Are you wondering if you should purchase a Celebrity Cruise drink package? You are not alone, as it is a question we get quite often from fellow cruisers. Yes, there are many pros for buying a beverage package. But, there are also some reasons why cruise ship drink packages might be waste of money.
Further, with the All Included pricing structure on Celebrity Cruises, you might be wondering if it is worth upgrading to this more all-inclusive rate when booking your cruise. So, in this Complete Guide to Drink Packages on Celebrity Cruises updated for 2024, we detail all the plans, drink prices, and FAQs to help you decide if a one is right for your next cruise.
COMPLETE VIDEO GUIDE TO CELEBRITY CRUISE DRINK PACKAGES!
Here’s What You Need to Know About Drink Packages on Celebrity Cruises (2024)
What drinks are included on Celebrity Cruises?
Before you decide whether you should purchase a Celebrity cruise drink package, you are probably asking yourself what are the free drinks on Celebrity Cruises?
Well, when it comes to beverages onboard the ship, you will have the options of juice, water, and coffee all day long at select beverage stations throughout the ship. At meals, juices and other select drinks, like iced-tea or lemonade, are available.
However, when it comes to alcohol or specialty coffee from venues like CafĂ© al Bacio, you won’t get any drinks for free unless you opt for the All Included price when booking your cruise. This pricing structure does come with a number of perks including a Classic beverage package. But, more on this a bit later.
Guests can also bring personal wine onboard, but this is limited to one 750 ml bottle per guest of drinking age. This must be packed in a carry-on and not in the luggage left with the porter on embarkation day. When consumed in a restaurant, bar, or dining venue, guests will need to pay a corkage fee of $25.
How do you purchase drink packages on Celebrity Cruises?
You can purchase (and/or modify your purchase of) a Celebrity Cruise drink package online pre-cruise up to 48 hours before you sail. After that point, they are nonrefundable. Or, you can also wait to purchase a beverage package once onboard during the first day of your cruise. However, you will usually save money by purchasing pre-cruise.
If you pre-purchased a Celebrity Cruise drink package, it will be activated upon boarding the ship and immediately ready for use.
Can just one person purchase a drink package?
Unfortunately, no. ALL guests of legal drinking age in the same stateroom under the same stateroom booking number must purchase the Celebrity Cruise drink package.
Parties can contact the call center or notify onboard staff to request a modification to the non-alcoholic package instead. Still, teens, pregnant guests, and medical exemptions must get the Non-Alcoholic drink package if other guests in their travel party purchase an alcoholic beverage package.
Similarly, this rule also applies when upgrading a drink package from the Classic to the Premium.
What are the prices for drink packages on Celebrity Cruises?
When it comes to drink packages on Celebrity Cruises, cruisers can choose from two different alcoholic options and a non-alcoholic option. The Classic Drink Package is the basic offering, while the Premium Drink Package includes additional beverages for an added cost.
The prices for these drink packages will ultimately help you decide if you would routinely hit the break even point with your beverage preferences. Below are the starting prices for Celebrity Cruises drink packages. Though, it’s important to note that package prices can vary by ship, itinerary, and length.
- Classic Drink Package- starting at $89 per person, per day
- Premium Drink Package- starting at $109 per person, per day
- Non-Alcoholic Drink Package- starting $30 per person, per day
We discuss the specific inclusions for each of these drink packages further below.
Does Celebrity Cruises have unlimited drinks?
Unlike some other cruise lines, there is no daily limit for drinks with Celebrity Cruises Drink Packages. If you purchase a Celebrity Cruise drink package, you are entitled to as many non-alcoholic AND alcoholic drinks as you want.
Of course, staff do have the right to refuse you bar service if you are intoxicated. Knowing your limits is just as important on a cruise ship as it is during your regular life!
However, like sister brand Royal Caribbean, guests may only order one drink at a time with the beverage packages. Any additional drinks ordered will be charged at current bar prices.
Drink packages are active the moment you step on board the cruise ship. You can simply just present your key card to the bar staff when ordering your beverage.
Does the Celebrity drink package include gratuity?
Yes and no. When purchasing a Celebrity drink package, a 20% service charge will be added to all drink package prices at checkout. This equates to $17.80 per day for the Classic package ($89), $21.80 per day for the Premium package ($109), and $6 per day for the Non-Alcoholic package ($30).
Further, these package prices may reflect an additional tax for certain ports or itineraries.
If you do not purchase a drink package, you will be charged a gratuity for each drink you order. However, if you purchase a drink package, you only pay this gratuity at the time of purchase. You will not be charged any additional gratuities when ordering drinks on the ship.
Celebrity Cruise Drink Package Basics
There are a few basic things you need to know about the drink packages on Celebrity Cruises before we dive into the details of each option.
- All beverage packages are priced as per person, per day.
- You must purchase a Celebrity cruise drink package for the entire length of the cruise. You can not purchase just select days.
- The stated prices do not include the additional 20% service charge which is added when purchasing the package. Additionally, applicable state and local taxes may be applied to purchases made during certain ports and/or itineraries.
- As you would expect, there is no sharing of the package or using your package to order drinks for other cruisers.
- A Celebrity cruise drink package order can be canceled through the Cruise Planner up to 2 days before the sail date and are 100% refundable.
- Beverage packages are available on most 2+ day sailings. Additionally, beverage packages are not available on cruises in the Galapagos.
- Drink packages on Celebrity Cruises are accepted almost everywhere on the ship. This includes the bars and lounges, complimentary dining venues, and the specialty restaurants. However, room service and minibar are not included.
- The Celebrity cruise drink packages also work on Royal Caribbean’s private islands, Perfect Day at CocoCay and Labadee.
- No matter what package you choose, you are only allowed to get one drink at a time.
What is the difference between drink packages on Celebrity Cruises?
Now, let’s get into the specifics of each of the Celebrity Cruises drink packages and what they include to help you decide which one is right for you.
Classic Drink Package on Celebrity Cruises
Perhaps the most popular beverage package is the Classic Drink Package on Celebrity Cruises, with current prices starting at $89 per person, per day. This is also the drink package you will get if you opt to upgrade to the All Included price (more on this below).
This Celebrity drink package covers beers, spirits, cocktails, liqueurs, frozen drinks, and wines by the glass for up to $10 per serving. ($12 for sailings from UK and AUS ports.) This package also includes a 15% discount on all wines by the bottle.
If a guest orders a drink that exceeds the $10 maximum value, they will be charged for only the difference.
With this package, you are also entitled to non-premium bottled water, specialty coffee, juices, and soda. This does not include smoothies or Aqua Spa fresh juices.
This allotment covers basically all 16 oz beers on the ship and a selection of basic red and white wines at the onboard restaurants and bars.
When it comes to cocktails, the package does cover a fair amount of premium brands. However, top shelf liquors and cocktails at the Martini Bar, the World Class Bar, or Eden on Edge Class ships will not be included in the Classic Beverage Package.
Celebrity Cruise Premium Drink Package
The Celebrity Cruise Premium Drink Package includes all Classic Drink Package items, in addition to other premium offerings, with prices starting at $109 per person, per day.
These selections include specialty coffees & teas, craft & artisan beers, spirits, cocktails, frozen drinks, Coca-Cola products, premium bottled water, and wines by the glass up to $17. ($20 for UK and AUS.) Also, guests get a 20% discount off all bottles of wine.
If a guest orders a drink that exceeds the $17 maximum value, they will be charged for the difference only.
Essentially, this Premium Beverage Package includes all beers, wines, cocktails, and top shelf liquor. At most bars onboard, you will be hard-pressed to find a drink that is not covered in this package (with a few exceptions like Eden where many drinks are over the allotment).
The Premium Beverage Package will cover most martinis at the Martini Bar and most handcrafted drinks at the World Class Bar, as well as a much wider selection of wines.
Further, guests with the premium package receive unlimited premium still and sparkling bottled water, Red Bull, and Vitamin Water, as well as soda, Spa Café fresh juices, specialty coffee/tea, and zero proof cocktails.
If you want a truly all-inclusive cruise, this package is your best option when sailing with Celebrity Cruises.
For a complete list of inclusions and comparisons between the two packages, see here.
Non-Alcoholic Drink Package
Beverage packages are not just for alcohol. Celebrity Cruises also offers a non-alcoholic drink package. Although, you may notice that Celebrity has slimmed down their non-alcoholic drink package offerings in recent years, to just one. The Non-Alcoholic Drink package starts at a price of $30 per person, per day.
This package includes premium bottled water from Evian, Perrier, San Pellegrino, & Panna, Specialty Coffees & Organic Teas, Red Bull Energy Drinks, Smoothies, Zero Proof Cocktails, Coca-Cola selections, Vitamin Water, and Spa Cafe fresh juices.Â
How much are drinks on Celebrity Cruises?
Prices for drinks onboard Celebrity Cruises can vary depending on the ship, itinerary, and your drink preferences.
These are the average prices:
- Beer: starting at around $7
- Wine by the glass: starting at around $9
- Mixed Drinks: starting at $9
- Specialty Cocktails: $15-18, with a few higher prices
- Soft Drinks: $3
- Specialty Coffees: $5 average price
- Energy Drinks: $6
- Water: $3.50-5.50
Celebrity Cruise Drink Menu
You can view the drink menus from a recent Celebrity Beyond cruise to see how much your favorite cocktails cost. This way, you can determine if purchasing a Celebrity Cruise drink package makes sense based on your preferences.
Are Drink Packages on Celebrity Cruises Worth It?
This brings us back to the original question. Are drink packages on Celebrity Cruises worth it? That is a question that only you can answer based on your own drinking habits.
Essentially, the question is whether you will consume enough beverages to make the purchase “worth it”. Below are the (average) costs of the different beverages within each category. Using this chart, you can do the quick math to see if you would routinely hit the daily drink costs of the packages.
| Category | Price | Qty |
| Bottled Water | $3.50 | |
| Soda | $3.00 | |
| Premium Water | $5.00 | |
| Specialty Coffees | $5.00 | |
| Energy Drinks | $6.00 | |
| Beer | $7.00 | |
| Wine | $9.00 | |
| Frozen Drinks | $9.00 | |
| Mixed Drinks | $9.00 | |
| Coffee Drinks | $10.00 | |
| Cocktails | $15.00 |
Ultimately, you need to know your own habits to determine if the drink packages on Celebrity Cruises will be a good value during your cruise.
Other considerations include the length of the cruise and how many ports of call are on the itinerary. For instance, will you be able to sustain the same drinking pattern over the course of a 10-day or 14-day cruise? If your cruise is port intensive, will you be on the ship enough to make good use of your Celebrity Cruise drink package?
Regardless of how much we consume, we do like having a beverage package for the added convenience. Further, we never have to worry about the bar tab at the end of the cruise! Drink packages also make your cruise feel more all inclusive.
While we don’t go overboard with alcoholic drinks, we do consume plenty of bottled water, specialty coffee, Vitamin Water/Powerade, and the occasional soda. Combining our alcoholic and non-alcoholic drink purchases, we usually recognize a cost savings with the beverage package.
What is the Celebrity Cruises All Included Package?
Now, there is another option that can make this decision a bit more complex.
When booking a Celebrity cruise, you don’t receive any drink package with the cruise only fare. However, you can upgrade to the All Included price. The Celebrity Cruises All Included price comes with a few perks to make your cruise a more all-inclusive experience.
The All Included rate applies to sailings beyond October 4, 2023, excluding Galapagos cruises, in an inside, ocean view, veranda, Concierge Class, or AquaClass stateroom. All guests who choose “All Included” pricing, will receive a Classic Drink Package and an unlimited Basic Wi-Fi package. All guests in the same stateroom must choose the same rate.
This package no longer includes gratuities. On Celebrity Cruises, gratuities are as follows:
- $18 per person, per day for Inside, Ocean View, and Veranda stateroomsÂ
- $18.50 per person, per day for Concierge Class and AquaClass staterooms Â
- $23 per person, per day for guests of The Retreat
If opting for this All Included price, you can pay to upgrade your Classic Beverage Package to a Premium Beverage Package for around $24 per person, per day. Additionally, you can pay to upgrade the Basic WiFi to a Premium WiFi package for around $15 per person, per day. These prices may vary by sailing.
Guests staying in The Retreat automatically receive a Premium Drink Package and unlimited Premium WiFi package. Gratuities and onboard credit were removed as of 2023.
For solo travelers, the Drink and WiFi packages will not be doubled as these amenities are provided per person. There will not be a refund for the unused packages either.
The price to upgrade from the Cruise Only fare to the All Included fare does vary. However, while taking a recent sample on the Celebrity Cruises website, it worked out to an average upgrade price of $70 per person, per day.
Is it worth upgrading to the Celebrity Cruises All Included Package?
So, the final question in this analysis is whether it is worth upgrading to the Celebrity Cruises All Included package.
When considering this question, you will want to examine the cost for such included amenities.
- Classic Beverage Package- starting at$89 per person, per day
- Basic WiFi Package- $20 per device, per day
Now, keep in mind that your Cruise Planner may run sales on these individual offerings allowing you to purchase for slightly cheaper than the above listed prices.
Still, if you plan to purchase a drink package, upgrading to the All Included package is a no-brainer. However, if you don’t drink alcohol, then it does not make sense to upgrade. Even if you plan to purchase a non-alcoholic drink package ($30) and the WiFi ($20), this still does not reach the approximately $70 per day upgrade price.
Of course, the decision does get trickier when only one person in the cabin drinks alcohol.
Overall, we see the All Included package as a nice perk to save some money and make your vacation a little more stress-free!
Comments
Have you purchased one of the Celebrity Cruises beverage packages on a cruise? Do you think it’s worth upgrading the to All Included package? Drop us an anchor below to share your experiences with drink packages on Celebrity Cruises.
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118 comments
Phyllis Priess
What wines are included in the Classic Drink Package? What wines are included in the Premium Drink Package? I will be on the Beyond ship.
Ian
If you buy a drink outside the drinks package prices, do you have to pay the difference and 20% gratuities of the difference or 20% of the total cost of the drink, even if you have already pre paid gratuities?
Denise
I just started reading about everything on the Celebrity Cruise Line. We are scheduled for May on the Infinity. One thought, could we take our HydroFlask on the ship and just fill up with water as needed? Are there places to fill up a water bottle?
klite
Hi. This was my experience on Silhouette in September 2022: water was readily available in recyclable aluminium bottles from all bars and restaurants – no extra charge. Previously, they used plastic bottles but they’ve now changed to aluminium (one downside to this is that the water tastes pretty ‘metallic’!). There was no refilling station so you just asked for a new bottle every time you needed it. At the restaurants, water is provided in pitchers. Have a good trip.
Sarah
Hi All – we will be getting on Celebrity constellation in April with our 11 yr old and 14 yr old. What can kids drink on the ship, now that there is no kid’s drink package? We aren’t big on soda but seems like there are no options at all mentioned on the website – and they will certainly need lots of water. Anyone have experience with kids on board?
Suz
So if you don’t drink any alcohol but already have the Classic Drink package
BUT I do enjoy tea, smoothies, spa juices
Should I somehow switch my drink package???
Jim
The even more difficult question is does it pay to purchase the all-included package if you are a captain’s club elite or higher member. What if you just love Blu or Luminae?
Hmm. So far, we love Blu and travel in Aquaclass which always has the package included.
Your thoughts?
C Brown
Discrimination against drinker/non drinker. I drink, my wife does not so I cannot buy the drinks packs for myself as it’s not viable as I will not be drinking two packages. Would more than likely exceed my package but not two. Seems unfair.
Lily
I have taken 3 Celebrity cruises. One 12 day cruise on the Baltic and two 7 day cruises to Alaska.
The Classic beverage was included on all of the cruises as a perk. I upgraded to the premium package on all the the trips. The $12 upgrade was so worth it. I am not a big drinker but I drink more on vacation than I usual.
Mostly drink wine, occasional cocktails. I do not drink beer, or coffee, but I love tea. One of my favorite things was to have the premium tea at breakfast and in the afternoon in the Cafe. So premium tea at breakfast and in the afternoon, pre dinner drink at the Martini bar, 2 glasses of better wine at dinner and multiple premium waters, (San Pellegrino and Evian) easily paid for the $12 a day upgrade. If I did not get the Classic package as a perk I would purchase the non alcohol premium package and pay for alcohol by the glass. Planning a repositioning cruise. It was so nice that you researched current pricing and options.
Kathy Hopton
So you mention on the premium drink package if you go over $13 limit, you only pay the difference. I have read this is no so with the classic package? Is it true, if you go over the $9 limit with the classic pkg, you must pay the full price for the drink? My friends and I were given the Wave Classic alcohol pkg and I am trying to decide if it is worth it to upgrade to premium. We love specialty coffees, martinis and Pellegrino water. Based on your calculations the price of one martini daily would cover the cost of the upgrade? The dilemma is based on whether we are charge the difference in the price of a drink over the $9 limit or if we are charged the full price. Thanks for this information.
Paul Voelker
Kathy, I’m in the same situation as you. I’ve read that you pay the entire price of the drink if it goes over the $9.00 limit and I like my martinis. I’ll pay the difference, but don’t want to pay the entire price. Does anyone have any idea how it works?
Thanks in advance,
Dave
Hi
My wife and I have a free classic drinks package on the celebrity eclipse next year. It is a 14 day cruise. Will we have to pay the 18% gratuity. This should surely be included if the drinks package is included as part of the cruise deal.
DB and The Princess (@EatSleepCruise)
Hi Dave, sounds like a great cruise! You are correct, if you received the drink package as part of a promotion or as a perk, then there will be no additional service charge for that package. Do keep in mind that the cruise line does have a daily service charge, of around $14 or so, which is for waitstaff and room attendants. This is different than the 18% gratuity on the drink package. Happy Sailing.
Colin
I’m a bit confused.
The transparency of what extra “charges” the cruise line puts on the final bill is not very transparent at all.
So what I am reading is:
You pay for the whole cruise and it is supposed to be “all inclusive”…but there are “service” charges added to just about everything you do?
For passengers out of Australia the fare includes “tips&gratuities” (on some cruise lines).
My invoice says a zero balance has been applied for tips&gratuities but I asked the agent and he said yes, they are included. I only found this out after reading certain blogs. So it is compulsory but at least it’s done and settled.
The so called drinks packages are also of “buyer beware” as “over the limits” and other charges can be added. Some people say “service charges” on drinks are included in a package, and others say the service charges go onto the final bill.
And this is the first time I have heard of the $14/per day service charge for “other services”.
One would assume that if the policy of service charges being included in a drinks package, then all other service charges would be included in the purchased cruise fare…or do different service charge policies apply to different aspects of on board cruising? Used or not? And maybe different cruise lines have different policies as well just to make it a bit more confusing.
And the published fare did not have a “add ++” after the costing so how is anyone supposed to know.
I certainly do not like the prospect of boarding a $300/per person/per night cruise only to find that there are a whole bundle of extra charges added that I have no say in.
If I buy a drink then yes…I expect that charge&service charge. But to be hit with a 2 person x 10 night x US$14 charge at the end of the trip seems contrary and excessive.
Stay in a hotel and the published rate includes all charges, service or otherwise, so how is this any different.
Perhaps a complete “matrix” that covers cruise lines and charges (voluntary or compulsory) needs to be done in the interests of transparency.
I want to know these things before I perhaps pull my deposit out or go for another cruise line that is more forthcoming with their imposed costs.
As a first time cruise passenger then basically I’m struggling to get my head around all these variations.
How can anyone “budget” for their cruise if one doesn’t know the full picture before the final day.
Elaine
Hi. I have only the classic drinks package. Your latest information said this includes lattes and other premium coffees, but previously you had said we would have to have the premium package. Can you please let me know if they are now included in classic?
Thanks for running this very helpful site.
DB and The Princess (@EatSleepCruise)
Hi Elaine,
Thanks for reading and the question. According to the newest plans offered by Premium includes “specialty coffees”, which would be lattes and cappuccinos. Classic only includes “premium coffees and tea”. Have a great cruise.
Rosey
Hi I would like to know is sparkling wine is Prosseco covered in the Classic package please, as it does say that white red and sparkling wines are, but I just wondered if this is so as normally Prosseco is around 11 dollars.
DB and The Princess (@EatSleepCruise)
Hi Rosey,
Great question. Unfortunately, the wine selection on the Classic Package is quite limited. While we do not have new menus for Celebrity, I would suspect that Prosseco is probably not covered as it is usually “house wines” in the Classic Package.
JT Tan
Hi. I was just on the Celebrity Eclipse last week on the Norwegian fjords. I ordered prosecco and it WAS part of the classic package. So order away!
anna5545
Hi! So I’m going on my first Alaskan cruise in May (2016) and we signed up for the ‘Go Best’ program. It includes Prepaid Gratuities, Premium Beverage Package, Free Wifi, and On Board Credit. As far as the Premium Package, the fine print states that there is an 18% service charge at checkout. Will the Prepaid Gratuities cover this 18% charge or do I need to plan for that in my budgeting? Are gratuities and service charges the same thing?
DB and The Princess (@EatSleepCruise)
Hi Anna,
Great question. The service charge on the Beverage Package is different than the Prepaid Gratuities. They are two separate charges. The Prepaid Gratuities are the about $13 dollars a day, per person, charge. However, with the Go Best, you are covered on all fronts. There should be no additional costs you have to pay. We would love to hear about your cruise when you return. We had a great time on our Alaskan cruise on Celebrity.
s2kreno
I have a question. We cruised on the Summit last year and had the classic package included, which we upgraded to premium after seeing what the selection was. I was told on the ship that if you bought a drink that was even .50 over the limit, you had to pay the entire cost, not just the difference. But someone on another forum told me that you only pay the difference. Celebrity’s web site says nothing about this (their site leaves a lot to be desired on many fronts). Do you know? I would definitely have ordered some drinks that were strategically priced at $13.50 if I’d been able to just pay the difference.
Tomas
We are sailing on Celebrity Constellation from Barcelona to Venice..We received all 4 amenities based on our booking a suite,will be very interested in how the Premium package works out..I being a single malt Scotch drinker and my wife a wine person. We may have a premium coffee after dinner or a tourist drink at the pool. I will report our experience after our August cruise..1st time on Celebrity…20+ trips on Holland America with another dozen or so on RCCL, Princess, Seaborne, etc. Looking forward to it..Cheers!.
DB and The Princess (@EatSleepCruise)
Thanks Tomas. Looking forward to your report and breakdown. Have a great cruise.
Crystal Rencher
Hi! I am going on the Celebrity Summit this April.
Would you happen to know if we are allowed to bring a case of water?
Thank you for your time!!
Peter
Hello !
We are sailing on Summit in August and we have received classic package and 350 on board credit. Im very interested in those Martinis in Ice Bar should I upgrade? And at the end of our cruise besides tips for our server will I have extra charges for tips for our drinks ? and can I use my credit for all of those tips ? How much should I save of that credit for those tips ? What can I use my credit for ? I know its a lot of question but i have never been on a cruise or got those extra promotions. Thank You !!
DB and The Princess (@EatSleepCruise)
Hi Peter, Thanks for reading. You have some great questions. Starting with your onboard credit ($350). That can be used for anything you buy on board-specificity dining, shore excursions (booked while onboard), souvenirs, as well as the daily service charge (unless you prepay it). You won’t be able to redeem it for casino credit. There are overall service charges on the ship, between $13-$15 a day, per person, depending on your cabin category. So, for two people, on a 7 day cruise, the gratuity is around $200. So, that would wipe out over half of your OBC. These are separate from the service charge with the drink package. If you received the Classic package complimentary, there will be no additional charges once onboard (i.e., you will not have to pay a service charge). If you decide to use the OBC to upgrade to the Premium, then you will be charged the difference times the service charge of 18%. Based on current pricing, that would $11.80, per person, per day (the $10 difference plus 18% service). For two people, that is about $165 people. So, in theory you could use the OBC to pay your daily service charge and upgrade to the Premium Drink package. Let me know if you have any other questions.
cruiseaholictim
Free Champagne at Artist Auctions. Wine Tasting is very reasonable also.
Pauline Crosby
We are going on Reflection to the Eastern Med at the end of April. Our deal with our TA includes the Classic Drinks package {alcoholic). We have cruised 30+ times but this is the first time we have had one of these packages. I have been researching what exactly is included and it is a little vague is: coffees but not including lattes? What brand of beers are included – bottles or draught? Do we have to pay 18% gratuity on top?
DB and The Princess (@EatSleepCruise)
Hi Pauline. Great questions. Most likely, when you receive the drink package free from Celebrity, you will not have to pay the 18% gratuity. Check your invoice to see if they are charging you a fee, if not, then you are all set. Both the classic and premium drink packages do include lattes and premium coffees. For beers and wines the selections vary on ships, but this file gives you a breakdown of the typical beers available on most Celebrity sailings and indicates which ones are covered on the classic program (https://secure.celebritycruises.com/celebrity/media/celebrity/shared_assets/pdf/Classic-Premium-Bev-Pckgs.pdf). In our experience, the draft beer selections are limited to a few beers, such as Bud Light, Heineken, etc. Thanks for reading and let us know if you have any other questions. Happy sailing!
Danny A
Thanks for the detailed report, AWESOME!! We have not sailed with Celebrity for over 10 yrs but are booked to sail on the Reflection March 12, 2016. My wife and I enjoy one (or 2 bottles) of wine with dinner. We are not wine snobs but enjoy a half decent bottle of house red or white. My question is: how much are “house bottles” of red or white on the ship? When i call Celebrity they quote me 3 bottles for $180.00, which we find a bit $$. Thanks for you time, hope you can help!
Chris F
Hi Danny, Wine by the bottle on a Celebrity Ship is very expensive – minimum $45.00/bottle.
I suggest you buy a “Premium Drinks Package” that way you can drink all the wine you like by the glass and if you decide you want to buy a bottle you get 20% off the price.
DB and The Princess (@EatSleepCruise)
Hi Danny, Glad you found the report useful. Unfortunately, we do not have any of the bar menus from our cruise that lists prices for bottles of wine. Celebrity does offer wine bottle packages you can prepay for that gives you a reduced per bottle price, saving you around 10-15% per bottle. Not being big wine drinkers, I can’t tell you what the typical prices are for a bottle of wine. I agree, the price you were quoted seems high. I have seen that the 3 bottle “Classic Wine” package starts around $109, plus 18% service charge. I am wondering if they quoted you for more bottles of wine or a different package? If you look on your cruise planner online, there should be some options and costs. It would be great if you could let us know so we could include the figures in our post. Happy sailing.
JT Tan
Hi DB, great review. I’m relatively new to cruising and am planning one on Celebrity Eclipse next year. I thought I read somewhere else that water, lemonade, coffee and tea during main mealtimes were complimentary. Am I mistaken? It’s just a factor I need to consider before deciding whether to take one of these drinks packages.
DB and The Princess (@EatSleepCruise)
Thanks JT for the kind words. We are glad you found the review useful. The complimentary drinks do include ice water, coffee (American coffee, not espresso), tea, and lemonade. During breakfast there are also juices available in large containers. Most of these beverages are in large dispensers like a cafeteria. Tap water is available at bars throughout the ship. Of course, you can purchase sodas, bottled juices, and other fountain drinks a la care too. Hope that helps. Let us know if you have any other questions.
Hally
We have booked the premium package on celebrity infinity out of San Diego to Ft Lauderdale. I was wondering what the sparkling wine/champagne is. Thank you
DB and The Princess (@EatSleepCruise)
Hi Hally, Thanks for the question. Unfortunately, the brands change quite frequently on the ships, and sometimes they vary during an actually sailing. You may want to search around and see if you can find the drink menus for that ship and that will give you a sense of what brands might be on your ship, and the associated costs. Unfortunately, we do not have a Celebrity cruise planned for a while, or we would be happy to get the menus for you. Have a great cruise!
Renee
We are booked on the Equinox sailing in a few days. I plan to purchase the drink package on day 5 of this Transatlantic cruise. Do you know if the package will be quoted in dollars or Euros? Thank in advance for your assistance.
DB and The Princess (@EatSleepCruise)
Hi Renee. Thanks for reading. You want to double check with Celebrity, as pricing policies do vary when sailing in Europe. Most lines do quote prices in Euros onboard sailings that originate in Europe. When you go on to your cruise planner now, are the costs quoted in USD or Euros? If you do contact Celebrity, please let us know what they tell you, I am sure many guests also have the same question. Appreciate the comment.
Michael
We received a classic drinks package for our upcoming Celebrity Solstice cruise through the cruise agent, we have since upgraded to the Premium Package, through the Celebrity online site, will we be charged the extra gratuities at the end of the cruise. Cheers
DB and The Princess (@EatSleepCruise)
Hi Michael. Thanks for question. When you go to upgrade the package you will be charged the gratuity based on the difference. I believe the difference between the Classic and Premium is $10, per day. You will also have to pay 18% gratuity on top of that, meaning the total additional costs per day will be $11.80, or $82.60 a person for a 7 night cruise. Please let us know if you have any other questions.
Jason
Question, if you purchase a classic package and you want a drink that is outside the price range of the package, do you pay the entire cost of the drink or just the remainder of the cost?
DB and The Princess (@EatSleepCruise)
Thanks for reading Jason. Great question! Yes, with the Classic package if a drink is not covered you need to pay the entire cost, not just the difference. With the Premium Package, if a drink is not covered (and that will be very rare) you ONLY pay the difference. So, if a drink costs $15, with the Classic you pay the $15 and with the Premium you pay the difference of $2.00. In both instances, you also have to pay the service charge. Hope this helps. When is your cruise?
Jason
We are going on the celebrity reflection Jan 2016. We normally cruise RCCL but going on this cruise for mom and dads 50th anniversary. We are going on the ABC cruise out of San Juan next summer.
DB and The Princess (@EatSleepCruise)
Sounds great. We actually cruise on RCCL quite often too, but had a wonderful time on Celebrity Solstice. We just got back from the Southern Caribbean after doing the Adventure of the Seas-you will love the ABC islands. Happy Sailing.
i
Hey! Awesome post! I am in the middle of deciding if it’s best to upgrade from inside to balcony stateroom. My bonus’ are either gratuities paid, or classic alcoholic beverage package. I was trying to work out the math, and from the looks of your blog its going to be the alcohol! Thanks for your help!
DB
Thanks for reading! Glad we could help you with your decision. Dollar for dollar, I think going with the Classic Beverage package is probably the best move. It is also nice to have a balcony, so it is a win-win decision! Appreciate the comment. When is your cruise?
Steve Sahagun
Can someone tell me what size the bottled waters are normally on cruises? Preferably on Celebrity Solstice. For example, Premium bottled water (pelligrino, evian, regular bottled water? I’m trying to find out how much I’ll drink. The size will help me determine whether or not I need to buy a beverage package. I don’t drink Alcohol but I do like my cappuccino’s and lattes. Much appreciated.
Tim Dye
I don’t know Bottle sizes. But I know for myself. That if I’m drinking Alcohol on that Cruise. I get a premium package. And when I’m not. I get the all inclusive non-alcoholic package. I like fresh squeeze orange juice, ($4.00) and specialty coffees($6/8.00)
I feel it usually pays for itself. I think it includes bottled water also. Plus all the soft drinks you want also.
TD.
DB and The Princess (@EatSleepCruise)
Thanks Steve and Tim for the comments. On our Celebrity Solstice cruise, the Premium Package included 1 liter bottles of Evian water. They were the perfect size. On other cruise lines, the included water bottles tend to be only 16oz, and occasionally on Celebrity they would try to give you one of those bottles. But, I would just ask for Evian, and it was included. If you do not drink Alcohol Steve, I thin the non-alcoholic premium package is well worth the costs for premium coffee, water, and other drinks! Happy cruising. When do you sail?
BG
Someone already made part of the point above but if I recall with the Premium Beverage Package you only have to pay the difference from the covered amount. So say a glass of wine is $19 and the premium allows for $13 you pay $6. With the Classic Beverage Package there is no “offset” if it isn’t covered under the classic then you pay full price. So a $19 dollar glass of wine is $19 – this isn’t super obvious in the marketing for the packages. Also there is some weird rules (or use to be) about certain alcoholic drinks in the coffee shop being covered under the premium but not being covered under the classic as they are considered specialty coffee drinks or something.
Also I think someone asked about Aqua Class (Blu) restaurant and if the packages applies there – yes it does and I think it doesn’t matter if your there as Aqua Class or in Blu as a space available suite guest.
Also please note that Michaels Clubs have been revamped into VIP lounges for certain suite guests and higher level Captains Club members only. I haven’t sailed since this change happened but I don’t know if the same selection of beers is available in the other lounges.
I think they are good options. The flexibility is nice and if you drink any amount of wine or mixed drinks during the day they start to pay for themselves very quickly. Also as a coffee and sparkling water junkie I get a lot of use out of it even if in port most of the day. Cheers!
DB and The Princess (@EatSleepCruise)
Thanks BG for all of the tips. Yes, you are correct, with the Premium Package you only pay the difference (plus 18% gratuity on the difference) when a drink is more than the allotted limit. With the Classic Package, if the drink is more than what is included, than you need to pay for the full drink and gratuity. Great point about the Michael’s Club, so it is possible that some of those high-end beers are not there, but they may offer those at other bars, and again, they would not be covered in the Classic, and you would pay the difference Premium package. Happy Sailing! Thanks again for the comments.
cruiseaholictim
On Oasis Class Ships. I found out the Hard Way. STARBUCKS is not included.
Suzie que
Hi I’m confused, if I get the classic drink package upgrade free from celebrity, how much gratuity do I have to pay?
DB and The Princess (@EatSleepCruise)
HI Suzie. Thanks for the question. What you owe depends on the promotion. We got a free upgrade and had to pay nothing as the complete costs were covered by our TA through their promotion. Odds are, if Celebrity upgraded you, you own no additional gratuity. Of course, you can always tip more or leave something for your favorite bartender, but that is purely discretionary. Gratuity is 15%. Say, you got the Classic Package for free and then decided to pay to upgrade it yourself to the Premium, the costs would be $11.50, a person, per day. Ten dollars for the package and 1.15 for gratuity. Does that make things a little bit clearer?
Janis
Hello,
I enjoy the drink package but my husband doesn’t drink due to being a diabetic. The last cruise we both paid for the premium package which I used. Does Celebrity accept doctors notes so that I pay for the premium for myself and a non alcoholic package for my husband?
Thank you for any feedback.
mark hester
can you just buy a few days on the adult drink package? or it is for the duration of cruise once you have purchased
DB and The Princess (@EatSleepCruise)
Thanks for reading Mark. As Steve points out, you can purchase it for part of the cruise. But, it has to be for the remaining days. So, if you are on a 7 night cruise, you can purchase it on Day 3 and get it for the remaining 5 nights. You can’t, however, select which days you want to use the package, or pay say for only the first four days.
Andrea
Hi, I’m confused. I’m looking at the package list on the Celebrity website right now and it says: “Packages are sold on a per cruise basis, are not sold on a per day or any other basis, and no refunds will be issued for unused amounts”. We are still torn about the package and would hate to miss out on getting it if we did decide we wanted it once on the cruise.
Steve
Hi – Yes you can purchase on board for part of the cruise only. Just to upfate my last post regarding the drink allowance on the premium package – If you look at the max. allowed drink price on the website it states $13 – but when on board this is $15 – The website price does not include tax.Have just returned from another great cruise on the Elipse and can confirm that the Aqua Spar cafe does accept the premium package for smoothies or the fruit available in a glass with Greek Yogurt – They will make up what you require.
Also, if the drink you select is above $15 you only pay the difference. I find this useful in the main restaurant.
Another tip – In El Baccio you can order a special coffeee and a side drink of say Amerrato or Sambucca and this covered by the premium package.
The special cocktails in the World Class Bar are worth trying – all are covered by premium except for 3 cocktails.
I usually find the amount I spend is close to the cost of premium but does away with signed slips of paper!
Long may it last!
DB and The Princess (@EatSleepCruise)
Thanks Mark for the suggestions and tips! They are very useful. We agree, the Beverage Packages are great and we hope Celebrity does not alter them! Happy cruising. Appreciate the comment.
Meredith
Hello! Thank you for this great information! I’m wondering if any of the packages would include drinks that are in your stateroom’s mini bar, or if the packages are exclusively for bar and restaurant use. Thanks so much!
DB and The Princess (@EatSleepCruise)
Hi Meredith…Thanks for reading the post. Meryl is correct, the mini-bar is not covered in the plans. Neither are bottles of liquor or wine purchased onboard. Appreciate the comment!
Meryl
From what I’ve read, the packages do not include the mini bar or even drinks in the staterooms…
Meryl
Hi. If two people are sailing, both having the Classic beverage package, do both need to upgrade to the premium or can just one?
DB and The Princess (@EatSleepCruise)
Thanks for the comment Meryl. Did you receive the drink package as part of a promotion? If so, then I believe they will require both of you to upgrade to the premium. I believe that Celebrity requires both adults in the cabin to have the same drink package. To double check, you may want to call Celebrity Cruises. If only one of you really wants the upgrade, I would wait until you are on board and speak with someone in restaurant management or customer service to see if they can do the single upgrade. Appreciate you reading the post.
Meryl
Good morning, yes the beverage package came with a supposed great deal through a travel agent….now I’m finding out that this is a perk that Celebrity gives..oh well…anyway, thanks for the quick response. I am not a cruise person but guess it’s the only way to see Alaska. Seems like the info I’ve received from the travel agent is vague at best. Can you offer any other words of advice? I don’t want to be nickled and dimed to death, especially for food and drinks,
Thanks again
Leona
Hi we are sailing on celebrity in august . I loved your post but can I ask if u didn’t get a deal through the travel agents would you think the drinks package was worth it? We don’t need branded water and I drink coffee but usually black. My partner would have a few beers and I enjoy wine and would be trying a few cocktails also. We plan to be busy with excursions and have 2 full days at sea. So we would be paying 60.45 euro per day premium (for wine) and 51.15 euro for classic package. Would I be right in saying we will have a 15% gratuity on top of this for each drink ordered. Seems very expensive in euros compared with dollar prices! Is it possible to pay dollars on board if it’s a European cruise?
DB and The Princess (@EatSleepCruise)
Hi Leona – Glad you enjoyed the post. Yes, I still believe if we did not get the package from our travel agent that we would have purchased a drink package. Celebrity often runs promotions in which the Classic Beverage is free, and paying for the upgrade would be a no brainer for us. Given your description, the drink package may not be a good option for you. You can use the prices in our post to do some quick math to determine if you would consume enough drinks to break even. As for the 15% service charge, yes, you pay that for each drink you order when you purchase drinks a la carte. But, when you have the drink package, you pay 15% of the per day charge for the package. So, if the drink package is $49 a day, the acatually pay a total of 56.35 per day with the additional 15%. For European cruises, the costs are in Euros once onboard. The prices you cite above, are those including the service charge? If not, they are a bit higher than our sailing in Alaska. What ship are you cruising on?
DB and The Princess (@EatSleepCruise)
Hi Leona – Glad you enjoyed the post. Yes, I still believe if we did not get the package from our travel agent that we would have purchased a drink package. Celebrity often runs promotions in which the Classic Beverage is free, and paying for the upgrade would be a no brainer for us. Given your description, the drink package may not be a good option for you. You can use the prices in our post to do some quick math to determine if you would consume enough drinks to “break even”. Whether you get the package or purchase drinks a-la-carte, there is always a 15% service charge for each purchase. As for the currency, for a European cruise, all costs onboard will be Euros, and it does sound a bit more expensive for your sailing than the prices we had in Alaska. Appreciate the comment, which ship are you sailing on?
Greg
Thanks for the great info. I’m curious about the sauvignon blancs and pinot grigios available on the drink packages. On Gambee’s website there is a picture showing a Clifford Bay sauv blanc for $8.50 and a Bollini pinot grigio for $7.50. So we could get these wines with the classic package, but we’re wondering if it might be worth upgrading to the premium for additional choices? Or is it possible to start with the classic package and upgrade to the premium when we get on board and can see the wines offered? Thanks again!
DB and The Princess (@EatSleepCruise)
Thanks for reading. Yes, you can upgrade when onboard. I would check a few of the venues on your ship as the wine lists do vary, and in our experiences, sometimes the venues do not even have the wines listed on their menu. I think Gambee’s lists are a year or two old, so it will be tough to say what wines are going to be on your sailing. Appreciate the comment. When are you cruising?
vipul
Never knew that Aqua Bar is included as well. My query is can the package be utilised in the speciality restaurants without paying the cover charges of those restaurants, of course for the drinks only. Does it hold true for Aqua spa restaurant (Blu) without staying in aqua rooms?
DB and The Princess (@EatSleepCruise)
Interesting question Vipul. We never thought of going to a restaurant just to “grab a drink”. I suspect the answer is no. To enter a specialty restaurant, you need to pay the cover price (if there is one). If you go to a specialty restaurant with no additional fee, then I would assume you can order whatever you want, including just cocktails if that is what you really want to do. Although, if someone has tried to go to a specialty restaurant just for drinks, I would love to hear about that experience. Thanks again.
Steve
All good info – many thanks. I have used the premium package 4 times. I agree it is good value. One thing not mentioned is the Aqua Spar bar – At breakfast apart from smoothies there is fresh fruit – berries etc. which is made up into servings – The will also make one up to your requirements with yogurt for example – This is covered by the premeium package. I am referring to cruises up to end of 2014 – I hope it still applies – I will be finding out later this year! One negative aspect of the “free” drinks pacgages is that the waiting time has increased at the bars – This is inevitable due to the popularity of these pacgages.
The allowance on premium is $13 / glass in 2015 – It was 15$ in 2014?.
Steve
DB and The Princess (@EatSleepCruise)
Thanks Steve for the comment. Good thing to know about the Aqua Spa Bar-we have never been to that venue so good to know that you can have a customized smoothie there. We sailed in 2014 and the allowance was $13 for wine and drinks on Solstice as that was the price of cocktails in bars such as the Molecular Bar. According to the Celebrity Website, the limit is still $13 (http://www.celebritycruises.com/onboard-celebrity/onboard-beverage-packages?pagename=onboard_beverage_packages_overview#onboard_beverage_packages_premium_classic_tab/onboard/asrPanel%3Fpagename=onboard_beverage_packages_premium_classic_), but of course that information could be old. Thanks again or reading.
vipul
Hi….. Its a great article that you have done. I have a few queries regarding how the beverage package works. Do they give a card or something for you to use at various facilities. Do they have any name or room no. printed on the card or is it just a swipe card to be used by anyone having it. Also is there a lot of crowd with drinks package for the service to be effected? Are you sure the cappuccinos/lattes/premium coffees are not included in the classic package. Their prices are well below 8$ limits. Moving out to West Med on Equinox with a classic beverage package in hand.
DB and The Princess (@EatSleepCruise)
Hi Vipul, thanks for reading. Glad you found the article informative. For all purchase made on the ship, you will use your room card. Think of it as a credit card. When you have the package, the bartender will swipe your card and then you will have a zero balance. Your name does appear on the card, and when swiped a picture of you appears on the bartender’s computer, so you are protected if your card falls into the wrong hands. Bars and lounges do get busy on cruise ships, but whether you have the package or not will not affect your experience. The dollar limits are for the alcoholic beverages on the Classic Package. In our experiences, Specialty coffees included on the Premium Packages are drinks like Mochas, Lattes, and other espresso drinks you can get from the restaurants or bakeries on board. If you are not much of a cocktail drinker, then the Classic package should suffice as there are plenty of liqours available on the Classic. Have a great cruise and appreciate the comment
DB and The Princess (@EatSleepCruise)
Hi Alison, For our Alaskan cruise, we actually spent more time at the ports, as our excursions tended to be longer and it was our first time in Alaska. If this is your first trip there, you may find yourself spending more time on shore. I did double check and Celebrity indicates that cans of soda are included in their package. My apologies. Many lines, like sister company Royal Caribbean, do not include soda cans as part of the package; however, it does not cover room service or the mini-bar. Celebrity permits you to bring two bottles of wine on board the ship-according to the FAQ on their website. According to the FAQ, there is a $25 corkage fee when you use the bottle of wine at dinner and bars. If you try to bring a bottle of liquor on board it will seized and returned to you at the end of the cruise. No outside bottles of liquor are allowed on board. Enjoy Alaska, it is amazing!
Alison
Great article – thank you. We’re having trouble finding a straight answer on the size of the soda cans. Celebrity customer service said “regular size” but we’re skeptical given the $2.00 price tag (we expected much more for a ‘regular’ size). Could you give some insight?
Also, I think we’re trying to figure out the balance of how much time we’ll actually be on the ship (and thus consuming beverages, regular and alcoholic). Any insight you can provide about how much time you were on shore would be great.
We head out in 12 days!
DB and The Princess (@EatSleepCruise)
Hi Alison. Thanks for reading and the comment. For $2.00 you can get a full sized can of soda, 12 ounces. If you are on a drink package, cans of soda are NOT included-you get soda from the “soda gun” from a bar. As for time on shore, that really depends on the itinerary and your travel preferences. For most ports of call, you are probably there about 8-10 hours, arriving around 8am or 9am and due back on the ship around 4pm or 5pm. Yes, that does vary depending on your particular cruise, but these are general guidelines. In our experiences, we usually spend about 50-60% of the allotted time on shore. What we do for tours/excursions impacts this to some extent, but normally we get off the ship as soon as we can and we are back onboard for early afternoon. Even when we are in port later, we tend to be back on the ship for dinner and the nightly show, as well as some cocktails, but that is the way we like to travel. Where are you going on this cruise?
Alison
That’s good insight regarding shore time. It’s a tough call on how it will actually play out for us. I suspect if it were just me and my husband, we’d do some longer excursions or just time in port. However, we’re traveling with people of varying ages and levels of fitness, so we may slow down a little. We’ll be doing the Sawyer Glacier Cruise with stops in Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway and Victoria BC. We have excursions planned for Juneau and Skagway. We have opted for the 8:30pm dinner seating so that we never have to feel crunched for time.
Just to clarify on your statement about cans vs. the soda gun… Are you saying that if I purchase the Classic package, we could only get alcoholic drinks, juices, coffees/teas and soda on ice (i.e. no canned sodas)? Maybe I’ve misunderstood. Here’s a link to the Beverage Package page for Celebrity: http://www.celebritycruises.com/onboard-celebrity/onboard-beverage-packages?pagename=onboard_beverage_packages_overview#onboard_beverage_packages_premium_classic_tab/onboard/asrPanel%3Fpagename=onboard_beverage_packages_premium_classic&ComponentTypeId=30&categoryId=¤cyCode=USD
Finally, I’ve only cruised once previously, and that was well before 9/11. Not knowing how security works now, is there any opportunity to bring a bottle of bourbon on board from our first stop?
Thanks!
Sue
Hi.. I’d love some guidance please. My husband doesn’t drink hot drinks, I don’t drink a lot of alcohol, but maybe 3 coffees a day. and a cocktail at night. I try to drink more water than anything. He is a spirit drinker. We weren’t lucky enough to get comp’ed a drink package so will have to pay for whatever we decide on. We’re sailing on the Solstice to Alaska in June. Any suggestions as to which packages, if any, would be best for us.
DB
Hi Sue, it sounds like the non-alcoholic premium package is really the best option for you, as you indicate only drinking one cocktail at night. You are better off paying the $10-$12 a night for that drink and then paying the $20 (plus service fee) for the non-alcoholic premium to get the lattes and bottled waters. Double check with Celebrity, but I am pretty sure you and your husband can get different packages. If he enjoys more cocktails, then one of the alcoholic packages might be good for him. Given that the drinks at Crush and Molecular Bar are only covered in the Premium package, and those are the best bars on the ship, you have to decide if he will regularly drink about 3-4 cocktails, per night, along with coffees and water (like you). If your husband’s drink consumption is not that great, than a package is probably not right for him. I would pay per drink. Let us know if you have any other questions. Have a great time on Solstice, she is a beautiful ship!
etoilenoir
Thank you for the very detailed and helpful post! I’ll be going on a Celebrity cruise with my family in June (it’ll be our first cruise!) and our travel agent got us 2 Classic Beverage packages, so it was really informative to read the difference between the Classic and Premium packages. I’m a bit confused about the 15% gratuity though. Does that mean at the end of the cruise, there will be a 15% gratuity of total cost of all beverages consumed, in addition to the suggested $12 per person per day?
DB and The Princess (@EatSleepCruise)
Hi Etoilenor, thanks for reading. We are so glad you found the post useful. If you got the beverage package from your travel agent, then no, there is not an additional 15% gratuity on top of the $12 per day charge. But, if you did buy the drink package you are charged a 15% service charge, and this above the $12 a day charge. Anytime you purchase any drink on the ship, you are charged a 15% gratuity, and this is separate from the “daily gratuities”. Hope this makes sense! Where are you going in June?
Gilbert Livingston
Enjoyed reading your comments. Still could not pay for drink package but enough promotions out there to get it for free. FYI for frequent cruisers who have been to these ports it changes your point of view. You cannot wait to get back to ship, if you even get off, so you can lay at pool and have some free drinks 🙂 just like an all inclusive resort. If you have a lot of sea days, may be well worth the cost.
Patricia
Question..do they except the different level like prime from Royal Caribbean in the casinos?
Derek Messer
Sorry…I must be having a Monday….My daughter and myself are going on Celebrity Reflection in March (last Father/Daughter trip before she gets married) We have the “premium” beverage package included with our cruise (as well ad prepaid gratuities and unlimited internet)….will I have to pay a gratuity on every beverage that we get? Or is the gratuity covered in the price….Love this blog…just found it and will be making it a favorite!!!
DB and The Princess (@EatSleepCruise)
Hi Derek. Thanks for reading and the question. If you are given an included drink package, you do not need to pay the service charge. Some cruise lines do require you to pay the service charge on the total value of the package, but not each drink (e.g., Norwegian Cruise Line). However, they charge this fee prior to sailing. You should be all set. Sounds like you got a great deal for this cruise. Have a wonderful trip.
etoilenoir
That does make sense, thank you! I think the question now is whether to enjoy our complimentary Classic packages or pay the $11.80 per person per day to upgrade to the Premium packages… Hehe
Karen Wilson
Great comments here. Very useful. We are sailing on the Silhouette in a few weeks and understand they have a new Beer Bar containing lots of Craft Beers — do you know if the Premium Package would cover these beers in that bar? I’m assuming so
DB and The Princess (@EatSleepCruise)
Thanks for reading Karen. I think you are referencing Michael’s Club. That venue has a large selection of beers. I believe, similar to other drinks, all beers up to a certain price will be covered and then you pay the difference. If you look at the menus our friend Gambee has on his site http://www.cruisewithgambee.com/celebrity-drink-lists/, most 12 oz beers are priced under $9, so they are probably included. Some of the larger beers, over 12oz, cost upwards of $24 and more. You would have to pay the difference for those drinks, I would check with Celebrity to see how much they credit you if you do decide to indulge in one of the more expensive, larger beers. On the Premium Package, the most they would credit you would be $13. So, the cheapest a $24 beer would be is $12.65 ($11 dollars plus gratuities). Hope this was helpful and have a great cruise.
MTK
This was really helpful for me. Based on your info, I can see that the premium package is what we need. I love fresh orange juice and lattes, and I’m not a wine snob, but I like good wine. Cruising for the first time in March!
DB and The Princess (@EatSleepCruise)
Glad you found the post useful. The Premium package was well worth the costs, and we would definitely do it again! We too love our specialty coffees and we enjoyed all of the cocktails we had at the Molecular Bar and other venues. Have a great cruise this month!
Cathie Stark
Thanks for your quick response. I am thinking that we should keep the premium package. My husband loves to have a cappucciono with dessert every night and I love my lattes. I’m also a red wine drinker and from what you said there isn’t a great choice on the classic package. Thanks for the great information.
DB and The Princess (@EatSleepCruise)
Glad you found the information useful. We found the Premium drink to a great value and would definitely do it again. We are not big wine drinkers, but yes your selection is much wider with the Premium package. Also, if a drink is over the $13 limit, you only pay the difference! Have a great time on your cruise!
Cathie Stark
I just upgraded our drink package to premium and now I’m not sure I should have. What we really want included is lattes, cappuccinos and Corona.
Are these included in the classic package? If so, I need to cancel my upgrade.
DB
Hi Cathie! Thanks for reading the blog and reaching out. On the Classic Beverage package Corona beers would be covered; however, lattes and cappuccinos are only covered on the Premium Package. Those drinks costs about $4.50, without gratuity, so you need to decide if you would drink enough of them to be worth the upgrade. Remember, you will also get other upgraded non-alcoholic drinks, including premium bottled water, which we found to be one of the biggest benefits of the Premium Package. Let us know what you decide and have a great cruise!
Liz
Thanks for the review very useful. Just one query you make it sound as though on the classic package martins are not really included when in my experience they are IF you order the smaller size. That was the case when we cruised 2 years ago and from what I hear that hasn’t changed so we expect the same during our April 15 cruise.
DB
Thanks Liz for reading. I am glad you found the review useful. From our experience the issue of the “small martinis” is one that seems very inconsistent. On the classic package, any cocktail less than $8.00 is included. Often, you can get a basic well based martini for that price. We have heard of the smaller 5oz versions for other drinks, but those too are often made with well liquors. However, sometimes servers at lounges like Crush ignore the well only rule and make smaller cocktails with premium brands, and sometimes they do not. In our experience, none of the drinks at the Molecular bar can be made in smaller versions and only those are covered on the Premium package. Thanks again!
Ken
Would any of the packages include milkshakes?
DB
Thanks Ken for reaching out. On the Premium drink package frozen drinks and smoothies, made at the bars are included. I do not believe Milkshakes are included and I honestly do not recall a venue on Solstice that actually makes real milkshakes. The gelateria only serves cups and cones of ice cream and did not offer milkshakes on their menu. Thanks again for reading!
DB
Thanks Rich for your feedback on your Royal Caribbean International beverage package experience. We noticed that you still get the same level of service too with a package! We are planning an analysis of Royal’s package soon, as we are currently on Quantum of the Seas, and did the beverage package on this sailing as well as a sailing in January of 2014 on Independence of the Seas. Thanks for reading and keep on cruising!
Susan
Hey we were on the same cruise, as I was also on Quantum of the Seas when you posted that. Wasn’t that a great cruise? I really enjoyed the ultimate package on that cruise, especially as the drinks were more expensive than they had been on my previous Royal Caribbean cruises. Plus they had so many “special” drinks in each venue, which of course I had to try. I knew I had made the right choice. I’ll look for your review on that as well. Right now I’m doing “research” for my first Celebrity cruise next May. 🙂 (Since I got the classic package included, I’ll be upgrading to the premium with OBC, I got too spoiled with having the equivalent package on Quantum. lol).
DB and The Princess (@EatSleepCruise)
HI Susan. It is such a small world! We did have a great time on Quantum, and glad to hear you did too. We do have a complete RCI Drink Packages post as well as one in which we compare drink packages on short and long cruises (https://eatsleepcruise.com/2015/04/compare-cruise-drink-packages-short-vs-long-cruisesn-drink-packages-on-long-vs-short-cruises) and we use our Quantum experience as the comparison point. Celebrity is a great company, and we had an amazing time on Celebrity Solstice, what ship are you sailing on in May?
Susan
I’ll be on the Summit to Bermuda! Looking forward to it. 🙂
Susan
Only just over a month until Summit, so the research is getting more serious now! 🙂
DB and The Princess (@EatSleepCruise)
HI Susan. It is such a small world! We did have a great time on Quantum, and glad to hear you did too. We do have a complete RCI Drink Packages post as well as one in which we compare drink packages on short and long cruises (https://eatsleepcruise.com/2015/04/compare-cruise-drink-packages-short-vs-long-cruisesn-drink-packages-on-long-vs-short-cruises) and we use our Quantum experience as the comparison point. Celebrity is a great company, and we had an amazing time on Celebrity Solstice, what ship are you sailing on in May?
DB and The Princess (@EatSleepCruise)
HI Susan. It is such a small world! We did have a great time on Quantum, and glad to hear you did too. We do have a complete RCI Drink Packages post as well as one in which we compare drink packages on short and long cruises (https://eatsleepcruise.com/2015/04/compare-cruise-drink-packages-short-vs-long-cruisesn-drink-packages-on-long-vs-short-cruises) and we use our Quantum experience as the comparison point. Celebrity is a great company, and we had an amazing time on Celebrity Solstice, what ship are you sailing on in May?
Rich Bucolo
Great analysis… Our experience with Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas was terrific in regards to the drink package… The servers were friendly and didn’t mind that we had the package with no trouble in ordering a wide array of drinks… They did however make us sign for each drink but that was all in around the pool (never at dinner)… Well worth the investment!!!!
cruiseaholictim
On RCCL Majesty in September. We were Comped due to a customer service issue, the “Ultimate” Drink Package. We have never purchased a drink package before. We don’t drink enough to justify it (we though). The fist day having the package. We were at the pool. Watching our Niece and Nephew. My Wife’s little hand went up. To signal to a server. One Premium Frozen Daiquiri, Please. About 12 minutes later. That little hand went up again. 12 minutes after that. Well you know where this is going. As this was going on. I said to myself. You know, You like Specialty Coffee drinks. So off to Caffe Lattitudes I went. After 3 of those. Someone came up to me with a Virgin Pina Colada. I thought MMMM, that looks good. So I had 5 of those. At Breakfast the next morning. I had fresh squeezed Orange Juice. That’s usually $4 a glass. And I have never purchased it before. Every night at the MDR, My waiter had a Mocha waiting for me. And the wife drank 2 glasses of Moscato. We preceded to ABUSE the Ultimate Drink Package. Those last 3 Day’s. Don’t know if I will ever Buy one. But it sure is a lot of Fun to have.
Cruiseaholic Tim
DB
Thanks Tim for your feedback. A free beverage package is the best kind! One of the great things about a package is that you can try new drinks and experiment a little and not worry about the costs. Thanks for reading.