Proposition: RC will now let you buy a bottle & take it back to your cabin: how much?

[critterchick]

See, people, this is the problem. You are all too cheap. You want something for nothing.

 

Look at Shelley's prices. She marks up liquor store prices more than many of you say that you are willing to pay - but you are willing to use JBOY.

 

If it's not worth RC's while to do this again, they have no incentive.

 

Seriously reconsider your position.

 

If you really wouldn't pay AT LEAST $20 on top of the DUTY FREE CHEAP PRICES in the onboard store, you don't deserve to have the privilege restored!

 

Gee whiz, Carol, remind me never to go shopping with you!:eek: :p

 

We were willing to use Shelley because there was no other option, but we ended up not drinking most of the hard liquor that we ordered, so we won't bother with that again. And her wine isn't much more than retail, so that's a relative bargain. And the duty free prices really aren't spectacular. And, and....

[CruiseKeeper]

Heck, I'd give em +28. Smuggling makes me feel so Midnight Express.

[perkyblue]

I wouldn't pay more than $9. (So I didn't vote.) I found out on my last cruise that I really don't drink that much in the cabin. On my last cruise (8 days on Carnival) I smuggled a regular sized bottle of cherry-flavored rum and a single-serving size of "Sex on the Beach." I also brought two bottles of wine (which was allowed).

 

I drank the "Sex on the Beach," and had the wine with dinner (which I shared with tablemates) but didn't even open the bottle of rum. I just don't spend much time in my cabin at all. If I want a drink before dinner, I prefer to head down early and stop at a bar, and I stay out around the ship until I'm ready to go to sleep, so there's not much opportunity for me to drink in my cabin anyway.

 

I wouldn't use JBOY for that same reason--the mark-up isn't worth it to me because I'd rather spend my time socializing around the ship than drinking in my cabin. But I do think it's a shame that it's not an option anymore for those who would appreciate having that choice.

[love2fish]

 

I think...

-If you can't buy it the first night onboard.

-They should make it so you can order online and then allow pickup with ID at the store the first night.

-If they want to set a limit, thats fine.

2 bottles of the hard stuff is ok with me.

 

This is a great idea.

 

Although I have not experienced my first cruise yet, I chose that I would not pay b/c I think $15 is way too much. If I HAD to pay, I think $5.00 would be more reasonable. I understand that liability may be one of the reasons why RCI did away with this practice but on the flip-side I think it's a shame that for a few of the unresponsible passagers, RCI that to go to the extreme and ruin it for the rest. I think the poster above has a great idea of allowing bottles to be purchased beforehand and picked up with proper ID but place a limit on how many.

[HPCW]

Your on a beautiful ship, why would you want to sit in your room and drink, other than a glass of champagne on the balcony?

[CruiseKeeper]

Your on a beautiful ship, why would you want to sit in your room and drink, other than a glass of champagne on the balcony?

 

Your glass of champagne on your balcony could be someone elses' martini on their balcony.

[perkyblue]

I think it should be a percentage of the cost of whatever you are buying. All I would want would be a bottle of Baileys or Amarula which is maybe $14.00 in the gift shop on the ship. I can get that at home for $20. It does not seem fair to spend a $15.00 fee to use it in my cabin when someone else may buy a $60.00 lplus bottle of something and still get the same $15. user fee. It should be a percentage! That is the only fair way. Now - what percentage do I think is fair? probably 25%, somewhere around that. Just my two cents. E-Beth:D

 

Now that's a good idea. I also don't buy expensive liquor (rarely anything over $25) and I think a 25% fee to take the bottle to my cabin would be fair. I would certainly be willing to do that.

[critterchick]

Vivki: well written piece. So many people write on here that unless they agree witht he price, they will bring their own. Can you do this at the Olive Garden? If I don't like the price the NHL Arena charges for beer, can I bring it in under my arm?

 

I don't know the custom in Canada, but in the US is very common to bring your own wine to a restaurant and pay a corkage. The more upscale the restaurant, the higher the corkage. A usual condition is that you may not bring a bottle that the restaurant carries, because then you're just doing it to pay less for your wine. But if you have a favorite wine that the restaurant doesn't carry, it is perfectly acceptable to bring your own wine and pay corkage.

 

DCPIV, Shelley passes along a $5 per gift basket that RCI charges, so it's in your best interest to have everything in a single basket. Her prices for hard liquor are pretty high - 2.5x retail for Jack and Absolut, which is one reason we won't do it again - we discovered that we like having a glass of wine or two in the cabin, but just don't consume enough hard liquor to make it worthwhile. But her wine prices were quite good - her "house" wine, a perfectly drinkable Australain (Jacob's Creek, I think) is $10 vs. $21.95 for that La Terre crap that RCI calls wine.

 

RCI's wine prices become comparable to those on land the higher up the price scale you move. A $5-6 bottle of wine (Californians are blessed with lots of inexpensive, tasty stuff) goes for $25 onboard, while a $25 bottle goes for $45-50. So if you have expensive taste, you can get a bargain!:rolleyes:

[crb04]

Just let me bring my wine and pay reasonable corkage. We will buy our cocktails on board but I do not like paying 5 times markup on mediocre wine. I would be happy to bring wine to the dining room and pay corkage.

 

Paying $35 for a $9 (at the Vons) makes me an unhappy sailor. Charge fairly for your wines and corkage. I will happily pay for my martinis and other foo-foo drinks. No need to smuggle hard liquor on board.

 

So charge $100 per bottle for the hard stuff just give me my wine at dinner.

 

Though I would also happily pay a consumption fee of $25 to at least have the choice of an in-cabin cocktail, wine is the bigger issue for me as well. I wouldn't care if the corkage charge were $25 a bottle, I would like to have options, OTHER than the boring and tasteless choices that currently make up the majority of RCI's limited offerings. I realize taste is a subjective thing, but we don't enjoy most of the wines available onboard.

[DC2OC]

Your on a beautiful ship, why would you want to sit in your room and drink, other than a glass of champagne on the balcony?

Its nice to have an before dinner drink on the balcony..........Frank:)

[Merion_Mom]

Gee whiz, Carol, remind me never to go shopping with you!:eek: :p

 

We were willing to use Shelley because there was no other option, but we ended up not drinking most of the hard liquor that we ordered, so we won't bother with that again. And her wine isn't much more than retail, so that's a relative bargain. And the duty free prices really aren't spectacular. And, and....

 

Jean, most people on this thread are comparing apples to oranges.

 

The point is not "how much would I pay for this bottle of Bailey's/Jack/Captain/Stoly/etc." at home vs what it costs in the onboard shop.

 

The point is:

 

IF Royal Caribbean is serious about not letting you carry any bottles on board with you, so that you can no longer bring on that "$10 bottle of Captain" with you, what are your options?

 

The real comparison, if only cost is considered, is bottle price vs per drink in the bar price.

 

I have never been a bartender, but I just googled this issue, and it seems that 16 is a normal number of drinks to get from one bottle of liquor. That refers to a 750 ml bottle which is standard in the U.S., although many or most of the bottles in the shop on board are liter (or, litre, nod to our non-American friends) bottles. Ok, so I'll amend that. If it's a liter bottle, you'll get 16 TWO OUNCE drinks, but apparently 1 1/2 ounce drinks are standard, so you'll get 22 drinks.

 

Let's err on the side of generosity. A drink in the bar is about $5-6, right? So, at $6 a drink, you are paying Royal Caribbean 16 x 6 for a bottle of booze at the bar. That's $96.

 

If your choice is paying $96 for 16 drinks during a seven day cruise, wouldn't you rather pay $20 + $20 = $40 instead?

 

This, of course, is only for people who drink two drinks a day on average, and drink them while relaxing before dinner or other times in the cabin and/or on the balcony.

 

Does this make sense to you?

[mommabean]

Jean, most people on this thread are comparing apples to oranges.

 

The point is not "how much would I pay for this bottle of Bailey's/Jack/Captain/Stoly/etc." at home vs what it costs in the onboard shop.

 

The point is:

 

IF Royal Caribbean is serious about not letting you carry any bottles on board with you, so that you can no longer bring on that "$10 bottle of Captain" with you, what are your options?

 

The real comparison, if only cost is considered, is bottle price vs per drink in the bar price.

 

I have never been a bartender, but I just googled this issue, and it seems that 16 is a normal number of drinks to get from one bottle of liquor. That refers to a 750 ml bottle which is standard in the U.S., although many or most of the bottles in the shop on board are liter (or, litre, nod to our non-American friends) bottles. Ok, so I'll amend that. If it's a liter bottle, you'll get 16 TWO OUNCE drinks, but apparently 1 1/2 ounce drinks are standard, so you'll get 22 drinks.

 

Let's err on the side of generosity. A drink in the bar is about $5-6, right? So, at $6 a drink, you are paying Royal Caribbean 16 x 6 for a bottle of booze at the bar. That's $96.

 

If your choice is paying $96 for 16 drinks during a seven day cruise, wouldn't you rather pay $20 + $20 = $40 instead?

 

This, of course, is only for people who drink two drinks a day on average, and drink them while relaxing before dinner or other times in the cabin and/or on the balcony.

 

Does this make sense to you?

 

OK, one more calculation for you. My brain is on hold. :) How much for the mixers? Coke can get pretty pricy. (Or whatever) I think I will have to stick with paying as I go and ask my foo foo drink server for some extra, which I asked for and got on my last 2 cruises, or be nice to my bartender.

 

I really would be willing to pay the $20 fee to keep my bottle purchased on board although I never paid the $9 - is that what it was? - when I first cruised. I almost voted for $25 because if I DID want to buy a bottle for the room, I'd be willing to pay that, too.

[winncove]

Comparing arenas & Olive Garden is really comparing apples & oranges! How about using hotels & shipboard rms for comparisons? It's not like this is a new argument around here. Carol's question only concerns how much are we willing to pay the cruise lines to purchase a bottle for our rm. I still say the$10 neighborhood is generous enough! Personally we hardly drink at all @ home but while on vacation it is more than a cpl drinks a day & making a wild guess Carol, I'd bet you also exceed 2/day, which you referred to. I didn't mean unlimited first nite buys either but a cpl is not unreasonable IMHO.

[ieatchickens]

If you buy a bottle at an onboard liquor you are obviously consuming it on the ship independant of the bars so why an extra charge to consume it or take it back to the cabin?

 

Heck, just make on hefty price on the bottle and let it stand like that. Why should I pay $18 for a bottle of rum retail and then have an extra charge of lets say $20 to take it to my cabin? Just charge $38 in the first place.

[mommabean]

If you buy a bottle at an onboard liquor you are obviously consuming it on the ship independant of the bars so why an extra charge to consume it or take it back to the cabin?

 

Heck, just make on hefty price on the bottle and let it stand like that. Why should I pay $18 for a bottle of rum retail and then have an extra charge of lets say $20 to take it to my cabin? Just charge $38 in the first place.

They don't do that because no one would buy it to take home Everyone is allowed to purchase a certain amount of duty free liquor, so they do, and they fly home with it at a cheaper price than they could get it at home. A lot a people do this apparently.

 

So, for the few that want to take it back to their cabin for on board consumption - in their cabin, they used to charge a small fee. Some would still do it if the fee were more and RCI would still make money on it.

[BobBeaSea]

I love booze threads, thanks for starting this Carol. :). I do want RCI to know where I stand on this...it is insulting and childish that I, as an adult, am NOT allowed to have a bottle of liquor in my cabin. End of story, simply absurd.

 

I chose the over $28.00 option because for me IT IS NOT ABOUT MONEY, IT IS ENTIRELY ABOUT CONVENIENCE and civilized behaviour. I have NEVER taken alcohol out of my cabin, whether smuggled or bought onboard at the ship's store (paying the fee) when that small piece of civilization was still in place. I am talking about a couple of stinking drinks a day while getting ready for the night's activities. Don't tell me to order from room service, the drink has long lost it's edge by the time it arrives. Don't tell me to schlep to a bar and carry them back, it defeats the purpose of CONVENIENCE.

 

RCI, you have modern IT systems, look at my Seapass bills from previous sailings...DO YOU GET IT YET????

 

I would pay $80.00 - $100.00 per bottle for the convenience factor. RCI, are you listening??? I can sail on HAL (don't anybody dare tell me to :)) and buy a bottle for my cabin AND HAVE IT DELIVERED....

 

I do want to thank those cruisers who got us into this mess in the first place. Some of you actually think it was a couple of high profile incidents that forced RCI to do this...well guess what, THAT IS WHAT RCI WANTS YOU TO THINK! The cruisers that got us into this mess are the ones that smuggle AND DRINK IT ALL OVER THE SHIP TO....."SAVE MONEY". Do you think the staff onboard are stupid??? They know exactly what you are doing. You guys broke the deal, which was drink cabin alcohol in the cabin only.

IT IS ABOUT THE REVENUE, no ifs ands or buts.

 

There, I feel much better now :)

[shipshape sam]

So we can also thank Cruise Critic for their polls?

 

Bobbeasea - I do agree it is a shame that currently we do not have the option AND I am punished for the actions of others, but I hope RCL will reconsider and rethink their policy.

 

I personally like the policy Celebrity has. Interestingly though, they may have an older demographic and do not have the issues with excessive drinking as they have had on RCL. I have been on two Celebrity cruises and do not recall one time where there was a person out of control or someone flaunting some alcohol brought on board. Guess people do it though.

[kingsgirl]

You are the consumer. You want to buy that bottle of scotch/Bailey's/Captain Morgan's/Uncle Jack/Hypnotiq/Whatever in the onboard store and take it back to your cabin to consume in the privacy and luxury of your stateroom/on your balcony/in the bathroom/in the closet.

 

How much will you pay for the privilege?

 

I will streak through the centrum. That payment enough? :D :D :D :D

[crb04]

I love booze threads, thanks for starting this Carol. :). I do want RCI to know where I stand on this...it is insulting and childish that I, as an adult, am NOT allowed to have a bottle of liquor in my cabin. End of story, simply absurd.

 

I chose the over $28.00 option because for me IT IS NOT ABOUT MONEY, IT IS ENTIRELY ABOUT CONVENIENCE and civilized behaviour. I have NEVER taken alcohol out of my cabin, whether smuggled or bought onboard at the ship's store (paying the fee) when that small piece of civilization was still in place. I am talking about a couple of stinking drinks a day while getting ready for the night's activities. Don't tell me to order from room service, the drink has long lost it's edge by the time it arrives. Don't tell me to schlep to a bar and carry them back, it defeats the purpose of CONVENIENCE.

 

RCI, you have modern IT systems, look at my Seapass bills from previous sailings...DO YOU GET IT YET????

 

I would pay $80.00 - $100.00 per bottle for the convenience factor. RCI, are you listening??? I can sail on HAL (don't anybody dare tell me to :)) and buy a bottle for my cabin AND HAVE IT DELIVERED....

 

I do want to thank those cruisers who got us into this mess in the first place. Some of you actually think it was a couple of high profile incidents that forced RCI to do this...well guess what, THAT IS WHAT RCI WANTS YOU TO THINK! The cruisers that got us into this mess are the ones that smuggle AND DRINK IT ALL OVER THE SHIP TO....."SAVE MONEY". Do you think the staff onboard are stupid??? They know exactly what you are doing. You guys broke the deal, which was drink cabin alcohol in the cabin only.

IT IS ABOUT THE REVENUE, no ifs ands or buts.

 

There, I feel much better now :)

 

Whew! That was quite a post. Let's go have a drink now to relax...:D

I agree 100%, BTW :)

[lawsoncd3]

I picked 18, but now want to reconsider... I'm thinki it would probably work out at 20-30$ to have it allowed. Nothing better than having a little drink watching the sunset off your balcony. As far as going to the Schooner bar or other location to get the drink, I find myself drinking the drinks and have nothing for the room by the time I get back!

 

D :)

[Merion_Mom]

Bob is right.............it IS a convenience factor for a LOT of cruisers.

 

The passengers who just want to booze it up, as cheaply as possible..............well, I'm going to abstain from commenting.

 

I like RC because it seems to me that the civilized passengers outweigh the cheapskates and boozehounds.

 

JMO...........YMMV :)

[iswimlikearock]

Hey Mom... GREAT POLL!!

 

I would be willing to pay $20-30 for the convenience... Still would be equal to NY prices

[Merion_Mom]

How about making something like this a Diamond Plus privilege?

 

:D :p ;) :) :D

[mommabean]

I will streak through the centrum. That payment enough? :D :D

 

OK, I think we should do a cruise together and I'll just buy you a drink if you do that. :D :p Maybe even a drink a night if you don't get put off the ship in the first port.

[PrincesScuba]

I would pay $20 for this service. I think that we should be able to drink what we're willing to purchase. Since I would pay $20 for a bottle of liquor, I will double that price because I'd be on vacation :p