Questions about alcohol onboard (merged)

[wingnutphl]

Malibu Bay Breeze was $5.00 plus tax on the Empress in September.

[Sunflower77]

I don't think they overcharge for drinks compared to a regular bar. I'm not sure about beer, but I think they are around $3 & regular drinks are $4-5. I just had wine yesterday at a restaurant at home & it was $5 a glass, in my opinion the cruise lines charge the same as the norm.

[sgttami]

I can tell you the following from Explorer of the Seas...9/3 cruise. I'm looking at my old seapass bill..

Prices include the 15% gratuity...

 

Coor's Light..$3.45

Vodka/Cranberry $6.33 (Absolut)

GreyGoose/Orange juice $6.90

Bellini's..$9.12 (Champagne Bar)

 

I'm guessing that house brands are a bit less.

 

They do have drink specials every day..Bloody Mary was $4.25 (before 11AM)!!!

[nosmothj]

Not drinking? They, he could still have a great vacation. You don't have to go out and drink to relax.

[shipshape sam]

Drinks are within a reasonable range. They additionally automatically charge a 15% gratituity. The part I do not like is that they now provide a line for an additional gratituity. If you buy a drink for $4.50 and the wait staff/bartender gets 15% or 67 cents. If you buy two drinks at $4.50 or $9.00 total, then the 15% automatic tip is $1.35. I guess you might feel they deserve more.

[Tralynn222]

We just got off of the Majesty this past Friday. The drink of the Day was $8.95 but came in a souvenier glass. Corona's were 3.75 and Bud Light was 4.25. I did have a few rum and cokes and they were $5.00 as previously posted.

 

If they drink in moderation then can certainly have a great time inexpensively. We did!

[pach]

is it true that if you buy alcohol on the ship they send it to you on the last day?

[FitzLA]

Yes, it is true. Any alchohol you buy on the ship or on the islands they take and deliver it to you on the last day. That goes for alcohol you bring with you as well...if they catch it.

[ianturner]

Yes! Yes!

[red lover]

Can you buy alcohol at the ship store and take to your cabin for a "fee"? Maybe packing a bottle in check in luggage?

[azsummer2003]

Why is it you can't bring alcohol onboard? I'm a beer drinker so it would be a bit difficult hiding a case of beer in my luggage. But I've just never understood why you can't bring any onboard.:eek:

[johno95]

They want you to buy THEIR alcohol at a bar, pool, restaurant, etc. I am all for them making money on onboard drinks. It may just keep down other costs.

 

I must say, though, that if you're in your own wheelchair, you may just be able to slip by security with a few 750 ml bottles of your favorite elixer. And if they don't check your backpack on the back of your chair, you got it made.:)

 

Why is it you can't bring alcohol onboard? I'm a beer drinker so it would be a bit difficult hiding a case of beer in my luggage. But I've just never understood why you can't bring any onboard.:eek:

[nyGal]

I just returned from Explorer of the Seas 10-6-06 sailing- and for the past 3 years I have brought a large bottle of wine aboard. This year was no exception. I had it in my carry-on bag and I also had a 12 pack of orange soda in there too (thats all my DH drinks). Went thru check- in without a problem. (we left from Cape Liberty, Bayonne)

[The Crazy Hat Guy]

Yeah, I managed to get two medium bottles of mixers (Bahama Mama and Long Island Ice Tea) plus a big bottle of Bacardi in my checked luggage. Relax RC, my bar bill was still pretty high. On a lighter note, while in St Maarten I bought 2 bottles as gifts for people back home, fully expecting to check them in when I walked back onto the ship. Not one person stopped me. They just sat untouched in my room the rest of the trip. It was even funnier the next day when I went to the Bacardi factory and didn't buy any liquor, but was stopped--because it was a Bacardi bag I assume. I showed them all I bought were two of those metal shakers, a t-shirt and a deck of recipe cards. They were like oh. BRILLIANT!!!

[CGTNORMANDIE]

NOW...let me see if I understand the new policy so far...

 

If you smuggle the booze onboard in your luggage and don't get caught...you get to have cocktails on your veranda. If you do get caught you have to go down to some area in the ship and take the booze out of the luggage and hand it over to them and then lug your own bags up to your cabin. If you take booze in your carry on they will confiscate it and maybe you will get it back on the last day...unless it is in a Listerine bottle in which case they will pour it out in front of you and if it is really good stuff...like Johnny Walker Blue...you will probably get down on your hands and knees and lap it up off the cement floor. NOW...if you get onboard and have not smuggled any booze and you want to save a few bucks you can order a wine package...but you can only order the wine package on the first day. The wine package comes in 3 different levels: THE GOLD...which is an assortment of $3.00 wines that you would never normally be caught dead drinking. You can get 12 bottles of $3 wine for $273 plus tip...but you can not have them delivered to your cabin...they must be opened in the dining room or you can order in the Windjammer and they will take about 2 hours to figure it out before it actually arrives at your table in the Windjammer. Then...when no one is looking...you can take the opened bottle to your cabin...hoping not to drop it or spill any along the way. You can order the PLATINUM wine package...just the GOLD PACKAGE with some additions of $4-$5 bottles added in...12 bottles of $5 wine for $299 plus tip...and all the same rules apply...and so on for the DIAMOND PACKAGE...12 bottles of $6 wine for $329...that will give you some $6 bottles tossed into the GOLD and PLATINUM. You can also get a Champagne Card which is only good in the Champagne Bar and this will save you $10 on 10 Champagne Cocktails...but only in the Champagne Bar...but you could take them back to your cabin although you will probably spill a lot before you get there. THANKS SO MUCH...I THINK I GET IT NOW!!! I AM SO HAPPY THAT RCI HAS DECIDED TO DO THIS FOR MY PROTECTION!!!:D:D:D

[Cruzn Chuck & Susan]

No champagne, no fine wine....You about covered it, CGTN. :rolleyes: And now I am having trouble getting my MBNA visa card RCI cruise credits posted to my account. :mad: I am a platinum C&A member, but that apparently means nada!

 

Tell me again, WHY are we sailing on Royal Caribbean?? :confused:

[skepticalw2kids]

I know RC does drink cards for soda and juice, but I heard they also do drink cards for alcohol? True or False? (we are going on Soverign of the Seas in Nov)

[jontalley]

I don't think RCL has time to search 5,000 suitcases. I had scotch in mine and they never opened it. I had tsa locks on. I also brought booz on in Corfu. They weren't even looking at the xray monitor when I returned to the ship. This was just a couple of weeks ago.

[dodygirl]

Could anyone tell me if and what the deal is for getting a wine package while on board the FOS ? Are they for dinner only or are they for the whole time. Thanks :)

[Newfy Friend]

The Wine & Dine Package is available on the afternoon of boarding. They will put a sticker on your Sea Pass Card and the waiter will mark it off each time you receive one of your bottles. You can use it at either lunch or dinner. If you don't drink all of a bottle at dinner, they will reseal it and mark it for you to have at lunch the next day or at dinner.

 

The following thread has a pretty good discussion of the program: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=388234&highlight=wine+dine

 

On our last cruise, we purchased the Gold Level with a bottle for each night. With the waiter's recommendation from the list, we found that there was always a pleasant choice that went well with our meal selection. If you like wine with meals, it can save you some money.

[Hondu]

Is there a difference by port of embarkation and... Do RCI employees do the scanning of carry-on bags or local officials?

[Merion_Mom]

I know RC does drink cards for soda and juice, but I heard they also do drink cards for alcohol? True or False? (we are going on Soverign of the Seas in Nov)

False. They once had them, but they were discontinued quite some time ago.

[spam-la]

We just returned from a Grandeur cruise and our packed liquor arrived without a problem. However, the couple we were traveling with had to go down and remove the liquor from their suitcases and then bring their luggage up to their suite. The liquor was returned to them the last day of the cruise. We each bought the wine package for dinner, but the quality of wines offered is pretty poor.

 

I am a cheap drinker I guess because I like the premade margaritas from Costco. I take them on and always end up bringing some back. I buy a few drinks on the ship (margaritas) that I don't like as well and a Coke package to compensate for my sin (I don't even drink one a day)...no one has ever bothered me. It doesn't mean that much to drink on board, so I prob won't take some next trip. Certainly wouldn't be enough to switch cruise lines over....yikes.

[mercedesmom2002]

Thanks for all the great info. Sounds like I figured about right for the cost of Rum and Coke, about $5 and beer $3.50-$5. That's not too much different than here at home. But dear dad usually drinks mostly at home or at my brothers, he doesn't go out to the bars much! I think that's why it feels to him like they charge too much.

 

And he isn't a big drinker, just wanted to have a couple he said. He said he didn't want to get too many in so that he didn't know what he was doing, just wanted maybe a couple after dinner, sitting in a pub. So I'm sure we can help him with that as I don't believe the cost is that much different than at home in a bar...

 

Sue

[jimc_usa]

If you pay all the drink bills - he will never know :)