Alcohol Options

[Claybuster58]

We are taking our first cruise in June, and want to know about the economics of purchasing a bottle of liquor from the cruise line (delivered to our stateroom) verses the cost of individual drinks at one of the ship's bars. It looks like a bottle costs about $36 on Holland America, but the website does not tell you the size of the bottle (750ml or 1 litre). We have heard that the cruise lines charge heavy prices for drinks at the bars and restaurants, so the bottle price seems fairly reasonable. Also, what can we expect to pay for a bottle of wine at dinner?

[cb at sea]

Wine is very overpriced...a $8 bottle at home will cost about $32 on the ship...they really mark them up! A glass of wine is in the $9 ranges, depending on the ship's prices.

 

If you do buy liquor, make your drinks and bring them to dinner with you!

[okbowler]

I can't help you with drink prices because(gasp) I smuggle my 18 yr. old scotch on board in rum runners. HAL is one of the few lines that allow you to take a couple of bottles of wine aboard for use in your cabin. There is a corkage fee if you take the bottle to the MDR .Bill

[ab0si]

We are taking our first cruise in June, and want to know about the economics of purchasing a bottle of liquor from the cruise line (delivered to our stateroom) verses the cost of individual drinks at one of the ship's bars. It looks like a bottle costs about $36 on Holland America, but the website does not tell you the size of the bottle (750ml or 1 litre). We have heard that the cruise lines charge heavy prices for drinks at the bars and restaurants, so the bottle price seems fairly reasonable. Also, what can we expect to pay for a bottle of wine at dinner?

 

HAL's bottles are a full liter. Drinks were something like $6 for well booze and a buck or so extra for "normal" call brands.

 

Bottles of wine were about what one would pay at a mid-priced restaurant in Florida

[Talisker92]

You are lucky on HAL- the ones on princess are 375ml-half the size of a fifth

[SadieN]

Ask over on the HAL board.

[househunter]

Wine is very overpriced...a $8 bottle at home will cost about $32 on the ship...they really mark them up! A glass of wine is in the $9 ranges, depending on the ship's prices.

 

If you do buy liquor, make your drinks and bring them to dinner with you!

 

The wine isn't anymore overpriced than the liquor. A bottle of rum that costs $20 at home and has over 17 shots in it costs $6 per shot in a restaurant at home or on a ship. It is more of a mark up than the wine. Not sure why you keep posting this.

 

We have found that the prices onboard are no different or often even cheaper than your average medicore chain restaurant at home. We have never felt like the prices were too much.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

HAL -- we always buy a couple of bottles of alcohol for our cabin -- liter bottles.

HAL's drinks -- sometimes we have gotten a good bar tender -- some times -- bad. A couple we had on our recent Nieuw Amsterdam cruise were terrible -- never even filled the shot glass to the white line!! So you didn't even get an ounce.

If you are interested in the wine list -- I have one for HAL and will be glad to post it.

[Happy ks]

We are taking our first cruise in June, and want to know about the economics of purchasing a bottle of liquor from the cruise line (delivered to our stateroom) verses the cost of individual drinks at one of the ship's bars. It looks like a bottle costs about $36 on Holland America, but the website does not tell you the size of the bottle (750ml or 1 litre). We have heard that the cruise lines charge heavy prices for drinks at the bars and restaurants, so the bottle price seems fairly reasonable. Also, what can we expect to pay for a bottle of wine at dinner?

 

 

Others have mentioned the bottles sized, I've not cruised HAL so I don't know. If HAL is typical of most other main stream cruise lines, you can expect to pay $25-32 for cheap wine (and it's not worth it) or if you bump up to a nicer wine, figure $50-75 plus tax and tip. We have found the markup margin to be lower on the nicer wines. Life is too short to drink bad wine :)