How to save money on our bar bill ....

[OceanDreams]

Let me first start by saying if you have every had the pleasure of cruising with Coka you will know what a blast you are in for. I meet Coka on this website back in 2001. and I'm proud to say that we have been truly best friends ever since. During this time one of the hottest issues have been the "Bringing Liquor On Board." Below you will find just how "Coka" & "OceanDreams" solve this minor problem.

To save money on our bar bill, OceanDreams and I booked a cruise before our cruise. While docked in Grand Cayman overnight I kidnapped the bar manager and would not let him go until he gave me wine, beer, and liquor. During this time, OceanDreams "looked" for a suitcase or trunk (the Deck 7 aft cabin steward is still missing as of this writing). We next used our night goggles to see where our future cruise ship anchored, also in Grand Cayman. We spotted it.

Ocean is an excellent swimmer so she donned her wetsuit and jumped over our balcony. She has a beautiful swan dive. I lowered the trunk that she "found" using a rope cut from the ship's lines. She swam with all her might and buried it 40 feet under the sea about fifty yards from our future cruise ship.

We did not plan ahead on how to get OceanDreams back onto the ship so I had to think fast. I needed to stall. So, I found the captain and asked for a bridge tour. Luckily, he obliged. I pretended to have a "moment" and felt faint. I threw myself against the controls and accidentally broke a few things. This took over two hours to fix. I got nervous when the horn blew to set sail once the controls were working again.

I ran to my cabin balcony and in the nick of time I saw Ocean climbing aboard. Apparently, it took her the two hours to scale the side of the ship. She had to zigzag upwards porthole by porthole. She was not happy and said that I was going to be the one to retrieve the liquor for our cruise.

Two months later, we went on "the" cruise. It docked in Grand Cayman the first day. We wanted our liquor as soon as possible and there was no way we were going to pay extra for it on board.

So, during the crew safety drill I donned our cabin's orange life jacket and put on my cap that I purchased with the ship's name inscrolled on it. I went to the promenade deck and climbed the ladder leading to a lifeboat. I lowered the lifeboat and guided it towards our hidden liquor.

Again, we failed to plan ahead. How was I supposed to retrieve it? I can not swim! By now I think some of the passengers were noticing that something was not quite right with my little lifeboat...maybe they were just watching "part of the drill".

As I sat on the bow, a fishing boat with two guys came by. They did not look very intelligent so I asked if they would help me. I told them that my ship's "black box" fell overboard and would they help me get it back. They both agreed. One used his deep-sea fishing pole and casted away while the other dove into the water.

They were smarter than I thought because while under water, the diver found the trunk and used the other guys 75 1b. Test line to wrap it securely (I suppose the "rope" somehow came off the trunk during the two months passing). They then raised the trunk full of liquor and put it into the lifeboat.

I made it back to the ship but not in enough time. The crew drill ended before I could get out of the lifeboat unnoticed. I was getting hot, sweaty, and claustrophobic. It is different being in the lifeboat as she hangs from deck 8. So, I opened the trunk and began to drink the free rum. OceanDreams told me later that she was really mad at me at first, but forgave me because she was more of a vodka drinker anyways.

By about 7pm everyone had gone to dinner and the deck was vacant of passengers/crew. I threw the trunk out of the lifeboat onto the promenade deck. Four bottles smashed into pieces. This was okay because I still had plenty for us to last the week. I dragged the trunk back to our cabin and we celebrated.

The entire mission from start to finish cost only $6,850.00, we had some adrenaline filled moments, AND we had NO BAR BILL by the week's end!

Coka


Let me first tell you all about our blender. This blender is the Acme 5000XTL. (Top of the line, commercial model suitable for sea air and salt water. Compact, portable so that you can use it with or without the power cord, plastic, making it very light weight.) An added bonus is that it has a remote control. This blender also comes with its own traveling case. Which is great in it’s self because it is a backpack with wheels. The backpack has all your extra storage. Space for all your garnishing, mixers, glasses, stirrers, and of course ice. The wheels on the backpack expand for the legs of your table. Inside is a small folding bar for you to mix your drinks on.

As usually we arrived in Miami the day before our cruise. Our prearranged Limousine was waiting at the airport to take us to our hotel room. Yes, we like to take the Limo….not that much more then a cab ride. Since we are doing our part to save money on this cruise we made sure that we “borrowed” all the Coke, Diet Coke, Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Sprite, Club Soda, Ginger Ale, plastic glasses, straws and stirrers from the Limo.

Upon arriving at the Marriott Hotel we noticed that there was a very large wedding reception going on. Everyone look so elegant. The music was playing, everyone was laughing and having a wonderful time.

After checking into our room and still in ahhhhh over the beautiful reception downstairs, we realized that we hadn’t eaten. So we freshen up and decided to get dressed for dinner. When we got downstairs the music was playing….and Coka got just a little to close to the entrance and “BAM”….the music sucked her right in. Well, being the loyal friend that I am I found us a table to sit at. As luck or timing would have it we arrived just in time for the food to be served. Don’t you just love it when people RSVP to a wedding and then don’t show up. The Steak Diane was great. Oh, and did I mention that it was an open bar. The bartenders were great. They gave me all the olives, cherries, lemons and limes that I wanted.

We did feel a little bad not bringing a gift for the lovely couple, but all that changed when we went to the restroom and notice the Housekeeping cart in the hallway. They sure do have nice items on those carts for a young couple just starting their lives together. I really hope that they enjoyed all those towels.

The next morning before we checked out we decided to go downstairs and have the Continental breakfast that the hotel offered. They had muffins, danishes, bagels. It’s a good thing that we brought those extra Ziploc baggies. We really got some great snacks for the port stops during our cruise. After breakfast we went upstairs and packed EVERYTHING and headed for the Pier.

We arrived at our Pier about 10:30am and had notice that not too many people were here yet….which was great for us. We checked our luggage with the porters. I kept the “blender backpack” with us which had no problem going through the X-ray machine.

After checking in we still couldn’t start the boarding process yet so everyone was standing in line by the escalators. Two hours later we noticed that people were really getting restless. I was also getting thirsty so I decided that I would pull out our little handy dandy blender backpack and get something to drink. In the process of opening the backpack I accidentally press the “SET-UP” button on the remote. WOW, it really sets up fast. Next thing you know we had everyone in the line wanting a drink. We didn’t want to make to big of a mess right before we board….so we decided to use the orange juice and cups that NCL has out during check-in time. Once again as luck would have it, as I was going to get the cups I noticed a couple of bottles of vodka right by the X-Ray machine.

Did you know that if you put a sign up that says “FREE VODKA”….. $2.00 FOR ORANGE JUICE. You get it. $1216.00 later….it was time to board the ship. I did notice that we weren’t in the first group of passengers to board the ship. Sure is nice to board with a little extra cash.

See you all on board
OceanDreams

[WinnieinWA]

That was hilarious!!!! Thanks!

[VABeach]

Wow. I'll have to try that one next time!

[sue402001]

Love it!

[coka]

My dear Ocean, you had dig deep in history to find that one! I remember that. Funny how the issues are still the same years later...funny how I am still crashing wedding parties too. You missed a good one on the Sky.

coka

[OceanDreams]

Going on the Sky on New Year's Day ..... I hope that same Bar Manager isn't on duty during the cruise.

OceanDreams

[crew mom]

Very funny ladies!

[RI_Lady]

Originally Posted by OceanDreams

Let me first start by saying if you have every had the pleasure of cruising with Coka you will know what a blast you are in for. I meet Coka on this website back in 2001. and I'm proud to say that we have been truly best friends ever since. During this time one of the hottest issues have been the "Bringing Liquor On Board." Below you will find just how "Coka" & "OceanDreams" solve this minor problem.

To save money on our bar bill, OceanDreams and I booked a cruise before our cruise. While docked in Grand Cayman overnight I kidnapped the bar manager and would not let him go until he gave me wine, beer, and liquor. During this time, OceanDreams "looked" for a suitcase or trunk (the Deck 7 aft cabin steward is still missing as of this writing). We next used our night goggles to see where our future cruise ship anchored, also in Grand Cayman. We spotted it.

Ocean is an excellent swimmer so she donned her wetsuit and jumped over our balcony. She has a beautiful swan dive. I lowered the trunk that she "found" using a rope cut from the ship's lines. She swam with all her might and buried it 40 feet under the sea about fifty yards from our future cruise ship.

We did not plan ahead on how to get OceanDreams back onto the ship so I had to think fast. I needed to stall. So, I found the captain and asked for a bridge tour. Luckily, he obliged. I pretended to have a "moment" and felt faint. I threw myself against the controls and accidentally broke a few things. This took over two hours to fix. I got nervous when the horn blew to set sail once the controls were working again.

I ran to my cabin balcony and in the nick of time I saw Ocean climbing aboard. Apparently, it took her the two hours to scale the side of the ship. She had to zigzag upwards porthole by porthole. She was not happy and said that I was going to be the one to retrieve the liquor for our cruise.

Two months later, we went on "the" cruise. It docked in Grand Cayman the first day. We wanted our liquor as soon as possible and there was no way we were going to pay extra for it on board.

So, during the crew safety drill I donned our cabin's orange life jacket and put on my cap that I purchased with the ship's name inscrolled on it. I went to the promenade deck and climbed the ladder leading to a lifeboat. I lowered the lifeboat and guided it towards our hidden liquor.

Again, we failed to plan ahead. How was I supposed to retrieve it? I can not swim! By now I think some of the passengers were noticing that something was not quite right with my little lifeboat...maybe they were just watching "part of the drill".

As I sat on the bow, a fishing boat with two guys came by. They did not look very intelligent so I asked if they would help me. I told them that my ship's "black box" fell overboard and would they help me get it back. They both agreed. One used his deep-sea fishing pole and casted away while the other dove into the water.

They were smarter than I thought because while under water, the diver found the trunk and used the other guys 75 1b. Test line to wrap it securely (I suppose the "rope" somehow came off the trunk during the two months passing). They then raised the trunk full of liquor and put it into the lifeboat.

I made it back to the ship but not in enough time. The crew drill ended before I could get out of the lifeboat unnoticed. I was getting hot, sweaty, and claustrophobic. It is different being in the lifeboat as she hangs from deck 8. So, I opened the trunk and began to drink the free rum. OceanDreams told me later that she was really mad at me at first, but forgave me because she was more of a vodka drinker anyways.

By about 7pm everyone had gone to dinner and the deck was vacant of passengers/crew. I threw the trunk out of the lifeboat onto the promenade deck. Four bottles smashed into pieces. This was okay because I still had plenty for us to last the week. I dragged the trunk back to our cabin and we celebrated.

The entire mission from start to finish cost only $6,850.00, we had some adrenaline filled moments, AND we had NO BAR BILL by the week's end!

Coka


Let me first tell you all about our blender. This blender is the Acme 5000XTL. (Top of the line, commercial model suitable for sea air and salt water. Compact, portable so that you can use it with or without the power cord, plastic, making it very light weight.) An added bonus is that it has a remote control. This blender also comes with its own traveling case. Which is great in it’s self because it is a backpack with wheels. The backpack has all your extra storage. Space for all your garnishing, mixers, glasses, stirrers, and of course ice. The wheels on the backpack expand for the legs of your table. Inside is a small folding bar for you to mix your drinks on.

As usually we arrived in Miami the day before our cruise. Our prearranged Limousine was waiting at the airport to take us to our hotel room. Yes, we like to take the Limo….not that much more then a cab ride. Since we are doing our part to save money on this cruise we made sure that we “borrowed” all the Coke, Diet Coke, Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Sprite, Club Soda, Ginger Ale, plastic glasses, straws and stirrers from the Limo.

Upon arriving at the Marriott Hotel we noticed that there was a very large wedding reception going on. Everyone look so elegant. The music was playing, everyone was laughing and having a wonderful time.

After checking into our room and still in ahhhhh over the beautiful reception downstairs, we realized that we hadn’t eaten. So we freshen up and decided to get dressed for dinner. When we got downstairs the music was playing….and Coka got just a little to close to the entrance and “BAM”….the music sucked her right in. Well, being the loyal friend that I am I found us a table to sit at. As luck or timing would have it we arrived just in time for the food to be served. Don’t you just love it when people RSVP to a wedding and then don’t show up. The Steak Diane was great. Oh, and did I mention that it was an open bar. The bartenders were great. They gave me all the olives, cherries, lemons and limes that I wanted.

We did feel a little bad not bringing a gift for the lovely couple, but all that changed when we went to the restroom and notice the Housekeeping cart in the hallway. They sure do have nice items on those carts for a young couple just starting their lives together. I really hope that they enjoyed all those towels.

The next morning before we checked out we decided to go downstairs and have the Continental breakfast that the hotel offered. They had muffins, danishes, bagels. It’s a good thing that we brought those extra Ziploc baggies. We really got some great snacks for the port stops during our cruise. After breakfast we went upstairs and packed EVERYTHING and headed for the Pier.

We arrived at our Pier about 10:30am and had notice that not too many people were here yet….which was great for us. We checked our luggage with the porters. I kept the “blender backpack” with us which had no problem going through the X-ray machine.

After checking in we still couldn’t start the boarding process yet so everyone was standing in line by the escalators. Two hours later we noticed that people were really getting restless. I was also getting thirsty so I decided that I would pull out our little handy dandy blender backpack and get something to drink. In the process of opening the backpack I accidentally press the “SET-UP” button on the remote. WOW, it really sets up fast. Next thing you know we had everyone in the line wanting a drink. We didn’t want to make to big of a mess right before we board….so we decided to use the orange juice and cups that NCL has out during check-in time. Once again as luck would have it, as I was going to get the cups I noticed a couple of bottles of vodka right by the X-Ray machine.

Did you know that if you put a sign up that says “FREE VODKA”….. $2.00 FOR ORANGE JUICE. You get it. $1216.00 later….it was time to board the ship. I did notice that we weren’t in the first group of passengers to board the ship. Sure is nice to board with a little extra cash.

See you all on board
OceanDreams

Wow!

Your account of the methods your party utilized to bring contraband onto the vessel had me and my DH laughing hysterically. My husband has had some adventures over the years but non to compare to your story. I have a question though, How many people contacted you looking for the vendor of your Blender?

RI_Lady

[swedish weave]

OceanDreams -- Please Please give me the name of the stuff you were drinking when you wrote this. I WANT SOME !!!!!!!!

[OceanDreams]

Originally Posted by RI_Lady

Wow!

Your account of the methods your party utilized to bring contraband onto the vessel had me and my DH laughing hysterically. My husband has had some adventures over the years but non to compare to your story. I have a question though, How many people contacted you looking for the vendor of your Blender?

RI_Lady

I wonder just how many would buy one.

OceanDreams

[OceanDreams]

Originally Posted by swedish weave

OceanDreams -- Please Please give me the name of the stuff you were drinking when you wrote this. I WANT SOME !!!!!!!!

Oh my gosh I just remember what I was drinking while I wrote my portion of this story. ................ It was "Banana Monkey."

OceanDreams

[swedish weave]

Originally Posted by OceanDreams

Oh my gosh I just remember what I was drinking while I wrote my portion of this story. ................ It was "Banana Monkey."

OceanDreams

I just re-read your post. Maybe I shouldn't drink it !!!!!!!

[coka]

Originally Posted by OceanDreams

Oh my gosh I just remember what I was drinking while I wrote my portion of this story. ................ It was "Banana Monkey."

OceanDreams

Ah yes, the famous banana monkey! I gained a best friend finding out the NCL recipe for that drink. Ocean, do you still remember what is in it?

coka

[LOWTYD]

OMG, That's a classic. How did you ever come up with a story like this? Thanks for a good laugh.

( Sounds like something I would do with the right people!)

[swedish weave]

Originally Posted by coka

Ah yes, the famous banana monkey! I gained a best friend finding out the NCL recipe for that drink. Ocean, do you still remember what is in it?

coka

Don't tell her !!! She is bad enough without it !!!!

[OceanDreams]

Originally Posted by swedish weave

Don't tell her !!! She is bad enough without it !!!!

Come on "Swedish Weave" ..... you know you want the receipe.

OceanDreams

[OceanDreams]

Banana Monkey

Creme de Banana
Kahlua
Rum
Pina Colada Mix
Ice

Mix in Blender

After about 3 of these ..... you will have the ability to write funny story's (no promises)

OceanDreams

[sparks1093]

Originally Posted by OceanDreams

Banana Monkey

Creme de Banana
Kahlua
Rum
Pina Colada Mix
Ice

Mix in Blender

After about 3 of these ..... you will have the ability to write funny story's (no promises)

OceanDreams

After three of those I probably wouldn't care if I could write a story or not.

[swedish weave]

Originally Posted by OceanDreams

Banana Monkey

Creme de Banana
Kahlua
Rum
Pina Colada Mix
Ice

Mix in Blender

After about 3 of these ..... you will have the ability to write funny story's (no promises)

OceanDreams

I tried this recipe, but the bucket got full before I could get the ice in. I drank it without the ice, and g---o---o---d---n---i---g---h---t---!!!!

Maybe I wasn't supposed to use a bottle of each.

[OceanDreams]

Originally Posted by swedish weave

I tried this recipe, but the bucket got full before I could get the ice in. I drank it without the ice, and g---o---o---d---n---i---g---h---t---!!!!

Maybe I wasn't supposed to use a bottle of each.

Your just going to have to try it again .... It will be great for the "Labor Day" weekend. This time if your going to use a bucket....mix everything together then pour a portion from your bucket into the blender with ice.

Enjoy
OceanDreams