Could you Cruise with ZERO Booze?

[Freecall]

[quote name='Jobeth66']They make money from more than just alcohol. They make money on EVERY drink they sell. They also make money on cabins, and excursions.

So - would you do an 11 day cruise for free with nothing to drink but tap water (on ship & in ports), only an inside cabin, and no ship-sponsored excursions?

Could I do an 11-day cruise with no alcohol? Yes. Would I? If it was free, sure. Would it be my preference? No.

I could do it with nothing to drink but tap water & nothing to eat but rice and green beans, too. But it wouldn't be my first choice.[/QUOTE]


Well said

[A1A]

[quote name='arpster']Well then, why not just ask if alcohol is a necessity for most people? ..rather than framing the question in the pointless 'free cruise' enquiry - which does nothing but give misleading results/answers[/quote]

I agree, and just what is the point of people answering that do not drink? I don't smoke so would it be valid for me to reply to the thread asking if I would go on a 11 day cruise if I could not smoke for 11 days, no sacrifice there! Also, what really is the OP point when his post indicates that "some folks are honest enough [B]to admit[/B] that they would give up a free celebrity cruise if they couldn't have alcohol"

Okay, so it was meant to be a fun post! :D

[SilkShirt]

[quote name='A1A']I agree, and just what is the point of people answering that do not drink? I don't smoke so would it be valid for me to reply to the thread asking if I would go on a 11 day cruise if I could not smoke for 11 days, no sacrifice there! Also, what really is the OP point when his post indicates that "some folks are honest enough [B]to admit[/B] that they would give up a free celebrity cruise if they couldn't have alcohol"

Okay, so it was meant to be a fun post! :D[/quote]

It started out as a fun post. It turns out that some people are very sensitive to the subject of alcohol use.

[Bridge Maven]

[quote name='Bridge Maven']Joel, since you are probably snowed in from the 20" of snow that fell in Columbia MO,how would you get to the airport...LOL :)[/QUOTE]

BTW - this was just a joke because it is so unusual for Columbia, MO to have a snow storm as bad as the one they had this week.

[Tiki_Man]

Okay, let's give it a little turn. Since they make money off the Specialty resturants and since all those fancy entree's in the MDR and waitstaff are expensive ~ would you do an 11 day Free cruise if you could ONLY eat at the Buffett? Lets see who the real "foodies" are. No Dining Room, No Room Service, No Pool Grill. Just the Buffett, serve yourself. Since Pizza and Waffle station are in the Buffett area those are "in play".

We have determined that some folks can enjoy a cruise without Alcohol (NOT ME by the way), now lets see who would do a free cruise with limited food choices since that is one of the main things folks enjoy. (and since we were not allowed to drink ashore - NO eating on the main land either).

Tiki (hiccup :) )

[Bridge Maven]

[quote name='Tiki_Man']Okay, let's give it a little turn. Since they make money off the Specialty resturants and since all those fancy entree's in the MDR and waitstaff are expensive ~ would you do an 11 day Free cruise if you could ONLY eat at the Buffett? Lets see who the real "foodies" are. No Dining Room, No Room Service, No Pool Grill. Just the Buffett, serve yourself. Since Pizza and Waffle station are in the Buffett area those are "in play".

We have determined that some folks can enjoy a cruise without Alcohol (NOT ME by the way), now lets see who would do a free cruise with limited food choices since that is one of the main things folks enjoy. (and since we were not allowed to drink ashore - NO eating on the main land either).

Tiki (hiccup :) )[/QUOTE]

Tiki Man - I would not take a free cruise if the only option for food was a buffet. A few years ago, my husband and I had an opportunity to take a free cruise on an old Celebrity ship, that is no longer in their fleet, and turned it down because the ship had no balconies. So even though I love cruises, I would rather stay home than go on one that lacks things that are important to me.

[SilkShirt]

[quote name='Tiki_Man']Okay, let's give it a little turn. Since they make money off the Specialty resturants and since all those fancy entree's in the MDR and waitstaff are expensive ~ would you do an 11 day Free cruise if you could ONLY eat at the Buffett? Lets see who the real "foodies" are. No Dining Room, No Room Service, No Pool Grill. Just the Buffett, serve yourself. Since Pizza and Waffle station are in the Buffett area those are "in play".

We have determined that some folks can enjoy a cruise without Alcohol (NOT ME by the way), now lets see who would do a free cruise with limited food choices since that is one of the main things folks enjoy. (and since we were not allowed to drink ashore - NO eating on the main land either).

Tiki (hiccup :) )[/quote]
The price of eating in the Dining Room, Room Service, and Pool Grill is included in the cruise price.
Is alcohol more important than food to you?

[Senga]

Well, we pay full price and always vacation alcohol free; my husband for medication reasons, me for personal preference. We are often asked why we would go to an all-inclusive when we don't drink alcohol; we drink bottled water, sodas and non-alcoholic frozen drinks so feel we're still getting the benefits. Plus, it's a great benefit when cruising NOT to get the horrendous bills I've seen others with!

[cruzeluver]

I voted that going alcohol free would be a piece of cake.

But buffet only?!:eek: No thanks. Dining cafeteria style and eating food that's been sitting out is not my idea of vacation.

[Marian Paroo]

[COLOR=darkorchid]Seriously now, no way would I take a "free" cruise that had any strings attached. That aint free.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=#9932cc][/COLOR]

[iancal]

DW does not drink and I do not drink very much. Nothwithstanding this, we often select all inclusives because they offer value to us and the price includes door to door airfare. So you often find us on a beach in Cuba, Dominican, etc. and sometimes we will be on board a ship.

[CruisingChick]

[quote name='Tiki_Man']Okay, let's give it a little turn. Since they make money off the Specialty resturants and since all those fancy entree's in the MDR and waitstaff are expensive ~ would you do an 11 day Free cruise if you could ONLY eat at the Buffett? Tiki (hiccup :) )[/quote]

No I would not take a free cruise if I had to eat at a buffet for all my meals.

I don't like buffets in general, my DH and I prefer to be seated in the main dining room for all our meals.

I remember our first cruise, not only could you have all you meals in the main dining room, but you had your own table for each meal with your waiter, etc. There was no open seating. You had times for breakfast just like dinner. WOW. Those days are long gone.

[Bridge Maven]

[quote name='CruisingChick']No I would not take a free cruise if I had to eat at a buffet for all my meals.

I don't like buffets in general, my DH and I prefer to be seated in the main dining room for all our meals.

I remember our first cruise, not only could you have all you meals in the main dining room, but you had your own table for each meal with your waiter, etc. There was no open seating. You had times for breakfast just like dinner. WOW. Those days are long gone.[/QUOTE]


CruisingChick, I remember that too. If you had early seating for dinner, you also had early seating for breakfast and lunch.

[We're The Groupnors]

[quote name='SilkShirt']When comparing vacations, Resorts like Sandals include food and alcohol, most cruise lines include food, and make a big profit on the alcohol.

For non alcohol drinkers the cruise is a better value.
The cruise industry must feel that you need booze to have a good time. This is their biggest profit center. They need to push the drinks.
For a percentage of folks it's true. Alcohol is the foundation of their cruise and their biggest expense.

So here is my question.
If you could on an 11 day Celebrity cruise for FREE, as long as you and your spouse refrained from ALL alcohol, would you do it?[/quote]

DH does not drink, so he'd have a great time. However, he'd be traveling alone. I don't think I've gone 11 days without at least a glass of wine since I was a teenager (that's the French genes, I suppose!). And while I don't need to drink heavily to have a good time, having a good meal without good wine just doesn't seem like a vacation to me.

[cruzeluver]

[QUOTE]I remember our first cruise, not only could you have all you meals in the main dining room, but you had your own table for each meal with your waiter, etc. There was no open seating. You had times for breakfast just like dinner. WOW. Those days are long gone.[/QUOTE]

Aaaaahhhhhh...now you're taking me back! That is how cruising was when I went with my family growing up in the early to mid 80s.

Hope you and the hubby are doing well.

[cruise kitty]

In all honesty, it would depend on where the ship is going. Europe, no problem, days are too full to really miss drinking too much. Carib or Hawaii...hmm, there something very wrong about lying by a pool or swimming at a wonderful beach, & not being able to have a nice Mojito.

[Tiki_Man]

[quote name='SilkShirt']The price of eating in the Dining Room, Room Service, and Pool Grill is included in the cruise price.
Is alcohol more important than food to you?[/QUOTE]

Silk, you said this was to be a fun thread so I am asking for a little flexibility to find out what IS important on a cruise. Lots of the folks that answered NO Alcohol don't drink anyway, so they are not "giving up" anything. I understand you were going for the "cost" aspect also but I was trying for the "wants important to you on a cruise".

From some responses, Food IS important and folks would not cruise if they only had the Buffett option. Sorry to hijack your thread, I apoligize.

Mr Martini Tiki :)

[Marian Paroo]

[QUOTE=We're The Groupnors;27802830] And while I don't need to drink heavily to have a good time, having a good meal without good wine just doesn't seem like a vacation to me.[/QUOTE]

[COLOR="DarkOrchid"]For me, there are some foods that just beg to be accompanied by wine -- Italian, French, Spanish.

I can do Chinese, Japanese, American without wine, no problem.[/COLOR]

[cl.klink]

[quote name='cl.klink']In a selfless act of pure altruism, and prompted purely by a sense of scientific discovery, I volunteer myself to go on such a free cruise for the purpose of educating the Cruise Critic community, and learning whether or not one can cruise as suggested in this thread. No, really. I am willing to put myself out there for you all. It's a sacrifice I am willing to make.

When do I pack?

- Joel[/QUOTE]

Ok, I just boarded Celebrity Millenium, and two glasses of Champagne and a mojito later, I have failed the experiment.

So much for that.

- Joel

[CruisingChick]

[quote name='cruzeluver']Hope you and the hubby are doing well.[/quote]

Hi Ryan, Frank is doing great, I on the other hand, not so good. Oh well - maybe by summer I'll be better. Tell everyone on the Roll Call I said hi.

I will be thinking about all of you while you are on Constellation next month. Mostly I'll be sitting at my desk at work crying.

[CruisingChick]

[quote name='cl.klink']Ok, I just boarded Celebrity Millenium, and two glasses of Champagne and a mojito later, I have failed the experiment.

So much for that.

- Joel[/quote]

Joel, if you have a chance can you find out who is the International Host(ess) on Millennium.

Thank you so much.

Anne Maria

P.S. Good for you for failing the experiement. You're my kind of guy.

[bighairtexan]

OK so i'm stuck in the Dallas area. Everything is covered in 2 inches of HARD solid ice covered by 6 inches of snow. I've fallen twice while dog walking. My pool is freezing up and I can't add extra water because the pool filling outlet has frozen shut.
I'd take a free cruise, no booze, drink only tap water and eat from the buffet only and be the happiest camper on the ship.

[Ocean Dancer]

i'll take it one step further, no alcohol, eat only at the buffets, never get off the ship, while staying in an inside cabin..................:D

what ship are you putting us on.................:eek:

[Texed]

[quote name='bighairtexan']OK so i'm stuck in the Dallas area. Everything is covered in 2 inches of HARD solid ice covered by 6 inches of snow. I've fallen twice while dog walking. My pool is freezing up and I can't add extra water because the pool filling outlet has frozen shut.
I'd take a free cruise, no booze, drink only tap water and eat from the buffet only and be the happiest camper on the ship.[/quote]

[B][COLOR=darkred]Priceless! :)[/COLOR][/B]

[bighairtexan]

[quote name='Texed'][B][COLOR=darkred]Priceless! :)[/COLOR][/B][/QUOTE]


I CAN get waffles can't I? :D