Bev. Pkg. / Beer / Alaska Specific!

I'm a bit of a beer geek, so I'm considering upgrading to the Premium package on our upcoming Alaska cruise on Solstice. I've noted on the comparison sheet that three Alaska Brewing beers (Amber, PA & IPA) are listed on the Classic package "in Alaska." I'm probably way over thinking this (wouldn't be the first time), but is that literal? Or, are these available the entire Alaskan cruise? Just the fact I'm asking this shows I have WAY too much time on my hands, 6 weeks before sailing....:o

You don't have to upgrade before the cruise, you can wait until on the cruise, ask the questions then and if you see beers you want,mupgrade then and use on board credit instead of paying ahead of time

I'm a bit of a beer geek, so I'm considering upgrading to the Premium package on our upcoming Alaska cruise on Solstice. I've noted on the comparison sheet that three Alaska Brewing beers (Amber, PA & IPA) are listed on the Classic package "in Alaska." I'm probably way over thinking this (wouldn't be the first time), but is that literal? Or, are these available the entire Alaskan cruise? Just the fact I'm asking this shows I have WAY too much time on my hands, 6 weeks before sailing....:o

Upgrading to premium will not guarantee that you will have Alaskan brewing beer the whole trip. If it is in classic they should have it the whole cruise. It would take heavy drinking to run out. Never been on a cruise that has run out of beer. They don't load cases they load skids of beer.

If you are a beer geek, then I would recommend the premium package for sheer choice factor. There are many very good beers that are at the $9 price point. With premium you can order these and only pay the $1 up charge. You would not have that option with the classic package. They generally will have all the Alaskan beers available all cruise, but I have seen, on rare occasion, that they run out of one of them. It never hurts to have more good options! (BTW, I am from Colorado and a bit of a beer geek myself).

Beer geek here as well and sailing the Solstice to Alaska next week. I don't know the answer to your question (I will in 10 days), but would be pleasantly surprised if this is true - especially considering that similar beers (Sierra Nevada for example) were $9 on our recent cruise in October. Yes, $9 for Sierra Nevada.

Thanks, all. While not huge drinkers, we did pick the beverage package as one of our promos. It's worth the 10ish bucks a day for me to upgrade, in order to have a better beer selection....even though I won't necessarily be drinking a ton of beer. I've had the Alaska Brewing PA & IPA before, and they'll qualify as "good enough" (and certainly an upgrade over the macros), if they're available for the entire 7 days. And while they certainly won't run out of BEER (ie: a world I wouldn't want to live in...), I've seen lines run out of the craft selections before. Carnival has some nice Cigar City choices out of Florida, but they did run out last June. Bartender said they try to avoid overstocking, for freshness / quality purposes. They underestimated for that cruise. In any case, appreciate the info.

Beer geek here as well and sailing the Solstice to Alaska next week. I don't know the answer to your question (I will in 10 days), but would be pleasantly surprised if this is true - especially considering that similar beers (Sierra Nevada for example) were $9 on our recent cruise in October. Yes, $9 for Sierra Nevada.

That's great. Looking forward to hearing what you find out!

I have found that X definitely runs out of some of the more "craftier" beers. It's happened on every cruise we've taken since they added a broader selection. Heineken and Budweiser abounds, but we've been hard pressed to find a Dogfish Head 90 minute mid cruise.

They had Alaska beer at most of the bars for my Alaska cruise on the Solstice last summer. They ran out of the IPA at the Ocean View Bar late-cruise. Cellar Masters has a good selection of craft beers and I enjoyed a wide variety with the premium package!

Waiting until you are on board before deciding whether or not to upgrade is good advice. They might not have the drink you are seeking; you might find you are satisfied with the standard offerings; and you can choose to upgrade a couple of days into the cruise if you find that you still want to. Unlike some lines, celebrity prorated the upgrade do you don't have to pay for the first couple of days when you wait to upgrade.

Waiting until you are on board before deciding whether or not to upgrade is good advice. They might not have the drink you are seeking; you might find you are satisfied with the standard offerings; and you can choose to upgrade a couple of days into the cruise if you find that you still want to. Unlike some lines, celebrity prorated the upgrade do you don't have to pay for the first couple of days when you wait to upgrade.

I agree whole heartedly. Which (in my case) is why I stated I was considering upgrading ON my cruise, not before. In the case of their beers, though (which is the only thing I was asking about in my original post) their menu of options is very straight forward. Macrobrews are offered in the classic package.....with the possible exception of Alaska Brewing's offerings. Thus, the original post.

I agree whole heartedly. Which (in my case) is why I stated I was considering upgrading ON my cruise, not before. In the case of their beers, though (which is the only thing I was asking about in my original post) their menu of options is very straight forward. Macrobrews are offered in the classic package.....with the possible exception of Alaska Brewing's offerings. Thus, the original post.

I have up graded the last 3 years. The craft selections in the GastroBar are well worth the $11.80 per day. As to running out, a single hop American IPA is at its brewed and bottled best within 7-14 days of bottling. They have no way of knowing just how many IPA nerds like us will be on each sailing! :D

Over stock, it gets old, we drink something different.

As "bhughey" said, that DF 90 is great! And since it is a double hop has a shelf life that is longer.

FYI: on the Equinox they had a Happy Hour were everything was 1/2 price. Keep an eye on the menu board at the entrance to the bar area.

EW

Does anyone know the bar hours on an Alaskan cruise? From the Celebrity todays that were recently posted, it looks like Cellar Masters doesn't open till 5pm? Does that mean if I want a Dogfish 90min or Orval for lunch on a sea day I'm SOL?

Does anyone know the bar hours on an Alaskan cruise? From the Celebrity todays that were recently posted, it looks like Cellar Masters doesn't open till 5pm? Does that mean if I want a Dogfish 90min or Orval for lunch on a sea day I'm SOL?

For the most part yes. I found Dogfiish 90min while we were on the Silhouette but it was at the Martini bar. It does not open until 4:00pm. The early bars are the pool bar and the oceanview. Just ask the bartender if they have it maybe you will get lucky. Alaskian beers should be at all the bars.

Checking for updates on the beer status for Alaska. Were the Alaskan beers still included in the Classic package?

Thanks!

Checking for updates on the beer status for Alaska. Were the Alaskan beers still included in the Classic package?

 

Thanks!

From 6/3 sailing

Classic:

Premium:

From 6/3 sailing

Classic:

 

Premium:

Ok, these pictures are making me seriously thirsty!

From 6/3 sailing

Classic:

 

Premium:

On our last cruise I had the Classic package and was very happy to have all the Franziskaner Hefe-Weissbier I wanted. Of the beers shown I would take the Franzy over almost all of them, but then I drink only homebrew when not on vacation or at a restaurant.

Hmmmm, homebrew..Yum.

bosco

There is a lot more available in the premium package. But we found that each bar had different beers.

Thanks, needtocruisesoon. The pictures are great.

Hmmm, might be time for a beer. :D

We were on the June 10 Millennium northbound to Alaska and had the classic package. The price of all four of the Alaska Brewing Company beers was $7, and the classic package only covered beers $6 or less. The only decent beer that was in the classic package was the Leffe Belgian beer, and Heineken/Heineken Light. I too was under the impression that Alaska Brewing co. beers would be included in the classic package, but they certainly were NOT on my cruise.

We were on the June 10 Millennium northbound to Alaska and had the classic package. The price of all four of the Alaska Brewing Company beers was $7, and the classic package only covered beers $6 or less. The only decent beer that was in the classic package was the Leffe Belgian beer, and Heineken/Heineken Light. I too was under the impression that Alaska Brewing co. beers would be included in the classic package, but they certainly were NOT on my cruise.

Well, that is disappointing. :( Hubbie will not be happy. He had printed out a sheet a month ago of what was available under classic and at that time Alaska was offered. Seems that some changes have been made recently. :mad: