Quick call to upgrade drink package 👍

[RickT]

I have to give credit when it’s due.  I posted back in February that I gave up trying to upgrade my drink package after multiple calls, long hold times and needing to be transferred eventually made the potential savings not worth the effort. 
With another cruise coming up in October I thought I’d give it a try today.  To my surprise the call was answered quickly and the rep I spoke with was able to complete the upgrade without having to transfer me to another rep.  The only issue was that I had to remind the rep about the Elite discount.  Not sure if I got lucky or if Celebrity has hired/trained more staff. 
 

Only wish now is that a simple transaction like that should be something I can do on their website.  

[jelayne]

I had a similar experience a few weeks ago.  I called the # in the Cruise Planner to upgrade and that seemed to bypass the transferring that occurs when calling the Captains Club or the main number.

 

[SilkySal]

We're cruising on Celebrity Solstice next year and will probably want to upgrade our drink package to premium, as we are elite members too. Just wondering if Celebrity has any good sales on packages, maybe around Black Friday to make it more beneficial to wait a little while? Or won't it make much difference? Currently, the sale is 9% off onboard price and Elite offers 15% off. Should I purchase now or later? Thanks for any advice!

[jelayne]

You can purchase now and if there is a better offer you can cancel and rebook.

[Oceangoer2]

1 hour ago, jelayne said:

You can purchase now and if there is a better offer you can cancel and rebook.

 

1 hour ago, jelayne said:

You can purchase now and if there is a better offer you can cancel and rebook.

I've been wondering, and if you know,.....if I have AI and bev pkg included is standard, if I want to upgrade to Premium do they factor in the price I've already paid for AI bev pkg?  The website quotes $99 pp per day (Cdn)...that seems high if we've already paid for AI?

[long time lurker]

The cost to upgrade is the difference between classic and premium if you have AI. I believe it is 10-15/day plus gratuity. As to sales, it seems that Celebrity is not yet playing the games with dynamic pricing that Royal does. 

[Oceangoer2]

2 minutes ago, long time lurker said:

The cost to upgrade is the difference between classic and premium if you have AI. I believe it is 10-15/day plus gratuity. As to sales, it seems that Celebrity is not yet playing the games with dynamic pricing that Royal does. 

Thanks for your response....I'm thinking I would have to contact my CVP to have that confirmed on the booking?  There's no option on the website except to purchase in full.

[jelayne]

4 minutes ago, Oceangoer2 said:

Thanks for your response....I'm thinking I would have to contact my CVP to have that confirmed on the booking?  There's no option on the website except to purchase in full.

On the cruise planner there is a spot that says Call to Upgrade and the phone # is there,  I saw it when I was looking at internet packages.  I called that # and they took care of upgrading both the internet and beverage package.  
 

I would suggest you do the math before calling.  The difference between the Cruise Planner price for the Premium and Classic is the upgrade price, less any Captains Club discount, and they add a 20% gratuity.  Same for internet except there is no gratuity added to internet.

[BEAV]

9 hours ago, jelayne said:

I had a similar experience a few weeks ago.  I called the # in the Cruise Planner to upgrade and that seemed to bypass the transferring that occurs when calling the Captains Club or the main number.

 

 

Not sure if this is the same number as in the Cruise Planner, but I call the Cruise Enhancement number of 800-722-5941. It takes me to the right department without having to be transferred. 

[jelayne]

Yes that’s the number in the Cruise Planner.

[Surfguyxxx]

So, on a side note, we are Pinnacle on RC which entitles us to Elite on Celebrity.  On RC, we get 6 drinks per day to use at any bar but it seems that you can only get something from 5pm-7pm?  I don't drink alcohol anymore so just wanting to check if this is still true or can I get bottles of water throughout at any bar/service area.  Thanks.  Heading on Equinox in 2 weeks time.

[RichYak]

1 hour ago, Surfguyxxx said:

I don't drink alcohol anymore so just wanting to check if this is still true or can I get bottles of water throughout at any bar/service area. 

I don't think bottles of water are on the list of Elite happy hour beverages.

[Surfguyxxx]

2 hours ago, RichYak said:

I don't think bottles of water are on the list of Elite happy hour beverages.

Well that sucks 😏

[RichYak]

22 minutes ago, Surfguyxxx said:

Well that sucks 😏

Actually, I'm wrong. I found an image of a recent cocktail menu and it DID list bottled water. Sorry for the misinformation.

[Keys Kathy]

18 hours ago, long time lurker said:

The cost to upgrade is the difference between classic and premium if you have AI. I believe it is 10-15/day plus gratuity. As to sales, it seems that Celebrity is not yet playing the games with dynamic pricing that Royal does. 

I was looking at a Royal cruise. I could not get a straight answer as to the package price from the call center, they said I had to book to get the price. I booked a refundable deposit and found out the price was $89. PP per day. It was over $800 with tip for a 4 night cruise, which was higher than the cruise price. Needless to say, I cancelled the cruise. Have they lost their minds?

[Keys Kathy]

3 hours ago, RichYak said:

I don't think bottles of water are on the list of Elite happy hour beverages.

On our transatlantic on the Apex, many a time I ordered a "Eviantini". Evian in a martini glass with a twist of lemon.

[carolinagirlsince1993]

We just got off Equinox and upgrade was $9 day pp.  going on Edge in April, upgrade was $13 pp.  both plus gratuities.

[Mississippian]

On 8/30/2022 at 3:56 PM, carolinagirlsince1993 said:

We just got off Equinox and upgrade was $9 day pp.  going on Edge in April, upgrade was $13 pp.  both plus gratuities.

I upgraded on an October Silhouette trans-Atlantic and the cost was $9.50 extra per day, total. For Internet it was $13. I held off upgrading the Internet because I have serious doubts about how well it will work in the middle of the Atlantic.

[XuGator]

What is the point of calling in to upgrade ? Is the pricing better than just doing it on board when you buy your first drink ? It takes a whole 5 seconds on board to do that so trying to understand the benefit here of sitting on the phone. 

Edited September 2, 2022 by XuGator

[hawkesbaynz]

I called to upgrade for my forthcoming Beyond cruise. Would have done onboard but as Elite thought I would get the call only discount. Reminded the guy twice I would get a discount. He affirmed. Paid £235. 
 

Told by bro-in-law to upgrade on the ship. Typically he ignored me and called up. Paid £235. He has never stepped foot on a cruise ship.

 

Unfortunately I could expect no less from the hopeless back office team. Wrote an email to complain. No response. 

[Definitas]

10 hours ago, hawkesbaynz said:

I called to upgrade for my forthcoming Beyond cruise. Would have done onboard but as Elite thought I would get the call only discount. Reminded the guy twice I would get a discount. He affirmed. Paid £235. 
 

Told by bro-in-law to upgrade on the ship. Typically he ignored me and called up. Paid £235. He has never stepped foot on a cruise ship.

 

Unfortunately I could expect no less from the hopeless back office team. Wrote an email to complain. No response. 

If you have Elite status you can only get the 20% discount if you pre-pay before boarding. The discount is not available on board

 

[stellarose]

question. is it worth it to upgrade the all inclusive classic package to the premium package?  like martinis and smoothies.  thoughts? is it cost effective?  just hubby and I using package. 

[Keys Kathy]

6 minutes ago, stellarose said:

question. is it worth it to upgrade the all inclusive classic package to the premium package?  like martinis and smoothies.  thoughts? is it cost effective?  just hubby and I using package. 

That is such a personal choice. We like the better wines and not being told that Vodka / Gin / Burbon we want is not part of our package.

[stellarose]

2 minutes ago, Keys Kathy said:

That is such a personal choice. We like the better wines and not being told that Vodka / Gin / Burbon we want is not part of our package.

do you recall how much it would be ? like over 200? over 300?

[jelayne]

8 minutes ago, stellarose said:

question. is it worth it to upgrade the all inclusive classic package to the premium package?  like martinis and smoothies.  thoughts? is it cost effective?  just hubby and I using package. 

You should each have your own package if it was part of your booking.  You can not share a package but if only 1 of you like the smoothies, nicer wines, or better liquors them that person  an upgrade their package and the other continue with the Classic package.