Celebrity drinks packages- are they good value?

Hi,

Have never cruised on Celebrity before- am trying to decide if and which drinks package to take and ARE they value for money?

We are not huge drinkers( of alcohol) but I would maybe have 2 cocktails a day -a glass of wine with dinner and 4-5 bottles of water a day and maybe a coffee/ soft drink.

My Husband would drink maybe 2 beers, a couple of soft drinks and maybe 4-5 bottles of water -and a glass of wine at dinner.

Any suggestions / feedback would be greatly appreciated:)

Sounds to me that you do not drink enough to buy the package.

The money is in the alcohol and upgrade coffees, like lattes. If you are going to have only a few beers, each day, then you could save yourself money by paying per drink.

You can also pack cases of bottled water, to save money on those too. We see people all the time bring a suitcase full of bottled water.

We have gotten drink packages twice before on RCI, and got a free Ultimate Drink package on Celebrity for our upcoming cruise, and we love them. We usually drink a few lattes a day, and have (on average) five or six alcoholic drinks a day.

Sometimes more or less depending on if it is a Sea Day or we go to a show at night.

I also like to drink soda, can you tell we are health freaks (LOL:p), and often have multiple sodas a day too.

The break even point is usually 6 or so drinks a day.

Hi, so at the sounds of it you guys may break even or come out ahead. The classic package comes out to $56 dollars a day including gratuity. So you have to think the average beers are $5-6 dollars, cocktails $6-$8, wine $6-$8, then your coffee, teas, soda, and bottles of water. So if you both each have a beer, cocktail, and glass of wine you will already be at $34 dollars lets say and then normally tip on that of standard 20% (its what i tip anyways) you are at $40 dollars. Then lets say you have some coffee, bottles of water, and soda you will either equal out or break even. You might find you want a couple more drinks when they are free. Dont be the embarrassing people who bring a suitcase full of water hahah (shaking my head) it amazes me how people think they are saving so much money this way its more of a hassle. I would just go with the classic package its free after all and tip included will save you sooooo much money itself.

Hi,

Have never cruised on Celebrity before- am trying to decide if and which drinks package to take and ARE they value for money?

 

We are not huge drinkers( of alcohol) but I would maybe have 2 cocktails a day -a glass of wine with dinner and 4-5 bottles of water a day and maybe a coffee/ soft drink.

 

My Husband would drink maybe 2 beers, a couple of soft drinks and maybe 4-5 bottles of water -and a glass of wine at dinner.

 

Any suggestions / feedback would be greatly appreciated:)

The packages are not just about liquor.

Here is my "RUFF" run down of a day with a drink pkg on another thread

For us at least, the package was not just about drinks. It was everything else that the pkg includes.

A speciality coffee each on the balcony while the wifester is putting on her face, $5 ea. ( or the regular included in the cost of your cruise delivered when you want )

Evian or San Pellegrino with fresh squeezed juice with that second coffee at breakfast, $15 ea. ( or water and standard juice again all included )

Grab a bottle water on the way to stake out a deck chair, $4 ea. ( refill a bottle you bring )

$24 each before any mind altering liquid is consumed.

A beer or the drink of the day by the pool, $6 ea

Then off to lunch, maybe a soda, or another San Pellegrino $5 ea

The sun is hot hot hot! A cold beer or drink of the day is in order, $6 ea

The burger at the Mast Grill is calling our names, it does not go down with out some liquid assistance, $5 ea, then it is time to meet friends to watch the sun set from the Sunset Bar, $6 ea. Afternoon total $28.

And the evening fun has yet to begin.

San Pellegrino and a couple of glasses of wine with dinner, and another speciality coffee with desert, $26 ea

Now it is time for some mind altering sampling to happen, or not A cocktail with friends at one of the watering holes on ship $7 ea, or 2 if we are letting our hair down!

One more bottle water on the way back to the cabin just in case we get thirsty during the night, $4. Evening total, $44.

Morning, $24, day, $28, evening $44, total $96.00 each useing the low end of the cost scale, ie: the Classic pkg and not much mind altering substance.

Some evening's we will grab another coffee ( or worse) and go and sit on deck 5 to unwind, listen to the swoosh of the waves gently breaking down the side of the ship before heading to the cabin.

It all depends on how picky or fussy you are about drinks. We sailed for years without having any package. The only time we have the package is when it is offered as a promo.

Ship water is as good as any land based or bottled water. Coffee in the buffet, room service or dining room is good enough for the caffeine fix. Tea bags and hot water is available, iced tea and lemonade. They have happy hour drinks and sometimes BOGO. You can get a bucket of beer that results in a free bottle. Plus many times I will have a few drinks in the ports or on tours. On one cruise I bought a bucket of 6 on the first day, on the last day I had 3 left, packed them and took them home. You can also bring bottle water, amd soda on board if really need it.

It is the same with the specialty restuarants, some feel that they need what they consider better food than what is served in the MDR so they pay extra for it. It all depends on your tastes and available money to spend. Only you can decide on how you want to spend it and want is important.

Happy cruising 🍸🚢🇺🇸🌅

Remember that they also have a water package and two non-alcoholic beverage packages. You may want to consider those as well. Last summer I went to Bermuda with the premium non-alcoholic package. My mom is elite and we were sharing a cabin so I typically had ~2 cocktails at the Elite happy hour. I also brought a couple bottles of wine on for dinner. This worked perfectly for me. Just another option to think about as the price different on the NA packages is substantially less than the alcohol packages.

I agree with Barney6895 that you are about even. We have always flown from a distance for embarkation - so we do not have the ability to bring water, soda, or wine aboard. Frankly, I would not want the hassle too.

We sailed this past June with a classic package and found that it's not always just about the alcohol. We drank so many bottles of water - and it was so nice to be walking off the ship with a bottle(s) of water for our day in port and not having to purchase them on shore or through the ship. We enjoyed the great coffees and teas at Cafe Al Bacio. And even the non-alcoholic fruit sodas during lunch or smoothies by the pool. It also let us sample more wines and cocktails that we probably wouldn't have if we didn't have the package.

It made the vacation more enjoyable - since we didn't have to sign receipts all the time or worry about drink costs. Just made it more easy to relax!

We obviously drank more on sea days vs. days in port, but I still feel we got good usage from the package. That being said, we also got the package free from the 123 Promo. Now that we have experienced it, I can see us purchasing it in the future if we weren't able to get the free perk. Right now they are running many specials - maybe you can select a cruise with this perk? Enjoy your cruise!

Hi,

Have never cruised on Celebrity before- am trying to decide if and which drinks package to take and ARE they value for money?

Depends on your definition of value. I do enjoy my cocktails/wine. A lot. And if I compared what I spend on the package v. what I would spend without the package, I'm probably sort of even.

But... having the package, I'll allow myself a bit more freedom that I would likely not choose without it. I wouldn't grab a bottle of water heading out to a shore excursion. I would debate with myself whether I should "splurge" on a cappuccino. I would probably always turn down the froofy umbrella drinks at the pool. And having to sign slips each time for everything (water, latte, cocktail, etc.) takes me out of vacation mode.

So I like it as much for the financial "value" as for the "value" of the extra peace of mind that the indulgence and vacation mode gives me.

But it's all what's important to you! YMMV :)

Hi,

Have never cruised on Celebrity before- am trying to decide if and which drinks package to take and ARE they value for money?

 

We are not huge drinkers( of alcohol) but I would maybe have 2 cocktails a day -a glass of wine with dinner and 4-5 bottles of water a day and maybe a coffee/ soft drink.

 

My Husband would drink maybe 2 beers, a couple of soft drinks and maybe 4-5 bottles of water -and a glass of wine at dinner.

 

Any suggestions / feedback would be greatly appreciated:)

THis may help you prices may be out of date but will give you a good idea, have fun.

Celebrity Drink PKG Selector 2014.xls

THis may help you prices may be out of date but will give you a good idea, have fun.

Thanks Snowyboy, that spreadsheet is really, really good. I have not seen it before and have just worked out that I will benefit from the Classic Alcohol package on my up coming cruise. ;)

THis may help you prices may be out of date but will give you a good idea, have fun.

No it's pretty up to date actually, I made it lol[emoji3]

The drink prices can easily be modified if there are some variances but overall it should proved a great guide of which packages may offer value to you bases on your estimated drinking habits both on sea and on port days (same say they would drink considerably less on a port day, others advise they will drink more in the evening when they arrive back in the ship.!)

Hope it helps!

Matt

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THis may help you prices may be out of date but will give you a good idea, have fun.

THIS IS AWESOME!:D Wow! Thanks for sharing.

You obiviously put a lot of work into this Excel file so I am really interested in giving it a test run when we leave on Celebrity Solstice next week!

We have a free drink package, but it will be great to track our drinks to see what we would have spent if we did not get the promotion.

Typically not for us.

We bring on 2 bottles of wine we know we like, we go to Captain's Club function for more wine/drinks just prior to dinner and I like to drink the chemicals in regular tap water.

I do like and buy beer and martini's, but also do not like the idea of drinking 3-5 alcoholic drinks per day.

As for coffee, I drink a cup or two in morning and do not drink OJ.

Thus, for some folks, it is a great deal and for others is not. Both types can and do have great cruises

The packages are not just about liquor.

 

Here is my "RUFF" run down of a day with a drink pkg on another thread

 

For us at least, the package was not just about drinks. It was everything else that the pkg includes.

 

A speciality coffee each on the balcony while the wifester is putting on her face, $5 ea. ( or the regular included in the cost of your cruise delivered when you want )

 

Evian or San Pellegrino with fresh squeezed juice with that second coffee at breakfast, $15 ea. ( or water and standard juice again all included )

 

Grab a bottle water on the way to stake out a deck chair, $4 ea. ( refill a bottle you bring )

$24 each before any mind altering liquid is consumed.

 

A beer or the drink of the day by the pool, $6 ea

Then off to lunch, maybe a soda, or another San Pellegrino $5 ea

The sun is hot hot hot! A cold beer or drink of the day is in order, $6 ea

The burger at the Mast Grill is calling our names, it does not go down with out some liquid assistance, $5 ea, then it is time to meet friends to watch the sun set from the Sunset Bar, $6 ea. Afternoon total $28.

And the evening fun has yet to begin.

San Pellegrino and a couple of glasses of wine with dinner, and another speciality coffee with desert, $26 ea

Now it is time for some mind altering sampling to happen, or not A cocktail with friends at one of the watering holes on ship $7 ea, or 2 if we are letting our hair down!

One more bottle water on the way back to the cabin just in case we get thirsty during the night, $4. Evening total, $44.

Morning, $24, day, $28, evening $44, total $96.00 each useing the low end of the cost scale, ie: the Classic pkg and not much mind altering substance.

Some evening's we will grab another coffee ( or worse) and go and sit on deck 5 to unwind, listen to the swoosh of the waves gently breaking down the side of the ship before heading to the cabin.

100% Agree

Much more than just booze in the Bevvy Pkgs ... There are Water & Soda Pkgs too

And when it coes to the Alcohol Pkgs.... I say that if you drink even just 2 or 3 alcoholic drinks a day when everything else is considered and the crazy prices (Pop - Bottled Water - Good Coffee & Teas) that chances are you are going to break even or come out ahead.

Takes a lot less partying than mst people realize

Cheers!

can you purchase a drink package for just one person, or do they force everyone in the stateroom to have a package? I might like a soda package, but my wife won't drink any. will they let us do that?

can you purchase a drink package for just one person, or do they force everyone in the stateroom to have a package? I might like a soda package, but my wife won't drink any. will they let us do that?

Yes you can.

Only rule is you cannot share a pkg.

Hope this helps,

Cheers!

We had the premium and glad we did, as we really like to try different cocktails and wines,also includes speciality coffees and pastries in cafe bacio. In our package we had top of the range spirits like grey goose vodka and Hendricks gin. Each evening we started with Chandon (the celebrity version of champagne) which was very good then at least 3 cocktails before dinner, wines matched to each course at dinner, after dinner liquors then more cocktails in the bars or nightclub till at least 1am, never drank anything other than bottled water in day but our friend drank beer so yes for us great value and would never sail on a ship without it.

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*not* casting aspersions, but seriously - that sounds like an excessive amount of alcohol!

Maybe if you only drink the most expensive stuff? I don't know, the person upthread who says 2-3 drinks per day I'm having trouble seeing how the math works.

*not* casting aspersions, but seriously - that sounds like an excessive amount of alcohol!

 

Maybe if you only drink the most expensive stuff? I don't know, the person upthread who says 2-3 drinks per day I'm having trouble seeing how the math works.

The math...

BREAKFAST

1 Cafe al Bacio Coffee = $ 4.50

Fresh Squeezed Juice = $ 3.00

DAY ASHORE

2 Bottles of Spring Water = $ 8.00

BACK ON BOARD

1 Pop = $ 2.00

COCKTAIL HOUR

1 Cocktail or Martini = $9.00 to 13.00 (depending on pkg)

DINNER

1 Bottle of Premium Water = $ 6.00

1 Glass of Wine = $ 9.00 to $ 13.00 (depending on pkg)

1 Cafe al Bacio Coffee = $ 4.50

AFTER DINNER / SHOWTIME / CASINO

1 Nightcap = $ 8.00 to $ 12.00 (depending on program)

OFF TO BED

Late Night Bevvy (Botted Water, Coffee, Juice) = $ 4.50

TOTALS. = $ 58.50 to $ 70.50 (based on 3 alcoholic drinks... Would be less for 2 alcoholic drinks... But still more than the Pkg daily rate of $ 49.00 for Classic and $ 59.00 for Premium)

This is a Port Day... Sea Days and people tend to drink more. Lol, of course the more you drink (especially alcohol) the better the value

YMMV... But a pkg can truly be a great value. Something I believe... And so do a lot of regular Celebrity Cruisers.

Cheers!

There are a lot of opinions in favor of a drink package. There's nothing wrong with that - but I thought I'd offer a differing opinion.

My boyfriend and I have been on 4 cruises together. We really enjoy alcoholic drinks (we're not alcoholic - we enjoy mixed drinks and a nice glass of beer or wine. We don't drink to excess or to get drunk). Every cruise we debate getting an alcohol package. Every cruise we decide to start without one and we can get a pro-rated one if we think we need it after a couple of days. We've never gotten one and have never wished we had.

The math works out only if you think you would drink that much WITHOUT the package. You may get a hot chocolate and fresh squeezed juice for breakfast because you can...but honestly, would you miss it if you didn't? Personally, I don't. Yeah - if they were free, I might, but when I'm paying a la carte, I realize that I'm perfectly happy with the free non-fresh-squeezed juice and hot chocolate that's in the Oceanview Cafe. Dinner you may get a bottle of premium bottled water, because you can. But if you didn't have the package, you'd be perfectly happy with tap water. My guess is in a blind taste test you couldn't tell the difference. You may grab a bottle of water before you get off the ship if it's free, but you wouldn't miss it if you didn't have the drink package - if you get thirsty on land you buy a normal-priced bottle of water for a fraction of what they are on the ship. So I think the question is "what do I think I'd realistically spend if I didn't have a package and is that less than the price of a package?"

Our favorite drinks are the mixed drinks in Molecular Bar - those are part of the premium package. So if you just had the classic package, you'd have to pay for those (you don't get to apply the cost of a classic package drink and pay the difference.) So for us, we'd only consider the premium drink package, which is $60/day+ gratuity. Which means that we'd need to drink 4 drinks at Molecular bar every day to break even.

I have no doubt if I paid for the premium package, I could manage to drink that much or more each day. However, the proof is that when I don't pay for the package, I don't come even close to spending $60/day on drinks (alcoholic/non-alcoholic combined). I'm still buying all the drinks I feel like drinking and never feel deprived or like I'm pinching pennies. (Trust me - I'm not.)

So you have to decide what will make your vacation happy. There's something to be said about the freedom of being able to drink whatever you want and not have to worry about cost or signing receipts. If that's what makes you happy, then do it. Personally, I prefer to drink just what I'd normally drink, save about $150-200 over the course of the cruise and spend that money on a fantastic shore excursion.

A good perspective in above post, and I would agree most will drink more (self included) having a package than without. But I've been on holidays when we would like to have had a few drinks but due high prices we have gone without, maybe the odd wine or cocktail every few days. Whilst I have paid for the privilege by purchasing a premium package on our upcoming cruise it will be nice to be able to order whatever, whenever without concern of prices or feeling a need to 'skimp'. I note that many people that post about the packages say that's the biggest be benefit of a package ...not how much booze they can drink but the freedom of no bar chits to sign and no bill at the end of the cruise.

But no one need to justify if the packages are worth it or not, that's up to the individual. It makes me laugh when some posts are concerned that people must drink too much booze if they want a package, or that they don't drink that much so a package isn't for them. That's why I made the drinks calculator as attached a few posts above, so anyone that thinks it 'may' be of value can get an estimated indication of value based on their drinking habits. That includes the soda and non alcoholic packages as well. It is then a choice whether you go with a package or pay as you go. No one is being forced to choose one over the other!

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Sorry think I referred to an attachment that was actually in another but similar thread [emoji15][emoji12]. FYI, this is link to bevvy package calculator if anyone is interested!

Cheers (pun nit intended lol)!!

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2038767

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Yes, dont blame you for thinking that is a lot of drink we get through, and to be honest it is but I only do it on holiday and none of us (4) have ever fell down or appeared to be drunk ( I would be mortified) and its spread out over early evening into the early hours, food soaks it up but we really do like to try all the variations on a lovely cruise especially the Mocular bar mixes, now home my hubby and I do not drink only on occassion, but we do not like a large bar bill at the end and yes we would still drink the same amount if we never had a package so for us it makes sense.

There is no blanket answer as to whether the drink packages are a good value. For some they are a fantastic value and for some they would be a terrible waste.

I will say that in general the packages are expensive.

Celebrity introduced these packages a few years back. I'm sure that their purpose was to increase their beverage revenues and not to decrease them. So I presume the packages are priced above the average cruiser's beverage expenditure. I know they are for us and always felt we spent a fair amount when on board.

So with all this in mind I think the packages are best for those that either consume above average quantities of the included beverages or those that are willing to pay extra for an all inclusive experience. Don't discount the last part of that as it is a nice feature and many of us are willing to pay a little more than we have in the past for the unlimited nature of the plans. I know that we've done this for the non-alcoholic plans in the past and increased our consumption of bottled water as well as the premium coffees and teas from the Café al Bacio coffee bar.

Also keep in mind that for wine connoisseurs the package might not be right. Wine on the packages are restricted to a limited selection of wines served by the glass. For some the selection is more than adequate but some prefer the much wider selection of bottled wines available on board which are not included in the unlimited beverage packages.

My general advice for those that are considering buying a package but are unsure of the decision is to wait until you are on board. After you get on board you'll be able to see first hand what the prices and selection is and what your own consumption is. You can purchase the packages on board and if you do so after the first night of the cruise the price will be prorated for the remaining nights.

Are the beverage packages on Celebrity really unlimited, or do they cut you off after a certain number of drinks in one day?