RubyRed77

I'm not sure that the OP is really interested in anyone's opinion as to the travel worthiness of her FIL. It seems to me that is beyond the scope of her question which was how much do individual drinks cost as compared to buying the drinks package. Given, she posted TMI in discussing her FIL's condition, but his condition is really none of our

business nor is how he and his family will cope with his condition on the ship nor is how the ship personnel may or may not deal with it.

 

If you read her original post, the cruise is paid for, so they are going. That's a done deal. So no point in debating whether or not the FIL can or should cruise. The only thing the OP wanted to know was the cost of drinks compared to the drinks package. I've supplied the information about the cost of drinks in my previous post. The OP can figure it out from there whether or not the drinks package is worth $500 for her FIL.

Thank you & also to LA_CA_GAL for being supportive and mindful of the original inquiry. Yes, i realize now, that I've quite possibly added TMI on a meant-for-fun cruise board. Spent time w/ f-i-l today. He only drinks wine or beer. He's fine. I don't want anyone getting argumentive or heated about this. My own concerns got the best of me in many ways. I don't travel often and want everyone to have a good time. The man will slip in seamlessly with the majority of guests. 9 years ago, on my own honeymoon, I drank way too much and couldn't stand up by the end of the evening...point being that nobody ever stopped serving me or reprimanded me in any way. Those days are behind me & i don't drink anything anymore but I think the topic was blown up. I won't revisit the post anymore and will keep in mind all the helpful tips I've gotten. Happy cruising to all:cool:

The main answer I needed was 6-7 drinks daily being a "break-even," as a previous poster commented. With that, there won't be an issue traveling that doesn't ordinarily impact his day-to-day life. A beer here or a wine there will keep him even

Thank you all for the compassionate, concerned, and some light-hearted replies. F-i-l is not likely to spend time alone sitting in a bar or in his room and he wouldn't want to. He's not that type of person. He's actually very family oriented. He had gone to a resort about a year ago with his my m-i-l, s-i-l and her daughter and he was fine the entire trip. He doesn't exhibit outrageous behavior and shouldn't "man overboard" himself. He doesn't even have a balcony room, which is good.

Please never feel like you have to make excuses for asking ANY question of this type. You have no idea just how many people have a or many in their immediate family whose lives have been changed by alcohol. I'm a prime example. My loving father (now departed) was a heavy week end drinker the first thirty years of my life. While both have now passed, I know my mother would definitely be caught in a quandary about what to do IF we had gone on a cruise and liquor had been readily available. My father never took to drinking every day till he retired after forty years on the same job and that lasted less than five years. But, by then, he had already lost his liver and finally realized the toll not using rational drinking had taken and thankfully the last ten years never had another drink. So, regardless what either choice (daily or drink package) your in-laws decide I hope you have a wonderful cruise and don't end up feeling like you have to walk on tiptoes. In this situation, you are NOT alone.

 

Mac

Thanks a million for your compassion on this. I'm shocked the man is still in the decent health he's in but retirement has not served him well (no pun intended). We're hoping to show the in-laws a good time, regardless. I wonder if the mini-bar in the room can be stocked and applied to the drinks pass as well. First time on RCCL & also dealing w/ a drinks package so not sure how it all works. Not trying to "cheat" the system...just have to make sure within limits of their finances, the man can be level.

I think you will get your moneys worth for 500$. Not sure what his drink of choice is but due to the cost of drinks on rccl its really not much when you divide by your 9 days.. There are many oppurtunities to drink on a cruise and thank god just as many to eat something...Enjoy your cruise

Thanks so much. I appreciate the reply. Thinking at this point I'll just leave the drinks package. They're savvy and will find a way to get money's worth out of this. It's not like I paid for it out of my own pocket and I think it's one of those "live & learn" things-won't know til we do this. I'm sure he'll enjoy fresh squeezed OJ in the mornings. Hubby just informed me that f-i-l gets up at night to drink as well so yeah...burning through $500 will be easy. Love the guy to death but still-damn, dude:eek:

Thanks for the replies. Wish I could stay out of this as I usually do, but I booked the whole cruise and there's a language barrier with the in-laws as well so it's up to me to do this all. Starting to think, however, he won't consume $500 worth for the duration. Does anyone find that RCCL "extras" like drinks, souvenirs, etc are more expensive than say... carnival?

Please don't judge or snark but I have a legit question about the drinks package for an actual alcoholic...we'll be cruising RCCL for the 1st time. Paid $500 for a 9 night cruise where we're bringing along my in-laws. My father-in-law is an alcoholic -as in he has alcohol in his bloodstream at all times. He's not belligerent or harmful in any way & he doesn't drive anywhere b/c he's retired. He gets the shakes and everything so it's a real condition for him. I don't know exactly how much he drinks to stay evened out throughout the day because he hides his consumption. So, is $500 worth it? Also, because of his issues walking around a lot and lack of stability combined with shakiness, will he have problems getting served or can a family member brino him a drink from the bar? I'm trying to figure this out. I wish it wasn't an issue but this is his life. My mother-in-law tolerates it and he's not getting rehabbed probably ever at this point. So is it worth $500 and if not, can they get a refund?