Beverage Package Pricing Increase

[The_Big_M]

I also removed the Hi All :rolleyes:

 

Yes, but your comment directly related to that line you removed.

[Sussex Cruiser]

Well personally Celebrity, I think this release was handed in an abysmal way. With a lack of foresight for the reaction and the resulting obvious questions that would result. Yes, great that someone is here, but you HAVE to come to the table prepared.

 

The continual increasing penny pinching by Celebrity in devious ways is getting beyond tedious, and combined with the low morale of crews, non-existent good entertainment, and highly concerning safety practices. And before anyone bites my head off I'm not tight by any means, but I expect good value, and service for the price I paid. This is where I feel Celebrity are letting me down. I was once the most loyal Celebrity passenger, and loved everything about it, but the implemented changes are most definitely making me reconsider, which is quite sad!

 

But anyway... this is just my opinion.

[vacation fool]

just wondering if anyone knows how much one bottle of water is on the ship? am a big water drinker so thinking the price of at least the classic pkge might be worth it? if anyone knows let me know ok? thanks

[sonnenstrahl]

For us it is very simple!!!! If Princess Cruises is not rising there prices,,, than Princess it is!!!! $ 49 + 15 % or $ 59 + 18 % is to me a big difference. And we like Princess just as much!!!!! Guess we have to say bye bye to Celebrity.

[MR_T]

For us it is very simple!!!! If Princess Cruises is not rising there prices,,, than Princess it is!!!! $ 49 + 15 % or $ 59 + 18 % is to me a big difference. And we like Princess just as much!!!!! Guess we have to say bye bye to Celebrity.

 

 

It's been $49 + 18% for a while now!

 

Bye Bye! [emoji41]

[casper106]

I guess this increase will cover the costs of the nightly chocolates that are returning.Everyone I know told me that they threw theirs out.

[Cruise Junky]

It's been $49 + 18% for a while now!

 

Bye Bye! [emoji41]

 

She's talking about Princess's drink package and is correct, it's $49 + 15%

[Ma Bell]

I would think the increase is to cover the cost of the people who try to drink as much as they possibly can with a drink package. I imagine the "free" drinks cost them a little more than they bargained for. I would also imagine they won't miss the people who leave because they are overly fixated on drink packages and don't appreciate the other reasons to like the product.

Edited April 4, 2015 by Ma Bell

[Wayneair]

For us it is very simple!!!! If Princess Cruises is not rising there prices,,, than Princess it is!!!! $ 49 + 15 % or $ 59 + 18 % is to me a big difference. And we like Princess just as much!!!!! Guess we have to say bye bye to Celebrity.

 

I was just checking on the Princess site about there package to determine if it's a fair comparison, and unable to see the scope of beverage selections. The only difference I see is that you can order any drink up to $10 per drink.

 

Holland America places a beverage cap per day to include any beverage (meaning a bottle of water counts towards your cap).

[Cruise Junky]

I was just checking on the Princess site about there package to determine if it's a fair comparison, and unable to see the scope of beverage selections. The only difference I see is that you can order any drink up to $10 per drink.

 

Holland America places a beverage cap per day to include any beverage (meaning a bottle of water counts towards your cap).

 

Which for Princess that includes most drinks. The individual drink prices are far less than Celebrity. You're about $8.95 for Martini on Princess.

[ailetoile]

just wondering if anyone knows how much one bottle of water is on the ship? am a big water drinker so thinking the price of at least the classic pkge might be worth it? if anyone knows let me know ok? thanks

 

A bottle of water is a couple of dollars. If water is your main concern, here's are a few things to keep in mind before you buy a very expensive alcohol package:

 

*You can buy a much cheaper package that doesn't include alcohol. There's a package for water only, a classic non-alcoholic package that includes non-sparkling water, and a premium non-alcoholic package that includes almost every non-alcoholic drink on the ship. Any of those packages will run you less than half the cost of the Classic Package. You can still purchase alcohol a la carte.

 

*You can bring on as much bottled water as you want at embarkation. Many, many people arrive at the dock with a case or two of bottled water that they check in add luggage so that it is delivered to their stateroom.

 

*The tap water on Celebrity IS potable, so you may be able to save yourself a bit of money by drinking that while you are in your room and at meals.

[huskerc]

Does Princess's package include bottled water, sparkling water, and espresso? Serious question. The non-alcoholic coverage on X's packages is what pushes them past the break even point for us.

Edited April 4, 2015 by huskerc

[chamima]

For us it is very simple!!!! If Princess Cruises is not rising there prices,,, than Princess it is!!!! $ 49 + 15 % or $ 59 + 18 % is to me a big difference. And we like Princess just as much!!!!! Guess we have to say bye bye to Celebrity.

 

Does Princess's package include bottled water, sparkling water, and espresso? Serious question. The non-alcoholic coverage on X's packages is what pushes them past the break even point for us.

 

 

Yes!

Anything under $10 .

It also includes their gelato.

We find the wine markup also smaller on Princess.

[DancerOT]

Interestingly, I still think I will continue with my same plan if I my cruise does not include the classic package, which is to purchase the premium NA plan and then pay for alcoholic drinks separately. I find this plan to be the best value for my typical habits. It will also help to keep my liver and weight a bit more in check :)

[gsb]

Exactly and thanks celebrity for clearing it up !

 

but unfortunately some people are not happy when what they have been moaning about has been dealt with... They then have to find something else to moan about... [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]

 

You're one of those "glass half full" guys, aren't you?

Not that there's anything wrong with that.;)

Edited April 4, 2015 by gsb

[MR_T]

You're one of those "glass half full" guys, aren't you?

 

Not that there's anything wrong with that.;)

 

 

Life's too short... I certainly wouldn't moan as much as others about how my martinis are going to cost me a an extra dollar or 2! [emoji16]

 

Just save a little extra & enjoy my great holiday on a great cruise line with great friends drinking great drinks![emoji483][emoji41]

[gsb]

Life's too short... I certainly wouldn't moan as much as others about how my martinis are going to cost me a an extra dollar or 2! [emoji16]

 

Just save a little extra & enjoy my great holiday on a great cruise line with great friends drinking great drinks![emoji483][emoji41]

 

 

What a great attitude. More cruisers should have it.

[vacation fool]

A bottle of water is a couple of dollars. If water is your main concern, here's are a few things to keep in mind before you buy a very expensive alcohol package:

 

*You can buy a much cheaper package that doesn't include alcohol. There's a package for water only, a classic non-alcoholic package that includes non-sparkling water, and a premium non-alcoholic package that includes almost every non-alcoholic drink on the ship. Any of those packages will run you less than half the cost of the Classic Package. You can still purchase alcohol a la carte.

 

*You can bring on as much bottled water as you want at embarkation. Many, many people arrive at the dock with a case or two of bottled water that they check in add luggage so that it is delivered to their stateroom.

 

*The tap water on Celebrity IS potable, so you may be able to save yourself a bit of money by drinking that while you are in your room and at meals.

Thanks

[jagoffee]

You mean 15% instead of 18% which was increased some time ago.?

I wonder when this will be changed to show $59 for classic instead of currently shown $49..

 

As far as I know Celebrity has not yet announced this change. It was very nice for the Celebrity CC monitor to give us an advanced warning. I would think the official announcement will make the upgrade price very clear for those that are concerned that the charge will not be consistent.

[jagoffee]

Yes!

Anything under $10 .

It also includes their gelato.

We find the wine markup also smaller on Princess.

 

All true. Since the overall drink prices are so much lower on Princess I am not sure it is worth getting. On our Royal Princess cruise we had to continue to sign a receipt each time we received a drink. One for each of us. Therefore it was certainly not convenient. Perhaps they have improved the process?

 

I hate to admit it, but based on the cost of the individual drinks the Celebrity package is probably still a better deal and the Celebrity options include both the Classic and Premium package and Princess is only one. Celebrity certainly includes a wide range of premium choices.

[shipshape sam]

I guess this increase will cover the costs of the nightly chocolates that are returning.Everyone I know told me that they threw theirs out.

 

I always gave my to DW and she put in drawer to take home. Can't please everyone and I know some LOVE the chocolates.

[yorkyred]

Life's too short... I certainly wouldn't moan as much as others about how my martinis are going to cost me a an extra dollar or 2! [emoji16]

 

Just save a little extra & enjoy my great holiday on a great cruise line with great friends drinking great drinks![emoji483][emoji41]

 

While I do get that for us every bit counts. We're not a couple that earn a huge amount but like to enjoy the nicer things in life when we can. I noticed on a recent poll they worked out the average Celebrity cruiser earned $114000 a year. We're at a whole lower level than that.

[MR_T]

While I do get that for us every bit counts. We're not a couple that earn a huge amount but like to enjoy the nicer things in life when we can. I noticed on a recent poll they worked out the average Celebrity cruiser earned $114000 a year. We're at a whole lower level than that.

 

 

I'd be a long way off being considered average then!! And not in a good way... [emoji33]

 

But like you we like to treat ourselves while we are on holiday... We both work very hard for our holidays so we're not going to cry over a few dollars extra for our drinks [emoji41]

[ailetoile]

While I do get that for us every bit counts. We're not a couple that earn a huge amount but like to enjoy the nicer things in life when we can. I noticed on a recent poll they worked out the average Celebrity cruiser earned $114000 a year. We're at a whole lower level than that.

 

While my husband and I are NOW comfortably above that median income, there was quite a long time when I was in graduate school where we earned less than a quarter of that as a couple. Our vacations were a HUGE splurge. I do know where you are coming from.

 

With that being said, we found many, many ways to enjoy ourselves on a Celebrity cruise that did not involve drinking premium beverages or spending money at all. We made it work with the complimentary beverages that were available, along with a couple of bottles of wine that we brought aboard at embarkation.

 

When we were in that financial place, we were grateful for the opportunity to be on the ship and (mostly) away from work at all. The ambiance, the food, the feeling of being catered to, the ports of call in brand new places, even the shows that people on here love to complain about... all of it was an adventure for us. We barely even thought about things like drink packages or even a la carte drinking because it was just out of our budget. No bad feelings, just not on our radar. It was so easy to not have strong feelings about those hot-button topics because we saw the vacation itself as treating ourselves, and anything that we were able to afford on top of that as icing.

 

I am absolutely not calling you ungrateful. I know that everyone has different vacation priorities and things that make the trip special for them and that perhaps alcohol is a part of that special experience for you in a way that it isn't for us (I have a clotting disorder and was on blood thinners for all of my 20s, so I never got into the habit of drinking often). I'm simply saying that I do understand the perspective of a cruise who is budgeting every single cent, and I understand VERY well how disappointing these changes must be for you.

 

With that being said, however, I think that it is very easy to get caught up in changes like these when you frequent this message board, and that it is equally easy to get caught up in the negative feedback loop that develops whenever those changes are posted. A vacation is supposed to be a time of rest, relaxation, and happiness. Despite some of the recent price increases, I believe Celebrity still does deliver that "product" amazingly well. I do hope that you can still enjoy your vacation once you get there. It sounds like you have earned it.

 

...

 

Now that I write all of that, I have to say that there is actually a part of me that very much misses being in that place. Our recent trip a few weeks ago was the first Celebrity trip that we've taken since our financial circumstances have changed. While I had an amazing time, I definitely cannot say that I had the fierce pleasure and pride in this trip that I have felt in the past when part of our journey to cruising was scrimping and saving to get there. :o

Edited April 4, 2015 by ailetoile

[richsea]

[QUsOTE=Cruise Junky;46156236]Which for Princess that includes most drinks. The individual drink prices are far less than Celebrity. You're about $8.95 for Martini on Princess.

 

I thought the same thing, but then I found 2 bar receipts tucked in a flap of my Nook, one from Princess in November, & one from Celebrity from last month. Both were for bloody Mary's. Princess was $8.25 & Celbrity was $7.00. Princess tip was 15%, Celebrity's was 18%