Skyy Vodka Icebar

[Jasukkie]

I couldn't find many posts about this so I thought I would share our experience in the Skyy Vodka Icebar. We were a group of 8 and none of us had the drinks package. We decided to do this as our party night. We had no trouble getting in at 8 pm. I think with so many people getting "free" drinks packages there isn't a lot of demand for this experience. We suited up in the provided colorful capes and mittens and entered an ante-room that seemed like a meat locker. From there we entered the enchanted frozen party room which I believe is maintained at 17 degrees. It's cold but not uncomfortable. The only seat is the ice throne. Our bartender was very generous (come prepared with cash for tipping). Technically you get three drinks, but he starts you out with "water" and you go from there. As you can imagine, the place is made for photo ops. Be forewarned the extreme cold may drain your phone battery quickly. We all agreed this was the highlight of our onboard experience on Getaway. Just a great, fun group experience, and a very good thing none of us had to drive the boat afterwards. 

[complawyer]

im sorry, imgoing completely in the opposite direction, ive lived in los angeles for 50years and 17 degrees is way out of my comfort zone. we had one drink, and got out as quickly as possible, i havent been that cold in over 50 years, and i doubt i would do it again. i agree its a very interesting experience , but never again

[mdsgu]

We did this once on the Breakaway (and once in Vegas).  It's a gimmick, sure, but it was good fun for 20-30 minutes.  Our kids, who were 8 and 9 at the time, were even allowed to join us.  We had made reservations, and it was just our group of 10 with ages ranging from 8 to 85.

[tef43]

Due to lack of interest, this venue closed and reopened as something else on the Getaway,

[debenson0723]

14 minutes ago, tef43 said:

Due to lack of interest, this venue closed and reopened as something else on the Getaway,

When did that happen?  I was on the Getaway in November and it was still open.

[mdsgu]

Was it Skyy or Svedka?  I remember it wasn't exactly a high-end vodka.

[tef43]

1 minute ago, mdsgu said:

Was it Skyy or Svedka?  I remember it wasn't exactly a high-end vodka.

 

 I want to say Svedka.  On the Getaway it was right next to Sugarcane, and we never saw anyone ever go in there.

[luv2kroooz]

14 minutes ago, mdsgu said:

Was it Skyy or Svedka?  I remember it wasn't exactly a high-end vodka.

It's been rebranded a few times....Inniskillin to Svedka to Skyy. I think price on Breakaway was reduced to $15. You used to pay $20 and get two drinks. Don't know if they've reduced that to one drink.

[mdsgu]

Inniskillin!  That's what it was.  I'd never heard of it before and haven't heard of it since.

[cloud7cruise]

When we were on the Getaway in January, it was called the Skyy Vodka Ice Bar.  We did see people go in but would not be caught dead in it as we are from Canada.  We went on a cruise to get away from the cold weather. 

[Lucinarei]

We went into the one on the Breakaway and loved it! We went in for the entire half hour and had a blast! We were the only ones in there, so we took all of the pictures we wanted and then chatted with the bartender for awhile. He was also very generous with drinks (which are pre-mixed and served in an ice glass). Being from the American northeast, the cold was definitely manageable, and we loved the experience. However, it's probably a one-time thing- I can't see us doing it again in the future.

[AviationInScale]

We live in Pittsburgh, where it's currently 15 degrees. I'll have my vodka in front of the fireplace, thanks.

[electro]

On 2/6/2020 at 10:04 AM, mdsgu said:

Inniskillin!  That's what it was.  I'd never heard of it before and haven't heard of it since.

Inniskillin is a winery in the Canadian Niagara region. They make nice wines but are famous for their ice wine.

[Zaphod1962]

We went in the Ice bar on the Getaway during our December cruise a few years ago. A group of Canadians were in there singing Christmas Carols, one of them had given his poncho, and gloves to his girlfriend, he was in shorts, and a tee shirt, but I think he had enough "antifreeze" in him to stay warm. We had a great time with them. We did this again in October last year, with our Youngest son and his fiancee, we all had a great time. 

[Jasukkie]

On 2/6/2020 at 8:44 AM, tef43 said:

Due to lack of interest, this venue closed and reopened as something else on the Getaway,

My report is from the January 5th sailing on Getaway. Has it since closed? 

 

[SuperDave_GPS]

On 2/7/2020 at 11:35 PM, cloud7cruise said:

would not be caught dead in it as we are from Canada.  We went on a cruise to get away from the cold weather. 

Just did the Getaway cruise January 2023. I also live in Canada (Kingston, Ontario). My wife and I went in the Skyy Ice Bar and we had a blast. It was awesome, as well as getting quite a few photographic memories.

Cheers all.

[phillygwm]

On 2/6/2020 at 9:00 AM, mdsgu said:

Was it Skyy or Svedka?  I remember it wasn't exactly a high-end vodka.

It was Svedka, though my experience was years ago.

I went when BA was still relatvely new.  It was fine but not the kind of thing you need to do more than once.

[WexIrl]

We done the Ice bar on the Epic back in 2017.

The vodka was Skyy and it was 3 drinks once inside. 

The wife and I had great craic in there with a bunch of random people, we all stayed for the full duration and the drinks were quite strong (Or was that just the cut of the cheaper vodka?) 😁
 

We are on the Getaway again in June 2023, we will definitely do it again for the craic.

[happilytorn]

We did it on the Epic in July. It was definitely cold but we had a blast. 

[graphicguy]

Have done it on the "Away" ships.  Kind of fun.  But, it's not a place I'd linger.  Drink your drinks and get out.  Glad to have done it.  Glad to leave once I'm finished.

[GuelphCruisers]

We did it years ago, on the Epic. It was a blast!

There was just the two of us plus two singles - one from the US, and the other from Norway (or Denmark). (They met in the Solo lounge, and I think they were dating at this point).

We all agreed to stay as long as possible and have fun. It really wasn't that cold.

We outlasted the bartender, who after an hour just said, okay - here are the bottles, you're on your own! Every time she popped out to warm up, we'd pour another round. Great memories!

[TenForward]

We did this a few years back on the Breakaway. $20 included 3 glasses of ice wine (too sweet for me and I like sweet!).  We had metallic looking capes lined with back "fur" and black mittens to keep warm. Only our party of 8 inside. We had a blast taking photos and even went sans capes - just our shorts, sandals and tees. Made a contest out of it to see who would last.  2 ladies bailed early. DH was impressed I made it to the end! Lots of laughs and pics but definitely a "one and done" for us.

[victory2020]

The highlight of my cruise 2 years ago on the Getaway