$12 Drinks? No thanks!

[marci22]

they probably raised to prices to offset the fact that so many others cheat by smuggling alcohol on board or share their drink packages.

 

oh stop

[nadalina]

I have about 75+ cruises under my belt and I'll quickly admit that I drink considerably more on a cruise than I ever do at home. In fact, I may literally go for months at home without even having so much as a beer. But when I'm on a cruise, I want to relax, eat what I want, and have a drink whenever I want without having to worry about the cost and my onboard account. That's why I have been ordering the best beverage packages for my last several cruises, and I have not regretted one dollar of it. A Bloody Mary or a Mimosa or Bellini with breakfast, a beer or two for lunch, a couple of pina coladas mid-afternoon by the pool, a couple of cocktails before dinner, a glass or two of wine with dinner, and, finally, a coffee with liqueur with dessert and/or a Baileys nightcap..... that's my typical day on a cruise and I never feel the least bit inebriated.

 

So I just say: to each, his own. But for me, the ease of it all, paying for it in advance, and not having to worry about the cost makes the ultimate beverage package well worth the money. I'll be sailing on the Oasis next month and we all have our packages. Don't have to worry or even think about the high prices!!

 

Cruising should be fun and relaxing and not worrying or stressing over anything, so do whatever is right for you and BE HAPPY!!

 

All with the best of intentions!

Peggy

[Paul65]

I went to another cruise line program/spiel. An all inclusive line. The representative from the line told us of interactions she has had with other cruise line reps. The Carnival line beverage manager told her that Carnival pay 35 cents for a 5th of Vodka.

 

I would not believe that spiel. Of course, the cost of providing a mixed drink is certainly more than just the cost of the alcohol contained in it. There is the cost of building bars and and storage for the bar supplies into the design of the ship; the glass-ware (including occasional breakage and cleaning), the mixers, juices, garnishes, etc. And, of course, all bars, whether on land or at sea, include a profit margin.

 

But, no, they are not likely to get vodka or any other spirits at 35¢/bottle. Wholesale deals are not quite that good. :)

[splash_in_the_water]

It amazes me how many people are choosing to ignore this :confused:

 

Indeed. That is a good point. Paying more for the same quality (or better) would be one thing...Paying more for less quality, well....that's just sad really. If people are paying these kinds of prices for a nice drink on vacation you'd think the price would at least reflect a certain pride and quality of the product-whatever it is. It all comes down to money-you can't say it's not.....

 

A Day In The Life of Corporate America

 

Setting:

Johnson and Smith up in a boardroom somewhere having a convo that goes something like :

 

Smith: So johnson, how was your vacation last month? By the way did you and your team figure out a way to increase alcohol profits?

 

Johnson: Great...yes we did. Sitting there at the bar getting drinks, I noticed the great bartenders making great boat drinks and cocktails with fine ingredients, and fresh fruits and garnishes- Everyone was so happy, we really hit the nail on the head with those $8-$10 drink prices!

 

 

(Smith interupts) Yes, but how can we increase profits if we keep that up?

 

J: well here's the thing! That's all in the past now!! I was at costco the other day-you know-with the regular people and there was a whole aisle of drink mixes for cheap! Margaritas, Daiquiris-whatever you'd want- and I thought "hey there we go-let's just forgo all of the expensive booze and ingredients, let our talented bar staff run the bingo games, and we'll just sit back and reap the profits...who cares about providing good products and a good price anyway?"

 

Smith: wow Johnson, looks like you really did your homework. Say, how would you feel about a promotion? I'll tell you, RCL should have a few more like you- we could go places! *finger guns* "pew pew"

 

By the way, how's it going with those recruits you've brought in last week?

 

Johnson: Great, just a couple more interviews with the shirts upstairs, but man- they really learned a thing or two about hosing people over there at that insuarance company.

 

 

Smith: well done Johnson, come by my office later and we'll discuss that raise, and by the way, have the Missus call my wife about that golf outing at the country club next week...I think she needs to move it back a week - I guess she has to check out that horse we have in The Kentucky derby or something... Man we're busy these days....

 

J: will do, sir! *finger point, wink*

Edited April 13, 2015 by splash_in_the_water

[Bookish Angel]

but for people like me, who drink MAYBE 2 alcoholic drinks on a 10-day cruise, I will save my money. To me, the drinks never taste particularly good, anyway - lots of mixes with fake flavors and dyes.

[mark290]

Indeed. That is a good point. Paying more for the same quality (or better) would be one thing...Paying more for less quality, well....that's just sad really. If people are paying these kinds of prices for a nice drink on vacation you'd think the price would at least reflect a certain pride and quality of the product-whatever it is. It all comes down to money-you can't say it's not.....

 

A Day In The Life of Corporate America

 

Setting:

Johnson and Smith up in a boardroom somewhere having a convo that goes something like :

 

Smith: So johnson, how was your vacation last month? By the way did you and your team figure out a way to increase alcohol profits?

 

Johnson: Great...yes we did. Sitting there at the bar getting drinks, I noticed the great bartenders making great boat drinks and cocktails with fine ingredients, and fresh fruits and garnishes- Everyone was so happy, we really hit the nail on the head with those $8-$10 drink prices!

 

 

(Smith interupts) Yes, but how can we increase profits if we keep that up?

 

J: well here's the thing! That's all in the past now!! I was at costco the other day-you know-with the regular people and there was a whole aisle of drink mixes for cheap! Margaritas, Daiquiris-whatever you'd want- and I thought "hey there we go-let's just forgo all of the expensive booze and ingredients, let our talented bar staff run the bingo games, and we'll just sit back and reap the profits...who cares about providing good products and a good price anyway?"

 

Smith: wow Johnson, looks like you really did your homework. Say, how would you feel about a promotion? I'll tell you, RCL should have a few more like you- we could go places! *finger guns* "pew pew"

 

By the way, how's it going with those recruits you've brought in last week?

 

Johnson: Great, just a couple more interviews with the shirts upstairs, but man- they really learned a thing or two about hosing people over there at that insuarance company.

 

 

Smith: well done Johnson, come by my office later and we'll discuss that raise, and by the way, have the Missus call my wife about that golf outing at the country club next week...I think she needs to move it back a week - I guess she has to check out that horse we have in The Kentucky derby or something... Man we're busy these days....

 

J: will do, sir! *finger point, wink*

 

I don't like poor quality for less money either. Your sarcasm makes me think

you are not an officer of a company, are not an executive wishing to promote your career, don't work for or do business with corporate America and do not

work in the insurance industry. I am curious what you do or did to make a living ?

[Paul65]

but for people like me, who drink MAYBE 2 alcoholic drinks on a 10-day cruise, I will save my money. To me, the drinks never taste particularly good, anyway - lots of mixes with fake flavors and dyes.

 

That may be true for the "drink of the day" type drinks, but those are also much cheaper (it was $7.75 + 18% including the souvenir glass on Serenade). At least on our sailing, the $12 drinks were more specialty cocktails made with quality ingredients.

 

One that my wife had was the "Lady Marmalade" with orange marmalade and fresh ginger muddled together, then shaken with grapefruit flavored vodka (Belvedere Grapefruit by the description in the menu for the $12 version, but we were doing a martini class, and the bartender used the Absolute Ruby Red. Not sure if I would have noticed a difference with the Belvedere or not.), fresh-squeezed lemon juice and simple syrup and strained into a martini glass - very fresh tasting and the ginger gave it an interesting bite. I rather liked it, myself, but I don't know how manly I would feel ordering that drink by name...:D

 

Anyway, I do think the $12 price tag on some of their drinks is a little steep, but I'm not sure it's fair to say they're charging that much for low quality drinks with fake flavors and dyes. At least, that was not my experience.

[LuckiStac13*Majesty*]

That may be true for the "drink of the day" type drinks, but those are also much cheaper (it was $7.75 + 18% including the souvenir glass on Serenade). At least on our sailing, the $12 drinks were more specialty cocktails made with quality ingredients.

 

One that my wife had was the "Lady Marmalade" with orange marmalade and fresh ginger muddled together, then shaken with grapefruit flavored vodka (Belvedere Grapefruit by the description in the menu for the $12 version, but we were doing a martini class, and the bartender used the Absolute Ruby Red. Not sure if I would have noticed a difference with the Belvedere or not.), fresh-squeezed lemon juice and simple syrup and strained into a martini glass - very fresh tasting and the ginger gave it an interesting bite. I rather liked it, myself, but I don't know how manly I would feel ordering that drink by name...:D

 

Anyway, I do think the $12 price tag on some of their drinks is a little steep, but I'm not sure it's fair to say they're charging that much for low quality drinks with fake flavors and dyes. At least, that was not my experience.

 

Paul - that drink (Lady Marmalade) sounds awesome, I would definitely try that. That sounds a bit higher quality.

 

On my last cruise, last year, I had a mango lava flow and it was around $9.00 I think. All mixers, too sweet, not good at all. So I am sure that is now one of the $12 (or more!) drinks they're offering. I was not happy that I paid $9.00 for it!

[Paul65]

Paul - that drink (Lady Marmalade) sounds awesome, I would definitely try that. That sounds a bit higher quality.

 

On my last cruise, last year, I had a mango lava flow and it was around $9.00 I think. All mixers, too sweet, not good at all. So I am sure that is now one of the $12 (or more!) drinks they're offering. I was not happy that I paid $9.00 for it!

 

We're not big on the really sweet drinks, either, so this one was right up our alley. This was at the end of the martini class, after getting shot-glass sized tastes of four different martinis. We could then pick our favorite for a full size or try something different.

 

We asked the bartender to just pick something for us, but not too sweet. She made my wife the Lady Marmalade and a cucumber martini for me. I'm not a big cucumber fan, so wasn't expecting to like it, but it was actually pretty good (though a little on the sweet side). If I remember correctly, it had muddled cucumber along with Hendricks gin, St. Germain liqueur and a little lemon juice + simple syrup. I wasn't that familiar with St. Germain and thought it might make the drink too flowery, but overall it had more earthy and herbal tones from the gin and cucumber than floral.

[LuckiStac13*Majesty*]

We're not big on the really sweet drinks, either, so this one was right up our alley. This was at the end of the martini class, after getting shot-glass sized tastes of four different martinis. We could then pick our favorite for a full size or try something different.

 

We asked the bartender to just pick something for us, but not too sweet. She made my wife the Lady Marmalade and a cucumber martini for me. I'm not a big cucumber fan, so wasn't expecting to like it, but it was actually pretty good (though a little on the sweet side). If I remember correctly, it had muddled cucumber along with Hendricks gin, St. Germain liqueur and a little lemon juice + simple syrup. I wasn't that familiar with St. Germain and thought it might make the drink too flowery, but overall it had more earthy and herbal tones from the gin and cucumber than floral.

 

Sounds good. It made me chuckle thinking of a man ordering a "Lady Marmalade." HAHA!

[Paul65]

Sounds good. It made me chuckle thinking of a man ordering a "Lady Marmalade." HAHA!

 

I know. It was good, and not terribly froo-froo, so we might just have to call it something different, if we try making it with friends at home. ;)

 

The class was a pretty good deal, by the way, if you like martinis. The shot-glass sized tastes were really close to half of a full martini, so it was kind of like getting the equivalent of three specialty martinis for $20. At least, for folks like us, who had not already paid $400 each for a drinks package, it was a good deal.

Edited April 13, 2015 by Paul65

[splash_in_the_water]

I don't like poor quality for less money either. Your sarcasm makes me think

you are not an officer of a company, are not an executive wishing to promote your career, don't work for or do business with corporate America and do not

work in the insurance industry. I am curious what you do or did to make a living ?

 

Nope! It was a bit sarcastic, but it's just a story. You know, not every post or sarcastic comment has an elusive, hidden agenda. Relax dude!

 

Btw I'm in Commercial and residential construction- I do pretty much everything masonry- us blue-collar types like our money to work as as hard as we do ;)

[LuckiStac13*Majesty*]

I know. It was good, and not terribly froo-froo, so we might just have to call it something different, if we try making it with friends at home. ;)

 

Orange-ginger splash, or....how about the orange pirate?? That sounds more masculine. hahaha....

[Cindy]

It amazes me how many people are choosing to ignore this :confused:

 

If you don't see an issue with being "taken" for 12 or 14 bucks for a cheap, sugary drink, then, I don't know what to tell ya.

 

I don't ignore it, but the prices don't freak me out either. The cost of alcohol is just one consideration in booking a cruise. I look at the cost of the cabin, wine, specialty dining, beverage packages, etc. and then compare. What I've found is different cruise lines are high in different areas. While RCI's drink prices are high, last month on the Serenade I actually found the most reasonable higher-end wine prices I've seen anywhere (land or sea) in a while.

Edited April 13, 2015 by Cindy

[Spurschick]

I would not believe that spiel. Of course, the cost of providing a mixed drink is certainly more than just the cost of the alcohol contained in it. There is the cost of building bars and and storage for the bar supplies into the design of the ship; the glass-ware (including occasional breakage and cleaning), the mixers, juices, garnishes, etc. And, of course, all bars, whether on land or at sea, include a profit margin.

 

But, no, they are not likely to get vodka or any other spirits at 35¢/bottle. Wholesale deals are not quite that good. :)

 

Agree.

 

Also it is frequently talked about how cabin stewards etc rely on tips, and RC make up their tips to a certain level if they make less gratuities than said minimum.

 

Bar stewards also need to be paid. I doubt that their salary is made up from tips alone.

 

RC also has the expense of providing them board, food, medical treatment etc. it all has an effect on cost, and hence will have an effect on cost to customer.

[dpostman]

Anyway, I do think the $12 price tag on some of their drinks is a little steep, but I'm not sure it's fair to say they're charging that much for low quality drinks with fake flavors and dyes. At least, that was not my experience.

 

On our Liberty cruise last week, the quality of the drinks really depended on the bar. Pool bars had pretty much all the pre-mixed syrup. Even for something as simple as a frozen mojito (They were overly sweet). But the Real bars like the Hoof & Claw Pub, Boleros and Olive or Twist were using more basic ingredients, making drinks from scratch, in a chilled glass Glass, not a plastic cup, but the prices were the same.

 

dp

[grandgeezer]

We are beer drinkers. We were buyers at $4.75 with 15% gratuity. It hurt but we did it. At $5.50 with 18% gratuity, the only way they'll get drink money from us is if the put a ski mask on and stick a Glock in our ribs.

[LuckiStac13*Majesty*]

We are beer drinkers. We were buyers at $4.75 with 15% gratuity. It hurt but we did it. At $5.50 with 18% gratuity, the only way they'll get drink money from us is if the put a ski mask on and stick a Glock in our ribs.

 

I know, that's the thing. The problem in all of this is that even if the majority of people cave and order 1 or 2 - that's all they're going to order. Usually when I'm at the pool, or in the evening listening to a band, I order between 2-4 drinks. Usually 2 or 3 people with me ordering the same amount. People just are not going to do that at a pop anymore. At least I don't think so. We won't!

[splash_in_the_water]

On our Liberty cruise last week, the quality of the drinks really depended on the bar. Pool bars had pretty much all the pre-mixed syrup. Even for something as simple as a frozen mojito (They were overly sweet). But the Real bars like the Hoof & Claw Pub, Boleros and Olive or Twist were using more basic ingredients, making drinks from scratch, in a chilled glass Glass, not a plastic cup, but the prices were the same.

 

dp

 

That's good to know.. If we're poolside, we'll just get whatever they have there...but if we're looking for something a little better, we'll head in. We have the drink package on our upcoming trip anyway so whatever's good with us. As long as it's tasty, I won't complain. I drink more beer than anything- sort of hard to screw that up.

[splash_in_the_water]

We are beer drinkers. We were buyers at $4.75 with 15% gratuity. It hurt but we did it. At $5.50 with 18% gratuity, the only way they'll get drink money from us is if the put a ski mask on and stick a Glock in our ribs.

 

I'm sure this is an unsanctioned excursion in some ports lol....:D

Edited April 13, 2015 by splash_in_the_water

[Scarlett Cruises]

Was just on the Brilliance in March..for the most part the drinks were between $8-10, which for where I live, is normal. If you live somewhere where the cost of living is less and the drinks are cheaper, it might be a little sticker-shock for you.

 

Recently on a FB Group discussing drink packages, I looked up Carnival's and NCL..truthfully, RCL has the best package since it includes gratuities, which the other two do not.

 

For us, the drink package is the way to go..between bottled water, lattes, espressos and drinks, they lost money on us, for sure.

[snappy68]

We always come out on top with the drink packages. Between bottled water, soda, and alcoholic beverages, Royal loses money on us as well.

[Flatbush Flyer]

Compare w/ premium cruise line-Oceania. Prestige package is $60/day including 18% gratuity. Top brands w/ no limit on number of drinks (see sample menu) http://www.oceaniacruises.com/beveragepackages

[CORKY_Q]

I would not believe that spiel. Of course, the cost of providing a mixed drink is certainly more than just the cost of the alcohol contained in it. There is the cost of building bars and and storage for the bar supplies into the design of the ship; the glass-ware (including occasional breakage and cleaning), the mixers, juices, garnishes, etc. And, of course, all bars, whether on land or at sea, include a profit margin.

 

But, no, they are not likely to get vodka or any other spirits at 35¢/bottle. Wholesale deals are not quite that good. :)

 

I am in full agreement, I believe that the alcohol pour in each drink, using bar brands, is close to 35 cents. Add your mixers etc and you still have a very nice profit margin. (I was in the hotel & restaurant mgt. business for over 25 years so I speak w/ a wee bit of authority.:D )

[mark290]

We always come out on top with the drink packages. Between bottled water, soda, and alcoholic beverages, Royal loses money on us as well.

 

Royal most likely doesn't lose money on you, they just don't make as much as they would without the package price. If Royal charged you what their actual cost was for water, soda and booze it would be hard to consume more than $55 in a day. Not impossible but pretty hard especially for seven days in a row.