upgrading to premium drinks on board

[quizbuff]

Hi

Has anyone had a classic drinks pack and then decided part the way through the cruise to upgrade to premium drinks pack.Can you just upgrade for the remainder of the cruise eg just the last week of a 2 week cruise?

 

 

[LGW59]

39 minutes ago, quizbuff said:

Hi

Has anyone had a classic drinks pack and then decided part the way through the cruise to upgrade to premium drinks pack.Can you just upgrade for the remainder of the cruise eg just the last week of a 2 week cruise?

 

 

yes you can do that.  Rather than at customer service, do it at one of the bars, the bartender receives a commission and will take good care of you going forward.

[miched]

6 minutes ago, LGW59 said:

yes you can do that.  Rather than at customer service, do it at one of the bars, the bartender receives a commission and will take good care of you going forward.

Highly recommend doing that.   Please don’t do it with the hawks that constantly bother you to upgrade.  Do it with the BT that gave you great service at the bar you like

 

The hawks are only after the commission, they won’t do anything for you after the sale.  
 

The BTs deserve the commission and will “take” care of you 

 

happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

[cangelmd]

1 hour ago, quizbuff said:

Hi

Has anyone had a classic drinks pack and then decided part the way through the cruise to upgrade to premium drinks pack.Can you just upgrade for the remainder of the cruise eg just the last week of a 2 week cruise?

 

 

Yes, did it with a waiter that we particularly liked in the bar where he primarily worked. It was fine we encountered him a couple of other times, and he made a beeline to get our order, but buying the upgrade from the bartender is probably better way to go. Give yourself at least 24-48 hours to settle on a bar, they will take good care of you then.
 

[jelayne]

When cruising resumes it seems no sitting or ordering drinks at the bar will be possible.  So maybe upgrading with a server in your favorite bar or your sommelier will reap benefits.

[SteveGT3]

Unless the policy has changed, you can upgrade to the premium package at any time during the cruise.

[Wine-O]

I agree with the above.  We normally upgrade with our sommelier, and sometimes get to taste some special wines.  🍷

[RICCruisers]

I believe there is a cutoff date during your Cruise to upgrade. It probably has something to do with processing the upgrade and getting it charged to your cabin. You May want to check onboard. As I recall it’s the last 2 or 3 days of the cruise. 

[Arizona Wildcat]

1 hour ago, jelayne said:

When cruising resumes it seems no sitting or ordering drinks at the bar will be possible.  So maybe upgrading with a server in your favorite bar or your sommelier will reap benefits.

Hope it will be the same as before cruising was suspended but suspect there will be many many changes.  If same rules Definately try the regular package for a few days before looking to change.  Your favorite bartender will take care of you.

The mask rules will make drinking interesting.

[Laurab23]

20 hours ago, Arizona Wildcat said:

Hope it will be the same as before cruising was suspended but suspect there will be many many changes.  If same rules Definately try the regular package for a few days before looking to change.  Your favorite bartender will take care of you.

The mask rules will make drinking interesting.

Well they do have masks with holes for straws but I don't know if drinking my martini with a straw will give me the same feeling.

 

[Ballhank]

Is there a difference in price of upgrading to the premium package before the cruise versus waiting until being on the ship?

[RICCruisers]

58 minutes ago, Ballhank said:

Is there a difference in price of upgrading to the premium package before the cruise versus waiting until being on the ship?

 

No - unless Celebrity runs a pre-cruise promotion which is VERY infrequent.  Another possible discount we have gotten is the bartender that upgrades you onboard might wait a day so you actually pay for one less day.  The other issue can be VAT taxes in Europe that you pay in certain circumstances.  So I guess my answer of NO is actually it depends on your individual circumstance, but the basic answer is the actual price is currently $10.00 per person per day plus the 20% gratuity for a total of $12.00 per person per day either onboard or in advance.

[awhfy]

On 9/24/2020 at 5:44 PM, SteveGT3 said:

Unless the policy has changed, you can upgrade to the premium package at any time during the cruise.

Has to be 3-4 days left in cruise to upgrade (at least I’m pretty sure about that)

[ChucktownSteve]

Another consideration when upgrading is to check about sales tax with the bartender if you haven't sailed yet.  Some ports also require drink purchases made within the 3 mile limit be charged the local sales tax.  I got stuck with that on the upgrade once in FL.