Possibly purchasing a drink package

[hsb5956]

What is the wine pricing like by the bottle in the dinning room for the house wine white & red? Is it okay or is it not so good not that I need great wine okay wine not the quality of Trader Joe's 3 Buck wines which are tolerable?

 

I am a solo traveler usually not a huge drinker other then on vacations a bottle of wine at dinner lasts 2 nights some times other times I start the second bottle part way through the first bottles second dinner. May have a cocktail in a the lounge pre dinner and every couple nights will do a after dinner dink liqueur or brandy.

 

Day time drinking water bottled preferred 2 bottles tops. I am a tea drinker and love tea but now a days can not handle the caffeine so do decaffeinated or herbal in the free beverage tea category in the buffet and dinning rooms is there any option for ether decaffeinated or herbal tea or only plain caffeinated Lipton style tea? I resent paying $4.00 at the ships cafe / lounge for a tea bag that I can get for less at coffee tea house back home in Seattle unless it is special tea. I know it's the way it is on a cruise. Might just bring my own tea bag collection :) HAHA

 

A story I was on a Costa cruise in Asia in 2010 they served UK branded Lipton tea at that point I could still handle the caffeine some how drinking Lipton UK branded green tea in Asia en route to China on an Italian cruise ship was very disheartening knowing I was in real tea country and the best tea areas of the world. Off the ship I had what would be Lipton's Asia counter part teas and they were so much better tasting.

 

My big issue for my coming Australia - Honolulu 17 night cruise is 6 days at sea then after 4 days in ports 5 more days at sea = loads of drinking or being a very good boy and not drinking / retraining my self to save some $'s on liquids.

 

Is ship board water from the water coolers and dinning room service area for water okay to drink? I know to avoid bathroom tap water.

 

 

Thanks for your input & smooth sailings to all

 

hsb5956

[rnjmiller]

My husband and I were on an 11 day cruise on the Millie in April and we bought the Classic package and enjoyed the Martini bar. The key is you have to order the small $6 dollar martinis. They are not on their regular menu so you have to special request them. We are not much for wine so the classic worked well for us.

[infoprof56]

Is ship board water from the water coolers and dinning room service area for water okay to drink? I know to avoid bathroom tap water.

 

hsb5956

 

The water on the ship including the bathroom tap is some of the purest water available anywhere. It is perfectly safe to drink no matter what tap it comes from. They don't have separate water systems for the bathroom taps.

[u2cruiser]

My husband and I were on an 11 day cruise on the Millie in April and we bought the Classic package and enjoyed the Martini bar. The key is you have to order the small $6 dollar martinis. They are not on their regular menu so you have to special request them. We are not much for wine so the classic worked well for us.

 

Our friends had the small Martinis on the classic package. I had them too even though I had the premium package. The full ones were way too strong for me. This way I could try a few different ones.

[FM]

Everyone in your cabin does not have to purchase a package but there is no sharing. Remember, cabin service is not included, nor is the bar in the cabin.

 

As far as the Martini Bar - enjoy the one on Summit while it is still there. We were on the refurbed Constellation and they took away our favorite meeting place. We were a rather large group of reunited friends and used Crush because the Martini Bar is way too small. The sad part was that the original place of the Martini Bar was usually pretty empty on most nights.

 

We had the premium package and loved the choices, especially the coffees. I never drank them much before but really enjoyed the relaxing atmosphere in the coffee bar area.

 

So is there a stocked mini-bar in the stateroom?

[u2cruiser]

So is there a stocked mini-bar in the stateroom?

 

Yes, the small fridge contains miniatures and various cans/water.

[uktog]

Yes, the small fridge contains miniatures and various cans/water.

 

But if you use it the cost is not covered by any beverage package. The sodas are pretty expensive as well

[Mermen]

To HSBC5956: Plenty of teas, black, green, herbal and decaf are in the Aqua Spa / Thallossotherapy or Solarium room, as well as the buffet areas. There is always tea to be found...which you have already paid for in your cruise price. We always make fresh iced tea after breakfast to take in our travel mugs for an excursion.

 

To FM: We always ask our cabin attendant to empty the mini fridge so we can stick our own smuggled booze in there, LOL.

[Tudorcruisers]

We purchased the Premium Package last year and found it to be so good we have purchased it again for September. We loved having the freshly squeezed orange juice, the tea and coffee in the lounge and trying out the Martinis. It does seem expensive initially but it worked for us and no more signing the slips etc.

[TLCOhio]

The water on the ship including the bathroom tap is some of the purest water available anywhere. It is perfectly safe to drink no matter what tap it comes from. They don't have separate water systems for the bathroom taps.

 

Just back from our first time sailing with Celebrity and agree strongly on the water quality. We had no problems. Things were excellent in these water-quality areas. Also wanted to put in a plug that . . . we were very impressed by the staff during our experience. Many of the staff have been with Celebrity for a good period of time, very dedicated, focused, etc. You can see more on our Med sailing on the Solstice from below. Things on the ship were very clean, well maintained, etc. Lots of stations and push on people using the hand-cleaner, etc. Impressed!!

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Just back from a June 7-19 Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc. These postings are now at 16,025 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2011, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 45,250 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

 

Appreciate those who have “tuned in” for these two posts. Don’t be shy and feel free to comment and/or ask any questions of interest.

[FM]

Yes, the small fridge contains miniatures and various cans/water.

 

T

 

To FM: We always ask our cabin attendant to empty the mini fridge so we can stick our own smuggled booze in there, LOL.

 

 

Good to know ... :) Thx

[Sloop-JohnB]

What is the wine pricing like by the bottle in the dinning room for the house wine white & red? Is it okay or is it not so good not that I need great wine okay wine not the quality of Trader Joe's 3 Buck wines which are tolerable?

 

I am a solo traveler usually not a huge drinker other then on vacations a bottle of wine at dinner lasts 2 nights some times other times I start the second bottle part way through the first bottles second dinner.

 

May have a cocktail in a the lounge pre dinner and every couple nights will do a after dinner dink liqueur or brandy.

 

Day time drinking water bottled preferred 2 bottles tops.

 

I am a tea drinker and love tea but now a days can not handle the caffeine so do decaffeinated or herbal in the free beverage tea category in the buffet and dinning rooms is there any option for ether decaffeinated or herbal tea or only plain caffeinated Lipton style tea? I resent paying $4.00 at the ships cafe / lounge for a tea bag that I can get for less at coffee tea house back home in Seattle unless it is special tea. I know it's the way it is on a cruise. Might just bring my own tea bag collection :) HAHA

 

A story I was on a Costa cruise in Asia in 2010 they served UK branded Lipton tea at that point I could still handle the caffeine some how drinking Lipton UK branded green tea in Asia en route to China on an Italian cruise ship was very disheartening knowing I was in real tea country and the best tea areas of the world. Off the ship I had what would be Lipton's Asia counter part teas and they were so much better tasting.

 

My big issue for my coming Australia - Honolulu 17 night cruise is 6 days at sea then after 4 days in ports 5 more days at sea = loads of drinking or being a very good boy and not drinking / retraining my self to save some $'s on liquids.

 

Is ship board water from the water coolers and dinning room service area for water okay to drink? I know to avoid bathroom tap water.

 

Thanks for your input & smooth sailings to all

hsb5956

 

TO HSB5956,

 

BEVERAGE PACKAGE OR NO BEVERAGE PACKAGE...

 

I think ONLY YOU can determine which choice is the best one that will fit your needs... Pay as you go... OR a Beverage Package (Alcohol or Not)... Classic or Premium... remember these cover a lot more Beverages than JUST ALCOHOL

 

Based on your above posting... you'll be looking at some sort of charges for those Glasses of Wine, Cocktails, Nightcaps, Water and Tea... thing is to figure out which way is the one that is the best suited for you...

 

Check out my Reply # 20 in this topic... and the link provided there to see a general pricing of things... and to be able to do the math calculations for yourself.

 

WINE PRICING...

 

Somewhere I've seen pricing for Wine by the Bottle... can't recall though if it was on the Celebrity Board here on Cruise Critic or over on the Celebrity Website... maybe someone else can track that down for you.

 

Remember if you purchase a Beverage Package... then you get a "fresh glass of wine" each time... your bottle won't sit and oxidize... and as an ADDED BONUS you can match your wine to your meal... so perhaps a nice crisp Sauvignon Blanc with the Appys & Salad Course, and a Merlot with the Entree.

 

TEA...

 

Truly if you have a favourite brand I'd just pack it along (teabags don't take up a lot of space)... I've read that is what other Cruisers have done / do... as sometimes on long cruises (like your TA one) it is possible that someone's favourite brand may run out.

 

I'm a bit of a fuss about my tea (lol, aren't all us tea drinkers??) So packing my own, is certainly what I have planned for our January 2012 Caribbean Cruise.

 

By all accounts from what I've read Hot Water is FREE even if it comes to your Stateroom... tea on the otherhand can cost up to $ 4

 

Hope this is helpful,

 

Cheers!

[SingingMom1]

TEA...

 

Truly if you have a favourite brand I'd just pack it along (teabags don't take up a lot of space)... I've read that is what other Cruisers have done / do... as sometimes on long cruises (like your TA one) it is possible that someone's favourite brand may run out.

 

I'm a bit of a fuss about my tea (lol, aren't all us tea drinkers??) So packing my own, is certainly what I have planned for our January 2012 Caribbean Cruise.

 

By all accounts from what I've read Hot Water is FREE even if it comes to your Stateroom... tea on the otherhand can cost up to $ 4

 

Hope this is helpful,

 

Cheers!

 

As a fellow tea drinker - I will say, Cova had very good tea! I can't remember the brand name now, but it was the type that looks like a triangle/pyramid bag - are you familiar with that one? They also carried it as decafe - so that was my nightcap that I brought back to our suite each evening... after those OTHER types of "nightcaps" ;)

[SueOverend]

We've just got back from 14 nights on the Eclipse and loved the Premium Beverage Package. After a long hot 11 hour day in St Petersburg, we still managed 6 rounds in the Passport Bar - they slip down very easily I'm afraid!! We always made sure that we took drinks back to our suite, so that we had a few in the fridge when we fancied one (both soda and alcohol). The wine flowed pretty freely in the dining room by the glass and in Murano, I think we drank two bottles at 9.75 per glass. We had freshly squeezed OJ at least once a day and at least one coffee from Cafe Al Baccia. Always had Evian and San Pelligrino in the fridge and if we were sunning ourselves on the balcony, a quick visit by one of us to one of the bars and we had a glass of wine each to sip in the sun. There was never a problem getting served with the package and we obviously got to know quite a few of the bar staff. The Martini Bar was our favourite of course! If you don't drink much on holiday, it's not for you, but for us it was a no brainer. Sue

[Mermen]

We've just got back from 14 nights on the Eclipse and loved the Premium Beverage Package. After a long hot 11 hour day in St Petersburg, we still managed 6 rounds in the Passport Bar - they slip down very easily I'm afraid!! We always made sure that we took drinks back to our suite, so that we had a few in the fridge when we fancied one (both soda and alcohol). The wine flowed pretty freely in the dining room by the glass and in Murano, I think we drank two bottles at 9.75 per glass. We had freshly squeezed OJ at least once a day and at least one coffee from Cafe Al Baccia. Always had Evian and San Pelligrino in the fridge and if we were sunning ourselves on the balcony, a quick visit by one of us to one of the bars and we had a glass of wine each to sip in the sun. There was never a problem getting served with the package and we obviously got to know quite a few of the bar staff. The Martini Bar was our favourite of course! If you don't drink much on holiday, it's not for you, but for us it was a no brainer. Sue

 

Wow!

[stephluva]

Thanks to everyone for the responses and suggestions, especially about the $6 martinis! I like to try different martinis, but I thought I had to get the premium package to do this! I think we might just stick with the Classic Package after all. Just one more quick question...does anyone know how much the DOD's were and how much would those be if you got it in a souvenier cup?

[Sloop-JohnB]

Thanks to everyone for the responses and suggestions, especially about the $6 martinis! I like to try different martinis, but I thought I had to get the premium package to do this! I think we might just stick with the Classic Package after all. Just one more quick question...does anyone know how much the DOD's were and how much would those be if you got it in a souvenier cup?

 

TO STEPHLUVA,

Check out the STICKY on Alcohol Pricing at the top of the Cruise Critic ~ Celebrity Cruises Board... (info is ala 2010… but it is the most comprehensive list we have at this time)… *Evaluating a Beverage Package? Here is a Beverage List with prices, as of mid-2010* = http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1243495

Shows the Daily Special (Drinks of the Day List) as follows:

DAILY SPECIALS

Sunday – London Ice Tea $ 5.00

Monday – Yellow Jacket $ 5.00

Tuesday – Big Apple Martini $ 5.00

Wednesday – Full Moon Margarita $ 5.00

Thursday – Old Temptation $ 5.00

Friday – Metropolitan $ 5.00

Saturday – Red Sand $ 5.00

No direct info on how much it costs to buy any of the above drinks in a Souvenir Glass… but the STICKY does reveal that if you buy the Cuzco Cocktail in the Souvenir Glass it sells for $ 12… or aprox $ 5 more than the regular price of a Cocktail… so one could “guess” that the DOD in a Souvenir Glass would be priced similarly.

So... IF one had the Premium Alcohol Package with a max-out at $ 12 the DOD in a Souvenir Glass would be covered... if one had a Classic Alcohol Package it wouldn't be covered (you'd be dishing out the whole amount and not just the difference between $ 8 and the real cost). IMO... just another great reason to get the Premimum Alcohol Package. ;)

Hope this is (somewhat) helpful,

Cheers!

[CruiserFromMaine]

We had the premium beverage package on Equinox in April. We really enjoyed the flexibility of trying drinks we might not otherwise try.

 

Also, we had the same sommelier in Blu every night so he took our cards once and then we never had to pull them out after that. Same for the Pellegrino we had every night at dinner. Even in the bars, you didnt have to sign--just show your card.

 

Did we get our money's worth? In terms of absolute dollars, probably not. But we came close (remember, as others pointed out, it includes water, soda, cappucino, etc.) but it was nice not having to sign each time, or even drag the card out.

[SingingMom1]

Did we get our money's worth? In terms of absolute dollars, probably not. But we came close (remember, as others pointed out, it includes water, soda, cappucino, etc.) but it was nice not having to sign each time, or even drag the card out.

 

That's how we felt, too! ;)

[sccat]

TO STEPHLUVA,

Check out the STICKY on Alcohol Pricing at the top of the Cruise Critic ~ Celebrity Cruises Board... (info is ala 2010… but it is the most comprehensive list we have at this time)… *Evaluating a Beverage Package? Here is a Beverage List with prices, as of mid-2010* = http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1243495

Shows the Daily Special (Drinks of the Day List) as follows:

DAILY SPECIALS

Sunday – London Ice Tea $ 5.00

Monday – Yellow Jacket $ 5.00

Tuesday – Big Apple Martini $ 5.00

Wednesday – Full Moon Margarita $ 5.00

Thursday – Old Temptation $ 5.00

Friday – Metropolitan $ 5.00

Saturday – Red Sand $ 5.00

No direct info on how much it costs to buy any of the above drinks in a Souvenir Glass… but the STICKY does reveal that if you buy the Cuzco Cocktail in the Souvenir Glass it sells for $ 12… or aprox $ 5 more than the regular price of a Cocktail… so one could “guess” that the DOD in a Souvenir Glass would be priced similarly.

So... IF one had the Premium Alcohol Package with a max-out at $ 12 the DOD in a Souvenir Glass would be covered... if one had a Classic Alcohol Package it wouldn't be covered (you'd be dishing out the whole amount and not just the difference between $ 8 and the real cost). IMO... just another great reason to get the Premimum Alcohol Package. ;)

Hope this is (somewhat) helpful,

Cheers!

 

Last cruise I took on RCCL, many people bought the DOD in a souvenir glass and then just left them littering the pool deck! So my daughter and I just picked up an empty here and there each day until we had a set in different colors! Just wash them out in the bathroom sink! Never had to pay extra for the glass that way!