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[Cruise for vacation]

Hello, We are new to Celebrity our first sailing will be on the Constellation in a few weeks.  I have a few questions, as I learn about Celebrity. We are Diamond on Royal which makes us Elite. I think?  If we have a Sky Suite and it includes the premium beverage package.  Can we use it at any bar on the ship?  Any information about the ship Constellation- things you like or did not like?  Our last cruise was Royal ICON in January.

[hcat]

big size difference..and old vs new!

[NMTraveller]

Well I sailed on the Millenium which is my favorite ship and in the same class.  I liked the size of the ship (fewer cruisers) and it was more laid back and more relaxing IMHO.  

Edited June 8 by NMTraveller

[ScottC4746]

6 minutes ago, Cruise for vacation said:

Hello, We are new to Celebrity our first sailing will be on the Constellation in a few weeks.  I have a few questions, as I learn about Celebrity. We are Diamond on Royal which makes us Elite. I think?  If we have a Sky Suite and it includes the premium beverage package.  Can we use it at any bar on the ship?  Any information about the ship Constellation- things you like or did not like?  Our last cruise was Royal ICON in January.

Yes, you get the Premium Bev Package for being a Retreat and that allows unlimited drinks up to and including $17.  Some venues such as Eden have $20 drinks.  That means that $17 of that is included and they are supposed to charge the difference, but I am reading that is not consistent.

 

It is available at any bar you have access to including the Retreat Bar and Lounge.

[Northern Aurora]

 We also like the size of the M-class ships (which includes Constellation).  

 

The premium beverage package can be used at all the bars but if you order a drink over the price limit you will be charged the difference.  

 

There are three elevator banks so folks with a mobility issue are not really far from a set of elevators.  

[DaKahuna]

35 minutes ago, ScottC4746 said:

  Some venues such as Eden have $20 drinks. 

 

 There is no Eden on Constellation.  It's an M-Class ship.

 

 

44 minutes ago, Cruise for vacation said:

 If we have a Sky Suite and it includes the premium beverage package.  Can we use it at any bar on the ship?

 

 Yes, any bar and or restaurant and any drink up to $17.00.  If the drink is over $17.00, e.g. $19.00, you pay the difference (e.g. $2.00 + a 20% gratuity for a total of $2.40 for your $19.00 drink. 

 

[39august]

Drinks in the Retreat Lounge are included in your suite price. No need to use the drink package there. You are going to see a HUGE different in size of ships and entertainment offerings. 

[Ex-Airbalancer]

Sailing in the Constellation would be like sailing on the Rhapsody of the seas size wise , but just more chilled, and a much nicer ship 

Do not expect the same bell and whistle as the Icon , as it is a 24 year old ship 

Constrellation is like a classic suit  not in your face but so comfortable , 

Icon would be more like fast fashion , looks great but not lasting 

Also sailing in the Med is different than sailing in the Caribbean, much more exciting, it is  about the ports not as much about the ship 

 

[George C]

We sailed sister ship Summit a couple of months ago in a suite . Love the suite lounge and the suite restaurant, on embarkation day suite restaurant Luminae has lobster roll as one of the options. Service in suite lounge and restaurant is excellent. You also have access to suite concierge.

  You are allowed to bring on two bottles of wine and if you have drink package there is no corkage fee.

Edited June 9 by George C

[txtechmk]

Constellation was our very first Celebrity ship years ago, and we were hooked!  Enjoy!

[Cruise for vacation]

4 hours ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

Sailing in the Constellation would be like sailing on the Rhapsody of the seas size wise , but just more chilled, and a much nicer ship 

Do not expect the same bell and whistle as the Icon , as it is a 24 year old ship 

Constrellation is like a classic suit  not in your face but so comfortable , 

Icon would be more like fast fashion , looks great but not lasting 

Also sailing in the Med is different than sailing in the Caribbean, much more exciting, it is  about the ports not as much about the ship 

 

It sound similar to some of the other ships we have done on Royal.  We like the smaller/mid size ships.  The ICON was too big.  This is our third Med cruise first on Celebrity and first on this side of the Med Venice, Croatia.

[Northern Aurora]

1 hour ago, Cruise for vacation said:

.......This is our third Med cruise first on Celebrity and first on this side of the Med Venice, Croatia.

 

Oh gosh -- Croatia has some of the BEST gelato.  Food is subjective, but I think the Croatian gelato is better than what you find in Italy.

[c-leg5]

6 hours ago, George C said:

We sailed sister ship Summit a couple of months ago in a suite . Love the suite lounge and the suite restaurant, on embarkation day suite restaurant Luminae has lobster roll as one of the options. Service in suite lounge and restaurant is excellent. You also have access to suite concierge.

  You are allowed to bring on two bottles of wine and if you have drink package there is no corkage fee.

Are you saying they actually charge the corkage fee on Celebrity if you aren’t in a suite? 
 

Whilst I realize it is always listed on cruise lines as a possibility it has been years since it was even hinted at on any ship and even then it was quickly forgotten for a tip in hand. 

[DaKahuna]

4 hours ago, c-leg5 said:

Are you saying they actually charge the corkage fee on Celebrity if you aren’t in a suite?

 

 No that is not what was said.  Celebrity's stated rule/policy is there is a corkage fee for bottles of personal wine brought into the bars and dining venue's if you do not have a drink package.  As you and others have commented, it is not always changed if  you do not have a drink package. 

 

 It is not always changed and it's only if you bring the bottle in to be consumed in the dining venue.  If you pour yourself a glass in your room and bring that, they have no idea where it came from and you do not get charged the corkage fee. 

 

[c-leg5]

54 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

 

 No that is not what was said.  Celebrity's stated rule/policy is there is a corkage fee for bottles of personal wine brought into the bars and dining venue's if you do not have a drink package.  As you and others have commented, it is not always changed if  you do not have a drink package. 

 

 It is not always changed and it's only if you bring the bottle in to be consumed in the dining venue.  If you pour yourself a glass in your room and bring that, they have no idea where it came from and you do not get charged the corkage fee. 

 

 

Thanks that is what I would expect. 

 

 

 

Edited June 10 by c-leg5

[George C]

5 hours ago, c-leg5 said:

Are you saying they actually charge the corkage fee on Celebrity if you aren’t in a suite? 
 

Whilst I realize it is always listed on cruise lines as a possibility it has been years since it was even hinted at on any ship and even then it was quickly forgotten for a tip in hand. 

 

5 hours ago, c-leg5 said:

Are you saying they actually charge the corkage fee on Celebrity if you aren’t in a suite? 
 

Whilst I realize it is always listed on cruise lines as a possibility it has been years since it was even hinted at on any ship and even then it was quickly forgotten for a tip in hand. 

What was interesting in our March cruise in a royal suite, the staff at Le Petit Chef tried to charge us a corkage fee even though we had a drink package, actually had a argument with them and had to have concierge remove the fee. They will charge 25 if no liquor package, on rccl we haven’t been charged a corkage fee in a decade, not sure f diamond plus factors in.

[zitsky]

14 hours ago, 39august said:

Drinks in the Retreat Lounge are included in your suite price. No need to use the drink package there. You are going to see a HUGE different in size of ships and entertainment offerings. 

On the Beyond last year I was not too impressed with he alcohol in he Retreat Lounge.   I thought the bars had better selection.

[c-leg5]

32 minutes ago, George C said:

 

What was interesting in our March cruise in a royal suite, the staff at Le Petit Chef tried to charge us a corkage fee even though we had a drink package, actually had a argument with them and had to have concierge remove the fee. They will charge 25 if no liquor package, on rccl we haven’t been charged a corkage fee in a decade, not sure f diamond plus factors in.

Thanks, interesting. 

 

We are not in the habit of taking our own bottles into the dining room as we have had bottles go missing.
 

We tend to carry on red and keep in our cabin to self serve. White we will buy from the cruise line so they can store it. 
 

It has been a while since we were on Celebrity and with Royal you can use your free drinks for a glass or use towards a bottle.

[Honolulu Blue]

7 hours ago, George C said:

What was interesting in our March cruise in a royal suite, the staff at Le Petit Chef tried to charge us a corkage fee even though we had a drink package, actually had a argument with them and had to have concierge remove the fee. They will charge 25 if no liquor package, on rccl we haven’t been charged a corkage fee in a decade, not sure f diamond plus factors in.

Thanks for sharing this.  I was on that cruise in March in kind of the opposite of a royal suite with no drink package.  I wonder if the fact that it was a charter made a difference in their enforcement of this?

[George C]

2 hours ago, Honolulu Blue said:

Thanks for sharing this.  I was on that cruise in March in kind of the opposite of a royal suite with no drink package.  I wonder if the fact that it was a charter made a difference in their enforcement of this?

There are different rules for charters , sky suites normally get drink package but not on charter , I think only free liquor package is royal and penthouse. I also think happy hour doesn’t have free drinks . 

[cruisestitch]

 Every charter has its own rules. Some include drinks, packages some don’t, etc.

[DaKahuna]

11 hours ago, zitsky said:

On the Beyond last year I was not too impressed with he alcohol in he Retreat Lounge.   I thought the bars had better selection.

 

 They had a very nice selection in the Retreat Lounge on Millennium last month. 

[zitsky]

1 hour ago, DaKahuna said:

 

 They had a very nice selection in the Retreat Lounge on Millennium last month. 

Is everything I see available by the glass or are those bottles for sale?  I can’t make out the names of most of them.

[DaKahuna]

45 minutes ago, zitsky said:

Is everything I see available by the glass or are those bottles for sale?  I can’t make out the names of most of them.

 

I did not order anything by the bottle.  I assume you could order a bottle of wine, but not alcohol,  but it is my understanding that there is no point of sale machine in the Retreat Lounge.  I know three of the alcohol's I had there were priced in other bars above the Premium package limit.  I never was changed for any of the drinks I had in the Retreat Lounge.  

[zitsky]

43 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

 

I did not order anything by the bottle.  I assume you could order a bottle of wine, but not alcohol,  but it is my understanding that there is no point of sale machine in the Retreat Lounge.  I know three of the alcohol's I had there were priced in other bars above the Premium package limit.  I never was changed for any of the drinks I had in the Retreat Lounge.  

Ok thanks.  So can I point at any of those bottles and say “I’ll have that, please?”.