When to purchase Bev Package?

[LegalCat]

You pay the 15% at the time you purchase the package, you don't pay an additional 15% every time you buy a drink... so regardless if you have 1 drink or 100 drinks, you just pay 15% of the original package price at the time that you buy the package.

[jerseygirl3]

If you buy on board before ship sais then taxes could be added as well as the tip.

 

If you purchase pre-cruise (on line) then no sales tax. You can use as soon as you board.

 

Purchase on board you can purchase up until a few days before end of cruise. It will be pro rated ie purchase day 2 of 14 day cruise then you will only be charged for 13 day, Day 3 - 12 days ect. If you purchase as soon as you board you are charged full price and if required for the area you are in sales tax will be added.

 

The sales tax was based on the entire package not just that first day.

[jagoffee]

The sales tax was based on the entire package not just that first day.

 

Glad to hear that you were able to get a refund. I wonder if someone just made a mistake when they charged you the sales tax in the US especially since they charged you sales tax for all the days. I cannot imagine that you would have to pay a sales tax if you purchased an shore excursion either on the TV or at the desk, a wine package, or a speciality dining package, etc prior to hitting International waters. Perhaps Celebrity delays the actual billing until later to avoid the tax?

[jerseygirl3]

Glad to hear that you were able to get a refund. I wonder if someone just made a mistake when they charged you the sales tax in the US especially since they charged you sales tax for all the days. I cannot imagine that you would have to pay a sales tax if you purchased an shore excursion either on the TV or at the desk, a wine package, or a speciality dining package, etc prior to hitting International waters. Perhaps Celebrity delays the actual billing until later to avoid the tax?

I don't think it was an error. We were onboard RCI transatlantic in November that departed from Barcelona and we were told if we purchased any wine package the first four days, we'd be charged a Spanish sales tax. If we waited until we reached the Canary Islands, no tax. So we waited.

[bubbasqueen]

On my cruise on the Solstice from Nov. 16 to 28 they kept offering last minute beverage deals. Don't worry about purchasing it beforehand. I didn't do it, but I do know it was offered the first couple of days. Bye the way, how much would you have to drink every day to make your money back? You know, you have to agree to the deal for every day the rest of the cruise.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

...You know, you have to agree to the deal for every day the rest of the cruise.

 

? ?

 

It is paid upfront - you don't mean you can opt out later on, do you?

 

Tom

[bubbasqueen]

? ?

 

It is paid upfront - you don't mean you can opt out later on, do you?

 

Tom

 

No. I said you have to pay for the package for every day of the cruise once you sign up. Maybe you should call them with your question.

[cruisestitch]

No, you cannot opt out. It begins the day you buy it (if buying on board) and continues to the end of the cruise. You can't just pick and choose which days you want, nor can you stop the program once purchased.

[marieps]

We prepaid for our upcoming cruise only to beat the May price increase. It saved us $161. Paying on board, and waiting for the morning of the

first full day, makes total sense otherwise. Like others, I too like the sticker on the card rather than the code preprinted.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

No. I said you have to pay for the package for every day of the cruise once you sign up. Maybe you should call them with your question.

 

I understand - it was just the way it was worded that made it sound that way.

 

Thanks,

 

Tom

[BKFlowerMound]

I don't think it was an error. We were onboard RCI transatlantic in November that departed from Barcelona and we were told if we purchased any wine package the first four days, we'd be charged a Spanish sales tax. If we waited until we reached the Canary Islands, no tax. So we waited.

 

Barcelona is a special case. Nowhere else are you supposed to be charged sales tax or VAT on the drinks packages. Unless and until you leave the EU, you pay Spanish VAT. My understanding is that you pay Spanish VAT for the appropriate number of days as determined by Spanish law no matter when you purchase the package. On my Med cruise this summer, we had to pay Spanish VAT on everything for the entire cruise.

 

In contrast, if you purchase the beverage package while at the dock in Ft. Lauderdale, you won't be charged sales tax. If you purchase a Pina Colada instead, you're charged the tax.

[jerseygirl3]

Barcelona is a special case. Nowhere else are you supposed to be charged sales tax or VAT on the drinks packages. Unless and until you leave the EU, you pay Spanish VAT. My understanding is that you pay Spanish VAT for the appropriate number of days as determined by Spanish law no matter when you purchase the package. On my Med cruise this summer, we had to pay Spanish VAT on everything for the entire cruise.

 

In contrast, if you purchase the beverage package while at the dock in Ft. Lauderdale, you won't be charged sales tax. If you purchase a Pina Colada instead, you're charged the tax.

 

Sorry but you are not correct. We were most certainly charged the full 8% sales tax on the bev package we purchased before our ship sailed from Miami.

[bubbasqueen]

Hey Cruisestich. I guess I stuttered. How dense can someone be?

[bubbasqueen]

Hey, Just drink to your heart's content. How is that fun?

[newcruiser09]

Has anyone purchased a beverage package lately? We were just trying to do ours and it is charging the 15% gratuity as well as another $50 or so for tax - does this seem right?

[jagoffee]

Sorry but you are not correct. We were most certainly charged the full 8% sales tax on the bev package we purchased before our ship sailed from Miami.

 

IMO it would be good for you to state that you received a full refund of the 8% sales tax when you went to the front desk. Otherwise you are certainly leaving the impression that you actually paid the 8% when you did not as you previously posted. Unless of course I am mistaken and you actually paid the 8% sales tax.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Hey Cruisestich. I guess I stuttered. How dense can someone be?

 

Who are you referring to?

 

Tom

[vermonter16]

Has anyone purchased a beverage package lately? We were just trying to do ours and it is charging the 15% gratuity as well as another $50 or so for tax - does this seem right?

 

I went to do mine too and then stopped because the amount was certainly not right. Probably better off that way anyways since I can't seem to figure out if the Classic or Premium package is the way to go for DH and I. Sigh.....anybody done Classic? Anybody done Premium? Are the frozen drinks, margaritas, etc included in the Classic?

[LegalCat]

Newcruiser - when I purchased mine in October the second page showed a wrong amount because it was double charging the fees, when I went to the next page to confirm and pay it had the right amount. I think you have to go through 4 pages before you pay so don't worry about going too far and getting stuck.

[ukbriang]

It appears the Celebrity website has a fault when it comes to booking these packages. Initially it states the pre-service charge price but once you go on to the next screen the overall cost is quite alot more than just the 15% added. But when you move on to the next screen the price is then reduced back to just including the 15%. Very confusing, you would have thought Celebrity would have fixed this system error by now.

[Sloop-JohnB]

On my cruise on the Solstice from Nov. 16 to 28 they kept offering last minute beverage deals. Don't worry about purchasing it beforehand. I didn't do it, but I do know it was offered the first couple of days. Bye the way, how much would you have to drink every day to make your money back? You know, you have to agree to the deal for every day the rest of the cruise.

 

TO BUBBASQUEEN,

 

There is a STICKY at the top of the CC CELEBRITY BOARD that has a price breakdown for various beverages available onboard. One truly has to "do the the math" for themselves to see if an Alcohol Beverage Package is worth it... remembering that such packages cover a lot more than just drinks that contain alcohol (Premium Teas & Coffees - Fresh Squeezed Juices - Smoothies - Bottled Waters etc).

 

Based on my own calculations and reports back from other Cruisers the break-even point for most seems to be in the 3 to 4 alcoholic drinks per day (no matter the package) once you take into account the over beverages that the packages include.

 

Hope this is helpful,

 

Cheers!

[Sloop-JohnB]

RE - BEVERAGE PACKAGES AND TIPPING, TAXES AND FEES

 

Based on my extensive research on this topic, I offer up the following that might be helpful based on some of the recent Questions in this thread...

 

1- The Daily Rates are $ 44 US per person per day for the Classic Alcohol Package PLUS 15% Service Fee (which is really the TIP)... and the Premium Alcohol Package is $ 54 US per person per day PLUS the 15% Service Fee.

 

The Classic Package covers ANY individual beverags (not just alcoholic ones) up to $ 8** and the Premium Package covers ANY individual beverages up to $ 12. With the Premium Package IF you purchase an individual beverage that is priced higher than $ 12** then your onboard account is charged for the difference (so buy a $ 15 glass of French Champagne, and you are charged just the $ 3 difference, and not the whole $ 15)

 

*NOTE - If you are purchasing the packages from any of Celebrity's NON US Websites, then pricing can be much greater to make up for Celebrity's calculation of the Exchange to US Dollars (which is often over-inflated)... so I would recommend that one wait and purchase right on the ship.

 

**NOTE - As well BASE DRINK PRICES can be different for European Sailings as the tips are added into the prices shown onboard due to the VAT Tax.

 

2- Beverage Packages basically mean you are purchasing in advance of use... so the 15% covers all the tips required... (However if one wants to tip Bar Tenders, Sommeliers and Servers MORE while on board they can certainly do so)

 

3- When purchasing a package on-line there is currently a "computer glitch" on the Celebrity Website, when you select a package it will show the 15% Service Charge being added twice... although in reality, your credit card will only be charged once.

 

4- If you purchase a package on board the ship while in port (ie Embarkation Day) ... IT IS POSSIBLE that you will be charged Sales Taxes on top of the package for the jurisdiction in which the ship is docked. (Just like if you purchase individual drinks on board a ship while it is docked). In the majority of cases, Celebrity will take your order for the Beverage Package BUT not charge it to your account until the ship is in International Waters, so as to avoid your having to pay the local Sales Taxes. If you find that your Beverage Package has Sales Taxes added to it, you can certainly speak to Celebrity about that (some folks say in SOME instances they've had the sales taxes removed)

 

5- One can purchase the Beverage Packages on board the ship while on your cruise, once you see how much you are consuming prices are prorated (so NO one cannot pick and choose). Buying Onboard though is a limited time offer... so better to purchase sooner rather than later if you think the Beverage Packages would be beneficial.

 

Hope this is helpful,

 

Cheers!

[Sloop-JohnB]

I went to do mine too and then stopped because the amount was certainly not right. Probably better off that way anyways since I can't seem to figure out if the Classic or Premium package is the way to go for DH and I. Sigh.....anybody done Classic? Anybody done Premium? Are the frozen drinks, margaritas, etc included in the Classic?

 

TO VERMONTER16,

 

You need to check out the STICKY at the top of this the CELEBRITY BOARD for more info in regards to pricing... (and so you can "do the math")

 

Specialty Drinks (like Margaritas, Pina Coladas and such) range in price from $ 6 to $ 9

 

So to answer your Question...

 

Some would be, some not.

 

Cheers!

[Sloop-JohnB]

HI EVERYONE,

 

From my posting above...

 

*NOTE - If you are purchasing the packages from any of Celebrity's NON US Websites, then pricing can be much greater to make up for Celebrity's calculation of the Exchange to US Dollars (which is often over-inflated)... so I would recommend that one wait and purchase right on the ship.

 

I see that someone currently has a posting on the CC CELEBRITY BOARD about Celebrity's current exchange rates (currently favourable)

 

So let me rephrase my above comment...

 

*NOTE - If you are purchasing the packages from any of Celebrity's NON US Websites, then pricing can be much greater to make up for Celebrity's calculation of the Exchange to US Dollars (which is often over-inflated)... I would recommend that you check the rates carefully... so as to determine what will be best way to process your payment to get the best value (ie online, onboard or via an onboard credit)

 

Cheers!

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

RE - BEVERAGE PACKAGES AND TIPPING, TAXES AND FEES

 

Based on my extensive research on this topic, I offer up the following that might be helpful based on some of the recent Questions in this thread...

 

1- The Daily Rates are $ 44 US per person per day for the Classic Alcohol Package PLUS 15% Service Fee (which is really the TIP)... and the Premium Alcohol Package is $ 54 US per person per day PLUS the 15% Service Fee.

 

The Classic Package covers ANY individual beverags (not just alcoholic ones) up to $ 8** and the Premium Package covers ANY individual beverages up to $ 12. With the Premium Package IF you purchase an individual beverage that is priced higher than $ 12** then your onboard account is charged for the difference (so buy a $ 15 glass of French Champagne, and you are charged just the $ 3 difference, and not the whole $ 15)

 

*NOTE - If you are purchasing the packages from any of Celebrity's NON US Websites, then pricing can be much greater to make up for Celebrity's calculation of the Exchange to US Dollars (which is often over-inflated)... so I would recommend that one wait and purchase right on the ship.

 

**NOTE - As well BASE DRINK PRICES can be different for European Sailings as the tips are added into the prices shown onboard due to the VAT Tax.

 

2- Beverage Packages basically mean you are purchasing in advance of use... so the 15% covers all the tips required... (However if one wants to tip Bar Tenders, Sommeliers and Servers MORE while on board they can certainly do so)

 

3- When purchasing a package on-line there is currently a "computer glitch" on the Celebrity Website, when you select a package it will show the 15% Service Charge being added twice... although in reality, your credit card will only be charged once.

 

4- If you purchase a package on board the ship while in port (ie Embarkation Day) ... IT IS POSSIBLE that you will be charged Sales Taxes on top of the package for the jurisdiction in which the ship is docked. (Just like if you purchase individual drinks on board a ship while it is docked). In the majority of cases, Celebrity will take your order for the Beverage Package BUT not charge it to your account until the ship is in International Waters, so as to avoid your having to pay the local Sales Taxes. If you find that your Beverage Package has Sales Taxes added to it, you can certainly speak to Celebrity about that (some folks say in SOME instances they've had the sales taxes removed)

 

5- One can purchase the Beverage Packages on board the ship while on your cruise, once you see how much you are consuming prices are prorated (so NO one cannot pick and choose). Buying Onboard though is a limited time offer... so better to purchase sooner rather than later if you think the Beverage Packages would be beneficial.

 

Hope this is helpful,

 

Cheers!

 

Thanks for the nice summary - research pays off!

 

Tom