Free drink vouchers are a massive perk of Royal Caribbean’s Crown and Anchor loyalty program. The drink vouchers are valid on most alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks up to a certain dollar amount. As of this writing people who’ve achieved the Diamond level get 4 free drinks daily, Diamond Plus members get 5 free drinks and Pinnacle members get 6 free drinks.

We have sailed on Royal quite a bit and have achieved the Diamond Plus level. We’re working our way to Pinnacle.

Since getting to these levels we’ve been able to skip any drink package and greatly cut down our alcohol bill. Between the two bottles of wine we can bring on, the free bottle of wine we’ve chosen as our Diamond Plus amenity and the free drink vouchers we’ll typically only need to purchase a few drinks. These perks have saved us thousands of dollars.

One of the articles I had meant to write was a trick that we’ve used to stretch these drinks out.

4, 5 or 6 drinks may be easy to consume on a sea day, but not so much after being at an all inclusive beach club for hours. The vouchers expire each day so they don’t roll forward. What we had done was swing by a bar at the end of each night and ask for unopened drinks for any unused vouchers. We’d then put those in our stateroom refrigerator (pic above) and consume as desired.

The problem with that is…. apparently Royal is starting to crack down on that hack. They are requiring bartenders to open drinks when they are served. Reports have differed, but enough have said this is happening to make me think it’s a new policy change. Bummer.

Update: Although nothing 100% official there have been continued reports of this policy and interaction with Michael Bayley’s office on Facebook has confirmed that this is an across the fleet procedure change:

“Thank you for contacting the Executive Office of Royal Caribbean International. Mr. Bayley has received your email and I am pleased to respond,” Bell-Floyd said.

“Thank you for your loyalty to Royal. Please know that our beverage policies are in place to ensure that all guests are able to enjoy their drinks safely and responsibly. Recently, we have updated this policy to include the following: Any canned or bottled alcoholic beverages ordered at our bars must be opened before leaving the venue.”

So, it seems this isn’t limited to Diamond Drinks in particular but it probably strikes people who are used to doing this the hardest.

I think there are still some pretty good ways to accomplish the same thing. Here are some ideas…

Bottled Beer

Get bottled beers and use a beverage stopper to seal them up right away

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Canned Beer

Jokari’s Fizz Keepers fit on standard 12 and 16 oz sized cans. They snap tight to keep pressure (and carbonation) in AND they feature a pump to add additional carbonation. Order your favorite beers from a bar tender and then put these little gadgets on to preserve the drink. Note that these do not work with smaller seltzer style cans.

Hard Liquor

Order shots and put them in a flask. When you’re ready for a drink mix with fruit juice or soda to make your own mixed drink.

Wine

Order glasses of wine and put them in a foldable Wine2Go Pouch. Purge the air before sealing to reduce oxygenation.

Related: Grab Collapsible Funnels

If you’re wanting to transfer wine or liquor for future using, considering grabbing some collapsible funnels to make it easy.

Conclusions

Royal Caribbean should have no issues with these work arounds. After you receive your open drink it’s really up to you how and when you consume it. These techniques will allow you to make the most out of Diamond drink vouchers and save you some money.

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All information provided is deemed accurate at time of publishing, but is not guaranteed and should be independently verified. 12.10.24 top:diamondrinks tag:tpr