icsys Posted March 10, 2015 #1 Share Posted March 10, 2015 (edited) As mentioned on other drink threads... We were on Explorer last week and notices a huge increase in bar drink prices compared to a cruise just three months ago. There was only one bar menu throughout the ship (with exception of Pub which has its own A3 sheet) which listed limited offerings and pushing the drinks packages... ALL cocktails priced at $10 +18% American premium beers all $6.00 +18% Beers of the world $5.50 +18% You could ask for drinks not on the menu, such as a B52 or Black Russian, but they were charged at $10 +18% Bar waiter said that ALL cocktails now start at $10 Compared to our Allure cruise last November, bar prices have increased by as much as 40% !! For instance: B52, was $6.50, now $10 Black Russian, was $6.50, now $10 Ultimate cosmopolitan, was $7, now $10 [ATTACH]342719[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]342720[/ATTACH] Sorry about the small pictures. The forum software reduces them to a max size of 620x280 One person on another thread said that on their recent Quantum cruise, the cocktail prices were the same... $11.80 ($10 +18%) I'm guessing this bar price increase will go fleet wide. Edited March 10, 2015 by icsys Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jticarruthers Posted March 10, 2015 #2 Share Posted March 10, 2015 Guess this falls under "if you buy a package you don't notice or care" and "if you don't buy a package you probably will soon". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryano Posted March 10, 2015 #3 Share Posted March 10, 2015 Ridiculous. I guess the days of 6.50 Mango Mai Tai's, 7.00 Lava Flows and 9.00 Perfect Margaritas are long gone :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laedw Posted March 10, 2015 #4 Share Posted March 10, 2015 Yeah, I think RCCL is trying to get everyone to buy a package. :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LetsGetWet! Posted March 10, 2015 #5 Share Posted March 10, 2015 Ridiculous. I guess the days of 6.50 Mango Mai Tai's, 7.00 Lava Flows and 9.00 Perfect Margaritas are long gone :( Yeah, I think RCCL is trying to get everyone to buy a package. :( It does tend to look that way, doesn't it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
setsail Posted March 10, 2015 #6 Share Posted March 10, 2015 Who do you think is paying for all the "free" booze that D & up are drinking. RCI has to pay for that booze, there is nothing free. Thanks to all who are paying the higher price:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Royal2464 Posted March 10, 2015 #7 Share Posted March 10, 2015 Same higher prices on Freedom last week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryano Posted March 10, 2015 #8 Share Posted March 10, 2015 Yeah, I think RCCL is trying to get everyone to buy a package. :( It will not work with me. In fact, I will drink even less now if all cocktails are starting at 10.00 + the tip and I wont be tipping extra like I did in the past. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dz9yvr Posted March 10, 2015 #9 Share Posted March 10, 2015 The plan is to follow the lead of Celebrity and include the drinks package as part of a sale with the cabin. The over inflated cabin prices may look better if you include an inflated drinks package. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigmanpw Posted March 10, 2015 #10 Share Posted March 10, 2015 As mentioned on other drink threads... We were on Explorer last week and notices a huge increase in bar drink prices compared to a cruise just three months ago. There was only one bar menu throughout the ship (with exception of Pub which has its own A3 sheet) which listed limited offerings and pushing the drinks packages... ALL cocktails priced at $10 +18% American premium beers all $6.00 +18% Beers of the world $5.50 +18% You could ask for drinks not on the menu, such as a B52 or Black Russian, but they were charged at $10 +18% Bar waiter said that ALL cocktails now start at $10 Compared to our Allure cruise last November, bar prices have increased by as much as 40% !! For instance: B52, was $6.50, now $10 Black Russian, was $6.50, now $10 Ultimate cosmopolitan, was $7, now $10 [ATTACH]342719[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]342720[/ATTACH] Sorry about the small pictures. The forum software reduces them to a max size of 620x280 One person on another thread said that on their recent Quantum cruise, the cocktail prices were the same... $11.80 ($10 +18%) I'm guessing this bar price increase will go fleet wide. Icsys, can't really see the menu descriptions. Does that $10 include top shelf? I usually drink Grey Goose, Belvedere, or Ketel one. I usually buy the ultimate package which has a $12 pre-tip max. I would be pissed if I have to belly up more cash every time I order a cocktail if top shelf is a higher price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
senior lady Posted March 10, 2015 #11 Share Posted March 10, 2015 Wow, was on Princess last week and their drink prices are very reasonable. Keeps me sailing with them;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuckiStac13*Majesty* Posted March 10, 2015 #12 Share Posted March 10, 2015 They're crazy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bouhunter Posted March 10, 2015 #13 Share Posted March 10, 2015 (edited) We'll take a couple free cocktails as Diamond and call it good, don't need to get crocked and drunk and pay RCCL a fortune to do so whether it's up front on a package or by the drink....... Of course the cheer leaders will say that the onboard prices are similar to those on land. I was just at a local bar and had 1.00 bottles. Will NEVER see that on RCCL.....ever........ they want 5-6.00 for a BEER! Oh and don't forget the 18% "service charge"...... They are making a fortune on booze. And people will still say the rules about bringing liquor onboard are just about liability, not profit. Too funny. Edited March 10, 2015 by bouhunter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joepeka Posted March 10, 2015 #14 Share Posted March 10, 2015 Guess we'll be spending a little more time in the CL. Of course, lots of other folks will be thinking the same thing and the CL will be even more crowded than it is already. :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grandgeezer Posted March 10, 2015 #15 Share Posted March 10, 2015 Guess this falls under "if you buy a package you don't notice or care" and "if you don't buy a package you probably will soon". No, this falls under " I'll take the free drinks for being a Diamond member, and save the couple hundred dollars I normally spend". We don't need alcohol to make cruising a great time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bethc1952 Posted March 10, 2015 #16 Share Posted March 10, 2015 (edited) It will not work with me. In fact, I will drink even less now if all cocktails are starting at 10.00 + the tip and I wont be tipping extra like I did in the past. Me too. My husband and I have no more than one drink each per day. We don't need the extra sugar and calories, and he is a bit limited by the medication he takes. A package would never work for us. We already stopped going to the casino because of the smoke in there. While it's not a huge loss for the cruise line, there are others like us, and the loss mounts. We will simply not buy any drinks at all if the price keeps going up, and will consider another cruise line if the price of the cruise rises to include all the alcohol one can consume. If the price rises but includes EVERYTHING (soda, premium tea/coffee/etc.), then we might not be so irritated. Beth Edited March 10, 2015 by bethc1952 My spelling isn't so good today LOL!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryano Posted March 10, 2015 #17 Share Posted March 10, 2015 Of course the cheer leaders will say that the onboard prices are similar to those on land. I was just at a local bar and had 1.00 bottles. Will NEVER see that on RCCL.....ever........ they want 5-6.00 for a BEER! Oh and don't forget the 18% "service charge"...... They are making a fortune on booze. And the cheerleaders still say the rules about bringing liquor onboard are just about liability, not profit. Too funny. Totally agree. I wasnt going to go there but since you did, Im sure it wont be long before they show up. :D I have never paid 12.00 for Margarita or 7.00 for a beer ANYWHERE on land :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcgrumpy Posted March 10, 2015 #18 Share Posted March 10, 2015 I used to say "Well at least the drinks are cheaper than Disney World". I guess I can't say that anymore. :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Restless24 Posted March 10, 2015 #19 Share Posted March 10, 2015 (edited) Same higher prices on Freedom last week. Thanks, I had been trying to find this out since I'll be on Freedom in a couple weeks. It really does seem like they are pushing the packages hard. They probably realize that there are many moderate drinkers out there who are on the fence about buying a package and this is the best way to nudge them forward. I know some occasional drinkers will boycott drinking on board due to the higher prices, but I bet the majority of them will still have their one or two cocktails per day. I find it funny that many (including myself in this) rationalize making a drink package "worth it" by calculating how much our drinks would cost us individually, when in reality both prices (individual drink and drink packages) are too damn expensive. The price of enjoying a vacation... and yes, I know alcohol isn't needed to enjoy it... just an expression :) Edited March 10, 2015 by Restless24 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bouhunter Posted March 10, 2015 #20 Share Posted March 10, 2015 (edited) Totally agree. I wasnt going to go there but since you did, Im sure it wont be long before they show up. :D I have never paid 12.00 for Margarita or 7.00 for a beer ANYWHERE on land :rolleyes: Yep they are making a LOT of money on booze. It's mind boggling how much money some people spend, whether on a package or by the drink. And we like to drink........but would never spend what RCCL would like us to. We'll do it other places at other times, will just take our free Diamond cocktails and call it good! Ha! Edited March 10, 2015 by bouhunter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OSULabRat Posted March 10, 2015 #21 Share Posted March 10, 2015 (edited) Totally agree. I wasnt going to go there but since you did, Im sure it wont be long before they show up. :D I have never paid 12.00 for Margarita or 7.00 for a beer ANYWHERE on land :rolleyes: This isn't a defense of raising the drink prices, but merely an observation... You really have never paid that amount for a drink on land? Granted it's not at every bar... But if you haven't paid $7 for a beer or $12 for a margarita ANYWHERE on land ever, I'm going to have to assume you've never drank a drink at any hotel bar, any "trendy" club, any big major city, or any tourist destination ever... Because that is not that exorbitant of a price as to make it unfathomable. Also, to the poster taking about $1 swill beers at their local hole in the wall drinking spot, just stop. Totally ridiculous comparison. The beers that I drink even at home cost more than $1 each at the State minimum prices. Now back to the topic of the thread... I will likely be drinking slightly less on the cruises I don't have a package on if this does indeed go fleet-wide... But it's certainly not going to ruin a vacation. Relax people. Lol Sent from my SM-N910P using Forums mobile app Edited March 10, 2015 by OSULabRat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icsys Posted March 10, 2015 Author #22 Share Posted March 10, 2015 (edited) Icsys, can't really see the menu descriptions. Does that $10 include top shelf? I usually drink Grey Goose, Belvedere, or Ketel one. I usually buy the ultimate package which has a $12 pre-tip max. I would be pissed if I have to belly up more cash every time I order a cocktail if top shelf is a higher price. Red Bull and vodka is listed as made with Kettel One - $10. Ultimate Cosmo is listed as made with Grey Goose - $10 There are fifteen drinks listed... all $11.80 inclusive of tip. California Cooler Torched Sherry sangria Captains Caipirinha Guava Rita The Grand Margarita Tango 10 Collins Goombay Smash Frozen Mojito JW Black Rob Roy Ultimate Mai Tai Appletini Ultimate Cosmopolitan Washington Apple Long Island Iced Tea Red Bull and Vodka If you wanted a drink that was not on the list and you wanted to know how much beforehand you would need to ask the price. Edited March 10, 2015 by icsys Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenembeckey Posted March 10, 2015 #23 Share Posted March 10, 2015 RCCL does not make much if any money on cruise fares; their profits come from liquor, spa, specialty restaurants and photos. It's a business folks. If people will pay, they will charge for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bouhunter Posted March 10, 2015 #24 Share Posted March 10, 2015 (edited) Also, to the poster taking about $1 swill beers at their local hole in the wall drinking spot, just stop. Totally ridiculous comparison. The beers that I drink even at home cost more than $1 each at the State minimum prices. No, it is not ridiculous. I'm talking about the SAME BOTTLED BEER that RCCL is charging 6-7.00 for:rolleyes: Not "swill", whatever that is......You are being ridiculous.:rolleyes: Edited March 10, 2015 by bouhunter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare mil76 Posted March 10, 2015 #25 Share Posted March 10, 2015 Yep they are making a LOT of money on booze. It's mind boggling how much money some people spend, whether on a package or by the drink. And we like to drink........but would never spend what RCCL would like us to. We'll do it other places at other times, will just take our free Diamond cocktails and call it good! Ha! Another reason I'm happy to be a flowrider junkie. Can't drink during the day since flowriding and drinking is not a good mix. Then once the flowrider closes I have the DL and vouchers for the evening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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