$12 Drinks? No thanks!

[coldflame]

Got off the ship yesterday. My only real lasting memory – a breathtaking $12 + tips for a drink. I was in a group of 14 people on this cruise (4 children though), and 8 of them said they'd never cruise RC again due to the drink prices. TWELVE DOLLARS for basically a Slurpee with a shot of rum? Insane. We were on a port intensive itinerary, so the drink packages didn't make any sense since we weren't back onboard until after 5pm. One couple in our group ordered a first round of drinks before dinner on day one - the tab was over $26, and that wound up being their last drink onboard.

 

The pool bar was rarely busy, even though it was spring break week and the ship was packed. There was rarely 3-4 people there, even at the height of the day. Not the lines 2-3 rows deep you see on other cruises.

 

We were planning on taking advantage of the onboard booking incentives for one of the longer Serenade cruises this November but cancelled those plans after being hit with these crazy drink prices. For the first time in 15 years and 12 cruises I'm now considering other cruise lines. A couple - my closest friend and his wife - went with us on this cruise and called me this morning to let us know that they booked another line for this November instead. We may follow their lead.

 

This was my most disappointing cruise ever.

 

What other cruise lines exactly? Alcoholic bevs are pricey on every cruise I've stepped onto. $12 + gratuity for a daiquiri or 'rita is not all that bad. DCL has pretty much same pricing $10 coladas (cheapest mixed drink) and $12-14 mixed drinks + auto gratuity. Not sure what pricing were you expecting, but that's on par of what I've seen in the industry.

[Goodtime Cruizin]

But like you said, you have other options with excursions. You can book with an outside company. You don't have that option where alcohol is concerned.

 

Yeppers and the $$$ saved go to other amenities on the ship that I can enjoy! :)

[ryano]

Did you order any "lousy" $12 cocktails? Just curious, because I've seen a few people insulting the quality of the drinks, but I found the ones I tried to be very good. I'd rather have paid less than $12 plus 18% for them, but they were good.

 

It seemed to depend on the bar really. A few of the lava flows I ordered I almost questioned if they were virgin drinks. :o Same with the labadoozie I had at Labadee. Maybe it was just I remember them being much stronger in the past. Schooner bar made the best drinks and they were spot on in service. Every time. I documented all this in the survey today.

 

Overall I was unimpressed with the drinks and bar service which is why I didn't drink much at all onboard. If they are gonna charge me 14 dollars for a drink at least make it a DRINK and provide halfway decent service :)

Edited April 22, 2015 by ryano

[Retired LEO]

It seemed to depend on the bar really. A few of the lava flows I ordered I almost questioned if they were virgin drinks. :o Same with the labadoozie I had at Labadee. Maybe it was just I remember them being much stronger in the past. Schooner bar made the best drinks and they were spot on in service. Every time. I documented all this in the survey today.

 

Overall I was unimpressed with the drinks and bar service which is why I didn't drink much at all onboard. If they are gonna charge me 14 dollars for a drink at least make it a DRINK and provide halfway decent service :)

 

Recently on the Enchantment every bartender on the pool deck were doing exact pours. 1 shot and that was it. No more tipping the bottle while smiling at you.

[GUT2407]

Recently on the Enchantment every bartender on the pool deck were doing exact pours. 1 shot and that was it. No more tipping the bottle while smiling at you.

 

 

I could never understand free pours.

 

Years ago I worked in the Hotel Industry, both house and Food and Bev a big issue was stock control, which included portion control I would think that would be even more important on a ship, if you are budgeting to sell 700 shots of [lets say] vodka, either by itself or in mixed drinks, you will probably stock 1500 shots, but if free pours are going on what is a shot, how many cases do you need what about the customer who says his drink isn't strong enough?

[sauvichick]

I subscribed to this thread when it first began. Can people take pictures of the drink menus with prices from different bars on different ships. Someone posted a very recent menu on one of these drink threads. (blue and white menu with limited options) Also,has anyone taken the time to explore other drink related threads on other cruise lines and report back? At this point I am not planning to change my Liberty cruise. I can tell you that my next cruise won't be until 2016 or 2017 so if I jump ship I have plenty of time to research other cruise lines or an AI. There are many options out there and I've only tried 4.

Edited April 22, 2015 by sauvichick

[Tunkhannock]

Of course, it wouldn't be too surprising if different people said such different things. We're not all robots programmed to have the same opinions on everything. Perhaps you'd like it better if we were? ;)

 

Well, I don't know if I could agree with tha...ERROR ERROR INPUT DOES NOT COMPUTE.

 

[Mass2Cruise]

It's funny that I'm just seeing this thread now. We were on Q in December and noticed all the prices were higher than our last cruise on Freedom. Beers were 1/1.50 more. Jameson and Ginger the same. We sat, once, at the bar in the Solarium until we realized all the drinks were 12-14 bucks. Definitely had less on that cruise than in the past. No drink packages for us. Thought it was just the new ship pricing. Come home and now hearing the same increases we thought were Q only are now ship wide. Sad day. Been doing RCCL for a few years now and the cost for a family of three has definitely gone up about 1k for a cruise.

[dpostman]

What other cruise lines exactly? Alcoholic bevs are pricey on every cruise I've stepped onto. $12 + gratuity for a daiquiri or 'rita is not all that bad. DCL has pretty much same pricing $10 coladas (cheapest mixed drink) and $12-14 mixed drinks + auto gratuity. Not sure what pricing were you expecting, but that's on par of what I've seen in the industry.

 

That is a little bit unfair comparison since DCL lets you bring your own booze on board.

 

Out of curiosity, I did scan through some of the other cruise line sections in CC and found very little discussion about drinks pricing. So Either the Royal crowd are just complainers... or that the royal crowd do have a legitimate issue with RCL's drink pricing strategies.

 

I think the later.

 

dp

[Ocean Boy]

I agree - $3.00 is too much for water so I don't buy it. Water is free on board. On the other hand - don't forget $4.00 for water in airport plus the $10 sandwich.

 

I don't buy those either.

[Ocean Boy]

My wife had a $12 Margarita at Olive or Twist. She didn't have a lot of praise for it.

 

Another thing that I noticed is that shipwide the bartenders didn't seem to be interested in striking up much conversation or building rapport.

It seems like the packages are getting in the way of personal attention. I don't know how the gratuities work with a package-does a bartender receive 18% on every drink poured, or is everything pooled? I always try to leave my extra tips in cash so that they actually go to the server involved (especially in the MDR where I will see him/her consistently).

 

I found this to vary on Independence. The first evening I went to Boleros and asked the bartender for a cosmopolitan. He said it was not covered as a diamond drink and I'd have to pay and he was not all that nice about it. Of course, since I knew from these boards that people have gotten them I simply walked through the casino to the Schooner bar and got exactly what I was looking for. In addition I got a very friendly bartender who I very much enjoyed the rest of the week. And he got a pretty substantial tip at the end of the week for his efforts. So things worked out pretty well for both of us.

[Ocean Boy]

What other cruise lines exactly? Alcoholic bevs are pricey on every cruise I've stepped onto. $12 + gratuity for a daiquiri or 'rita is not all that bad. DCL has pretty much same pricing $10 coladas (cheapest mixed drink) and $12-14 mixed drinks + auto gratuity. Not sure what pricing were you expecting, but that's on par of what I've seen in the industry.

 

You got this far through the thread and still don't realize that the main issue has been the sudden jump. For many of us these prices is not what we have been used to at all.

[Ocean Boy]

I could never understand free pours.

 

Years ago I worked in the Hotel Industry, both house and Food and Bev a big issue was stock control, which included portion control I would think that would be even more important on a ship, if you are budgeting to sell 700 shots of [lets say] vodka, either by itself or in mixed drinks, you will probably stock 1500 shots, but if free pours are going on what is a shot, how many cases do you need what about the customer who says his drink isn't strong enough?

 

Have you ever been on a cruise ship that ran out of alcohol? Though I don't particularly like free pours. I don't drink to get buzzed or drunk. I just want the flavor.

Edited April 22, 2015 by Ocean Boy

[dpostman]

Have you ever been on a cruise ship that ran out of alcohol? Though I don't particularly like free pours. I don't drink to get buzzed or drunk. I just want the flavor.

 

Words of a wise man right there

 

If I happen to get a little buzz going as a side effect of enjoying a few drinks... well then... so be it.

 

dp

Edited April 22, 2015 by dpostman

[dcgrumpy]

You got this far through the thread and still don't realize that the main issue has been the sudden jump. For many of us these prices is not what we have been used to at all.

 

Exactly. According to one menu I saw, pina coladas jumped from $8 to $12 overnight. I think a 50% price increase is ridiculous.

[LadyBeBop]

Definitely not judging here :) But...

 

Words of a wise man right there

 

Part of the reason why I'm going with the Royal Replenish.

 

If I happen to get a little buzz going as a side effect of enjoying a few drinks... well...

 

And most of the reason why I'll wish I went with the drink package by Sunday night.

 

At least I can upgrade by Tuesday. If I choose.

[Paul65]

Have you ever been on a cruise ship that ran out of alcohol? Though I don't particularly like free pours. I don't drink to get buzzed or drunk. I just want the flavor.

 

Maybe true for you, but cocktails were basically invented to mask the flavor of the alcohol. :eek:

[American Bear]

What other cruise lines exactly? Alcoholic bevs are pricey on every cruise I've stepped onto. $12 + gratuity for a daiquiri or 'rita is not all that bad. DCL has pretty much same pricing $10 coladas (cheapest mixed drink) and $12-14 mixed drinks + auto gratuity. Not sure what pricing were you expecting, but that's on par of what I've seen in the industry.

 

 

 

Then allow me to enlighten you about other cruise lines drinking prices/policies.

 

Carnival Corp. cruise lines drink prices were less then RCL's to begin with, and their recent increase was about 10%, not 40-50% like RCL's.

You can also order liquor in your cabin on Carnival that you can't on RCL!

'PS Carnival cruises are usually priced less then comparable RCL cruises.'

 

MSC cruise line has drink voucher books that bring the drink price from around $7.25+ gratuity, to less the '$4.75 a drink including gratuity'.

MSC has beer vouchers that bring a bottle of beer down to 'less then $3.75 a beer'!

'PS MSC cruises are usually priced less then comparable RCL cruises.'

 

About Disney, you're allowed to bring liquor to consume in your cabin which you can't on RCL.

On each Disney formal night 'all passengers' are invited to the Captains Party with 'free drinks'. RCL only gives free drinks for Diamond and up cruisers.

[Ocean Boy]

Maybe true for you, but cocktails were basically invented to mask the flavor of the alcohol. :eek:

 

I'm sure all the classes in med school on hepatic metabolism and neuronal sensitivities to various chemicals have warped my perspective on many things in life.

[bouhunter]

OMG, 500+ posts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:D:D:D

[Paul65]

I'm sure all the classes in med school on hepatic metabolism and neuronal sensitivities to various chemicals have warped my perspective on many things in life.

 

Perhaps so. That does sound fascinating.

 

I'm pretty much right there with you on my thoughts about drinks, though. Some people seem to think a "good" bartender is just one that goes heavy on the liquor. I like a properly balanced cocktail, myself. Though a really experience bartender can still do a "free pour" and get the right ratios of everything without measuring.

[American Bear]

I subscribed to this thread when it first began. Can people take pictures of the drink menus with prices from different bars on different ships. Someone posted a very recent menu on one of these drink threads. (blue and white menu with limited options) Also,has anyone taken the time to explore other drink related threads on other cruise lines and report back? At this point I am not planning to change my Liberty cruise. I can tell you that my next cruise won't be until 2016 or 2017 so if I jump ship I have plenty of time to research other cruise lines or an AI. There are many options out there and I've only tried 4.

 

Suggestions for your research,,

MSC has drink voucher books that bring the price of a drink to less then $5. a drink with gratuities! Beer vouchers bring the price of a beer to less then $3.75 including gratuity!

MSC currently has the Divina in Miami except for the summer months, but is planning to bring to Miami in 2017 a new 'Seaside Class'(check it out online) ship to cruise out of Miami year round.

We're D+ on RCL, but had a great B2B on the Divina.

Another plus is the Divina usually is priced less then most RCL cruises.

 

Carnival's new ships are every bit equal to similar RCL ships, and the 2.0 upgrades for existing ships is a great step forward. Carnivals drink prices have always been less then RCL's plus you can order liquor and beer for your cabin on Carnival that you can't do on RCL.

And again Carnival is usually priced less then RCL.

[richstowe]

If we are listing the best drink "deals" , then I nominate Princess . On our recent Regal cruise there was a "happy" hour every 3 PM and at another bar at 11 PM . We had no problem taking two bottles of beer with us unopened for later consumption .

I was able to buy a small bottle of Skyy vodka (375 ml) for $16, with no tip or tax added . Finally, there was a coupon for a 1/2 bottle of wine in the coupon book when you went to the steak restaurant.

 

It was refreshing to see that not all cruise lines are trying to wrestle every last nickle and dime from its customers. :)

Edited April 22, 2015 by richstowe

[Big_G]

Carnival's new ships are every bit equal to similar RCL ships, and the 2.0 upgrades for existing ships is a great step forward. Carnivals drink prices have always been less then RCL's plus you can order liquor and beer for your cabin on Carnival that you can't do on RCL.

And again Carnival is usually priced less then RCL.

 

LOL! Talk about disclaimers. :D:p:D

[Big_G]

If we a listing the best drink "deals" , then I nominate Princess . On our recent Regal cruise there was a "happy" hour every 3 PM and at another bar at 11 PM . Plus I was able to buy a small bottle of Skyy vodka (375 ml) for $16, with no tip or tax added . Finally, there was a coupon for a 1/2 bottle of wine in the coupon book when you went to the steak restaurant.

 

It was refreshing to see that not all cruise lines are trying to wrestle every last nickle and dime from its customers. :)

 

Was the bottle for your cabin or to take home?