drinks package question

[ennjay]

New Celebrity cruiser, thinking about booking a summer cruise with the family.  I'm trying to decide whether to book with the "Always Included" or without (it's an option) -- I'm the only alcohol drinker in the family currently which plays a role in whether the package is worth it (yes, I know it also includes wifi & tips). But I had questions about the drinks packages:

 

1) If you have Always Included and one person wants to upgrade to the Premium bev pckg, is that allowed, or do they require every adult in the cabin to do so?

2) If you don't have Always Included and one person wants to purchase a beverage package but the others don't (two in the cabin being minors, and the other a non-drinker), is that allowed? Or again, are both adults in the cabin required to? (I assume the kids are not required!)  I've cruised other cruise lines before (NCL and RCCL) and I think they all have different rules about this, so I wanted to check. 

 

Thanks in advance!

[DaKahuna]

7 minutes ago, ennjay said:

1) If you have Always Included and one person wants to upgrade to the Premium bev pckg, is that allowed, or do they require every adult in the cabin to do so?

yes, you can individually upgrade the beverage package

 

7 minutes ago, ennjay said:

2) If you don't have Always Included and one person wants to purchase a beverage package but the others don't (two in the cabin being minors, and the other a non-drinker), is that allowed? Or again, are both adults in the cabin required to? (I assume the kids are not required!)  I've cruised other cruise lines before (NCL and RCCL) and I think they all have different rules about this, so I wanted to check. 

yes, Celebrity allows only on person in the room to purchase a beverage package.

 

 

[chemmo]

The classic package isn’t just about alcohol. It does include  sodas, a really decent coffee range, non-alcoholic fruity cocktails, bottled water etc so your better half may still get some benefit from a package. Also cost wise if you add up these non-alcoholic drinks they are not cheap. There is also (I think) a premium non-alcoholic package your better half may be able to swap to once on board. Hopefully someone else can confirm this…If you go the the web site and check out the different packages it may help you decide.

 

Depending on what your children drink also is worth considering. When our son was really small he would be happy with milk and juices that were free but then as he got older he enjoyed having a soda package. There is also a kids package which includes things like smoothies.
 

All you can really do is a quick calculation on how many drinks (including bottled water, coffee etc) each of you would have a day and then work out from there. Don’t forget to add in speciality pre breakfast coffee on the balcony and bottled water to take on excursions etc…
 

I think many guests simply enjoy boarding knowing they can ‘have what they want when they want it’ without worrying about bills at the end! 
 

Personally we would hate to cruise now without a drinks package….Do we always on a daily basis break even? We are not big drinkers but most days I think we do….Do we enjoy ordering cocktails etc we have never tried before knowing if we don’t like them we can just order something else. In the pre drinks package days we would just stick to things we knew we liked!

 

Whatever you choose, I hope you and your family have a great Celebrity cruise!
 

 

 

[LB_NJ]

We are also not big drinkers however we got the always included because of the other drinks that are included as chemmo talked about.  If we didn't have the Always Included we would probably buy one of the Non-Alcoholic packages so the Always included was an easy choice. 

 

I am not sure how this all prices out with children in the same cabin however, again as chemmo states your children might not be happy with what is included in the basic fare.

[papaflamingo]

Run the numbers with and without and decide.  Example... how much do you really think you'll save if you do the "cruise only" option?  We just got off Reflection.  I upgraded my wife and I to the Premium package.   The convenience was worth it.  On our cruise they simply asked for cabin number and it was charged accordingly, so very convenient. But if you and your kids are buying sodas, water, juices, non alcoholic Pina Coladas, wine, cocktails, beer, coffee and simply giving a room number, your costs may "blow you away."  

One other point.. our friend...through the week, tried a few drinks and wines she didn't like (she can be a bit high maintenance 😜).  She simply set them aside and ordered something different.  Would have been quite expensive if she was dropping $15 plus tip for those drinks. 😱

Edited January 8, 2022 by papaflamingo

[Mark Mary]

My wife and I are not really big drinkers.     When we have sailed without a drink package we generally only purchase a couple of drinks per day.    It's probably because I am price conscious (cheapskate) when on board. 

 

That said -  We booked with the "Always included - Classic Package" this time.    I plan to upgrade to the premium package once on board.    I enjoy good scotch and I found the selection of various scotches to be worth the extra dollars.  Looking forward to trying some of the nice scotches that I haven't tried before.

 

In that regard - I guess Celebrity was successful in encouraging me to drink more.   My cheapskate self will not want to leave anything on the table on this cruise.    Wonder if alcohol kills COVID ? 

[ennjay]

Good point on the non-alcoholic beverages adding up.  My kids aren't big on soda and juice, but they like an occasional virgin pina colada (and would drink bottled water probably), and my wife likes her lattes.  Don't think those are worth the full value of the classic package, though.  But maybe with the AI cost.

 

I think the difference between "simply sail" and AI is around $1200.  It probably is an OK deal, since for a 7-day cruise for 4 people, tips are $434, wifi is... not sure, maybe $150?... and even just one drink package would probably run around $450-500 (I would get some discounts for my status carrying over from Royal)... not sure what we would spend if we bought drinks as we went.  But even if it's a wash, it doesn't necessarily seem the wisest to pay it all upfront, in case of a late cancellation and possibly only getting FCC for it (whereas if you cancelled after final payment with the "simply sail" you wouldn't have to pay that extra $1200 at all).  Meh.

 

Speaking of the wifi, does anyone know, with the Always Included if you have 4 people in your cabin, do you get a 4-device plan?  Or is it just 1 device per cabin?

 

 

 

[George C]

8 hours ago, Mark Mary said:

My wife and I are not really big drinkers.     When we have sailed without a drink package we generally only purchase a couple of drinks per day.    It's probably because I am price conscious (cheapskate) when on board. 

 

That said -  We booked with the "Always included - Classic Package" this time.    I plan to upgrade to the premium package once on board.    I enjoy good scotch and I found the selection of various scotches to be worth the extra dollars.  Looking forward to trying some of the nice scotches that I haven't tried before.

 

In that regard - I guess Celebrity was successful in encouraging me to drink more.   My cheapskate self will not want to leave anything on the table on this cruise.    Wonder if alcohol kills COVID ? 

Premium package has a nice selection of scotch, I occasionally spend a few dollars to upgrade our scotch or wine above limit , but there is a huge selection included, you are on vacation and no driving is involved 😁😁

[DCPIV]

4 hours ago, ennjay said:

wifi is... not sure, maybe $150?

 

I can't get the costs right in front of my, but a standard internet plan for 4 devices will be more like $350 give or take. 

 

If everyone books with AI, everyone gets their own internet plan (1 device, I believe).  Once you back out the wifi and gratuities, the drink package for 4 with AI gets pretty cheap.