CARNIVAL ASKED TO LIFT DRINK LIMIT. One of the things Carnival cruise line gets asked the most is to raise the drink limit above the current 15 drinks per 24 hour period. Does this make sense or is it a big mistake.
TBH I don’t want to be on a cruise with lots of drunk idiots trying to get their money’s worth out of the drink package. When is enough not enough for these people. I fear for their safety and the ladies safety on cruises where there are drunks wobbling around. At my wedding my husband had invited a couple of people I didn’t know and one was a terrible alcoholic. He stumbled and his large glass of his beer spilled all over my wedding gown. I said look what you’ve done but he was totally out of it. Don’t increase the drinks package PLEASE for everyone’s wellbeing.
I don't think so. There is an opposite effect when there's a known limit. If you know you paid for 15 you are more likely to get what you paid for. If you paid for unlimited you don't bother counting and I'm fairly sure most people would drink less. RC published their average drinks consumed on their package in 2017, 5 average for 5 day or longer cruises. 7 for shorter. I know Carnival and RC aren't catering to the same people, but still.
I have been clean and soder for 51 years and an alcoholic. When I was drinking I didn't that much. If you have to drink 15 drinks a day they need to get help when they get back home.
I'm on a vacation and I drink whatever I want to drink and when. During 18 hours 15 drinks aren't that much depending on what you drink. Don't judge people!!!! Not everyone who drinks is a problem drinker. Pacing what you drink and with what is always important. Again, don't judge people!!!!!!
Don, I totally agree with you. There should be no cruise line that allows unlimited or 20 alcoholic drinks for a 24 hour Period. That’s ridiculous. By allowing that to happen you are opening the door for all kinds of issues and all kinds of problems . Anybody who complains that 15 alcoholic drinks in a 24 hour period isn’t enough has a problem and I’m gonna come right out and say it.
I've heard so many people say, "I can hold my liquor," when observers can easily see that they can't. I think 15 drinks seems like a reasonable limit for a day.
I'm an alcoholic, Clean and sober for over 51 years and I never drank 15 drinks a day. Some people need to admit they have a problem before they end up like me with sorosis of the liver. I wish I never took the first drink.
Part of the problem is the party atmosphere Carnival has made as their mdel. But a higher amount of alcohol is going to harm the bodyof their passengers and law suits will ensue
I can't speak for all cruise lines, but all the ones that I have been on have some sort of limit to their drink package per day. I think that the limit has less to do with controlling personal consumption as to try and stop (limit) the sharing of drinks on the drink package with other cruisers who did not purchase the drink package.
Several items come to mind here. Other cruise lines do not have this limit and also do not have near the issues Carnival does on their ships. Just because you cannot drink 15 a day, does not mean that others could not also. Also limiting it means people concerned about it, will order the higher proof drinks instead of some of the lower proof options. And we have all seen the tick tocks of folks sneaking alcohol onboard with Carnival. So that limit is really not helping control things. Carnival needs to clean up their issues onboard regardless of the drink package limitations or not being in place.
I think CDC recommends one drink per hour. 15 drinks = 15 hours... and most people are not sleeping 9 hours. I can see if you have a mimosa or bloody mary in the morning (or two) and a couple of beers at lunch and then margaritas and other stuff early afternoon... martinis before dinner... wine at dinner... and then drinks after dinner... it does add up and a reasonably sized, non-alcoholic can remain under the legal driving limit (0.08) if spread out enough. Yes, if somebody shotguns 10 drinks in a span of 3-4 hours, that could be an issue... but on a sea day or on a private island ( I assume the drink package applies there... IDK, never been to one), 15 seems high, but it can add up quickly as time passes.
That's crazy. You are right please don't raise the limit Carnival. There are already drunken brawls going on. Who can drink that much and why would they?
Those asking to have the amount of drinks in the package increased are not just asking for themselves, they have friends that can't afford the package cruising with them and they intend to supply them with alcohol as well.
That’s just what we need is more drinking on Carnival. Also, in all my cruises the most I’ve had in a day was 18 drinks. That was like the second day of my very first cruise. After that I drank less and with each cruise I drink less and less because I’m not a big drinker and the only time I drink is when I’m on a cruise. I think on my most recent cruise I had MAYBE 3-4 drinks a day. 🤷🏻♂️
I can't help but wonder if people really do want to drink more than 15 drinks per day everyday, or are they just trying to maximize their $$ worth from the drink package (i.e., drink more $$ than they're paying), regardless of effects on their own health and well-being.
We just came off the Celebrity Eclipse Cruise just last week after been cruising on the Summit for years and my family and I came to decision that we are not tasting the alcohol in mixed drinks. We think the drinks are watered down. Anyone else noticing that? Thank you again Don for bringing this sublect up. Keep up the good work.
Not sure why you’re praising Don. He didn’t address that at all, he pretty much implies the opposite. He likes the restriction, primarily because it doesn’t affect him at all. Yes, that’s one of my biggest issues on board with their drinks. Unless you’re drinking the martinis at alchemy, most of their other mixed drinks are incredible light or short pours. A good example is the “Long Island tea“ that I’ve had from their casino bars. That is supposed to be a strong drink, yet in my experience it’s about the same alcohol equivalent of a regular seven and seven. While I haven’t had one in several years, their “drink of the day“ doesn’t seem to have any alcohol in them at all.
I worked at an all inclusive Caribbean resort, and we didn’t have a limit. We used to laugh and joke how we’d see people the first day, and then not for a couple days while they recovered. Rum punch, which a lot of these drinks are, goes down very easy. Carnival is smart to keep this limit.
The cocktails on our last cruise seemed watered down. I know most of the folks I talked to were ordering doubles. I switched to beer and actually felt more drunk drinking less. I'm all for keeping the limit at 15, because I agree with you, but if they water the drinks down and people order doubles all the time, one can get to the limit pretty easily. Safe travels, and we'll see you out there on the water, surrounded by the blue!
I agree with you, 15 is plenty. Although beer drinkers could probably handle more. So the simple solution would be to have multiple packages. But someone would still be mad they couldn't get their Shirley Temple in the beer package. Thanks for all the updates Don
I also think 15 is plenty, however, depending on the type of drink, the glass size varies a lot. I am not saying the effect of a tall glass is worse than a short glass.I think it would be better to go to a non-alcoholic beverage. More for your money!
Some people have 3 to 5 glasses of wine during dinner alone. Mimossas in the Morning, beer or mixed drinks during poolside and entertaiment shows, then what about with family during late nighttime conversations at one of the many lounging areas before retiring for the night. Thank you Don, for keeping us updated on Cruise ship changes that affect all of us.
The reality is, these nosy Nellies that catch a buzz from rum cake feel like they should decide what other adults do. As you described, they also seemingly don’t have the intellect to evaluate the drink package on a cruise day versus a regular day at home. I have no doubt that they see that 15 and are compressing it into a typical night at their local pub, instead of starting at say 9 AM with a bloody Mary or two at breakfast, followed by a six pack over the next six hours by the pool. By 4 PM you’re already halfway through your drink package. Another couple of beers until dinner time, then two glasses of wine with dinner, post dinner, you head to a show and have a couple of drinks during the hour plus long show, and you head to the casino around 11 o’clock, But now you can only order one drink in the casino because you’ve now maxed out your 15. That is not a drunken or alcoholic pace. What we shouldn’t do is allow the people that get drunk on 2 to 3 beverages to decide what is appropriate for other adults.
We are currently on Norwegian joy and we bought a drinks package , the free at sea plus package . This package included pommery champagne , the only champagne in the package . We purchased it for this and once on board they informed us that pommery was now a charge as of two months ago . They are still selling the package with pommery included but not honouring it . We contacted the food and beverage director Tony Rosa who says he is aware of the situation and there’s nothing he is willing to do . If you buy this package for high end drinks don’t they are removing them all under the table
I have always thought 15 alcoholic drinks in a day is outrageous. Everyone I have ever known that could consume that much alcohol in a day turned out to be alcoholics.
The first time that I saw a Carnival ship, it was leaving the port before our ship. And as it passed our ship, we heard an announcement "there goes the gin palace".
I just made it through my first and last Carnival cruise. Some of the passengers were very loud. I witnessed one loud and physical fight at noon at Red Frog’s and heard of two others. Everywhere you walk or sit, you hear angry conversations that would make a seasoned sailor blush. Alcohol is a depressant - so is a Carnival cruise.
These people who are asking for the limit of alcoholic drinks to be increased on Carnival are the same people who don't know how to behave and start hitting each other on a pleasure cruise, that's why many of us would never consider a cruise of less than 4 days on Carnival.
I think the problem is 15 drinks,people try to hit 15 that have no business drinking 15. All other lines the drink package is unlimited most people drink less because you are not trying to get your money worth
Fifteen drinks are more than enough in my opinion, I have been sober from alcohol and I won't go into all the details that brought me to make that decision, but when I did drink alcohol socially my limit was three. Carnival needs to stay firm on this matter and just say no.
As someone who cruises a lot on many cruise lines, no other cruise line that I know of has a set limit. Carnival will be fine getting rid of it. Also, as someone who has cruised on 12 Carnival cruises I've never seen a fight on a cruise ship. I did see a drunken fight on Royal Carribean once, tho. I also take longer cruises which has a totally different audience than those short weekend party cruises.
This is why we are loyal to Royal. I don’t drink much on land but when cruising I enjoy the freedom of the UNLIMITED drink package. Always got our money’s worth. 🇦🇺 It might be an Australian thing 😀
I'm a cruise newbie but I thought that a cruise drink package was supposed to adhere to one person? Therefore if you are going through more than 15 there is one of two things, 1 you are sharing which you shouldn't be or 2 you have a drinking problem. In the states bartenders can be held legally liable for overserving patrons.
I think it's more the principle than reality. Most people would be almost unconscious after 15 drinks, but having that limit makes paying for a drink package seem less worth the price, even though 15 drinks of any alcohol on a cruise exceeds the price of the package. The issue I have is I like to buy buckets of beer so I can have a couple in the room and they don't allow that. I don't want to have to go to the bar if I'm relaxing in the cabin every time I want a beer. There's also the other side of that, and the limit might insure that some drink far more than they should to "get their moneys worth"..
Also Don, I know you love and respect Gary's opinion, but in one of Gary's videos, he aptly points out... If a cruise line is really pushing something, like really pushing it like they do with the drink package, you have to use your spidey senses that it must be because they're making a lot of money off of it. You're right, raising the limit *could* raise the drink package price, but I'm sure even if Carnival was serving 15 drinks per drink package holder per day, they'd still be making a fantastic profit.
I’m pretty sure they limit alcoholic drinks to 15 per day even if you are paying per drink. At least that’s what a friendly bartender told us on last year’s cruise to Hawaii. I knew that the drinks package was limited for price and you could pay the difference, my question was if you used up your allowance of 15, say sampling specialty drinks you didn’t finish, could you get more by paying for them. The answer was no, each guest was allowed 15 per day regardless of if they had purchased a package or paid by the drink.
That Is a Very Very Bad Ideal . We where on the Vista , They Started Serving Drinks at 6:30 & 7 AM AT Some Bars . What are You Doing Carnival . Start Serving Drinks at NOON !
Your right, they would hike up the price on that package. Then they would see a decline in sales. 15 is good, we get the drink package and have a few. But everything else is unlimited. That a good value for the price. Bottom line is, if they want more there gonna pay more.
I had thought pop was included? Morning Mimosa, mid-morning Bloody Mary, Wine with lunch, two beer afternoon, pre diner drink, two wines or drinks with dinner and three or four in the evening. That totals 12. Unless you are Julian from the Trailer Park Boys that is plenty.
@@lukeball4937 Closest I've come is about 14... maybe 15... on PCL... and that's starting usually after breakfast... maybe 10 AM at the absolute earliest (I don't do mimosas or bloody marys or any other morning drink). But I agree, people see a 15 limit/day and then think people are slamming them b2b2b2b2b at the pool house.
It's the clientele they draw. I prefer NCL, I'm not a drinker tho. NCL has no daily maximum (in fact, allowing TWO at a time to be received) and they have a FRACTION of the fights that Carnival has with a limit on their drink package. Those people can stay with Carnival, I'll stay with NCL. Thanks
The specialty coffees count. The drink package also includes soda and milkshakes. I’m not sure many people are drinking 15 alcoholic beverages but the others (soda , milkshakes, specialty coffee) do count and take away from the limit. It’s a cruise I want to drink as much cokes and juice as I want without having to consider how many less alcoholic beverages I can dr8nk.
I'm not saying that it needs to be increased, but 15 1 oz shots of alcohol is still less than 16 oz of a soda. So that really can't be compared. I regularly drink 8-9 alcohol drinks, on a ship, in 24 hrs, and I can say that in 36 cruises that doesn't make me drunk. But, still, 15 is good enough.
I just wish they would offer a set number of drinks for a discount price. I'd be happy with a 10 for $79 or similar drink package that I can use and share for my whole cruise. We are like you Don, maybe 2 drinks a day, so an alcoholic beverage package is a total waste of $$$.
I could never drink 15 alcoholic drinks in a day and would certainly never try. I don’t usually even get an alcoholic package; I get a nonalcoholic package and just pay for alcohol a la carte. And I absolutely shudder to think what state anyone would be in after 15 drinks. However, there is a logical argument for eliminating the drink limit. I don’t think most people would dream of drinking 15 alcoholic beverages a day, but the fact that a limit exists means that it’s mathematically possible to maximize the value of your drink package. People may see it as a challenge of sorts or just as a way of “getting your money’s worth”. Increasing the limit would only make it worse, but eliminating it altogether, ironically, might help. Plus it is just the wrong side of paternalistic. I can understand a booze limit, but I certainly wouldn’t want a soda limit or a food limit or anything of that sort to come next. Again, I’m not condoning drunkenness or gluttony or wastefulness, but I would not like to be told how much I could eat, drink, etc. I think those are my decisions to make, as long as I’m not harming anyone. If you’re harming someone, like if you’re publicly intoxicated and causing a disturbance, then that’s another story. At that point, the bartender or another crew member has every right to cut you off and maybe even put you in the brig until you’re sober.
Some people see that number, 15, as a goal, not a limit. And that is why there is a limit. I don't think any of the other lines have a limit. Let the ones who want to drink more cruise one of those lines. I didn't get the package because I couldn't drink more than two or three a day.
I've hit 15 in a day before on the carnival drink package, but there is no way I could do it every day. I agree it would be good for Carnival to keep it at 15.
My perception of Carnival is that it's a dumpster-fire already. Why make it worse? Aren't there liability issues when people are over served? Nonetheless, I will avoid ever sailing Carnival.
Well if they want to put a limit, they should at least allow the customer to buy for others. I personally never get the drinks packages because a) it is unfair that all cabin occupants have to do it and 2) I cannot use it to buy a drink for a friend or new acquaintance, like if I met Don on a cruise maybe I’d like to buy him a beverage.
I'm on a vacation and I drink whatever I want to drink and when. During 18 hours 15 drinks aren't that much depending on what you drink. Don't judge people!!!! Not everyone who drinks is a problem drinker. Pacing what you drink and with what is always important. Again, don't judge people!!!!!!
1. Do not raise the alcoholic drink limit. Fifteen alcoholic drinks in a day would put almost any human over the limit for being under the influence... I would guess not prove that many of issues Carnival has had are alcoholic related...
I do know someone that finishes the 15 alcoholic drinks during on a sea day. He begins with bloody Mary’s in the morning. Continues with beer with lunch. Then continues with beer 🍻 for the majority of the day and into dinner. Then more at the comedy club and his 15 drinks are gone. He is able to walk and talk. His eyes are a little red but he can hold his alcohol. LOL Me on the other hand…I am lucky if I get 4 fruity drinks and maybe a glass of wine with dinner. I don’t feel they need to increase the alcohol limit
I don't sail Carnival! But in general, I wish they would offer 2 or 3 different drink packages. Not just classic and Premium, but maybe 5, 10, and 15 per day. I never buy a drink package because like you, I only drink 1-4 drinks per day, if that. So I would buy a cheaper drink package if offered. And I probably would not even get my money worth for a 5 per day package. They would make more money on me than if I pay per drink.
They raised the price of the drink package but they can’t raise the amount they serve?? I think that’s unfair. I hit 14-15 drinks per day on a cruise on average
I want cruise ships to offer lower amount drink packages for less money. Something like 5 drinks a day which even that I would not reach it. A couple glasses on wine and maybe a fancy drink .
