New "fee" of $14/day on Perks Drink Package to be added?

[Wine-O]

11 minutes ago, JFO23 said:

Not a rumor. Just received this email. IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT:
Effective October 10, 2019, Celebrity's Beverage Package cost 
increases by $14 pp per day and will be added to your price. 
Book by October 9th to secure your Beverage Package with all 
costs included!

Is this also for those who receive the classic beverage package as one of their perks?  🍷

[Bo1953]

Guess it is time to start a writing and calling campaign, if 'free' movies were brought back, BP pricing can be lowered, effectively.

 

Cheers and bon voyage

[bEwAbG]

47 minutes ago, Mauidiver said:

You have to figure out what you want first, then do the math.  Being "wooed" by the "great deal" for things you never intended to purchase just sets you up to spend money you didn't need or want to.  Just because something seems like a great price and value, doesn't mean you have to buy it when you didn't intend on purchasing it in the first place.

 

This is true but they're also taking advantage of the vast majority of cruisers who do not have the time or ability to do the research.  Thankfully places like this board exist where you can get some details (even that is not consistent across their fleet).  Good luck finding anything on Celebrity's site other than a "these are examples of the types of liquor in each package that may change at our prerogative" list. It would be one thing if they posted menus with prices online in advance.  Instead, they rely on consumer ignorance to fleece their customers as best as possible.

 

Their current pricing schemes are highly deceptive and have become much murkier this year.  I think the only thing that will stop it is if the Attorney General in Florida starts feeling pressure from consumers or if a large media outlet does an expose.

Edited September 29, 2019 by bEwAbG

[akcruz]

41 minutes ago, Mauidiver said:

I think if you price out your cruise without any perks/extras, then add up the cost of purchasing the extras that you planned on, then checking out the cost of a cruise with those perks/extras, you'll know if adding the perks is worth the money up front.  On our upcoming cruise, we looked at the regular price (with discounts), then I added up the cost of the things we'd be spending money on anyway, added up the "value" of the perks we could get for extra money, and compared the two.  At the end of the day we wound up getting better value and saving money by purchasing with the perks, which made it a no-brainer for us to spend the extra money upfront.

 

You have to figure out what you want first, then do the math.  Being "wooed" by the "great deal" for things you never intended to purchase just sets you up to spend money you didn't need or want to.  Just because something seems like a great price and value, doesn't mean you have to buy it when you didn't intend on purchasing it in the first place.

 

Agree, our most recent cruise had 2 perks for just under $200 per person, or all 4 including premium beverage package for just over $300.  Since we would most likely get the beverage package anyway and pay gratuities this was a no brainer for us.  The base price on the cruise doubled at one point without any perks, and recently has dropped below what we paid, just barely, but again without perks.  You really need to look at all the options and decide what works best for you.

 

We are starting to become tired of all the games cruise lines are playing and not as excited as we used to be for our next sailing so it may be the last for us for a while.  As long as people continue to blindly pay for the things the cruise lines keep adding they will stay and keep adding more.  Complaints and talking with your $$ may do something but but seems there are always others waiting in the wings to take your place.

[TMLAalum]

57 minutes ago, JFO23 said:

Not a rumor. Just received this email. IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT:
Effective October 10, 2019, Celebrity's Beverage Package cost 
increases by $14 pp per day and will be added to your price. 
Book by October 9th to secure your Beverage Package with all 
costs included!

 

I received this announcement too from a NH online TA.

 

Question: If I book a cruise before 10/10 for next September and prices for my cabin category drop with the same perk offering including the beverage package for one of the perks as when I booked, will the $14 pp per day then be tacked on? Or would we be "grandfathered'?

Edited September 29, 2019 by TMLAalum

[MightyMike]

19 minutes ago, TMLAalum said:

 

I received this announcement too from a NH online TA.

 

Question: If I book a cruise before 10/10 for next September and prices for my cabin category drop with the same perk offering as when I booked, will the $14 pp per day then be tacked on? Or would we be "grandfathered'?

 

Good question. I am in the same situation since I have booked and always watch prices after booking.

 

My assumption is that we won't be grandfathered. People often see rates go down but have to sacrifice a perk in order to get the new price. I recently had to go from 3 perks to 2 perks in order to get the Kids Sail Free rate. You will have to decide if the lower price exceeds the value of the perk to you.

 

My advice would be to book now just to lock it in.

[bikerunner]

34 minutes ago, TMLAalum said:

 

I received this announcement too from a NH online TA.

 

Question: If I book a cruise before 10/10 for next September and prices for my cabin category drop with the same perk offering including the beverage package for one of the perks as when I booked, will the $14 pp per day then be tacked on? Or would we be "grandfathered'?

I would not think it would be grandfathered in.   Think you would get caught with the fee. But like many mentioned it’s doin the math n finding where your comfortable with.  I as many did cruising before drink pkgs existed n never complained that I wish there were drink pkgs.  yes there great but not an end all for my choice of cruising. Main thing I like about them is I don’t have to go thru charges n slips of paper at end of cruise

[richstowe]

2 hours ago, poffles said:

 

I don't think you are missing anything, I have done similar cruise costing and it is alarming the difference in picking the 'perks'.  Crazy.  They are becoming comparable to NCL with their 'free' items, but at least NCL is smart to identify the extra cost as tax LOL

 

The biggest deception in my mind is the label 'complimentary' as this is clearly not what it is, nor is it a perk as one identifies a perk as a bonus (ie free or minimal cost.)  Adding these to the cruise should not be called a perk during the booking process and should instead be identified as add ins .

NCL does a great favor for the other lines in being the first to introduce new ways to separate passengers from their cash . And then the others scurry behind . Congratulations Celebrity . 👎 

[vtcruising]

In the past, we have always had the Premium Package for every X cruise. So now when I book when the new deployment schedule comes out in Nov/Dec, if this "surcharge" is still in place, it seems that I will need to make a decision:

 

I usually choose the beverage package as a perk. Is the new "surcharge" in addition to the added overall cost of including the perks worth it?  Before deciding on perks this time, it seems I will need to:

 

1. Calculate what the added cost is for the perks + surcharge and compare to what the perks are actually worth.

 

2. Compare the cost of just buying the Premium Plus package, if available, at $67.50/day and receiving 2 bottles of wine, a minimally-stocked minibar, a wine tasting and $50 casino free play, in addition to all that is included in the Premium Pkg and decide whether that is a better deal, taking into consideration that we will upgrade to the Premium Pkg anyway.

 

3. Compare the cost to what I actually usually drink and try to just wing it without a package and maybe purchase onboard drink coupons, if available.

 

Of course, this is without all the info, but trying to see what my options will be. 🙂

 

I also wonder if the following 2 programs are related - seems things are shifting and this gives us more options.

 

 

Edited September 29, 2019 by vtcruising

[Hlitner]

1 hour ago, akcruz said:

 

Agree, our most recent cruise had 2 perks for just under $200 per person, or all 4 including premium beverage package for just over $300.  Since we would most likely get the beverage package anyway and pay gratuities this was a no brainer for us.  The base price on the cruise doubled at one point without any perks, and recently has dropped below what we paid, just barely, but again without perks.  You really need to look at all the options and decide what works best for you.

 

We are starting to become tired of all the games cruise lines are playing and not as excited as we used to be for our next sailing so it may be the last for us for a while.  As long as people continue to blindly pay for the things the cruise lines keep adding they will stay and keep adding more.  Complaints and talking with your $$ may do something but but seems there are always others waiting in the wings to take your place.

Celebrity leads the pack with what you call "games."  They are geniuses when it comes to marketing convoluted perks packages and enticing many folks into paying for things they really don't use or even want.  Consider that this latest drink package change amounts to nearly a $200 per couple/week price increase.  This also gives some of the smarter cruise agencies and new marketing gimmick where some will likely offer to pay that extra $14 a day (and likely reduce something else like OBCs).  Even a person with a PhD in Marketing might be confused by all the options and their real value.

 

When we recently booked our first Seabourn cruise it was refreshing to have a single all-inclusive price with no options.  On the other hand, one fellow cruiser complained that they do not drink adult beverages and on the luxury lines they are essentially paying (within the cruise fare) for something they do not use.  Can't please everyone :).

 

Hank

[jelayne]

8 minutes ago, vtcruising said:

In the past, we have always had the Premium Package for every X cruise. So now when I book when the new deployment schedule comes out in Nov/Dec, if this "surcharge" is still in place, it seems that I will need to make a decision:

 

I usually choose the beverage package as a perk. Is the new "surcharge" in addition to the added overall cost of including the perks worth it?  Before deciding on perks this time, it seems I will need to:

 

1. Calculate what the added cost is for the perks + surcharge and compare to what the perks are actually worth.

 

2. Compare the cost of just buying the Premium Plus package, if available, at $67.50/day and receiving 2 bottles of wine, a minimally-stocked minibar, a wine tasting and $50 casino free play, in addition to all that is included in the Premium Pkg and decide whether that is a better deal, taking into consideration that we will upgrade to the Premium Pkg anyway.

 

3. Compare the cost to what I actually usually drink and try to just wing it without a package and maybe purchase onboard drink coupons, if available.

 

Of course, this is without all the info, but trying to see what my options will be. 🙂

 

I also wonder if the following 2 programs are related - seems things are shifting and this gives us more options.

 

 

 

Reading some of the recent Live from threads the coupons don’t seem to be offered on any consistent basis and the Premium Plus In my Cruise Planners @ $67.50 shows as a discount from the “regular” price of $75 + of course 20%.  Probably won’t be long before the Premium Plus price jumps to $75. 

 

It is is becoming a math nightmare to decide what to book.  

 

Just a random thought- Wonder If Zeniths will be charged the extra $14 pp pd.

[jcpc]

19 minutes ago, jelayne said:

Just a random thought- Wonder If Zeniths will be charged the extra $14 pp pd.

As of today Zenith members have received no notification from Captains Club indicating that the complimentary beverage package will now incur an additional $14 pp pd fee.  My opinion is that it is only a matter of time before this surcharge will be applied to Zeniths.  If the surcharge is applied to Zeniths, I wonder if Zeniths can "opt out" of the complimentary beverage package as I know a couple Zeniths who drink no alcohol and have not "chosen" to receive the complimentary premium package.

 

 

Edited September 29, 2019 by jcpc

[Straughn]

What is this latest price increase going to do to the cost of upgrading from classic to premium? I have two upcoming cruises where I will get the upgrade. Should I do it now?

[RICCruisers]

I may or may not be in the minority here, but this is my take on how I view this new revenue enhancement Celebrity will be imposing. This additional charge for the selecting the Beverage Package as a Perk can be viewed as adding a Gratuity to the Perk. At $28.00 per day it is close to the same cost as the what we are already being charged for Gratuities based on current daily pricing. 

 

Though not required, we always tip  for drinks at bars, Cafe al Bacio or any time we get a drink. The amount varies based on a Port Intensive Cruise or one with lots of time spent onboard. This adds up to about $15.00 per day for me - YMMV. 

 

I will likely reconsider whether or not I continue to do this. Before you start flaming me about how this should not impact the staff that works so hard to take care of us onboard, think about this. 

 

Celebrity is always looking for ways to increase their bottom line, which is and should be one of their objectives. We as consumers need to be looking for ways to get the best value for our hard earned dollars - this is and should be one of our objectives. As a consumer, it is not my responsibility to make sure their staff are compensated fairly. If their objective conflicts with our objective, we need to look for ways to balance them out. 

 

Just my opinion. 

[s0479]

15 minutes ago, Straughn said:

What is this latest price increase going to do to the cost of upgrading from classic to premium? I have two upcoming cruises where I will get the upgrade. Should I do it now?

I was wondering the same thing!

[shipshape sam]

On 9/28/2019 at 9:56 AM, wrk2cruise said:

But it hasn't been a no up charge perk for some time now.  The price for 2 perks is more than for no perks.  I guess they are just valueing the Bev Package more than the other perks.

That would make sense as I would guess with all the data collection they have, the Bev Package costs them more that other perks.

[shipshape sam]

On 9/28/2019 at 7:53 AM, Lady_Gamecock said:

Friends, 

 

A nasty rumor is going around that recently (yesterday) there was a release from Celebrity to TAs that all Perk Drink Packages, will now have a $14/day surcharge charge, added upon embarkation. 

 

This amount is not a "tip", or an amount to upgrade the package to Premium, but a daily fee associated to having the perk.

 

Have any of you heard of this? I'm hoping this is simply a rumor, but the rumor spreader seemed fixed in their declaration and concluded with it was "in X's plans to implement" once they introduced the Premium Plus Package (which should be completely independent of this discussion).

 

Thanks to any help you all may be! This may change our future decisions on perks. 

 

Lady_G

 

 

 

It will just help me make the decision to not drink as much on ship.  I will not stop enjoying an alcoholic drink, but will for sure not continue paying anything they decide to charge to have an all you can drink package. 

 

We decided not to get package on our recent cruise and did not miss or feel cheap/cheated  in not having a constant alcoholic drink in hand.  We did though get premium coffee/water package and 2 things happened.  We drank a lot more water and I also (did not try to, but) wasted a number of sports/energy drinks after tasting them and then throwing them away. Would not get premium again unless DW makes me.

 

 

[vtcruising]

1 hour ago, jelayne said:

 

Reading some of the recent Live from threads the coupons don’t seem to be offered on any consistent basis and the Premium Plus In my Cruise Planners @ $67.50 shows as a discount from the “regular” price of $75 + of course 20%.  Probably won’t be long before the Premium Plus price jumps to $75. 

 

It is is becoming a math nightmare to decide what to book.  

 

Just a random thought- Wonder If Zeniths will be charged the extra $14 pp pd.

Thanks - I didn't know about the $67.50 as being discounted - mine just shows it as a price (on the cruise that offers it), without any evidence it is discounted. Makes it even more complicated. We love the Premium Package but maybe it is time to just charge each drink - I probably just break even anyway and sometimes probably don't (DH likely comes out a little ahead), but we love the convenience.

 

I hope the Zeniths don't get charged (as well as suites when they include 4 perks). That would be going too far, IMO.

[miched]

Before the gratuity was included in the classic bev pack when chosen as a perk.  Therefore X was providing the 20% gratuity as part of the perk.  The Classic was $59/ day pp so X was providing the $12.   So the $12 was cutting into their revenue.  

 

Now that that they will be charging additional $14/ day pp if you chose the bev pack as a “free” perk they at now realizing $14 + $12 = $26 more per day pp in revenue.  

 

I wonder how much of that $14 is passed on to the servers and BTs?    If all of it X will be pocketing the $12 from what they were paying out.  

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

[CoconutOne]

I just got the e-mail as well. Going the way of NCL leaves a bad taste in my mouth. At the end of the day it will come down to pricing for me. NCL lost bookings from me, and Celebrity may as well. Basic rates are already cheaper on HAL and Princess. I'm departing in 2 weeks and was going to put down a future cruise deposit while on board, but now I'm not so sure.

[davekathy]

When we cruise RC we don't purchase the BP. We just use the DL in the evening before dinner to have a few drinks.  We also use our three C&A HH drinks loaded on our Sea Pass card in the MDR. Something we wish Celebrity would allow. If Celebrity's CBP is no longer a value as a bundled perk for us we will still enjoy our pre dinner CC HH drinks in the Sky Lounge. On the way into the MDR we'll stop at one of the bars and use our CC HH drinks loaded on our Sea Pass card and get a glass of wine to carry into the MDR during the 5 to 7 CC HH time frame. If we want another another drink I'll get up and go get a couple more from the nearest bar and bring them back to the MDR. After we eat we stop drinking, except for water. For bundled perks we'll select the OBC and gratuities. We can always use OBC for a mid day beer or glass of wine. Also still have the option of carrying on two bottles of wine at the embarkation port for a mid day drink. We won't stop cruising with Celebrity over this minor change. Drinking isn't why we cruise. But admittedly we do drink more when we are cruising than at home.  We did ok for years before the BPs were offered. 

Edited September 29, 2019 by davekathy

[jelayne]

42 minutes ago, miched said:

Before the gratuity was included in the classic bev pack when chosen as a perk.  Therefore X was providing the 20% gratuity as part of the perk.  The Classic was $59/ day pp so X was providing the $12.   So the $12 was cutting into their revenue.  

 

Now that that they will be charging additional $14/ day pp if you chose the bev pack as a “free” perk they at now realizing $14 + $12 = $26 more per day pp in revenue.  

 

I wonder how much of that $14 is passed on to the servers and BTs?    If all of it X will be pocketing the $12 from what they were paying out.  

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

 

I’m missing something.  When we chose the Classic package there was no extra cost (yes I know perks are included in the base fare) so $0.  Moving forward if we chose the Classic we will pay an additional $14 pp per day, not $26.  

Following your thought that the $12 gratuity was eating into revenue then by charging the $14 per day they shifted the gratuity to the passengers and added $2. But still only $14 to them.  What am Air missing?

[wrk2cruise]

1 hour ago, vtcruising said:

I hope the Zeniths don't get charged (as well as suites when they include 4 perks). That would be going too far, IMO.

 

I'm sure you will see the extra added in to the Suite prices.  You might not be able to tell as all 4 perks are always bundled.  It's rare you can find a rate without perks on a Suite.  Only Resident/Senior/XcitingDeals let you book a suite  without perks, and you could never compare with 2 perks with/without the bev package.

 

I don't see how they can add for Zenith under the current model, but time will tell.

Edited September 29, 2019 by wrk2cruise

[FlorenceItaly]

9 minutes ago, davekathy said:

When we cruise RC we don't purchase the BP. We just use the DL in the evening before dinner to have a few drinks.  We also use our three C&A HH drinks loaded on our Sea Pass card in the MDR. Something we wish Celebrity would allow. If Celebrity's CBP is no longer a value as a bundled perk for us we will still enjoy our pre dinner CC HH drinks in the Sky Lounge. On the way into the MDR we'll stop at one of the bars and use our CC HH drinks loaded on our Sea Pass card and get a glass of wine to carry into the MDR during the 5 to 7 CC HH time frame. If we want another another drink I'll get up and go get a couple more from the nearest bar and bring them back to the MDR. After we eat we stop drinking, except for water. For bundled perks we'll select the OBC and gratuities. We can always use OBC for a mid day beer or glass of wine. Also still have the option of carrying on two bottles of wine at the embarkation port for a mid day drink. We won't stop cruising with Celebrity over this minor change. Drinking isn't why we cruise. But admittedly we do drink more when we are cruising than at home.  We did ok for years before the BPs were offered. 

This is the approach we will take if we cruise on Celebrity in the future.

[MEcruzr]

Just got an email from an online cruise outlet website...

 

"IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT:
Effective October 10, 2019, Celebrity's Beverage Package cost
increases by $14 pp per day and will be added to your price.
Book by October 9th to secure your Beverage Package with all
costs included!"