Drink Recommendations...if you don't care for the taste of alcohol :)

[MelSpees]

Don't ever feel pressured to drink alcohol. Also, don't feel pressured into buying a drink at all in the bars on the ship. It's not like going into a bar somewhere else. There is no overhead for the building etc. The venue is there for you to enjoy. Go enjoy the activities and atmosphere. If you want to get something, go ahead, but don't feel like you have to.

 

[FigmentSpark]

Don't ever feel pressured to drink alcohol. Also, don't feel pressured into buying a drink at all in the bars on the ship. It's not like going into a bar somewhere else. There is no overhead for the building etc. The venue is there for you to enjoy. Go enjoy the activities and atmosphere. If you want to get something, go ahead, but don't feel like you have to.

And the Mom in me has to add.... if ever, on land, someone pressures you or asks why you're not drinking, just smile and say "designated driver". No one will argue with that.

 

[Cirlonde]

Don't ever feel pressured to drink alcohol. Also, don't feel pressured into buying a drink at all in the bars on the ship. It's not like going into a bar somewhere else. There is no overhead for the building etc. The venue is there for you to enjoy. Go enjoy the activities and atmosphere. If you want to get something, go ahead, but don't feel like you have to.

And the Mom in me has to add.... if ever, on land, someone pressures you or asks why you're not drinking, just smile and say "designated driver". No one will argue with that.

That's very thoughtful of you both! But it will just be my husband and I (both of us in our mid-thirties), so no worries about feeling pressured to drink! My concern is more about not wanting to take up space at a table without ordering something, alcoholic or otherwise. And if I do decide to order a drink, I want the best chance of getting something that I will like!

We are cruising in May too. Also doing SW and DC. Never been to either of those, we are super excited.

We haven't ever been to either SW or DC before either! It's going to be a whole trip of firsts for us! We initially planned to do a dolphin excursion in Nassau, but after some research we felt like DC would be the better use of our money for a similar (possibly better) experience. And we couldn't pass up the free entry to SW that comes with the tickets. I hope you guys have an amazing time!!

I am not a big drinker either. I loved the Pina Colava. It was raspberry mixed with pina colada. I had it on deck. Then when in one lounge I didn't see it on the menu, I must have looked disappointed and the server asked what I wanted. They promptly said no problem and went and got it for me.

Oo, that twist on a traditional pina colada sounds interesting! Another one for the list, thank you!

 

[TestingH2O]

Also, don't feel pressured into buying a drink at all in the bars on the ship. It's not like going into a bar somewhere else. There is no overhead for the building etc. The venue is there for you to enjoy.

My concern is more about not wanting to take up space at a table without ordering something, alcoholic or otherwise.

Excellent point @MelSpees This is 100% true. Most day time hours on the Wonder, people were playing games and hanging out but not drinking. The bar tenders weren't at all bothered.

 

[JW9DVC]

They have many drinks that don’t taste of alcohol.


Skooby Snacks are great!

• .5 oz Coconut rum
• .5 oz Creme de Bananes
• .5 oz Melon liqueur
• .5 oz Pineapple juice
• 1.5 oz Whipped cream

 

[Maggie'sMom]

They have many drinks that don’t taste of alcohol.


Skooby Snacks are great!

• .5 oz Coconut rum
• .5 oz Creme de Bananes
• .5 oz Melon liqueur
• .5 oz Pineapple juice
• 1.5 oz Whipped cream

This sounds so good. I have all the ingredients except for the melon liqueur and actually thought for a sec "I think the liquor store is still open. Maybe I should run over there." But then decided I'm too comfy here at home.

 

[mmouse37]

I usually get this while sitting around the pool but it could work indoors too!!! I like having a Mudslide....they swirl chocolate syrup around the inside of the glass before filling. The whole drink tastes like a chocolate milkshake. Yum!

I also do not enjoy the taste of alcohol.

MJ

 

[tigger2002]

I'm not a big fan of the taste of alcohol either, so my drinks have to be mild, but I absolutely LOVE the Island Navigator!

Do they still have the Island Navigator?

 

[rcchello]

My favorite was to Get the drink of the day and every time it was down a quarter I would bring the level back up by adding self serve vanilla. As the night went on the drink was lower alcohol and higher ice cream.

Easier at the deck bars then at the inside ones.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Don't ever feel pressured to drink alcohol. Also, don't feel pressured into buying a drink at all in the bars on the ship. It's not like going into a bar somewhere else. There is no overhead for the building etc. The venue is there for you to enjoy. Go enjoy the activities and atmosphere. If you want to get something, go ahead, but don't feel like you have to.

I agree with this. For a variety of reasons, I don't drink a lot of alcohol (maybe one or two drinks a year) and I've never felt uncomfortable just ordering sparkling water or a virgin drink at any of the venues on DCL. If I do order something, I typically order a frozen drink and ask them to go light on the alcohol.

 

[lklgoodman]

Any time we go into the bars, usually to see a performer, there are a lot more people sitting there without any kind of drink than there are people drinking.

 

[iheartglaciers]

I'm not a big drinker, so I often just order a soft drink when I go to bars. If you feel cheap, you can always give them a nice tip. One thing you can do is ask the bartender to make you a mocktail. Usually they'll come up with something tasty without alcohol that tastes more special than a soft drink. And mocktails have gotten more trendy so I've never felt weird asking for one. I think they like to make something fun.

 

[mom2brooke76]

I also am not a fan of alcohol taste and have never had any issue telling servers or bartenders what I like and they're great at making it happen. I do however highly recommend the Sunken Treasure drink. Not only is it beautiful, but delicious too! Also, almost any fruity or dessert type of martini is great at hiding liquor.

 

[taaren]

I don't mind alcohol taste but I prefer sugary fruity drinks in general. A lot of times on cruises I order the non-alcoholic drink of the day because it sounds delicious, my 11 year old can share it with me, I have too high a tolerance for alcohol so getting buzzed takes way more than I am willing to spend both calorically and $$, (seriously, for the calories in alcohol I could eat another dessert!) and also I hang out with Mormon friends on cruises frequently.
When I do drink, here are a couple you can try if you feel like being a social drinker: Amaretto sour - basically a almond liqueur with whiskey sour mix, there is no whiskey the sour mix is a sweet lemonade. Dirty Shirley - a shirley temple with alcohol mixed in. One of the poolside bartenders at the Grand Californian recommended this when I told him I was in the mood for a drink without wanting to taste the liquor.
The bartenders are pretty awesome in general at Disney about being accommodating to people who want alcohol that doesn't taste like alcohol ... and if they recommend something, you take a sip, and don't like it, see if they'll switch it out for something else, their customer service ethic is so responsive they usually will.

 

[kiford]

Order whatever you like, they don't mind. If you want something more than the usual soft drink, IIRC most of the lounges routinely have one or more virgin or special non-alcoholic drinks. And, yes, you can ask them to make anything as long as they have the ingredients, equipment and know how to make it. You can ask them to use a particular brand of alcohol if you want. For example, I prefer my gimlet made with Tanqueray so I specifically ask for that when I order one. If you want a light pour, ask for that. Or better yet - tell the bartender that you don't really like the taste of alcohol but want something that is alcoholic and ask what he would suggest/make for you. That might get you something more interesting that you might select yourself.

 

[DizMagic]

Also not a big liquor fan. I do LOVE amaretto sours though. Just amaretto liqueur and sweet & sour mix. I could drink those all day (or until I passed out).

 

[MustLoveDisney]

I think if you stick to the drinks of the day, you should be okay. They're all very fruity and pretty much rum based (if my memory is correct). I don't particularly like the taste of alcohol either, but I do love a fruity cocktail!

 

[Anchors Away 2016]

I should clarify...I enjoy the way a little alcohol makes me feel, I just want to get the same results with something that tastes good, haha! So it's not necessarily that I'm trying to avoid it altogether, but rather trying to find something that is palatable. No sense spending good money on something I have to force down!

See, this is exactly the way I took your first post. Not that you wanted to avoid alcohol, just that you didn't want to taste it. I know a lot of people who ask the same question. Looks like you've gotten a lot of good suggestions. Enjoy!

My concern is more about not wanting to take up space at a table without ordering something, alcoholic or otherwise.

One comment about this. I understand how you feel, but look at it this way, this is perhaps the ONE time when you can walk into a bar and they truely don't mind if you don't order something. The whole ship is there for you to enjoy and optional things are truely optional. I've read here that sometimes the waiter will come up and ask you if you want something and if you say no, they will flip your napkin over, so that all the other servers know not to ask you again. Of course, if you want something later, that is fine.

We drank in several of the bars, but sometimes we just went in for the atmosphere, or a presentation or a mini buffet at night, etc. We never felt pressured to spend money. Likewise, unlike EVERY OTHER BAR EVER, they don't mind if you bring food or drinks from other parts of the ship into the bar. No problem.

 

[Cirlonde]

I usually get this while sitting around the pool but it could work indoors too!!! I like having a Mudslide....they swirl chocolate syrup around the inside of the glass before filling. The whole drink tastes like a chocolate milkshake. Yum!

I also do not enjoy the taste of alcohol.

MJ

Mudslides always look SO good in pictures, but I've never tried one before. This may just be the perfect opportunity.

I'm not a big drinker, so I often just order a soft drink when I go to bars. If you feel cheap, you can always give them a nice tip. One thing you can do is ask the bartender to make you a mocktail. Usually they'll come up with something tasty without alcohol that tastes more special than a soft drink. And mocktails have gotten more trendy so I've never felt weird asking for one. I think they like to make something fun.

Oh, I hadn't thought about asking for a mocktail! That might be a good alternative, especially if I don't feel in the mood for "tipsy".

One comment about this. I understand how you feel, but look at it this way, this is perhaps the ONE time when you can walk into a bar and they truely don't mind if you don't order something. The whole ship is there for you to enjoy and optional things are truely optional. I've read here that sometimes the waiter will come up and ask you if you want something and if you say no, they will flip your napkin over, so that all the other servers know not to ask you again. Of course, if you want something later, that is fine.

We drank in several of the bars, but sometimes we just went in for the atmosphere, or a presentation or a mini buffet at night, etc. We never felt pressured to spend money. Likewise, unlike EVERY OTHER BAR EVER, they don't mind if you bring food or drinks from other parts of the ship into the bar. No problem.

This is a really great point that I hadn't thought about, and it's nice to know that it's a common enough situation that the servers have a method in place to keep from wasting their time! Also, as a previous poster mentioned...there's no overhead for the space, so it makes sense that they aren't needing to sale beverages in order to make up the cost of turning the lights on. That makes me feel a little better.

 

[Anchors Away 2016]

This is a really great point that I hadn't thought about, and it's nice to know that it's a common enough situation that the servers have a method in place to keep from wasting their time!

Thanks. Glad to help. Remember too, that method isn't just to keep from wasting their time. They want to keep from bothering you. They want you to be comfortable and happy. If 10 different servers ask you "what would you like," you won't be happy, and they don't want that.