Purchasing a bottle for the room....worth it?

[tiffy0428]

I always order a bottle to my room. I bring me a cup with a straw and make me a very strong drink with ice before I leave my cabin. Sometimes I put some in a flask and I order a drink from the bar and top it off with whatever is in my flask. I must say by ordering a bottle in my room on top of bringing my wine onboard, I have saved a lot of money on drinks.

[originalgeek]

Ok more than one person has mentioned going to "Lido" and getting juice, etc. I am assuming that they are going into the buffet area and helping themselves to the beverages that are included in the buffet? What beverages are available for free??

 

Lido Deck Restaurant - 24/7 Complimentary Beverages

Ships: ALL

 

The following beverages are available in the Lido Deck Restaurant, 24/7 and are complimentary: Coffee, Hot Tea, Hot Chocolate, Lemonade and Unsweetened Iced Tea.

In addition to those 24/7 drinks they also have Orange Juice at breakfast and I have heard they might also put out guava juice or other juices. We are thinking of bringing some cans of pineapple juice and supplementing that with OJ from the breakfast buffet - we can store it in bottles in the cabin mini-fridge.

[Jerseygirl1416]

While I agree that Cheers is not worth it to us and we will probably never buy it in its current incarnation for many reasons, to be fair, you can direct them to use whatever liquor you like so long as the resulting drink wouldn't end up being priced over 50 dollars.

 

It’s been reported here by several people that the bartenders will not substitute a brand liquor for a named drink on their menu. They have to follow a certain recipe with no substitutions. So you couldn’t ask for a pina colada with a brand named rum or drinks like that but you could order say a grey goose and cranberry.

[originalgeek]

It’s been reported here by several people that the bartenders will not substitute a brand liquor for a named drink on their menu. They have to follow a certain recipe with no substitutions. So you couldn’t ask for a pina colada with a brand named rum or drinks like that but you could order say a grey goose and cranberry.

 

Ahh well that is different yes. Thank you - that's good to know for future reference.

[crusinpsychRN]

Liquor is too expensive from the shops now. I do end up with a $32 bottle of wine worth $8.

[hate2shop]

Lido Deck Restaurant - 24/7 Complimentary Beverages

Ships: ALL

 

The following beverages are available in the Lido Deck Restaurant, 24/7 and are complimentary: Coffee, Hot Tea, Hot Chocolate, Lemonade and Unsweetened Iced Tea.

In addition to those 24/7 drinks they also have Orange Juice at breakfast and I have heard they might also put out guava juice or other juices. We are thinking of bringing some cans of pineapple juice and supplementing that with OJ from the breakfast buffet - we can store it in bottles in the cabin mini-fridge.

 

The Lido has an orange/guava juice that I like to use as a mixer but it's only available until 11ish during breakfast. I've also been known to order juice (orange, cran , and pineapple ) with my room service breakfast and save it for use as a mixer.

[originalgeek]

The Lido has an orange/guava juice that I like to use as a mixer but it's only available until 11ish during breakfast. I've also been known to order juice (orange, cran , and pineapple ) with my room service breakfast and save it for use as a mixer.

 

I was figuring since I'm gonna be up there to get coffee in the morning anyway I could bring an empty water bottle or two (we already ordered a 12-pack of water for the room) and stock up on whatever juices there are. Now I'm really looking forward to the orange/guava lol. I hadn't thought of room service but that should work too - unless I forget and gulp it down. I am a native Floridian yet I rarely ever drink OJ at home. (at least, not since I was a little kid and my grandma would go out back and grab some oranges off the tree and juice them in her wall mounted hand crank juicer) But on vacation I chug that stuff.

 

Dang, I think I might have to go buy me an orange tree. Now I'm missing fresh squoze juice.

[watermelonqueen99]

Nope, not worth it to us. We buy Cheers every time. It's the best value on the ship for us.

[Scotto97]

It’s been reported here by several people that the bartenders will not substitute a brand liquor for a named drink on their menu. They have to follow a certain recipe with no substitutions. So you couldn’t ask for a pina colada with a brand named rum or drinks like that but you could order say a grey goose and cranberry.

 

That was my recent experience on the Imagination

[Terab85]

We just ordered a bottle of Seagrams today for our upcoming cruise on the Glory next weekend. Expensive, yes, but still cheaper than buying by the drink. This is the first time we've purchased a bottle on any cruise, so we'll see if it's worth it or not. (We've typically had the included drinks package on NCL, but didn't feel like forking over $800 for it on this cruise.) For the convenience alone, as well as not buying by the drink, I think it will be.

 

 

 

Same with us. Ordered a bottle of rum for our September cruise and I will bring coke to mix with it. Trying to get away from drinking so many of those fruity drinks and hubby is mainly a beer drinker. Plan to bring my large Tervis to mix it in so I can take to pool/walk around.

[ParrotRob]

No need to get upset. I have many many friends who are bar tenders and that's what they told me. Apologize if not true but doesn't change the fact that the Cheers package is not for me personally.

 

Well they told you wrong. I'm not upset, I just hate when people jump to incorrect conclusions without asking or researching first. The Cheers package includes up to 15 alcoholic drinks per day with a cost of up to $50 each. Which means, yes, expensive vodkas, tequilas and single malt scotches are included, despite what your many bartender friends blindly told you.

[summersigh]

The cost of 1 bottle of Crown for Crown on the rocks = 1 day of Cheers for the 2 of us.

Doesn't sound bad when put that way.;p

[Pyrate13]

It’s been reported here by several people that the bartenders will not substitute a brand liquor for a named drink on their menu. They have to follow a certain recipe with no substitutions. So you couldn’t ask for a pina colada with a brand named rum or drinks like that but you could order say a grey goose and cranberry.

 

Could you order a virgin version of the drink, which I understand should not count against your 15, and then order the liquor separately and add it yourself? Just wondering. Never purchased Cheers as wife hardly ever drinks alcohol.

[Jerseygirl1416]

Could you order a virgin version of the drink, which I understand should not count against your 15, and then order the liquor separately and add it yourself? Just wondering. Never purchased Cheers as wife hardly ever drinks alcohol.

 

Absolutely but that would annoy me personally to have to pay all that money for Cheers and then have to pay more for acceptable alcohol.

[Pyrate13]

Absolutely but that would annoy me personally to have to pay all that money for Cheers and then have to pay more for acceptable alcohol.

 

Not to belabor the question but wouldn't the alcohol still be covered under the cheers package and not cost anything extra?

[Jerseygirl1416]

Not to belabor the question but wouldn't the alcohol still be covered under the cheers package and not cost anything extra?

 

Ok yes I misunderstood. Sorry. I though you meant you could add a shot from the bottle bought for the room. You could order the virgin drink and then a shot of better alcohol five minutes later to mix in it but that would still annoy me to have to go through that.

[Pyrate13]

Since I am not well versed in the Cheers program, would you have to wait the five minutes even though you ordered a virgin drink? That would annoy me as well.

[Jerseygirl1416]

Since I am not well versed in the Cheers program, would you have to wait the five minutes even though you ordered a virgin drink? That would annoy me as well.

 

From what I’ve gathered reading on this board it’s five minutes between all drinks except bottled water.

[LakeWobegon]

Annoying but I would bet the bartender would do it for you. Order your shot. Sit there 5 minutes. Order your fru fru drink and then mix the two. Still, many have several shots so you might be there 15-20 minutes. THAT would get annoying.

[PrettyPenny7]

First, ordered liqueur IS pricey. (Approximately $90 compared to $20 at home.)

Next, let's do some math. I liter = 33 oz. A typical mixed drink uses 1.5 oz. alcohol. So, 33 0z. divided by 1.5 oz = 22. Times approx. $8.5 that the ship charges per drink comes to $187.

Either way you look at it, booze is spendy on a cruise, and the cruise line makes out either way.

Of course, we ALL consume our preordered libations in our cabins as is the rule , right?:confused:

 

Absolutely... just like we ALL only consume liquor we paid for on the ship :evilsmile:

[LakeWobegon]

Cheers makes sense for us. We are not "big" drinkers but most days drink just enough "fancy" drinks and wines (along with specialty coffees, sodas and water bottles) to justify the cost (especially if we offset it with our AARP gift cards -- lol). But, I will say that the bottle option is far from being outrageously priced. You are on a cruise. Not at home. Its still cheaper than buying drink by drink at the bar. That's one reason why I like NCL's drink package as an option for one of your "freebies" when you book. You don't FEEL like you are paying extra for it. And you don't have to worry about it. Just order a drink and who cares. I think I paid extra in one situation on Norwegian and that was $1 something extra for my espresso martinis after dinner.

[camper49]

Now that Carnival has tacked on the 15% "delivery fee" to these orders, it is not worth it... as a matter of principle.

 

15% if you pre order or 15% if you order on the ship?

[Pyrate13]

15% if you pre order or 15% if you order on the ship?

 

Pre order and they call it a delivery charge, on board they call it a gratuity. Purely semantics, the charge is the same either way. Ridiculous.

[PrettyPenny7]

Pre order and they call it a delivery charge, on board they call it a gratuity. Purely semantics, the charge is the same either way. Ridiculous.

 

Oh wow :( welp... I rescind my statement.

[VeeCee43]

Considering buying a bottle from the Fun Shops. How strictly enforced is the "drink in your cabin rule"? I plan on bringing a tumbler to mix drinks with but will they stop me if I take out of the cabin and drink as we lounge/walk around the ship?