Help With Alcohol Question... How to Keep expense down??

[bluegirlum]

That would def. be nice :)

 

 

Do you guys want to know what I used to drink in college?? BOXED WINe!!!! LOL!!! Then, I would fill them up in a water bottle, put it in my purse when we went to the bars.... THEN I would order only 1 drink and just keep refilling my own glass with my "water bottle" that had wine in it;)

 

Not that I am advocating it, but you should definitely check out the rum runners posts...:D

 

And there is nothing wrong with boxed wine, btw. Some of the stuff out now is really good. We brought quite a bit to the Cayman Islands when we stayed there for a week. Much cheaper.

[xosweetiexo]

Nope, no where near the Hamptons, the price I quoted were from nice mid range local places in not in any tourist areas.

 

 

Wow really?? How much are drinks in the Hamptons?

 

What towns are your quotes from? I've never paid $8 for a glass of wine in my life on Long Island... not even at a sports event. Are you talking about places to eat or like bars?

 

Im talking about bars- for ex: you ever been to Mulcahys in Wantagh? If they charged me $8 I would laugh and throw my drink in their face b/c its not that type of place lol Even at Nassau Coliseum where the prices are insane... they don't charge $8... I know b/c I used to work there lol

[xosweetiexo]

Not that I am advocating it, but you should definitely check out the rum runners posts...:D

 

And there is nothing wrong with boxed wine, btw. Some of the stuff out now is really good. We brought quite a bit to the Cayman Islands when we stayed there for a week. Much cheaper.

 

 

Do the Rum Runners really work?? I feel like if we get caught we are going to be taken to the naughty room hahaha and since this is our 1st cruise I figured we can be good just this one time

[BDL]

You can also order the Wine & Dine package. This is what I usually do. You can get the bottles from your package in the dining room or other restaurant on board and take it back to your cabin with you. There are several different packages (in the Cruise Enhancements section). They have three levels of package and I have never been disappointed with any wine I've had from the least expensive (Gold) package.

 

I like ordering the package a month or so before the cruise because then its all paid for before I sail. I then can buy a few other drinks by the pool and not run up a big bill on board. A previous poster mentioned NOT getting the drink of the day in the special glass - great advice. How many of those do you ever use at home anyway. :)

[Sue L]

Wow really?? How much are drinks in the Hamptons?

 

What towns are your quotes from? I've never paid $8 for a glass of wine in my life on Long Island... not even at a sports event. Are you talking about places to eat or like bars?

 

Im talking about bars- for ex: you ever been to Mulcahys in Wantagh? If they charged me $8 I would laugh and throw my drink in their face b/c its not that type of place lol Even at Nassau Coliseum where the prices are insane... they don't charge $8... I know b/c I used to work there lol

 

 

Actually, I have been in Mulcahy's but it was for a private event so I didn't have to pay. I guess we hang at different kinds of places. Do the concessions at Nassau actually sell wine? If yes, I would not expect a decent one so I would not use that for comparison. I am glad you manage to find wine so cheap, have fun where ever you go.

[bluegirlum]

Do the Rum Runners really work?? I feel like if we get caught we are going to be taken to the naughty room hahaha and since this is our 1st cruise I figured we can be good just this one time

 

I've actually never used them, but our friends did and they didn't get caught.

 

Where are you going on your cruise? Sometimes if you go into port you can get some good deals on drinks in the local bars. I don't know if you drink beer, but in San Juan, we got 5 beers for $5 at the pier when we docked there. To me, that's cheap. In St. Martin we went to a little place on the boardwalk and got cheap beer too. So...depending on where you're going, and what you're looking for, you can do it for cheap. You just may want to do a little searching on the forums for where you're going. Also, sometimes you just stumble upon places--avoid buying the souvenir cups at places especially and that will save you money!

 

Have a great time! All this talk of drinking is making me tired! :)

[cruzendude]

You should come to Wisconsin. It's very cheap here!!! :)

 

True..but after you buy your drink your still in Wisconsin! :eek: :p

[bluegirlum]

True..but after you buy your drink your still in Wisconsin! :eek: :p

 

Hey now! Then why do lots of people from "NorCal" come here for school? :eek:

 

(I know, I know...We need to drink a lot to get through living here...)

[PalisadesGal]

WOW. Where do you live that your reaction to $6.95 for a drink is

 

"wowwwww for one drink:eek:"!?!??!??!?!?!?

 

That is NOT expensive.

 

But if you find that expensive, the only real answer to your question is "DON'T DRINK."

I'm glad someone had the nerve to say what I was thinking. Save your money, stay home, and cruise when money isn't quite so tight!Having to watch every penny can't make for a good vacation.

[xosweetiexo]

I've actually never used them, but our friends did and they didn't get caught.

 

Where are you going on your cruise? Sometimes if you go into port you can get some good deals on drinks in the local bars. I don't know if you drink beer, but in San Juan, we got 5 beers for $5 at the pier when we docked there. To me, that's cheap. In St. Martin we went to a little place on the boardwalk and got cheap beer too. So...depending on where you're going, and what you're looking for, you can do it for cheap. You just may want to do a little searching on the forums for where you're going. Also, sometimes you just stumble upon places--avoid buying the souvenir cups at places especially and that will save you money!

 

Have a great time! All this talk of drinking is making me tired! :)

 

 

Oh wow thats great!!! No I dont drink beer, but my fiance does and would LOVE that deal!

 

Thank you for the tips on not buying the souvenir cups!!! If you guys didnt tell me that, I would have a bunch to bring home hahahaha!!!

 

Princes, yes they do sell wine in what they used to call the "mall" and downstairs at the Islanders sports bar- but you're right its not like high end... I am good with Beringer and low end wines- eh whatever does the trick right ;) To me, $8 is a really steep price, to my sister its not because she lives in the city and she's used to it.

 

 

Hmmmm so Im going to have to look into these rum runners for our next trip.

 

Do you guys have any other tips for me as a 1st time cruiser? Im really nervous but yet so excited!!!! :):)

[xosweetiexo]

I'm glad someone had the nerve to say what I was thinking. Save your money, stay home, and cruise when money isn't quite so tight!Having to watch every penny can't make for a good vacation.

 

 

Its not that its tight... its that I wanted to see how I could really get my moneys worth with the alcohol.

 

Im getting married on Friday- leave me alone if you dont have anything nice to say or I will go bridezilla on you!! :p

 

We are thinking of doing the wine package maybe getting like 2 bottles and then taking it from there.

[xosweetiexo]

Hey now! Then why do lots of people from "NorCal" come here for school? :eek:

 

(I know, I know...We need to drink a lot to get through living here...)

 

 

Awwwwww!!! Im sure Wisconsin is a beautiful place to live and not have to be drunk to live there:)

[critterchick]

You can pre-order bottles of wine through Gifts & Gear at the Royal Caribbean website. Order as many as you want - there is no limit (as far as I know!). The cost savings here is two-fold, you pay much less than you would for a glass in a bar, and you also do not pay the gratuity (that's 15% right there!).

 

I usually will order 2 or 3 bottles and have them delivered throughout the cruise. You'll get a corkscrew and glasses with the bottle(s), and you can carry glasses around the ship. :)

 

Actually, you do pay the gratuity - it's built into the price of the bottle now. They used to just add $1.95 to the price, but now it's a full 15%.:(

 

I had them switch wines on me - they substituted a much less expensive wine for the one I'd paid for, saying that they didn't have the one I'd ordered onboard. We brought it up with the concierge and shortly after we left port, the wine we'd ordered miraculously appeared. So I don't bother with Gifts & Gear any more since it doesn't save me any money.

 

OP, there are quite a few bottles in the $22-28 range (plus 15%) on the RCI ships that you can only buy onboard the ship - the list on G&G is only a partial one. You can see the current wine list by following the link in my signature (it's the 2008 list, which I believe is still current). The bottles are marked up 4-5x retail - you have to go up to the $40+ range to get a fair markup (2-3x retail), but then of course you're spending twice the money.

 

I've also found that only the dining room and room service seem to have access to the full list of wines - most bars only carry a handful of labels. But many a friendly bartender will have a heavy hand, so keep that in mind, too.:)

[bluegirlum]

Awwwwww!!! Im sure Wisconsin is a beautiful place to live and not have to be drunk to live there:)

 

Thanks xosweetie! :) It's actually pretty nice here. Congrats on the wedding. Make sure you eat at the reception!

 

Just go and have a great time on your cruise. Don't try to plan too much, especially since it's your honeymoon! ;) I'm sure you've spent time looking around these boards and gotten some tips, but just go and enjoy. If you don't feel like dressing up for formal night, just go to the windjammer and don't feel bad about it--the food is just as good, in my opinion. You're probably just going to want to enjoy each other's company and relax, so do that. You only get one honeymoon, so think of it that way! And when you're carrying around your glass of wine, no one's going to know if it's Boone's or from some $400 bottle, so who cares! :)

[jimjams]

I'm glad someone had the nerve to say what I was thinking. Save your money, stay home, and cruise when money isn't quite so tight!Having to watch every penny can't make for a good vacation.

 

Couldn't agree more, anyway, the drinks are really good stiff ones ,you will get a least a double of the spirit & the mixer for $6.50 ( £4 ) approx, fantastic value in my book! )

I am from UK and can pay £2,95 for a small glass of house wine in a pub, so by comparison, the prices aren't that bad.

I am no big drinker by any means but would hate to think I was counting the costs while on vacation...would take all the pleasure out of the cruise. I always take in to account when booking the (extras) ie tips, drinks and trips.

Apart from anything else, the ambiance and hospitality given by the really lovely staff of the many bars and restaurants really are worth paying the extra.

I am sailing on Indy in just over 5 weeks.....and I can almost taste those wonderful cocktails...mmmm:D

[MAZANDSTEVE]

[quote name='PalisadesGal']I'm glad someone had the nerve to say what I was thinking. Save your money, stay home, and cruise when money isn't quite so tight!Having to watch every penny can't make for a good vacation.[/quote]


Unbelievable!!
I would rather be cruising on a budget than not at all!! The OP was asking for advice on how to save a little money not asking if they should stay home or cruise, some people are right up their own a**! I have had some of the best vacations on a budget.

[MAZANDSTEVE]

[quote name='BDL']You can also order the Wine & Dine package. This is what I usually do. You can get the bottles from your package in the dining room or other restaurant on board and take it back to your cabin with you. There are several different packages (in the Cruise Enhancements section). They have three levels of package and I have never been disappointed with any wine I've had from the least expensive (Gold) package.

I like ordering the package a month or so before the cruise because then its all paid for before I sail. I then can buy a few other drinks by the pool and not run up a big bill on board. A previous poster mentioned NOT getting the drink of the day in the special glass - great advice. How many of those do you ever use at home anyway. :)[/quote]


We ordered the wine and dine package too then took what we didnt drink to the room.

[maxy35]

Wow its you thats kidding!!!
7 bucks for a drink, your having a laugh ain't you. Thats £4.50 a drink!
You can buy a good bottle of wine here for that! Down with you to!!
Considering the $ rate just now thats an expensive round for anyone.