Forthose who think drinks on the cruise are overpriced...

[Choochala]

Bottled Water at a Calgary Flames game costs $4. - I'm so cheap :)

[grandmato4]

Individually the drink prices on the ship are pretty close to what they often are at home at the bars or restaurants. The difference comes in the fact that at home we'd never go out 7 nights in a row to a bar and spend $42 (6 drinks) every day of the week even if we would do it once in a while. But on a cruise to have 3 drinks each a day times 7 days the tab comes to $294 and that's the number that makes those drinks seem so much more expensive even when they individually aren't more expensive than at home. ;)

[dan40]

Excellent, Dan. And so friggin' simple. Reminds me of Newt's statement on the Fannie Mae mess . . . "If you can't afford to buy the house . . . DON'T buy it" :rolleyes:

 

I'm no longer a heavy drinker, but I find the drink prices on cruise ships quite reasonable. Maybe that's because I'm from So Cal where almost any upscale bar would charge MORE than Carnival.

 

A couple of years ago, on this forum, a lady from a small berg somewhere in mid Canada was complaining about Carnival charging her $10 for a DOUBLE SHOT of Canadian Club ! ! :confused: It depends on where you're from sometimes and what constitutes an "upscale" bar. :D

 

 

Yeah the places with the $1.00 drafts and $1.00 shooters are really wonderful. And the stale smoke, stale beer and old urine odors give them such an exotic atmosphere. Even unworldly ATMOSPHERE, as in not breathable.

[glrounds]

After I've cruised 26 times like you have, I might try something else, too. Till then, it's still true that what gets me onto a cruise ship is the chance to be out on the ocean - which is something you get no matter how much or how little you pay, or which cruise line you're sailing on. And that experience just can't be duplicated by any land resort, even a beach one.

 

Cruising isn't "as good a deal as it used to be"? My first cruise in 1991 cost us $2100 apiece, without air. My last six cruises have cost less than half that, and all had better food and service. If a cruise is no longer a "good deal" because it costs $100 more than you thought it should or $75 more than it did last year (last month/week/day before yesterday), then we just have different ideas about what constitutes a good deal.

 

I hear yah, Navy. I feel exactly the same way. I could take a cruise, be at one with the sea, relax on the Lido deck with a book and a cup of coffee, walk through the ports mingling with the locals as I usually do and NOT SPEND a DIME for all the extras many are complaining about.:)

My first Carnival cruise on the TROPICALE with my then wife cost $699 pp for an inside cabin ! ! :eek: I don't see cruise pricing out of line, no matter what they charge for drinks, tours, extras, etc. :D

 

(My current ***** with Carnival is raising the 1A SOLO rate to 200% of DO :mad:)

[Jimmy Geegitz]

We also try to do our drinking at the ports it is usually alot cheaper. Especially in Cozumel $1 beers!!!

[lovevacadays]

I've actually always thought the drinks on Princess are very reasonable. I can usually get most type of mixed drinks for $7.76 which includes tip. Try getting that price in Orange County, California other than happy hour times - not gonna happen!

[LaWeezy]

Any bar Canadian blend and Crown taste exactly the same when mixed with Coke.

 

:mad:NOT!!

[bbappel]

To add a little perspective, the cost of a drink in a bar or on a ship isn't simply the cost of the alcohol. The cost of real estate adds to the price. In Manhattan (NY not Kansas or Montana), the price/sq ft is very high. So you aren't just buying a drink, you are renting a bar stool or seat at a table for a bit. The same drink in my home town in Ohio would be much less, but you'd be in my home town, not in NYC, and not on a cruise ship.

I really don't think it is gouging, or setting the price to meet demand, but there is a reasonable overhead that has to be added for each thing sold. That overhead includes the real estate, advertising (why better known places often cost more), insurance, cleaning people, taxes on the liquor, taxes on the property, and on and on. It is much cheaper to drink at home, but again, you're at home, not enjoying the ambience of a cool bar or a cruise ship. I think by and large we tend to forget about these additional costs when we think about how much things cost.