More cruise lines add liquor to one-price drink packages - Palm Beach Post (blog)
Cruise lines are starting to sell mixed-drink packages that cover an entire cruise, helping travelers avoid sticker shock when they get their final onboard bill.
Earlier this year, Royal Caribbean International started testing mixed-drink packages on three ships Grandeur of the Seas, Independence of the Seas and Legend of the Seas.
For one price paid onboard, guests can enjoy soda, beer, wine and mixed drinks without paying each time they order. A similar deal was already available for soda and wine, but not for drinks with liquor.
Experts say the move in part answers consumer demand for a more all-inclusive cruise vacation.
For years, cruise lines have made money on soda cards for unlimited soft drinks, Coral Gables-based cruise industry consultant Rod McLeod said.
As that programs popularity grew, cruisers began asking for adult drinks in beverage packages, he said.
Last year, Celebrity Cruises did, rolling out beverage packages with alcohol on most ships, priced from $44 per person or $308 for a seven-night cruise.
Before, both lines offered packages with mixed drinks and sodas to private groups only.
In some quarters, however, these all-inclusive beverage packages are raising concern.
The International Cruise Victims Association, in a recent statement, condemned Royal Caribbean for promoting the consumption of alcohol on their ships by offering unlimited drinks for one price.
Its opening a door for tragedy, said Kendall Caver, the groups chairman, who points to FBI findings linking excessive drinking to ship-board crime.
Carver had earlier objected to Celebritys packages.
Cruise line officials contend that there are limits on the number of alcoholic drinks guests receive. Sodas also are included in the packages.
Unlimited is a misnomer, said Scott Steenrod, Celebritys associate vice president for food and beverage operations. We only serve one drink at a time, per transaction.
If someone over-consumes alcohol, we stop serving them whether theyre on the package or not, said Gary Bald, a senior vice president in charge of safety and security issues at Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., parent company for RCI and Celebrity.
At both lines, bartenders and waiters are trained to watch for over-consumption.
But some arent certain these rules and policies are effective.
In 2006, Miami maritime lawyer Brett Rivkind sued on behalf of the family of a 15-year-old girl who fell overboard after being served by a bartender aboard a Costa Cruises ship. The bartender was fired. The suit was settled before reaching trial.
Cruise lines have a lot of rules on paper safety rules and others but in reality are those rules being followed by employees on ships? said Rivkind, who has represented cruise passengers for nearly 30 years.
Tags: Cruises
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