What now feels like an eon ago, was merely a week and a half back that I returned home from a short cruise to the Bahamas in celebration of a good friends’ milestone birthday. We had the best time, but this was only the second cruise I’d ever been on (with the first being a Disney cruise with my kids) and going into it, I had zero idea what to expect in terms of the bourbon situation. On the Disney cruise I managed to find all of the Pappy’s and some Blantons, so I thought, surely if that was a Disney cruise then other lines that were adults only had to be north of that, right? So, preparing to depart with Virgin Cruise Lines my expectations were perhaps loftier than had I not seen not only every Disney princess, but bourbon unicorns onboard the last cruise! That said, if there was any bourbon, would it be decent? Would it be one of those “premium” labeled spirits situations that fell far short of being in the ballpark of premium? Let’s set sail on setting your expectations for your next cruise.
Stepping away from my garage bar speakeasy requires a shift from a curated collection of things that bring me joy to drink to what on many vacations is just pure sadness in terms of what gets passed across as bourbon. Not to be snooty, but I feel like on some trips I’ve been on, the tasting notes go from my normal “oak with ribbons of caramel” to an effusive “ethanol with maybe some cinnamon?” So, I hit the Google to query “can you bring bourbon on a cruise?” This was where my head went first, and the short answer is no. If you’re like me, the prospect of not being able to have any good bourbon for days and days on end makes you want to cover your bases and just bring some along with – for good measure. However, you can’t bring your own stuff by rule. Some cruisers, such as Virgin do allow you to bring bottled wine but not brownwater. I’d be lying if I told you there wasn’t dark brown 750ml wine bottles, corks, heat shrink bottle wrappers and blank labels in my Amazon cart right now. It's not like they’re popping corks going on board to sniff your stuff to make sure its vino (absent doing a terrible job at the label making game) …so, I had thought I’d just decant a bottle and bring along – with some Bourboneur Glencairn’s of course. As unpredictable as the brownwater situation was, one can be nearly certain that a decent glass for bourbon drinking would be guaranteed to not exist onboard. Then I spent too much time debating about what bottle I’d bring and then in just being lazy and procrastinating, next thing I knew, it was the morning of, and I was still finishing packing, and long story short, I brought nothing – no bourbon, no fancy glassware.
So, in the lead up to the Virgin Cruise, I had the opportunity to pre-pay for a bar tab. Although the cruise is all-inclusive, it excludes the cost of alcohol. There’s a handy calculator to help you out, however. My perception of myself is “alcoholic” apparently as according to this handy calculator the number it suggested I needed to spend was $700 higher than the number I actually spent. I’d suggest that you temper your expectations of what you’ll drink. The stark reality is that you won’t be on the ship that much, and when you are, you’ll be busy with so many things that beveraging will be second fiddle most of the time. I do suggest you do a pre-paid bar tab however as you’re 100% going to drink and you get incentivized to do so with extra cash on top of what you’re spending…so for me, my $300 prepaid bar tab got me $350 to spend. Beware, it’s like an FSA account for your medical bills – if you don’t use it by the end of the trip, poof, it’s gone.
Upon boarding the ship, making my way around to find EVERY SINGLE BAR was a top priority. It wasn’t as bleak as I thought it might be, but it certainly wasn’t near as good as the Disney cruise I’d been on in terms of selection, which honestly was quite shocking. The bourbon selection was limited to Blantons, Buffalo Trace, Bulleit, Elijah Craig, Jack Daniels, Jim Beam, and Maker’s Mark. Meh. I mean, better than no bourbon, for sure, but considering my baseline it was far from being noteworthy.
In conclusion, while my bourbon expectations may have been set a tad too high, the Virgin Cruise still delivered an enjoyable experience with a decent, if not outstanding, selection of spirits. The pre-paid bar tab proved to be a smart choice, helping me manage my budget while still enjoying some delightful drinks. Although the bourbon selection didn't quite match the high standards set by my previous Disney cruise, it was certainly better than having no bourbon at all. So, for those planning their next cruise, set your expectations, accordingly, enjoy the journey, and remember to make the most of the available options onboard. Cheers to new adventures and the simple joy of being able to sneak away for a few days to relax!
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