Frustrated with Bar Service and Drink Package

Ok I have been reading all the past few days that it is very hard now to get drinks from the bar at the pool now that they have cut back on bartenders and pushed the drink packages.

We usually only drink at night but I get the Coke Package so I can have cold drinks by the pool on sea days. My past couple cruises the bartenders already seem irritated or bothered by those of us only getting Cokes from the bar presumably because they are not being tipped for a Coke the way they are for a $10 drink.

I can only assume that will be worse now that there are reported waits on most ships for bar service :(. In a way I feel like I wasted money now that I read that Independence of the Seas does not have Freestyle machines. This stinks, I probably will not get my moneys worth now that there will be lines and no freestyle machine.

Suggest you cancel your package if you feel this way before you sail. You can always order a soda if you still want one. You can even purchase the package part way through the cruise if you reconsider (must be 4 days remaining in cruise at least).

Never had a problem on the Oasis two weeks ago. Early in the day they don't have all the pool bars open, but I still never waited all that long to get a drink. I do think on port days they should have opened more bars and a little earlier, but it wasn't a biggie.

There really is no problem with getting drinks....they have cut back on waitstaff...so that might be an issue, but it's an issue for EVERYONE...not just those with packages!

we just got off the serenade and when I read this post I realized, I don't think I saw a single server out on any deck.

Never had a problem on the Oasis two weeks ago. Early in the day they don't have all the pool bars open, but I still never waited all that long to get a drink. I do think on port days they should have opened more bars and a little earlier, but it wasn't a biggie.

So, exactly what time are the pool bars opening now? We were on Freedom last September and I would say they were open about 11:00am. Are they opening later than that now??

No issue on Allure for our B2B a few weeks ago and I had the pop/soda package and DW had the Royal Replentish package. The port side pool bar was open at 9am and there were servers at the pools.

Depending on the ship you can also use Freestyle machines with your pop cup.

I was just on the Independence (March 8th sailing) during the height of spring break. Never had a problem getting a drink from the pool bar, and if it seemed crowded there, the sky bar is right above it and usually a little less crowded :)

This was our main annoyance on Voyager after her dry dock last November. Waiter service around the pool was non existent, bars were always very busy with not nearly enough staff so if you wanted to get a drink yourself, it always took a very long time. Service in the lounges was hit and miss with the bar staff seeming totally disinterested in offering table service and even gesturing for people to come and order from the bar.

This is the first cruise that I have ever experienced this on and was hoping it was a temporary glitch and not a by product of the drinks package fleet wide.

Recent reports of a decline in bar service is ballyhoo. Never had a problem with getting drinks at any bars. Never saw a bartender bat an eye while serving someone on the soda package.

We're just back from the Legend, same 10-day cruise at the same time as last year.

We DEFINITELY noticed a decrease in the number of bar folks, and a decrease in the number of roaming servers.

Also, we found that a lot of new folks were being trained, which does slow things down somewhat.

At most of the bars (Schooner in particular) typical bar equipment was in short supply (pourers, shakers, etc.), and the staff spent a considerable amount of time tinkering with the 'register' for each customer.

Just our observations... your experience, of course, will be different.

Wendy

Hi There. we are leaving in 19 days on the Jewel of the Seas!! Wanted opinions on the drink package. Reading that bartenders are few. I did the math, would have to drink around 6 cocktails a day (avg. of 10.00 each) to break even. Not including getting bottled water or sodas (not sure what the cost of each is). Want feedback from those that have purchased and if you think it was worth it. I can drink 3-4 drinks an evening. Love vodka martinis. TIA for any feedback/pointers.

I was on Liberty last week (3/23) and posted this thread about what I saw as a decline in bar service and packages. Granted my experience was mine and what I personally saw, others may have had a different experience. But in my experience, nobody with a package or without, getting a soda, a beer, or the guy I saw getting 3 Mohitos in front of me, I felt nobody really got good, friendly, service with a smile around the pool bars. The female ice queen bartenders at the Champagne bar were equally surly. Flagging down a beer at the bar in Schooner was an exercise in arm-waving. Two possible exceptions were the bartender(winetender?) at vintages, and one bartender at the pub.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2189537

To be clear I think the bartenders are actually working "hard" in many cases, but the process is failing them: from registers that require multiple card swipes, too many keypunches, paper receipts, and the fact that there are too few bartenders. And there's no incentive to smile, be friendly, or deliver good service due to a built in gratuity. Over time that just has to be demotivating.

Hi There. we are leaving in 19 days on the Jewel of the Seas!! Wanted opinions on the drink package. Reading that bartenders are few. I did the math, would have to drink around 6 cocktails a day (avg. of 10.00 each) to break even. Not including getting bottled water or sodas (not sure what the cost of each is). Want feedback from those that have purchased and if you think it was worth it. I can drink 3-4 drinks an evening. Love vodka martinis. TIA for any feedback/pointers.

I was on Navigator a couple weeks ago. Drink prices have been raised and automatic tip is now 18%. Martinis are now $12 plus 18%. So $14.16. The drink package includes the 18%. 4 Vodka Martini's will get you to break even each day. And remember....that includes top shelf...Belvedere, Grey Goose, Ketel One, etc.

The drink package is well worth it if you like to drink on cruises.

I was on Liberty last week (3/23) and posted this thread about what I saw as a decline in bar service and packages. Granted my experience was mine and what I personally saw, others may have had a different experience. But in my experience, nobody with a package or without, getting a soda, a beer, or the guy I saw getting 3 Mohitos in front of me, I felt nobody really got good, friendly, service with a smile around the pool bars. The female ice queen bartenders at the Champagne bar were equally surly. Flagging down a beer at the bar in Schooner was an exercise in arm-waving. Two possible exceptions were the bartender(winetender?) at vintages, and one bartender at the pub.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2189537

 

To be clear I think the bartenders are actually working "hard" in many cases, but the process is failing them: from registers that require multiple card swipes, too many keypunches, paper receipts, and the fact that there are too few bartenders. And there's no incentive to smile, be friendly, or deliver good service due to a built in gratuity. Over time that just has to be demotivating.

Agree 100%. But I just added a dollar each time and when I needed a drink they were there. They knew my name and most nights in the casino they already knew my folio number and didn't even ask me for my card. It's actually really affordable to upgrade your experience. So if I added $5-$10 per day in extra bar tips it was worth it to me. People gave me funny looks when I would walk up to a crowded bar and the bar folks would drop everything and wait on me. Those folks leave their family for months on end for the $$$

Interesting posts and info. For the first time, we're buying beverage packages so we'll see how it goes.

I don't know how the bar staff does it but my experiences have been very positive.

Ok I have been reading all the past few days that it is very hard now to get drinks from the bar at the pool now that they have cut back on bartenders and pushed the drink packages.

 

We usually only drink at night but I get the Coke Package so I can have cold drinks by the pool on sea days. My past couple cruises the bartenders already seem irritated or bothered by those of us only getting Cokes from the bar presumably because they are not being tipped for a Coke the way they are for a $10 drink.

 

I can only assume that will be worse now that there are reported waits on most ships for bar service :(. In a way I feel like I wasted money now that I read that Independence of the Seas does not have Freestyle machines. This stinks, I probably will not get my moneys worth now that there will be lines and no freestyle machine.

Hmmm. This is only conjecture on your behalf. Unless I've missed something, RCL has not releasedany official statement as such. I'm not sure when you assume that this occurred, but if your cruising anytime during spring break, there are, will be, and have been "waits" on every cruise I've taken during this time frame. Having said this, I do think that Fountain Sevice Cola machines should be set up at and around the pool.

Hi There. we are leaving in 19 days on the Jewel of the Seas!! Wanted opinions on the drink package. Reading that bartenders are few. I did the math, would have to drink around 6 cocktails a day (avg. of 10.00 each) to break even. Not including getting bottled water or sodas (not sure what the cost of each is). Want feedback from those that have purchased and if you think it was worth it. I can drink 3-4 drinks an evening. Love vodka martinis. TIA for any feedback/pointers.

!9 days in a row... well I couldn't erin that much. But that's me. I've never cruised w/o the premium beverage package but my cruises were for 7 days in length. To me it's worth the purchasing the pkg as my math shows that it takes a 1 morning Bloody Mary, 2 afternoon beers, 1 wine at dinner, 1 after dinner drink, plus 1 or 2 drinks at night time. Some days more, some days less. But my tolerance of doing this for 19 days, I'm not so sure!

Anyway, have a great cruise!

Agree 100%. But I just added a dollar each time and when I needed a drink they were there. They knew my name and most nights in the casino they already knew my folio number and didn't even ask me for my card. It's actually really affordable to upgrade your experience. So if I added $5-$10 per day in extra bar tips it was worth it to me. People gave me funny looks when I would walk up to a crowded bar and the bar folks would drop everything and wait on me. Those folks leave their family for months on end for the $$$

That's awesome... I wish I could say the same, as I tipped a dollar on nearly every drink last week on Liberty as well (mostly beer, effectively increasing the tip %), and it made no difference at all. For $5-10 a day it'd be well worth it.

There is an old say (sort of):

"Be careful what you ask for, you might actually get it."

I agree that the bar service is not what it used to be. But not too many years ago I remember so many CC members complaining that they were always being asked by bar waiters around the pool if they wanted a drink, and it was annoying. They just "wished" they would be left alone. Now, they're left alone and so many complaints about lack of being asked about drinks.

The consensus seems to be that the Beverage Package is the main reason for slow bar service and unfriendly bar tenders. Do you really want the Beverage Package discontinued so that the Bar tenders will smile because you are now tipping them $2 on a $12 drink? Because that's what seems to be the only answer.

The consensus is that RCCL jacked up the prices of drinks to sell more Beverage Packages and make more money. Yet that leads to worse service. So people are questioning the value of the package. If you can't get enough drinks due to lack of service to justify buying the package they'll lose money.

If we throw out the conspiracy theories and look at reality, RCCL exists to make a profit. After 9/11 the industry changed. Like the airlines, the cruise lines built so many ships that they needed to reduce prices to fill them. Like flying, Cruising today is way cheaper than in the past. So, how do they make money with lower prices and higher fuel costs? Simple, sell stuff on the ship. Drink prices are about the same as you'd find at any resort, hotel, or nice bar. So they aren't "out of line." Upcharge restaurants are, in my opinion, cheaper than on land. You can't go to a Chops quality restaurant on land for $35 including unlimited appetizers and desserts.

But the another way they added to the bottom line was with crew cutbacks. They got rid of wines stewards and many bar servers. This might also be partly caused by so many ships out there that there just isn't enough people to staff all the ships to the old levels. It's a pretty hard job with a lot of sacrifice and little reward.

So, as much as I'd like to go back to the old days, ask yourself this, are you willing to pay higher prices to justify them adding crew members? Seaborne has way more crew per passenger ratio. Also costs $3500 per person for the cheapest cabin in the Caribbean for a 7 night cruise.

You most often get what you pay for.

There is an old say (sort of):

"Be careful what you ask for, you might actually get it."

I agree that the bar service is not what it used to be. But not too many years ago I remember so many CC members complaining that they were always being asked by bar waiters around the pool if they wanted a drink, and it was annoying. They just "wished" they would be left alone. Now, they're left alone and so many complaints about lack of being asked about drinks.

The consensus seems to be that the Beverage Package is the main reason for slow bar service and unfriendly bar tenders. Do you really want the Beverage Package discontinued so that the Bar tenders will smile because you are now tipping them $2 on a $12 drink? Because that's what seems to be the only answer.

The consensus is that RCCL jacked up the prices of drinks to sell more Beverage Packages and make more money. Yet that leads to worse service. So people are questioning the value of the package. If you can't get enough drinks due to lack of service to justify buying the package they'll lose money.

If we throw out the conspiracy theories and look at reality, RCCL exists to make a profit. After 9/11 the industry changed. Like the airlines, the cruise lines built so many ships that they needed to reduce prices to fill them. Like flying, Cruising today is way cheaper than in the past. So, how do they make money with lower prices and higher fuel costs? Simple, sell stuff on the ship. Drink prices are about the same as you'd find at any resort, hotel, or nice bar. So they aren't "out of line." Upcharge restaurants are, in my opinion, cheaper than on land. You can't go to a Chops quality restaurant on land for $35 including unlimited appetizers and desserts.

But the another way they added to the bottom line was with crew cutbacks. They got rid of wines stewards and many bar servers. This might also be partly caused by so many ships out there that there just isn't enough people to staff all the ships to the old levels. It's a pretty hard job with a lot of sacrifice and little reward.

So, as much as I'd like to go back to the old days, ask yourself this, are you willing to pay higher prices to justify them adding crew members? Seaborne has way more crew per passenger ratio. Also costs $3500 per person for the cheapest cabin in the Caribbean for a 7 night cruise.

You most often get what you pay for.

$35 isn't all of what you are paying pp for Chops. That is above what you've already spent on normal food on the cruise. Add in that and any beverages, and you are most likely at or above an equivalent land-based operation of similar quality/experience.

$35 isn't all of what you are paying pp for Chops. That is above what you've already spent on normal food on the cruise. Add in that and any beverages, and you are most likely at or above an equivalent land-based operation of similar quality/experience.

Should I add in the groceries I buy during the week, gas for my car, and tip for the valet to get an actual cost of a land based restaurant too? :eek:

We just had the Coke package on Brilliance. While it was more challenging to get service at the pool bar, we did find that just walking over to the Solarium bar got us served more quickly. Windjammer also had quick service for Coke requests.

Am I missing something. Tips were always "added" to the bar bill since I can remember. So the packages is no different. Tips on a soda is only small change.

My wife and kids have never had an issue getting soda at any bar or at the pool. I get the drink package. I never had any issue getting a soda, beer or drink at any bar.

Should I add in the groceries I buy during the week, gas for my car, and tip for the valet to get an actual cost of a land based restaurant too? :eek:

Probably pales into comparison to the cost to get to the middle of the ocean, sea, etc. and still needing an upcharge to eat there. $35 isn't a realistic cost to say that is all you pay for Chops because that's really not what you are paying to just get on a boat to make reservations.