Drinks Packages....are they worth it?

[HoganUK]

Thanks for all your replies.

 

I think the convenience factor is the biggest seller on this for us.

 

Its our honeymoon, so after all i guess we should splash out a little and celebrate.

 

Thanks again.

[snowyboy]

Thanks for all your replies.

 

I think the convenience factor is the biggest seller on this for us.

 

Its our honeymoon, so after all i guess we should splash out a little and celebrate.

 

Thanks again.

 

Just wait till your on board give it a day or two to see how your spending can see on TV in room, then go with Classic package unless you drink Martinis etc I like a drink or three and classic works out fine for us. G & T etc and wines are not bad second glass is better.

Enjoy your cruise and congrats are in order I know.

[drakes2]

I would have to agree with the statement in your last paragraph. Signing for a drink and not having to worry about tips isn't a big deal to me. I also don't see the value in purchasing the drink package, at least for me. I bring on my two bottles of Cabernet, usually something that the ship doesn't even carry and take one to the MDR to enjoy with my dinner. The other is for the cabin for pre dinner drinks. I like to spend a lot of time on my balcony and also enjoy a martini or two late afternoon after I come back from a port excursion or the pool. I did try a fantastic drink on the Silhouette two years ago, I think it was the Molecular bar. It was a martini with toasted coconut on the top, best martini I've ever had. Would like to try again on upcoming cruise but apparently the Molecular bar has been replaced. Does anyone know if they still serve this martini and the name of it? It was pricey at, I think, around $15 or so but worth it.

There are people on cruise critic who have itemized their typical daily intake of all beverages. For some of them, it's a no-brainer. The premium alcohol is worth it because they come out ahead.

 

It would never be something we'd purchase. We have our first included beverage package in November and a lot of OBC and we plan to upgrade just for the cost of a single martini a day.

 

On all our other cruises we have *maybe* had a bill of about $450 in extra drink purchases on a 10-14 day cruise, and that includes a few bottles of wine and a martini or two every day. We don't drink coffee at all and don't drink alcohol at all during the day, so unless it's included we will never purchase it.

 

But if people like espresso with a shot in the a.m. and some beer, umbrella drinks, etc. during the day, and wine and cocktails all evening - with coffee drinks throughout the day and after-dinner drinks, then it does add up and it could be worth the purchase.

 

You just have to do the numbers. Imagine a typical sea day and a typical port day and get our your calculator.

 

I would never buy a package just to avoid signing a slip of paper or to not have to think about it, for the convenience. It just isn't that inconvenient to me. Not having to sign anything will be nice I admit but signing for something is definitely (in my opinion) not a reason to buy a package.

[Bo1953]

Hi All,

 

The obvious answer to this is "it depends how much you drink".

 

But, i embark on my first Celebrity Cruise on 28th November from Miami, i am just pondering to see if its worthwhile added a drinks package.

 

Premium drinks package id $65 per per person day, or $910 for the full 7 nights.

 

Has anyone any experience of booking one? And was it worth it?

 

Thanks!

 

Craig

 

 

First off, I trust you will have a great cruise.

 

As far as your question goes, there are many threads, recent at that, which covers this question.

 

Personally, you have to decide, based on the costs and costs alone, if you want to pay up-front for your beverages or as you go along.

 

What type of beverages do you drink? Do you want to not worry, if you do, what or how much you drink during your cruise? Maybe a soda package is best for you? etc...

 

I recommend you determine, based on your vacation habits, what and how much you drink on a regular basis at home and/or when on vacation - this will assist you in determining if it is worth it or not, for sure. Then continue with the exercise by looking at the pricing list which is located on CC and elsewhere and list of brands included in each package at X's website.

 

This will go a long way in your decision process in lieu of asking here. Each of us have different reasons for either purchasing or not purchasing any package and which one.

 

bon voyage and have fun...

[Demonyte]

So just so I'm clear if yer on the classic pkg and you order a drink that exceeds the price of a classic pkg drink? $10 instead of $8 you pay $10?

Why don't they subtract $10 from $8 and charge you $2?

This makes it all so confusing. But maybe that's what celebrity wants it to be is confusion.

 

It's not confusing at all, that is one of the perks of the premium package.

 

Pay the $11.80/day more and you can get drinks over the price limit by paying only the difference instead of full drink price like with classic package.

[roxievegas]

we have always gotten the drink package included when we booked our cruise. Except we are doing a transatlantic in the spring and you get no perks. We are not going to purchase the alcohol packages. On our last cruise, we found that one glass of wine with dinner was fine, and the rest of the time we had coffee - which is very good either in the MDR or at the buffet, and then a maybe a soft drink.

We will bring two bottles of wine on board to start the trip for our cabin use and if we decide to get a package later on we will get the nonalcoholic package. We don't drink enough during the course of the day to justify paying $55 or $65 a day.

[Pickels]

There are people on cruise critic who have itemized their typical daily intake of all beverages. For some of them, it's a no-brainer. The premium alcohol is worth it because they come out ahead.

 

It would never be something we'd purchase. We have our first included beverage package in November and a lot of OBC and we plan to upgrade just for the cost of a single martini a day.

 

On all our other cruises we have *maybe* had a bill of about $450 in extra drink purchases on a 10-14 day cruise, and that includes a few bottles of wine and a martini or two every day. We don't drink coffee at all and don't drink alcohol at all during the day, so unless it's included we will never purchase it.

 

But if people like espresso with a shot in the a.m. and some beer, umbrella drinks, etc. during the day, and wine and cocktails all evening - with coffee drinks throughout the day and after-dinner drinks, then it does add up and it could be worth the purchase.

 

You just have to do the numbers. Imagine a typical sea day and a typical port day and get our your calculator.

 

I would never buy a package just to avoid signing a slip of paper or to not have to think about it, for the convenience. It just isn't that inconvenient to me. Not having to sign anything will be nice I admit but signing for something is definitely (in my opinion) not a reason to buy a package.

 

We're not drinkers, so never take a package. As for signing a slip, I recall on one cruise, the soda guy was late to our dinner table, but after I signed the slip, with an extra gratuity, from that first night, the guy was always waiting for us. Money talks

[MicCanberra]

As mentioned it really depends on the individual preferences. For us it is definitely worth it.:D

[denatravels]

I could be wrong, but when I hear people talk about "convenience" of the packages, I don't know that I think about not signing slips. I like the package to be able to order things that I may (or may not) like-- I don't need to worry about paying if I don't like it, and don't feel compelled to finish it.

First X cruise in April-- have the classic package included. Will likely only upgrade if I cannot get alcoholic coffees on classic (or wait until day 4, when I have three of the last five days at sea).

[Sandy1975]

First X cruise in April-- have the classic package included. Will likely only upgrade if I cannot get alcoholic coffees on classic (or wait until day 4, when I have three of the last five days at sea).

 

No need to upgrade for the alcoholic coffees as they are included. The Aspen, hot or on ice is fantastic! (espresso, frangelico, baileys and khalua YUM!)

[denatravels]

No need to upgrade for the alcoholic coffees as they are included. The Aspen, hot or on ice is fantastic! (espresso, frangelico, baileys and khalua YUM!)

 

 

I've heard they are included.... I've heard they're not included..... I've heard they MAY be included..... I cannot seem to get a DEFINITIVE yes on every ship for every sailing!

[wallie5446]

I've heard they are included.... I've heard they're not included..... I've heard they MAY be included..... I cannot seem to get a DEFINITIVE yes on every ship for every sailing!

 

The Classic pkg covers any drink with alchol in it, up to $8.00 on the rocks, with soda or a mixer, or coffee. Your covered.

 

 

Ole

Kahlúa, Spanish Brandy, Espresso

7.00

Aspen Coffee

Baileys, Kahlúa, Frangelico and Hot Coffee

7.00

French Kiss

Courvoisier, Grand Marnier , Espresso

7.00

Amore

Amaretto, Espresso

7.00

Café Diablo

Courvoisier VS, Grand Marnier, Sambuca and Hot Coffee

7.00

Café Kingston

Tia Maria, Myers’s Dark Rum and Hot Coffee

7.00

Venetian

Frangelico, Brandy, Hot Coffee

7.00

[MicCanberra]

I have always been able to get the Aspen Coffees on the Classic package.:D

[varoo]

Hi All,

 

The obvious answer to this is "it depends how much you drink".

 

But, i embark on my first Celebrity Cruise on 28th November from Miami, i am just pondering to see if its worthwhile added a drinks package.

 

Premium drinks package id $65 per per person day, or $910 for the full 7 nights.

 

Has anyone any experience of booking one? And was it worth it?

 

Usually not worth it to us as we are not big drinkers, mainly water drinkers.

Since we do not require fancy bottled water, we are very happy drinking the free ice water provided on the ship.

 

Ever since Celebrity changed their coffee brand, we have been happy with their regular coffee, as well as the other free beverages provided on board,

such as tea (both hot and iced), hot chocolate, lemonade, juices, punch.

They provide a variety of different kinds of tea bags.

 

Sometimes we like to make-our-own iced coffee drinks with choice of ice cream flavors up at the buffet.

 

 

We do purchase wine with dinner, either by the bottle or by the glass, but don't require top label brand name wines.

 

Having plebeian tastes, we actually prefer some of the lower priced wines to the "wonderful" wines that our friend, a wine expert, offers us.

(But shhh - don't let him know that. ;))

 

 

If you are wine drinkers, remember that you can carry on 2 bottles of wine for your cabin at embarkation.

 

You may also receive a "free" drink package as a perk by giving your booking to a travel agent.

TAs often offer extra perks, in addition to whatever perks you are already receiving from the cruise line as an incentive to give them your booking.

 

it is probably too late for your 28th November cruise, but for the future, it could be worth checking around with several TAs to see what they will offer you, especially the big online travel agencies.

 

Celebrity allows you to transfer your reservation to any travel agent of your choice as long as it is within 60 days of initially booking the cruise, and before the final payment date.

 

 

The answer to your question "Drinks Packages....are they worth it?'

would depend not only on how much you drink, but also on what you choose to drink, and whether or not you would prefer to receive something else instead of a drink package.

 

We chose an onboard credit instead of a drink package for our last cruise because the onboard credit was enough not only to pay for all the drinks we wanted to buy, but to provide some leftover spending money as well.

 

Edited October 22, 2015 by varoo

[Bo1953]

I've heard they are included.... I've heard they're not included..... I've heard they MAY be included..... I cannot seem to get a DEFINITIVE yes on every ship for every sailing!

 

Since you are confused about no definitive information, wait until you board and let us know your findings. Then you will be the expert on your particular sailing/ship.

 

Are you sailing on every ship within the next few months? Things and policies tend to change or be different from ship to ship, too, if you notice the various postings abounding here...

 

bon voyage

[LuckiePuris]

We had the classic package includes when we booked and it was fantastic not to have to worry about a big drink bill at the end of the cruise.

 

While we do love afternoon cocktails, a few wines before and during dinner, a cocktail after dinner, and sparkling water with meals, if we had to pay for the drink package we wouldn't get our value from it. We found that the number of drinks we'd need to drink each and every day without fail JUST to break even, wasn't worth it for us.

 

Some days we'd drink more, especially sea days. On port days where we'd only really be on the ship from 5pm onwards, we would often have less drinks as we wouldn't have as much available time or would be tired from a day out exploring.

 

That being said if you are going to consider a package, I would say it definitely is worth paying the extra for the premium package. We received the classic package included with our cruise and paid the extra to upgrade to premium. We loved that we had more variety of wines and cocktails included (especially Molecular Bar / World Class Bar), and could have sparkling water with our meals. Also if you wanted to try a glass of wine above the premium drink limit, you'd just pay the fee small dollars surcharge.

 

It is quite a personal question and I can certainly see the benefit of having the package as you do then control your spending onboard, however I just wouldn't find that we would drink enough each and every day to get our money's worth.

[LuckiePuris]

This has go to be one of the most frequently discussed topics. Asked so often it ought to merit a sticky. ANyway the simple answer is it deepends basically on what you consume and how much.

 

Somewhere somebody had created and posted a spreadsheet to help cruisers calculate the relative values of the packages based on guestimated consumption. I don't have the link but doing a search of the forum probably would turn it up. Keep in mind that the packages do cover more than alcoholic beverages - specialty coffees, fresh juice, soda drinks, bottled water, etc. - so be sure to factor that into your assessment. Here is a link to a recent very well written article specifically assessing Celebrity's packages.

 

http://www.savoredjourneys.com/2015/06/is-the-beverage-package-worth-it-on-a-cruise/

 

From my perspective I would first determine whether the classic package might be justifiable. If it is then I think it is a no brainer to pay the extra upgrade to the premium package at a cost per day of $11:80 ($10.00 upcharge plus 18% gratuity). Why? Because premium cocktails (martini bar and world bar for example) aren't covered by the the classic package and I frankly find the wines by the glass included in the classic package to be pretty pedestrian. Just one premium drink per day ort a better wine choice makes up the difference in the upgrade cost. Also bear in mind that drinks that exceed the covered prices in the classic package are charged at full value, whereas drinks that exceed the covered prices in the premium package are only charged the additional cost over package limit plus gratuity amount.

 

Disregarding the aspect of whether one actually breaks even or comes out ahead by buying a package there are other, more subjective aspects worth considering: not having to sign bar chits every time one orders a drink, being able to try different drinks one might not normally try due to fear of wasting money on something you might not like, and not stressing over whether one has exceeded their daily budget for refreshments if they aren't on a package.

 

Fantastic article, thank you for posting the link! Was a great read.

 

I think my partner and I are very similar to the writer - we definitely splurged on a few extra drinks knowing that we had the package.

Edited October 25, 2015 by LuckiePuris

[denatravels]

I hadn't seen that link before-- it was a great resource.

After 4 cruises, I think I've decided what works for me: port intensive cruises get the top non-alcoholic package. Staying on the ship cruises (i.e.-February escape from winter cruises) get alcoholic packages. Try to get free drink packages for ANY cruise!! I have five cruises booked-- two already include free drinks! And nonalcoholic purchased for princess Alaska.

Also booked chef's table for first night on Anthem-- drink package being purchased on day 2 (possibly 12:01am????)

Edited October 25, 2015 by denatravels

[CruiseNerd1000]

Thanks. The cost of the bottled water will be the clincher for me, as I won't be drinking my cost in alcohol--but it will be nice to have a drink without thinking about it. So bottled water costs about $4 on Princess?

[hurwitz5]

How much is it per day on Celebrity? We are

Elite and get 1 -2 martinis every night in the Elite Lounge. We have cappuccinos

every morning at the Elite Breakfast. We do like bottled water and smoothies, which I think are included in the non-alcoholic package. I would

also like a non-alcoholic drink at the pool (such as a virgin piña colada).

[LuckiePuris]

How much is it per day on Celebrity? We are

Elite and get 1 -2 martinis every night in the Elite Lounge. We have cappuccinos

every morning at the Elite Breakfast. We do like bottled water and smoothies, which I think are included in the non-alcoholic package. I would

also like a non-alcoholic drink at the pool (such as a virgin piña colada).

 

Hope this link gives you some more info:

 

http://www.celebritycruises.com/onboard-celebrity/onboard-beverage-packages?pagename=onboard_beverage_packages_overview#onboard_beverage_packages_premium_classic_tab/onboard/asrPanel%3Fpagename=onboard_beverage_packages_premium_classic&ComponentTypeId=30&categoryId=&currencyCode=USD

[SNJCruisers]

drink package being purchased on day 2 (possibly 12:01am????)

12:01 AM till the last bar closes is still considered day 1. Day 2 officially starts when the first bar opens on the first sea day, at 6:00 or 7:00 AM to spike your morning coffee with your alcoholic shot of choice.;)

[denatravels]

12:01 AM till the last bar closes is still considered day 1. Day 2 officially starts when the first bar opens on the first sea day, at 6:00 or 7:00 AM to spike your morning coffee with your alcoholic shot of choice.;)

 

 

Ok-- thanks. Morning it is.

Edited October 30, 2015 by denatravels

[yorkyred]

We have an included classic drinks package and will upgrade to the premium. For me the classic makes little sense regardless if you want choice. I'm not spending thousands on a cruise to have a choice of three wines and two beers along with big restrictions on top cocktails. That's just not a holiday for us.

[K.T.B.]

Here is my "RUFF" run down of a day with a drink pkg on another thread

 

For us at least, the package was not just about drinks that would make us not remember the cruise! It was everything else that the pkg includes.

 

A specialty coffee each on the balcony while the wifester is putting on her face, $5 ea.

 

Evian or San Pellegrino with fresh squeezed juice with that second coffee at breakfast, $15 ea.

 

Grab a bottle water on the way to stake out a deck chair, $4 ea.

$24 each before any mind altering liquid is consumed.

 

A beer or the drink of the day by the pool, $6 ea

Then off to lunch, maybe a soda, or another San Pellegrino $5 ea

The sun is hot hot hot! A cold beer or drink of the day is in order, $6 ea

The burger at the Mast Grill is calling our names, it does not go down with out some liquid assistance, $5 ea, then it is time to meet friends to watch the sun set from the Sunset Bar, $6 ea. Afternoon total $28.

And the evening fun has yet to begin.

San Pellegrino and a couple of glasses of wine with dinner, and another speciality coffee with desert, $26 ea

Now it is time for some mind altering sampling to happen, or not A cocktail with friends at one of the watering holes on ship $7 ea, or 2 if we are letting our hair down!

One more bottle water on the way back to the cabin just in case we get thirsty during the night, $4. Evening total, $44.

Morning, $24, day, $28, evening $44, total $96.00 each using the low end of the cost scale and not much mind altering substance.

Some evening's we will grab another coffee ( or worse) and go and sit on deck 5 to unwind, listen to the swoosh of the waves gently breaking down the side of the ship before heading to the cabin.

 

Depends on how you make use of the package.

 

We have upgraded to the Premium on our last 2 cruises. Our friends stayed with the Classic and were fine. I like the Craft beer selection, the wine the wifester drank last yr was $14.00 a glass x 3 @ dinner = $42.00 without a pkg every dinner.

 

ps: we did the 11 day Equinox last Nov, upgraded to the Premium pkg, and our 'tab' for 9 pages of 'drinks' was $3.75 ( plus the $130 ea cost to upgrade )

 

Your break down pretty much matches how my wife and I used it on our last Celebrity cruise. Though we probably ended up with 3 iced coffees or teas per day for each of us. :)

 

As a perk and then paying to upgrade it is definitely worth it.