Non-alcoholic beer selection (lacking)

[argys mom]

My husband is in the same boat, so to speak! We have a February cruise, and since he suffered the dreaded O'Douls on our last Celebrity cruise, I thought I might drum up a little support for change. Thanks confused fish!

[Confused fish]

I sent you a friend request...I just spoke to Celebrity and would like to pass the information along to you. There is no private messaging on CC.

[Kingofcool1947]

I've read these threads until my eyes are bleeding, and if I've missed it I apologize, BUT I want to complain about the lack of choice of non-alcoholic beer. Now, it's for my husband, and he doesn't care what package or what cost--but drinking O 'Douls is a punishment. We have been through this on recent cruises, and he has talked to every officer up to the Captiain, but it seems to be a decision made in purchasing. We have a cruise coming up and I have been campaigning through the Captains Club, but I thought we'd try to make some noise here...

 

O'Douls was the first widely marketed non-alcoholic beer, but it is not the best. It is not Celebrity-style, it does not mirror the Celebrity brand. I/we would like to see Celebrity offer a premium alternative. After all, there are 50 beers offered, is one NA beer enough?

 

 

Interesting complaint. I too would love to drink a premium non-alcoholic beer once in awhile on Celebrity.

 

So, I suggest you keep complaining. Have you written a letter of complaint to the CEO of parent company RCCL(?) that non-alcoholic beer offered on Celebrity is not up to your standards.? Maybe, a copy to the Food and Beverage Director. Or, maybe start a write-in campaign or petition?

And name some better brands than O'Douls. :eek: You might get more traction with your complaint. What specific brand(s) do you recommend? :confused:

 

Also, I'm new to cruising with Celebrity, so please explain what do you mean by "it is not Celebrity-style". Just what is "Celebrity-style"?

 

Good luck with your complaint. :)

[ClassicalSax]

Interesting complaint. I too would love to drink a premium non-alcoholic beer once in awhile on Celebrity.

 

Celebrity - here are some ideas for 3 nice NA choices... (Sorry, the Kaliber, St.Pauli and Becks NAs are already gone :D)

Edited October 31, 2014 by ClassicalSax

[argys mom]

I've been off these boards for a while, so I am new to friend requests, but I'm catching up. Confused fish, Please tell me what you have learned about the NA beer selection. I learned that O'Douls is covered in the Premium Alcholic package! MY DH sure would like to see a NA beer that sells domestically for more than $1.00---sold onboard at any cost!

[newyorkray]

 

Mix some yeast with them, and they won't be for long. :eek:

 

 

To the OP, it isn't surprising that cruise lines in general don't have a decent selection of NA beer/wine, as they have only recently realized that they should have a decent selection of alcoholic beer/wine. And for NA offerings, this is compounded by significantly smaller set of consumers and limited space onboard for all beverages.

 

My suggestion would be to send a note to the "concerns" email address with a list of more acceptable choices (make sure that at least one of them is equivalent in style to O'Douls, so it would at least be a direct replacement). Hopefully they will pass this up the chain to the people responsible for beverage selections on ships, and possibly by the time of your next cruise, the offerings have been updated.

 

Actually that's not quite true about only recently realizing they should have a selection of NA beer and wine. I have been getting O'Douls on Celebrity since at least 1999 and I think I did on the old Celebrity Meridian.

[newyorkray]

I am really happy to see so many people getting into this discussion on NA beers. As I shared in an earlier post I am a recovering alcoholic with 30 years sobriety. I enjoy NA beers. Some say it does contain some alcohol. That is true of all NA beers. It is brewed as a regular beer and the alcohol is extracted. It is impossible to extract all so they have to say it contains less than 1% (I think that's the percentage they quote) Believe me, I would not risk my recovery. Nobody I ever spoke to have ever said they tasted a hint of alcohol and a few NA beers never gave me or anyone I know a "buzz". They also carry NA wine in the MDR (and available upon request elsewhere onboard) It sells for about $17 if I remember. I know it's garbage compared to any real wine but I too dislike always ordering a "coke" or ice tea. I think a nice selection of 2-3 good NA beers isn't a lot to ask and it still tastes good on a nice hot day in the Caribbean!!

[ClassicalSax]

...It is impossible to extract all so they have to say it contains less than 1%

Agree completely, we find restaurants are becoming aware of this trend - a place we regularly go to that only had O'Drools (sic) had no problem when we requested they include another choice - even asked what we would like and bought a case of it to have it on hand - all we had to do is promise to drink it :-) BTW, the 3 NA beers in my fridge all say "less than 0.5%" alcohol. We also have come to prefer NA beer for several reasons:

1. Circumstances where no "buzz" but refreshment is desired.

2. Not feeling tired or sleepy after indulging in a few in the sun.

3. No dehydration headache as can happen with regular beer.

Edited November 5, 2014 by ClassicalSax

[3dog]

 

Actually that's not quite true about only recently realizing they should have a selection of NA beer and wine. I have been getting O'Douls on Celebrity since at least 1999 and I think I did on the old Celebrity Meridian.

 

Note that I said:

"they have only recently realized that they should have a decent selection of alcoholic beer/wine"

 

Yes, they have had O'Douls and Budweiser for a long time. And they have also had a (IMO, questionable and limited) selection of red and white wine (primarily from California). Only recently have we seen a larger selection of beer (including many that are not american common lagers), as well as adding wine varietals from other wine producing regions.

 

So I believe my relevant point is still true: Only recently have the cruise lines realized that they need a decent selection of beverages.

[Confused fish]

Hi Argy's Mom, I can't figure any other way to speak to you off the public site...I am on Trip Advisor forum under the name Bobkatandco.

 

Look for the Forum post named 'New Years Eve in Time Square Madame Tussauds Party on 42nd'

 

You can private message me from TA Forum. I think I have info that may help.

[argys mom]

Still trying....See you there Confused Fish...Thanks to everyone who wants better NA choices on Celebrity!! Heres hoping they listen!

[A Sixth?]

Still trying....See you there Confused Fish...Thanks to everyone who wants better NA choices on Celebrity!! Heres hoping they listen!

 

Celebrity's change of policy, making the ONLY NA Beer they carry and changing it's placement so it is no longer being included in the Classic Package, seems to go totally against common sense and todays moves towards health and wellness.

 

I've questioned this move here on the critic before.

 

More choice in NA Beers would be a feather in the cap of "X" if they could wake up and realize their mistake and return O'Douls back to the Classic Package where it belongs.

 

ClassicalSax has it right, I love beer but as I age need to pace myself so that I don't get dehydrated or tippsy especially on a Caribbean cruise. I often cut NA Beer with ginger beer and it's almost impossible to tell it's made of NA Beer.... very refreshing without the booze content.

 

NA Beer makes for better co-passengers and happier cruisers.

Edited November 6, 2014 by A Sixth?