NCL unlimited drinks - cheapening the product

[lfreda]

Too many people were way over served, kids were picking up half empty drinks left by adults because there is no way the staff can pick up all of the glasses and there were fights on back to back nights.  One of the fights led to a family of 5 being escorted off in Bermuda.  Guess that was a 5k to 10k mistake based on how long it took them to get a flight and where they were going!

 

Seriously though, it has become enough.  I am looking for a vacation, not a fraternity party.

[Jasonmom]

I hate hearing that this has been your experience on-board, but I must admit I am very much looking forward to my upcoming cruise where for the first time I have the unlimited beverage package.

 

[lfreda]

I should have phrased that a bit differently.  We did have a fantastic time and met some really wonderful people.  The service on the Escape was by far the best of any NCL ship we have been on.  The food also seemed to improve from the last trip we were on.  I am sorry if that came off negative because that wasn't really the full story.  I just may need a break from cruising and to go on a vacation with way less people next time.  This was 6 years in a row and it may just be time for a change for me.

[BostonGal35]

we havent really seen anything wildly out of line.  and honestly people that are tehre to get drunk will do it whether the booze is free or not.

 

as for children picking up unfinished drinks, i have seen and heard about this but that's a parent problem not an NCL problem.

[Mrs. H.]

I am so glad I travel when kids are in school.  

On our last cruise, we felt the drinks were watered down. 
Even the good scotch! 

[lfreda]

I can't say for sure that they are watered down but that is how we always felt as well.

[Kingkonig]

22 minutes ago, lfreda said:

I can't say for sure that they are watered down but that is how we always felt as well.

 

I know the mixed drinks seem a little weak, but that’s probably because I make mine a lot stronger at home.  But it makes sense why they would maybe have 1.25oz liquor instead of 1.5

[4774Papa]

The only mixed drink that I love is a vodka martini, but mostly drink wine.  We dislike the NCL drink packages because of the wine offerings.  On our last NCL cruise, I brought our own wine, paid the $15 per bottle corkage charge.  We paid less for the wine and corkage charge than what JUST the 20% gratuity would have been for the drinks package.

[Sotermarler]

29 minutes ago, 4774Papa said:

The only mixed drink that I love is a vodka martini, but mostly drink wine.  We dislike the NCL drink packages because of the wine offerings.  On our last NCL cruise, I brought our own wine, paid the $15 per bottle corkage charge.  We paid less for the wine and corkage charge than what JUST the 20% gratuity would have been for the drinks package.

Smart. Makes me wish I liked wine, but I can’t tolerate it. So it’s the drink package for me. 😳

[RedwingHockeyFan]

Is the complaint that people are drinking too much or that the drinks are watered down?  People would have to drink more just to get drunk if they were watered down.  Besides it seems like an industry standard for all cruise lines to offer an unlimited drink package.  There are also several boards on the topic of whether or not the free perk is actually free or even worth it.  Bottom line, you can't assume that the fault lies with the package.  People drink whether they have it or not.  You cannot even presume to know if those particular people even had the package.  I couldn't tell you how many times I was at the pool bar and seen that someone was handing them a card that didn't have the package listed, it was close to 50/50.  I'm sorry that it happened to you on your cruise but it has never happened on any cruise I was on.  I think it is a pretty isolated incident and I would give up just yet.

[bkrickles1]

I've witnessed one fight on my various cruises and I've seen some people get out of hand on several other occasions.

In my experience it isn't drink package related. People that typically get out of hand, will do that whether there is a package or not. They do it at sea or on land or just about anywhere. These are people that just don't know how to control themselves and it's a shame when it disrupts your vacation. It's been a rare occurrence and I spend a lot of time at the bars so it's not a big deal and shouldn't dissuade people from cruising the lines that give away (sort of) there drink packages.

We were on the Escape in July of 2018 and there were a couple of guys who were loud and a little out of hand at the bar right outside of Vibe on the 19th deck. I could tell some people were getting uncomfortable with them at the bar and the bartender did a good job of keeping them from really getting crazy, and even cut them off one afternoon early on in the sailing. After that, they were much better behaved.

I'm not a wine drinker so I love the package for all the beer I can drink, a few bloody mary's every day and to sample some things I wouldn't ordinarily try. It's well worth the gratuity charge and I'll have it again when I sail Encore in January.

[lfreda]

I guess after cruising for nearly 40 years the industry has just changed so much.  When I was on my 1st cruise it was much more upscale.  I totally see everyone's point.  People that are idiots are going to be idiots I guess.

[jgreenwo17]

Some people think they have to get their monies worth and will indeed drink a lot more.  The same mentality occurs at the buffet.  "Its all I can eat"  mentality.  

 

That said, I look forward to my first drink package experience on my first NCL cruise.  This is after 10 cruises that came before on other lines.

 

I will let everybody know if I revert to the personality mentioned above.  DW usually keeps me in line.

 

 

[valleyvillage]

4 minutes ago, jgreenwo17 said:

Some people think they have to get their monies worth and will indeed drink a lot more.  The same mentality occurs at the buffet.  "Its all I can eat"  mentality.  

 

That said, I look forward to my first drink package experience on my first NCL cruise.  This is after 10 cruises that came before on other lines.

 

I will let everybody know if I revert to the personality mentioned above.  DW usually keeps me in line.

 

 

As another person from Utah, the state that never saw a goofy law about alcohol that it didn't like, I look forward to just ordering a drink, no muss no fuss, so I really enjoy the drink package.

 

[MCC retired]

We cruise all of the mass market lines and returned to NCL for the first time since the free drinks .

The bars on the Epic were a zoo most of the times . Hard to get a drink .

Perhaps it was  the Epic design and/or free drink madness , but we won’t return to NCL 

for awhile .

Too many other choices .

 

[Named-Tawny]

6 hours ago, jgreenwo17 said:

 

That said, I look forward to my first drink package experience on my first NCL cruise.  This is after 10 cruises that came before on other lines.

 

 

 

I loved it. 

 

It wasn't even about cost -it was freedom and convenience. I didn't need to track how much I drank. I didn't need to worry about the size of my account at the end.

 

If there was a drink of the day, I could try it. If I didn't like it, I could put it down and get something else. No need to worry.

 

It was great.

[mismal]

agree, the convenience is great, try what you want or what sounds good on a menu ad you may fins a new favorite.

 

As far as the frat party, did have that atmosphere day 1 and 2 we were at sea, especially near the pool, those people lost steam and got tired!  Vey noticeable change the 3rd day to the end of the trip

[graphicguy]

On 8/28/2019 at 8:55 AM, lfreda said:

I can't say for sure that they are watered down but that is how we always felt as well.

I know one bartender on Escape was serving me triples of bourbon and was free pouring nearly all drinks.  Couldn’t finish them.

[Jasonmom]

On 8/31/2019 at 11:43 AM, graphicguy said:

I know one bartender on Escape was serving me triples of bourbon and was free pouring nearly all drinks.  Couldn’t finish them.

 

I'd be done/drunk after one drink.

 

[softl]

On 8/29/2019 at 5:36 PM, MCC retired said:

We cruise all of the mass market lines and returned to NCL for the first time since the free drinks .

The bars on the Epic were a zoo most of the times . Hard to get a drink .

Perhaps it was  the Epic design and/or free drink madness , but we won’t return to NCL 

for awhile .

Too many other choices .

I sailed the Epic last year. Had bartenders tripping over each other to serve me. That dollar bill per drink goes a long way.

Quote

 

 

Edited September 1, 2019 by softl

[billslowsky]

On 8/31/2019 at 10:27 AM, mismal said:

agree, the convenience is great, try what you want or what sounds good on a menu ad you may fins a new favorite.

 

As far as the frat party, did have that atmosphere day 1 and 2 we were at sea, especially near the pool, those people lost steam and got tired!  Vey noticeable change the 3rd day to the end of the trip

I don't get hammered, but yeah, on day 3 I need a break.  Seems like such a good idea at sailaway!

Edited September 1, 2019 by billslowsky

[newmexicoNita]

On 8/28/2019 at 6:37 AM, lfreda said:

Too many people were way over served, kids were picking up half empty drinks left by adults because there is no way the staff can pick up all of the glasses and there were fights on back to back nights.  One of the fights led to a family of 5 being escorted off in Bermuda.  Guess that was a 5k to 10k mistake based on how long it took them to get a flight and where they were going!

 

Seriously though, it has become enough.  I am looking for a vacation, not a fraternity party.

I have been on many NCL ships since "free at sea" was available or drink packages period, I have yet to see hardly anyone drunk out of their minds or kids picking up booze glasses 1/2 full. We also rarely had to wait more than a couple of minutes for a drink except maybe at the atrium bar. If you are looking for a vacation where you will not expect some over indulgence, stay away from most cruise lines as they all have drink packages. By all I mean mass marketed lines. stay away from Vegas and stay away from AI for starters. 

[SouthLyonCruiser]

On 8/28/2019 at 10:30 AM, bkrickles1 said:

I've witnessed one fight on my various cruises and I've seen some people get out of hand on several other occasions.

In my experience it isn't drink package related. People that typically get out of hand, will do that whether there is a package or not. They do it at sea or on land or just about anywhere. These are people that just don't know how to control themselves and it's a shame when it disrupts your vacation. It's been a rare occurrence and I spend a lot of time at the bars so it's not a big deal and shouldn't dissuade people from cruising the lines that give away (sort of) there drink packages.

We were on the Escape in July of 2018 and there were a couple of guys who were loud and a little out of hand at the bar right outside of Vibe on the 19th deck. I could tell some people were getting uncomfortable with them at the bar and the bartender did a good job of keeping them from really getting crazy, and even cut them off one afternoon early on in the sailing. After that, they were much better behaved.

I'm not a wine drinker so I love the package for all the beer I can drink, a few bloody mary's every day and to sample some things I wouldn't ordinarily try. It's well worth the gratuity charge and I'll have it again when I sail Encore in January.

It is good to hear that someone was "cut off"; because, for the most part the crew always seems to be reluctant to castigate any cruiser for any form of bad behavior, from chair hogging to children running wild.

[BaWBarmy]

On ‎8‎/‎29‎/‎2019 at 10:36 PM, MCC retired said:

We cruise all of the mass market lines and returned to NCL for the first time since the free drinks .

The bars on the Epic were a zoo most of the times . Hard to get a drink .

Perhaps it was  the Epic design and/or free drink madness , but we won’t return to NCL 

for awhile .

Too many other choices .

 

 

I've yet to see any bar on any ship I have been on, and that includes the Epic, that is even remotely as busy as a town or city centre pub on a Saturday night. It's very rare that you can't actually get close to a bar and aren't served within a couple of minutes.

[HowardK]

It's not really free anyway which is a whole different debate. If your gratuities are $138 for example  for the package and you have 46 drinks it is essentially $3 a drink. 23 drinks and $6 a drink. I assume cruise fare is then nothing pertaining to service as then there are the $105 in total DSC fees.

 

Some of the cruise fare itself factors in the alcohol purchased and staffing. I know this for a fact as I know accountants/financial analysts in the industry. 

 

So if the drinks are watered down as some say essentially one is paying $3-$6 per watered down drink and that seems like a real bargain. 

 

The cruise lines have made it as if the fare you pay is some sort of privilege to let you on the ship and everything else should be an upcharge in service.