Frozen Drinks on RCCL Ships

Has anyone noticed in the past two years how much the drink menus have shrunk- ESPECIALLY the frozen drinks and by the pool bars? I noticed that they've switched frozen drink mix vendors from Island Oasis to Sunsational (which is a Nestle brand). The Island Oasis machines at the bar have all been replaced with Vitamix blenders. Even going back two years, ALL the bars had menus with an extensive drink selection and an extensive selection of flavors (ex: DAQUIRIS- strawberry, lime, peach, banana, guava, mango, wildberry etc...). Now there's very little advertised frozen ANYTHING. Most people just order a Pina Colada or a Strawberry Daquiri by default because they're the most familiar frozen drinks. Remember the days of frozen Rum Runners? Guava Lavas? Frozen Lemonades? I asked the bartender if he could make me a frozen peach daquiri and he was like uhhhhhh maybe...

I find it odd that with so much $$ spent by passengers on specialty drinks by the pool that they'd cut the selections so drastically.

Our experience has been that the bartenders will make any drink we want, even if it's not on the menu, as long as they have the ingredients.

Now that so many buy the packages up front they probably see no need to offer as much. Just like the reduction in waiters at the pool etc. They already have your money.

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I like the change in vendors. The taste is the same and the new blenders are just as good and 100 times quieter.

Our experience has been that the bartenders will make any drink we want, even if it's not on the menu, as long as they have the ingredients.

Yep. Went to the bar and asked if he could make me a Banana Monkey (what they call it at a resort in Playa del Carmen) and he got a confused smile on his face. I said "basically it's a Mudslide with banana" and he said "sure I'll give it a whirl!". Wasn't quite the same with banana liqueur instead of fresh banana, but it did the job. :cool:

Just off OASIS after not having sailed RCL for a few years.

I noticed how few labels the better bars were stocking now .... Schooner clearly had less that half the choices of old ...

They've cut WAY back.

Wonder why???? well, while we were sitting at Schooner a couple of 'suits' (really crappy fitting suits) came by with clip boards and stopwatches. AUDITORS!!!! Takes one to know one ..... dw is a CPA ... measuring how long it took to serve an order ..... they were around for at least 30 minutes. Want to speed up service? Limit choices! It was sad. The two guys working the bar were obviously 'aware' but truthfully they ALWAYS hustled when necessary IME.

OTOH I'm thinking on my next cruise I may walk around several hours each day with a clipboard and stopwatch just for fun

Just off OASIS after not having sailed RCL for a few years.

 

I noticed how few labels the better bars were stocking now .... Schooner clearly had less that half the choices of old ...

 

They've cut WAY back.

 

Wonder why???? well, while we were sitting at Schooner a couple of 'suits' (really crappy fitting suits) came by with clip boards and stopwatches. AUDITORS!!!! Takes one to know one ..... dw is a CPA ... measuring how long it took to serve an order ..... they were around for at least 30 minutes. Want to speed up service? Limit choices! It was sad. The two guys working the bar were obviously 'aware' but truthfully they ALWAYS hustled when necessary IME.

 

OTOH I'm thinking on my next cruise I may walk around several hours each day with a clipboard and stopwatch just for fun

That does sound like fun! ;) :D

Just off OASIS after not having sailed RCL for a few years.

 

I noticed how few labels the better bars were stocking now .... Schooner clearly had less that half the choices of old ...

 

They've cut WAY back.

 

Wonder why???? well, while we were sitting at Schooner a couple of 'suits' (really crappy fitting suits) came by with clip boards and stopwatches. AUDITORS!!!! Takes one to know one ..... dw is a CPA ... measuring how long it took to serve an order ..... they were around for at least 30 minutes. Want to speed up service? Limit choices! It was sad. The two guys working the bar were obviously 'aware' but truthfully they ALWAYS hustled when necessary IME.

 

OTOH I'm thinking on my next cruise I may walk around several hours each day with a clipboard and stopwatch just for fun

Don't forget to bring an ill fitting suit :D

dp

Now that so many buy the packages up front they probably see no need to offer as much. Just like the reduction in waiters at the pool etc. They already have your money.

 

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I noticed how few labels the better bars were stocking now .... Schooner clearly had less that half the choices of old ...

 

They've cut WAY back.

Not on RCCL, but on a recent NCL cruise, we noticed that some of our favorites were no longer on display. We asked about them and found that they had some in the back, but couldn’t put it out because they had to conform to a very specific bottle display layout governed by the corporate offices (they even showed us the photo that they use to set the display).

So, every evening from that point forward, we would swing by the bar and ask for our favorite liquors...and they would head to the back room to get it for us. After we were done being served, the bottle went back in the back.

Not every bar had it available, but some did. Never hurts to ask around!

On the Allure last week, we could get a peach daiquiri at the Sabor bar, but not in the Schooner bar. Went down to Central Park and they made me a peach daiquiri. However, all three bars had the makings for a strawberry daiquiri. At the pool bar, the bartender had no idea how to make a plain daiquiri and gave us a strawberry daiquiri which I detest. <sigh>

We had two issued on Grandeur in August.

1) I LOVE caipirihnas. I was so happy to find them available. Except, they only had two partial bottles of cachaca on the whole ship. Once we drank what they had, no more for the rest of the cruise. Even after port stops. This is a listed drink, and the cachaca is a listed liquor on their menu. And they ran out, and would not even pick up a couple of bottles in port.

2) We were talking with a couple and the mention of grasshopper drink came up. My GF loves mint, so figured get her one to try. NO CREME DE MENTHE ON BOARD. None, nada, zero. REALLY?

Is RCI getting that cheap, or is the provisions manager that bad on Grandeur?

I, too, love caipirinhas. [emoji1]

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I, too, love caipirinhas. [emoji1]

 

 

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I had one at Boleros on Navigator last week and can’t say I loved it. That said, there were plenty being ordered and they had more than enough supplies to make them throughout our two weeks onboard.

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We had two issued on Grandeur in August.

 

1) I LOVE caipirihnas. I was so happy to find them available. Except, they only had two partial bottles of cachaca on the whole ship. Once we drank what they had, no more for the rest of the cruise. Even after port stops. This is a listed drink, and the cachaca is a listed liquor on their menu. And they ran out, and would not even pick up a couple of bottles in port.

 

2) We were talking with a couple and the mention of grasshopper drink came up. My GF loves mint, so figured get her one to try. NO CREME DE MENTHE ON BOARD. None, nada, zero. REALLY?

 

Is RCI getting that cheap, or is the provisions manager that bad on Grandeur?

A lot has to do with kick backs. They have a budget for each cruise. If they come in under budget they get a kick back. I think that is the worst thing you can do as a company. I think if you come in under budget you get a thank you. And not a dime in your pocket for under ordering.

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We had two issued on Grandeur in August.

 

1) I LOVE caipirihnas. I was so happy to find them available. Except, they only had two partial bottles of cachaca on the whole ship. Once we drank what they had, no more for the rest of the cruise. Even after port stops. This is a listed drink, and the cachaca is a listed liquor on their menu. And they ran out, and would not even pick up a couple of bottles in port.

 

2) We were talking with a couple and the mention of grasshopper drink came up. My GF loves mint, so figured get her one to try. NO CREME DE MENTHE ON BOARD. None, nada, zero. REALLY?

 

Is RCI getting that cheap, or is the provisions manager that bad on Grandeur?

I was on Anthem last march. My wife and I enjoy a simple White Crème de Menthe mixed with club soda after a good meal. Most of the time, the bartender would have to go elsewhere to get a bottle, or they substituted with the Green Crème de Menthe. Even peppermint schnapps works but mostly we just found the green stuff. I don't mind the green except it makes your teeth green and you look like your drinking Palmolive dish soap :o... on ice ;)

But, oddly enough, we ordered several drinks that were not on the menus and the bartenders were up to the challenge to making them without having to look them up. Except for a Weng Weng, and a Big Red. I had to show them the recipe for those 2. For the Weng Weng, it contains 6 different liquors and 3 mixers and they still rang it through on the Package :D

dp

On the Allure last week, we could get a peach daiquiri at the Sabor bar, but not in the Schooner bar. Went down to Central Park and they made me a peach daiquiri. However, all three bars had the makings for a strawberry daiquiri. At the pool bar, the bartender had no idea how to make a plain daiquiri and gave us a strawberry daiquiri which I detest. <sigh>

What’s a plain daiquiri

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What’s a plain daiquiri

 

 

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Rum, lime juice, sugar (ice if frozen).

My only complaint about selections on Royal ships is they sell Captain Morgan Private Stock in the store but not in the bars. I put it on every survey to no avail.

My only complaint about selections on Royal ships is they sell Captain Morgan Private Stock in the store but not in the bars. I put it on every survey to no avail.

But.....but.....but......

IT'S PRIVATE! [emoji4][emoji1]

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I probably spend a little too much time sitting at the bar as I enjoy people watching and chatting with the bartenders (and sipping the odd cocktail). Last week on Anthem they only stocked 4 different frozen mixers: Lime, Mango, Strawberry and Coconut. Probably 75% of the frozen drinks I saw ordered were Pina Coladas followed by Mudslides and Miami Vice. Maybe it was just the pool area, but not a lot of variety seems to get ordered and I'm guessing Royal stocks their bars accordingly.

But.....but.....but......

 

IT'S PRIVATE! [emoji4][emoji1]

 

 

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I probably spend a little too much time sitting at the bar as I enjoy people watching and chatting with the bartenders (and sipping the odd cocktail). Last week on Anthem they only stocked 4 different frozen mixers: Lime, Mango, Strawberry and Coconut. Probably 75% of the frozen drinks I saw ordered were Pina Coladas followed by Mudslides and Miami Vice. Maybe it was just the pool area, but not a lot of variety seems to get ordered and I'm guessing Royal stocks their bars accordingly.

That is especially true when there are either no drink menus or very limited ones. Very few people know much about cocktails or can recall many of them. So people order what they know. Even more so when paying $12 or $13 + 18% per drink. With the pushing of the packages, the menus became more and more limited. It is WAY too much fun wneh you have a drink package and sift through an extensive bar menu such as the ones pre-2015 and order different drinks to try them. Luckily I still have them on file thanks to Gambee.

EDIT: They are still available if you scroll down this page:

http://www.cruisewithgambee.com/royal-caribbean-drink-package/

That page hasn't been updated in a while and the menus are from 2014... back when they actually had bar menus.

dp

Just out of curiosity, what are the prices for a non alcohol frozen drink?

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Just out of curiosity, what are the prices for a non alcohol frozen drink?

Usually around $5.