Uograde to Premium Beverage Package not worth the money

[drakes2]

Just returned from an 11 night Hawaii cruise on the Ecliise. Included in cruise price was the basic drinks package covering all beverages up to $9 per drink. Since I'm mostly a cabernet wine drinker and enjoy better quality wines I decided to upgrade to the premium package which covers drinks up to $15.  The first few nights I found some decent but not great and certainly not much of a variety of cabernets up to the limit included.  By the fifth night I found the MDR had run out of the Decoy and was trying to substitute the cheaper wines such as Reservado from Chile.  While its not a bad wine I didn't understand why the sommelier would not offer one of their better wines since they had such a limited selection  to choose from. Wait tines in the MDR were long one evening we waited 2 hours and 15 minutes for our entree to appear. When we questioned the waiter he said they were short staffed and kitchen could not keep up.  Maitre D was nowhere to be seen. I gave this cruise a rating of 3 out of 10, the best service I received was from my cabin steward.  This was the first sailing for the Eclipse since March of 2020 and clearly they were nowhere near ready to sail. Food quality was mediocre and was served warm most evenings.  Have done more than  a dozen Celebrity cruises and this was the worst of them all. 

[alyssamma]

27 minutes ago, drakes2 said:

Just returned from an 11 night Hawaii cruise on the Ecliise. Included in cruise price was the basic drinks package covering all beverages up to $9 per drink. Since I'm mostly a cabernet wine drinker and enjoy better quality wines I decided to upgrade to the premium package which covers drinks up to $15.  The first few nights I found some decent but not great and certainly not much of a variety of cabernets up to the limit included.  By the fifth night I found the MDR had run out of the Decoy and was trying to substitute the cheaper wines such as Reservado from Chile.  While its not a bad wine I didn't understand why the sommelier would not offer one of their better wines since they had such a limited selection  to choose from. Wait tines in the MDR were long one evening we waited 2 hours and 15 minutes for our entree to appear. When we questioned the waiter he said they were short staffed and kitchen could not keep up.  Maitre D was nowhere to be seen. I gave this cruise a rating of 3 out of 10, the best service I received was from my cabin steward.  This was the first sailing for the Eclipse since March of 2020 and clearly they were nowhere near ready to sail. Food quality was mediocre and was served warm most evenings.  Have done more than  a dozen Celebrity cruises and this was the worst of them all. 

Sorry you had a bad time. However, I think you really mean the upgrade isn't worth it for *you*.

 

For someone like me who would upgrade to be able to drink Grey Goose it certainly would be worth it. And since the cost is only like $10-12/day, it's kind of a no brainer. I think many others would say the same.

 

In the very specific case you mention above it's not worth it, but in many, many other cases it is.

 

Also, not sure what MDR wait times or food quality have to do with upgrading to premium bev package.

Edited May 12, 2022 by alyssamma

[drakes2]

8 minutes ago, alyssamma said:

Also, not sure what MDR wait times or food quality have to do with upgrading to premium bev package.

It really has nothing to do with upgrading to PVP.  It's just me ranting about a cruise that did not offer a good overall experience to many of their guests, and yes, I heard a lot of complaints from others on various matters.  A lack of decent wines was a major issue. 

[mac_tlc]

Sorry that your cruise was not as good as expected. For me, the upgrade from CBP to PBP is a no brainer. I like bourbon/whiskey and to get Woodford/Bulleit/Buffalo Trace the PBP pays for itself quickly. 

 

We just got off the Oasis of the Seas on Sunday and the liquor selection had a lot to be desired.  Of course, the onboard store had everything........

 

 

mac_tlc

[kmtoner]

Thanks, drakes2. I'm not a big wine drinker but my wife is. She'll be very interested to know that the ships can run low on those premium vineyard selections. When I've seen the bar lists posted here on CC, I have wondered whether there really are enough labels to keep both red wine and white wine lovers happy at a premium level. She's a white wine only gal. Do you happen to know whether the ship ran low on the whites during your sailing?

 

I just hope the inventory is better stocked regarding the bourbon, scotch, gin, and vodka brands that I enjoy. Since I like both brown and clear booze, I'm optimistic that I can get my money's worth. Cheers!

[marieps]

Very sorry for your experience.  We just did the Summit repositioning and there was plenty of Decoy, along with Foley and Cherry Tart Pinot Noir.

 

We found the food and service overall to be very good.  We only had 353 passengers, so it was hard not be be well served.

[drakes2]

5 minutes ago, kmtoner said:

Do you happen to know whether the ship ran low on the whites during your sailing?

They seemed to have a decent variety of whites but one in particular which I enjoy during lunch that pairs well with seafood and chicken was a sauvignon blanc from NZ called Villa Maria.  Whenever I requested it they had to run around to find it from a another bar or restaurant.  Seems to be in high demand.  My issue was offering a wine on the basic package when I made sure they knew I had paid for the premium package. 

[goofysmom99]

I had mostly Louis Jadot Steel chardonnay and Cherry Tart pinot noir in both the MDR and Luminae.  They never ran out and a few times a couple of bottles were delivered to my cabin from F&B Manager.  In the past, I've upgraded to premium just for the brands of scotch.  Premium package works better for me.

[Fly and Sail]

Since it has often been asked, here are the two different menus CLASSIC & PREMIUM.

 

I think as some stated above it depends what you usually drink. At the Martini Bar usually all drinks are made with Grey Goose or Ketel One. And I really wouldn't want to drink a Martini made with Smirnoff or Stolichnaya, maybe Tito's but yeah... $10 really makes the difference here.

[prmssk]

3 minutes ago, Fly and Sail said:

Since it has often been asked, here are the two different menus CLASSIC & PREMIUM.

 

I think as some stated above it depends what you usually drink. At the Martini Bar usually all drinks are made with Grey Goose or Ketel One. And I really wouldn't want to drink a Martini made with Smirnoff or Stolichnaya, maybe Tito's but yeah... $10 really makes the difference here.

 

It absolutely depends what you drink.  I upgrade to premium for the martini bar and the Perrier.  Those two alone are worth the $12 per day upgrade to me.  A little nicer wines at dinner are just a side benefit.

 

I can imagine though that someone who updated for nicer wines would be really disappointed at the lack of supply of those nicer wines on board.  That would be like me upgrading and then finding the martini bar is closed the whole cruise.  I would be quite upset.

[FlorenceItaly]

Remember to specify your premium liquor brand choice or they will serve you the well liquor even though you have premium package.  I've seen it done!

[Cruising89143]

33 minutes ago, Fly and Sail said:

Since it has often been asked, here are the two different menus CLASSIC & PREMIUM.

 

I think as some stated above it depends what you usually drink. At the Martini Bar usually all drinks are made with Grey Goose or Ketel One. And I really wouldn't want to drink a Martini made with Smirnoff or Stolichnaya, maybe Tito's but yeah... $10 really makes the difference here.

Agree 100%. My Dirty Goose would not taste the same with Stoli….🤮🤮🤮😉

[Ommadawn]

33 minutes ago, Fly and Sail said:

Since it has often been asked, here are the two different menus CLASSIC & PREMIUM.

 

I think as some stated above it depends what you usually drink. At the Martini Bar usually all drinks are made with Grey Goose or Ketel One. And I really wouldn't want to drink a Martini made with Smirnoff or Stolichnaya, maybe Tito's but yeah... $10 really makes the difference here.

 

 

Oh, no! I don't see Russian Standard on those lists! 😞

[ChampagneandFanfare]

1 hour ago, kmtoner said:

Thanks, drakes2. I'm not a big wine drinker but my wife is. She'll be very interested to know that the ships can run low on those premium vineyard selections. When I've seen the bar lists posted here on CC, I have wondered whether there really are enough labels to keep both red wine and white wine lovers happy at a premium level. She's a white wine only gal. Do you happen to know whether the ship ran low on the whites during your sailing?

 

I just hope the inventory is better stocked regarding the bourbon, scotch, gin, and vodka brands that I enjoy. Since I like both brown and clear booze, I'm optimistic that I can get my money's worth. Cheers!

Hi kmtoner - I was on the same cruise (first Hawaii) and there were events where some of the white wines were not available. Almost everyone seemed to push the Seeker as a substitute. In MDR it seemed to be impossible to get Mer Soleil but once in the lounge by Merano they gave me it but made it seem like it was a very special event and not what I should have been offered regularly. My husband had a similar experience with the red wines. 

[ChampagneandFanfare]

BTW, One of the things that we noticed most regarding wine was the Cellar Masters. Gone are the high end wines (via the dispensers) and really very little offerings in general by the glass. It seemed the locale was pretty much wasted space because it was hard to get service some nights and what they offered wasn't stellar. This was the first cruise we took with Celebrity since end of 2018, so I am not sure when the loss of the dispensers in Cellar Masters occurred. 

[5waldos]

Bombay Sapphire East did it for me- but I only paid about $8.50 per day to upgrade. No idea why but it seemed worth while. I also rather like the Cherry Tart so that is a decent start. And since I paid for the upgrade months ago it seems free now. 

[hiccups]

54 minutes ago, TMFTL said:

Going on Celebrity Eclipse in a few weeks fingers crossed.  

 

As an elite member (from Royal C) I'm confused on how to get the premium drink package with a discount.  Can someone please explain this.

 

Thanks

Either you or your TA need to call Celebrity to get the discount.  You can purchase the upgrade through the Cruise Planner, but it won’t have the discount.

Edited May 12, 2022 by hiccups

[drakes2]

13 minutes ago, hiccups said:

Either you or your TA need to call Celebrity to get the discount.  You can purchase the upgrade through the Cruise Planner, but it won’t have the discount.

I called Celebrity directly to get the 10% Elite discount.  I quite often frequented the World Class Bar while on the Eclipse.  Not as busy as the Martini bar, therefore, seating was always available.  They make some fantastic drinks with some unique ingredients.  The El Don Julio was my favorite. 

[patty1955]

1 hour ago, FlorenceItaly said:

Remember to specify your premium liquor brand choice or they will serve you the well liquor even though you have premium package.  I've seen it done!

and keep an eye on the sommelier. We found on our last Caribbean cruise, the sommelier would bring the cheapest wine when we'd ask him to choose for us even though we were had the premium package. Now we choose for ourselves. 

[FlorenceItaly]

7 minutes ago, patty1955 said:

and keep an eye on the sommelier. We found on our last Caribbean cruise, the sommelier would bring the cheapest wine when we'd ask him to choose for us even though we were had the premium package. Now we choose for ourselves. 

Thank you for this!  I have premium and will choose on my own.

[cdaloia]

Did the upgrade to premium package just increase? I am seeing 16.80 a day now?  Was $12.  

[alyssamma]

4 minutes ago, cdaloia said:

Did the upgrade to premium package just increase? I am seeing 16.80 a day now?  Was $12.  

From their FAQ...

 

 

Where did you see $16.80?

[cdaloia]

I saw the increase to upgrade to premium When I went to manage my reservation on website. 

Edited May 13, 2022 by cdaloia

[markeb]

47 minutes ago, patty1955 said:

and keep an eye on the sommelier. We found on our last Caribbean cruise, the sommelier would bring the cheapest wine when we'd ask him to choose for us even though we were had the premium package. Now we choose for ourselves. 

 

So what if the premium is simply overpriced and the classic is actually a better wine? Should the sommelier just bring the more expensive wine even when they feel it's not the better wine? Price is only an indicator of quality, or match to your meal, to a point. Would you choose the more expensive wine simply because it's more expensive?

[Silkroad]

4 hours ago, drakes2 said:

Have done more than  a dozen Celebrity cruises and this was the worst of them all. 

I would have to say I agree with you when I consider the Premium (and above) wine selection on my recent cruise on Equinox. I like a nice Cakebread Cab on occasion, but it was not available anywhere on my 12-night cruise. Neither were several Premium Cabs and Sauvignon Blancs. They were also unable to supply large bottles of Evian and Acqua Panna for most of the cruise. However, my DH was able to find acceptable beers (Leffe, Franziskaner, Sam Adams, Guinness) and we were both able to obtain cocktails made with Premium spirits. We barely break even on the Premium package, so I do hope Celebrity ups their wine game before our next cruise!

Edited May 13, 2022 by Silkroad