Taking drinks on board - Alcohol-free beer

[ellahall]

Hi

I believe that unlimited soft drinks can be taken on board for consumption in the cabin. Has anyone tried taking alcohol-free beer on board as a soft drink?

Thanks

[molecrochip]

“Alcohol free” drinks are not alcohol free. They are a maximum of 0.5% proof.

 

Accordingly, you must be 18 to buy them, serve them and they count as alcohol for duty free purposes.

 

Therefore, I expect them to be under the same rules as for standard alcohol. Sorry to disappoint.

Edited February 18 by molecrochip

[ellahall]

Thanks @molecrochip for a clear reponse 👍

[terrierjohn]

3 hours ago, molecrochip said:

“Alcohol free” drinks are not alcohol free. They are a maximum of 0.5% proof.

 

Accordingly, you must be 18 to buy them, serve them and they count as alcohol for duty free purposes.

 

Therefore, I expect them to be under the same rules as for standard alcohol. Sorry to disappoint.

Non alcoholic drinks can contain 0.05% alcohol not 0.5, and are thus excempt excise duty according to the govt., so P&O would be wrong to classify any such drink as alcohol, and they should be considered soft drinks.

It is low alcohol drinks that can contain 0.5-1.25% ABV, although the majority of suppliers limit them to 0.5%.

[Thejuggler]

No problem.

 

The new 0% alcohol beers are no different to soft drinks, they can be sold in licensed premises to under 18s.

[funinhounslow]

Guinness and Koppaberg are both <0.05% as are various lagers. As a teetotaller I wouldn’t purchase a drink with 0.5% alcohol. 
 

As there are increasing numbers of non drinkers around I wish P&O would cater to us more, in particular stocking the AF Guinness - on my last cruise I had the choice of Koppaberg (not bad but a bit sweet), mocktails, or soda water!

 

 

[laslomas]

1 hour ago, funinhounslow said:

 

As there are increasing numbers of non drinkers around I wish P&O would cater to us more, in particular stocking the AF Guinness - on my last cruise I had the choice of Koppaberg (not bad but a bit sweet), mocktails, or soda water!

 

 

I contacted P&O on this subject as I noticed there is only one 0% Lager available on board. I suggested they could increase the choice of beers and other alcohol free adult drinks on board. I simply do not like cola and other fizzy drinks, but love alcohol free beers. Corona make a reasonable  0% Mexican beer that could prove popular. This was their response: 

"Hi, we are unable to guarantee that we will be introducing similar beverages however we take on all guests feedback for review"

 

Maybe more cruisers need to pass on their thoughts to P&O for things to change. They say they review feedback.

I even suggested to them that it could help cut back on some of the anti-social behaviour I have read about in some recent reviews.

[terrierjohn]

Maybe they dont want to cut down on people drinking alcohol, they may assume that passengers are likely to spend more when their inhibitions are reduced as the alcohol takes effect. 

Or it could be that the profit margins on alcoholic drinks are higher than on non alcoholic ones.

Then again it could be simple P&O inertia, to think that giving passengers what they want is good for business.

[Megabear2]

14 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

Maybe they dont want to cut down on people drinking alcohol, they may assume that passengers are likely to spend more when their inhibitions are reduced as the alcohol takes effect. 

Or it could be that the profit margins on alcoholic drinks are higher than on non alcoholic ones.

Then again it could be simple P&O inertia, to think that giving passengers what they want is good for business.

Non alcoholic beers are made using identical brewing process and then the alcohol is removed. This actually makes them considerably more expensive to make with the result publican (and assumedly cruise companies) can actually make very high profits on them.

 

Diageo said the following in August 2023:

 

"The alcohol-free and low-alcohol category was worth £255m in 2022, according to Mintel¹ and it is now estimated around 40% of GB adults are trying to moderate their alcohol consumption, with the behaviour more prevalent among 18-24 year olds".

 

I'd guess that's a pretty lucrative market P&O should be catering for.

[Thejuggler]

The 0.05% is a similar figure to the "99.9% germs killed" on cleaning products.  You can never promise 0% or 100% so a very small leeway is permitted.

 

As a Guinness drinker I don't like the Guiness 0.0% because I have a taste for the real stuff.  
 

However I don't drink much lager so I will happily drink the 0.0% lagers as I have no real idea of what the normal lagers taste like.  I have found some taste 'soapy' and others are like a shandy made with soda water rather than lemonade.

 

As regards cost I pay £3.20 for a pint of 0% lager at a local sports club, a pint of beer, Guinness is £4 to £5.

 

You can however keep 0% Gordons gin, its vile!

 

 

[terrierjohn]

Price and profit margin can be very different, and the higher production costs for non alcoholic versions may not be fully achievable for suppliers, where the price level of their normal alcoholic drinks will determine the  premium that customers will accept. So probably less profit for both suppliers and retailers.

[Red Ray]

3 hours ago, funinhounslow said:

Guinness and Koppaberg are both <0.05% as are various lagers. As a teetotaller I wouldn’t purchase a drink with 0.5% alcohol. 
 

As there are increasing numbers of non drinkers around I wish P&O would cater to us more, in particular stocking the AF Guinness - on my last cruise I had the choice of Koppaberg (not bad but a bit sweet), mocktails, or soda water!

 

 

I'm teetotal as well but like the taste of cider so am always looking for a alcohol free version which is readily obtainable - I'm not over keen on Kopparberg and would love to find a good non alcohol apple cider.

[enjoysailing]

I also enjoy 0% lager and wish there was a better choice on board. I think P&O are missing an opportunity here. I will definitely contact them to suggest they get on board with what local pubs have begun to realise - that they are popular. It is still a way to make money, so why not offer a better choice.

 

Was the answer to the original question that yes you can take unlimited amount on board ship on embarkation?

[terrierjohn]

1 hour ago, enjoysailing said:

I also enjoy 0% lager and wish there was a better choice on board. I think P&O are missing an opportunity here. I will definitely contact them to suggest they get on board with what local pubs have begun to realise - that they are popular. It is still a way to make money, so why not offer a better choice.

 

Was the answer to the original question that yes you can take unlimited amount on board ship on embarkation?

No, Moley did suggest that it was treated the same as alcoholic drinks by P&O, but he did seem to think most non alcoholic beers/lagers/ciders had an alcohol content of 0.5%, rather than the normal 0.05%, so clarity is needed from P&O/Carnival.

[Thedonkeycentrehalf]

I stopped drinking a few years ago and my first cruise after that I found it hard to find many options - especially as I don't touch the no/low options (if I wanted a beer, I'd have a real one) but also find the coke diet products don't agree with me as they use Aspartame.

 

On Ventura last year, I was pleasantly surprised at how many more soft options were available and hoping that will be the case when we join Britannia on Saturday.

[elmsliebev]

10 hours ago, Red Ray said:

I'm teetotal as well but like the taste of cider so am always looking for a alcohol free version which is readily obtainable - I'm not over keen on Kopparberg and would love to find a good non alcohol apple cider.

Crafty Nectar 0.5 is the best I've had, nicer than some full strength ones. I'm happy to drink up to 0.5% drinks (in other countries 0.5 is classed as alcohol-free but in the UK it is 0.05%) and have contacted both the P&O and Cunard arms of Carnival to ask them to expand their AF offering. I have seen Thatcher 0% on Cunard menus as well as Erdinger lager which is apparently isotonic and positively good for you!! 

Edited February 19 by elmsliebev