Bar-setup

[Seagall]

I hate to sound ignorant, but what is a bar set up??

[Cruiser#5]

I hate to sound ignorant, but what is a bar set up??

 

you do not sound ignorant!

Bar setup allows you to order liquor and have it delivered to your cabin. The number you need to call is 1-866-625-1159.

From reading all the posts, there seems to be some inconsistency as to the responses you will get when an order has been placed.

[Wendolyn]

You know, even though it's quite a bit more than shore-purchased alcohol, it comes in larger bottles and really does help save money. It's also nice to be able to go back to your cabin and mix your own drink, without having to wait (and pay) for drinks from room service.

[tartanlassie]

Hey Alfies my baby and calmac - a fellow Scot here! I had often wondered if Calmac was from the ferry folk - I lived on the River Clyde for most of my life looking out on all the boats there. Also - I lived in Dalgety Bay, Fife - so what a coincidence.

 

Living in Richmond, Virginia now and really looking forward to cruising on the Jewel next April.

 

Funny how us Scots turned up on the alcohol thread eh?!!

[alfies_my_baby]

Hey Alfies my baby and calmac - a fellow Scot here! I had often wondered if Calmac was from the ferry folk - I lived on the River Clyde for most of my life looking out on all the boats there. Also - I lived in Dalgety Bay, Fife - so what a coincidence.

 

Living in Richmond, Virginia now and really looking forward to cruising on the Jewel next April.

 

Funny how us Scots turned up on the alcohol thread eh?!!

 

:D LOL yes typical scots!!

 

I got a bar set up for my cruise on the jewel 09/04/05 and had no problems whatsoever, so don't worry about not receiving your order.

 

We are thinking of booking for another cruise next sept/oct as loved the freestyle aspect of NCL so much, may try the Dawn as shoreguy speaks very highly of it.

 

Enjoy your April voyage !!! :)

[calmac]

Hey Alfies my baby and calmac - a fellow Scot here! I had often wondered if Calmac was from the ferry folk - I lived on the River Clyde for most of my life looking out on all the boats there. Also - I lived in Dalgety Bay, Fife - so what a coincidence.

 

Living in Richmond, Virginia now and really looking forward to cruising on the Jewel next April.

 

Funny how us Scots turned up on the alcohol thread eh?!!

 

Hi, tartanlassie, sorry to disappoint you but we don't have connections with the ferry folk - but alfies my baby does!! Our son's Callum and we are "Macs" hence the name and I thought the ferry connection rather appropriate. :D

 

My husband and I are both originally from the west but, prior to moving to Dunfermline, we both lived in Dalgety Bay - small world. Where did you live? We were at the bottom of The Wynd in The Stables after it was "done up". My husband was in DB before that up near the newer of the two schools on the hill. If you haven't been there for some time it has expanded hugely (in number of houses) and now has two pubs!!

 

We ordered a bar set-up for our trip on the Dream having spent a weekend trying to think of creative ways to smuggle gin on board but in the end decided it would be easier just to order it and have it waiting for us. We'll do the same for our Easter trip on the Dawn.

[SuiteRose]

I was just wondering how you get ice for the drinks. I don't remember seeing ice machines on my last cruise.

[Goldryder]

I was just wondering how you get ice for the drinks. I don't remember seeing ice machines on my last cruise.

 

There are usually ice buckets in the cabins, replenished by the stewards.

[SuiteRose]

thank you very much, that was quick, I hope that my call to NCL to order the set up goes as smoothly!

[Wendolyn]

I was just wondering how you get ice for the drinks. I don't remember seeing ice machines on my last cruise.

 

We had a freshly filled ice bucket in our fridge, and it was replenished daily. You can ask your cabin steward for more if needed. We ordered OJ from room service and used that for mixer.:)

[accelb]

Not true. Every bag is xrayed before it is put on the ship and some not all of the bads are held to be claimed because they have bottles in them. Attached a picture of some of the "red tagged" bags from my Jewel cruise being held for passengers to open and make sure they do not contain booze.

 

Some not all is in fact found on every cruise. Smuggle if you want just don't be surprised if one day you bag does not get to your cabin.

I've read elsewhere on this board that if you bring your booze in your carry-on that the chances of being caught are eliminated. Anyone had experience with this? An NCL agent told me that people bring booze on board all the time without issue.

Sailing 11/10/05

[Wendolyn]

They ran all our carry-ons through the x-ray machine, and I saw them hand checking a lot of bags. (Including my husband's). I doubt we could have smuggled any on, but perhaps it's different on other ships.

[shoreguy]

I've read elsewhere on this board that if you bring your booze in your carry-on that the chances of being caught are eliminated. Anyone had experience with this? An NCL agent told me that people bring booze on board all the time without issue.

Sailing 11/10/05

 

This should read :)

 

I've read elsewhere on this board that if you bring your booze in your carry-on that the chances of being caught are the highest . Anyone had experience with this?

 

Think about an airport with several people looking at each bag with a table set up to collect corkage and to label the bottle you tried to carry on so it can be returened at the end of the cruise.

 

Will some get thru sure. Does most get thru in checked bags you bet. The thig to remember is don't be surprised or upset if it is found and held. $43 dollars puts a bottle in your room without risk.

[SuiteRose]

We had a freshly filled ice bucket in our fridge, and it was replenished daily. You can ask your cabin steward for more if needed. We ordered OJ from room service and used that for mixer.:)

 

 

Thanks for the OJ idea!

 

Well, I just called and ordered a bottle of Vodka and one of Gin. I was told, of course, that my card would be billed the week of sailing and that they were certain the bottles would be in my room. I agree that $43.00 is not a bad deal as that works out to about $1.50 per drink! Also, the $3.00 fee only applies once so I was told that my entire cost would be $83.00. We'll see!!!

[Kelly K]

I've a quick question to Mekamax or anyone....

 

What is this well-wisher's group? You said that you can order beer - does that also include hard ETOH? Also, when your responded you were waiting for a quote for price - what did you find out? Just curious....

 

My DH wants to know why they don't have a "beer card" like they do for soda's :D

[accelb]

Well, Shoreguy, when you put it that way, it's probably not worth the risk. Thanks

[MIcruisers3]

You know, even though it's quite a bit more than shore-purchased alcohol, it comes in larger bottles and really does help save money. It's also nice to be able to go back to your cabin and mix your own drink, without having to wait (and pay) for drinks from room service.

 

Is the bar set up worth the price? I usually only have 2 to 4 drinks per day, martinis and wine. I guess I'm a light drinker. I'm not sure if it is cheaper for me to order the bar setup or to just order drinks when I feel like it.

[pathubia]

As we were in line to check in my step daughter (18 years old) informed me that she had a bottle of Goldschlagers in her pocketbook, she wasnt cruising, she was there for the wedding and didnt realize that her bag would be scanned with the rest of ours....Her bag got scanned along with our carryons and no one mentioned the bottle, it wasnt taken away from her. (personally I was extremely aggravated when she told me she had it.) I wouldnt advise this, but I guess they occasionally "miss" things in carryons.

 

Patty

 

The worst thing is the embarrassment of getting caught. Last cruise they took away a pair of scissors that I had in my carry on.

[seahorse]

Is the bar set up worth the price? I usually only have 2 to 4 drinks per day, martinis and wine. I guess I'm a light drinker. I'm not sure if it is cheaper for me to order the bar setup or to just order drinks when I feel like it.

 

Do the math..............I think it is worth it:D

[shoreguy]

Do the math..............I think it is worth it:D

 

The math - Buy two / drink two - you will still want one or two in public :)

 

2 X 5.75 X 1.15 (tip) = $13.23 saved per day

 

$43 (bottle price) / 13.23 = 3.25 days to payback cost

 

More math

 

43 / $6.61 (single drink with tip) = 6.5 drinks to pay for the bottle. You can bring home 2/3 of the booze and still break even.

 

Enough math :D

 

Best off all - You don't have to do the balancing act to bring a nightcap back to the cabin.

[MILEMRKR63]

I like to have cocktails on my balcony...... (there, I said it)

 

For my upcoming solo sailing on the 12/8/05 Norwegian Spirit cruise, I called for a bar setup (thanks to the info I read on here, I found out about this option).

 

I ordered one bottle of Absolute (40.00) and one bottle of Baccardi Black Rum (55.00). Now that I think of it, thats alot of booze to consume.....anyhow...

 

The girl on the phone said there was a 3.00 per bottle set up fee to have the booze brought to your cabin and she said I had to pay 14.5% gratuity on top of this purchase. Also, she said I was not able to prepurchase soda for my cabin.

 

Question is.... why am I paying for gratutities on prebought bottles?

 

Now, before I get comments about not wanting to pay a tip, I am not in the least sweating the 14.5% gratuity because the staff well deserves to make money, but I have not experiences this gratuity on other cruie lines I have prepurchased booze on.

 

I like what RCCL does, you can purchase alcohol the first day of the cruise for consumption in your cabin and you pay a 10.00 per bottle fee. Since most bottles are around 20.00, its a great deal.

 

Thanks for any comments regarding my post.

[calmac]

The girl on the phone said there was a 3.00 per bottle set up fee to have the booze brought to your cabin and she said I had to pay 14.5% gratuity on top of this purchase. Also, she said I was not able to prepurchase soda for my cabin.

 

Although we only bought one bottle for our bar set-up I was certainly under the impression that it was $3 per order, not per bottle. I was definitely NOT charged a gratuity, and the standard gratuity for drinks purchased at the bars is 15%. Prior to ordering our bar set-up someone had posted that they had ordered tonic to go with their gin - so it can be done (we opted to buy our tonic in Seattle prior to boarding).

[shoreguy]

Although we only bought one bottle for our bar set-up I was certainly under the impression that it was $3 per order, not per bottle. I was definitely NOT charged a gratuity, and the standard gratuity for drinks purchased at the bars is 15%. Prior to ordering our bar set-up someone had posted that they had ordered tonic to go with their gin - so it can be done (we opted to buy our tonic in Seattle prior to boarding).

 

I agree - it was a total of $3 for the two bottles on my cruise last week. No gratuity. I ordered the Tonic onboard others have pre ordered.

[Wendolyn]

Is the bar set up worth the price? I usually only have 2 to 4 drinks per day, martinis and wine. I guess I'm a light drinker. I'm not sure if it is cheaper for me to order the bar setup or to just order drinks when I feel like it.

 

Yes, it is a savings- definitely. Our bottle lasted all week, and our bar tab at cruise's end was a lot lower than I thought it would be.:)

[Welove2cruise2]

We ordered a bar setup and romance package for our upcoming cruise. We were told that we would not be billed for the bar setup until 2/3 days prior to the cruise. Checked our credit card statement on line and we've already been billed for both! :D

 

Absolutely NO WORRIES -- it will be in our room when we board!