Surcharges for drinks in Retreat Lounge

[Ex-Airbalancer]

They just getting ready for to introduce any other drink package 😁

[asctony]

Just now, sanger727 said:

 

There is usually a celebrity policy. And then some ships where the staff don't follow the policy to make their customers happy (and probably to get bigger tips). 

I'm sure it's an X policy. However, this in MHO is a very poor policy.

 

Staffs should follow Company policy. Regardless, if Staff feels different. That's why we never know what is correct, normal procedure or what to do. 

[Dolebludger]

This reminds me of the $2 (plus 20%) cookie fiasco. And I hope it meets the same fate. It seems that Celebrity is trying to squeeze every last nickel out of the passengers. Management should be ashamed.

[jelayne]

It was reported that a F & B Mgr said that the Miami rationale for moving some things above the Premium package was because the price of the packages have been reduced.  I have noticed that the package

( non sale ) price has been reduced, but many of us booked when the  higher prices were in effect. 

[Georgia_Peaches]

15 hours ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

They just getting ready for to introduce any other drink package 😁

They briefly had a premium plus type package that you could add on. It even included items in the minibar. Then it went away. Maybe it’s coming back. On Princess they have an add on package that has no restrictions or up charges. You get it all…this according to my DM who had it added to her upcoming cruise for $17 pp/PD. 

[prmssk]

18 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

On Princess they have an add on package that has no restrictions or up charges. You get it all…this according to my DM who had it added to her upcoming cruise for $17 pp/PD. 

I’m not aware of a Princess package with no restrictions at all that includes everything. Their higher end drink package definitely covers a lot more but it isn’t without restrictions. 

Edited December 20, 2023 by prmssk

[Georgia_Peaches]

10 minutes ago, prmssk said:

I’m not aware of a Princess package with no restrictions at all that includes everything. Their higher end drink package definitely covers a lot more but it isn’t without restrictions. 

I've never sailed Princess but was talking to my mother yesterday about her upcoming cruise in March and she mentioned the add on package.  Will get the name of the package and report back.  She said it was an add on to their suite which is one of the higher level suite categories.

[asctony]

Princess Plus & Premium packages.

 

 

Edited December 20, 2023 by asctony

[hcat]

hope X does not go this way..  Too many add ons and upsells as it is!

[prmssk]

1 hour ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

I've never sailed Princess but was talking to my mother yesterday about her upcoming cruise in March and she mentioned the add on package.  Will get the name of the package and report back.  She said it was an add on to their suite which is one of the higher level suite categories.

Princess isn't known for their suite benefits and once you get above a mini-suite, they don't distinguish between lower and higher suites so this would surprise me.  I look forward to hearing what package this might be.

 

Your earlier reference to $17 pp/pd sounded like the premier package that is available to anyone (and does have restrictions on what it covers).

[RichYak]

10 hours ago, jelayne said:

It was reported that a F & B Mgr said that the Miami rationale for moving some things above the Premium package was because the price of the packages have been reduced.  I have noticed that the package

( non sale ) price has been reduced, but many of us booked when the  higher prices were in effect. 

Miami's rationale makes no sense, which is not unusual. If you lower the price of the premium package, you should reduce the per drink limit. By instead raising the cost of each glass of wine by so much, even those without a package suffer. Celebrity takes the "everybody loses" approach here.

[asctony]

29 minutes ago, hcat said:

hope X does not go this way..  Too many add ons and upsells as it is!

Why don't you like the Princess packages?

That includes tips\gratuities?

X used to include tips\gratuities, now it does not.

What do you mean by too many add ons?

I have used this and it is well worth the daily cost.much cheaper & more for your dollar than any other package I have bought on X or other cruise lines. JMHO! 

[groryjm]

10 hours ago, jelayne said:

It was reported that a F & B Mgr said that the Miami rationale for moving some things above the Premium package was because the price of the packages have been reduced.  I have noticed that the package

( non sale ) price has been reduced, but many of us booked when the  higher prices were in effect. 

This thread is not about drinks packages... It is about X adding an upcharge to drinks in the Retreat Lounge / Michael's. Something that has not happened since the inception of Michael's for suites in 2014. Everything in this space has always been included for all guests entitled to enter. 

 

In a upper suite you get a bottle of veuve clicquot in the suite.  Can bring that down and have the Bartender keep it behind the bar for me? 

[terrydtx]

I believe this all started when Celebrity raised many of their former Premium Drinks Package wine by the glass by $2-$4 over the $17 cap this month. It does IMO look like just more nickel and diming by Celebrity. $19 for a glass of Cherry Pie Pino is higher than most retail stores sell by the bottle. Same for Decoy Cab at $20 when it retails by the bottle for less. This type of pricing just makes so many in this forum go crazy. Not good PR by Celebrity. BTW on our HAL cruise last month Cherry Pie Pino sold for $12 a glass.

[asctony]

8 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

I believe this all started when Celebrity raised many of their former Premium Drinks Package wine by the glass by $2-$4 over the $17 cap this month. It does IMO look like just more nickel and diming by Celebrity. $19 for a glass of Cherry Pie Pino is higher than most retail stores sell by the bottle. Same for Decoy Cab at $20 when it retails by the bottle for less. This type of pricing just makes so many in this forum go crazy. Not good PR by Celebrity. BTW on our HAL cruise last month Cherry Pie Pino sold for $12 a glass.

Celebrity prices on all their drinks are more than the other cruise lines. Now they pushed them out of the packages. X is really pushing & may suffer in the long run. 

[Team Stag]

One the surface, I don't have an issue with this.  If it is simply offering some high end options (for a charge) in the retreat lounge, I'm good with it.  If they want to offer a glass of Caymus for $30 (or whatever the going rate is) and some high end Bourbons, it just offers some more options for those in the Retreat.

 

Now if they are moving entire products up to new pricing - for example if Decoy becomes $20 (which would be no longer covered in the Prem Package) vs the previous price of $17 (covered in the package) or something like Makers Mark has an adder going forward; then yes - that would be concerning.  I'm taking the wait and see approach before getting too wound up about it. 

Edited December 20, 2023 by Team Stag

[hcat]

32 minutes ago, asctony said:

Why don't you like the Princess packages?

That includes tips\gratuities?

X used to include tips\gratuities, now it does not.

What do you mean by too many add ons?

I have used this and it is well worth the daily cost.much cheaper & more for your dollar than any other package I have bought on X or other cruise lines. JMHO! 

 We  dislike a la carte cruising..we always opt for "all in" if we can!

[hcat]

maybe if X limited daily no. of  drinks in  its packages,  they would not have to nickel and dime everyone.

 

Folks who have one or two drinks per day and a few waters, seem to be  fewer than those who use their packages  to the max.! 

 

 

Edited December 20, 2023 by hcat

[terrydtx]

30 minutes ago, asctony said:

Celebrity prices on all their drinks are more than the other cruise lines. Now they pushed them out of the packages. X is really pushing & may suffer in the long run. 

You are right. On our HAL cruise Buffalo Trace Bourbon was $8 a shot well below their $11 cap.  On Celebriity it is in PDP unless it has been moved above $17 cap. I prefer my Bourbon on the rocks and like one before diner each afternoon. 

Edited December 20, 2023 by terrydtx

[Dolebludger]

To me, a significant problem with what X is doing with the drink package is classification of some rather ordinary wines and spirits as extra cost items. I mention Regent, as it is a lux line, and I believe the Retreat was also designed and marketed as a lux experience. On Regent, almost all beverages are included. The only ones at extra cost are a very few extremely expensive wines and spirits. Certainly nothing that Costco sells is at extra charge on Regent. I have no problem with the system on Regent. But what X is doing is diluting the value of the drink package to the point that it is no longer part of the lux experience. 

[asctony]

1 hour ago, hcat said:

 We  dislike a la carte cruising..we always opt for "all in" if we can!

If you like 'all in', relook at the things you are getting with Princess' packages.

There is no 'all in' with X's pkgs. You only get Drinks and Wi-Fi. I am not talking about Suites or Retreat. Price out the X Pkg and compare to the Princess Pkg. 

[NMTraveller]

20 hours ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

They just getting ready for to introduce any other drink package 😁

They might as well.  They have already raised prices into a third tier.

[terrydtx]

15 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

They might as well.  They have already raised prices into a third tier.

Since they already list wines  by the glass above the PDP as "Elevate Wines"  I could see a new DP called Elevate DP. 

[JeanieC,Aston]

The day they put Guinness and Jameson’s in the Premium package was the day Celebrity lost me.

[hcat]

2 hours ago, asctony said:

If you like 'all in', relook at the things you are getting with Princess' packages.

There is no 'all in' with X's pkgs. You only get Drinks and Wi-Fi. I am not talking about Suites or Retreat. Price out the X Pkg and compare to the Princess Pkg. 

we only sail X..and maybe Cunard so we pick what works best for us when we book...