Buying an alcoholic drink in the early hours

[CCFC]

Currently on the Royal Princess and you can’t even buy a bottle of water from the international cafe at 2am, no alcohol either just coffee. All bars closed, is this a new thing?

 

 

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[idahospud]

Currently on the Royal Princess and you can’t even buy a bottle of water from the international cafe at 2am, no alcohol either just coffee. All bars closed, is this a new thing?

 

 

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Not new, at least in our experiences. The casino bar is usually the last to close. When they shut down so do the others.

[Cruise Raider]

Currently on the Royal Princess and you can’t even buy a bottle of water from the international cafe at 2am, no alcohol either just coffee. All bars closed, is this a new thing?

 

 

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Wow ... I guess with the institution of the beverage packages, they must think if it isn't available, you won't be able to use it.

We were on the Grand recently and wanted to enjoy a mimosa while sitting out on the promenade deck. The bar near the Crown Grill was staffed but he said he only had coffee available. He did end up making us a mimosa anyway ... hope he didn't get in any trouble. We weren't berating him ... but were a little surprised we couldn't get a morning drink.... and it was about 10:00 AM .... so not all that early. I am sure he had everything already available for mimosas for the suite passengers that get breakfast in the Crown Grill.

I remember back to the day when they used to walk around in the morning trying to get you to buy a bloody Mary. Now, that their revenue isn't necessarily based on single drink sales, they seemed to have cut back.

[voljeep]

look in your patter for opening/closing times of bars - as I remember one of the pool bars was open at 6:00 am - Outrigger on Crown - as it was also used to service HC...

[land lover]

This is is a new thing.... was on the Ruby, Pacific Coastal last April and this was the case for alcohol, wanted to get a korbel to make a mimosa was told I would either have to wait until 6 or 7 am, I don't remember. But I know in the past I had picked up drinks at odd hours.

I thought maybe it had something to do with our itinerary as I got taxed on drinks prior getting to 2 ports, which I had questioned.

 

 

I know for a fact the IC used to serve 24 hours, just 6 months ago. As I would get a drink after the Casino closed, often the dealers and many casino staff were getting a bite at the IC.

 

However, at times there were some let's just say not to pleasant "drunks"...using some not to pleasant language in the area, which maybe Princess thought they could eliminate with limiting hours.

 

Who knows..... ? Just can relate our experiences and I had the same as you OP but was told it was only alcohol, can't believe it would include bottle water....but what can u do....

Edited June 24, 2018 by land lover

[Thrak]

There is always one bar on Lido that opens around 6:00 AM but I've never tried to get a drink that early as I'm asleep at that time. I have gotten bottles of San Pellegrino at 1AM - 2AM at IC but don't believe I ordered any other drinks that late in that venue. If Skywalker's has any customers to speak of they will stay open quite late but it seems to often be the case that there is pretty much nobody in the venue - at least on longer cruises where the passengers tend to be older. On a 28 day cruise I would go up to Skywalker's when Wheelhouse closed - around 11:30 PM - and find there was nobody there but me and some staff who were on the phone asking if they could close up due to lack of business. Only during the last 8 days of the cruise (all sea days) did there seem to be anybody making use of Skywalker's. I think it totally weird that the bar there doesn't even open until 10:00 PM. If it opened up earlier they might well get more business. I don't really see why Princess would no longer sell any drinks in the way late/way early hours but perhaps they did have issues with drunks. It's hard to know. I do stay up late when the next day is a sea day but by 1:00 AM or 2:00 AM I'm definitely ready for a nice bottle of San Pellegrino and bed. As far as having champagne available for a Mimosa I just got the bottles unopened and took them to my cabin for later. No need to get them at some horrible hour of the day/night. I even had a couple in the fridge to make Mimosas using the provided OJ while waiting in the disembarkation lounge on our last cruise. It was nice. :)

[IECalCruiser]

On the Ruby last November, Crooners Bar opened at 9:00 and Outrigger’s opened at 10:00. The bar portion of the IC was closed between around midnight and 6:00 a.m. for alcoholic beverages and specialty coffees. Never tried ordering an alcoholic drink at breakfast in the MDR or HC, and I never make contributions at the Casino [emoji6]

 

On the Pacific in November of 2016, the Panorama Bar adjacent to the Panorama Buffet opened at 5:30 a.m. and the Club Bar adjacent to the MDR opened at 7:00 a.m.

 

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[dreaminofcruisin]

look in your patter for opening/closing times of bars - as I remember one of the pool bars was open at 6:00 am - Outrigger on Crown - as it was also used to service HC...

 

As a morning Diet Coke person, this has been one of my pet peeves with Princess for several years. Even if the Outrigger states in the Patter that it is open at 6.....sometimes that means 6:30 or 7..... if you ask them, they will tell you they will open at 6....but it must be in some other time zone.... ;)

[stevenr597]

Hope to never see the Captain sitting at a bar at 2:00 A.M. sipping a Chivas. LOL

[sunsetbeachgal]

OP, I’m curious are they still selling paper coffee cards? I was on the Royal previous sailing to yours and I was told they were going paperless on your sailing.

 

 

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[shepp]

Not to sound like a judgmental prat but...if you have a big problem with not being able to buy booze at 6:00 am, seems to me you have a bigger problem than not being able to buy booze at 6:00 am.

[land lover]

Not to sound like a judgmental prat but...if you have a big problem with not being able to buy booze at 6:00 am, seems to me you have a bigger problem than not being able to buy booze at 6:00 am.

 

How can you sound like anything..we are typing aren't we......;)? and by the way prat does some it up......;p

 

For me I had the PDP and wanted to get a drink in before the 6am time cut off.

 

If you had the drink package and had been out in San Francisco( you might relate) all day and night 10:30pm all aboard......slept a few hours and were up early before the cut off maybe you would think...might as well grab a bottle to stick in my cabin for latter...just sayin...

Not that I was planning to drink 15 in the the next 24hours, but the fact was I had not had one on the ship in the last 24 hours...When they imposed the limited it actually motivated me to want to get my monies worth...needless to say that day zip was what I got on my drink package, not even a bottle water.

 

 

Even when we cruise port intensive itineraries...I seldom sleep more than 4-5 hours a night...I don't want to miss anything. So yes some of us walk the ship in the wee hours.