Please say it isnt so that if you take out the AI package there is a limit to what you can drink.I have just read on the reviews that if you go over your limit you are presented with a bill at the end of your cruise.
Please please can someone tell me i have read this wrong
Kerrie

Hi Kerrie

I'm not sure whose review you were reading, but I'm sure you've read it wrong. There are certain drinks which you would have to pay a supplement for, eg Bacardi Breezer was £1.30 I think and Baileys was 85p. It is clearly marked on the Bar List which drinks incur a supplement.

HTH

luci

Thanks Luci
I went back and reread it and i had read it wrong Thank goodness!!!!
I am looking forward to our first cruise,I cant wait!!!!
Thanks for your reply
Kerrie

Hi there, guess this will be the first of my many questions about cruising. Never done it before and have decided to do a 2 week med (7 + 7 days) in Sept. Trying to decide whether to go for the A/I option, it says in the brochure that drinks served outside will be added to you onboard account, so does this mean that you have to pay for them and they are not included in the A/I option? Also does the full board include a packed lunch on excursions? If we went for A/I could we take drinks (cans of coke etc) off the ship if we were going exploring ourselves? Any help will be greatly appreciated.

p.s Does anyone know if its cheaper to upgrade for 2 weeks or is it still £260 each?

Hi Beecee

We are also going on the Spirit on 30th Sep for the Jewels of the Med cruise. This will be our second cruise, the first being on Carousel last year.

We booked the Spirit in October last year and were lucky to get the drinks package for £99. When we were on the Carousel we also took the AI drinks package for £99 and for us it was well worth it as our total bar bill for the week was £260 (shock horror ) Hubby likes the odd pint and I was only drinking at night. We were on a late sitting for dinner so it was nice to go up to the bar for a couple of drinks beforehand. We also enjoyed the house wine with our meal (by the glass) which was also included in the AI.

The AI excludes certain brands ie expensive whiskies, cocktails etc and a supplement would have to be paid. Also any drinks you take in your cabin would also have to be paid extra. Also don't think you would be allowed to take cans of coke etc off as when they are served they are served in the glass and the can is opened for you.

Your full board only includes your lunch if you stay on the ship. If you decide to leave the ship to tour the ports then you will have to buy your own lunch. On saying that the good thing about the Spirit is I think food is availble 24 hours whereas on Carousel you couldn't get food after 2pm.

Hope this helps.

Wendy

HI BEECEE.
Just arrived back this weekend off the "Spirit".As Sugarbabe says it is 24 hr eating.Whether it is day or night.There is one of the restaurants open.
I never saw or heard of anyone taking packed lunch,or cans of coke,off the ship.

Regarding the A/I. Unless you are a heavy drinker it needs some thinking out.I think it was £149 a week.I stand to be corrected on that.So if there are 2 of you.It is going to be quite expensive.If you are only going to have a drink in the evening.The bar prices i thought,where quite reasonable.Have a good think before going for the A/I option.Just trying to save you money,if possible.
Regards William.

Many thanks. Have had a think and wondered because we are going for 2 weeks could we upgrade to A/I the second week if we think it would be better? Also we are going for an outside cabin on deck 3 or 4 would we be better to pay extra and choose the cabin number? Has anyone any tips on which cabin number to go for?

Thanks again

i have heard that they do a childrens cocktail does anyone have any idea what these are like? Also do they have cider on board???

Maureen

Like William I have just come back from the Spirit.

There are a number of 'Virgin' cocktails which are ideal for kids to drink and come with a cherry/pineapple garnish. From what I can remember they were about £1.50 each. You could have a virgin colada which is the same as a pina colada but without the alcohol. The alcoholic cocktails were about £2.50 each and there was a cocktail of the day which was a bit cheaper.

If you want wine at dinner it is not included in the AI price and a supplement has to be paid, same with champagne etc.

Jennie
Thanks for that info we are AI so im sure our son will enjoy trying the virgin cocktails. Hope you enjoyed your cruise. We need to wait till August.

Maureen

Wine not included with dinner?!? I hope JennieL has got it wrong.

I hope she has got it wrong too i was under the impression that you can order your wine by the glass with AI but you need to pay if you want a bottle

Maureen

Maureen is correct, wine by the glass is included in the AI. If you want a bottle you get £2.00 off the price.

Some more info on AI here:

http://www.holidaytruths.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=7114&highlight=ai+spirit

And the Bar List here:

http://www.holidaytruths.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=6491&start=20

luci

Hi! We'll shortly be taking our first AI trip and wondered what sort of drinks are included. I usually like cocktails, tea and cappucinos ect as well as the odd liqueur. Are these likely to be included please?

Hi Tidewatching

All of these things are included in the AI. There is a bar list in the following post:

http://www.holidaytruths.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=6491&start=20

luci

Virtually everything is included - I made the mistake of trying to work my way through the cocktail list on my first day!!! Think I only got to number 3 though. My favourite tipple is sambucca and once the waitresses cottoned on they used to bring me triples and doubles!

Gill

Many thanks Gill and Luci Just what I wanted to know before we set off!

Is there a prize f I get past cocktail no 3 on the cocktail list on day one? slug glug gurgle?

Hope someone can give a bit of advice.
Considering booking a cruise for family of 4, and would like to know if it is worth arranging to get the drinks included.

Whilst we are not big alcohol drinkers my concern is that the soft drinks can often be as expensive as the alchoholic ones, and in a hot climate I can imagine this could prove costly.

Also if I did arrange for say two out of the four travellers to be provided with a 'drinks included' package and 2 not, what controls are there to stop all drinks being purchased on the 'included ticket'



Many thanks

Chas

Hi Chas and welcome to HT!

On the Thomson Spirit alcoholic drinks were approx £2.20 and soft drink 95p each. If you decided to take the AI option then the whole party has to take it, not just some of them.

HTH

luci