New Cruiser - Are drinks really REALLY $$$$?

[juniorsmom]

On explorer Dh and I ordered a CC (Canadian Club) and coke. Well our server didnt hear the coke part. For $5.00 we got a full glass of Canadian Club.

DH teased me that RCI makes drinks the way I do. VERY STRONG. I could only do two a day.

[uksimonusa]

Round of drinks for the 4 of us in the Marriott San Juan, pre cruise, $33, tip not included. Same round in the Duck and Dog pub on Adventure $23.29 with a 15% tip included. Drinks on the ship were also a lot stronger than in the hotel.:D

[LLSullie]

and make sure you don't get the "glass of the day" ... that's where they get ya ;)

 

i've found that drinks onboard are typically 15% cheaper than at my local pub. even the martini's are cheaper ! ! !

[Nliedel]

I love my mis-matched glass of the day collection.

[alcheme]

What about sneaking soda on board?....soda package seems outrageous for two people.....my husband and I are not alcohol drinkers...Not sure if I want just tea and water all week.....either

 

 

The soda package is not worth getting, unless you're a big soda drinker. You can buy soda's individually, and unless you plan on drinking 3-4 of them every day, you won't come out ahead with the soda package. Never tried to sneak any aboard, so I can't comment on that. It's been about 3 years since my last cruise, too, so I'm not sure what the cost of an individual soda drink is, but it's probably not more than $2 - 3 a pop. Someone who's been on more recently might be able to give the actual cost.

 

Still, if you think you may just want a soda once or twice a day, definitely don't buy the unlimited package.

[morgan1312]

We're not big drinkers so I've never looked into this, but I think RCCL offers some kind of drink package similar to the soda package, don't they? It may just cover the foo foo drinks, and they may have discontinued it, but I vaguely remember something about it a few years ago. We've been cruising every year for the past 5 years so it may have been something they tried and did away with.

 

There are a few opportunities to get free drinks on the cruise, one being the Captains pre-dinner cocktail party on one of the formal nights, another is if you attend a Meet & Mingle party (you need to have at least 25 people from your cruise sign up before the cruise to get one of these), and also if you've cruised RCCL before there are the repeat cruiser cocktail party one night and the Platinum/Diamond cocktail party another night for cruisers with more than 5 previous RCCL cruises. There's also a wine tasting that is about 10.00 pp sometime during the cruise.

 

To the original poster, if you're trying to save money, I think the week you're planning on cruising is one of the most expensive weeks, if you're time is flexible look into cruising towards the end of August or better yet, into September if school is not an issue for you. We've sailed to Bermuda as late early October and the weather and water are still great and it's less crowded once the kids are back in school.

[catwoman2965]

Back 3 weeks from the AOS; soda in a can is 1.75, plus 15% automatic gratutiy, so $2.01 total. If you're not a huge soda drinker, skip the card, and get them individually. i drank about 3-4 total on my 7 day...so much less to get them as you choose than pay for the card.

[deban42]

Just got off SOS, last Friday. We packed a 12 pk of mountain dew, and a 12 pk of water in carry-on. Nothing said, no probelm.

[katiel53]

What about sneaking soda on board?....soda package seems outrageous for two people.....my husband and I are not alcohol drinkers...Not sure if I want just tea and water all week.....either

 

Sneaking anything onboard is against my principles. Having said that, bringing soda onboard to DRINK IN YOUR CABIN is one thing. To drink it all over the ship is another. If you drink a lot of soda, then the soda package is not unreasonable, because it also includes juices. So, for you to decide not to spend per person $6x7 plus 15% gratuity is outrageous, then I respectfully submit that you drink the iced tea or lemonade or whatever whenever you are not in your cabin.

 

I know my next statement is going to cause flames, but if $42 plus $6.30 is more than you can handle per person, or feel is outrageous, then I worry about how your vacation will be. I admit I don't know your finances, but if you don't want to buy the package, you can pay $2.01 a can to drink your soda anywhere on the ship. We used to be able to bring liquor, wine onboard, but people brought their own and drank all over the ship, so now we can't have drinks in our cabin unless we get them from roomservice, yuck, or bring them from a bar.

 

Please don't be another one to ruin things for the rest of us. My husband buys the package so I don't want that taken away too.

 

Katie

[cruzelovr]

Just trying to recall... but does anybody know offhand the price of the "aluminum can shaped bottle" of beer. On the Mariner in January it was Budweiser products and I enjoyed them. I think maybe they were $3.75 or $4.25 but I think you got a little more beer in them then a regular can or bottle.

 

Just so you know, months later, the prices you paid for drinks will be irrelevant and, as I am now seeing, you won't remember them anyway. You're on vacation, enjoy it, and you can make whatever you want to drink fit into your budget.

 

Off topic, but, Bermuda is absolutely beautiful with little crime and no poverty, unlike some islands you might hit on a Caribbean cruise. We went a couple years ago on the Voyager when she was doing the Bermuda run and had a great time. Beautiful beaches, and the bus and ferry service is exceptional. Let the beauty of this beautiful island destination be your final push, not the prices of the alcohol onboard the lovely ship that is taking you there.

 

Have fun and I truly hope you decide to go!

[lawsoncd3]

I always budget 100 per day for my DH and I for drinks... last trip on the Monarch, we didn't come close to that, but that may be because we were port heavy... sea days, I tend to drink a WEE bit more. (ok, a lot more). :o

 

As others have posted, you don't have to get the souviner glass. Our rule of thumb is that once we have a service of 4 (ok, 8 - LOL) we stop with the souvineer glasses. Plus, I have to lug the stuff home!

 

Also, our drink of the days were $5.95. We live in Vegas and the drinks on ship are cheaper than most of the nightclubs/bars on the strip. One time, we went to a well known strip hotel and each ordered a mixed drink and the bar tab was over $20.00.

 

Make a budget and stick to it... but like Michele, I have a hard time with the pics... I too, need to take my advice. LOL

 

D :)

[PhoenixCruiser]

Just trying to recall... but does anybody know offhand the price of the "aluminum can shaped bottle" of beer. On the Mariner in January it was Budweiser products and I enjoyed them. I think maybe they were $3.75 or $4.25 but I think you got a little more beer in them then a regular can or bottle.

 

 

They did have them on the Jewel in October of last year.

 

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[PhoenixCruiser]

We're not big drinkers so I've never looked into this, but I think RCCL offers some kind of drink package similar to the soda package, don't they?

 

Not anymore, they got rid of that several years ago :(

 

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[DJTexas]

DH and I just got back from NYC. I drink crown and coke, they are at least $8 each w/o tip. On RCI they were $6.75 w/tip! And they are always strong so you don't need as many...well, some of us don't. haha

[critterchick]

Soda and water aren't prohibited items (although somebody at RCI in Miami has emailed me that they are, it's not in the cruise contract or any other stated policy that I've seen), so there's no need to smuggle - you can just bring it onboard.

 

I also find the drinks to be quite reasonable compared to what I would pay in Los Angeles - my Grey Goose martinis were $8.50 plus tip, and they were doubles to boot.

[aqhacruiser]

I find that the prices of the drinks on cruises are cheaper than the drinks at home.

 

This is true for the NY area:) They are definitely cheaper on the ship than where I live:o

[StknCPA]

<snip>I twas a good time!!

 

Wow!

[Mr. Superman]

Cruise Critic Tip: You can ask for a plain glass. :)

 

Do you save any $$$ if you ask for the plain glass in lieu of the souvenir glass? I know that sounds stingy but every little bit helps and what do you do with 30 souvenir glasses at the end of the week?

[Nliedel]

Do you save any $$$ if you ask for the plain glass in lieu of the souvenir glass? I know that sounds stingy but every little bit helps and what do you do with 30 souvenir glasses at the end of the week?

 

Drinks in the returnable glasses do cost less and can be a nice savings. I do miss the booze card. I wish they would bring it back.

[love2vacation]

I love my mis-matched glass of the day collection.

 

Me too, but I now have a set of 6 matching RC hurricanes. I will be using them for the next cruise send off!!

 

I am hoping they still have the short blue and orange striped glasses with the RC symbol stamped on the side, we got on the Serenade last year. I want a set of them.

 

I don't mind paying for the glass - it is another souvenir. :D

 

If you are a beer drinker you can get a bucket of beer at the pool bar and you end up getting at least a beer free. Your can take them back to your room and store them in the frig. DH found this out on the last cruise from a fellow cruiser.

[perkyblue]

Thanks critterchick for your post about bringing sodas. I certainly hope we're allowed to bring soda, because I definitely plan to bring a 12-pack of diet Pepsi. (Can't stand the diet Coke aftertaste! :p ) DH is planning to bring a 12-pack of Coke too. I'd hate to have to spend our entire drink budget on sodas and have nothing left for the fun stuff!

 

Question about the souvenir cups: Buying the souvenir cup is only a good deal if you plan on drinking multiple DODs, right? The DOD is the only thing you get a discount on from buying the cup, right?

Part 2: If I buy the souvenir cup on day 1, do I only get that day's drink for a discount, or can I get the DOD every other day at a discount too? Do I have to buy the souvenir cup every day (not that I would!) in order to get each day's drink at a discounted price?

 

(I hope those questions make sense!)

[deban42]

We didn't smuggle Sodas or Water. We walked straight in. Even showed it to the people, although it was in carry-on. Said it was fine just no acohol.

I set a certain amt to my vacation, I stick to it. If they don't get it on the soda and water. They'll get it somewhere. Usually extra tips for the staff.

 

I bet the person that says not to bring it on board, has never clipped coupons, or bought anything that was on sale. We raised 4 daughters, put them thru college, and we didn't do it by not trying to save money every way we could. This was our first cruise, and we might have never got to take it if we had not saved the money. I've worked all my life. I deserve my cruise just like everyone else.:mad: :mad:

[QTMichele]

Hello! I'm not sure why I'm always attracted to the drinking threads, but here goes...

 

On our Mariner cruise this past February, we quickly found out that the drink of the day was $5.95 and served in the souvenir glass. However, almost all the mixed drinks we asked for were the SAME price! We ordered most of our drinks without the souvenir glass and were charged $4.75. We found the drinks strong, weak and everything in between - it really just depended upon our bartender. However, if we found the drink too weak, we'd just let the bartender know and he/she would add another shot of whatever (rum or tequilla, usually ;) ) for no additional charge. Beer was less expensive, but not by much (sorry, I cannot remember the exact price). We always tipped an extra dollar on top of the gratuity already charged - we never had any issues! :D

 

By the way, my husband ordered a Long Island Ice Tea from the pool bar and the bartender said that was the Captain's favorite drink. He served it "Captain" style for my husband - VERY, VERY strong!

[PhoenixCruiser]

Question about the souvenir cups: Buying the souvenir cup is only a good deal if you plan on drinking multiple DODs, right? The DOD is the only thing you get a discount on from buying the cup, right?

Part 2: If I buy the souvenir cup on day 1, do I only get that day's drink for a discount, or can I get the DOD every other day at a discount too? Do I have to buy the souvenir cup every day (not that I would!) in order to get each day's drink at a discounted price?

 

(I hope those questions make sense!)

 

Darci, I think you are confusing the Soda Card with the DOD special. When you first purchase the DOD, you get to keep the glass. They will not re-fill your glass, you have to order and pay for the DOD again and you get another glass.

 

If you purchase the soda card they will re-fill your plastic bottle that you purchased.

 

Did that make sense :)

 

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