Weak Drinks

[britwelshflorida]

I am so glad that other people feel the way we did. We ordered a yellow bird and a manhatten in one of the bars, during a show, and it was aweful. Absolutely no alcohol! We were pretty p.o'd so we never ordered another drink. The same thing at the Captains party, three drinks in a half hour and NO effect whatsoever. We stuck to beer and used the wine we brought with us for a before dinner drink. On Norwegian the month before, their drinks were more expensive but they did have alcohol in them and one manhatten was enough for me. I think Princess should get the message (I mentioned it on my survey) and hopefully things will change.

[mafig]

I drink Manhattans too and since it's all alcohol, it has to have alcohol in it.

 

However, Princess' Manhattans were the smallest I've ever seen. If you order straight up, as I do, there was maybe 1-1/4 ounces (if that in a cocktail glass). If you order "on the rocks," it's hard to see if there's any liquid in the glass (maybe a quarter of an inch) with tons of ice on top.

 

:(

 

Just on Solstice, and while their drinks were more expensive, at least you got a nice sized Manhattan (or Martini). I thought HAL was pretty good too (and the cheapest, drink-wise).

[dclark]

It is threads like this make me appreciate the whiskey sours on CCL given out free on the last night. Some of them taste like jet fuel and just a few is all that it takes to make you not want to pack up.

Back when they had the free drinks during first formal night, the booze was strong enough to make you not notice the iodine flavor of the lobster tails.

[Protseq]

I think any drinking establishment will cheat on the amount of liquor in cocktails. When I comment on a drink's alcoholic content, I usually get the 'corporate guidelines' excuse. I agree that befriending a certain bartender / lounge is probably the best way to ensure a good pour. Tom

[Cancruizer]

Funny that this has come up. We were on the Crown Princess in January and had no effect after having a Pina Colada as well as the Strawberry Colada. On Princess Cays the drinks were even worse. We ordered just one to try before we ordered another (my husband and I). I ended up throwing it out as I thought it just wasn`t worth the calories. We sailed on the Crown in 2007 and didn`t recall this. Royal Caribbean is definately more generous with the alcohol in their drinks as the waiters often are free pouring. ... we love Princess and will be on the Emerald in August, but do not plan on buying many mixed drinks...

[ONT-CA]

If i have to tip the bartender just to get a regular drink not a watered down one. NO THANK YOU

 

A sixteen-day cruise and each evening you have drinks at your favourite bar. You tip the server twenty bucks, which works out to about 50 cents a drink which is probably far less than you tip your local hometown pourer. Isn't that worth getting what you want when you want and with a smile? And isn't twenty bucks just about 1% of your cruise cost? Give it up...

[DaKingfish]

Just a few words....."Chairman of the Board" martini at Crooners Lounge.....I had just one and it sent my head spinning.......and that rarely happens with me, as I am accustomed to making my drinks strong anyway.....

[BosoxI]

Just to finish the story: last night I got a comment form from the purser and wrote a detailed complaint about weak limoncello poured by a faceless bartender somewhere in the bowels of the ship, for what that's worth. From the number of complaints on this thread, it's clear to me that it must be Princess policy, not a crooked bartender that's responsible. If it were on land, I'd go to the authorities with my complaint, as every jurisdiction has policing mechanisms for just this sort of thing. But on a cruise line, I'm not sure who on shore to tell. We'll be on another cruise shortly, so I'll be interested to see what that ship provides. DW and I rarely drink hard liquor in a Princess bar, as we usually stick to beer and wine. But with $2.99 drinks in the Elite lounge, we have visited there on our last 3 cruises. The marqueritas always are weak/sweet but the Rob Roys seem OK. As an aside, maybe it's the New Yorker in me but I think tipping extra for a real drink is something only suckers do (no offense intended). As I see it, the bartender/Princess and I have entered a contract in which I pay for a product as advertised and he provides it. Why do I have to pay extra? And to use the liquor in my Elite bar package to spike my own drink is the epitome of something. So, I'll get my Bucket of Beer and order wine with dinner, plus the wine I bring on board and I'll avoid the problem of watered down booze most of the time. Sad, though, to think Princess would be a party to this kind of stuff.

[RickEk]

Just a few words....."Chairman of the Board" martini at Crooners Lounge.....I had just one and it sent my head spinning.......and that rarely happens with me, as I am accustomed to making my drinks strong anyway.....

 

My favorite... and always potent!

[kenexx]

A sixteen-day cruise and each evening you have drinks at your favourite bar. You tip the server twenty bucks, which works out to about 50 cents a drink which is probably far less than you tip your local hometown pourer. Isn't that worth getting what you want when you want and with a smile? And isn't twenty bucks just about 1% of your cruise cost? Give it up...

 

Yes but the point is you shouldn't have to bribe them over and above the already added 15% just to get a decent drink. And they wonder why people BYO :p

[Woe is me]

Just to finish the story: last night I got a comment form from the purser and wrote a detailed complaint about weak limoncello poured by a faceless bartender somewhere in the bowels of the ship, for what that's worth. From the number of complaints on this thread, it's clear to me that it must be Princess policy, not a crooked bartender that's responsible. If it were on land, I'd go to the authorities with my complaint, as every jurisdiction has policing mechanisms for just this sort of thing. But on a cruise line, I'm not sure who on shore to tell. We'll be on another cruise shortly, so I'll be interested to see what that ship provides. DW and I rarely drink hard liquor in a Princess bar, as we usually stick to beer and wine. But with $2.99 drinks in the Elite lounge, we have visited there on our last 3 cruises. The marqueritas always are weak/sweet but the Rob Roys seem OK. As an aside, maybe it's the New Yorker in me but I think tipping extra for a real drink is something only suckers do (no offense intended). As I see it, the bartender/Princess and I have entered a contract in which I pay for a product as advertised and he provides it. Why do I have to pay extra? And to use the liquor in my Elite bar package to spike my own drink is the epitome of something. So, I'll get my Bucket of Beer and order wine with dinner, plus the wine I bring on board and I'll avoid the problem of watered down booze most of the time. Sad, though, to think Princess would be a party to this kind of stuff.

 

Thats your opinion, your opinion only, no facts at all.

[sultan_sfo]

Hope you had a stiff drink before writing your post!

 

...

From the number of complaints on this thread, it's clear to me that it must be Princess policy, not a crooked bartender that's responsible.

...

Sad, though, to think Princess would be a party to this kind of stuff.

[Katie333]

I'm not a big drinker but I'll admit the foo foo drinks I tend to order don't really hit me. Mind you, I am ordering most of those for the flavour, not to get a buzz. If I'm paying $2.99 then I don't really mind (most restaurants will charge almost that for soda these days, or at least they do around here) if there isn't a lot of booze in the drink. And $2.99 beer is a big bargain where I come from.

 

I think I'll pay more attention on my upcoming cruise and see what I can discern.

[tequilasunrise]

on our Ruby cruise last November that bottles of liquor are inventoried after each shift. The basic premise was the "powers to be" know exactly how much booze is in each bottle, and reconcile the amount that is used against the drink tickets. Our bartender friend explained that any discrepancies are cause for a reprimand.

 

The reason the question came up is that we were at the bar when a new bartender's shift started and there was a supervisor with a clipboard checking bottles which were lined up on the bar. He was noting how much booze as a percentage was in each bottle and marking it down.

 

So ... I can see why bartenders might error on the conservative side when pouring drinks. And .... if you over pour for a generous patron, it only tends to reason that subsequent drink seekers may get short changed.

 

I wondered about this kind of scenario. If they are carefully checked, then a careful bartender who needs his/her job will deliberately underpour slightly or water to be certain there is enough booze when they are inventoried. Also, as you mentioned, if they pour heavily for a big tipper, then they have to rip off someone else to even it out.

 

BUT, that's pretty bad policy on Princess's side if it makes the customers unhappy. They would be better off to loosen it up a little. Tasty drinks would sell better :D

[TGHRS]

The Hydrometer will only work if testing straight alcohol. It will vary with the sugar content of a mixed drink. For wine makers it is used to find the potential alcohol before fermenting to the after fermentation alcohol.

 

I'm now going to stick with beer.

[ONT-CA]

A one-litre bottle of Russian Vodka sells at the Duty Free shop aboard a Princess ship for about $10.00. There is probably a 100% mark-up as these bottled goods are purchased through Ship Stores with no duty and no taxes because the product is consumed in international waters. So lets say that the bottle costs them $5.00 (but most probably less)

 

That said, we estimate that you can get about 20-25 pours from this litre bottle. That means each pour costs the line about 25 cents. If we are being short poured in the bars, then surely it is not a cost savings game going on regarding the alcohol for that would amount to pennies.

 

A responsible drinker knows when he has had enough, not so much by the number of drinks consumed but more how he feels. If a weak $7.50 drink doesn't do the trick then maybe another and perhaps another. It is in the retailing of drinks where the profit picture comes in to play not the cost of alcohol.

[VegasPier]

The Hydrometer will only work if testing straight alcohol. It will vary with the sugar content of a mixed drink. For wine makers it is used to find the potential alcohol before fermenting to the after fermentation alcohol.

 

I'm now going to stick with beer.

 

IIRC the hydrometer web site offered different models for wine/beer and for liquor.

 

I was wondering about the use of the hydrometer in mixed drinks. If they don't work in mixed drinks then one could order a something on the rocks and see of the liquor is really pure. A cup of water poured into a bottle of vodka would get the proof down noticeably. And save money for Princess.

 

Wine or beer opened at the table is probably a lot easier solution.

 

Cheers, VegasPier

[loving2cruise]

I recently sailed on the Caribbean Princess. Now that I am reading this thread, I realize that the times that I did order Pina Colada's, it probably did not have any liquor in it. I didn't taste the liquor in those drinks, but never questioned the waiter, figuring Princess would not do that :eek: I liked the taste anyway, but since I paid for Pina Colada with Rum, it should have been in those drinks.

I'll know better the next cruise. Thanks for the heads up.

[Feelin' Nauti']

We had the limoncello last week on the Emerald in Sabatini's & thought the same thing. It was a complementary drink so I couldn't complain but it did taste weak. I had nothing to compare it to since the only time I've had it was on Princess but I wouldn't order it again.

It must be an acquired taste.

YUM!!!!!!

Princess makes their own.

 

Watch the video

http://blip.tv/file/230585

 

They don't charge you for the drink, since they make it themselves, rather charge you for the glass which you get to keep.

 

A "good" waiter will give you a second shot for free. ;)

[m steve]

according to a bar manager. It is purchased from a stateside supplier like the food and other products. The reason the drinks are weak is that they use a small undersized shot glass or a pourer that gives less than an ounce. Most good bars pour about 1 1/2 oz. like a mini bottles contains. And if it's mixed w/ fruit juices, colada, etc. it won't be strong. Especially those frozen drinks. Most cruisers do not drink as regular habit so the strength is not important to them, the glass and straws are. I have seen them open new bottles regularly so I don't think they water the bottles, just pour weaker shots.

[mnbruce]

Never felt any buzz at all after drinking on our CB cruise in January so I turned to beer on the last day just to feel a little bit. I don't drink much so it normally would take very little for me to feel something.

 

In comparison,I had two small Bushwackers at a little shack just outside the port gate on St. Thomas and I was lucky to make it back to our cabin.:eek:

The last time I was drunk like that had to be in the 1970's.

[Sox Fan Cruiser]

Seriously folks? You think that bartenders, bar backs, Princess itself opens up bottles of booze, pours half out and puts water in it?!?!

 

They are measured pours! With large amounts of mixers. Order straight drinks or "splashes" if you want. Watch when they make your drink. There is one shot in them with a bunch of juice.

 

And the martinis are deceptively small. But I know that going in. There's no way I could drink the number of martinis at home that I do on the ship. It's a jigger and a half. I poured that into my smallest martini glass at home and it didn't fill it.

 

I agree that the drinks don't have a lot of alcohol in them but they are NOT watering down the bottles!! And wine? You really think they water down the wine?!?! Come on.

 

Either stay with beer, or wine (the un-watered down kind) they open at the table, or a straight up drink.

[BosoxI]

Thats your opinion, your opinion only, no facts at all.

 

Just what facts do you require, Mr. Buckelew. 3 pages of comments most of which indicate something is rotten in the hard liquor service on Princess ships. And another thread is active on the same subject with even more negative comments.

[ONT-CA]

according to a bar manager. It is purchased from a stateside supplier like the food and other products. .

 

Of course the bar manager would say this to defend their pricing policies. Believe me, for almost 30 years I worked in the business; international waters?...no duty no taxes. Notice how the bars aboard are closed in each port?

[1 HappyCruiser]

Just what facts do you require, Mr. Buckelew. 3 pages of comments most of which indicate something is rotten in the hard liquor service on Princess ships. And another thread is active on the same subject with even more negative comments.

 

Why should they do anything about the situation when on the last cruise there were loads of first time cruisers who don't know any different & will buy the drinks regardless of how bad they are. They're making a ton of money serving fruit juice drinks with hardly any alcohol. It's a good business.