Go Better Perk Choices - Need Help Evaluating

I am booking a 7 day cruise and get to pick two perks. The $300 OBC is a no brainer, but I am not sure what to pick for the other perk. I am deciding between the Classic Beverage Package and the Unlimited internet for for 2.

I will be traveling with my 13 year old daughter, so the internet package for both of us would be nice. What does the package usually cost? Is it $199 for the week? Cheaper if pre-purchased online? Any discount for the second person?

I do not drink alcohol (health reasons) and my daughter obviously would not get full value out of the classic package. Without the perk, I might consider the premium non-alcoholic package. Even if I bought the package or both of us, I am estimating that is around $360, so still less than the value of the internet, I think?

Any insight is greatly appreciated. I am new to Celebrity and it is very hard to get any concrete information off of their website.

On the ship I have seen offers of buy 1 internet package and get the 2nd at 50% off. However it seems that this does not apply if you pre-purchase the Internet packages.

Alrhough you don't drink alcohol the Classic package includes speciality coffee/tea, fresh squeezed juice, bottled water, fountain soda and mocktails. BTW you can bring bottled water and soda on board at embarkation.

If the Internet is $199 for the week and you buy on board for $300 for 2 packages then the question is would you and your daughter spend more than $43 per day(for 2) for juice, water, soda, coffee, etc. If you think you will spend less than $43 per day for your drinks then the Internet would be the best choice.

You can change from the classic alcohol to the premium non alcohol for $4 per person per day plus the 18% gratuity. So you can get the drink package you want for both of you for $66.08 total if you select that package.

To purchase internet for both of you will be around $300 which is pretty much the OBC, but that's hoping the offer the buy one get one half off.

I'd take the drinks and internet as the perk and forget about the OBC. This way it guarantees internet for both of you, and the drinks you'd want.

The drinks or internet would immediately wipe out the OBC you selected and may end up costing you additional money. Unless I'm missing something drinks and internet definitely seem to be the best for you.

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You can change from the classic alcohol to the premium non alcohol for $4 per person per day plus the 18% gratuity. So you can get the drink package you want for both of you for $66.08 total if you select that package.

 

To purchase internet for both of you will be around $300 which is pretty much the OBC, but that's hoping the offer the buy one get one half off.

 

I'd take the drinks and internet as the perk and forget about the OBC. This way it guarantees internet for both of you, and the drinks you'd want.

 

The drinks or internet would immediately wipe out the OBC you selected and may end up costing you additional money. Unless I'm missing something drinks and internet definitely seem to be the best for you.

 

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Since the Classic Alcohol costs more than the Premium Non Alcohol where does the $4 charge come in? Many have reported success in downgrading the Classic Alcohol Package to the Premium NonAlcohol at Guest Service once on the ship but others haven't been able to downgrade. So not a sure thing.

Have you downgraded and been charged?

Since the Classic Alcohol costs more than the Premium Non Alcohol where does the $4 charge come in? Many have reported success in downgrading the Classic Alcohol Package to the Premium NonAlcohol at Guest Service once on the ship but others haven't been able to downgrade. So not a sure thing.

 

Have you downgraded and been charged?

Twice now this has been done with someone I've been cruising with.

Guest services told us the Classic alcohol package can only become the classic non alcoholic package. Once you downgrade to the non alcohol you then upgrade to the premium non alcoholic package. The difference between those two are $4. That's why it is $4 per person per day.

Again this has been done on my last two cruises. Once on the Constellation and the other on the Silhouette. Both cruises within the last 6 months.

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As far as the internet packages, we usually just buy one package and share it. It means only one person can be online at a time but that is not a big deal for us and saves some money. In your choices you mention the $300 in OBC, the bev package and the internet package, what about pre-paid grats? Some times that is a good deal, better than either of the beverage package options and on par with internet.

Have you looked at the comparison tool? I found it was a big help for us to figure out the best value.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2404615&highlight=cruise+comparison+tool

I doubt that your daughter wants to share the internet package, most will want it to post pictures and send live updates of their vacations.

As far as the internet packages, we usually just buy one package and share it. It means only one person can be online at a time but that is not a big deal for us and saves some money. In your choices you mention the $300 in OBC, the bev package and the internet package, what about pre-paid grats? Some times that is a good deal, better than either of the beverage package options and on par with internet.

In this case the grats wouldn't be a good deal. Let's say they are in a concierge or aqua class cabin. Grats are $14 a day so with 2 that would be $28 per day. That $28 × 7 would equal $196. All the options offer more value than that. If they are in a Balcony or oceanview the grats are $13.50 per day so even less value.

Grats become a good deal when your cruise is 12+ nights long as it then becomes more than the $300 OBC. Anything 11 nights or less it's not worth picking grats unless you don't care about the internet and know your drink bill will be less than what the cost of grats is.

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You can change from the classic alcohol to the premium non alcohol for $4 per person per day plus the 18% gratuity. So you can get the drink package you want for both of you for $66.08 total if you select that package.

 

To purchase internet for both of you will be around $300 which is pretty much the OBC, but that's hoping the offer the buy one get one half off.

 

I'd take the drinks and internet as the perk and forget about the OBC. This way it guarantees internet for both of you, and the drinks you'd want.

 

The drinks or internet would immediately wipe out the OBC you selected and may end up costing you additional money. Unless I'm missing something drinks and internet definitely seem to be the best for you.

 

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Thank you for this analysis! I never thought of it that way - probabably because I didn't realize I could convert the classic alcohlic package to the premium non alcoholic package at minimal cost. Can anyone confirm being allowed to do this on the Summit? If so, it might be the way to go. We also have some TA OBC, which will cover the added cost and some (not all) of the gratuities, leaving us with a minimal bill in the end.

 

I doubt that your daughter wants to share the internet package, most will want it to post pictures and send live updates of their vacations.

You hit the nail on the head. On other lines I've purchased a single unlimited package that we share for the week, but we always wind up bugging eachother to log off. As a teenager, she is a heavy social media user, and there is no point in extolling the virtues of unplugging for a week. It's beyond her comprehension. As an otherwise single traveller, I like having the option to communicate back home and browse online, maybe stream a movie if the connection can handle it. If it's being offered as a "free" option, I'd rather get us each our own connection so we don't like to squabble over who gets to be online.

So related question - is the Go Best worth it? I'm looking at a 7 day Equinox trip with wife and 10 year old son. Premium drink package is good for us, I'd probably upgrade if we did Go Better, and Go Best includes a nonalcoholic drink package for my son. Go Best also gives 2 unlimited internet packages plus 40 minutes on a third device, $300 OBC and prepaid tips for 2. I look at it as essentially an all in price except for casino if we go (probably will once or twice) and excursions, and maybe some incidentals.

Before my last trip, I thought sharing internet package was unthinkable ;p, but actually it was pretty easy. The way it was setup is that the person who wanted to use the internet can just log the other person out. You can have 2 phones, 2 computers, 2 tablets all using the same internet just not at the same time. So if your daughter needs to upload pictures to social media, she would just log you out and do her thing. But then if you have 2nd account, you could reach your daughter anytime anywhere on the ship. And 2nd account is 50% off if you buy your internet package on the ship. I think on our last cruise it was $249 (7 days) for first account, and 50% off for 2nd in the same cabin if purchase together. So it would be $374 buying onboard.

For drink package, if you don't need alcohol, the premium non-alcohol package is $22 per day per person, so 7 days would be $308 + 18% tip = $364

So if you think you are going to drink alcohol, it is probably better to take the Classic and downgrade daughter to premium non-alcohol, then buy your internet packages on board.

If you are not drinking much (just pay for each alcoholic drink), then it is better to take the internet package, and pay for the 2 premium non-alcoholic packages.

Actually if you are going to need both drink packages and 2 internet accounts, just take those 2 and forget the $300 OBC. Both perks are worth more than $300 for the 7 days.

In this case the grats wouldn't be a good deal. Let's say they are in a concierge or aqua class cabin. Grats are $14 a day so with 2 that would be $28 per day. That $28 × 7 would equal $196. All the options offer more value than that. If they are in a Balcony or oceanview the grats are $13.50 per day so even less value.

 

Grats become a good deal when your cruise is 12+ nights long as it then becomes more than the $300 OBC. Anything 11 nights or less it's not worth picking grats unless you don't care about the internet and know your drink bill will be less than what the cost of grats is.

 

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This is exactly what we choose on our upcoming 12 night cruise, the gratuities and the beverage package. I may possibly upgrade to the premium package after trying the classic package for a few days, I prefer nicer wines and also vitamin water

So related question - is the Go Best worth it? I'm looking at a 7 day Equinox trip with wife and 10 year old son. Premium drink package is good for us, I'd probably upgrade if we did Go Better, and Go Best includes a nonalcoholic drink package for my son. Go Best also gives 2 unlimited internet packages plus 40 minutes on a third device, $300 OBC and prepaid tips for 2. I look at it as essentially an all in price except for casino if we go (probably will once or twice) and excursions, and maybe some incidentals.

Are you sure your son is not already getting the 40 min internet package and free classic non-alcoholic drink package with Go Better? We did with ours in April.. our son is also 10 years old in the same cabin. Those are free gifts for 3rd person (child) in balcony cabin.

We picked the $300 OBC and 2 unlimited internet packages. We ended up not using the 40 min package as 3 people sharing 2 unlimited internet logins is really enough.

So if you are picking $300 OBC and classic alcoholic packages, then go Best will add

1) Prepaid Tip for 2 ( you still have to pay tip for son)

2) Two Unlimited Internet Accounts

That's $13.50 x 14 + $249 + $124.50 (2nd account 50% off) = $562.50

Go Best is worth $562.50 over Go Better if you are going to get 2 unlimited internet accounts.

Just my 2 cents. Are the 2 perks complimentary for your sailing? On some sailings, it is not and you have to add the cost pp. If not, I'd take the cruise fare without the perks I find X is marking up the cruise price extremely high since one of the perks is a beverage package. While some may drink that much, we certainly do not and it seems you and your daughter will not see the value out of that.

If the perks are complimentary, I think you will get the better value of the internet package depending on how much you will use it. If you don't think you'll be using the internet that much, then take the gratuities since that will actually be a cost to you.

For us, I wish Celebrity would stop with these complimentary perks. We don't see the value in the added cost at all. We do not drink that much or use the internet since we are on vacation and busy in port or doing other things when on the ship. Unless we get a great onboard booking deal, we are no longer booking early and waiting. I remember when prices would never come down from the release date and you had to book early to secure the cabin you wanted. I find that not the case anymore atleast in our experience.

Are you sure your son is not already getting the 40 min internet package and free classic non-alcoholic drink package with Go Better? We did with ours in April.. our son is also 10 years old in the same cabin. Those are free gifts for 3rd person (child) in balcony cabin.

 

We picked the $300 OBC and 2 unlimited internet packages. We ended up not using the 40 min package as 3 people sharing 2 unlimited internet logins is really enough.

 

So if you are picking $300 OBC and classic alcoholic packages, then go Best will add

1) Prepaid Tip for 2 ( you still have to pay tip for son)

 

2) Two Unlimited Internet Accounts

 

That's $13.50 x 14 + $249 + $124.50 (2nd account 50% off) = $562.50

 

Go Best is worth $562.50 over Go Better if you are going to get 2 unlimited internet accounts.

Sorry took me a couple of days to circle back.

Doesn't Go Best also get you the premium drink package instead of classic? Do you happen to know the price difference?

The price difference for 3 people between better and best is $210 a person so it's $630 total. So with the upgrade to premium drinks it might be worth it. And I don't know if we'd use all the OBC so some of it might cover the tips for my kid. Decisions . . .

Just my 2 cents. Are the 2 perks complimentary for your sailing? On some sailings, it is not and you have to add the cost pp. If not, I'd take the cruise fare without the perks I find X is marking up the cruise price extremely high since one of the perks is a beverage package. While some may drink that much, we certainly do not and it seems you and your daughter will not see the value out of that.

 

If the perks are complimentary, I think you will get the better value of the internet package depending on how much you will use it. If you don't think you'll be using the internet that much, then take the gratuities since that will actually be a cost to you.

 

For us, I wish Celebrity would stop with these complimentary perks. We don't see the value in the added cost at all. We do not drink that much or use the internet since we are on vacation and busy in port or doing other things when on the ship. Unless we get a great onboard booking deal, we are no longer booking early and waiting. I remember when prices would never come down from the release date and you had to book early to secure the cabin you wanted. I find that not the case anymore atleast in our experience.

I don't know that I can answer your question directly, but I do know that after pricing a bunch of cruises for the week we can go and adding in things like tips, drink packages, internet that my wife and I must have b/c we are both self employed, etc. the Equinox cruise I am looking at is 1) cheaper than several RC trips for the same week 2) cheaper than most of the NCL trips and 3) not that much more than a trip on the Carnival Glory that I actually really like for the itinerary but am a little nervous about b/c it is a Carnival cruise during spring break. So I'm looking at it as my all in price other than excursions, casino, other incidentals, etc. and the price with the perks compares favorably.

Sorry took me a couple of days to circle back.

 

Doesn't Go Best also get you the premium drink package instead of classic? Do you happen to know the price difference?

 

 

The price difference for 3 people between better and best is $210 a person so it's $630 total. So with the upgrade to premium drinks it might be worth it. And I don't know if we'd use all the OBC so some of it might cover the tips for my kid. Decisions . . .

You are correct in your belief that the go best promotion gets you the premium drink package. The difference between standard drink package and premium drink package is $11,80/day

You are correct in your belief that the go best promotion gets you the premium drink package. The difference between standard drink package and premium drink package is $11,80/day

No, that's the difference between the CLASSIC drinks package and the Premium. The Standard package is $10 (+ grats) cheaper than the Classic.

Thank you for this analysis! I never thought of it that way - probabably because I didn't realize I could convert the classic alcohlic package to the premium non alcoholic package at minimal cost. Can anyone confirm being allowed to do this on the Summit? If so, it might be the way to go. We also have some TA OBC, which will cover the added cost and some (not all) of the gratuities, leaving us with a minimal bill in the end.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You hit the nail on the head. On other lines I've purchased a single unlimited package that we share for the week, but we always wind up bugging eachother to log off. As a teenager, she is a heavy social media user, and there is no point in extolling the virtues of unplugging for a week. It's beyond her comprehension. As an otherwise single traveller, I like having the option to communicate back home and browse online, maybe stream a movie if the connection can handle it. If it's being offered as a "free" option, I'd rather get us each our own connection so we don't like to squabble over who gets to be online.

Any luck on Summit? Some have been able to convert to premium non alcoholic for no fee and some have had to pay $4.00 per day.

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If it is just the 2 of you travelling, your daughter will get the premium non-alcoholic drink package. I have cruised with my minor son twice in the last couple years with the drink package perk. He was automatically given the premium non-alcoholic package.

What do you get that's better for the premium nonalcoholic vs classic alcohol? We have the drinks on our elite for each evening. I sure don't need more than three drinks a night! But I like the nonalcoholic frozen drinks, juices and coffee drinks!

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