Why do you pay so much money for alcohol?

[tscoffey]

When I asked this question in another topic, it really hit a nerve with some people..so I thought I would ask it here instead.

 

The cruise lines charge extremely large amounts of money to buy alcohol. In some cases these drink packages can add 50-60% (per person) in addition to the cost of your stateroom.

 

Why are you willing to pay so much for something you don't even need? 

 

Why not save all that money for another cruise?

 

It seems to me that they're exploiting you, and you just go along with it. 

 

 

 

[LHT28]

Why spend all that money on a cruise ?

 

It is a personal choice  what people  decide  to spend their money on

[tscoffey]

5 hours ago, LHT28 said:

Why spend all that money on a cruise ?

 

Well for starters - cruise prices are very competitive when compared to hotel, travel, food, when going to the same places.  But none of these are as vastly overpriced as the alcohol is. If they priced the food on the cruise ship the same way they priced the alcohol, much fewer people could afford to go. 

So they purposely price the alcohol at a much higher level in comparison, and yet people still give them their money.

I just wonder why.....

 

Edited May 5, 2023 by tscoffey

[brzymom]

If you like to have cocktails while cruising the drink package is not ridiculous. Personally I rarely drink anything other than light beer or wine spritzers. But put me on a cruise ship and I’m having pina colada’s and imported beers by day and fancy martinis and cocktails on the menus in the evening. For my past several cruises the drink package was included. I would get it anyway. You have to calculate the price of drinks you will want and compare that to the per day pricing. If you only have 1 or 2 drinks a day it is totally not worth it for you. 

[Sigyn]

On 5/5/2023 at 4:23 PM, tscoffey said:

Well for starters - cruise prices are very competitive when compared to hotel, travel, food, when going to the same places.  But none of these are as vastly overpriced as the alcohol is. If they priced the food on the cruise ship the same way they priced the alcohol, much fewer people could afford to go. 

So they purposely price the alcohol at a much higher level in comparison, and yet people still give them their money.

I just wonder why.....

 

Actually, the food for specialty restaurants is priced quite high, too. Here is how I spent my money on a recent cruise:

Cruise fare: $2,800
Specialty restaurants: $575
Alcohol drinks: $180 
Non-Alcohol drinks: $210

I was cruising with someone under 21, so buying an alcohol drink package wasn't of interest to me since I normally don't drink more than one or two drinks a month at home and on a cruise I have one or two drinks a day at most, some days none. I love Champagne and an occasional frozen drink, and maybe an herbal-based cocktail or two. Sometimes a drink package would make sense, such as if my husband is with me, sometimes it doesn't. No one is taking advantage of me price wise on a cruise because I am making my decisions based on what I want and what will give me the best vacation experience. 

 

On my most recent cruise I wanted to step up the food quality, so I bought the Unlimited Dining Plan, as they call it on RCCL, for two people and that was more expensive than the alcohol and non-alcohol drinks we purchased. Some people would say that spending $575 extra for food is unnecessary, but my son and I really enjoyed it. And he drank more of milkshakes, sodas and other beverages on the ship than I did of alcohol, so that ran up that tab. 

Just sharing this as an example of how I personally chose to spend my money. 

[ExpatBride]

On 5/5/2023 at 3:41 PM, tscoffey said:

Why are you willing to pay so much for something you don't even need?

 

 

The same can be said for many things. Most people have kids while all of the money spent raising them could go towards many, many luxury cruises. With your "logic," why do people pay for anything beyond basic necessities? The whole world is out to make a profit 🤷‍♀️

Edited May 7, 2023 by ExpatBride

[tscoffey]

3 hours ago, njsmom said:

Actually, the food for specialty restaurants is priced quite high, too. Here is how I spent my money on a recent cruise:

Cruise fare: $2,800
Specialty restaurants: $575
Alcohol drinks: $180 
Non-Alcohol drinks: $210

 

But the specialty restaurants are also an elective charge, since the base cruise fare includes all food in the MDR, and buffets, etc.. One can easily go without that extra charge (the same as going without the extra charges for alcohol).

 

 

[tscoffey]

2 hours ago, ExpatBride said:

Most people have kids while all of the money spent raising them could go towards many, many luxury cruises

Well, I would argue that money spent on raising children generates a return many times over.

Money spent on alcohol is money that literally is placed down the toilet.

So no, your comparison is not at all valid.

[ExpatBride]

7 minutes ago, tscoffey said:

Well, I would argue that money spent on raising children generates a return many times over.

Money spent on alcohol is money that literally is placed down the toilet.

So no, your comparison is not at all valid.

 

I fail to see an ROI on kids for anyone but the taxman. Money spent on diapers and feeding them is also literally placed in the trash/toilet. 

 

The beautiful thing is that we're all free to spend our money on the things that matter to us.

Edited May 7, 2023 by ExpatBride

[sparks1093]

On 5/7/2023 at 12:25 PM, tscoffey said:

Well, I would argue that money spent on raising children generates a return many times over.

Money spent on alcohol is money that literally is placed down the toilet.

So no, your comparison is not at all valid.

You are looking for an argument and how people spend their money is how people spend their money. We could forego the drink package, but we're still going to drink and having the drink package does save us money. We are on vacation and we're going to enjoy ourselves. (And I've known couples who have decided not to have kids so they can go on more vacations and just worry about spending money on themselves.)

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, sparks1093 said:

. (And I've known couples who have decided not to have kids so they can go on more vacations and just worry about spending money on themselves.)

I am sure  they may have other reasons for not having children 🤔

[sparks1093]

1 hour ago, LHT28 said:

I am sure  they may have other reasons for not having children 🤔

Possibly, but in our conversations their focus was entirely on how much they saved and what they could do with it.

[LHT28]

32 minutes ago, sparks1093 said:

Possibly, but in our conversations their focus was entirely on how much they saved and what they could do with it.

I guess  my point was  not all childless couples  base their  decision on whether to have children or not  is based on spending their money on other  things  they want

 of course  their may be  a few  that think that way

YMMV

 

[sparks1093]

11 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

I guess  my point was  not all childless couples  base their  decision on whether to have children or not  is based on spending their money on other  things  they want

 of course  their may be  a few  that think that way

YMMV

 

I never said that it applied to all childless couples. I said "and I've known couples who have decided not to have kids...", which means that it pertained only to the couples that I've known.

[no1racefan1]

On 5/5/2023 at 7:41 AM, tscoffey said:

When I asked this question in another topic, it really hit a nerve with some people..so I thought I would ask it here instead.

 

The cruise lines charge extremely large amounts of money to buy alcohol. In some cases these drink packages can add 50-60% (per person) in addition to the cost of your stateroom.

 

Why are you willing to pay so much for something you don't even need? 

 

Why not save all that money for another cruise?

 

It seems to me that they're exploiting you, and you just go along with it. 

 

 

 

I kind of feel like you just want to stir the pot for whatever reason....maybe you get entertainment value out of it. I don't drink alcohol so I don't spend money on it, but I agree with other posters who've said everybody chooses to spend money on something that's a 'waste' to somebody else.

Examples:

I think getting a fancy new cell phone every couple of years would be a waste of MY money, but I know tons of people that do it. I have a Tracfone I pay $20/month for and only replace if it breaks.

I think upgrading to a bigger, better, nicer house would be a waste of MY money, but just about everybody I know has. I live in a 1,000 sf fixer upper.

I think spending money in the casino would be a waste of MY money, so I don't do it.

I think paying for specialty dining when I've already paid for dining would be a waste of MY money, so I rarely do it.

I like to book ship excursions rather than on my own, which lots of CCers swear is a waste of money, because it's worth MY money to me.

I like to pay for spa treatments on a cruise even though a lot of people think they are overpriced and a waste of money, because I think it's worth it for ME.

 

I bet OP spends on lots of things that I, and others, would consider a waste of money. WHY do you do that??

 

PS I also don't have children. I can't see the logic of how having children gives you a good return on investment. What if they turn out to be terrible humans?? What a WASTE of money that would be!

[hazeleyes46]

On 5/12/2023 at 11:32 AM, no1racefan1 said:

I kind of feel like you just want to stir the pot for whatever reason....maybe you get entertainment value out of it. I don't drink alcohol so I don't spend money on it, but I agree with other posters who've said everybody chooses to spend money on something that's a 'waste' to somebody else.

Examples:

I think getting a fancy new cell phone every couple of years would be a waste of MY money, but I know tons of people that do it. I have a Tracfone I pay $20/month for and only replace if it breaks.

I think upgrading to a bigger, better, nicer house would be a waste of MY money, but just about everybody I know has. I live in a 1,000 sf fixer upper.

I think spending money in the casino would be a waste of MY money, so I don't do it.

I think paying for specialty dining when I've already paid for dining would be a waste of MY money, so I rarely do it.

I like to book ship excursions rather than on my own, which lots of CCers swear is a waste of money, because it's worth MY money to me.

I like to pay for spa treatments on a cruise even though a lot of people think they are overpriced and a waste of money, because I think it's worth it for ME.

 

I bet OP spends on lots of things that I, and others, would consider a waste of money. WHY do you do that??

 

PS I also don't have children. I can't see the logic of how having children gives you a good return on investment. What if they turn out to be terrible humans?? What a WASTE of money that would be!

BIN.GO. 

[hazeleyes46]

On 5/5/2023 at 9:41 AM, tscoffey said:

When I asked this question in another topic, it really hit a nerve with some people..so I thought I would ask it here instead.

 

The cruise lines charge extremely large amounts of money to buy alcohol. In some cases these drink packages can add 50-60% (per person) in addition to the cost of your stateroom.

 

Why are you willing to pay so much for something you don't even need? 

 

Why not save all that money for another cruise?

 

It seems to me that they're exploiting you, and you just go along with it. 

 

 

 

Because I like to try different drinks and know if I don't like it, I don't have to pay for another one. This is an expense that we include in our cruising and would never go without. Many save to spend on jewelry on cruises or other high priced items which we don't care for and want or need. It all goes by your needs and wants. You can say that about anything in life and actually I think it is a waste of money to go to bars on land when you can buy a bottle and make drinks at home. On vacation my money is "vacation" money. I have worked hard and don't want to worry about a thing and if I want something, I will get it. On land, I am super frugal. 

[WestCoastDeb]

On 5/9/2023 at 7:42 AM, LHT28 said:

I am sure  they may have other reasons for not having children 🤔

*RAISES HAND* I am in this club. I want to spend my money on me, for vacations or for clothes or for whatever I want. 

 

Ok, and the not changing diapers is nice too. You got me there. 

[momof3cruisers]

On 5/12/2023 at 10:32 AM, no1racefan1 said:

 

 

I bet OP spends on lots of things that I, and others, would consider a waste of money. WHY do you do that??

 

 

I feel like if one expects others to justify their financial choices, they should be prepared to provide an exact monthly expenditure of what they purchase. I am also pretty sure that the OP spends money on things others think are wasteful. A friend of mine loves camping and would never pay for a cruise at all, let alone more than one but she bought a pretty snazzy camper that I would get very little use out of.
 

OP, is this really a sincere question or…? Because if you look at the questions on drink packages esp the “is it worth it” types on just about any cruise line board, people frequently explain to those wondering if it’s worth it, why it is worth it for them. 

Edited May 31, 2023 by momof3cruisers

[sparks1093]

7 hours ago, momof3cruisers said:

why it is worth it for them. 

At the end of the day the only thing that matters.

[KatNiss Houston]

I agree with OP. I might have an occasional drink, but it hardly seems worth the price to me. I'd much rather go on another cruise with that money.  Likewise, I usually book an interior cabin.  My upcoming cruise is a 14-day back-to-back in an inside cabin. I could have upgraded, but I'd much rather extend my vacation and cruise again soon. I did it once and it was a nice room, but we were hardly there except to sleep so it just isn't important to me. I might splurge a little on a specialty restaurant once, but rarely. (And yet at home, I splurge on nice restaurants sometimes.) I've been to casinos, but never on the ship. I rarely gamble, same reasons. I'm a widow and I work for a non-profit, so I'm pretty selective in how I spend my money.

 

To me, alcohol isn't worth it. I definitely don't want to get falling-down drunk or waste away my precious days of vacation. But that's just my opinion. If it makes someone else happy and that's the enjoyment they get out of their money, ok. No sweat off my back. I don't get it, but that's ok. 

 

I also think sometimes people have more limited time, so taking more cruises isn't an option. I have plenty of vacay, but more limited budget so I'd opt for more days and budget more. Someone else may have limited vacay time, but plenty of funds to live it up when they're away.

[mnocket]

On 5/12/2023 at 9:32 AM, no1racefan1 said:

I kind of feel like you just want to stir the pot for whatever reason....maybe you get entertainment value out of it.

Agreed.  It's a pointless question - OP is essentially asking why your values are different then theirs.  OP could also ask "Why do you spend money on a luxury car when a cheaper model will also get you where you're going"?  Maybe OP is just virtue signaling? 

[SimplyMarvie]

We haven't bought the drinks package before, but this cruise it was literally $8 more than not having the "premium" package -- with gratuities, internet and most importantly DECENT COFFEE -- so it was a no-brainer. We'll see if that changes how much I drink onboard significantly. 

 

Different strokes for different folks, I guess... I've always been willing to either do my drinking on-shore or get whatever is cheap at the bar. Personally, the bigger question is how people function without the coffee package? Is it just my choice of lines, or is the MDR coffee horrific everywhere? 

[corinna121]

Which cruise line are you referring to that has terrible coffee in the MDR? I am very curious?

[corinna121]

On 7/6/2023 at 12:23 PM, SimplyMarvie said:

We haven't bought the drinks package before, but this cruise it was literally $8 more than not having the "premium" package -- with gratuities, internet and most importantly DECENT COFFEE -- so it was a no-brainer. We'll see if that changes how much I drink onboard significantly. 

 

Different strokes for different folks, I guess... I've always been willing to either do my drinking on-shore or get whatever is cheap at the bar. Personally, the bigger question is how people function without the coffee package? Is it just my choice of lines, or is the MDR coffee horrific everywhere? 

Which cruise line are you referring to that has terrible coffee in the MDR? I am very curious?