Beer price increase to $11 for moist, so $1 (+20%tip) surcharge over the Classic package (pic)

[markeb]

On 1/28/2024 at 9:17 AM, ExArkie said:

Except, at that time, Texarkana was in a dry county.
 

Don’t know if it still is. 

 

Texarkana, Texas is dry. Texarkana, Arkansas isn't. Which somehow as someone who grew up in that part of the world seems very backwards!

[ExArkie]

22 hours ago, markeb said:

 

Texarkana, Texas is dry. Texarkana, Arkansas isn't. Which somehow as someone who grew up in that part of the world seems very backwards!

That is what I remembered. At the time of the movie, Coors was not available in Arkansas, so they would have had to acquire it in Texas.

[LaPrincipiante]

Hi all

 

I don't know how long these threads stay live, as I've just joined. We've never been on a cruise before and are currently trying to get to grips with everything, including the nitty gritty, before making a decision.

 

We are from the UK, and my husband likes to down a few pints (pint being 0.568 l) when on holiday. I'm trying to work out how much it would cost for daily drinks. What size are the bottles sold onboard? And how about the beer on tap, what size servings are the prices for? 

 

Sorry if this sounds a silly question 😳

[cruisestitch]

Before anyone starts to come in and tell you prices, are you sailing out of Southampton or out of some other embarkation port? It makes a difference because when sailing out of Southampton, the gratuity is included in the quoted price. When sailing from other ports, the 20% gratuity is added. The total will be the same. It’s just how it’s presented.

[sanger727]

1 hour ago, LaPrincipiante said:

Hi all

 

I don't know how long these threads stay live, as I've just joined. We've never been on a cruise before and are currently trying to get to grips with everything, including the nitty gritty, before making a decision.

 

We are from the UK, and my husband likes to down a few pints (pint being 0.568 l) when on holiday. I'm trying to work out how much it would cost for daily drinks. What size are the bottles sold onboard? And how about the beer on tap, what size servings are the prices for? 

 

Sorry if this sounds a silly question 😳

 

Not silly. But it's usually best to start a new thread rather than pick up an old one.  Many people will not realize you have a new question and will respond to the original post. 

[LaPrincipiante]

34 minutes ago, cruisestitch said:

Before anyone starts to come in and tell you prices, are you sailing out of Southampton or out of some other embarkation port? It makes a difference because when sailing out of Southampton, the gratuity is included in the quoted price. When sailing from other ports, the 20% gratuity is added. The total will be the same. It’s just how it’s presented.

Thanks for pointing this out, as I said, we're total beginners in the world of cruising... The cruise we're thinking about starts from Buenos Aires (Celebrity Equinox).

[LaPrincipiante]

35 minutes ago, sanger727 said:

 

Not silly. But it's usually best to start a new thread rather than pick up an old one.  Many people will not realize you have a new question and will respond to the original post. 

Thank you, I've been browsing the forum in the last few days since joining, and this came up in a search, so I jumped in. I'm learning bit by bit though 🙂

[Trevor Fountain]

2 hours ago, LaPrincipiante said:

We are from the UK, and my husband likes to down a few pints (pint being 0.568 l) when on holiday. I'm trying to work out how much it would cost for daily drinks. What size are the bottles sold onboard? And how about the beer on tap, what size servings are the prices for? 

Hi and welcome to the forums.

I have just got off the Apex and was wondering pre-cruise whether to purchase a drinks package.

The problem is three of us travelled together, and the other two in my cabin are teetotal.

You may not be aware but if your husband purchases a drinks package, you also need to purchase the equivalent package. Obviously I didn't, but I can say hand on heart I got nowhere near what it would have cost, even if I had been able to purchase just one package.

To be honest the drinks on board are imho a bit of a rip off. It seems to me the prices are inflated to make the drinks packages more attractive. You need to work out how much you think you will drink, and carefully choose the right package for you (or not). Also look at the itinerary of the cruise you are looking at. If it is very port intensive, with not many sea days, are you likely to drink as much?

I'm sure others will have a different opinion to me, such as telling you how convenient it is to pay up front and not have to worry what your spending onboard, but I just couldn't make any of the drink packages work.

Good luck whatever you choose, at least you are choosing the best cruise line in its class.   

[JeanieC,Aston]

Hi

If your husband likes a pint of Bitter forget it,,Celebrity got rid of Boddingtons last year.

The only Brit beer is Newkie Brown.

Ive done a few Celebrity cruises and yes like a few pints,,but the Boddingtons decision and the fact they put Guinness in the Premium package means I now book on Brit lines.

Cant stand the likes of Coors,Bud, and US lagers.Oh and believe it or not Stella is a premium lager,,,,18 cans for £14 in Asda.,,,,$11 a can on X.

[LaPrincipiante]

2 hours ago, Trevor Fountain said:

Hi and welcome to the forums.

I have just got off the Apex and was wondering pre-cruise whether to purchase a drinks package.

The problem is three of us travelled together, and the other two in my cabin are teetotal.

You may not be aware but if your husband purchases a drinks package, you also need to purchase the equivalent package. Obviously I didn't, but I can say hand on heart I got nowhere near what it would have cost, even if I had been able to purchase just one package.

To be honest the drinks on board are imho a bit of a rip off. It seems to me the prices are inflated to make the drinks packages more attractive. You need to work out how much you think you will drink, and carefully choose the right package for you (or not). Also look at the itinerary of the cruise you are looking at. If it is very port intensive, with not many sea days, are you likely to drink as much?

I'm sure others will have a different opinion to me, such as telling you how convenient it is to pay up front and not have to worry what your spending onboard, but I just couldn't make any of the drink packages work.

Good luck whatever you choose, at least you are choosing the best cruise line in its class.   

Thank you for the friendly welcome 🙂 I did see the rule that everyone in the cabin has to buy the drinks package if one does, and I saw the price which to me seems exorbitant!!!! We don't like soft drinks, and as for alcohol, I drink very little, and my husband only has his beers in the evening, but it can amount to a few pints... On the other hand, he's pretty particular when it comes to his tea (in true British style, his cuppa is important), so the question is, what's the tea like that's included in the price of the cruise? He can easily go through 5 big mugs of tea during the day...

 

It may seem like a trivial thing, to be worried about the drinks but when I saw that the drinks package can add up to 30% compared to the basic price I was gobsmacked.

[LaPrincipiante]

1 hour ago, JeanieC,Aston said:

Hi

If your husband likes a pint of Bitter forget it,,Celebrity got rid of Boddingtons last year.

The only Brit beer is Newkie Brown.

Ive done a few Celebrity cruises and yes like a few pints,,but the Boddingtons decision and the fact they put Guinness in the Premium package means I now book on Brit lines.

Cant stand the likes of Coors,Bud, and US lagers.Oh and believe it or not Stella is a premium lager,,,,18 cans for £14 in Asda.,,,,$11 a can on X.

I agree with you on the likes of Coors, Bud etc, they're rubbish, and yes, we also make use of the Asda offers on Stella... Wow, $11 on a can 😱

[hcat]

On 1/25/2024 at 7:05 PM, Jim_Iain said:

With due respect you are showing the Beer Menu for the upscale beer selections.   There are still quit a number of beers available at the Classic Beverage Package  Bud, Bud Light, Dos Equis  Coors, Anstel Light, Heineken and Miller Light.  Most be what most would order at their home bar.

Thanks...much better list.  We get the Classic and  Coors lite is for my husb... He can splurge  on good  scotch after dinner

[lorimay]

3 hours ago, LaPrincipiante said:

On the other hand, he's pretty particular when it comes to his tea (in true British style, his cuppa is important), so the question is, what's the tea like that's included in the price of the cruise? He can easily go through 5 big mugs of tea during the day...

 

The tea on board is make your own from tea bags. The only "real tea" (not herbal) is either Bigelow, Tetleys, Twinings or no-name, depending on what they might have. Usually they have plain black tea, Earl Grey and English breakfast at least. They do make some more upscale teas in al Bacio for an upcharge (if you don't have a drink package), although they served me a disgusting Darjeeling iced tea there on our last Celebrity cruise that had clearly gone bad and they kept insisting it hadn't. 

 

There's always hot water and tea bags out, plus coffee, throughout the day in Oceanview.

[CruiseCrew123]

@LaPrincipiante if they have Tetley you will be ok but the twinnings is weak and you will need at least 2 in a cup  . I would take my isnt just in case . You can only get free tea from the buffet and spa cafe 

Edited September 11 by CruiseCrew123

[canderson]

9 hours ago, LaPrincipiante said:

On the other hand, he's pretty particular when it comes to his tea (in true British style, his cuppa is important), so the question is, what's the tea like that's included in the price of the cruise?

Best bring his own Yorkshire Gold, PG Tips or whatever.  They're super light, so don't add much to the weight of a suitcase.  We have one we prefer in the evenings (decaf) that we always bring along (Bigelow's Constant Comment).  You may be able to have a kettle delivered to your cabin (especially if cruising out of the UK) - something a "Principiante" wouldn't know to ask about, but is certainly within the realm of reason even if sailing from other ports.

 

[chemmo]

9 hours ago, LaPrincipiante said:

Thank you for the friendly welcome 🙂 I did see the rule that everyone in the cabin has to buy the drinks package if one does, and I saw the price which to me seems exorbitant!!!! We don't like soft drinks, and as for alcohol, I drink very little, and my husband only has his beers in the evening, but it can amount to a few pints... On the other hand, he's pretty particular when it comes to his tea (in true British style, his cuppa is important), so the question is, what's the tea like that's included in the price of the cruise? He can easily go through 5 big mugs of tea during the day...

 

It may seem like a trivial thing, to be worried about the drinks but when I saw that the drinks package can add up to 30% compared to the basic price I was gobsmacked.

Welcome to CC…

 

Free drinks on board include…

Iced water at all dining venues.

Buckets of ice delivered to your suite twice daily by your room attendant.

Fruit punch and lemon juice available in the buffet and MDR on request. These are quite nice and not as sweet as many squashes.

Milk.

Tea and coffee in the MDR and buffet. There is a choice including Tetley but if your husband is ‘Tea faddy’ he can bring his own brand.

 

You can board with two bottles of wine. If you open them in your room there is no charge. In the MDR they will charge $25? corkage.

 

You can board with a case of water or soda.

 

Re the drinks packages…I do like to pay for a package and then enjoy what I want without thinking about it. I do enjoy the better coffee, bottled water, some fruity cocktails poolside (virgin as well as alcoholic), a pre dinner drink, a couple of glasses of wine with dinner and maybe a coffee liqueur later. Whilst this isn’t my usual daily alcohol (or caffeine) intake I am on my holiday! When I add up the cost of simply the bottled water and coffee it is significant. It is nice to try new drinks and then leave them if you don’t like them. If I was buying by the drink I would simply stay with drinks I knew. Next cruise we are in a suite and have a premium drinks package included. If I didn’t I would go for the classic as I am not particularly faddy about the type of gin etc that goes in my mixers and I can usually find a fruity red wine I am happy if not thrilled with and I can always pay a couple of dollars for a better one. If your husband is beer faddy then he may want the premium package…

 

You don’t need to pre buy your drinks package. You can board then decide after the first day or so.

 

Totally agree with the comment that it depends on how port intensive your cruise is as to whether you will get value for money. If you have multiple full day excursions then you won’t be on board drinking.

 

I think many people worry far too much about “to drink package or not to drink package”. If you simply calculate an average day and what you would buy the maths should give you your answer….

 

Celebrity is a lovely cruise line I am sure you will have a wonderful cruise!

 

 

 

 

[LaPrincipiante]

2 hours ago, canderson said:

Best bring his own Yorkshire Gold, PG Tips or whatever.  They're super light, so don't add much to the weight of a suitcase.  We have one we prefer in the evenings (decaf) that we always bring along (Bigelow's Constant Comment).  You may be able to have a kettle delivered to your cabin (especially if cruising out of the UK) - something a "Principiante" wouldn't know to ask about, but is certainly within the realm of reason even if sailing from other ports.

 

We do normally take our own teabags practically everywhere we go, and often a travel kettle as well. Would they allow you to bring one? I can picture making a cup first thing in the morning in the cabin and enjoying it on the balcony watching the sea.... what a great way to start the day 😊

[Ex-Airbalancer]

16 hours ago, JeanieC,Aston said:

Hi

If your husband likes a pint of Bitter forget it,,Celebrity got rid of Boddingtons last year.

The only Brit beer is Newkie Brown.

Ive done a few Celebrity cruises and yes like a few pints,,but the Boddingtons decision and the fact they put Guinness in the Premium package means I now book on Brit lines.

Cant stand the likes of Coors,Bud, and US lagers.Oh and believe it or not Stella is a premium lager,,,,18 cans for £14 in Asda.,,,,$11 a can on X.

You can’t really compare price in a store to Celebrity , you should be comparing it to a restaurant or sport stadium 

I believe it over $15 CAD to buy a can of beer at the Toronto Baseball stadium, so that is in line with Celebrity 

What is the cost at a stadium in England or in restaurants in England ? 

[Ex-Airbalancer]

3 hours ago, LaPrincipiante said:

We do normally take our own teabags practically everywhere we go, and often a travel kettle as well. Would they allow you to bring one? I can picture making a cup first thing in the morning in the cabin and enjoying it on the balcony watching the sea.... what a great way to start the day 😊

No, you cannot bring your own kettle 

you probably can order some hot water to you room in the morning 

[sanger727]

3 hours ago, LaPrincipiante said:

We do normally take our own teabags practically everywhere we go, and often a travel kettle as well. Would they allow you to bring one? I can picture making a cup first thing in the morning in the cabin and enjoying it on the balcony watching the sea.... what a great way to start the day 😊

 

You aren't allowed to bring anything onboard that produces heat.  Some cruise lines will provide and electric kettle upon request.  Or else there is hot water at the buffet.

[JeanieC,Aston]

 

54 minutes ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

You can’t really compare price in a store to Celebrity , you should be comparing it to a restaurant or sport stadium 

I believe it over $15 CAD to buy a can of beer at the Toronto Baseball stadium, so that is in line with Celebrity 

What is the cost at a stadium in England or in restaurants in England ? 

Usually between £5–£7.

In May in Wembley Stadium a pint of lager was £7.

I came back from Spain last week,,in bars and eateries you could get x5 bottles of Amstel in a bucket of ice for €5.5 or 5 Cours or Corona for €7.5.

On a P&O ship a 440ml can of Guinness is £5.05,,,,last year on Silhouette it was $11?
A 50ml Makers Mark on P&O is £6.95,,how much on Celebrity?

Edited September 11 by JeanieC,Aston

[miched]

 

Scent of a woman

 

Any particular beer? 

 

Schlitz?   No Schlitz 

 

Blatz?   No Blatz

 

Improvise
 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🌅🇺🇸

[LaPrincipiante]

3 hours ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

No, you cannot bring your own kettle 

you probably can order some hot water to you room in the morning 

If you have a kettle in your luggage, will they store it till the end of cruise? We're planning to do some exploring on land before the cruise.

[CruiseCrew123]

What ship are you on as we had a kettle in our room on Beyond 

[canderson]

9 minutes ago, CruiseCrew123 said:

What ship are you on as we had a kettle in our room on Beyond 

Not a question of ship.  Rather, a question of itinerary.  As noted earlier, if on a non-UK cruise, it will be necessary to request a kettle.

 

@LaPrincipiante

Yes, you can surrender your kettle and it will be held for you for pick up during disembarkation.