (still, not bubbly) for $39 + 18%. They also have a 6 bottle option. I also ordered a case of 24 cans of diet coke for our minibar for $40 + 18%. Took them to meals, no problem.

[njaloha]

If you want all inclusive book a suite that is Star Class. You will get all the speciality restaurants, the ultimate drink package, internet, and anything else the genie can do for you. You might check out the perkes that come with the Sea and Sky Class. They might have some of the perkes you are looking for also.

 

Thanks. However, the Star Class Suite experience is WAY out of my budget. Grand Suite is close but still pricey when I add the gratuities and bvg packages - for comparison to Sky Suite on Celebrity where grats, bvg pkg, internet and OBC ($300) are included.

 

11-night Anthem 1/27/20 Grand Suite $6900 plus 2 bvg pkgs at $55/p/d = $1200 plus tips and suddenly that fare jumps to $8500.

Celebrity Reflection out of Ft Lauderdale - 10 nights same ports $6400 4 perks included - $300 OBC, grats, internet, premium beverage pkg (reg priced at $65/p/d) for a total of $6400. Assume I have no costs to fly, using points.

 

So even if you reduce the cost of the Anthem cruise by one day since it's 11-nights and REflection is 10, the total would still be $1300 more than the Reflection.

 

All NRD fares, and the 2020 fare on the Anthem Grand Suite is about $2500 less than the fare for 2019, so I thought I'd investigate and see what's what. Compare.

 

AND I think I'm just going to book a 7-night on Celebrity Equinox Western Caribbean ($5500) which would be the ports I really want. Will just have to suck it up and fly. Ugh. ;p

Edited April 16, 2018 by njaloha
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