First Cruise on Celebrity for a While – Extra Spending Necessary?

[handbellplayer]

Our only cruise on Celebrity was on the Millennium to Alaska several years ago.  We are booked on a Southern Caribbean itinerary on the Edge next May.  Many of the posts on this board and the videos I can find on line talk about upgraded drink packages, staying in suites, and eating in specialty restaurants.  We mostly cruise on Royal Caribbean.  We stay in inside cabins, rarely eat in specialty restaurants, and enjoy our four Diamond drinks.  We drink simple cocktails and are not picky about wine.  We love ship entertainment (I assume that is all included?)  We mostly enjoy just lounging by the pool on sea days.

 

Will we enjoy the Edge without the extras?  There just seem to be less included options on the Edge than on Royal.  Can someone reassure me?

[PTC DAWG]

Been on Both lines, I find Celebrity much more inclusive.  Are you booked under the AI rates?  

 

IF so, your room grats, basic Wifi and Classic Drink package are included...I don't believe Royal includes these with anything but the highest level suites..and still I'm not sure on the room grats.

 

The Edge has 4 included main dining rooms, a burger/hot dog bar on deck, nice buffet, breakfast and lunch in Eden are included also.  

[graphicguy]

Agree with @PTC DAWG.  Out of all the cruises and cruise lines I've sailed, Celebrity is now the most inclusive.  There is no extra cost entertainment (unless you include wine pairings/testings as entertainment).  For example, on Royal you'll pay for ice skating, the FLOW RIDER, internet, etc.  Plus, you're on the hook for drinks and the tips on the drinks.

 

With AI, Celebrity covers all of that.

 

Frankly, once you pay your All In Fare, you could eat, drink, go to the shows, etc and not pay another nickel.

 

Personally, I tip extra to those who have been particularly helpful on Celebrity.  But, that's certainly not expected.

[handbellplayer]

Yes - we have the all inclusive rate.  I guess I just got the feeling that wasn't enough from some posts here - almost no acceptable drinks included and drinks are weak, free internet is too slow to be used, the food in the buffet is awful, etc. Maybe those are just posts from complainers - we are very easy to please.

[DCPIV]

Other than some spa and fitness classes and the aforementioned tastings and pairings, I can't think of any extra costs that you might come across. I base that on what you've said, of course. 

 

There is no charge for shows or the musical acts, and there's a lot of music on board. 

 

The food in the buffet and MDR has been terrific on the ships we've been on. 

[Bo1953]

10 minutes ago, handbellplayer said:

Yes - we have the all inclusive rate.  I guess I just got the feeling that wasn't enough from some posts here - almost no acceptable drinks included and drinks are weak, free internet is too slow to be used, the food in the buffet is awful, etc. Maybe those are just posts from complainers - we are very easy to please.

Now, now h - many of us are not 'complainers' as opposed voicing opinions where 'value' may fall short for them...

 

Since you have AI - you are fine if that is suitable and to be sure, many of us find it suitable and acceptable.

 

Then there are a few of us, me included, need the Premium Beverage Package buy up (or it is included with certain cabin selections) for the expanded access...

 

Some of us prefer X's top shelf liquors and wine vs the classic and you will be treated well by the bartenders regardless of your drink package.

 

This will be the first sailing with internet for us as we usually use free wi-fi and data in ports and not at sea.

 

As for the buffet, you will find it fine and in many instances great... then again food is subjective and each of us like what we like. Many complaints have been about how fellow passengers (pre-pandemic) treated food while roaming the buffet... LOL

 

Enjoy your sailing and bon voyage

[PTC DAWG]

19 minutes ago, handbellplayer said:

Yes - we have the all inclusive rate.  I guess I just got the feeling that wasn't enough from some posts here - almost no acceptable drinks included and drinks are weak, free internet is too slow to be used, the food in the buffet is awful, etc. Maybe those are just posts from complainers - we are very easy to please.

You'll be fine, but the drink package can be upgraded for $12 PPPD...I would board and see how the Classic goes for you before I made the decision, it can upgraded at any bar on board if the classic choices aren't to your liking...most people upgrade for HIGHer line liquors and wine.  Maybe fancy sparkling bottled water.  

[SbbquilterUT]

We travel similar to you and rarely spend anything extra.  If you are Diamond on RCCL you will have Elite status with Celebrity which has a few benefits (see the website and list your Diamond number), free bag of laundry and 90 minutes of streaming are the ones we use.  We do not drink much and I was satisfied with what was on the package.  And know that coffee/teas and treats at Cafe Biacio is included - love to start my early mornings there.

[Redokie]

No need to spend any extra money at all!  The food on Celebrity, including MDR, is far above all other lines.  The entertainment is free and very good.  Several other activities free-big screen outside movies on some ships etc.  We have done this several times!   As someone stated earlier- we do now tip extra to some workers-BUT is not required.

[finny2]

You can sail on the Edge and have a fabulous time without spending an extra penny. However, you might consider splurging on The Eden. We did and we’re glad we did.

[handbellplayer]

Thank you everyone, for the reassuring words!  We'll certainly take your advice on assessing drinks once on board and considering Eden.

[graphicguy]

55 minutes ago, handbellplayer said:

Yes - we have the all inclusive rate.  I guess I just got the feeling that wasn't enough from some posts here - almost no acceptable drinks included and drinks are weak, free internet is too slow to be used, the food in the buffet is awful, etc. Maybe those are just posts from complainers - we are very easy to please.

You'll be fine.  Food is probably the best on any of the large cruise lines, even in the buffet.  The MDRs all specialize in a certain regional cuisine, in addition to traditional MDR offerings (steak, chicken, fish, veggies, deserts).  I tried the Cosmopolitan, Normandie and Tuscan MDRs.  No extra charges.  All were wonderful.

 

The AI internet is fine if you're not trying to post pics and videos, stream music or video, and only need it for texts, emails and lite WEB browsing.  Otherwise, I do recommend the "streaming" upgrade.  Totally unnecessary if you do not plan to do any media types of WEB activity, though.

 

The drinks I had from the AI selection were all great.  Didn't find them watered down, at all.  I do like some of the premium drinks. But again, that's totally unnecessary.

[mac66]

 

No reason why you can't upgrade the drink package on the last day or two.

[JamieLogical]

Definitely do not need to spend extra money. I have no sailed on Celebrity four times. The first time, I only upgraded the drink package because I personally need Bailey's in my coffee and Bailey's isn't covered by the included drink package for reasons beyond my comprehension. I genuinely found the Premium drink package to be an excellent deal, because I was coming from NCL. NCL has an included drink package, but you have to pay the gratuities on it, which are $20/person/day. So $12/person/day to upgrade to the Premium package on Celebrity seemed cheap! And I did find it was nice to never have to think/worry about whether a drink I was ordering was included.

 

On my second sailing, I tried a suite in the Retreat and while it was a pleasant experience, I did not find it to be a big enough upgrade in the experience to justify the cost.

 

On my third sailing, I was in the Aqua Class because they were running a free upgrade promo, so I paid the normal balcony rate. For free it was worth it, but I probably wouldn't pay extra for it.

 

On my last sailing in January, I again just stayed in a normal balcony and didn't miss the Retreat or AQ. we did try some of the specialty dining restaurants for the first time. I would say they were nice, but definitely not necessary and sometimes very hard to justify the upcharge.

 

I feel like the challenge that Celebrity has created for themselves is that they have made the "basic" experience so good that it is tough to justify paying for any of the extras. I am sailing again in March and have just booked a normal balcony again and have no intention of doing any specialty restaurants this time. I did already upgrade my drink package, though.

[mahdnc]

Cruise Passengers Are Spending More On Royal Caribbean's Fleet

[cruisestitch]

Here’s a list of things you could buy on board.  Nothing here is required. It’s just a list of things that are available to use on board credit for

 

Because this gets asked so often I've compiled a list of things to spend OBC on. The only thing I know of now that you CAN'T buy with OBC is a deposit on a Future Cruise. You need a credit card for that.  Also, there may be some card game in the casino with a cash only buy-in.   If they do a fundraiser, like selling t-shirts to “save the reefs” and the like, expect to need cash for that.  Otherwise, here you go:

 

 

*Acupuncture

*Airport transfers

*Alcove Rental (some ships)

*Apple products etc. and Ilounge classes

*Art Auction purchases

*Babysitting

*Barber Shop services 

*Beverages -- Alcoholic, carbonated soft drinks, specialty coffees and teas, bottled water — if not in your package, also beverages above your package limits

*Bingo and Deal or no Deal

*Bottles of wine

*Casino

*Chef’s Table

*Corkage charged if you bring your own wine to the MDR

*Duty free liquor and cigarettes

*Extra cost entrees and other items in Main Dining Room and specialty restaurants

*Extend Your Stay program

*Fitness classes

*Flowers

*Gelato

*Gift shop souvenirs, purses, watches, cosmetics, clothing, jewelry, etc.

*Gratuities, and extra gratuities

*Guests dining with you in Luminae (applies to Suite Passengers only)

*Guest entertainers' CD's and DVD's

*Hair and nail salon

*Hollywood hot glass experiences (some ships)

*Internet if not in your package, also Internet upcharges 

*Laundry/pressing/drycleaning

*Liquor Tasting events

*Luggage Valet

*Martini Flights

*Medical Center purchases (but not treatments)

*Mini bar

*Portrait photo sessions

*Pay-per-view movies

*Persian Gardens passes

*Personal Training Sessions

*Photos & cameras

*Room service up charge items, and late night delivery fee

*Ryde spinning classes

*Shore Excursions

*Shuttle to town (some ports)

*Spa -- massages and treatments

*Specialty restaurants

*Teeth Whitening

*Telephone calls using ship's system

*Transfer to another passenger's account

*Voyage in Review DVD

*Wine and liquor tastings

*Zumba

[sandancer]

Wow. You’ve put some work in there Cruisestitch. 

[cruisestitch]

Thank you. I think a couple things might be out of date. I’m not sure they offer Zumba classes on board anymore nor the voyage in review DVD but I will leave them on the list for now

[Jeremiah1212]

3 hours ago, handbellplayer said:

Yes - we have the all inclusive rate.  I guess I just got the feeling that wasn't enough from some posts here - almost no acceptable drinks included and drinks are weak, free internet is too slow to be used, the food in the buffet is awful, etc. Maybe those are just posts from complainers - we are very easy to please.

 

I would agree that Celebrity overall is more inclusive and requires less onboard spend than RCL. 

 

Weak drinks is definitely not a common complaint I hear. It's not unusual that I ask them to go light on the pour. The Surf WiFi can be spotty but that is the same on any ship. Buffets in general aren't to everyones liking but I've never heard anyone describe it as consistently awful. We have been on RCL a few times (Liberty?) where I would describe the buffet as awful. 

 

This is the list of items included in the Classic drink package. You won't find any mystery plastic bottles of booze being poured on Celebrity.

 

https://creative.rccl.com/Sales/Celebrity/General_Info/BEVERAGE_PACKAGE_FLYERS-SALES.pdf

[handbellplayer]

1 hour ago, Jeremiah1212 said:

 

I would agree that Celebrity overall is more inclusive and requires less onboard spend than RCL. 

 

Weak drinks is definitely not a common complaint I hear. It's not unusual that I ask them to go light on the pour. The Surf WiFi can be spotty but that is the same on any ship. Buffets in general aren't to everyones liking but I've never heard anyone describe it as consistently awful. We have been on RCL a few times (Liberty?) where I would describe the buffet as awful. 

 

This is the list of items included in the Classic drink package. You won't find any mystery plastic bottles of booze being poured on Celebrity.

 

https://creative.rccl.com/Sales/Celebrity/General_Info/BEVERAGE_PACKAGE_FLYERS-SALES.pdf

Thanks for the list.  Those will work for us.  We'll probably just pay for the occasional fancy drink.  We just pay the extra $$, correct?

[JamieLogical]

8 minutes ago, handbellplayer said:

Thanks for the list.  Those will work for us.  We'll probably just pay for the occasional fancy drink.  We just pay the extra $$, correct?

 

Yes, you pay the difference plus a 20% gratuity on the difference. So, if the difference is $1, you would pay $1.20.