from the mouth of college students

[BrianAlt]

It seems, at least to me, that if I have paid for a bottle of wine with Royal Caribbean, I should be able to take it wherever I want without a corkage fee. I mean, seriously, they got the price of the wine plus gratuity, so why should I have to pay an additional fee to drink it in the dining room??????????

 

Agreed. It's a double dip.

[ehfl]

We always order wine to be sent to the cabin before we board.

[aldewitt]

In a recent conversation with my college senior daughter, ... "That sounds like college dorm rules not an adult vacation that you have paid thousands of dollars for!"

 

Not quite. College dorms don't allow alcohol because most of the students can't drink legally, and they don't sell the stuff either. The purpose in restricting access to alcohol is to prevent the problems that arise from overconsumption.

 

RCI's purpose is unclear, but I suspect the answers previously given on here -- that you can take wine back that you bought at the MDR -- is the right answer. The purpose behind not letting people take alcohol to their rooms is, I believe, related to what happens when someone overindulges, and that overindulgence is harder to detect when someone is in the room, but still presents a huge safety issue on the boat.

 

I would probably like to have a glass of wine or two in my cabin, but I can live without the experience because I can get that in the Concierge Lounge fairly easily. Hard to work up a higher blood pressure reading when that's the case.

[Obxshark]

From the RCI web page, once you've logged in and selected your cruise, you can select "Shop from Gifts and Gear". Then you may order one or more bottles of wine, which will be delivered to your room on embarkation day. Can't guarantee you won't suffer from sticker shock, but get used to it. This ain't Costco...:)

[sjcruiser]

Most Colleges/Universities will allow alcohol in the dorm room as long as all the roommates are of the legal drinking age. Freshman, who are typically 18 or 19 are not allowed to have alcohol in their (the Freshman Dorms) even if they're of the legal drinking age. Several cruises ago, I ordered a gift basket and several bottles of wine, that when requested, my cabin stewared made sure it was cold.

[John Henry on CC]

Most Colleges/Universities will allow alcohol in the dorm room as long as all the roommates are of the legal drinking age. Freshman, who are typically 18 or 19 are not allowed to have alcohol in their (the Freshman Dorms) even if they're of the legal drinking age. Several cruises ago, I ordered a gift basket and several bottles of wine, that when requested, my cabin stewared made sure it was cold.

 

 

1. The only colleges which I personally know about permit absolutely NO alcohol in any dorm, regardless of the age of the renters.

 

2. No gift baskets allowed any more if they contain alcohol.

[beachchick]

I thoutht they had a corkage fee. In other words, if you buy a bottle of booze and pay the additional fee, you can take the booze with you. I have not experianced this personally but I have heard talk about it. It's worth asking the question in the liquor store.

 

If you mean liquor, then no that is no longer allowed. They stopped letting passengers buy bottles in the duty free ships and pay a consumption fee to take it to their cabins in 2005, about the same time they stopped allowing passengers to bring a couple of bottles of wine onboard with them. Don't bother asking in the liquor store because the answer will be no.

 

beachchick

[sailawayjack]

In a recent conversation with my college senior daughter, I was sharing my dismay over not finding a definitive answer about whether I can have a couple of good bottles of wine in my cabin on our upcoming Oasis cruise and she looked at me quizically and said, "Are you telling me that they want to try to prevent you from having alcohol in your cabin?" When I replied that I was starting to get that impression, she replied, "That sounds like college dorm rules not an adult vacation that you have paid thousands of dollars for!"

 

Anyone else echo her sentiment and can anyone say for sure if I can buy a bottle of wine from the wine bar or anywhere else and bring it to my cabin??? There are so many differing stories out there. Yes, I have done a thorough search on this forum and I am awaiting a response from an email I sent to RCCL.

 

:cool:Go on to RCCL Web Site under Gifts and Gear. I always have bottle of champagne and bottle of red and white waiting in my room when I get there. Order as many as you want ahead of time. Pick up additional thru wine packages if desired and take them anywhere.:cool:JACK IS SAILING AGAIN:cool:

[Mark_K]

1. The only colleges which I personally know about permit absolutely NO alcohol in any dorm, regardless of the age of the renters.

It's somewhat of a moot point since very few students still live in dorms by the time they're 21. But, I do recall back when the drinking age was 18 that a lot of colleges allowed it.

[Sugar*Magnolia]

Most Colleges/Universities will allow alcohol in the dorm room as long as all the roommates are of the legal drinking age. Freshman, who are typically 18 or 19 are not allowed to have alcohol in their (the Freshman Dorms) even if they're of the legal drinking age. >>>>>

 

Absolutly not true. By far one of the most untrue and misleading statements I have read about College living for any age. If a campus is considered a dry campus you might still see empty bottles of alcohol lining their window sills, but it is not allowed. Dont let the visual aspect of something you might see (or might not even have seen) lead you to beleive that if your child is "of age" that alcohol is allowed because its never "allowed".

 

1. The only colleges which I personally know about permit absolutely NO alcohol in any dorm, regardless of the age of the renters.

 

>>>>>>

 

Beleive it or not, not EVERY Campus is a "Dry campus" and it isnt that some "allow" alcohol, but they are just not considered, called or billed as a "dry campus". No matter what parents think or want to beleive even the best college kid will have a drink "on campus". Sorry, just my 2cents having the privlege of knowing about many campus'. (last campus we visited, tuition $48k, student pop 1,800 -apparently, a private college/campus. I was surprised to learn they are not a 'dry campus'. they also have no incident of rushing kids to the hospital to have their stomachs pumped)

 

 

misinfo really irks me. when you post all over SoMe, you know to not give misinfo.

[travelteacher123]

Drink prices are pretty average actually. Nothing different then here in the NJ/NY area.

 

This actually made me laugh out loud. Due to being from a small Midwestern town, nothing about NY/NJ prices seem "average" to me. Everything in NY is a premium price in my opinion!

[Sugar*Magnolia]

This actually made me laugh out loud. Due to being from a small Midwestern town, nothing about NY/NJ prices seem "average" to me. Everything in NY is a premium price in my opinion!

 

Interesting (good) info. Does that mean if I order a French Martini somewhere in Ohio, I will pay less than in NY or NJ? How much would one be at a nice restaurant you go to for dinner? Here we pay anywhere from $8-$10 ish. Most places we go they are the same. Even at a typical chain like Applebee's or the like.

 

I know I should move elsewhere!

[Paul65]

I don't think the prices are at that much of a premium in the New York area. The last time I was there, I first thought the wine prices by the glass were a bit inflated, but it turned out the "glass" was a 250ml pour, so a third of a bottle.

[oliviaonthe beach]

Sailawayjack I did exactly the same thing as you suggested you do! I just decided to stop worrying about the whole thing and ordered a bottle of champagne, shiraz, and a sauvignon blanc from gifts and gear. I even sent it with a secret message to myself and my DH. Can't wait to pop the cork on the balcony as we sail away!

[travelteacher123]

I would say a martini would be less than what you pay in New York. I may have to order one tonight at dinner as an object lesson ;)!

 

Even more so than drinks, prices are MUCH higher in New York City area than here. I remember last year at Christmas time going to breakfast and being shocked at how much eggs benedict, fruit and coffee was at a small diner. It prepared me for my $25 soup and salad later in the day! If you asked someone in small town Ohio to pay that much for a meal, they would laugh you right out of town.

[fi'fi]

So glad I don't drink.

[Happy ks]

Not quite. College dorms don't allow alcohol because most of the students can't drink legally, and they don't sell the stuff either. The purpose in restricting access to alcohol is to prevent the problems that arise from overconsumption.

 

RCI's purpose is unclear, but I suspect the answers previously given on here -- that you can take wine back that you bought at the MDR -- is the right answer. The purpose behind not letting people take alcohol to their rooms is, I believe, related to what happens when someone overindulges, and that overindulgence is harder to detect when someone is in the room, but still presents a huge safety issue on the boat.

 

I would probably like to have a glass of wine or two in my cabin, but I can live without the experience because I can get that in the Concierge Lounge fairly easily. Hard to work up a higher blood pressure reading when that's the case.

 

Except you can take alcohol back to your cabin, if you so wish. You can even order a cocktail through room service. There is no rule against having alcohol in your cabin, RCI (and many other cruise lines) forbid you from carrying your own bottle onto the ship.

 

We've been to a lounge several times where we have a drink, have to get back to the cabin for one reason or another and simply walk back with the drink in hand.

[Sugar*Magnolia]

I would say a martini would be less than what you pay in New York. I may have to order one tonight at dinner as an object lesson ;)!

 

Even more so than drinks, prices are MUCH higher in New York City area than here. I remember last year at Christmas time going to breakfast and being shocked at how much eggs benedict, fruit and coffee was at a small diner. It prepared me for my $25 soup and salad later in the day! If you asked someone in small town Ohio to pay that much for a meal, they would laugh you right out of town.

 

Ok, lol, Ya got me! that is very true of the food in NYC!!! It is pricey.

 

Have a good fruity martini tonight, I think I might too. Cheers :)

[Paul65]

Except you can take alcohol back to your cabin, if you so wish. You can even order a cocktail through room service. There is no rule against having alcohol in your cabin, RCI (and many other cruise lines) forbid you from carrying your own bottle onto the ship.

 

We've been to a lounge several times where we have a drink, have to get back to the cabin for one reason or another and simply walk back with the drink in hand.

 

And what does that have to do with the post to which you're replying? Bringing a drink back to your cabin is not anywhere near the same as having a bottle of liquor (or more) in your cabin.

 

As much as some want to convince themselves that it's just a money-grab, I too believe that it's primarily a liability issue for the cruise line. If they only cared about the revenue from alcohol, they would cater to those who say they'd be willing to pay exhorbitant prices for a bottle of liquor, if they could have it in their cabins.

[Houchen9]

Can I buy a bottle of wine from the MDR and take it out to an on-board bar/pub to consume ?

[daze6399]

I always wonder why a bottle of wine is ok, but not a bottle of booze....makes no sense at all!

But you can take any and all drinks to your cabin, as long as you "buy it by the drink"...they don't care where or how much you drink...only that you pay their premium price for it!

 

Having spent A LOT of time at a bar, both paying and getting paid, maybe I can explain. I see this question a lot and it does seem odd but there is a method to their madness.

 

First off, as regards to it being a monetary issue: Of course RCCL wants to make money off your drinks. They are a money making corporation, and yes they want you to buy everything from them. That is not all though....

 

Why can you take a bottle of wine to your room and not a bottle of hard liquor? Someone answered that a bottle of wine is only a few drinks while a bottle of liquor is quite a few drinks, and they are correct. Their numbers are off a little though. A bottle of wine will have between 5-10 glasses in it. Depending on bottle size, and amount poured. A fifth (750 ml, or the "standard" size) of liquor is approximately 25 oz. (A little more actually) Now when you compare drinks, 1oz of liquor, 9 oz of wine, and 12 oz beer all have roughly the same amount of ETOH in them. So your 5,6 glasses of wine is about 5-6 shots of liquor. Now almost every home bartender pours their drinks a little heavy, so 5-6 Rum and Cokes for example, would likely contain about as much alcohol as at least one bottle of wine, maybe even up to two bottles of wine. Now, I can drink 4-5 Captains and Coke pretty easy. Not a good thing, by that point I am well on my way to becoming intoxicated to a dangerous level. This is before dinner. See the problems this poses? I'm almost 30 and have left my "hard" drinking days way behind. College students, and other just barely 21's have the will and the capability to put away enough booze to be dangerous to themselves and others.

At a bar this issue is usually prevented by a capable staff. People do get through the "cracks" but generally the bar staff will start slowing people down if they are drinking excessively. They even have the ability to cut someone off. On a cruise ship there are numerous bars, nightclubs, room service etc for people to run to. So the staff will have a much harder time monitoring consumption. Yes the bartenders probably let people get a little more drunk than they should, but it's probably not intentional, or they are not as worried about safety as a bartender at "home". They should be, doesn't mean that they are.

Not allowing people to have hard liquor in their rooms is one way for the cruise line to cut down on uncontrolled consumption.

 

Now you will say what about wine, you can get drunk on wine just as good as you can on liquor. That's true, but it takes a dedicated effort. For a person to drink a fifth of liquor they would have to consume 5 bottles of wine (approximately) That's a lot of work, and with wine being so expensive on the ship, a fairly expensive proposition. So if they let you bring your own wine but limit it to one or two bottles, they still don't have the issue of you getting REALLY drunk. (They HOPE) And if they let you take enough wine back to your room to get that blasted on, they've probably made enough money to pay the lawyers :D.

 

Consider your demographics, wine drinkers generally tend to be a more "mature" crowd than the college students chugging Jaggermeister. Yes there are exceptions.

 

One more thing, if you are ordering hard liquor drinks from room service they are still monitoring and slowing your consumption. MOST, not all, adults process 1 drink per hour, so if it takes them 45 mins to bring your next round you've processed the majority of the last round. I don't know how many drinks they will serve per person, but I would guess not more than two, maybe three? I've been wrong before though.

 

So yeah, it makes sense for RCCL to allow wine and not hard liquor in your stateroom.

[Happy ks]

And what does that have to do with the post to which you're replying? Bringing a drink back to your cabin is not anywhere near the same as having a bottle of liquor (or more) in your cabin.

 

As much as some want to convince themselves that it's just a money-grab, I too believe that it's primarily a liability issue for the cruise line. If they only cared about the revenue from alcohol, they would cater to those who say they'd be willing to pay exhorbitant prices for a bottle of liquor, if they could have it in their cabins.

 

Read the post again, the person stated that RCI would not let people take alcohol to their rooms. I responded that they do.

 

It's OK, I misread at times myself.

[Paul65]

Read the post again, the person stated that RCI would not let people take alcohol to their rooms. I responded that they do.

 

It's OK, I misread at times myself.

 

OK. In that case, your response was perhaps an intentionally pedantic misinterpretation of the intent of the post you were quoting. I guess I gave you the benefit of the doubt that you simply mistook the posts meaning, rather than being nit-picky about the wording of it.

[Happy ks]

OK. In that case, your response was perhaps an intentionally pedantic misinterpretation of the intent of the post you were quoting. I guess I gave you the benefit of the doubt that you simply mistook the posts meaning, rather than being nit-picky about the wording of it.

 

 

I was treating it as written, the words that were there, not my interpretation of them.

[Paul65]

I was treating it as written, the words that were there, not my interpretation of them.

 

That's very helpful of you. You should probably have pointed out that they will allow you to have a whole bottle of 120-proof Purell in your cabin. :rolleyes: