This is a common misconception. And you need to take all factors into account to determine this for each case.
The reality is that in almost every case people that proceed on a BYO basis for a party anywhere that allows it generally purchase WAY too much for the trip. And as with all parties certain drinks are far less popular on the day than others, which can lead to the more popular drinks running out. And then you have all the leftover drinks, that need to be taken with you, distributed or stored etc.
Let’s not forget that someone has to do the running around buying the drinks as well (fuel and time), plus the preparation of unpacking them into eskis, getting ice, bringing the drinks to and onto the boat, (and back).
I know the above sounds like it a sales pitch for using our bar, but it’s actually based on experience over many years and seeing the frustration that (usually by the organiser) goes with it all when we did offer BYO as an option. Most trips did not have enough ice to actually get/keep the drinks properly cold. Glasses were often forgotten (we sold throw-away-glasses for such cases but it all added to the cost). And the number of opened bottles of wine that were wasted on each and every trip was mind blowing. The list goes on.
For the organiser who has often paid for drinks in advance, it’s often a hassle to get money from some people in their party, adding to their own cost.
And finally, you can’t have cocktails on a BYO basis…. (Yes, ok that’s a bit of a sales pitch! But whats a party without cocktails?! lol)
On top of everything you most commonly still have a BYO/corkage fee as well to cover the clean up costs for the company offering the BYO.
So when you add up all the actual the costs to go towards having a party with BYO, it makes buying your drinks at the bar a very smooth, easy, simple, cost-effective and fun way to go. And isn’t that what the main focus of your cruise should be – FUN!
Ask us for our Drink Range menu. It’s updated regularly and we work hard to keep prices as low as we can. We are more than happy to email you the latest menu!
