Alchemy Bar

[tdggal1980]

This is hands down our favorite place on the ship!  You will often find my hubby & I at Alchemy during sail away 😊. We love the drinks and atmosphere.  And it’s our go to for Happy Hour (4:00-6:00) before dinner!

[ultrafighter]

19 hours ago, Scurvy Seadog said:

Hands down the best bar on the ship. Start on the first page of the menu and work your way to the last past. 😁

I got Cheers for once so this sounds like a plan!!!  🥳

[Houst]

The Bartenders are great. On the Horizon I never ordered off of the menu. I would just tell them what type a drink I wanted. Cucumber, Mint, Vodka, Tequila etc. They'll switch the music around to get everyone pumped up. They wanted people involved so one time she gave us some of the drink ingredients and we helped make our own drinks. It was were my group went every night. 

 

Edited June 23, 2021 by Houst

[IrishTexanCruiser]

Perfect for pre-dinner drinks, especially when you are ready and have to wait an hour for your wife and daughter to get ready.  

[Laurab23]

I very rarely order off the menu. After the first couple of nights they would call out my name as I walked by for dinner and I would say see you later. Then when I got there they would say what do you feel like tonight? Fruity,spicey,tropical and sometimes I would just say surprise me. They never let me down.

[ProgRockCruiser]

Yesss!  Another "normal" thread!

 

My wife and I love the Alchemy Bar.  We heard about it prior to our first cruise on Carnival, so we sat down right when it opened the first afternoon, got to know the "alchemists", bought the shaker set (qty 2, one for us, one for friends) returned every day for the opening and often after dinner, and ran the table on the menu eventually while exploring off-menu too, once they got to know us.

 

Every time there is an Alchemy Bar on board, we've been frequent guests.  Elation still had Gatsby's Great Bar when we sailed on her, and that was great (and quiet, usually, so we got great service!), but did not have the panache of Alchemy.

 

As long as you are a bit patient (it takes a while to make many of the more complicated cocktails) and are friendly, you should have a blast.

[Cruise Related]

Two words. Deal Closer. 

 

[mexicobob]

Best bar at sea that I have ever seen. Not the place to just go and get a beer though. Saw many of the ships officers and staff hanging out there. Fun place. Cucumber Sunrise is my drink of choice there. Different but outstanding.

[Joe817]

25 minutes ago, mexicobob said:

Best bar at sea that I have ever seen. Not the place to just go and get a beer though. Saw many of the ships officers and staff hanging out there. Fun place. Cucumber Sunrise is my drink of choice there. Different but outstanding.

Dang! I just did a simple google search and look what popped up! :

 

https://www.carnival.com/recipes/alchemys-cucumber-sunrise

 

It sounds kind of good! I'll have to try it. Thanks M.B.!

[IntrepidFromDC]

6 hours ago, IrishTexanCruiser said:

Perfect for pre-dinner drinks, especially when you are ready and have to wait an hour for your wife and daughter to get ready.  

Just ONE hour?  Your ladies are fast!

[Joe817]

Well, curiosity got the best of me. If this has been posted before, my apologies. BUT they have some amazing things on their published menu. I can see now why people recommend they drink down the menu. LOL! 

 

https://www.carnival.com/-/media/Images/explore/onboard/bars/menus/alchemy-bar-menu.ashx

[SNJCruisers]

Let me make one correction.  Bartenders are located at the other bars on the ship when they make their drinks using mixes and sugary crap.  The Alchemists are true mixologists that know their craft.  They will use fresh fruit and herbs to come up with concoctions that are made to your liking.  If they are not busy, they could ask you what your two favorite liquors are and if you want something fruity, sweet, spicy or strong.  Truly the best bar that Carnival has in their fleet.

But, I am looking forward to the Fortune Teller Bar and Brass Magnolia on the Mardi Gras.  For comparison's sake.

[sunkey1]

We did the mixology class they offered on one of the ships and my husband got hooked. Came home, bought the tools and now he loves concocting new drinks all the time.

[crewsweeper]

On 6/1/2021 at 4:12 PM, ALWAYS CRUZIN said:

 

 

7 hours ago, SNJCruisers said:

Let me make one correction.  Bartenders are located at the other bars on the ship when they make their drinks using mixes and sugary crap.  The Alchemists are true mixologists that know their craft.  They will use fresh fruit and herbs to come up with concoctions that are made to your liking.  If they are not busy, they could ask you what your two favorite liquors are and if you want something fruity, sweet, spicy or strong.  Truly the best bar that Carnival has in their fleet.

But, I am looking forward to the Fortune Teller Bar and Brass Magnolia on the Mardi Gras.  For comparison's sake.

As you are sailing before me., would love to hear your reviews.

11 minutes ago, sunkey1 said:

We did the mixology class they offered on one of the ships and my husband got hooked. Came home, bought the tools and now he loves concocting new drinks all the time.

I did the Blend your own Scotch.  All Dewars singles but learned a lot on the different areas.  My take home is "aging" in the bottle.

[vacruisin]

19 hours ago, tdggal1980 said:

This is hands down our favorite place on the ship!  You will often find my hubby & I at Alchemy during sail away 😊. We love the drinks and atmosphere.  And it’s our go to for Happy Hour (4:00-6:00) before dinner!

Co-signing on what my lovely wifey tdggal1980 said, this bar is our favorite place on the ship.  We will not cruise on a Carnival ship that doesn't have an Alchemy bar.  Every day from 4:00-6:00 we are there before our early dining seating and then we usually go right back there after dinner.  

 

It's a must to have Cheers if you like hanging out there though; those drinks can be pretty pricey.  My favorite is "The Remedy!"

 

[ultrafighter]

50 minutes ago, crewsweeper said:

 

As you are sailing before me., would love to hear your reviews.

I did the Blend your own Scotch.  All Dewars singles but learned a lot on the different areas.  My take home is "aging" in the bottle.

omg My husband would LOVE something like that.

[New2Cruising24]

Best bar on the ships, IMHO 🙂  We still keep in touch with our favorite bartender, Kat who we had the pleasure of cruising with on two ships. 

 

Take the mixology class, it's great and worth every penny with all of the "tastings" you get throughout the class and a full drink at the end.  For those a little afraid of what to order, as others have mentioned, tell them what you like ("vodka and citrus" for me) and they will make you a great drink or two or three, LOL

 

Enjoy and CHEERS to everyone getting back on board!

[Cruise Related]

9 minutes ago, New2Cruising24 said:

Best bar on the ships, IMHO 🙂  We still keep in touch with our favorite bartender, Kat who we had the pleasure of cruising with on two ships. 

 

Take the mixology class, it's great and worth every penny with all of the "tastings" you get throughout the class and a full drink at the end.  For those a little afraid of what to order, as others have mentioned, tell them what you like ("vodka and citrus" for me) and they will make you a great drink or two or three, LOL

 

Enjoy and CHEERS to everyone getting back on board!

I’ve been guilty of using all 15 of my Cheers package there. Sadly not going to be there as often this time around, trying to cut back on the hard stuff, so seltzer’s and beer for me, with maybe a deal closer or two. 

[bluesman0711]

16 hours ago, mexicobob said:

Best bar at sea that I have ever seen. Not the place to just go and get a beer though. Saw many of the ships officers and staff hanging out there. Fun place. Cucumber Sunrise is my drink of choice there. Different but outstanding.

I don't think you can get a beer there, they will turn you away,

[SNJCruisers]

10 minutes ago, bluesman0711 said:

I don't think you can get a beer there, they will turn you away,

That is correct.  No beer, no wine, no frozen drinks.

[ProgRockCruiser]

11 minutes ago, bluesman0711 said:

I don't think you can get a beer there, they will turn you away,

 

1 minute ago, SNJCruisers said:

That is correct.  No beer, no wine, no frozen drinks.

Yeah, there were a few times where we nicely ensconced at Alchemy, and someone just walking by deciding to grab a Miller Lite from the nearest bar and it happened to be Alchemy, and was perplexed that the Alchemy Bar didn't stock that, and they had to walk to the next bar instead.

[vacruisin]

32 minutes ago, ProgRockCruiser said:

 

Yeah, there were a few times where we nicely ensconced at Alchemy, and someone just walking by deciding to grab a Miller Lite from the nearest bar and it happened to be Alchemy, and was perplexed that the Alchemy Bar didn't stock that, and they had to walk to the next bar instead.

Yeah, might sound snobby but DW and I chuckle when someone comes over asking for a beer or a mixed drink.  Sorry, no Bud Lights or Tequila Sunrises here. lol  

Edited June 24, 2021 by vacruisin

[ugagal07]

Not to sidetrack the thread, but the Steakhouse Bar is also nice.  It is very quiet usually, but killer drinks.  We found out the Alchemists take turns working Alchemy and Steakhouse Bar.  So the level of talent and creativity is at both places.  Steakhouse Bar will have beer and wine, especially higher end wines and liquors.  No reservation needed, just go in and say you are going to the bar for a drink.  Cheers works there too! 

[czechcruzr]

2 hours ago, ProgRockCruiser said:

 

Yeah, there were a few times where we nicely ensconced at Alchemy, and someone just walking by deciding to grab a Miller Lite from the nearest bar and it happened to be Alchemy, and was perplexed that the Alchemy Bar didn't stock that, and they had to walk to the next bar instead.

Sitting at the bar once someone walked up and ordered a fun ship. The bartender replied in a slightly perturbed way "no funship here!" this is martini bar!"

[thanna]

Its terrible, don't go!

That way I can get a seat.

I will stay there all night and warn people. 🙂