Reds in premium package?

[Jimmym1981]

16 hours ago, phoenix_dream said:

Gibson's in downtown Chicago - Decoy Cab is $15 a glass.  Celebrity now $19 a glass.  26% higher on Celebrity.  And the big thing, to me, is that the premium package is very expensive and many people (me included) would purchase it primarily to have a bit higher quality wine with dinner.  And we are not even talking really high quality wines - we are talking wines we can buy retail for less than $20 a bottle.  To offer wines on the premium package which sell for around $10 a bottle at home is insulting to say the least.

Heck, a Grey Goose dirty martini at Gibsons in Chicago is cheaper than a glass of Decoy on Celebrity. 

[jelayne]

56 minutes ago, db8alien said:

I was surprised to see the pricing on it for that reason - higher than usual markups on the lower end reds, less than usual markup on Caymus.  Certainly worth the $8/glass upcharge with the premium package IMO.

The upcharge on Caymus is $18 +20% not $8.

[MNSails]

11 minutes ago, jelayne said:

The upcharge on Caymus is $18 +20% not $8.

 

I stand corrected.  

[Wineduck]

The new wine prices are crazy. I spent 25 days on the Reflection last year.

My table mate and I both had the premium package. We each had two glasses of Grigh Hulls Chardonnay every night with dinner and never paid an up charge. I understand this is a business however my two cruises in February might be my last.

[NaplesKnitter]

Currently on the Reflection, one of our favorite ships - we have over 50 cruises with Celebrity.  Ship, staff, dining, entertainment great as usual.  However, surprised and disappointed with the new wine upcharges, as noted here.  Last evening, voiced our displeasure to an F&B manager making his rounds.  Asked, why would Celebrity ever risk alienating guests with such an inane, clumsy pricing change.  He sighed, acknowledged hearing many negative comments and then politely informed me that ships' staff input was not considered and that the reason for the change, wait for it now, was that "the price of the drink package has been lowered".  Poor guy.  Perhaps others may want to express their thoughts to the good folks who are on land in management.  

[bikerunner]

1 hour ago, NaplesKnitter said:

Currently on the Reflection, one of our favorite ships - we have over 50 cruises with Celebrity.  Ship, staff, dining, entertainment great as usual.  However, surprised and disappointed with the new wine upcharges, as noted here.  Last evening, voiced our displeasure to an F&B manager making his rounds.  Asked, why would Celebrity ever risk alienating guests with such an inane, clumsy pricing change.  He sighed, acknowledged hearing many negative comments and then politely informed me that ships' staff input was not considered and that the reason for the change, wait for it now, was that "the price of the drink package has been lowered".  Poor guy.  Perhaps others may want to express their thoughts to the good folks who are on land in management.  

At this point one of the main problems with Celebrity is Land based management has no clue on ship based operations and clientele.  There is an extreme disconnect.  Tho some things have changed back from the initial free for all that they did with cuts etc.  The best deal I see for the wines is still the Penner Ash at 21 a glass.  Costs about 55ish reg in NH, I get it on sale here and there, and has been a go to for me.  With premium at 17 so 4 dollar upcharge I can deal with that....sorry 4.8 with tax.  

[NMTraveller]

2 hours ago, NaplesKnitter said:

Currently on the Reflection, one of our favorite ships - we have over 50 cruises with Celebrity.  Ship, staff, dining, entertainment great as usual.  However, surprised and disappointed with the new wine upcharges, as noted here.  Last evening, voiced our displeasure to an F&B manager making his rounds.  Asked, why would Celebrity ever risk alienating guests with such an inane, clumsy pricing change.  He sighed, acknowledged hearing many negative comments and then politely informed me that ships' staff input was not considered and that the reason for the change, wait for it now, was that "the price of the drink package has been lowered".  Poor guy.  Perhaps others may want to express their thoughts to the good folks who are on land in management.  

The price of the drink package was lowered after it was raised???  LOL.  On any given day I cannot keep track of pricing...

[jelayne]

41 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

The price of the drink package was lowered after it was raised???  LOL.  On any given day I cannot keep track of pricing...

Yes I noticed that in the cruise planner.  One of the recent sales showed the sale price and the regular price for the beverage package was lower than it had been.  As you noted they raised and then lowered it.  Seems that they keep throwing things against the wall to see what will stick and make more money, cruiser be damn.

[81Zoomie]

18 hours ago, BobbM81 said:

What was the up charge for Emmolo for premium package? It’s a great wine 

On our Nov 25 cruise Emmolo cost $20/glass, so a small up charge from the premium package.  It was very drinkable.  We also tried the Freemark Abbey Cab which was $24/glass.  The Emmolo was available in Cellar Masters and Blu.  I wonder what the price is after the recent increases?

 

BTW, someone mentioned that X is now charging the up charges above the drink package pricing in the Retreat Lounges.  Can anyone verify if this?

Edited December 19, 2023 by 81Zoomie

[Baynanno1]

22 minutes ago, 81Zoomie said:

On our Nov 25 cruise Emmolo cost $20/glass, so a small up charge from the premium package.  It was very drinkable.  We also tried the Freemark Abbey Cab which was $24/glass.  The Emmolo was available in Cellar Masters and Blu.  I wonder what the price is after the recent increases?

 

BTW, someone mentioned that X is now charging the up charges above the drink package pricing in the Retreat Lounges.  Can anyone verify if this?

Check out this thread :

 

 

[drakes2]

23 hours ago, phoenix_dream said:

Gibson's in downtown Chicago - Decoy Cab is $15 a glass.  Celebrity now $19 a glass.  26% higher on Celebrity.  And the big thing, to me, is that the premium package is very expensive and many people (me included) would purchase it primarily to have a bit higher quality wine with dinner.  And we are not even talking really high quality wines - we are talking wines we can buy retail for less than $20 a bottle.  To offer wines on the premium package which sell for around $10 a bottle at home is insulting to say the least.

Thats why I prefer to bring wines from home in my luggage or take the ones I get onboard to the MDR. In all my Celebrity cruises I've bought the AI package twice.

[phoenix_dream]

7 minutes ago, drakes2 said:

Thats why I prefer to bring wines from home in my luggage or take the ones I get onboard to the MDR. In all my Celebrity cruises I've bought the AI package twice.

That's fine if you sail in non-suite cabins or are not Zenith.  People sailing in suites often pay tens of thousands of dollars for their cabin - and then to be charged an upcharge for a glass of wine whose bottle sells for $20 or less retail??  That is nothing short of outrageous.  And those of us who have finally, finally earned Zenith status (for me 75+ cruises over 30 years), only to find the value of that status once again declining is very, very frustrating.  I'm not saying this as an attack on your response, but I think everyone should be concerned about these types of changes being made, and made after booking as well.  This change may not impact you personally but it is a disturbing trend and there likely will follow other changes that will impact you.  If we just sit back and take it and continue booking and don't provide any feedback it will continue and continue.

[jelayne]

3 hours ago, 81Zoomie said:

On our Nov 25 cruise Emmolo cost $20/glass, so a small up charge from the premium package.  It was very drinkable.  We also tried the Freemark Abbey Cab which was $24/glass.  The Emmolo was available in Cellar Masters and Blu.  I wonder what the price is after the recent increases?

 

BTW, someone mentioned that X is now charging the up charges above the drink package pricing in the Retreat Lounges.  Can anyone verify if this?

The new wine lists show Emmolo at $25 a glass, so $8 upcharge +20%.  

[NMTraveller]

C o o k I e g a t e 2.0

 

Are they really going to waste my time signing a slip for 2$?

 

My next cruise will have zero nickel and dime fees.

[drakes2]

5 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

C o o k I e g a t e 2.0

 

Are they really going to waste my time signing a slip for 2$?

 

My next cruise will have zero nickel and dime fees.

Oh God yes. Yes. The last time I had premium package was drinks up to $15. I ordered the 25th Anniversary martini priced at $16.  She brought me a slip for $1.20. Blown away but the law is the law. 

[jelayne]

17 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

C o o k I e g a t e 2.0

 

Are they really going to waste my time signing a slip for 2$?

 

My next cruise will have zero nickel and dime fees.

There are hundreds of passengers who drink the wines that were moved out of the Premium package.  Between DH & I we have 3-4 glasses at dinner so upcharge of $7.20.- $9.60  for 2 people.  
Conservatively say 200 2 tops at $7.20 an evening on a 7 night cruise that’s almost $10K.    With 13 ships sailing year round that is about $7M in revenue.  

[tfred]

17 hours ago, phoenix_dream said:

That's fine if you sail in non-suite cabins or are not Zenith.  People sailing in suites often pay tens of thousands of dollars for their cabin - and then to be charged an upcharge for a glass of wine whose bottle sells for $20 or less retail??  That is nothing short of outrageous.  .

This is correct. I sent an e mail off to X saying this exact wording. probably just a another email for their spam folder but it ain't right 

[tartantiara]

We must remember that without a drinks package that $17 glass of wine is actually $20.40 with the gratuities which is disgraceful for a mediocre glass of wine

[markeb]

18 minutes ago, tartantiara said:

We must remember that without a drinks package that $17 glass of wine is actually $20.40 with the gratuities which is disgraceful for a mediocre glass of wine

 

It's a crazy stupid price, but the pricing is undoubtedly based on the drink package. Not true on this thread (and not a form of marketing I'm really comfortable with) but I'm betting most people will buy a drink package and not pay attention. And even the upcharge wines will only be viewed as the delta, not the absolute cost. If you do have a drink package, have a couple of poolside drinks, a pre-dinner martini (or two) and an after dinner drink, you're probably at a point where a $2.40 upcharge for a "$19" glass of wine doesn't really matter. It pushes the whole sunk cost fallacy on the drink package...

[NC Fred]

I  got an email from, X today titled " Sip and Save"

 

It was all about upgrading to the new lower priced packages. Under the Premium Pkg was the following:

 

Champagnes and favorite wines such as Conundrum White and Red Blends, Decoy Cabernet Sauvignon, J&H Selbach Riesling Kabine, Mouton Cadet Bordeaux Blend, and Edmeades Zinfandel

 

It certainly appears to me, they are saying Decoy and Conundrum are within the $17 Premium limit. But, according to many recent posts, these wines have recently been price increased to $19.

 

Anyone have information on this?

[81Zoomie]

Currently on the Summit.  Here is the list from Cellar Masters

[Julma]

On 12/20/2023 at 10:30 AM, jelayne said:

There are hundreds of passengers who drink the wines that were moved out of the Premium package.  Between DH & I we have 3-4 glasses at dinner so upcharge of $7.20.- $9.60  for 2 people.  
Conservatively say 200 2 tops at $7.20 an evening on a 7 night cruise that’s almost $10K.    With 13 ships sailing year round that is about $7M in revenue.  

I think you are right on.  Decoy is not a great wine, barely good, but popular because it's marketed well.  People know it and know it's drinkable.  However people also know what it costs retail and this is going to be a hard sell.  Time will tell. I for one will not be drinking Decoy at $20 a glass.

[markeb]

24 minutes ago, Julma said:

I think you are right on.  Decoy is not a great wine, barely good, but popular because it's marketed well.  People know it and know it's drinkable.  However people also know what it costs retail and this is going to be a hard sell.  Time will tell. I for one will not be drinking Decoy at $20 a glass.

 

I still think it's a crappy way to treat customers, but most people do not know what it costs at retail, and if they're on a package, they only know they're paying $2.40. I'm really believe people on this board put far more thought in this than the average passenger...

 

(Oh, and yes. Decoy is a barely passable wine. The parent company, Duckhorn, makes some outstanding wines. Decoy isn't one of them.)

[drakes2]

37 minutes ago, markeb said:

 

I still think it's a crappy way to treat customers, but most people do not know what it costs at retail, and if they're on a package, they only know they're paying $2.40. I'm really believe people on this board put far more thought in this than the average passenger...

 

(Oh, and yes. Decoy is a barely passable wine. The parent company, Duckhorn, makes some outstanding wines. Decoy isn't one of them.)

No Decoy not great but drinkable and honestly it was more about the entire dinner experience.   I was at a table with 5 other solos so I guess it was about the ambiance and company plus the fact it was a free bottle  I was able to switch the 2nd bottle of Decoy for Beringer Knights valley would have preferred Freemark Abbey but they wouldn't give it to me. I tried. 😆 🤣 

[markeb]

8 minutes ago, drakes2 said:

No Decoy not great but drinkable and honestly it was more about the entire dinner experience.   I was at a table with 5 other solos so I guess it was about the ambiance and company plus the fact it was a free bottle  I was able to switch the 2nd bottle of Decoy for Beringer Knights valley would have preferred Freemark Abbey but they wouldn't give it to me. I tried. 😆 🤣 

Passable wine with good people beats great wine with bad company every time! The thread has gone down the wine rabbit hole, but the people you’re drinking it with is what really matters! (Oh, and I’d go with the Freemark Abbey too!)