mm222

Going on my first cruise with Royal carribean in Feb...is it going to be a big drunk fest? The friends I'm going with won't be drinking, and I'm not worried about staying sober...just worried it'll be annoying/distracting if I feel like I'm at a frat party the whole time.

Gottalife

I have done two cruises, and I have a alcoholic friend who has taken a cruise on her own every year for the last 32 years. She has a ball. I enjoyed it for the most part, good food, good company, went in for the quizes and so forth. I'm a bit old for the party scene.

Most ships advertise little get togethers for special interets groups. I responded to the "freinds of Bill W" in the Begal Bar of all places. Turns out there were four AAs on the cruise. We had a good little meeting.

Going on a cruise is one of those fun things in life that any recovered alcoholic should be able to enjoy if they want. Have a great time.

SoberLeigh

There will be a lot of drinking on the ship but there is so much to do on a cruise that you should be able to avoid the heavy drinking areas.

It's great that you are going with non-drinkers; you will find a lot to do.

Have a wonderful time.

Venecia

MM, my mother has *loved* going on cruises and insisted on taking the family.

I went before getting sober as well as after. I understand your concerns because there is a pretty prevalent drinking atmosphere on the ships.

Nevertheless, my own experience last winter was that I got through the cruise with my sobriety intact. I did attend a couple AA meetings, which as Gottalife noted were pretty common. I'm assuming that will be the case on Royal Caribbean, too. The customer service is good on the cruise ships and there should be no problem if you request that the mini-bar/fridge in your room be emptied of alcoholic beverages. I did that and they were super about it.

Glad to hear that you'll be accompanied by folks who won't be drinking. I think that will help a lot, too. Helps to bring some good books and think about what you want to do when you go ashore.

Go in with a positive attitude about your sobriety. It'll serve you well. Enjoy the sunshine, sea and the destinations you'll visit!

Friend Of Bill

Page 100 101 102 assuming we are spiritually fit we can do all sorts of things alcoholics are supposed to do we have recovered the problem has been removed our sanity has returned what are our motives for being in a place like that the more we resist something the more it persists although there are some people that can be troublesome for but like everyone else said there are lots of other things rather than drinking usually there are meetings I don't like to give advice only my experience

JeffreyAK

To punctuate, there are lots of things to do on a cruise, but the one cruise I went on (as a drinker, 12 years ago) was a drunkfest. I don't know how common that is, I think it depends on the cruise, but it was a pervasive theme on the short Long Beach/Ensenada cruise I was on. The last night on the ship felt like a frat party, people vomiting in the hallways, etc. So be prepared.

BarbieKen

Hi,
We went on an Eastern Caribbean cruise on RCCL Freedom in late August. Just me & my hubby, we had so much fun! This was my 3rd cruise since getting sober. I also am active in my AA Program.
In 2 weeks I'm going on a girls only 4 day cruise out of Long Beach,CA.
Of course there were brief moments when a nice fru fru drink looked fun. So, I would order a yummy smoothie. Normally I just drink club soda.
On that 1st cruise I had to go to my cabin and read out of my Big Book. Calmed me down emotionally and refocused spiritually . Booze cruise? To those who might be alcoholics themselves. Probably most folks are just having a good time . Personally, seeing people all wasted just reassures me I'm on the right path.
I hope y ou go and enjoy your awesome cruise, RCCL is a favorite of ours BTW,
Bobbi

Soberwolf

Why do you think it will ?

zjw

i went on a cruise once. I had my kids at the time and i found drinking to be a pain. for starters the costs where high and the cruise was being paid for by someone else. so i was trying to pay my bar tab each time rather then having it hucked on my room bill etc.. this caused it to be difficult come time to pay each time. I had trouble getting drunk enough too. becuase i had the kids and family with me and i wasnt able to fully endulge i recall one night ordering a 6 pack of beer in room service it cost a small fortune and was not nearly enough.

So for me drinking on a cruise was just a really big struggle but i had to at least try becuase im an alcoholic.

now that i'm sober the thought of going on a cruise seems really lame to me. I eat a strict diet i'd probably have hard time finding food i could eat. and if i cant drink whats the point? But I think this is my AV speaking. the reality is even if i could drink it would be a real struggle as I expierienced before.

But drinking aside the cruise vacation I went on was one of the best ones I ever went on go figure! And for that reason i'd go again

i'm glad to hear about the possiblity of meetings on a ship thats something i'd look into myself so many bars and such around i'd wanna find like company lol.

MesaMan

.
I don't have any pending Cruise Bookings. So, it's easy for me to say that I'd only go on non-Drinking Ships.

My permanent Sobriety isn't in question, so it would not be any sort of struggle. All the planning of what Alt Activities to do to avoid Drinkers, and issues like that, strike me as a PITA. Yah, I could do that planning. Fact is, I simply can't be bothered. Not when I'm throwing down good Money. I'd rather have all around me the commonality of Sobriety.

Come time my still-Drinking Wife wants to get serious about booking a Cruise she thinks would be 'fun', a Sober Cruise Ship is simply the way it's gonna be. It's the only way I could imagine also having fun.
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soberclover

I agree with what has been mentioned as far as taking recovery literature with you and attending the onboard AA meetings. That way you will have others to connect with that are also sober. I, personally, found it challenging because it was all around me. Hopefully your cabin will be an alcohol-free zone so you will have a place to go to when you need to re-group.

F50Lurker

It probably won't be a big drunk fest unless there are a lot of young folks on board, i.e., traveling around spring break time or something. Otherwise, there are plenty of sober folks on any cruise and as mentioned above there are usually daily AA meetings. HAVE. A. BLAST! PS bring an extension cord for your cabin; there is usually only one outlet in an inconvenient spot.

mm222

Thanks all for your input. I've just never been on a cruise so wasn't sure what the vibe was like. I've been to adults only resorts and it was easy to find the partiers-or the non-partiers-whatever your preference happened to be. Just wondering if it was similar on a cruise.

Sizzle

Your points on a "sober cruise" are well taken. However, as I'm finding out in sobriety, there are quite a few situations where I can't always seek out those "sober only" types of events. For example, live music. I love music and while there are concerts where alcohol is not served, there are many concerts or events where that is the case. However, I'm at a point in my sobriety where I can attend such functions and not have to "white knuckle" my way through the entire evening. For me, iced tea works great. I'm able to have that particular beverage in my hand and have a great time at the function.