AIBU to be a bit peed off about the new all inclusive drinking rule in Spain?

[Pinkycloud]

Don’t want to come across a raging alcoholic but we’ve booked an all inclusive holiday (costing about £7.5k) for me DH and 4 DC and am peed off to see you can now only have 3 alcoholic drinks with lunch and three with dinner. I know six seems a lot but it’s more about being told when you can have them and how many you can have at a given time. We’ve been to this place before (Majorca) and used to enjoy lazy afternoons sipping a beer or three by the pool. Doesn’t seem like ‘all inclusive’ anymore and we’re paying thousands for the bloody thing!

If they reduce the number of AI drinks in Magaluf etc, people will probably go SC or B&B instead and just buy the same amount of alcohol in other bars or in supermarkets or go somewhere else instead.

Because most of the people who go on holiday to Magaluf go there because they want a drinking holiday in the sun and people who want a naice relaxed sunny holiday won't go to Magaluf because they think it will be full of boozed up clubbers and hotels/bars etc catering for them. So it's going to take a hell of a shift for the Magaluf tourist board to persuade the type of tourists they want to go on holiday there.

The people who say they couldn't drink six alcoholic drinks in a day, probably have no idea how weak all inclusive alcoholic drinks are.

I'm a complete lightweight and yet I could easily drink 6 rum and cokes in any AI I've been to, without feeling little more than tipsy. Had I drank them in a bar outside of the hotel, I'd be absolutely floored!

Great idea, nothing worse than the loud vest wearing loud shouty Brit on the booze at 11am after his full English. Also why would anyone go AI in Spain? So much good food and great restaurants.

So if this was introduced in 2020 have the terms of your holiday changed or was it like this when you booked?

I think it shouldn’t be labelled as All Inclusive if there are limits.

You are paying a premium to not have to spend any other money throughout your stay on eating and drinking.

I don’t even drink and think this was really off.

imagine going to a hotel and paying for full board but then in the small print it limits you to just 2 meals per day.

My issue would be with the description of saying something is AI and what that means when it is not.

I went to Ibiza last year and had no idea about this rule. Was with young kids in holiday village and didn’t have more than 6 drinks a day but I had a few and it wasn’t policed at all so I’m sure I could easily have had more than 6. Maybe it’s not all resorts and you might be ok op.

Yabu. 6 drinks is way more than enough.

Well, no-one was really going in 2020 so not that surprising if people missed it,

So does it HAVE to be three at lunch and three in the evening or can you forego lunch and just do six in the evening?

or maybe go get your lunch drinks and stash them somewhere for later?

I agree they are very weak.

at home I can’t drink more than two drinks a day - and I don’t drink that often.

I love pina coladas on holiday. Last time I went to an AI resort I probably had three or four most days by the pool and was still quite sober. I could have wine with dinner no problem. No hangover - at home four cocktails would floor me

@Whammyyammy

well that’s you isn’t it. Plenty of people can drink more than six drinks spread out over the day

It’s irrelevant how many drinks other posters consider ‘enough’. What matters are whether the terms and conditions have been changed significantly since you booked the holiday.
I’ve never been AI, but if I had paid on the basis that all food and alcohol was included in the price and then a limit and conditionals were later imposed, I’d be a bit put out.
If it was already in the terms and conditions at the time of booking, then I wouldn’t have a problem.

We don't generally do AI as we like to get out and about during the day and for dinner, we did in Mexico pre DS, I was surprised to see so many people drinking from morning until night, it was a high end five star resort. No bad behaviour, I'm just obviously a light weight, day drinking in the sun gives me a headache. I did have a mimosa with breakfast once or twice though...

when did you book? I only ask as it was put out months ago that this was going to be implemented so if you booked without checking then YABU

@megletthesecond

says who? You?

Also why would anyone go AI in Spain?

Can you not think of any reasons at all? Here, I'll try.

Because it's extremely affordable. Because it means they know how much they will spend on food and drink. Because they aren't interested in fine dining, they just want sun and sand, with plenty of food and drink without having to decide where to eat that night. Because it's cheaper for them than buying everything separately.

There are probably more reasons than that. I've never done AI, but I don't think it's tricky to work out why people do.

I agree. Drink or two in the afternoon, cocktail before dinner, couple of glasses of wine with dinner. Digestif. Do people really need more? Six sounds ample.

bare in mind where this rule is being implemented -
ibiza
majorca - magaluf

Completely agree with this. It should only apply to new bookings (though that would cause problems with some allowed as many as they like and others only allowed the six).Mind you I couldn't drink more than three max, so if I ever go AI you can have mine

@Whatsmyname100

because it’s nice to have a few drinks when on holiday? Pearl clutcher

This.

Was it made clear to you at the time of booking and is it mentioned in the brochure/advert/hotel description? If not then you should speak to the travel agent about it as the terms and conditions have significantly altered, you should be able to transfer your booking to an alternative but comparable hotel/resort.

Well there’s a reason they’ve introduced the rule. Perhaps the “ non Pearl clutchers” have kicked the arse out of it and they’re wanting their islands back a bit.

nothing worse than the loud vest wearing loud shouty Brit on the booze at 11am after his full English

Not generally the sort to go AI though. This is the sort to get totally trashed going bar to bar, with top ups of 6 packs from the local supermarket.

It's not about how much any individual poster could drink or how much they think is a reasonable amount - it's about being sold AI and not getting AI. You have been Mia sold and should be contacting the resort for a partial refund if they are not giving you what you paid for.

It does piss me off when people say it's free. I bet they are the same morons who say the NHS is free too, completely ignoring the fact that it's only free at the point of delivery and that people have paid in advance

It doesn't matter what people deem as plenty of alcohol what matters is people have paid for all inclusive.
You don't want full board of full board plus. It isn't right.

I could get through 6 drinks because they are cheap spirits a lot of the time and it takes me some days to find the nicer ones. Some cocktails are just too sweet. Thanks for the update OP I will be wary in future!

I think the hotels should be using branded vodka or whatever if there's a limit!