"Small" Drinks Packages Gone?

[Pipo]

I'm booking a 7-night cruise on Millennium out of Puerto Rico on March. While reviewing the current drinks packages I can only see three options: classic, premium, and zero proof. No soda package, no kids package, no wine packages. Were those actually eliminated or will be available for purchase on board?

 

Thank you for your clarification.

[prmssk]

All of the non-alcohol packages appear to have been consolidated into one option - the Zero Proof package (the premium non-alcohol package with a new name).  This was part of the increase in prices and policy changes regarding drink packages that happened last week.

 

The wine packages disappeared from my cruise planner for our upcoming cruise around the same time so those may have disappeared as well.

[DaKahuna]

1 hour ago, Pipo said:

I'm booking a 7-night cruise on Millennium out of Puerto Rico on March. While reviewing the current drinks packages I can only see three options: classic, premium, and zero proof. No soda package, no kids package, no wine packages. Were those actually eliminated or will be available for purchase on board?

 

Thank you for your clarification.

 

 When I go into "Drinks" under Plan My Cruise .. I see the three drink packages, but underneath those is another section "Drinks Experiences". which has the win and other packages. 

 

 

[Oxo]

Drink package increase. 

 

Celebrity Cruises Makes Significant Beverage Increases

 

https://l.smartnews.com/t2HBw/Fo6Uh5

 

Edited December 25, 2022 by Oxo

[Pipo]

1 hour ago, prmssk said:

All of the non-alcohol packages appear to have been consolidated into one option - the Zero Proof package (the premium non-alcohol package with a new name).  This was part of the increase in prices and policy changes regarding drink packages that happened last week.

 

The wine packages disappeared from my cruise planner for our upcoming cruise around the same time so those may have disappeared as well.

If that's really the case, then it's very disappointing. I think this is a marketing tactic. A week ago the cabin I selected was $100 higher than what it currently is. So I think they're "sacrificing" cruise fare and betting for the extras to make the cruise initially more appealing from a price perspective.

I don't drink coffee, I don't drink tea, I don't don't care about bottled water, I don't care about juices nor smoothies and all that crap, I only want soda. At $30 (+20%) a day, I won't break even, unless I hoard like 100 sealed RedBull cans in my cabin and bring them back home.

[prmssk]

33 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

 

 When I go into "Drinks" under Plan My Cruise .. I see the three drink packages, but underneath those is another section "Drinks Experiences". which has the win and other packages. 

 

 

I also see those experiences in my cruise planner but what is noticeably missing (at least for my cruise) is the actual wine packages such as one where you could buy 3 bottles of wine.  Do you see any like that in yours?

[prmssk]

4 minutes ago, Pipo said:

If that's really the case, then it's very disappointing. I think this is a marketing tactic. A week ago the cabin I selected was $100 higher than what it currently is. So I think they're "sacrificing" cruise fare and betting for the extras to make the cruise initially more appealing from a price perspective.

I don't drink coffee, I don't drink tea, I don't don't care about bottled water, I don't care about juices nor smoothies and all that crap, I only want soda. At $30 (+20%) a day, I won't break even, unless I hoard like 100 sealed RedBull cans in my cabin and bring them back home.

They are trying to deal with rising prices and recover from 1.5 of no revenue during the pandemic.  Every cruise line right now is raising prices and/or changing offerings for extras like beverage packages.

 

I agree it is disappointing though.  Celebrity (and other lines I sail) has priced me out of drink packages so I will be back to paying by the drink for a lot of my future cruises (which honestly is what has often made the most sense in the more distant past for me before some of the great AI deals I've gotten in the recent past).

[the penguins]

31 minutes ago, Pipo said:

If that's really the case, then it's very disappointing. I think this is a marketing tactic. A week ago the cabin I selected was $100 higher than what it currently is. So I think they're "sacrificing" cruise fare and betting for the extras to make the cruise initially more appealing from a price perspective.

I don't drink coffee, I don't drink tea, I don't don't care about bottled water, I don't care about juices nor smoothies and all that crap, I only want soda. At $30 (+20%) a day, I won't break even, unless I hoard like 100 sealed RedBull cans in my cabin and bring them back home.

So now you can just book Sail Only pay per drink and come out ahead - that's a win. 

[DaKahuna]

57 minutes ago, prmssk said:

I also see those experiences in my cruise planner but what is noticeably missing (at least for my cruise) is the actual wine packages such as one where you could buy 3 bottles of wine.  Do you see any like that in yours?

 

 No.  It is my understanding that they have done away with the bottled wine packages.  I have not seen them since pre-COVID. 

 

 They do offer a single bottle pre-purchase though under Gifts & Gear 

 

[jelayne]

1 hour ago, Pipo said:

If that's really the case, then it's very disappointing. I think this is a marketing tactic. A week ago the cabin I selected was $100 higher than what it currently is. So I think they're "sacrificing" cruise fare and betting for the extras to make the cruise initially more appealing from a price perspective.

I don't drink coffee, I don't drink tea, I don't don't care about bottled water, I don't care about juices nor smoothies and all that crap, I only want soda. At $30 (+20%) a day, I won't break even, unless I hoard like 100 sealed RedBull cans in my cabin and bring them back home.

Sounds like pay as you go would work well for you. 

[drakes2]

3 hours ago, the penguins said:

So now you can just book Sail Only pay per drink and come out ahead - that's a win. 

I book the sail only unless the AI is a very good deal.  Being an Elite member I take full advantage of the daily HH events as well as any other I get invited to.  Even  an invite to the Helipad sailing will get you a couple glasses of bubbly with some blue curacao in it. 

[Pipo]

3 hours ago, the penguins said:

So now you can just book Sail Only pay per drink and come out ahead - that's a win. 

That's what I'm actually thinking to do. Stick to lemonade and only pay for glasses of wine on dinner.

[the penguins]

7 hours ago, Pipo said:

That's what I'm actually thinking to do. Stick to lemonade and only pay for glasses of wine on dinner.

It's been interesting over the last few months and different threads to see how many passengers who, once the compolsary AI was dropped, have been reverting to Sail Only. Compolsary AI never made sense to us and during its thankfully short life we dropped  Celebrity in favour of Royal and Princess. Hopefully X will continue this trend and give passengers in Aqua and Suites the same choice. 

 

[smtcan]

4 hours ago, the penguins said:

It's been interesting over the last few months and different threads to see how many passengers who, once the compolsary AI was dropped, have been reverting to Sail Only. Compolsary AI never made sense to us and during its thankfully short life we dropped  Celebrity in favour of Royal and Princess. Hopefully X will continue this trend and give passengers in Aqua and Suites the same choice. 

 

We stopped sailing Celebrity when AI was the only option.  Now we can book sail only and use OBC for the few glasses of wine we order over and above HH drinks and the coffees we get as an Elite+ benefit.  We usually take port intensive cruises, not Caribbean where we might consume more juices and water.

[LB_NJ]

17 hours ago, drakes2 said:

 will get you a couple glasses of bubbly with some blue curacao in it. 

 

Never heard of champagne with blue curacao.  Interesting.

 

I think they are pushing people to AI without requiring it.  With the new package pricing AI makes sense if you ever thought about an alcohol package.

 

I booked the classic non-alcohol package for my upcoming cruise.  In the future I'll just bring on a 12 pack of soda in addition to a few bottles of wine and a tuperware of instant coffee (I DETEST THE ONBOARD COFFEE).  I don't mind paying as you for my daily latte.  

[Pipo]

5 hours ago, smtcan said:

We stopped sailing Celebrity when AI was the only option.  Now we can book sail only and use OBC for the few glasses of wine we order over and above HH drinks and the coffees we get as an Elite+ benefit.  We usually take port intensive cruises, not Caribbean where we might consume more juices and water.

 

Good point.

Anyway, I bet a dollar Celebrity will bring back some of the small packages for the summer. I believe that getting rid of the soda package is a BIG FAIL from a customer experience and a revenue perspective. They are aiming to cater a younger crowd, but simultaneously are eliminating things that young people like. This has no sense.

[DaKahuna]

18 minutes ago, Pipo said:

Anyway, I bet a dollar Celebrity will bring back some of the small packages for the summer. I believe that getting rid of the soda package is a BIG FAIL from a customer experience and a revenue perspective. They are aiming to cater a younger crowd, but simultaneously are eliminating things that young people like. This has no sense.

 

 I guess my optimistic side is showing.  I do not see this as much as 'getting rid of the soda package' but rather an expansion of the soda package to include other non-alcoholic beverages.  With the old multiple packages there was a lot of confusion about what was included with which package and I saw more than one passenger get upset with a crew member when they thought something should have been included in their beverage package but was not, e.g. premium bottle waters with soda package. 

 

To me, I see this expanded package as making it a lot clearer to passengers as to what is and is not included in the package they purchased. 

 

[LB_NJ]

16 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

 

 I guess my optimistic side is showing.  I do not see this as much as 'getting rid of the soda package' but rather an expansion of the soda package to include other non-alcoholic beverages.  With the old multiple packages there was a lot of confusion about what was included with which package and I saw more than one passenger get upset with a crew member when they thought something should have been included in their beverage package but was not, e.g. premium bottle waters with soda package. 

 

To me, I see this expanded package as making it a lot clearer to passengers as to what is and is not included in the package they purchased. 

 

However, as others have said the new package is harder to justify so fewer takers.  Also, at even $30 pp/pd AI starts to look very attractive as an alternative.

[DaKahuna]

1 minute ago, LB_NJ said:

However, as others have said the new package is harder to justify so fewer takers.  Also, at even $30 pp/pd AI starts to look very attractive as an alternative.

 

 Do not disagree, especially if you drink Alcohol but for those that do not having all those non-alcoholic choices may seem to be a good deal over getting two packages like they would have before they were combined. 

 

[LB_NJ]

2 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

 

 Do not disagree, especially if you drink Alcohol but for those that do not having all those non-alcoholic choices may seem to be a good deal over getting two packages like they would have before they were combined. 

 

What they now call zero-proof was there before.  They just changed the name from "premium non-alcoholic" to "zero proof"

 

To justify $30 pp/pd for "zero-proof" means a lot of soda, water, coffee, and juices per day.

[Pipo]

20 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

 

 I guess my optimistic side is showing.  I do not see this as much as 'getting rid of the soda package' but rather an expansion of the soda package to include other non-alcoholic beverages.  With the old multiple packages there was a lot of confusion about what was included with which package and I saw more than one passenger get upset with a crew member when they thought something should have been included in their beverage package but was not, e.g. premium bottle waters with soda package. 

 

To me, I see this expanded package as making it a lot clearer to passengers as to what is and is not included in the package they purchased. 

 

Whenever drinks are sold individually, anyone can do the math and calculate if they will break even. On a transatlantic it perfectly makes sense, but on a five-port cruise... no way it is going to be worth.

From my experience, the packages have been clear enough.

[DaKahuna]

Thanks @LB_NJ and @Pipo   I guess because I've never done any non-alcohol package on Celebrity I did not play close enough attention.   I know that we both go through a lot of bottled water as well as bottles of smart water onboard ships along with the occasional diet soda.  Those along with the mixed drinks, neat rum/bourbon, and wine make a package worth the expense to me.  

 

 

[Pipo]

I'm seriously considering on writing a letter to customer service and Captain's Club to share my feedback. They're currently on the "test phase" so it is very likely the comments will be handled properly and have a greater impact. Let's see what happens... 

[Ronaldo807]

So are minors who were previously booked under the all in promotion now automatically upgraded to the new zero proof?

[Pipo]

7 hours ago, Ronaldo807 said:

So are minors who were previously booked under the all in promotion now automatically upgraded to the new zero proof?

I don't think they will be upgraded, it's very likely the package will be cancelled and the paid amount applied as on board credit.