Cruising Sober?

Does it seem to you that cruise lines devote a lot of marketing to people who enjoy wine and other alcoholic beverages?

If you're someone who doesn't personally imbibe, this could make you feel like cruising might not be for you.

Actually, just as non-gamblers usually enjoy cheaper vacations than high-rollers in Las Vegas, if you're a not a big drinker, it actually could make cruising more of a bargain for you.

And before I forget to mention it, if you struggle with alcoholism, "Friends of Bill W" holds get togethers most evenings on cruises.  As those in the program know, Bill Wilson was co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, which uses first names in meetings where people confess their drinking struggles with strangers who become friends in order to keep themselves on the sobriety path.  It's a way for people to help each other avoid temptations to drink, and while cruises by nature may not have any more temptation than most other places, they certainly don't have any less.

Keep in mind that while cruise lines may advertise "free beverages," those drinks are built into a higher price, allowing you to choose other amenities like hundreds of dollars in credits to spend your way or considerably lower prices on the cruise itself.



With Norwegian Cruise Lines, it isn't unusual to see low entry level prices next to a list of freebies, including open bar, leading many to believe that the two must be compatible.  Most times, however, the lead rates with NCL are for a special category of staterooms ending in X, indicating that they have no amenities and will have the stateroom assigned later.

Celebrity Cruises is another mainstream line that regularly offers free beverages as an amenity choice, but their lowest last-minute deals, Xciting Deals, do not include free drinks or other amenities. Promotions for seniors or residents of a particular state also do not include the beverage package with Celebrity.

Oceania allows you to choose the drink package --- which now is beer and wine with lunch and dinner rather than open bar, as it has been sometimes in the past --- or other amenities.  They always have the option of no amenities with a lower price, though including amenities is well worth the price difference in the case of Oceania.  With OLife, you can choose on board credit or free shore excursions worth hundreds of dollars instead of the beverage package, and either is worth far more than the small price difference to get the non-OLife price.



Other times, however, the price savings might be several hundred dollars by opting out of a beverage package.

The truth is that many people simply don't drink enough to justify the beverage packages, and if you're a non-drinker or light drinker, that is money in your pocket.

Julie and I enjoy some wine and a few other drinks while on vacation, so we bring one bottle of wine each on board with us to board the ship.  This one per adult policy is standard for most cruises.  Oceania allows three bottles of wine per room.

Princess allows you to bring as many extra bottles of wine along as you like, as long as you pay $15 corkage fee for each bottle beyond the one-per-adult standard allowance.  Unless you pay a corkage fee, the wine carried on is supposed to be consumed in your stateroom, though more than a few stretch the privilege a bit.

There's also a Captain's Party with some kind of free drinks one night, and if you're a past guest, there's usually another party with hosted bar another night.  By the time we spend time in port, possibly choosing to have drinks ashore rather than on the ship, we realize we're generally better off just paying for the occasional extra drink rather than paying more for a beverage package.

Most river cruises include beer and wine with lunch and dinner, but some don't.  U By Uniworld, which caters to adults under age 45 --- a group that probably is most inclined to drink more heavily --- certainly has bars but charges extra for all beverages including alcohol.

A British Line Cruise Planners now represents does not include beer and wine with meals as standard, but packages can be purchased ($159 for seven nights).  Like U By Uniworld, this is a less-expensive line than Viking and other lines that cater to Americans.  Riviera has a few other differences, like meals more in line with British tastes than American and not as gourmet oriented, and a less broad selection of included shore excursions, but if you don't care for wine and beer, you may save money with this line.

So, if you're a non-drinker, you shouldn't shy away from ocean or river cruises.  That could be just one more way get the most out of your travel dollar.

"Better service leads to better trips!"