First timer

[Edinburghgirl1]

We have just booked our first Azamara cruise for this November. We mainly cruise on Celebrity. On Celebrity if you want a drink which is not included in your drinks package you pay the difference. How does it work on Azamara  Say for example  you wanted a glass of Prosecco which isn’t one of the included drinks? Is there a price list for all drinks not included and can you just charge the cost to your onboard account? 

[uktog]

You pay the price on the menu. Yes you just charge it to your card. The prices are lower than on Celebrity. Whilst Prosecco is not included a drinkable sparkling white wine is. I know many Prosecco drinkers are happy with it 

[hamrag]

Given your Celebrity history I'd imagine you have, at worst, Explorer status on Az. That entitles you to discount off certain things, including 10% to upgrade to the Ultimate Drinks package for only $20pppd. We did that on our first Az cruise in December and it gives you access to much better wines, some low end champagne instead of Prosecco and premium spirits!

[Edinburghgirl1]

We are Elite with Celebrity so have I think Discoverer level with Azamara.  My husbands wants to buy the Indulgence package for our 19 night cruise and I’m just trying to work out if it’s worth it. We are in a Club Continent suite so get some perks for that anyway. 

[Grandma Cruising]

You don’t have to buy the package ahead. You could try the drinks onboard for a day or so first to see if you’re happy with them. Mind you the ‘Experience More’ packages are very good value for cruises of over 14 days.

[hamrag]

6 hours ago, Edinburghgirl1 said:

We are Elite with Celebrity so have I think Discoverer level with Azamara.  My husbands wants to buy the Indulgence package for our 19 night cruise and I’m just trying to work out if it’s worth it. We are in a Club Continent suite so get some perks for that anyway. 

I think the cc gets you 4 half bottles of spirits, otherwise the drinks are same as steerage class. When we looked at the Experience More packages, I do recall thinking it unfair on those (us) with shorter cruises and it didn't make sense to book for us. With the Indulgence package at $1399 total for two guests on a 19 night cruise, now that makes good sense if you want the top shelf drinks; plan on at least 3 excursions; enjoy Spa treatments; fancy doing Chefs Table; need to stay wifi connected.

 

In summary, as ever, the advice from HGC above is totally sound....IMHO.

Edited January 7, 2020 by hamrag

[Edinburghgirl1]

Thank you for all your replies. Might have A few more questions in coming months as first timers to Azamara. 

[Baynanno1]

12 hours ago, Edinburghgirl1 said:

Thank you for all your replies. Might have A few more questions in coming months as first timers to Azamara. 

 

As a first timer you might find the thread "Tips for Azamara Newbies" useful.

[AllisonJames]

Beverage package value -- I guess it all depends on how much and what you drink but we've run every different scenario on them and it has never been worth it.  Part depends on how many sea days since AZ is port-intensive so we tend to be off the ship a lot.  Also, we totally dislike the included wines (especially the whites) but the available wines to purchase (either in the package or by the bottle) are no better.  We ended up buying some bottles we liked off the ship and bringing them on.  Maybe if you drink a lot of higher end whiskeys or mixed drinks beverage package works out...FYI, we just took our family on NCL Pride of America in Hawaii (last time on AZ was July) and the drink prices were quite a bit higher on NCL than AZ -- example:  Grand Marnier on NCL was $16, Grey Goose & tonic $17, on AZ I think GM is $8 or $9.  For us, it's always been better just to use onboard credit to purchase a few selected bottles (if we can find something we like), drink the included red wines (slightly better than the whites) and use credit to purchase some cocktails here and there.  But everyone is different.

[Lookyboy]

Just now, AllisonJames said:

Beverage package value -- I guess it all depends on how much and what you drink but we've run every different scenario on them and it has never been worth it.  Part depends on how many sea days since AZ is port-intensive so we tend to be off the ship a lot.  Also, we totally dislike the included wines (especially the whites) but the available wines to purchase (either in the package or by the bottle) are no better.  We ended up buying some bottles we liked off the ship and bringing them on.  Maybe if you drink a lot of higher end whiskeys or mixed drinks beverage package works out...FYI, we just took our family on NCL Pride of America in Hawaii (last time on AZ was July) and the drink prices were quite a bit higher on NCL than AZ -- example:  Grand Marnier on NCL was $16, Grey Goose & tonic $17, on AZ I think GM is $8 or $9.  For us, it's always been better just to use onboard credit to purchase a few selected bottles (if we can find something we like), drink the included red wines (slightly better than the whites) and use credit to purchase some cocktails here and there.  But everyone is different.

I agree that this is very subjective, as I am a sparkling wine and prosecco 'enjoyer' at home, but find the included sparkling wine to be not to my taste at all.

[Troon cruiser]

We started on Celebrity and, by accident, due to a changed itinerary, we changed to Azamara which we had always thought was too expensive. We are now huge Azamara fans - indeed, a return to Celebrity in 2018 was a huge culture shock, even though we were in Aqua class. We are now Discoverer/ Elite Plus and are in a Continental Suite on this cruise. Look forward to meeting you.