Cost of alcohol on most cruise lines

[divingmedic]

OK I have never been on a cruise. But I am considering taking my wife and daughter on a cruise this year. We normally spend 10 days at an all inclusive resort. While the wife and I do not drink a lot, we do like that we do not have to pay for alcohol at these resorts. Also it is nice for my daughter to be able to get what ever virgin frozen drink she wants. I have had co workers that came back from cruises moaning about the bar bills. So can some one tell some of the prices for drinks on these ships?

[cb at sea]

In the past, they were comparable to land bars...but the prices have risen in the last year or so...figure in the $5 range for mixed drinks, $7-8 for frozen concoctions and in the $4 range for most beers.... Wine....don't even try--waaaaay overpriced!

I'm not sure how they charge for "virgin" frozen drinks...

[divingmedic]

In the past, they were comparable to land bars...but the prices have risen in the last year or so...figure in the $5 range for mixed drinks, $7-8 for frozen concoctions and in the $4 range for most beers.... Wine....don't even try--waaaaay overpriced!

I'm not sure how they charge for "virgin" frozen drinks...

Wow that much eh? I can get beer cheaper in an "adult entertainment" bar.

[SBAnt]

If you live in any major city, the drink prices are right in line with what you will pay at a bar. If you live in the middle of the country, where beers are 2 bucks, the bar bill seems ridiculous. It's all perspective and experience as to how much you'll spend and how outrageous it is.

[geoherb]

On our recent Crown Princess cruise, they had drink specials in the lounges after 8 p.m. Well drinks were $2.99 plus 15% gratuity.

 

We generally bring along some wine to enjoy in our cabin. Princess and Holland America are the friendliest cruise lines for allowing this. Celebrity limits passengers to two bottles per cabin. The security folks took our two bottles at embarkation and did not deliver them until the second night on our last Celebrity cruise. The corkage fee on Celebrity has also gotten out of hand--it's now $25 a bottle. Corkage is $15 a bottle on Princess and HAL.

[John Bull]

You think you've got problems?

Try using sterling at about $1.40 to the £1 :eek:

(in the past I've gotten up to $2 to £1)

 

My experience has been

- UK ships have always given good value (around £2.50 pint of beer, wine from around £12 a bottle). And no service charge. And P&O allow you to bring alcohol aboard - or buy from their duty-free - for consumption in your cabin, provided that this concession isn't abused.

- US ships have always been more expensive, (though generous with the spirits measure)

- Italian ships have always been the most expensive, though that does depend on exchange rates

 

Never tried it, but it seems that its easier to smuggle drugs or explosives aboard a cruise ship than to smuggle a tipple :rolleyes:

 

Cheers :)

 

John Bull

[stellatj]

the kids virgin drinks are 3.95 each plus 15 percent tip

[divingmedic]

the kids virgin drinks are 3.95 each plus 15 percent tip

Not very encouraging to attract some one to take a cruise.

[WeTakeBreks]

How many virgin frozen drinks does your kid expect to guzzle in a week? Would you really let that decide whether to cruise or not? Please carefully consider-those of us wanting to enjoy and not sweat the small stuff would appreciate it.

[Putterdude]

Drinks aboard ships are about what you would expect to pay in your average bar..mixed drinks are in the $6.50 to $7.50 range, beer about $4 per can and wine well anywhere from $25 to $55/ bottle but there is a large selection in the low to mid $30 range. A 15% gratutity is added to all of these prices.

[divingmedic]

How many virgin frozen drinks does your kid expect to guzzle in a week? Would you really let that decide whether to cruise or not? Please carefully consider-those of us wanting to enjoy and not sweat the small stuff would appreciate it.

 

Why should it matter to you how many frozen drinks my kid has in a week. From what I am finding out doing research is that while you may get to eat all you want on a cruise, they get you and get you good on everything else. I spoke with friends yesterday that have cruised and everyone ended up with over 700 dollars plus bar tabs at the end of the cruise. You pay 3k for a cruise, another 1k for drinks and you could have stayed 2 weeks at a high end all inclusive for the same price. And for your last comment, it really makes you sound snobbish, boorish, over bearing and pompous.

[cruisinwithboys]

I'm spoiled, I don't have to fly to get on a cruise so my $3k for a family of four plus the $1k in drinks (at least:rolleyes:) comes out to be cheaper than the all inclusive resorts for us because we don't have to add air fare. Being in Texas you could drive to Galveston and drink your air fare! Also, if you guys don't drink that much, you probably don't have to worry about it too much. My DH and I drink A LOT :eek: so $1k probably isn't an average bar bill.

 

That being said, there are a lot of little tips that can save you money. On Carnival and RCI you can buy the drink in a fancy glass for $6-7 but if you keep it and get refills they only charge $4.50-$5.50. Also, they try to trick you with some drinks. A Bahama Mama is usually $7 (not refill price) while a Mai Tai is $5.50 (not refill price) for basically the same drink. Granted you are "sacrificing" banana liquor for amaretto in a Mai Tai but you also save some cash.

 

I think you should try a cruise. At the very least it could be a sampling of where you could go on your next all inclusive resort vacation! Have fun!

[divingmedic]

I'm spoiled, I don't have to fly to get on a cruise so my $3k for a family of four plus the $1k in drinks (at least:rolleyes:) comes out to be cheaper than the all inclusive resorts for us because we don't have to add air fare. Being in Texas you could drive to Galveston and drink your air fare! Also, if you guys don't drink that much, you probably don't have to worry about it too much. My DH and I drink A LOT :eek: so $1k probably isn't an average bar bill.

 

That being said, there are a lot of little tips that can save you money. On Carnival and RCI you can buy the drink in a fancy glass for $6-7 but if you keep it and get refills they only charge $4.50-$5.50. Also, they try to trick you with some drinks. A Bahama Mama is usually $7 (not refill price) while a Mai Tai is $5.50 (not refill price) for basically the same drink. Granted you are "sacrificing" banana liquor for amaretto in a Mai Tai but you also save some cash.

 

I think you should try a cruise. At the very least it could be a sampling of where you could go on your next all inclusive resort vacation! Have fun!

Thanks for that info. I just might have to suck it up and eat a large bar bill. I look at going out of Galveston, no cruises long enough for me. I only get 7 days a year off, and that includes sick time, so I must maximize my time off. That and every thing going out of there goes to places we have already visited. So what beers to they serve on most ships. I can not and will not drink Miller, Coors, Budwiser or any light or lite versions of beers.

[cruisinwithboys]

Thanks for that info. I just might have to suck it up and eat a large bar bill. I look at going out of Galveston, no cruises long enough for me. I only get 7 days a year off, and that includes sick time, so I must maximize my time off. That and every thing going out of there goes to places we have already visited. So what beers to they serve on most ships. I can not and will not drink Miller, Coors, Budwiser or any light or lite versions of beers.

 

There is a decent variety of beers on the ship. Anything from Stella, to Newcastle, XX, and I've even seen Sweetwater. Bucket of beers might be the way to go for you because it is like buy 4 get 1 free. Just make sure they don't open all the bottles at once, they might get flat by the time you make your way around the bucket!

[divingmedic]

There is a decent variety of beers on the ship. Anything from Stella, to Newcastle, XX, and I've even seen Sweetwater. Bucket of beers might be the way to go for you because it is like buy 4 get 1 free. Just make sure they don't open all the bottles at once, they might get flat by the time you make your way around the bucket!

Thank you so much for that information. Now we just need to find out when and where we will go.

[vagabond_b]

I spoke with friends yesterday that have cruised and everyone ended up with over 700 dollars plus bar tabs at the end of the cruise. You pay 3k for a cruise, another 1k for drinks and you could have stayed 2 weeks at a high end all inclusive for the same price.

 

I completely agree with this. In my opinion, if you are cruising because you want to kick back, relax, have some drinks and good food with nice weather, then an all inclusive resort is a MUCH better choice for someone living in North America. There are lots of all-inclusive choices nearby and therefore, airfare is usually cheap. We only cruise to places where due to the price associated with getting there (i.e. our Egypt/Turkey cruise) or because of the lack of all-inclusive resorts there (pretty much everywhere except Mexico, the Carib and some of SE Asia) its too expensive to NOT take a cruise. In other words, if we flew to Turkey and Egypt which were two spots on our last cruise, and got similar accomodations to that we had on the ship, we would have spent about $1,200 more (including food and local transport) than we did on a cruise that also brought us to Barcelona and back to Greece as a bonus. So, I would carefully consider what the goals of your vacation are before choosing a cruise. Good luck!

[Fattony]

With the all-inclusive resort, you were still paying for the drinks, but it was averaged out among guests and included in the initial fare. Cruise costs have kept relatively low, but, as with airlines, you're paying for things that used to be included. I'd agree with those who said the costs were in line with a hotel bar. On the two cruises I've been on (both Princess), I usually ordered beer, sometimes wine. Once in a while I had something like brandy, but didn't specify the brand. I found the soft drink prices rather high, but not enough to justify, for me at least, the "unlimited cup" plan. They even charged for coffee outside of meal hours. I don't recall the beers they had, but I think there was always at least one "premium" brand available. I think they had Guinness in the bars, but can't swear they did. If you're going to Mexico, I suspect they'll have Corona (which I prsonally put on a par with Bud, but which some like). If you call the cruise line they may be able to clue you in. There are allowances for how much booze youc an bring on board, so if push comes to shove maybe you can bring 2-3 bottles of some special beer on board iwth you.

[silentbob007]

This is very simple ... if you spend most of your day onboard with a drink in your hand (or get carried away with signing and drinking and not keeping track of the dollars), then yes, your bar bill will be high. There are plenty of free drinks onboard (water, lemonade, fruit punch, etc) and soda cards (~$4/day for a child) that may help the non-drinking average instead of drinking iced non-alcoholic drinks.

[uppitycats]

Someone suggested that an all-inclusive resort would be cheaper.

 

Maybe. But as far as I know, an all-inclusive resort doesn't go to a variety of ports, allowing different experiences in each port. You get to a resort, and you're pretty much "stuck" there for the duration of your vacation. If the weather is crappy today and a front is hovering overhead, it'll be crappy tomorrow. With a cruise, however, there is at least the possibility that it'll be better tomorrow, in a different city.

 

And once you're at the resort .. after you've done the swimming/snorkeling thing, maybe played golf, done whatever else the resort offered...you're done. On a cruise, a new port offers new opportunities for sightseeing -- and if it is raining, maybe a museum or some other "indoor activity" that'll be new.

 

Is alcohol expensive on a ship? You bet! Beer at my local bar is $1.25. If you want "fancy stuff", maybe as much as $3. "Rail drinks" are $1.50 during "happy hour", a whole $2.50!!! regular price. So we got hit with "sticker shock" big time on our first cruise. But then I visited a couple of large cities here in the US, went to a hotel bar...and realized that what was being charged on the ship was comparable. So I shut up, budgeted better, and wasn't so shocked the next time.

 

I wonder if the folks who come back from a cruise complaining about the huge bar bill ever stayed at home for a week, went to a nearby city and partied every night, drinking as much as they would have on the ship - -and kept track of their bar bill? I wonder how that would compare?

[vagabond_b]

Someone suggested that an all-inclusive resort would be cheaper.

 

Maybe. But as far as I know, an all-inclusive resort doesn't go to a variety of ports, allowing different experiences in each port. You get to a resort, and you're pretty much "stuck" there for the duration of your vacation. If the weather is crappy today and a front is hovering overhead, it'll be crappy tomorrow. With a cruise, however, there is at least the possibility that it'll be better tomorrow, in a different city.

 

This was my point exactly. When we did our Eastern Med cruise we went into it because we would go to several places we wanted to visit but our budget wouldn't allow if we HAD NOT cruised. How else could you see Barcelona, Rome, Egypt, Greece, Turkey and Malta in 12 days with all food and lodging included for less than $2,300. Toss in drinks, flight to Barcelona, 2 nights hotel in Barcelona and tours and we still only spent about $4,500 for 2 people. However, as I stated before, if seeing multiple places isn't what you are aiming for and you just want to be stationary with a drink in hand and being pampered, then an all inclusive is the place to be. You could be at a fabulous all-inclusive in Jamaica for 12 nights for around $3,800 including airfare from most major US cities. I say this from experience at both an all-inclusive and on cruise ships. So, it all depends on what you want from your vacation. Sometimes we want the sit in one place and do nothing vacation and sometimes we don't.

[Bonnie J.]

If you ask for 'house' whatever it will be less. Cruise last week I had one glass of wine. It was $6.00 PLUS automatic tip of .90 so it was $6.90! Cruise before in April my husband had a gin & tonic, I had wine. I asked for house brand and he didn't. It was $14+ for us, one drink each. Next night asked for same thing but he asked for house brand as did I. It was $12+. Everything from the bar - drinks, sodas, virgin drinks- have an automatic 15% added as a tip. Even two or three drinlks everynight on a cruise can end up a LOT of $$$$$!!!

I tell all 1st time cruisers to sit down the last morning when they look at their bill which they will have when they wake up under their door. If they aren't sitting down, they will fall over when they see how much it is!

Oh, if you get a drink in a souvenir glass you have bought the glass! You can take the empty to any bar and they will give you a clean one. Refills in this glass are less and you can use it the whole cruise for this. You daughter would probably love one for her virgins.We never buy drinks in the glass anymore but think they are $7.95 each.

Prices are why we don't really drink on cruises anymore and don't take anything in our rum runners now.

[Donray]

Why should it matter to you how many frozen drinks my kid has in a week. From what I am finding out doing research is that while you may get to eat all you want on a cruise, they get you and get you good on everything else. I spoke with friends yesterday that have cruised and everyone ended up with over 700 dollars plus bar tabs at the end of the cruise. You pay 3k for a cruise, another 1k for drinks and you could have stayed 2 weeks at a high end all inclusive for the same price. And for your last comment, it really makes you sound snobbish, boorish, over bearing and pompous.

 

I don't understand your snotty reply.

Don't cruise if you think you cannot afford it. Go to your all inculsive resorts.

You did not need to get nasty in your reply.

[CruisinKLB]

I just got the Sea Princess and before 8pm most drinks were $6.95 and that included the 15% gratuity. However, if you drink after 8pm almost everything was $2.99. Since it took us a while to get thru dinner, most of our drikining happened after 8pm anyways.

 

We also bought ourselves a soda card for $42.50 for the 10 day trip and my husband and I just shared it. You can get iced tea, hot tea, lemonade and regular coffee for free.

[Taxguy77]

Why should it matter to you how many frozen drinks my kid has in a week. From what I am finding out doing research is that while you may get to eat all you want on a cruise, they get you and get you good on everything else. I spoke with friends yesterday that have cruised and everyone ended up with over 700 dollars plus bar tabs at the end of the cruise. You pay 3k for a cruise, another 1k for drinks and you could have stayed 2 weeks at a high end all inclusive for the same price. And for your last comment, it really makes you sound snobbish, boorish, over bearing and pompous.

 

Only3K for a cruise? Does it go anywhere?

Only 3 K for 2 weeks all-inclusive? Where would that be?

 

Yes, cruiselines charge big-city prices for booze and a lot of other things. Add your anticipated bar bill to the price of the cruise, plus port fees, mandatory tips ($10 or more pp/day), transportation to and from port, and then decide if you want to cruise.