Question about drinking on Carnival

[HarpHarp]

I don't drink maybe once every 5 years. My point is just dont be naive and think that this cant happen on another line because it does. So for people to try and suggest that this is a carnival only issue are wrong.

 

Hardly naive. I did 5 years alcohol metabolism reasearch at a medical school, some of that dealing with alcoholics, and spent 25+ years working a reference desk at a public library where once we found a naked drunk passed out in the restroom. It was not a pretty sight.:eek:

 

As I said, there was drinking on all my cruises, some of it by me. On the Breeze last year the cheers program was available, but I don't think most people who pay for a Med cruise will overindulge to the point where they can't fully enjoy the ports.

I do find Carnival security less proactive than some other lines I've been on. I do see and see reports of binge drinking in the neighboring college town and I wonder if one effect of the drinks programs on various lines might be an increase in binge drinking. One binge can be very detrimental if you do something stupid and fall overboard. Talk about ruining your vacation!

[Hanzo]

I honestly don't notice anyone else's drinking...

The only time was on a weekend Carnival trip....there were 600 South Beach partiers on board (straight "kids" in their 20s....) The parties got WAY out of hand...! (Picture Girls Gone Wild) to the point where they had to shut the pools down...

Our group was told by the Carnival people that this group would be banned from any future Carnival ships, so they took the matter seriously...I applaud Carnival to their quick response to this....

 

One man's nightmare is another man's dream I suppose.

[ccruisequeen]

I may have looked like I was drinking a lot but they were all virgin!

 

 

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[imnocleaver]

My Goodness, drinking going on after 10pm... YeaGads! When did this start?

 

I guess I have been on the wrong cruises, never heard the CD... Oh wait I NEVER listen to those announcements unless there are like 7 blasts beforehand, so I guess I would have never heard it. I wonder if the people worried or concerned about a "pub" crawl even see it or the people involved or are just vexed that some people might be having a good time without them?

 

This was certainly not an indictment from me, as we were IN one of the bars in which the CD stopped that night during the crawl.

[NewKansasKruiser]

I haven't read any responses to this yet, so it will be interesting to read everyone else's take on this one. I do not drink...not one drop! I've been on two Carnival cruises and still don't drink. :) My free "return cruiser" drink was a wonderful strawberry slushie drink. LOL I have only witnessed ONE person that was drunk on either cruise and this person was absolutely drunk and HILARIOUS during karaoke! He had a great time, was drunk before it began, drank all the way through it and Joe was feeling mighty good during his ten minutes of fame. So the answer is no...from my experience there isn't a lot of drunks on the ship.

 

Please no flames, this is an honest question I would like people to answer.:o Our friends just got back from their first Carnival cruise, and they were very surprised at how much drinking was going on on the cruise. I know people have labeled Carnival lines as the "party" cruiseline, but I was wondering if that is true or not. We are planning on going on a Carnival cruise after the new year, but we are not drinkers, so wanted to know (from people who have been on Carnival AS WELL as other cruiselines) if there really is more drunkeness on Carnival that other lines.

[Cruizinman]

Please no flames, this is an honest question I would like people to answer.:o Our friends just got back from their first Carnival cruise, and they were very surprised at how much drinking was going on on the cruise. I know people have labeled Carnival lines as the "party" cruiseline, but I was wondering if that is true or not. We are planning on going on a Carnival cruise after the new year, but we are not drinkers, so wanted to know (from people who have been on Carnival AS WELL as other cruiselines) if there really is more drunkeness on Carnival that other lines.

I think so , yes , reminds me of the people I met in HMC "it was HOT" trying to get a non alcoholic drink from one of the servers. After a few request failed he just walked up to where the tea and water was served at lunch .

[BULLOCH12]

i've been on rcl, carnival, and princess. from what i've seen the cruise line didn't really matter but it does seem that the shorter cruises tend to have a younger crowd that drink more

[ed1958]

I find this thread pretty funny. You have 2000 or more people on a ship and there is a couple of people drunk? That is alot less then 1% of the people. Of course there is drinking on a cruise, and sometimes people get drunk. This happens on all cruises as well as all vacation spots that I have ever been to. I have not seen an increase in drunk people on the two ships I have been on with the Cheers program. I did not notice any difference between a cruise with the program and ships without it. In a 24 hour period you are limited to 15drinks on Carnival with the program. Without it, drinks are un-limited.

[ib4cruzn]

Unfortunately at the end of the day its still a business and these drinkers keep the cruise prices down, ever wonder why disney is always expensive, not much drinking.

 

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Sorry, quality is not even close to comparable. Quality costs more.

[ib4cruzn]

If people were chanting that in the MDR, they would be escorted out.

 

Sent using my Commodore 64

 

I doubt that.

 

Just about the only thing that will get you removed from the dining room is reaching your limit on your Credit Card.

[Sixtytwo]

On all of our Carnival cruises, including one we chaperoned for our daughter's graduation group, I have seen a few who over indulged. One in particular stands out. She was severely over served! Wearing her cut-off jean short-shorts, skimpy tank top, and the rolled up cowboy hat with the feather and other adornments with drink in one hand and the other trying to keep her upright. All of this in mid-afternoon! It was totally pathetic to see someone "enjoy" themselves in this way. What is ironic and sad, I think this is the same lady who, on a subsequent Carnival cruise from Mobile, went overboard and was never found.

 

All of that to say that there are isolated incidents, but Carnival is really not the the "party" boat some make it out to be!

[GreyingJay]

Well, put it this way, one of the prizes they kept talking about in Bingo was "win $500 off your bar bill"... :eek:

 

Me, I don't drink much. Never much liked the taste of alcohol, and though I'll enjoy a social glass of wine, or one beer, I tend to feel very very sleepy afterward. On my Caribbean cruise on Glory, we took a shore excursion in St. Thomas that ended with a boat ride back to Glory where they served us all a rum punch. It was tasty enough, but it was a HOT day and I was already struggling to drink enough water to keep cool, I don't think drinking alcohol (which dehydrates you) was the best move to end the afternoon. I had a killer headache and felt woozy for the rest of the day.

 

So I don't buy drinks. Saving tons of money is just a bonus side effect!

 

As for the ship, yes, people certainly were drinking everywhere you looked, and yes, Carnival certainly kept the drinks (and the $$$) flowing. But nobody seemed out of control, everyone looked like they were having fun.

[ib4cruzn]

Well, put it this way, one of the prizes they kept talking about in Bingo was "win $500 off your bar bill"... :eek:

 

Which pretty much says it all.

 

Honestly, folks imbibe on all lines. Personally I find the Carnival revelers to be more crude and boorish which could be related to demographic. NOT pointing a finger just making an observation ie: "Save money on cruise-spend money on booze..."

[maldenmusic]

We haven't really been bothered by too much drinking or rowdy crowds.

[GreyingJay]

Which pretty much says it all.

 

Honestly, folks imbibe on all lines. Personally I find the Carnival revelers to be more crude and boorish which could be related to demographic. NOT pointing a finger just making an observation ie: "Save money on cruise-spend money on booze..."

 

I hope it was clear in my post that I wasn't judging... what and how you drink is of no concern of mine, as long as we're all having fun! But I definitely did see a lot of people having fun on Glory! :D Thankfully I did not experience anyone overdoing it -- no loud ruckus in the hallways late at night, nobody threw up.

 

This was my first and only cruise so I have nothing to compare it with, but it did not seem excessive or unusual. I understand Carnival's reputation as a "party ship" but that was more because Josh "Big Sexy" Waitzman kept going on the intercom to say "Hey everyone, come join us in ____ for the next big party!"

[Flying Scot]

Obnoxious, black-out, in-your-face drunks are worlds apart from someone in line at a buffet. Care to defend your position? I didn't think so.

 

They might block the sunshine? No???

 

 

;)

[arpie05]

I'm not a big drinker. But my guess is sometimes people drink a few more than normal on a cruise because they know they aren't going to drive anywhere :rolleyes: (we hope)

 

Plus - you're on vacation and people like to unwind. I'm not a more than one a drink a day but last year on the Glory to Canada several couples we were with would enjoy multiples and want me to too.