Non-alcoholic sparkling wine and lounge drinks?

[lucymorgan]

I haven't cruised royal for 3 years and I no longer drink alcohol.  I will be getting the 5 daily D+ drink vouchers and was wondering if there are non-alcoholic sparking wines available in the bars/restaurants/diamond lounge etc.   Alternatively does anyone have any suggestions for low sugar drinks. I like mocktails but want to avoid the weight gain that can come with them! 

 

Thanks for any information   

Edited April 26, 2022 by lucymorgan

[Biker19]

5 hours ago, lucymorgan said:

I will be getting the 5 daily D+ drink vouchers and was wondering if there are non-alcoholic sparking wines available in the bars/restaurants/diamond lounge etc. 

The app lists most drinks under the bars/venues. 

[CatLadyFemme]

I can’t drink due to MCAS, and am just off the allure. Did not see sparkling wine anywhere, but had virgin mojitos, a virgin Pedro Collins in Schooner (I usually just ask them to use sparkling water or club soda in lieu of the alcohol). Also have done cranberry/sprite with a lime, OJ/pineapple juice/coconut syrup, etc. You can get pretty creative, especially when they aren’t busy.

[lucymorgan]

Thanks biker19 and Catladyfemme

[HOBE SOUND CRUISER]

I also no longer drink alcohol.

I have had some of their non-alcoholic wine and it's awful.

I love the taste of beer and found Heineken 00 is the best.

It has great taste and ZERO alcohol and is available on Royal ships.

Edited April 26, 2022 by HOBE SOUND CRUISER

[lucymorgan]

14 minutes ago, HOBE SOUND CRUISER said:

I also no longer drink alcohol.

I have had some of their non-alcoholic wine and it's awful.

I love the taste of beer and found Heineken 00 is the best.

It has great taste and ZERO alcohol and is available on Royal ships.

Thanks Hobe Sound Cruiser.  Unfortunately I have celiac disease so most beer is out.  Hopefully I can bring a couple of bottles of non-alcoholic sparkling onboard.  

[cruisetorelax44]

I don't drink alcohol either. One of my favorites was to order the pineapple guava sangria, but to get it with sprite instead of the sparkling wine. if you didn't want the extra sugar, try it with tonic water.
The cranberry, sprite and lime CatLadyFemme mentioned is also a favorite. One of my friends often orders that with seltzer. And take a look at the syrups. I was drinking pineapple, watermelon and sprite for a bit. A little sugar from the syrups, mixed with soda water isn't too bad, and it will keep things from getting too sweet. Enjoy!

[Youalleverybody]

On 4/26/2022 at 8:00 AM, HOBE SOUND CRUISER said:

I also no longer drink alcohol.

I have had some of their non-alcoholic wine and it's awful.

I love the taste of beer and found Heineken 00 is the best.

It has great taste and ZERO alcohol and is available on Royal ships.

I'm glad to hear that there is a NA beer option. Can we get those with the "Refreshment Package"? Do they count as a mocktail?

[Markmom18]

I’m an alcoholic who quit 10 years ago. Best , truly the best❣️❣️🙏🏼💙🌌📘

 

Now,  I don’t care for sugary mock cocktails, so don’t bother. In adulthood stopped sodas for the same reason.

 

I’m a sparkling water person. And on vacation I like a flavored Red Bull out by the pool. Never been coffee or tea drinker.
 

Before it was red wine and sparkling water. So, at least for me, plain sparkling water is tasty! 
 

🛳🛳

Bobbi 

[HOBE SOUND CRUISER]

8 hours ago, Youalleverybody said:

I'm glad to hear that there is a NA beer option. Can we get those with the "Refreshment Package"? Do they count as a mocktail?

I am Diamond+ and get 5 free drinks per day and the Heineken 00 counts as a drink. I guess you would have to ask the bartender if it is part of your Refreshment Pakage's "non-alcholic" drinks.

[mspmcpie]

In my search for Red Bull I found this thread. My husband also no longer drinks alcohol (3+years with Bill W 🙏🏻💗) but energy drinks are top of his list. Does anyone know if they are included in a non-alcoholic drink package? 

On 7/31/2022 at 12:45 AM, Markmom18 said:

I’m an alcoholic who quit 10 years ago. Best , truly the best❣️❣️🙏🏼💙🌌📘

 

Now,  I don’t care for sugary mock cocktails, so don’t bother. In adulthood stopped sodas for the same reason.

 

I’m a sparkling water person. And on vacation I like a flavored Red Bull out by the pool. Never been coffee or tea drinker.
 

Before it was red wine and sparkling water. So, at least for me, plain sparkling water is tasty! 
 

🛳🛳

Bobbi 

 

[little britain]

On 7/31/2022 at 11:30 AM, HOBE SOUND CRUISER said:

I am Diamond+ and get 5 free drinks per day and the Heineken 00 counts as a drink. I guess you would have to ask the bartender if it is part of your Refreshment Pakage's "non-alcholic" drinks.

NA beer is not included in the refreshment package.  Even though it is labelled non-alcoholic, it still contains a small amount of alcohol and the cruise line limits it's inclusion to the alcoholic package.

[brillohead]

1 hour ago, mspmcpie said:

In my search for Red Bull I found this thread. My husband also no longer drinks alcohol (3+years with Bill W 🙏🏻💗) but energy drinks are top of his list. Does anyone know if they are included in a non-alcoholic drink package? 

 

Red Bull is indeed included with the Refreshment Package.

[HOBE SOUND CRUISER]

1 hour ago, little britain said:

NA beer is not included in the refreshment package.  Even though it is labelled non-alcoholic, it still contains a small amount of alcohol and the cruise line limits it's inclusion to the alcoholic package.

I guess that any beverage called "beer", alcohol free or not, is not part of the Refreshment Package then.  Non-alcoholic beer containes an ABV "AlcoholByVolume" of not more than 0.05 per cent alcohol.

 

This from Heineken:

As stated on its label, Heineken® 0.0 has an alcohol by volume of 0.0% and is considered alcohol free. Heineken® 0.0 contains a trace amount of alcohol ranging from 0.01 to 0.03% ABV, which is a comparable or lower level of alcohol content as compared to the alcohol content commonly found in food products such as breads, fruits and juices. Heineken® 0.0’s formula, alcohol content, and its label, have been reviewed and approved by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau in accordance with the regulations applicable to alcohol free malt beverages.

 

A study by the University of Kaiserslautem looked a wide range of foods and identified the grams of alcohol contained per 100g (3.5 Oz.)of various foods where 1g of alcohol per 100g (3.5 Oz.) equals 1% ABV.  Their research came up with some interesting results: 

Food	ABV
Grape Juice	0.29% - 0.86%
Apple Juice	0.06% - 0.66%
Orange Juice	0.16% - 0.73%
Wheat Rolls	0.14%
Wheat and rye bread	0.29%
Burger Rolls (American Style)	1.28%
Banana (ripe)	0.02%
Banana (very ripe, peel with dark zones)	0.04%
Pear (ripe)	0.04%

Edited August 4, 2022 by HOBE SOUND CRUISER

[rudeney]

10 minutes ago, HOBE SOUND CRUISER said:

 

Burger Rolls (American Style)	1.28%

 

So there goes my plans for eating a couple of Big Macs to sober up after a night out!

[JessyCruises]

On 4/26/2022 at 10:22 AM, cruisetorelax44 said:

if you didn't want the extra sugar, try it with tonic water.

 

Just wanted to drop a heads up that if trying to cut sugars it is best to avoid tonic water, unless it is diet tonic water which I do not think is available onboard.  I learned this the hard way last weekend.  I am eating very low carb right now and thought I was being good when I went out last weekend and had a few gin & tonics (gin is 0 carbs).  Turns out tonic actually does have sugar (about 30g depending on what kind).  It is best to opt for Club Soda which should have 0.  Now I know!!

Edited August 4, 2022 by JessyCruises

[Bocker3]

Royal absolutely carries Non-alcoholic sparkling wine (Sutter Home Fre) as well as Chardonnay, and a Red Blend.  I have one delivered to my room each cruise as a D+ perk.  You can also purchase them in the gifts and wine area online (pre-cruise).

Onboard, I've successfully asked for them to carry these in the Diamond and Concierge Clubs.  I've not tried to do it in any other lounge, but I can't see why you couldn't get them to do so.  You could also talk to a Sommelier in the dining room and you'd likely be able to get it there -- though you might need to purchase it by the bottle.

 

I know some don't care for these wines -- I think they are just fine.  Though, I wasn't a wine drinker back in my alcohol drinking days (pre-1989), so I may not be the best judge.

 

I will say -- Royal charge somewhere aroune $35 a bottle (I have looked in a couple of years, so it may be more), but I buy this stuff at home for about $7-8, so I usually bring a couple bottles onboard with me.

 

Mike

[rudeney]

2 hours ago, JessyCruises said:

 

Just wanted to drop a heads up that if trying to cut sugars it is best to avoid tonic water, unless it is diet tonic water which I do not think is available onboard.  I learned this the hard way last weekend.  I am eating very low carb right now and thought I was being good when I went out last weekend and had a few gin & tonics (gin is 0 carbs).  Turns out tonic actually does have sugar (about 30g depending on what kind).  It is best to opt for Club Soda which should have 0.  Now I know!!

 

Yep - I drink gin and diet tonic water.  Sometimes I just drink straight diet tonic water.  I've been doing this for so long that I can't stand the taste of "regular" tonic in my gin - the sweetness of the sugar overpowers the flavors of the gin. 

[TVLady3]

I have gotten Ginger Beer and it is included in the refreshment package.

[Dan83]

3 hours ago, JessyCruises said:

 

Just wanted to drop a heads up that if trying to cut sugars it is best to avoid tonic water, unless it is diet tonic water which I do not think is available onboard.  I learned this the hard way last weekend.  I am eating very low carb right now and thought I was being good when I went out last weekend and had a few gin & tonics (gin is 0 carbs).  Turns out tonic actually does have sugar (about 30g depending on what kind).  It is best to opt for Club Soda which should have 0.  Now I know!!

Any advice for staying low carb on Royal Caribbean? I’ve been low carb for 6 months with very good results. I don’t want to spoil that on a cruise next week. 

[rudeney]

20 minutes ago, Dan83 said:

Any advice for staying low carb on Royal Caribbean? I’ve been low carb for 6 months with very good results. I don’t want to spoil that on a cruise next week. 

 

I lost over 70lbs on a low glycemic diet and kept it off for over 12 years, but unfortunately, the last few years I have not been so good and I've put some of it back on.  I will sometimes buckle down and lose, but it's just tough as I get older (both the weight loss and the will). 

 

Anyhow, I've always done fairly well on cruises because of the wonderful selection of foods.  For me, I load up on breakfast proteins and skip the pastries, fruit and juices.  I avoid the breads, pasta, potatoes, corn and carrots at lunch and dinner.  I also avoid anything with sauces.  The great thing about cruise ship dining is that they will cater to your needs and bring you extra portions of the foods you want to eat.  Just pass on the desserts - they aren't that good anyhow and look better than they taste (really!).  Watch out for the "sugar free" desserts (except the ice cream) because they are still full of refined flour, so that's no good.  

 

Of course sugary sodas and most fancy coffee drinks are off limits.  If you drink alcohol, just know what is good and bad.  Avoid the cocktails and beers as those are loaded with sugar.  Simple mixed like bourbon or Scotch with water/club is a good choice, or choose diet soda mixers.  They don't have diet tonic water,  though, so if you want a gin drink, go for a martini.  Red wines are a good choice, white and rose not so much, and champagne is a no-no.  

 

I find it easier to stick to a low-glycemic diet on a cruise than at home and I often lose a few pounds.

[JessyCruises]

2 hours ago, Dan83 said:

Any advice for staying low carb on Royal Caribbean? I’ve been low carb for 6 months with very good results. I don’t want to spoil that on a cruise next week. 

 

I have not done it on a ship yet but I will be trying it later this month.  I don't want to go backwards again.

 

I lost 45 lbs between 2020/21 during COVID doing Atkins/ low carb.  When I started cruising again I kind of let it slide and did not follow it at all on the ships and since we did several consecutive cruises it kind of went to hell so I ended up gaining back a bunch between late 21-June 22.  I have been on Atkins again since a couple of weeks ago and I have done really well. We are back onboard later this month for 3 weeks and I am going to try to stay low carb.  

 

My problem onboard is that I have a thing for pasta & breads and Prosecco & ciders are my go to beverages, all of which are just full of sugars.  My plan is to stick to the buffet and focus on proteins, salads, & low carb veggies and for drinks I am going to avoid my regular drinks and focus on vodka/gin and soda.  I also like hard seltzers so Truly is going to be a go to.

 

I am planning on weighing myself day 1 in the gym so I can monitor myself throughout the cruise.  My husband thinks I am nuts for trying to stay low carb on a ship but I know people do it all the time.

 

[rudeney]

3 hours ago, JessyCruises said:

I am planning on weighing myself day 1 in the gym so I can monitor myself throughout the cruise.  My husband thinks I am nuts for trying to stay low carb on a ship but I know people do it all the time.

 

 

Go for it!  I think I'll do a day 1 weigh-in, too - great idea!

[JessyCruises]

36 minutes ago, rudeney said:

 

Go for it!  I think I'll do a day 1 weigh-in, too - great idea!

I figured I would do it that way instead of comparing to my scale at home as they can all be a little different .  My plan may fail miserably, but I am least gonna try 🙂

Edited August 5, 2022 by JessyCruises

[joeyancho]

I have not had a drink of booze in 39 years.   My "drink " of choice is a San Pelligrino with ice and lime and a couple squirts of bitters.  Incredibly refreshing!   Zero calories.