Drinking and Vacation

My wife and I enjoyed a week at CN in 2007 and I am planning a trip for April 13 to CTI. My wife has made it clear, that in her opinion, I went the entire week with a constant buzz and she seems to think that unlimited alcohol may be a problem. Let me say that I never forgot what Bldg our room was in, I never fell out of the kayak, I never started a fight at the bar, I never fell down and hit the "send help" button. In 2007, Couples did not provide a fridge full of alcohol, like they do now, a plus in my opinion. My wife has always been the sensible one, she drinks just enough to feel the joy but still be able to judge how much others have had to drink. While at Couples, I want to be the one waiting at the bar when first call is announced and when last call is announced. My wife has enjoyed taking cruises but darn, the bar bill kills me. I have broken down the daily rate at Couples to be 150 for the room, 100 for the food, which leaves us to drink 100 in alcohol to break even. These numbers are a challenge to me. At 7 bucks a drink, this means that between the two of us, we need about 14 drinks a day to break even.

I have a great job, I am a detective in a major metropolitan city, our policy says I can't smoke weed (never have) and I can't take a chance of getting a DUI after having a few drinks. This is my week to unwind, let it go, relax. and keep a buzz for 192 hours. So I guess here is my question. Have any of you promised to drink less while at Couples or do you have an agreed amount to be consumed? I am ready to book 8 days at CTI for April 2013 and I need to convince her why I need to bring the BIG glass for drinks and not bring a swimsuit as the island doesn't require one.....

I have been a teacher for 6 years and will be a guidance counselor next year. I can't chance a DUI either. In saying all of that, my husband and I will attempt to consume as much alcohol as possible without being obnoxious, belligerent or sick! :) You can have one on us! :)

As long as you are a happy drunk, Couples is a good place for a responsible person to get a bit pie-eyed. In my 1 trip to CTI and 2 trips to CN I have found myself a bit crocked on occasion. I am a happy drunk, having to drive is not even a thought and I have never fallen down or done anything obnoxious. It is nice to have no responsiblities for a week. I say if you like to knock a few back, more power to ya!! The wife and I will be doing so in Feb when we return to CN for the 3rd time.

If you drink the blended drinks I think they are less alcohol, they have plenty of soda available too! I am not a big drinker and by the 4th day was over the alcohol, Stuck with diet pepsi mostly and alcohol occasionally after and I still had a great laugh at the bars! relax, stop worrying and for goddess's sake stop thinking too much about it!!!! LOL

Go, Enjoy, unwind, reconnect

Peace out

My husband and I are not big drinkers, but when we are on a "kid free" vacation we take full advantage of being able to drink. We might get occasionally tipsy but nether of us like to be drop down drunk. If we think the other one is going overboard and might regret it later we just gently point out they might want to give it some time before ordering the next drink but in general we don't say anything about it because we are both adults on vacation and vacations are all about relaxing and having fun. I don't think there is anything wrong with her pointing out you may have had too much but maybe it's how she does it. In less she is nagging you then you might want to tell her shes coming across as a "nagging wife" most wives don't want to be "that woman". Just keep in mind there are somethings you might want to do that being drunk will hinder. Not just excursions but alone time with your wife as well. Maybe that is why she doesn't want you to drink too much?

My honey doesn't drink very much any more so I tend to make up for him :) ,we are paying all this money and it's our one big vacation for the year( or two)., so I tend to take advantage. I try not to overdo it but just relax and enjoy.
I have a job where I get random drug and alcohol tests so I must behave too. Have a great trip.

Well, the glass is frowned upon, but our math has had us almost breaking even on the hotel cost in food and drink. Just be respectful. Those who tend to not drink a lot become the bigger, err, problems(?) after overindulging.

Tysver, I like your style, I go on vacation to chill and unwind more than when I'm at home with a major mortgage (and Bills) on my mind all the time, a business partner who is a crook and the fear of DUI if I have 2 glasses of wine at dinner. I do like the buzz (not getting stone cold blitzed) each day of free drinks while sitting on a beautiful beach. My wife is great about this, she even comments that she loves how relaxed I am, and my laid back attitude while we are on vacation. Ask your wife to give you a "hall pass" and to let you live the dream for this one week while you don't have the constant stress of your job on you. BTW, thanks for your service in protecting our families on the streets of America!

hehe...enjoy! :cool:

My vacation starts as soon as we hit the airport. Bloody Mary's at 5 am. Drinks on the plane, beers at the Couple's lounge, we buy more beer for the trip to the resort, buy more beers at the half way stop, sparkling wine at check in, the off to then bars!!!

My wife likes to sit in the sun-me I like to drink. I will have coffee in the morning, go work out, do some email, then hit the beach about 10 or 11 and start drinking. She hits the beach at 8:30 or 9 am and may have her first drink around 1 pm. We stay on the beach until sunset, shower, dress and go to the Martini Bar (CSA). We tend to eat early (7 pm), we might catch part of the entertainment and then we are off to bed around 9 or 10. So, give or take I get in about 12 hours of drinking a day.

Why limit yourself-it's pre-paid!!!

My wife is the same way. I used to have a binge drinking problem, but have corrected that problem. I like going to the bar, letting loose and having a good time. But I know when to stop and spend sometime with her too. You have to give and take alittle. Remember shes there to have sometime alone, but she mainly wanting to enjoy sometime with you too.

My wife has tried to pull that on me too, but I just shrug it off, and when we get there, she chills out about it. There are many reasons to book an AI vacation and unlimited premium drinks is one of them. An "agreed amount" is awfully micro-manage-y for someone going on vacation! Especially, in Jamaica. It's such a laid back, go-with-the-flow kinda place, that this seems to take away from the experience. My dad was a cop for 33 years, and my mom definitely knows better than to ask him to drink less in the Caribbean. With all the crap he has put up with in his life, he deserves those cigars, beers and scotch & sodas when he's on vacation!

I have the opposite problem, I always have alittle more to drink than my husband. But we both figure, we are on vacation, we don't have to worry about drinking and driving, only have to crawl back to our room (or sleep on lounger). So we eat , drink and be merry. We pack our bathing suits, but spend all our time at the AN beach at CN.

Drinking isn't an issue whatsoever in my relationship. It would never occur to either of us to even have a discussion on what an acceptable amount to drink is.

Our level of consumption has never been discussed. We enjoy a Bloody Mary at breakfast, dirty bananas when the red flag service starts, beers for the afternoon, cesaers in our room getting ready for dinner and champagne during the evenings....it is a vacation after all :o

I think you promise her the old addage "I am not going to drink any more than i did last time,(and under your breath) I am certainly not going to drink any less. No worries mon unless you have a problem. I would look at your math though on the daily rate and amount you need to consume to justify. As you mentioned you have been on a cruise and all the additional costs do add up. I know I had a 14 page bar bill. With that being said remember it is all inclusive so all watersports are figured into your cost, in addition to all tips. With that being said your looking to return so there was some value in your trip. I say head back and ask for forgivness if you drink too much not permission.

Wow. It will be interesting to see the responses, as at this time there are none.
First off, I’m not here to judge. I like to drink myself.
At home I find when I drink red wine it tastes so good I just keep wanting another glass. My husband doesn’t drink it and the bottle is open... The next day I will have a nasty headache. So I just don’t start into the red wine unless I’m prepared so face that. In other words, I barely drink it anymore. I’ll instead have a beer (which fills me so I never have too many), or better yet, a white wine spritzer with sparkling water (tried to switch from club soda due to high sodium I don’t need either) which just doesn't call to me to have too many.
When we go to Couples I like to take advantage of AI and have a few more drinks than if it were not AI. However, I never think of it as getting my monies worth in alcohol. I want to be able to get up early and take advantage of the day and all there is to do. We like to go diving. We get our monies worth there. We take the tours - cat cruise and use the kayaks and hobie cats. So many inclusions at Couples besides the booze.
Sure, I’ll have those blender drinks on the beach. I don’t find them that strong, and I like that. I alternate with water to hydrate and I never get drunk. At night I’m careful. Luckily I don’t care much for the red wine they serve, and the white is even worse, so I drink very little red wine. I like martini’s after dinner, but of course they’re strong, so I often do a mixed drink that’s high in the mix and low in the alcohol (like rum or vodka, club soda, splash of juice of some sort). That way I don’t get drunk and feel great the next day.
I have a friend who doesn’t do AI vacations (she can’t really afford any vacations). It’s a good thing, as I know she’d just drink herself into a stupor and feel horrible. I love her dearly, but she is an alcoholic. She’d drink her monies worth alright, but spending most of her time in the room would be a waste. Actually, I’d be concerned for her health.
But you didn’t get falling down drunk before, right? So I say go and drink in moderation. Try my tips to avoid the drinks that hit you hardest or are hard to stop drinking. Drink lots of water too. It would make your wife happy and you’ll feel better the next day. Enjoy your days. Get up and see the sunrise. It makes the day feel so much longer. Do other activities. Don't use the excuse that you need to drink your monies worth.
If you feel you can’t do that, even if you really want to, then perhaps it’s time to really take a long look at your drinking?
I hope you convince her to go and show her how much fun you can have without drinking too much. Good luck!

She needs to not "judge" others and just chill :) We go and enjoy our time and drinks with no prior limits set.
The funny thing about the hubby and I is for some reason one of stays just a little more less drunk then the other. It just happens without discussion :cool: One will start to get more buzzed then the other and so the other puts a governor on it LOL You need your week to decompress from your profession!

If your drinking is a problem for her you may want to maintain..I know if I'm not happy there's a REAL good chance my husband and I aren't going to have alot of "quality time " together if you get my drift...

I never think of it in the value of drinks consumed, but certainly appreciate the fact that I don't have to pay for each one.

However, I think your numbers might be a little low... with taxes and resort fees, you'd be paying at least $200/nt. at a decent beach-front hotel (I'm in Florida so I know). Mixed drinks at these resorts can be as much as $12 - $15 each. My husband paid $18 for a double rum/coke at that popular resort in the Bahamas. Then there's food... again, if you eat at a resort, you're easily going to pay $30 for breakfast; $50 for lunch and $100 for dinner. Lastly... you didn't factor in the activities. Do you snorkel, scuba dive, take the catamaran cruise? You easily have $50 bucks a pop for any of those in the states. Factor in free shuttle to/from airport, no parking or valet fees, NO TIPPING... plus the value of just not having to worry about how much you're spending and it's a landslide!

I'm going to NYC for four days and just the airfare and hotel are more than what I would be paying for a trip to Jamaica. It's so hard for me to justify going anywhere else anymore!

Bottom line... you're getting a great deal! And as far as I'm concerned, if you're not starting fights or falling over, you haven't had too much to drink. Just make sure you don't always just pass out when you get back to your room either. Couples is about romance, too! ;)

Do not agree to drink less (than what or when) or put a set limit.

However, the last person I knew who tried to calculate the number of drinks it would take to come out ahead of the cost of the room puked on his first night and was very obnoxious the rest the time.

You can agree not to be that person, and that should ease her concern.

my wife and i averaged about 20 drinks a day and were never "drunk" just order more food

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Originally Posted by Tysver

. . . . I need to convince her why I [don't] need to bring a swimsuit as the island doesn't require one . . . .

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You need to bring AT LEAST one swimsuit. You'll likely wear it with a t-shirt to breakfast, and you'll wear it as you take the boat over to Tower Island. You disrobe once you're on the island, not before, so please, bring a swimsuit.

The island closes at 5 o'clock. If you want to continue drinking after you leave the island but before showering and changing for dinner, I suspect that you might spend some time at the swim-up bar. You'll need a swimsuit if you plan to get in the pool.

OMG!!! I thought MY husband wrote this!!!

PS I think he has easily consumed his 14 drinks a day as well as my 14!

My motto..."Pace yourself" and keep a piece of paper with your room number on it in your pocket...just in case!

Have a great time for your 192 hours!

Interesting thread! I'll start by saying that I can understand where both you and your wife are coming from. My fiance and I both really love to drink while on vacation...ESPECIALLY while at All Inclusives. We start with mimosas at 8am and don't really stop until midnight. That being said, while we were in Mexico in December at an AI, I was getting a little irritated that he would still be ordering shots of tequila at midnight while I just wanted to go back to the room and hang out because I was so exhausted from the sun, booze, etc...
Maybe your wife would like a night where she doesn't have to be the responsible one. If she's holding back because she feels that she has to keep an eye on you, then maybe it would be nice to take a night off (not day, just night!) so that she can be the crazy one or at least be on the same page together buzz wise.
So to answer your question, we don't have an agreed on amount to consume. My fiance has the mentality that if alcohol is free, he must consume large quantities of it. However, we have decided to try to keep a balance when we go for our honeymoon in September. I can't wait!!

Laura