Drinks onboard - quality or watered down

[forever cruise]

Yes, I actually probably meant weak, not watered down. Our drinks have always been good on our cruises except for this last year on the Valor. They were very "weak". Guess I'll be makin' friends with the bartenders this time around, possibly, and being more attentive to the bartenders that make the better drinks. Or just simply asking for a better drink to be made if it seems weak. Like my mixed drinks verses wine or beer. Thanks all.:o

[jiggs]

it depends on how much and how often and what you drink. I think I could drink the DoD all day and walk a straight line. There just isn't that much liquid in them in addition to the ice, only part of which is booze.

 

Kettle and cran or Makers and ginger, its usually made half at most inside bars that I can remember. if you drink it slow and the ice goes away, then its going to seem weaker, but the amount of booze is still the same.

 

back in the good old days of the captains cocktail hour, eating late seating and going to the early and late parties, I can tell you the drinks would get stronger if you tipped at all. I had bartenders making me drinks while getting rounds for others when she saw me coming from across the room. Oh the memories, tux on and a lapel pocket full of small bills.

[ryanpatricksmom]

I always order a double because the regular drink glasses are way too small. I don't think there's a way to make a strong drink that's still tasty in those little bitty glasses. In a doubles glass there's enough room for a good pour and the right amount mixer to keep me from making a pucker face. :)

[AZ Karaoke Girl]

I always order a double because the regular drink glasses are way too small. I don't think there's a way to make a strong drink that's still tasty in those little bitty glasses. In a doubles glass there's enough room for a good pour and the right amount mixer to keep me from making a pucker face. :)

 

Agree. Thats why I order doubles cuz a double is about equivalent to 3 regular drinks in size but cheaper than buying 3 drinks.

[vacruizer]

I can assure you, I've NEVER had a watered down drink on any of my Carnival cruises. The daily specials are all good and the special drinks (Cruiser Classics) will flat out get you drunk quick. I almost had to send one Mai Tia back because it was TOO strong......almost ;)

 

I'll second that on the Mai-Tais. They are expensive and yummy (although nothing like the ones in Hawaii which aren't red), but I can't even make it through one. I've had to give the last 1/3 or so to my dh each time I've ordered one. :eek:

[meatloafsfan]

For me I think it's depended more on what I ordered.

 

Mango Margarita's - not much alcohol flavour; minor buzz.

Pina Colada - more alcohol flavour; decent buzz.

Jack and Ginger - good alcohol flavour; good buzz.

Tirimisu Martini - strong alcohol flavour; big buzz!

[CapsR1]

I stopped ordering DODs because several times I saw them poured from pre-mixed containers by the wait staff, which is why they always tasted weak and too sweet for my taste.

The typical dirty martini or cosmo which I happen to indulge in once in awhile :eek: should be more alcohol than mixer (cranberry juice, olive juice, etc.).

A typical pour in a bar or restaurant should be about 1.5 oz, so one oz is a rip off when paying full price for drinks.

That being said, we have always had the luck of the Irish on our side when cruising Carnival and have had wonderfully strong delicious drinks on our cruises. And yes, tipping the bartender an extra dollar or two here and there really does make a difference!

[trixilee]

Just back from a RC where we got the premium drinks package. How is it that I drank so much and never even got a buzz except for the night we drank the wine we brought? Just asking.

[wannago35]

I think there are so many factors in this. Also depends on what you normally drink.

 

To us, DODs are tasty, but not that strong. I've seen them poured pre-mixed too. DH sometimes will ask for an extra shot in his. JMHO but most of the fruity/fru fru drinks weren't very strong to me, with a few exceptions here/there.

 

When I ordered rum and cokes they seemed not as strong but agree it could be the pour.

 

But I'll tell ya, whether on land or sea, you can't go wrong with a long island ice tea! :p

Edited October 4, 2013 by wannago35

[pinkbarbie]

Another mistake people make is getting drinks from the guys that are carrying around a tray of DoD's. you don't know how fresh those are and often the ice has melted making them"watery".

 

I always go to the bar or have a server that goes and gets one fresh for me (of course with a decent tip, they will bring them fresh all day).

[AZ Karaoke Girl]

Totally agree. If you frequent a place, tip a waiter and make conversation - make it fun for them and worth-their-while and they will treat you right trust me. We've had waiters walk across the ship to take care of us when they see us. We had one waiter on the Splendor aft that we tipped well. It didn't matter if it was DoD or regular one, they were not poured from the big pre-mixed tubs. He went to the bartender and had them made "Special" for us each time.

 

Another thing to consider, if you had a drink of the day that you really liked, you can get it another day. Just remember the name. For me, I like the Fun Ship Special (the DoD from embarkation) so I order one everyday almost at any bar and they are usually made special since they don't have premade tubs of it.

[MissKIA]

I've always found the drinks to be very strong.... Stronger than I would like actually! (I'm a bit of a lightweight I guess :o )

 

Unless you are drinking a kiss on the lips or something like that. Those are not real strong, but they are not really meant to get drunk off of either. Can you imagine drinking 6 or 7 of those? :eek: They are yummy but sickeningly sweet!

 

I ordered a Crown and Coke in the comedy club on the Liberty and it was SO STRONG I could barely drink it. I asked for an extra can of coke and every time I took a sip I'd add a bit more Coke. I ended up emptying the entire can in my glass and it was still too strong for me. I had asked for a double Crown and Coke in a tall glass - not because I wanted a strong drink but because I wanted a big drink and didn't want to have to order another one right away. I guess they thought I wanted a strong drink! They were definitely NOT stingy in that case!

Edited October 4, 2013 by MissKIA

[E8USMC]

Great responses. Thank you. My question was more in line with what several of you mentioned. Watering down hat isn't in the bottle prior to the pour. We watched bartenders pour a lot in the glass but...the effect was almost none. We did have one bartender who seemed to have kicks in his drinks, but over all the bars, despite the amount poured, left us feeling as though we'd just had pricy glasses of colored water.

[coevan]

seriously after 4 years they still do not water down drinks.

[asalligo]

I have to agree with the OP. I just got off the Paradise and the drink I ordered during the stage show was so weak that I wondered if we had a communication issue and I was brought a non alcoholic version of the drink.

[ProgRockCruiser]

Our recent cruise on Liberty did not have any weak/watered down drinks as far as we could tell! We had no problem getting a "buzz", and we are not light drinkers. We watched them make the drinks, and the pours were generous. We also watched them open up new bottles, including taking of seals, etc, so if the liquor was watered down before hand that would be a very interesting class-action lawsuit.

 

Especially true at Alchemy. Hard to hide a short-pour of liquor in the mix there!

 

Maybe it helps to order not the popular drink(s) of the day, and instead order something off-menu. And we do tip, in addition to the auto-gratuity from the Cheers package, so maybe that helps.

[Butterbean1000]

I think there are so many factors in this. Also depends on what you normally drink.

 

To us, DODs are tasty, but not that strong. I've seen them poured pre-mixed too. DH sometimes will ask for an extra shot in his. JMHO but most of the fruity/fru fru drinks weren't very strong to me, with a few exceptions here/there.

 

When I ordered rum and cokes they seemed not as strong but agree it could be the pour.

 

But I'll tell ya, whether on land or sea, you can't go wrong with a long island ice tea! :p

I gotten pretty buzzed off DODs. The last couple of cruises, they offered an addional shot for a couple of bucks. Iut really made a difference.

 

Sent from my SM-G950U using Forums mobile app

[calbred01]

For me I think it's depended more on what I ordered.

 

Mango Margarita's - not much alcohol flavour; minor buzz.

Pina Colada - more alcohol flavour; decent buzz.

Jack and Ginger - good alcohol flavour; good buzz.

Tirimisu Martini - strong alcohol flavour; big buzz!

MMMM Tirimisu martini's are my favorite!

[Boozebabe]

I have long suspected that in certain drinks such as the DOD that they use lo-proof liquor. I usually have a couple DOD"s per day. I am a lightweight when it comes to drinking and after 3 drinks I still feel nothing. 3 drinks at a bar at home would have me dancing on tables.