Did Celebrity just increase drink package prices?

[mk960072]

I got online to book a premium drink package today and just last week the price was $69 per person per day, now they are charing $84.00 per person per day. It would have been nice to know they were going to increase prices.  Feels sneaky and I dont like it.  Just curious if anyone else noticed this as I am tempted to call Celebrity and complain. 

[Cruising89143]

Yes they did. Specialty dining too. I have never known the cruise lines to give advance warning on raising prices. At least that has been my experience. Same with cruise rates. 

[Bo1953]

5 minutes ago, mk960072 said:

I got online to book a premium drink package today and just last week the price was $69 per person per day, now they are charing $84.00 per person per day. It would have been nice to know they were going to increase prices.  Feels sneaky and I dont like it.  Just curious if anyone else noticed this as I am tempted to call Celebrity and complain. 

I recommend that you call and register your displeasure at the price increase, as others on other threads have said they would.

 

I only wish that each time I go into the grocery store or gas station there was an advance notice of price increases... alas, not happening until I look at the price upon arrival.

 

bon voyage

[alyssamma]

11 minutes ago, cruisingator2 said:

Yes they did. Specialty dining too. I have never known the cruise lines to give advance warning on raising prices. At least that has been my experience. Same with cruise rates. 

Carnival just raised their prices but sent everyone an email beforehand...very nice. That being said, that's the first time I've seen it happen.

[Mike07]

To be honest, I was unimpressed with the liquor selection on Celebrity ships.  At $69, they were making a killing.

[kywildcatfanone]

These cruise lines are making gobs and gobs of cash from their packages, particularly the drink packages.  It's why they push them non stop.

[upwarduk]

They’ve certainly taken off the “up to 30%” off promotions, which were on line only for the last 2 weeks. So maybe they sneaked in a price hike at the same time.

[emmas gran]

1 hour ago, mk960072 said:

I got online to book a premium drink package today and just last week the price was $69 per person per day, now they are charing $84.00 per person per day. It would have been nice to know they were going to increase prices.  Feels sneaky and I dont like it.  Just curious if anyone else noticed this as I am tempted to call Celebrity and complain. 

This has been mentioned in post last Tuesday or Wednesday when someone told of the increase 

[toddmanka]

When did Celebrity start adding gratuities to there specialty dining packages ?

[patty1955]

I didn't know that they had also raised the price of specialty dining. The Chef's Table went from $139 to $164 and that doesn't include the wine pairing on either!

[phillygirl2400]

I was trying to decide whether or not I should book the classic beverage package on our September cruise. Then, i saw the price increase. Now, easy decision not to book it. 😀 

[mk960072]

4 hours ago, cruisingator2 said:

Yes they did. Specialty dining too. I have never known the cruise lines to give advance warning on raising prices. At least that has been my experience. Same with cruise rates. 

I agree on rates they never do but since Celebrity is very customer service oriented I would have thought they might either notify of price increases or implement price increases to those who book after a certain date.  

 

I called Celebrity and inquired about the increase and two days ago they increased the prices for drink packages.  After holding on the phone I was able to talk with a nice young lady who took great care and provided the level of customer service we are used to with Celebrity.  

 

[mk960072]

4 hours ago, mk960072 said:

I got online to book a premium drink package today and just last week the price was $69 per person per day, now they are charging $84.00 per person per day. It would have been nice to know they were going to increase prices.  Feels sneaky and I dont like it.  Just curious if anyone else noticed this as I am tempted to call Celebrity and complain. 

 

[Redtravel]

19 hours ago, mk960072 said:

 

Complain. It may get you the old prices. In the past, when prices were to be increased, you were sent a notice. That gave you time to buy at the old rates.  Seems that is not been done now.  We were thinking about using from classic to premium just to get Evian.  At the new rates, if I want a bottle of Evian, just buy it.  $16.80 is crazy. Now, we are firm in not going for the premium pkg.  saves me $  Not exactly “ modern luxury”.  Guess there is a new image.  Starting to wonder what other changes will happen on my next cruise.  

[ezemoney]

what is the current charge to upgrade?

[durberville]

Yes, call and complain. Myself and I believe several others on this board received the $12 upgrade when we did so. I DO remember Celebrity giving a heads up about increasing beverage package prices in the past. That’s why I was so annoyed when it wasn’t mentioned when I booked just a couple of weeks ago, and again when I was speaking with a rep about another issue and she said “you can upgrade on the ship, no rush”. 😐

 

On a side note…, I’m finding the whole cruising experience becoming very…”classist”? Is that a word? Not reflected in the beverage packages per se, just in general. We usually sail in standard balconies. Now with all the suites and various cabin classes with their dedicated dining rooms and retreats…feel like I’m sailing in “steerage” haha! 
 

Of course all vacation experiences have upgrade options/restrictions. If you want higher end accommodation, pay for it. All inclusive resorts and hotels do the same… it just feels more noticeable on a ship. 🤷‍♀️

 

 

[durberville]

3 minutes ago, ezemoney said:

what is the current charge to upgrade?

$16.80 

[patty1955]

4 minutes ago, durberville said:

 

On a side note…, I’m finding the whole cruising experience becoming very…”classist”? Is that a word? Not reflected in the beverage packages per se, just in general. We usually sail in standard balconies. Now with all the suites and various cabin classes with their dedicated dining rooms and retreats…feel like I’m sailing in “steerage” haha! 

 

 

I agree. One of the things we liked about Celebrity "back in the day" was the lack of class distinction. Interestingly enough, we didn't see it on Windstar or Oceania.

[cruisingguy007]

1 hour ago, durberville said:

 

On a side note…, I’m finding the whole cruising experience becoming very…”classist”? Is that a word? Not reflected in the beverage packages per se, just in general. We usually sail in standard balconies. Now with all the suites and various cabin classes with their dedicated dining rooms and retreats…feel like I’m sailing in “steerage” haha! 
 

Of course all vacation experiences have upgrade options/restrictions. If you want higher end accommodation, pay for it. All inclusive resorts and hotels do the same… it just feels more noticeable on a ship. 🤷‍♀️

 

 

 

Indeed! Well said. It's only going to get worse as everyone wants to be "special/VIP". Even Carnival has started this on their newest ships. I suspect some will come to regret this trend in the long run. It's just a way to grab money, transfer more included into additional charges and reduce the included experience overall. Time will tell. Hopefully, there will always be at least one product, or a new line even, that will be an everyman/everywoman line that has no class distinction beyond cabin type.    

Edited May 16, 2022 by cruisingguy007

[cruisn4evr]

arent drinks included?

[Mark_T]

2 minutes ago, cruisn4evr said:

arent drinks included?

Yes if you booked with an 'Always Included' fare, but only the 'Classic' brands, and some do purchase 'cruise only' fares though.

 

So there will be people who got the 'Classic' drinks included wanting to upgrade to 'Premium' and those on 'cruise only' wanting to buy a package to go with it...

[cruisn4evr]

4 minutes ago, Mark_T said:

Yes if you booked with an 'Always Included' fare, but only the 'Classic' brands, and some do purchase 'cruise only' fares though.

 

So there will be people who got the 'Classic' drinks included wanting to upgrade to 'Premium' and those on 'cruise only' wanting to buy a package to go with it...

thank you!

[DCPIV]

23 hours ago, toddmanka said:

When did Celebrity start adding gratuities to there specialty dining packages ?

 

From the beginning.

[PTC DAWG]

On 5/15/2022 at 11:07 AM, kywildcatfanone said:

These cruise lines are making gobs and gobs of cash from their packages, particularly the drink packages.  It's why they push them non stop.

I would spend much more than the price of the package  onboard for drinks…water, coffee, etc…I always buy one, math is easy..not every scenario is the same. 

[kywildcatfanone]

My point really was they are pushing these packages because they are making large amounts of money from them.  Are some passengers drinking the daily limits (if they exist), sure, but far more are buying a package and drinking 2-3 drinks a day, which would have been far cheaper to just buy individually.  They know this, and that is why every promo include drink and gratuity packages.  It's simple marketing.