Attention Beards....it is time for drink cards for us common people, too!!

[CincyLucy]

Oh, we had the open bar card so we didn't actually pay that much :)

[sparks1093]

Oh, we had the open bar card so we didn't actually pay that much :)

 

Then that would explain why they won't do this for everyone- they'd lose their shirt!

[rok233]

They still have one but not widely allowed. Currently it is only allowed for affinity groups (business functions). Three are minimum numbers of people (may be a max as well, but I don't know it if there is) and everyone in the group must participate. RCCL rolled out on last year as a trial and quickly pulled it back.

 

I'm going with a group through a travel agent, not a business function. It's just a group of random people set up through a travel agent and anyone can join.

[sail2sea]

How about those of us without kids don't want to pay for the kids club for those with kids. Those of us that dont go to the shows, dont want to pay for that for you those that do. those of us that dont use use the germ infested pools and hot tubs to pay for those that use them too..... its all relative to what we want to pay for or not..... and those of us that dont practice gluttony to pay for the 2-3 entrees in the MDR and heaping plates of food int he buffet...... whats your point.....???? Everyone on the cruise has different priorities and likes.

 

I don't mind making those pay as you use either. I will happily pay $50 to watch a show and you can pay your $500 for your alcohol and those who like pools and need kids club can pay for them too.

[big_duck]

I'm going with a group through a travel agent, not a business function. It's just a group of random people set up through a travel agent and anyone can join.

 

Then your TA is not being entirely truthful to Carnival, but then TAs do this all the time.

[rok233]

Then your TA is not being entirely truthful to Carnival, but then TAs do this all the time.

 

Which doesn't bother me in the least lol. I'm going on a great cruise ship with no sail and sign account to worry about! :D

[big_duck]

I'm going on an average cruise ship with no bar bill to worry about! :D

 

Fixed it for ya. ;)

[rok233]

Fixed it for ya. ;)

 

Average works for me. ;)

[Almost Packed]

i love the idea!

 

just like sometimes the cruiselines makes money on a person and sometimes they don't....like the man who can eat lobster, then order a second one. they lose on him, but make it up on me as i just stick with something else like the cheapy little flat iron steak...zero seafood here!

 

i don't even order one. i'd prefer they just bring me a beer...lol.

 

when you go to an all you can eat buffet, the establishment can make money because not every single person is going to stuff themselves miserably on the most expensive thing on the buffet. some will have a salad and some fruit etc. sure, some will go for the pricier stuff...but it all washes out in the end.

 

free drinks in Vegas seems to work....that entire city was built on free drinks and cheap rooms and cheap food. (well, until they decided to change it to a more "family friendly vacation spot") now more vacationing and sightseeing instead of gambling and they are paying for it now.

 

i'd be happy with not having to worry about the cost of everything i order, keeping up with receipts etc. what a pain in the arse!

 

The can manage to keep up with a soda card...how about a beer lovers card! :eek:

[Sh1035]

Ummm...Vegas is not cheap food or a family destination.

 

but all for a beer card :) or if I gamble 1k a night at least one on the house!

[PittsburghGirlee]

Going on my first booze inclusive cruise in 2013 and we cannot wait......as avid beer driinkers and a bucket approx $24.00 for 4......we will get our monies worth for sure....

 

It is a No Brainer for us:)

 

Just my 2 cents:D....

[Almost Packed]

Ummm...Vegas is not cheap food or a family destination.

 

but all for a beer card :) or if I gamble 1k a night at least one on the house!

 

 

correct...it use to be cheap food and cheap hotels. now they turned it into theme parks, shopping malls etc.

 

they took what worked best- a gamblers paradise, and changed it. the free booze and cheap food and rooms kept people coming back and gambling. now they are attracting families. there is now lots of attention on sightseeing, tours and attractions instead of fab shows and gambling.

 

my point being that the free booze worked in vegas. maybe the ships could implement cheap or free booze while gambling. wouldn't that be nice. it worked for vegas-maybe it would help the cruise industry.

[convertimia]

I'm going on a Carnival cruise in July with an open bar card. It's my second time (first was on the EPIC last March) and it was well worth it IMO. No watching how much you spend or unexpected huge bill at the end of the cruise. :D

 

When in July? and on what ship?

[big_duck]

my point being that the free booze worked in vegas. maybe the ships could implement cheap or free booze while gambling. wouldn't that be nice. it worked for vegas-maybe it would help the cruise industry.

 

With what? Free drinks in casinos are there to keep customers from gambling at the casino next door. Ships don't have that problem.

 

Vegas casinos have free drinks. Step out of the gambling area and the bars charge prices that Gerry Cahill can only dream about.

 

Still waiting for that business case.

[buddylover]

Us drinkers and gamblers have been keeping your cruise fares low since the the first cruise ship went in the water. I'd love to see an all inclusive cruise and don't really care if the fares go up. It would be great to see 90% of you complainers not be able to afford to cruise. :)

 

Imagine how fun the cruises would be without the prudes! I say bring it on!

 

Why have you been sailing on Carnival all this time...there are all inclusive cruise lines out there....check out Crystal lines, Seabourn, Silversea....put YOUR money where your mouth is and you too can cruise all inclusive lines.

[sail2sea]

The problem is unfortunately he is among the 90% who can't afford it. :D

[Tangocherie]

Well, I have purchased a drink package on Celebrity and just loved it. Hope CCL will do the same.

[ronrythm]

I think it is ridiculous to pay 6.75 each for a bottle of Bud. There is not a bar anywhere near where I live that charges those kinds of prices...or includes their tips in the price of the beer, for that matter. Yeah, Carnival has a right to make a profit, not to gouge us. Their cost for labor is not that great, just ask anyone that works on the ship for Carnival.

You can't compare prices with your hometown unless you live in a resort area. I live next to the Disney Resort. The rum and coke that costs $7 on ship costs $12 in Downtown Disney. Prices on the ship are a bargain compared to resort areas. Compare like to like. If you don't like the price, stay home. As for the tip, what you want to stiff the guys you just said aren't making much? 15% is less than most people tip on drinks in this area. Again, if you don't like it, stay home.

Enjoy all,

Ron

[jimbo5544]

With what? Free drinks in casinos are there to keep customers from gambling at the casino next door. Ships don't have that problem.

 

Vegas casinos have free drinks. Step out of the gambling area and the bars charge prices that Gerry Cahill can only dream about.

 

Still waiting for that business case.

Thre is no business case for Carnival to add it. Where they have it (for business based groups) it works, as a general thing it makes no busienss sense at all.

[meatloafsfan]

You can't compare prices with your hometown unless you live in a resort area. I live next to the Disney Resort. The rum and coke that costs $7 on ship costs $12 in Downtown Disney. Prices on the ship are a bargain compared to resort areas. Compare like to like. If you don't like the price, stay home. As for the tip, what you want to stiff the guys you just said aren't making much? 15% is less than most people tip on drinks in this area. Again, if you don't like it, stay home.

Enjoy all,

Ron

 

Actually - this (above) is one of the reasons I don't have a problem with the cruise ship prices.

 

Before cruising my vacation of choice was Walt Disney World. Once you get used to those prices, everything else pales in comparison.

 

That being said, I would love a drink package option. I like Celebrity's drink plans and I hope to sail on that line in the near future. When sailing with my parents they offer multiple plans and everyone can get a different one - the soda card for my dad (cause he drinks pop and regular coffee only), the deluxe non alcholic for my mom (she likes specialty coffees and non alcoholic fru-fru drinks) and the basic alcohol package for me (I don't need expensive drinks - I would just like the option of included alcohol).

 

Two things would make me stick to Carnival - drink packages and taking HA cabins out of regular inventory. If they did those two things, frankly, I wouldn't even bother to look at other lines.

[richstowe]

If Carnival offered this "All You Can Drink" option on selected cruises I would go out of my way to avoid these cruises.

 

Don't want to be anywhere near people trying their best to "make it pay" by drinking as much as they can.

 

This doesn't mean I will not go on a cruise line that included alcohol ,if I can afford it.

Just means that big drinkers given unlimited drinks is not my idea of good cruisemates.

[WeBeCruisin']

If Carnival offered this "All You Can Drink" option on selected cruises I would go out of my way to avoid these cruises.

 

Don't want to be anywhere near people trying their best to "make it pay" by drinking as much as they can.

 

This doesn't mean I will not go on a cruise line that included alcohol ,if I can afford it.

Just means that big drinkers given unlimited drinks is not my idea of good cruisemates.

 

That sounds somewhat sanctimonious. I've had the drinks card on several cruises and didn't see any evidence of members of our groups "abusing" the privilege or behaving in an obnoxious way. I've also had the all-inclusive package on Sea Dream. I didn't see anyone abusing the card there, either. Each evening Sea Dream would have a complimentary caviar bar with ice-cold vodka. I never saw a single person fall into the caviar. :)

 

I would also think that there are groups on almost every cruise who have some kind of drinks package and the rest of us never even know it.

 

One of the advantages of the drinks card is that you can try a lot of cocktails which you normally wouldn't order in case they didn't appeal to you, ranging from Manhattans to Tiramisu martinis. :)

 

Please don't prejudge situations and people based upon idle conjecture rather than experience.

[laumicmah]

You can't compare prices with your hometown unless you live in a resort area. I live next to the Disney Resort. The rum and coke that costs $7 on ship costs $12 in Downtown Disney. Prices on the ship are a bargain compared to resort areas. Compare like to like. If you don't like the price, stay home. As for the tip, what you want to stiff the guys you just said aren't making much? 15% is less than most people tip on drinks in this area. Again, if you don't like it, stay home.

Enjoy all,

Ron

Our 1st cruise that stopped in nassau...DH and I actually thought we'd get off the ship and hit the bars...to drink all day for less than we would on the ship. WRONG!!!! How silly of us! We got off and had a drink at 4 places (we'd have a drink and see how much it was and move on to the next place) and they all were the same price OR more than on the ship.

 

DH and I average about $40/day each in bar tab on our cruises. We also bring our 2 bottles of wine and go to the Fun Farewell party and/or past cruisers party for free drinks. We don't drink as much as we'd like because of cost...there are times when we pass on a drink because we are thinking about our S&S bill. We'd certainly get a drink card for $50/person/day. We'd drink a few more drinks each day than we currently do and we would not bring on the 2 bottles of wine (thus we wouldn't have to lug on the carry-on bag and drag it around with us until our cabin is ready) and we wouldn't go to the free drink parties either (they aren't at the most convenient times). It would be worth it for us. But, if it's not offered...no biggie...we'll just continue as is. We don't need to or want to drink a $1600 bar tab.

[big_duck]

That sounds somewhat sanctimonious. I've had the drinks card on several cruises and didn't see any evidence of members of our groups "abusing" the privilege or behaving in an obnoxious way. I've also had the all-inclusive package on Sea Dream. I didn't see anyone abusing the card there' date=' either. Each evening Sea Dream would have a complimentary caviar bar with ice-cold vodka. I never saw a single person fall into the caviar. :)

 

I would also think that there are groups on almost every cruise who have some kind of drinks package and the rest of us never even know it.

 

One of the advantages of the drinks card is that you can try a lot of cocktails which you normally wouldn't order in case they didn't appeal to you, ranging from Manhattans to Tiramisu martinis. :)

 

Please don't prejudge situations and people based upon idle conjecture rather than experience.[/quote']

 

You never saw it because you were usually passed out under the table. j/K

 

Let's face it the Sea Dream ain't exactly the Carnival Demographic.

 

When I had the drink card I generally used it to up my drinks to top shelf brands, try new things.

 

Having witnessed the Carnage of All Inclusives during spring breaks, I would rather Carnival not make them generally available and outright ban them during the February to April period. It is in fact one of the reasons we switched are March Break family vacations to cruising in the first place.

[suzski]

What kills me is that they add a 15% gratuity on each drink, then look at you with cursed eyes when you don't add a dollar or two to the tip line. Oh, and if you don't add the extra tip on top of the tip, you will get ice, water and a "splash" of whatever you ordered. :mad::mad::mad:

 

You can't compare prices with your hometown unless you live in a resort area. I live next to the Disney Resort. The rum and coke that costs $7 on ship costs $12 in Downtown Disney. Prices on the ship are a bargain compared to resort areas. Compare like to like. If you don't like the price, stay home. As for the tip, what you want to stiff the guys you just said aren't making much? 15% is less than most people tip on drinks in this area.

 

Kinda OT, but wondering.....how many of you tip above the mandatory 15%? I'm not a big drinker and don't have my favorite bartender that I visit every night, etc. so I really have never given a thought to tipping over the 15% when I get the occasional vodka and cranberry.