I gave up on spending my day drinking after my 20's. Especially on a cruise with the heat and running around. Instead, I bring drink sticks at around 15-20 cents per drink. No tip required. Then in the evening I might have a few drinks in the lounge or at a show. When we get home, we spend that extra $500-600 by splurging out for an extended vacation.
Here in Boston, MA alcohol is much more expensive than the prices you mention; beers are closer to $15 a piece at stadiums; hard liquor drinks are about $20 a piece.
NCL charging taxes (gratuities) for the “free” drink package isn’t that surprising it’s kind of like winning prizes on a game show so it’s a fact an educated person should be aware of
So I prefer top shelf because I feel a whole lot better the next day… Lets say you were to order a drink on either C or RC, and the menu lists the drink as being made with Tito’s but you want grey goose, will they up charge you? The drink package seems totally worth it but I wonder if that puts you over the $20/drink limit and negates it all together… I definitely don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars on a drink package only to still be charged for all my drinks (with only 25% off) Hope that made sense.
A drink, or three, or 7, or I lost count by 2pm.......... 🤣 Also, if you have a lot of ports of call, it can be significantly cheaper to drink on land. A six pack on the beach is cheaper than a bucket of 4 beers on the boat. Also some mild creativity can definitely get "some" of your favorite spirits on board. You won't be able to bring a full week's worth of booze to stock your cabin but you can have a good night or two if you can get it past the inspections. Just plan for it to not work, pack it light and keep your mouth shut if you succeed.
Yes, we just cancelled our "free at sea" drink package because we aren't big drinkers!! Or call me the hangover queen!! We are on land most of the trip, hope we don't spend more than $400 on alcohol
FYI, there are some bars on some ships that will not allow you to order off menu, usually the more specialized bars. For example, the World Class bar on Celebrity S class ships are limited to the menu and don't even stock any type of liquor or even other brands that aren't on the menu. I've seen the bartenders there send people to other bars when they have tried to get a beer, glass of wine or even a generic rum and coke.
The drink package is a waste of money for us as we are not drinkers and at most we have 1 drink a day each. On a 7 day cruise that adds up to $150 which would be the cost of the first day. We get a free drink on our last night as Gold loyalty on Carnival.
I'm going on my 1st cruise next weekend on Carnival Breeze. I understand my drink package doesn't kick in til 6:a.m. the next morning. How do I know how much the total charge is the first day, including gratuity, when I have to buy drinks??
I have a question... if I have prepaid tips on my reservation with Royal Caribbean (Icon of the Seas), do I have to pay again the 15 dollar daily tip per person?
Hey are you allowed to bring back a 6 pk of Alaskan beers from port back to your room, or is it another one where you don't get until the night before leaving for Carnival cruises?
BTW, Viking cruises not only let you bring your own alcohol (wine or liquor)on board (free) but also free wine and beer are included with meals. Viking cruises may cost more, but the inclusions seem to make it well worthwhile.
On NCL the bottles of wine or champagne a person brings onboard would normally be charged a "Corkage" fee of $15 per bottle, but recently they made a change that if a passenger has the drink pkg no corkage fee is charged!
@@barbarahernandez4713 few years ago we had the drink package but wanted a really nice bottle of wine for dinner one night. $60 for the bottle + $15 corkage still cheaper. Comparable bottle of wine on the ship would've been about $175 at dinner
When we went to Alaska when we got off the ship and stopped at the store we just got to half pints and stuck them in our pockets.They didn't say anything even when our coats went through the metal detector or whatever it is
Beware of carnival's drink package. It is limited to 15 drinks a day and once you hit that 15 mark, you can't even purchase alcohol at full price. I myself can drink 15 beers before noon so if you get the Carnival package, and you drink a lot, stick to the mm mixed drinks. Otherwise, it's a good deal.
I just left you a comment on your other video about 10 minutes ago regarding NCL's "free" drink package! What a Mis-leading sales tactic on their part. Their "free" airfare was over 4 times the prices I found when booking independently.
Maybe we were lucky, but we just booked an NCL flying out of Connecticut to London. With the second cruiser free, paying about $1700 for the two of us. Seems to be pretty fair considering the airline tickets are going for now
The security people are trained to look for people sneaking things on at port. That said, the more crowded (and thereby rushed) they are (like right before gangway up) the better your chances...but it IS still dishonest and a risk.
I thought Disney Cruise line allowed either 2 bottles of wine or 6 beers per cabin. (Unless they changed it.) Carnival allows for you to order bottles of alcohol and mixers to your cabin, but it is marked up in price quite a bit.
Question…. I bought the premium drink package for my upcoming Royal Caribbean cruise later this year. This package includes alcohol, sodas, water, coffee etc. Is there a maximum # of drinks I can have in one day?
Have you ever stayed in a suite and had a butler? Did you take advantage of the butler and what were some things you used him or her for? Trying to decide if I like the idea or not or if I would use the service. Thanks!
So I know that Texas has a liquor tax if you buy duty free alcohol but is your drink that you buy on the ship that is still in port taxed the same way?
I think you’re missing a big tip which I learned on carnival. For a 5 day cruise it would cost about $500 for the cheers for two people. You can for that price you can get 2-3 bottles of liquor sent to your stateroom as gifts and enjoy them all cruise
Either way you pay ! What a bunch of cheapskates perhaps cruising is not your thing. Putting vodka in water bottles and other things. Perhaps a trip to the dollar store may be more your cup of tea. I had a hard time wrapping my head around all this as well but I like the convenience and that means a lot to me instead of worrying about how many drinks I have. Sometimes I have more sometimes less. Happy cruising !
The Texas rule is false. I believed it until Royal said, nah. The rule is you just have to have liquor from Tx, so thats the only caveat so Carnival just chooses to not buy from Tx.
We normally get the drink package. FYI: If you get the upgraded "Premium" package, then it does not mean every bar on the ship has the upgraded liquor or beer. I've had to make several "Treasure Hunts" to find the bar that had my favorite Premium beer or liquor. Also, my personal recommendation, don't waste time on some drinks.....we will routinely just say "double" or "triple".....if I want a "Painkiller", then one shot at the pool bar, is not going to do it. Carry on.
On Virgin Voyages. the drink prices are considerably lower than what you suggested and all tips (including drinks, spa, etc) are included in the cruise fare. Their bar tab system is completely different than a drink package.
The other alternative: Don’t Drink! We can take it or leave it. Most lines will allow you to bring a 12 pack of sodas in cans on board, and/or a bottle of wine. If you would like to have an eye opener in the AM or a drink or 2 in the evening, have at it! 2-3 drinks a day, even with the gratuities added is going to be a lot cheaper than a drink package. Do the math before you spring for that “money-saving” drink package. Talked to a 21 yo the other day. She went on her 1st cruise with 3 others. Found out the hard way when they were charged for 4 drink packages, about $1,600. Thought they could “share” the one package. AND they could not drink enough each day to justify the cost! Oh well, experience is really the best teacher.
Indeed. Just came back from a RCI cruise Friday. I knew there was no way I would drink $250 in drinks in 4 days. Had a few Pina Coladas and water from various onboard restaurants. And they make everyone in your state room purchase the drink package. Ridiculous.
Yikes!! What I have read so far is that if people are sharing a cabin, if one person gets the drink package, everyone else does too. And if you have people who drink so much, that can get to be really expensive.
I’m surprised you showed the plastic flasks for those who want to risk sneaking booze on the ship. Sounds like you are ok with this. A warning not to do this should have been suffice.
I gave up on spending my day drinking after my 20's. Especially on a cruise with the heat and running around. Instead, I bring drink sticks at around 15-20 cents per drink. No tip required. Then in the evening I might have a few drinks in the lounge or at a show. When we get home, we spend that extra $500-600 by splurging out for an extended vacation.
drink stick?! do you mean the sick you use to mix your drink?
Here in Boston, MA alcohol is much more expensive than the prices you mention; beers are closer to $15 a piece at stadiums; hard liquor drinks are about $20 a piece.
That's awful. The citizens of your state must have voted for legislation that has taxed the hell out of all alcohol sales and licensing.
We BOOB & get the soda package. Never had an issue using the booze bladders.
I love watching your videos! They're so informative!
NCL charging taxes (gratuities) for the “free” drink package isn’t that surprising it’s kind of like winning prizes on a game show so it’s a fact an educated person should be aware of
What is that beautiful lavender drink towards the end? I wonder if I would like it.
lavender ray, with rom and cola.
So I prefer top shelf because I feel a whole lot better the next day… Lets say you were to order a drink on either C or RC, and the menu lists the drink as being made with Tito’s but you want grey goose, will they up charge you? The drink package seems totally worth it but I wonder if that puts you over the $20/drink limit and negates it all together… I definitely don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars on a drink package only to still be charged for all my drinks (with only 25% off) Hope that made sense.
@Cherish God No…I cruise Carnival and Norwegian. They don’t water down drinks - this is especially true in Specialty Bars.
Royal has a list of top shelf liquors included in the package. I'm not sure if it was on cruise planner or FAQ
Some bars on land open way early. Those 3rd shift folks like one or more on their way home.
A drink, or three, or 7, or I lost count by 2pm.......... 🤣
Also, if you have a lot of ports of call, it can be significantly cheaper to drink on land. A six pack on the beach is cheaper than a bucket of 4 beers on the boat.
Also some mild creativity can definitely get "some" of your favorite spirits on board. You won't be able to bring a full week's worth of booze to stock your cabin but you can have a good night or two if you can get it past the inspections. Just plan for it to not work, pack it light and keep your mouth shut if you succeed.
Yes, we just cancelled our "free at sea" drink package because we aren't big drinkers!! Or call me the hangover queen!!
We are on land most of the trip, hope we don't spend more than $400 on alcohol
FYI, there are some bars on some ships that will not allow you to order off menu, usually the more specialized bars. For example, the World Class bar on Celebrity S class ships are limited to the menu and don't even stock any type of liquor or even other brands that aren't on the menu. I've seen the bartenders there send people to other bars when they have tried to get a beer, glass of wine or even a generic rum and coke.
Because they are the greyhound bus of cruises.
Mandatory gratuity - hate it. Do you still pony up with a drink package on lines where you purchased the package (as opposed to "free")?
The drink package is a waste of money for us as we are not drinkers and at most we have 1 drink a day each. On a 7 day cruise that adds up to $150 which would be the cost of the first day. We get a free drink on our last night as Gold loyalty on Carnival.
Ok, good to hear, I just cancelled our "free at sea" drink package, saved us $400, just in tips!! 😳
Does anyone know if non-alcoholic beer is readily available onboard?
I'm going on my 1st cruise next weekend on Carnival Breeze. I understand my drink package doesn't kick in til 6:a.m. the next morning. How do I know how much the total charge is the first day, including gratuity, when I have to buy drinks??
15 drinks a day. You will be able to drink anytime to they are serving alcohol on board. Gratuity is already added in the drink package you purchased.
Ask for a receipt.
Thank you!!
Is water free on the ship? its drinking water during the day and then having say 2-4 evening normal drinks a good idea?
A bottle from the bar is not. But a glass from a restaurant is.
you can drink during meals for free, otherwise you have to pay for water.
I have a question... if I have prepaid tips on my reservation with Royal Caribbean (Icon of the Seas), do I have to pay again the 15 dollar daily tip per person?
No, only if you want to do extra for a special person.
Hey are you allowed to bring back a 6 pk of Alaskan beers from port back to your room, or is it another one where you don't get until the night before leaving for Carnival cruises?
Night before you depart..
BTW, Viking cruises not only let you bring your own alcohol (wine or liquor)on board (free) but also free wine and beer are included with meals. Viking cruises may cost more, but the inclusions seem to make it well worthwhile.
We put liquor in cork wine bottles. Plenty of videos showing you how to remove the cork without anyone knowing.
mate, corks are made to be used multiple times.... do you need a tutorial to learn how to do that??
On NCL the bottles of wine or champagne a person brings onboard would normally be charged a "Corkage" fee of $15 per bottle, but recently they made a change that if a passenger has the drink pkg no corkage fee is charged!
Corkage fee is applied if you drink it outside your room, isn't it?
@@rogermathura no corkage fee anywhere on the ship if a passenger has the drink pkg!
Why bring wine if you have a drink package?
@@barbarahernandez4713 few years ago we had the drink package but wanted a really nice bottle of wine for dinner one night. $60 for the bottle + $15 corkage still cheaper. Comparable bottle of wine on the ship would've been about $175 at dinner
Plastic flasks are a good way to bring liquor on from ports. I wouldn’t try the initial embarkation.
When we went to Alaska when we got off the ship and stopped at the store we just got to half pints and stuck them in our pockets.They didn't say anything even when our coats went through the metal detector or whatever it is
Beware of carnival's drink package. It is limited to 15 drinks a day and once you hit that 15 mark, you can't even purchase alcohol at full price. I myself can drink 15 beers before noon so if you get the Carnival package, and you drink a lot, stick to the mm mixed drinks. Otherwise, it's a good deal.
I just left you a comment on your other video about 10 minutes ago regarding NCL's "free" drink package!
What a Mis-leading sales tactic on their part. Their "free" airfare was over 4 times the prices I found when booking independently.
Maybe we were lucky, but we just booked an NCL flying out of Connecticut to London. With the second cruiser free, paying about $1700 for the two of us. Seems to be pretty fair considering the airline tickets are going for now
I would like for someone to talk about where you are allowed to smoke while you're on the ship because I sometimes like a cigar while having a drink.
NCL has a nice cigar lounge right next to a whisky bar. Would recommend it
Can you buy a bottle of liquor while in port IE Bermuda and bring back on the ship to drink?
The security people are trained to look for people sneaking things on at port. That said, the more crowded (and thereby rushed) they are (like right before gangway up) the better your chances...but it IS still dishonest and a risk.
@@rikbryant no, it isn't dishonest. people are free to buy stuff therefore bringing it back home is a given.
Can I buy a drink package Two, three, or four days into the cruise?
It may vary by cruise line. At one time Royal allowed it if there were 4 days remaining on cruise. However, it is full price.
I thought Disney Cruise line allowed either 2 bottles of wine or 6 beers per cabin. (Unless they changed it.) Carnival allows for you to order bottles of alcohol and mixers to your cabin, but it is marked up in price quite a bit.
And only 2 per state room if purchased prior so if they sell cans of beer which is a 4 pack u can only get 8 cans
how is a 140 dollars a week free, there should be laws brought in to clarify and make crystal clear ALL on board charges.
Why pay $1200 for a cruiese and sneak on a $20 bottle of wine ? :-)
Do they really charge gratuity when a robot is making your drink?
Robot maintenance fee is what it should be called not gratuity.
Question…. I bought the premium drink package for my upcoming Royal Caribbean cruise later this year. This package includes alcohol, sodas, water, coffee etc. Is there a maximum # of drinks I can have in one day?
Free at sea for me
Have you ever stayed in a suite and had a butler? Did you take advantage of the butler and what were some things you used him or her for? Trying to decide if I like the idea or not or if I would use the service. Thanks!
forget it mate, you need to pay the butler at the end and it will strike you with a hefty bill.
So I know that Texas has a liquor tax if you buy duty free alcohol but is your drink that you buy on the ship that is still in port taxed the same way?
no, duty free is, well duty free!
I think you’re missing a big tip which I learned on carnival. For a 5 day cruise it would cost about $500 for the cheers for two people. You can for that price you can get 2-3 bottles of liquor sent to your stateroom as gifts and enjoy them all cruise
great idea, better yet, don't drink while cruising!!
I find my self drinking more on sea date than port days
Either way you pay ! What a bunch of cheapskates perhaps cruising is not your thing. Putting vodka in water bottles and other things. Perhaps a trip to the dollar store may be more your cup of tea. I had a hard time wrapping my head around all this as well but I like the convenience and that means a lot to me instead of worrying about how many drinks I have. Sometimes I have more sometimes less. Happy cruising !
The Texas rule is false. I believed it until Royal said, nah. The rule is you just have to have liquor from Tx, so thats the only caveat so Carnival just chooses to not buy from Tx.
We normally get the drink package. FYI: If you get the upgraded "Premium" package, then it does not mean every bar on the ship has the upgraded liquor or beer. I've had to make several "Treasure Hunts" to find the bar that had my favorite Premium beer or liquor. Also, my personal recommendation, don't waste time on some drinks.....we will routinely just say "double" or "triple".....if I want a "Painkiller", then one shot at the pool bar, is not going to do it. Carry on.
I set sail in 4 days!
How did it go?
@@mikenunya6557 had a complete blast! Went with a fun group of friends and we had the time of our lives! So many great memories 😄
Me too
On Virgin Voyages. the drink prices are considerably lower than what you suggested and all tips (including drinks, spa, etc) are included in the cruise fare. Their bar tab system is completely different than a drink package.
Princess lets you order bottles of alcohol delivered to your room for about double the retail price at home. Still a good deal.
It is beyond easy to sneak booze onto cruise ships.
The other alternative: Don’t Drink! We can take it or leave it. Most lines will allow you to bring a 12 pack of sodas in cans on board, and/or a bottle of wine. If you would like to have an eye opener in the AM or a drink or 2 in the evening, have at it! 2-3 drinks a day, even with the gratuities added is going to be a lot cheaper than a drink package. Do the math before you spring for that “money-saving” drink package. Talked to a 21 yo the other day. She went on her 1st cruise with 3 others. Found out the hard way when they were charged for 4 drink packages, about $1,600. Thought they could “share” the one package. AND they could not drink enough each day to justify the cost! Oh well, experience is really the best teacher.
Excellent advice 👍🏾
Thanks
Indeed. Just came back from a RCI cruise Friday. I knew there was no way I would drink $250 in drinks in 4 days. Had a few Pina Coladas and water from various onboard restaurants. And they make everyone in your state room purchase the drink package. Ridiculous.
Yikes!! What I have read so far is that if people are sharing a cabin, if one person gets the drink package, everyone else does too. And if you have people who drink so much, that can get to be really expensive.
I won't have any problems. I don't drink alcohol at all.
$1100 for 7 days cruise for me and the wife ( freedom of the seas )
I’m surprised you showed the plastic flasks for those who want to risk sneaking booze on the ship. Sounds like you are ok with this. A warning not to do this should have been suffice.
I brought 2 big vodkas on on my cruise Holland America no problem(plastic of course)
Do they have a limit on the size of the wine bottle I can bring?
The traditional 750 ml bottle is normally specified.