Am I the only one who doesn't find the drinks onboard to be over priced?

[BOB AND PINKIE]

To SLK230RED

That would be us , Apr 04, 2010 Solstice.

Pinkie was the cute , little one, not quite 5 feet tall on her tippy toes.

Not a big champaign lover though.

Good to hear from you.

Hope all is well.

[uktog]

I would say compared to 4* hotels at home very fair price and far better service and better pours. At least staff know how to make drinks and also remember from one night to the next the specifics of how we like our drinks made.

The other thing is Celebrity are working with premium brands - most of the brand names they include as "basic" vodkas or gins attract a small premium as hotels and pubs use own brand or special labelled products. For example we pay a premium for a vodka made with absolut in our local bars but not on Celebrity

 

Of course it is not the same price as drinking in my home which is what I equate to drinking from an in cabin bar set up which we have had in the past as gifts and enjoyed

 

I accept there is a monopoly but we often go to hotels out in the country that have a similar monopoly and as I say yes, the price is very comparable if not better on board

[jconeil]

I think the prices are comparable to land prices in nice bars/rest. BUT since we are captive drinkers, I think the cruise lines would be making more $ by reducing the price of drinks. People would certainly drink more & more often. It's a retail concept that has proven profitable by many businesses. I am a wino who will have an occasional umbrella drink on a cruise. I would enjoy having a few more of them pool side than I do now, but it takes too much of a hit on the old pocketbook.:(

[megr1125]

nope..i've paid more money for a tiny, lousy drink in Atlantic City...if it was in an 8 ounce cup with a teaspoon of rum, that was a lot...for the bargain price of $10 bucks...

 

However i think a lot depends on where each traveler is from.....for some, $4 for a beer might be expensive...

[pamkev]

Hey, You are not so old. I remember going to NY to get my drinks when I was 17 with my phoney id.:D Not so old here, just experienced.

 

Pat

 

Yes and experience you are:D

[miched]

What I don't understand is that people will get off the ship and then sit at a bar on the pier paying the same price or more when they could buy a beer from a street vendor for $1 to $2 or cheaper in one of the stores.

 

We found a vendor that was selling them for $1 and had a nice tropical patio with a garden waterfall to sit in.

 

Over all the drinks are reasonable considering the atmosphere and source. They are tasty and good size. No matter what I am not forced to buy any so it is my choice if I want to pay the price or not. I don't need to constantly have a drink in my hand to enjoy the cruise.

 

 

 

 

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[phoenix_dream]

It stuns me that so many people think the prices are fine. I think they are comparable to higher end bars and restaurants, but I wouldn't want to spend a whole week or more spending that kind of money every day at one of those bars/restaurants. I would like to see them offer at least one lower priced venue (or lower priced options) for those who would be happy with a lesser brand of beer or liquor. As I said earlier, in particular I think the beer prices are way out of line. You can find plenty of decent places in the Chicago suburbs where I live where you can find beer on tap for maybe $4.00 a glass, and sometimes under $10 for a pitcher. I am not talking about little dives or holes in the wall - I mean nice, middle-class bars and restaurants. And I am sure they make a profit doing so. It would be nice if Celebrity offered at least one such option.

[Bridge Maven]

It stuns me that so many people think the prices are fine. I think they are comparable to higher end bars and restaurants, but I wouldn't want to spend a whole week or more spending that kind of money every day at one of those bars/restaurants. I would like to see them offer at least one lower priced venue (or lower priced options) for those who would be happy with a lesser brand of beer or liquor. As I said earlier, in particular I think the beer prices are way out of line. You can find plenty of decent places in the Chicago suburbs where I live where you can find beer on tap for maybe $4.00 a glass, and sometimes under $10 for a pitcher. I am not talking about little dives or holes in the wall - I mean nice, middle-class bars and restaurants. And I am sure they make a profit doing so. It would be nice if Celebrity offered at least one such option.

 

Phoenix Dream, are you considering Chicago Prices or just their western suburbs. My daughter went to college in Evanston, IL and I know that the prices in the North Shore suburbs of Chicago are almost as high as the city itself.

[FortuneTeller]

It stuns me that so many people think the prices are fine. I think they are comparable to higher end bars and restaurants, but I wouldn't want to spend a whole week or more spending that kind of money every day at one of those bars/restaurants. I would like to see them offer at least one lower priced venue (or lower priced options) for those who would be happy with a lesser brand of beer or liquor. As I said earlier, in particular I think the beer prices are way out of line. You can find plenty of decent places in the Chicago suburbs where I live where you can find beer on tap for maybe $4.00 a glass, and sometimes under $10 for a pitcher. I am not talking about little dives or holes in the wall - I mean nice, middle-class bars and restaurants. And I am sure they make a profit doing so. It would be nice if Celebrity offered at least one such option.

 

 

Exactly!!!

[Bridge Maven]

I think part of the problem is that years ago drinks aboard a ship were very cheap, but that was at a time when cruises were a lot more expensive than they are today. Today prices for them are comparable to what they cost at a hotel or a nice restaurant, but unless someone is a very heavy drinker the combination of cruise fare and drinks purchased aboard a ship is significantly less than it was years ago.

[Denny01]

It stuns me that so many people think the prices are fine. I think they are comparable to higher end bars and restaurants, but I wouldn't want to spend a whole week or more spending that kind of money every day at one of those bars/restaurants. I would like to see them offer at least one lower priced venue (or lower priced options) for those who would be happy with a lesser brand of beer or liquor. As I said earlier, in particular I think the beer prices are way out of line. You can find plenty of decent places in the Chicago suburbs where I live where you can find beer on tap for maybe $4.00 a glass, and sometimes under $10 for a pitcher. I am not talking about little dives or holes in the wall - I mean nice, middle-class bars and restaurants. And I am sure they make a profit doing so. It would be nice if Celebrity offered at least one such option.

I understand that the cruise lines (notice I don't say just Celebrity) charge more than our local (even nice, suburb) bar, but then when I walk out of my nice suburb bar, I'm not stepping off into a new exotic place such as a city in the E Med or the Baltic, or even a little Caribbean island, I'm stepping into a suburb. Yes, I'm partly paying for the experience via the SR I 'rent', but as stated by many others, I'm quite happy to pay for a few drinks that I enjoy, and those that want more, help pay for the cruise even more, keeping the general SR costs down. Nice. I can find a nice massage in my area for $50-$60, not the $150-$200 you see priced on the ship, so I don't go for that much - my choice. Drinking, the spa options, the salon, specialty restaurants....all options beyond the normal pricing for mainline cruise lines. Very Nice.

 

Den

[CanWeGoYet?]

The last time I had a drink in Swaledale, two dogs were under the table, a cat jumped up on the barstool next to me and a sheep walked by the window...the beer my husband ordered was reasonably priced, but the bartender/tendress said she couldn't make a Kir Royale ;)

 

Thank you for my best laugh of the day! That sounds like a place with a lot of character. :)

 

Yes, the cruise lines will mark up their drinks massively. Just like they do photos, excursions, anything they can.

[OCruisers]

We don't find drinks on cruise ships overpriced either! Actually, no more than we pay at home.

[Thornbird]

Most people complaining about the prices seem to be saying how much cheaper you can get them on land. Since our cruise is to the Baltics and Scandinavia, I've seen some posters on the roll call joking about buying drinks on board to smuggle OFF the ship as they are likely to be more expensive on land.

Like many others, we are used to paying high prices on alcohol. Perth is so isolated that all the bars and restaurants have expensive prices, and there are enough cashed up bogans (that's people with more money than class) willing to spend lots of money on it anyway. And all the old happy hour type things have been banned (as they encourage binge drinking which is obviously the biggest social scourge in the world!). So the drink prices don't seem ridiculous to me by any means. The idea that I might drink every day for two weeks does seem a little ridiculous. The idea that i might have 3 or 4 every day (or enough to justify a package) seems extrememly ridiculous. But then, I prefer getting up early without a hangover to explore the ports to staying up all night drinking.

[texast518]

I find the drink prices to be on par with or even in some cases, less, then places we go locally and places we travel. Where I live $12 Martini's, $8 Margarita's, $10 glasses of wine are pretty normal.

 

You really brought um out of the woodwork.

[CanWeGoYet?]

you really brought um out of the woodwork.

 

lol

[texast518]

My final words, I spent all of my money on wine, women, and gambling----squandered the rest.

[Bridge Maven]

Just a thought - if someone feels that a cruise line is a monopoly because you can't go elsewhere on sea days, maybe a cruise is not the best vacation for them.

[OCruisers]

Just a thought - if someone feels that a cruise line is a monopoly because you can't go elsewhere on sea days, maybe a cruise is not the best vacation for them.

 

:D Good Point!

[Denny01]

Monopoly? OK.....ignoring that many Lines are available, I guess once you step on board, yup, you can't go to some other 'neighborhood' or a local suburb bar, but then I'm personally quite glad I can't. Instead of stepping out of my local bar into my suburban neighborhood, I step into an exotic E Med, Baltic, Caribbean port. I really enjoy being in port and someone asks me where the best restaurant is in town - I point back at the ship and say, there it is, and its free!

 

I get a real kick out of many of the 'the prices are too high!' posts. If the Line sets the price at what you pay at your local suburb bar, someone will tell us about their local dive, then the price at their liquor store, then we end up at Sams. Thankfully, we don't have too many beer brewers chiming in and want the beers at $0.25 a glass! For those that complain, there are Lines that provide free drinks. But then, the room charges are a bit higher than your suburb hotel.

 

Den

[gsb]

Yes, but we don't stay in our cabin very much. We usually cruise with others and socialize.

I didn't say you have to stay in your cabin. Make the drink there and take it out.

[jimzgoldfinch]

Most people complaining about the prices seem to be saying how much cheaper you can get them on land. Since our cruise is to the Baltics and Scandinavia, I've seen some posters on the roll call joking about buying drinks on board to smuggle OFF the ship as they are likely to be more expensive on land.

 

Hi,

I like the idea of smuggling booze of the ship especially in Copenhagen, Stockholm and Helsinki where a typical bar price for a beer is considerably more expensive than the ship price. On the other hand, Tallinn, Warnemunde & Brugge were cheaper.

 

Jim

[FortuneTeller]

Monopoly? OK.....ignoring that many Lines are available, I guess once you step on board, yup, you can't go to some other 'neighborhood' or a local suburb bar, but then I'm personally quite glad I can't. Instead of stepping out of my local bar into my suburban neighborhood, I step into an exotic E Med, Baltic, Caribbean port. I really enjoy being in port and someone asks me where the best restaurant is in town - I point back at the ship and say, there it is, and its free!

 

I get a real kick out of many of the 'the prices are too high!' posts. If the Line sets the price at what you pay at your local suburb bar, someone will tell us about their local dive, then the price at their liquor store, then we end up at Sams. Thankfully, we don't have too many beer brewers chiming in and want the beers at $0.25 a glass! For those that complain, there are Lines that provide free drinks. But then, the room charges are a bit higher than your suburb hotel.

 

Den

 

 

 

Quarter beers!!!! Genius!!!!! I am all about that.

 

 

As for being in port, in say Barcelona or Greece and the best meal is on the ship...well I guess our opinions vary. One of the very reason I take a cruise is for the dining at port cities. Although I admit the food might be great while on board...I can honestly say it pales in comparison to most all of the supper clubs or tapas bars I have visited.

[arewethereyet]

This happened to my neighbors when they went on holiday in Spain. They bought a bottle of wine with dinner at a cafe, and wondered why the owner and the staff made such a fuss over them - sitting with them to chat - bringing complimentary dessert & small plates. When they got the bill and saw the bottle of wine they ordered was the equivalent of $300+ and not $30 something, it all became crystal clear.

Ooooops! Time to flop around on the floor and fake food poisoning. ;)

[miched]

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When I go on a cruise I am paying for the privledge to pay higher prices for drinks. When I want to drink cheaper I can always stay at home and drink with those that aren't fortunate enough to cruise. I am sure that they would be willing to pay the higher prices if given the opportunity.

 

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