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Unlike its parent brand, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises sells two drink packages for passengers who want unlimited adult beverages.
For travelers looking to save some money, the company offers the Classic Drinks Package:
Related: Royal Caribbean’s Celebrity Cruises CEO Talks About Enforcing Rules
“Enjoy the drinks you want, when you want them, morning, noon and night from bottled water, premium coffees and teas, plus a great selection of beer, spirits, cocktails, liquors, frozen drinks and wine by the glass for up to $10 per serving. Wine by the glass is 15% off,” according to Celebrity’s website.
The biggest downside to this package is that the $10 price tag severely limits what’s included. But if you want good cocktails and a limited selection of beer and wine, the price is about $20 a day cheaper on most cruises.
Celebrity travelers who want more options can opt for the cruise company’s signature beverage package:
“This premium beverage package lets you start your morning with a gourmet coffee, enjoy an iced cocktail by the pool, and then have a glass of wine with dinner. Enjoy all the drinks included in our Classic Package, plus drinks up to $17. Wine is 20% off by the bottle,” the ad reads.
However, celebrity passengers have complaints about the drink packages offered.
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Celebrity passengers complain about drink can
Celebrity passengers generally had one major complaint about the beverage packages offered by cruise lines: Many brands were moved from the Classic package to the Premium package or to the above menu, which cost extra.
“In November, a number of wines that Celebrity passengers have long enjoyed were moved from the Premium Beverage Package to an ‘Enhanced’ menu and are now priced higher than the Premium Beverage Package,” DaKahuna wrote as part of a Cruise critic asks me anything With Celebrity CEO Laura Hodges Bethge. “I know Decoy’s price has come down again and is now covered but the others are not covered.”
After sharing what many passengers consider a problem, the post owner asked a very direct question:
“What is Celebrity doing to provide quality wine in beverage packaging?”
Hodges Bethge was equally direct in her answer.
“To make our premium wines compatible with our existing beverage packages, we recently created an in-house wine department (a first for Celebrity!) to focus specifically on our comprehensive wine collection with an emphasis on bringing value back to the packages and you, our guests,” she wrote.
There are more options on the way, the CEO of Celebrity explained.
“Our new wine department team is constantly travelling to new destinations to discover and include more high-quality wines, keeping our guests’ preferences at the forefront,” she added.
“As we roll out more of these options to the fleet, we can’t wait for you all to have your first sip! In fact, we’ve added several new wines to the packages that you need to book and join us to try. I look forward to hearing from you.”
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Celebrity Drink Problems Go Beyond Wine
Although wine was a particular point of contention for Celebrity passengers, many who purchased the premium beverage package were surprised by the number of drinks not included in the package.
One question came from D1000, who was surprised by how many drinks on the Celebrity menu were an extra cost from their higher-level package.
“If you want to purchase most of the signature cocktails at the Eden or World Class Bar, there is an additional charge,” they wrote. “If you want a glass of wine or a fine spirit, there may be an additional charge. Drink prices on Celebrity are already among the highest, yet extras are still not included. Why not get a really great premium drinks package that already includes the specials you’re offering instead of more extra charges once you get on board?”
Most drinks on the Eden menu require an additional charge for those who purchase the Premium Drinks Package. Only a few drinks on the World Class Bar menu are subject to an additional charge.
Hodges Bethge’s answer was less satisfactory here.
“Our Classic Beverage Package covers all alcoholic beverages up to $10 and includes a selection of non-alcoholic and premium beverages such as soda,” she added. “Our Premium Beverage Package covers all alcoholic beverages up to $17 and includes a selection of premium non-alcoholic beverages such as San Pellegrino and fresh juices.”
Anything over the maximum per package incurs an additional charge and the passenger pays the difference.
Read also: Top Travel Agents Share How to Get the Best Price for Your Cruise
“While we try to please as many people as possible, we recognize that some guests prefer something outside of these two categories. We are constantly evaluating our beverage offerings to ensure they are in line with what our guests want while cruising. We will definitely pass on your feedback on the complexity of the packages to the team,” said the company’s CEO.
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