Drinks package

[twangster]

7 minutes ago, marti314 said:

Choices choices choices......  Yes you can always find the JW or Waldorf charging these drink prices but like @Jolly Ogre Says, you can find on any day of the week here in Austin Texas 1.00 lonestars, 2.00 imports, 3.00 craft beers, 3.00 wells etc either on Happy Hour or a Daily Special.  The difference is the cruise ship is your only choice so they know they can charge ultra-lounge / Las Vegas Strip Casino prices.

Hilton, Marriott, Holiday Inn Express don't offer $1 drinks.  Who wants an $15 Uber each way to save a few bucks on a drink?

[marti314]

I believe we are in agreement, you CAN find places  in various cities as expensive as the ships but you can NOT find any prices on the ship as cheap as some places on land.  To say its a wash i think would be unfair, but then again they have a captive audience that cant get alcohol anywhere else sooooooo they are maxing out what they think they can get.  Could they increase revenue and profitability by selling more for less????

I am at  the Marriott Energy Corridor, Katy TX right now, craft beers 5.50, last time i saw a 5.50 beer on RCL was 2012.

Even the pub menu you posted shows the prices are a bit outrageous, 8.00 for a pint of bud light + 1.44 in mandatory tip...  

[Jolly Ogre]

WoW!!

Not even regular Bud?? Sad just plain sad.

I bet that is not even in a bottle but in a bottle shaped can.

[marti314]

Just now, Jolly Ogre said:

WoW!!

Not even regular Bud?? Sad just plain sad.

 

They do sell bud also, same price as bud light.

[Jolly Ogre]

Just now, marti314 said:

They do sell bud also, same price as bud light.

Draft, bottle or can?

[marti314]

Its always in the 16 OZ Aluminum bottle.  

[JLMoran]

4 minutes ago, marti314 said:

Even the pub menu you posted shows the prices are a bit outrageous, 8.00 for a pint of bud light + 1.44 in mandatory tip...  

True for the domestic beers. But every craft beer pub I go to here in northern NJ, and even a decent number of places elsewhere in NJ that I've been to that are hardly "upscale", will charge me about $7 for a pint of Guiness or Paulaner Weiss, and $6 for a 12-oz Paulaner Salvator Double Bock. If I went into NYC I'd be paying upwards of $12 for any of those. So the pub is actually really darned reasonable for me if I plan to drink mainly beer and skip out on cocktails or wine.

[marti314]

3 minutes ago, JLMoran said:

True for the domestic beers. But every craft beer pub I go to here in northern NJ, and even a decent number of places elsewhere in NJ that I've been to that are hardly "upscale", will charge me about $7 for a pint of Guiness or Paulaner Weiss, and $6 for a 12-oz Paulaner Salvator Double Bock. If I went into NYC I'd be paying upwards of $12 for any of those. So the pub is actually really darned reasonable for me if I plan to drink mainly beer and skip out on cocktails or wine.

Need to start drinking in the 25th - 30th blocks and 3rd in Manhattan! 

[Momof4crazytocruise]

I liken the prices to what you would pay at the airport, pretty much anywhere. They charge it because they can, and people will pay it. Sure, I don't *need* a $13.95 - 24oz glass of Blue Moon, but I'm probably going to pay that while I wait out my flight delay, because frankly, I'm bored. And I like beer. And when you factor in the logistics to get that booze to the port, loaded on a cruise ship and distributed to the bars - there is some level of upcharge vs. the Bud Light truck pulling up next to the dumpster at your local dive bar due just to plain logistics.  

[marti314]

2 minutes ago, Momof4crazytocruise said:

the Bud Light truck pulling up next to the dumpster

Have you cruised out of Galveston yet?  ahahahahahah 

Yes, comparable to prices at airports is probably as accurate as it gets

[Momof4crazytocruise]

21 minutes ago, marti314 said:

Have you cruised out of Galveston yet?  ahahahahahah 

Yes, comparable to prices at airports is probably as accurate as it gets

Yeah, it's pretty awful. LOL. But it works to get me on a boat to enjoy my over-priced drinks! 

[Thom Cruise]

From a UK point of view, a pint of lager (say Carlsberg) would be around £4, sometimes lower. 

Something like Heineken or Stella would be around the £5 mark or slightly lower. 

That's a pint, in a glass. Bottles are smaller and cheaper. 

Judging by the RC price list, it's around £6 to £6.50 for a beer, probably less than a pint. 

Not including tip though. 

[marti314]

11 minutes ago, Thom Cruise said:

From a UK point of view, a pint of lager (say Carlsberg) would be around £4, sometimes lower. 

Something like Heineken or Stella would be around the £5 mark or slightly lower. 

That's a pint, in a glass. Bottles are smaller and cheaper. 

Judging by the RC price list, it's around £6 to £6.50 for a beer, probably less than a pint. 

Not including tip though. 

Arent your pints closer to 19 - 20 fluid ounces?  We typically refer to a pint as 16 fluid ounces

[Thom Cruise]

1 minute ago, marti314 said:

Arent your pints closer to 19 - 20 fluid ounces?  We typically refer to a pint as 16 fluid ounces

We have 562 ml in a pint. I think. 

[Jolly Ogre]

This is why I will never pay for alcohol on a cruise. It is way to much of a rip off.

I will just take my 2 bottles of "wine" and that will do me just fine. 

[marti314]

Result: 19.003 Fluid Ounces

[Thom Cruise]

My wife is asking if there is a known wine bottle price list?

 

[marti314]

7 minutes ago, Thom Cruise said:

My wife is asking if there is a known wine bottle price list?

 

Here you go but to warn you, one glass typically costs more than the whole bottle would cost you at a store if you start comparing.  This is from 2018 also, likely higher this year.

[Thom Cruise]

Thanks, though I found this as well... 

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/royal-caribbean-drink-prices

 

Christ, I prefer my list... 

 

[Zambia-Zaire]

Personally, Royal "should" allow alcoholic beverage cards, much like a gift card, that allows one to pre-purchase a dollar amount, in increments of $25 starting at $75-$350, $50 increments there after. You chose the amount, the amount is levied on the card plus the 18%. Card can be shared & has to purchased up to the end of the 2nd Day of cruise. Once limit has been made, alcohol is purchased on an individual basis, for the duration. Balance in non-refundable. Other packages(soda, refreshment, coffee cards) maintain its original offering & requirements & can be purchased separately, along with the alcoholic beverage card...if one choose to do so.

Edited August 29, 2019 by Zambia-Zaire
Left out the word "should"...which changes the original thought I was trying to convey.

[marti314]

5 hours ago, Thom Cruise said:

Thanks, though I found this as well... 

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/royal-caribbean-drink-prices

 

Christ, I prefer my list... 

 

You will see a popular Sauvignon Blanc (Kim Crawford ) at 17.00 per glass on rcl. This bottle of wine is 11.47 USD as a retail price at the local wine store.  

Absurd and then some

[twangster]

17 minutes ago, marti314 said:

You will see a popular Sauvignon Blanc (Kim Crawford ) at 17.00 per glass on rcl. This bottle of wine is 11.47 USD as a retail price at the local wine store.  

Absurd and then some

Kim has always been included in the drink package even this month.  It's one of my "goto" wines when I have the DX.  DX does not cover $17 wines.

Locally in CO it's closer to $18-21 per bottle.  If your local stores have it at $11 buy cases my friend, you are getting a fantastic deal.  

If you find it in a restaurant at that price, just wow.  Unheard of in the U.S.

[marti314]

I am not sure if you are in Denver but its 11.97 a bottle at the Total Wine in Denver: 

https://www.totalwine.com/wine/white-wine/sauvignon-blanc/kim-crawford-sauvignon-blanc/p/94641750?s=2301&igrules=true

[twangster]

27 minutes ago, marti314 said:

I am not sure if you are in Denver but its 11.97 a bottle at the Total Wine in Denver: 

https://www.totalwine.com/wine/white-wine/sauvignon-blanc/kim-crawford-sauvignon-blanc/p/94641750?s=2301&igrules=true

That store just opened a few months ago and they've been running that promotion as a lost leader to get traffic in the door.  That's hardly the normal price for Kim.  

[marti314]

35 minutes ago, twangster said:

That store just opened a few months ago and they've been running that promotion as a lost leader to get traffic in the door.  That's hardly the normal price for Kim.  

My total wine has been open 5 years and the price has always been 10.97 now 11.47.  Checked other CO stores also 11.97, checked cities near LA also 11.97, checked stores outside NYC, 13.00.  Total wine is excellent for prices, my point was when one glass is 2x a bottle price (RCL volume pricing guess) it starts to look a bit suspicious.  

As a comparison point RCL wants 65.00 per bottle and a prime steakhouse in Chicago (Chicago Cut) wants 45.00 for the same bottle.  if this steakhouse has a 400% markup royal is likely working with a 700 - 800% markup with the volume pricing they negotiate.  

It all goes back to making the drink package prices seem "reasonable" when comparing to very unreasonable a la carte drink prices.

 

[Miller Lite]

$12.97 in Tampa, FL (Total Wine). Gave it try this weekend, WOW.

[ellcee]

Love Total Wine. We have one on Long Island  - excellent prices. I’m in the minority with KimCrawford. Had it at Chefs Table and it was the only one I didn’t like. Love dry white wines but this was too fruity for me .

 

[Marshall]

Speaking of wine, the two bottles you can bring on board.

is there a special procedure for this or just put them in your suitcase?

can I drink the wine in my stateroom while getting ready for dinner or only in the dinning room?

[JLMoran]

No special procedure. Put the wine in your carry-on bag, not a suitcase you plan to check with the porters. It will go through the scanner, and you may or may not be asked to show that it’s the wine bottles.

Once in your cabin, if you need a corkscrew you can request one, plus two wine glasses, from your cabin attendant. If you brought white wine, you can also request a bucket of ice to chill it. You can drink it in the cabin, fill a glass to take with you to the MDR or other venue, or bring the bottle with you to the MDR to finish there or have stored until your next meal (a corkage fee may be applied in this case).

[adidassler]

Can you take a bottle of spirits onto the ship?

[WannaCruise]

8 hours ago, Marshall said:

Speaking of wine, the two bottles you can bring on board.

is there a special procedure for this or just put them in your suitcase?

can I drink the wine in my stateroom while getting ready for dinner or only in the dinning room?

Note that a little while ago Royal added a $15 corkage fee if they open the bottle for you or pour it for you (i.e. if you pour the glass in your room then you are fine as JLMoran mentions above).  But having said that, we have yet to be charged the fee and have been on 4 cruises since (Mariner, Independence, Symphony and Navigator).  So don't think the servers actually do the charge that often...just know that they can at their discretion.  

[WAAAYTOOO]

5 hours ago, adidassler said:

Can you take a bottle of spirits onto the ship?

No.  No liquor...just non-alcoholic beverages excepting the wine option.