To Drink or Not To Drink On Board A Cruise

By Bob Nesoff

Editor’s Note: Bob Nesoff has been busy completing the manuscript for his latest book. Now, he will be contributing more frequently.

Cruising can be one of the least expensive ways to travel, see a wide variety of exotic places  and do it in comfort.

But that depends on a bit of investigative work on your part.

Cruise ships, depending on the line, can be affordable or very much unaffordable. That all depends on the accommodations, the itinerary and the ship itself.

I’ve been fortunate enough to have cruised the Caribbean, Mexico, North Atlantic, China on the Yangtze, the Tahitian Islands and a variety of other destinations. My first cruise, about 40-some-odd years ago was on what was then Norwegian Caribbean Lines-Now Norwegian Cruise Lines. That ship, the Starward, was big at the time, but today could be a shuttle for the behemoths that ply the seas.

More recently there have been several cruises on Celebrity ships that have become my personal choice for a cruise. On virtually every cruise ship you’ll find the crew and staff friendly and accommodating. After all, that’s directly connected to their livelihood. But you can tell the difference between an act and those who are truly friendly.

While the initial outlay for a cruise may seem a bit expensive, in fact, it is very reasonable. On a recent cruise to Mexico on the Celebrity Summit we chose an upgrade to a concierge cabin. The cost was reasonable and we chose to splurge a bit. Save some money and opt for an outside cabin. The ocean view will be spectacular.

Remember, as you go from port-to-port your hotel is going with you. No need to pack, unpack and repack every couple of days. 

Now, you can spend a fortune while trying to be economical, but that takes some common sense on your part. You can spend extra on a night at an upscale dining room aboard ship. You can go wild n the jewelry store or you can stop and think.

On our last voyage we bought several bottle of Kahlua in a port. They were particularly difficult to find and when we did, we grabbed a couple of bottles. It was a mistake. Back aboard we spotted a shop selling liquor. And there on the display were bottle of Kahlua at close to half the price of what we paid on shore.

Now Celebrity, as do virtually every cruise line, offers a pre-sailing “drink package.” Some confine it to booze while others include soft drinks. And, believe it or not, some even include coffee and tea.

Now most cruise lines don’t poke the pig by charging for caffeine, but soft drink can put you back. And as for wine and hard liquor, paying by the drink can approximate the cost of the cruise.

When you look at the “Drink Package,” take several things into consideration. Are you an occasional drinker, a social drinker or a confirmed drinker (how’s that for putting it politely?). Most drinks on board will run about the same as an upscale hotel, so you can approximate what you’ll be spending over the time on the cruise.

Will you want wine or a drink at lunch and dinner? What about in the lounge? You can order drinks at the show on board. What does that add up to? 

Now sit down with a calculator and figure out what your per drink will cost ad what that drink will cost as part of a package. You don’t want to overdo the drinking so that you get your value from purchase of the package.

Also, will you be ashore in port? If so, that’s time away from drinking. In warm weather ports will you be going fishing, scuba diving, baking in the sun on the beach or wandering through shops ashore. You won’t be hitting the drink package during those times.

In most instances drink packages are per person. That means you can’t put your cabinmate on the package tab. Well, you can, but that’s really not the right thing to do. Ships are well aware that some passengers will try to scam the system and get drinks for a partner or friend.

If you take the package you will not have to keep track of how many drinks you imbibe. But that can be a royal pain in “you know what.” A-la-carte drinks can add up, so if you intend to do serious drinking, by all means, purchase the package.

One last thing to keep in mind. If you are at a bar on shore and order drinks, you’ll be expected to leave a tip. In many cases the tip is expected for each drink served. That’s similar to on-board drinks. Bartenders, much like waitstaff, depend very heavily on generous tips from customers. Individually you’ll leave tips for drinks. With a package the gratuity is added to each drink, but that’s on top of the daily gratuity you pay for the cruise.

Have a great, sober and enjoyable cruise.

Photos by Bob Nesoff