Elite Happy Hour

[the penguins]

7 hours ago, Oxo said:

It is only for 2 hours from 5 -7pm.

 

Now RCI allows the Diamond (4), Diamond+ (5) and Pennical (6) everyday at any time at any bar including MDR, showroom, Specialty Restaurants. 

Different doesn’t but not necessarily better.

In our case, as we don't drink alcohol, X's system is way better.

As Diamond + we would get 5 drinks a day.

As Elite+ we get unlimited non alcoholic speciality coffees (hot and iced), specialty teas and hot chocolate. Enough free bottled water between 5 and 7 to last the next day, plus sodas (ginger ale, tonics etc ) and fruit juices to take into dinner (picked up in the Passport Bar) and a Latte with dessert.

 

[QTBabyNurse]

11 hours ago, Oxo said:

It is only for 2 hours from 5 -7pm.

 

Now RCI allows the Diamond (4), Diamond+ (5) and Pennical (6) everyday at any time at any bar including MDR, showroom, Specialty Restaurants. 

What stinks about Celebrtiy's Happy Hour plan is that it conflicts for the most part with people that have early dining. They're usually getting ready and heading to the dining room during the majority of the 5-7 PM unlimited cocktail time.

Royal Caribbean's process of loading your card with the free drink coupons doesn't conflict like that and is more useful to most passengers IMHO. 

[gold1953]

1 hour ago, QTBabyNurse said:

What stinks about Celebrtiy's Happy Hour plan is that it conflicts for the most part with people that have early dining. They're usually getting ready and heading to the dining room during the majority of the 5-7 PM unlimited cocktail time.

Royal Caribbean's process of loading your card with the free drink coupons doesn't conflict like that and is more useful to most passengers IMHO. 

I am always ready for 5pm and dine at 6 which is fine as I don't need to drink for 2 hours. 

[leafsnation]

Most promotions now have the drinkpackage when booking so the Elite cocktail hour is a mute point!

Bob

[gold1953]

1 minute ago, leafsnation said:

Most promotions now have the drinkpackage when booking so the Elite cocktail hour is a mute point!

Bob

and many of us don't pay for a package that we think is a waste of our money.. and never will . The price different is HUGE

[Ex-Airbalancer]

3 minutes ago, leafsnation said:

Most promotions now have the drinkpackage when booking so the Elite cocktail hour is a mute point!

Bob

Not for everyone 

we usually do HH , at Sunset Bar than early show , than dinner 

The evening meal we usually just stick to soup and salad 

[leafsnation]

Oh i didnt realize was two prices. We are on Equinox next week and got wifi drinks and gratuities a 10 nite huge balcony room under $4000 seemed like a good deal.

bob

[Ex-Airbalancer]

Just now, leafsnation said:

Oh i didnt realize was two prices. We are on Equinox next week and got wifi drinks and gratuities a 10 nite huge balcony room under $4000 seemed like a good deal.

bob

We on the Equinox next November, 12 nights, $1666 CAD for 2 with taxes and port fees for a V2 balcony,

To get the drink package wifi and tips it was $4200 for 2 , which we didn’t think that it was worth it 

 

[gold1953]

4 minutes ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

We on the Equinox next November, 12 nights, $1666 CAD for 2 with taxes and port fees for a V2 balcony,

To get the drink package wifi and tips it was $4200 for 2 , which we didn’t think that it was worth it 

 

exactly! Those extras are expensive and somehow people think they are free

[leafsnation]

wow thats a huge difference!

But I will get value at lawn club with a few beverages LOl

Make it up at casino LOL 

Bob

[Oxo]

This posting just shows how people look at cost and value differently. What does the classic pkg cost per day? Times number of days. Equals another cruise without the pkg.

Some don't drink alcohol others are ready early.

Cruise lines don't give you anything free! You pay for everything you get in one way or the other.

 

[doghog]

46 minutes ago, leafsnation said:

Oh i didnt realize was two prices. We are on Equinox next week and got wifi drinks and gratuities a 10 nite huge balcony room under $4000 seemed like a good deal.

bob

Celebrity has now did away with the gratuities if you purchase the AI package when booking.  Bummer!   

[villauk]

5 minutes ago, Oxo said:

This posting just shows how people look at cost and value differently. What does the classic pkg cost per day? Times number of days. Equals another cruise without the pkg.

Some don't drink alcohol others are ready early.

Cruise lines don't give you anything free! You pay for everything you get in one way or the other.

 

 

I think that now the gratuities are out of the AI, pax may look more closely at the difference. 

[bjahil47]

11 hours ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

We've got at least 4 instances as the MDR embarkation lunch comes with the Premium Access package.  Does NOT come with casino/BCC status.  Can anyone find a 5th instance?

And Retreat has Luminae for lunch!

[leafsnation]

WE booked in 2022 and doing the 19 nite b2b! 

So got the gratuities ,

Worst for gratuities is NCL now $20 pp a day.

I realize crew work hard .

We havent but I hear lots of passengers removing the gratuities now.

Bob

[doghog]

2 minutes ago, leafsnation said:

WE booked in 2022 and doing the 19 nite b2b! 

So got the gratuities ,

Worst for gratuities is NCL now $20 pp a day.

I realize crew work hard .

We havent but I hear lots of passengers removing the gratuities now.

Bob

Our September Edge cruise is also grandfathered for the AI package. Any new purchases, SOL. 

 

Shhh, don't let Celebrity hear ya.

[gold1953]

17 minutes ago, doghog said:

Celebrity has now did away with the gratuities if you purchase the AI package when booking.  Bummer!   

they were never free , just added to the price

[doghog]

15 minutes ago, villauk said:

 

I think that now the gratuities are out of the AI, pax may look more closely at the difference. 

We will now since gratuities had been eliminated from the AI package. Wi-FI is useless to us and I only use about 30 minutes of our CC internet minutes and that's on the last day to check in with the airline.  We'll us our CC HH dinks and purchase other drinks if needed.  

[doghog]

3 minutes ago, gold1953 said:

they were never free , just added to the price

No kidding!! Never said or implied the gratuities or any other components of the AI package were free. The price of the AI packages haven't gone down without the gratuities. 

[gold1953]

6 minutes ago, doghog said:

No kidding!! Never said or implied the gratuities or any other components of the AI package were free. The price of the AI packages haven't gone down without the gratuities. 

so many think they are free and some of us know better

[doghog]

2 minutes ago, gold1953 said:

so many think they are free and some of us know better

Sounds like an assumption. I wouldn't know what others think. 

Edited February 27 by doghog

[mahdnc]

15 minutes ago, doghog said:

Sounds like an assumption. I wouldn't know what others think. 

 

My wife reminds me of that every day.

[Ex-Airbalancer]

24 minutes ago, doghog said:

Sounds like an assumption. I wouldn't know what others think. 

Not really a lot people post the get “free drinks” for HH , 

I just think of “gratitudes as a service charge 😁

[villauk]

34 minutes ago, doghog said:

We'll us our CC HH dinks and purchase other drinks if needed.  

We intend to do that on our next cruise as none of us are big drinkers. Our summer sailing is our last with the grats included in the AI. Next year, X wanted £1600 extra for the AI without the grats 😲!

[dazey]

We always got the price that included WIFI, drink package and gratuities.  Also would upgrade to premium.  It was fun to never think about what we had to pay when ordering special coffees, multi drinks during the day.  Then we became Elite and gave  the "no drink package" a try since we could drink from 5-7 PM most every day and also get something at the casino when playing.  It was a game to see how much we could save and we were  amazed not by what we saved(saved a lot) so much but how easy it was to get along without the drink package.  We do buy a bottle of wine or two with a 20% discount and maybe a specialty coffee every so often but the cost was so much less then purchasing a drink package.  

 

We drink less but do not limit what we drink enough to spoil the vacation. I do believe we drank more just to make sure we got what we paid for(probably not true even if we drank a lot).

 

I do think Celebrity really made a mistake not including gratuities in their all inclusive because sometimes that makes the decision easier when looking at costs for some people.