All Included or No Perks ?

[cruisegal1970]

As new to cruising what do most people choose.

Is it better to go All Included and pay as you go ?

[cruisestitch]

Neither is “better”.  One might be more suited to your needs.  Consider how much you use internet and how many beverages (alcoholic and non alcoholic) you consume in a day) 

[Tierun]

For a new cruiser the benefit of all included is that you won’t have much of a bill, if any at all, unless you do some actual onboard spending.

[jelayne]

The beverage package is the most costly component of AI.  So whether or no you book with AI depends on what and how much you drink.  
The Classic beverage which come with AI includes generic bottled water, soda, premium coffees and teas, premium juice and wine and drinks up to $10. If you book a cruise only fare and then purchase a beverage package pre cruise the cost is I am seeing is $71 per person per day plus 20% gratuity.  The cost to purchase on board will be higher.

 

The daily gratuity is also included in AI and is $17.50 pp per day or more depending on the cabin category you book.  
 

Do the math and determine if AI is a good option.  For those who only have 1 or 2 drinks a day probably not.  

[skatelady]

I always book all included.  We enjoy our wine in the evening, a frozen drink or two by the pool and we drink a lot of water.  On port days we grab water on the ship and take with us.  Cafe Al Bacio is much better coffee in the morning than the dining room or Oceanview Cafe.  And I really like not having to think about what the bill might be when we leave.  If I keep track of beverages they probably make a few dollars on us on port days, we probably come out ahead on sea days, but to me the peace of mind is worth it. 

[RichYak]

1 hour ago, cruisegal1970 said:

As new to cruising what do most people choose.

Is it better to go All Included and pay as you go ?

What's better for me may not be better for you. I use the wifi and drink more than enough to cover the AI. You may not.

[PTC DAWG]

I’m AI all the way, take full advantage of the drinks package…the rest is gravy. Do the math..see what works for your party.

[Arzeena]

We have always had something included in our past sailings. However, in the past before AI (I think) we have also sailed without anything included.

What I do not remember is without any bev pkg (alcoholic or zero), do the cappucinos and lattes carry a charge at Al Bacio?

Edited August 26, 2023 by Arzeena

[awhcruiser]

20 minutes ago, Arzeena said:

We have always had something included in our past sailings. However, in the past before AI (I think) we have also sailed without anything included.

What I do not remember is without any bev pkg (alcoholic or zero), do the cappucinos and lattes carry a charge at Al Bacio?

Yes

[tigervixxxen]

Someone here worked out the value to $88 per day the value of AI. So do the math on what they are offering, everything with pricing on Celebrity varies. If you skip it then there will be sales on the drinks and wifi. We like AI as to not worry about what’s included but it has to make sense with the pricing. 

[NutsAboutGolf]

13 minutes ago, tigervixxxen said:

Someone here worked out the value to $88 per day the value of AI. So do the math on what they are offering, everything with pricing on Celebrity varies. If you skip it then there will be sales on the drinks and wifi. We like AI as to not worry about what’s included but it has to make sense with the pricing. 

 

If you want no more than 3-4 drinks a day, maybe that's accurate yet it isn't nor should be pitched as an one size fits all.  Additionally, if you're Elite or above, you have the access to the free happy hour which makes this a bit more complex

[D. B.]

Celebrity tried to do the All Included thing to make pricing less complicated ( like Oceania with it’s Simply More ) but people that do not drink Alcohol or use much WiFi let them know we were Not happy about it.

So they went back to the Cruise Only option.

with CO if I ad the Gratuities and WiFi with my Elite+ discount it’s way cheaper than paying for something I would never use.

[horseymike]

It’s really dependent on your personal preferences. If you enjoy several cocktails throughout the time on your cruise, AI will be the way to go. If you don’t drink , or drink sparingly it is not worth it.

Other factors are if you have ON BOARD CREDIT included in your booking , that might very well be enough to cover your beverages, both alcoholic and non alcoholic.

Keep in mind that everyone booked in the cabin must book AI or not .

There are special exceptions with regard to the alcoholic drinks that involve being a recovering alcoholic or not drinking for medical reasons.

 

[grandgeezer]

37 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

If you want no more than 3-4 drinks a day, maybe that's accurate yet it isn't nor should be pitched as a one size fits all.  Additionally, if you're Elite or above, you have the access to the free happy hour which makes this a bit more complex

If you’re Elite+ you get 240 minutes p.p. The free drinks are more than we normally drink and we have never used all our internet minutes, even on a transAtlantic. I see on this website they are premium minutes. Based on this, it’s  a no brained as people say.

[NutsAboutGolf]

2 minutes ago, grandgeezer said:

If you’re Elite+ you get 240 minutes p.p. The free drinks are more than we normally drink and we have never used all our internet minutes, even on a transAtlantic. I see on this website they are premium minutes. Based on this, it’s  a no brained as people say.

 

Good point yet I'll just add that a lot of folks want the unlimited wifi

[RichYak]

33 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

Good point yet I'll just add that a lot of folks want the unlimited wifi

Agreed. 240 wifi minutes aren’t helpful with incoming phone calls unless you have great timing. 

[cruisegal1970]

Thanks for your opinions.  The cost for AL more than doubles the cruise fare. Water is free I assume and I always take coffee sachets anyway. I will be ashore more than aboard so basically could be paying twice for drinks.  My research suggests that WiFi aboard leave much to be desired so will contact home when ashore for free.

 

Gratuities will be my only cost plus a few drinks here and there, so thanks for all comments. NO PERKS is definitely the way for me to go.

[grandgeezer]

1 hour ago, RichYak said:

Agreed. 240 wifi minutes aren’t helpful with incoming phone calls unless you have great timing. 

If you, and who ever you want communicate with, have an Apple phone or ipad, you can use FaceTime. We were able to talk, and see the other person. It worked everywhere, including Europe and transAtlantics. This was before the pandemic and SkyLink.

Maybe Samsung or other phone companies have something similar.

[RichYak]

41 minutes ago, grandgeezer said:

If you, and who ever you want communicate with...

It's 2023. I want to be able to communicate with whoever needs to contact me, on whatever device they're calling or texting me from, whenever they need to reach me--not just when I have a limited minutes of wifi turned on.

Edited August 26, 2023 by RichYak

[kywildcatfanone]

6 hours ago, cruisegal1970 said:

As new to cruising what do most people choose.

Is it better to go All Included and pay as you go ?

It's a personal decision based upon your expected spending.  If you don't drink much alcohol or don't like how much they charge for it, it's likely not worth it.

Edited August 26, 2023 by kywildcatfanone

[kywildcatfanone]

2 hours ago, cruisegal1970 said:

Thanks for your opinions.  The cost for AL more than doubles the cruise fare. Water is free I assume and I always take coffee sachets anyway. I will be ashore more than aboard so basically could be paying twice for drinks.  My research suggests that WiFi aboard leave much to be desired so will contact home when ashore for free.

 

Gratuities will be my only cost plus a few drinks here and there, so thanks for all comments. NO PERKS is definitely the way for me to go.

This is basically us.  We take on all the water and soda we want, so we choose not to pay for drinks onboard and bring our own or drink what is included in the base fare.  

[zalusky]

What people don't get is this is where the profit is.  If people don't buy the packages and they don't make their profit quotas they will look for something else to either cut or entice that is unreasonably priced.

[doghog]

We select the AI and before that we would select the better, best or whatever it was called bundled option. We liked the better, best as we got to pick from the four selections. Always did the CBP, gratuities and OBC. No need for the Wi-Fi then or now as our tier level minutes are way more than enough as we stay disconnected other than checking in with the airlines prior to the end of the cruise. 

[grandgeezer]

3 hours ago, RichYak said:

It's 2023. I want to be able to communicate with whoever needs to contact me, on whatever device they're calling or texting me from, whenever they need to reach me--not just when I have a limited minutes of wifi turned on.

You have my deepest sympathy, I’m glad that the world will still exist if I unplug for a week or two, or however long.

[RichYak]

14 minutes ago, grandgeezer said:

You have my deepest sympathy, I’m glad that the world will still exist if I unplug for a week or two, or however long.

If you had any idea what happened in my personal life during my cruise last week, you’d know how incredibly insensitive your comment is. I’ll accept your “deepest sympathy” but unfortunately not for the reason you intended.