Chipford

2 minutes ago, Bearsfan82 said:

Lets say on average you pay $60 dollars a day for the drink package. I realize some get it even cheaper but lets just say $60. At $12 dollars per cocktail thats only 5 drinks a day to hit that price point to break even. At $7 a beer thats roughly 9 beers a day. To me, the 5 cocktails is not quite a bit for a whole day. Lets say 2 mimosa or blood marys for breakfast, maybe a cocktail during the day, and a couple drinks at night. Really doesnt take much to hit the drink package price

Also consider that you get premium coffee drinks, fruit juices and soda as part of the package and the number of drinks to break even is even less.  Hence, there shouldn't be a huge motivation "to get your monies worth".  You can do that pretty easily without losing your mind.

I find the notion that RCCL shouldn't be liable for someone's behavior while being served aboard their ships to be puzzling.  All establishments and individual bartenders are responsible for this on dry land, and this responsibility certainly doesn't change onboard.  I guarantee you that the bartenders are trained to look for warning signs that someone needs to be cut off.  Profuse sweating in an otherwise cool bar.  Blood shot eyes.  Inability to track something smoothly with their eyes. Staggering.  Slurring words.  The obvious stuff and the not so obvious.  When you return to the same bartender and he's already pouring you the next one, he's not just trying to provide you with good service, he's paying attention to how much and what you are drinking.

I am cruising next month with RCCL and have booked the AYCD package.  I plan to get drunk every night, but I want to keep it at the "Karaoke Superstar" level rather than the incoherent, black out level.  So, I try to go to the same bartender and order the same drinks.  The issue would come if I've had a few drinks and feel good, but not stupid and somebody suddenly hands me a really stiff drink and I don't realize it.   Then thing can go downhill fast.  That's why I stick with the same stuff and the same staff.  I'll also start alternating drinks with bottled water to pace myself.  Eventually, I'll get tired of spending so much time in the bathroom, and I'll just call it a night.  It also wouldn't surprise me if the bartenders are trained to be more conservative with their pours on mixed drinks as the night goes on to keep people from getting in trouble. 

I suspect that the cruise lines are paying pretty close attention to this stuff.  They don't want people with packages getting drinks for those who don't or buying for people who are underage.  It may not be obvious, but it is surely taking place in the busier bars.

I think this is absolutely a pertinent question.  I would think Royal would be very interested in knowing how much an individual who has the AYCD package is drinking for multiple reasons.  They don't want someone so drunk that they could be causing any amount of trouble whether it be vomiting, sexual assault, starting fights, etc.  Also, you think they'd be concerned that someone who has gotten many drinks in a short period of time could be passing them off to others, which could be reducing the cruise lines revenue.  I think if one bartender cuts someone off, it should flag his seapass ship-wide.  If a guy gets hostile about it, some large fellows should escort him to his room...or the brig.

I had the AYCD package on my last cruise.  I'm a very small man, and I am not a daily drinker at home, yet I found that the mixed drinks tending to not be very strong, and I could have several back-to-back without getting particularly drunk.  I never felt that I had overdone things, and I never woke up with a hangover.  And I weigh 140 lbs soaking wet.