What do you think about unlimited beer and alcohol packages?

[Moeve]

I think Celebrity cruising population are not "bing drinkers" and would more far in the category of social drinkers. The average age of a Celebrity traveler would be between 50 & 70 years old and thus they should be more responsible in their drinking habits.

 

ehhmmm "should" be more responsible - does not necessarily mean they actually ARE responsible when we are talking value for money

[ovccruiser]

Hate shilling out every time you sidle up to the bar? Celebrity Cruises has announced that it is introducing unlimited beer and liquor packages onboard its ships. Celebrity's packages are probably the closest alternative to an "open bar" outside of the luxury niche, with liquor packages starting from $51.50 per night ($76 for premium spirits) and beer packages from $34.50 per night.

 

On reading this again, its not so good as it sounds. If, like me, you drink mainly beer but have the bottle of wine with your meal and enjoy a cocktail or two before dinner, it sounds as if you have to buy two packages, its not going to happen

[spongerob]

( who can really justify drinking at 7 am.??.. )

No need to justify it, you're on vacation. And it's 5 o'clock somewhere. :D

 

I'd like it as an option. I'm not saying I'd choose it every time, but depending upon what was included it might be worthwhile.

[fishing pole]

Sure and then let them all carry guns too.:mad:

[Canuker]

I think this is a money grab by the cruise line, at the expense of the passengers who don't drink or drink responsibly.

Not a cruise, but a recent all-inclusive vacation, saw a small minority of (usually) younger (male and female) adults intoxicated at most times of the day, being loud, intrusive and, frankly, ruining the reason many people go on vacation: R&R.

One guy was so bad that the bar staff dreaded him (inevitably) coming back for more. One barman closed his bar rather than have to serve him - so none of us was able to go to the bar.

 

On dry land, this is bad enough, but on a moving vessel, there are injury possibilities, both to the individual and to others he/she encounters.

 

Too bad that Celebrity has decided the money grab trumps the enjoyment of its passengers.

No doubt poeple will bear this in mind as a factor when choosing their cruise.

[BIG_Steve]

I think Celebrity cruising population are not "bing drinkers" and would more far in the category of social drinkers. The average age of a Celebrity traveler would be between 50 & 70 years old and thus they should be more responsible in their drinking habits.

 

Haven't been on Celebrity, so I'll accept that at face value. But I'll bet you lunch at Cracker Barrel that a change to "all you can drink" is going to change the demographics quickly. Not sure anyone who is happy with the line now, will remain happy..........

[Carolina Cruiserr]

The drink package would be great if it were not so pricey. If they would lower the price by $12 per day, we would sign up for our February cruise.

[G'ma]

It's incredible to me that anyone would spend over 50.00 a day for a booze package.

 

How can anyone drink that amount of booze and still walk?

 

I'm totally against it....it will encourage more liquor consumption which will lead to more drunks, more bad behavior, more brawls and more disruptive behavior.

 

And, I'll bet the "overboard" numbers climb, too.

[StillPooh]

IMO, the prices are too high. I'll be going back to my land-based all inclusives where the cost of all the beer, wine and mixed drinks I want is paid upfront, not as a separate charge.

[relaxandenjoy]

I think the price is too high for anyone in the "average" drinking category. I drink more on cruises than I do the rest of the year but it's usually one frozen drink by the pool and then mixers after dinner. Even when I close the club I'm not sure I spend that much daily. And not EVERY day. I think it would encourage too many people to try and "get their money's worth," and result in some bad decisions.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Noticed that the price for Premium alcohol is $76 per night.

 

On HAL we get a Grey Goose on the rocks for $6.50 plus 15% gratuity. We usually have a single before dinner in one of the lounges and a double at dinner. That would only be $39 plus 15% gratuity.

 

Definitely not for us. Celebrity is charging way too much if you are just a regular drinker.

[balcony bum]

It would be good ifyou can pick the days . I do not drink every day.

[pris993]

No value for us, we split a beer over lunch or have each have a glass of wine. Sometimes we have a cocktail in the evening.

 

We are seniors. On the last two cruises, we really have discovered we enjoy having breakfast and lunch primarily. We really do not care about dinner at all.

 

We have a glass of wine with lunch. Maybe a cocktail in the evening when we go for out to see some entertainment. Our bar bill isn't much.

[CanWeGoYet?]

To me that sounds like it would only encourage overindulging in alcohol. The base price of the package is $50 per day....so anyone opting to buy it may be thinking they would be in for a savings - if they were planning on drinking more than that.

 

Sounds like a bad idea all the way around.

[John Bull]

This is surely a dumb way of offering a drinks package.

If more alcohol is free but soft drinks come at Celebrity's prices ????????? .......that will surely lead to excessive drinking, even by responsible people.

 

After "enough" alcohol, most folk tone-down or switch to soft drinks, even when on an A/I package. But Celebrity's offerings are individual packages - liquor OR beer OR wine OR soft drinks - and it's clearly unacceptable value to buy more than one package.

So if I've enjoyed a packaged bottle of wine or two with my dinner, am I going to buy an expensive mocktail in the theatre, or order more free wine?

For some folk, mebbe even me, an unlimited A/I similar to A/I resorts and a few minor cruise lines - spirits, beers, wines, cocktails, juices, sodas, water, all on one card, is worth some mental arithmetic. And A/I has been available on some cruise ships, including the high-risk combination of a budget UK line, without problem. Which may surprise you as it surprises me, but it's fact, not opinion.

But an expensive package which tells me to drink only hard liquor or beers or wine? - no chance.

 

John Bull

[Moeve]

The only two packages that seem to make sence are the Soda Fountain and the frozen Drinks because of the non alcoholic versions that are possible. other wise I wouldn't even try it. Will tell you how it was when we get back in January.

[ovccruiser]

It's incredible to me that anyone would spend over 50.00 a day for a booze package.

 

How can anyone drink that amount of booze and still walk?

 

A decent bottle of wine with dinner would cost that, add a couple of cocktails pre dinner and a couple of drinks after dinner and you are probably well over $60, but as I said earlier, they will make exclusions.

[spongerob]

Exactly, throw in a decent, moderately priced bottle of wine and it's not hard to run up a tab without being a binge drinker.

[Lady Jane]

The beer package will definitely save us money...one of us is a beer drinker (and only beer) and easily can consume 7+ beers a day without becoming inebriated. Not sure about the frozen drink package...the other of us might drink 3 drinks a day which is what would be needed at $22.50 a day. Good deal all in all!

[StillPooh]

For some folk, mebbe even me, an unlimited A/I similar to A/I resorts and a few minor cruise lines - spirits, beers, wines, cocktails, juices, sodas, water, all on one card, is worth some mental arithmetic. And A/I has been available on some cruise ships, including the high-risk combination of a budget UK line, without problem. Which may surprise you as it surprises me, but it's fact, not opinion.

 

But an expensive package which tells me to drink only hard liquor or beers or wine? - no chance.

ITA. On our last land-based vacay we went to the all-inclusive Dreams Cancun. We started our day with Mimosas, switched to beer on the beach mid-day, and wine or cocktails around five. I agree that it would be dumb to offer limited packages.

[jester121]

I predict this won't last, or at least will be modified in some way. There's already been some discussion on the X board about "scamming" the system, either with two people drinking the same thing and having one person buy all the drinks for two, or else buying one package and then getting a vodka at one bar and then running over for a g&t at the other bar for the second person.

 

I guess with the S&S card tracking things it might be a bit easier to crack down on scammers, but then you get into the PR hassle of having to confront a customer for breaking the rules.

 

Resorts that aren't traditionally all-inclusive have experimented with these packages and abandoned them; it's too easy for one person to order a free round of drinks for their friends, and if the bartender can be in collusion for the price of a tip, it's tough to control.

[hannibal54]

I really like this idea, my bar bill is always high. There is binge drinking going on during cruises now. If a person wants to drink they will drink. At $25 plus for a bucket of beer, I would save money. I am in my mid 50's and I like to drink beer. You won't see me jumping off a a perfectly good ship or stumbling around like an idiot. This would make me want to take a Celebrity Cruise.

[cruiseyguy]

I would prefer to see Celebrity go "all inclusive" rather than the way they are doing it now. As for "irresponsible drinking," you certainly don't see that on the all-inclusive luxury lines and those who are expressing concerns about it happening on Celebrity seem to be implying that X's passengers are somehow less disciplined or more rowdy.

[Wilcoam]

My wife and I have sailed all the commercial lines, but have some exp with open bars via Silverseas PA and Xpedition, and very much enjoyed that aspect

 

On the likes of X, in the past my wife and I would buy TWO in-room set-up packages and with the exception of wine at dinner, we would go back to room, mix drink, leave, in order to keep the booze bill down/reasonable

 

Sometimes it was a pain in the ass to specifically have to drop by the suite everytime we wanted a drink, but we got used to the system

 

Now we're tempted to ditch the in-room thingy and instead for each of us to buy a package and SHARE. I'll buy the fruity drink package, her the alcohol one. When she wants a fruity drink, I'll get her one, and vice versa, just got to go to two different bars when we want two drinks (of the same kind) at once, which is still way easier than having to go back back to the suite to mix one

 

I imagine we would still buy wine at dinner, but now before and after, we will 200% have the feeling of an open bar, especially on a sea day, so we love this new program, and even if it even costs a little more, the simple convenience of getting a drink, with no bill, and no signature, whenever we feel like it, sounds fab to me

 

jc

Toronto

Summit Feb 20th 2010

[JLC@SD]

Hate shilling out every time you sidle up to the bar? Celebrity Cruises has announced that it is introducing unlimited beer and liquor packages onboard its ships. Celebrity's packages are probably the closest alternative to an "open bar" outside of the luxury niche, with liquor packages starting from $51.50 per night ($76 for premium spirits) and beer packages from $34.50 per night.

 

Convenient they are, but what about the cost? The beer package entitles you to unlimited domestic and imported brews (one beer per package holder, per order), which are ordinarily priced from $4.50 to $6.50 each. You'd need to drink between five and seven beers a day to get your money's worth.

 

Read the full news story here.

 

Would you pay for an unlimited drinks package if it were offered on your cruise? Do they offer added convenience -- or encourage too much spending (and drinking)? Tell us in our poll above what you think about unlimited drinks packages -- and be sure to post your opinion below!

....sounds like a good plan for an alcoholic.....;)