Alcohol on board

Can I buy full bottles to drink onboard? (not the duty free, I get that has to be taken off the ship at the end of the cruise).

I know there's a few available, under onboard reservations / Princess cellars on the princess website. But the selection is quite limited.

You may bring as many 750 ml bottles of wine or champagne as you wish. The first bottle per passenger is free as long as you do not consume it outside your cabin; additional bottles are supposed to be each charged a $15 corkage fee upon boarding, no matter where you plan to open it.

But presuming you are asking about hard liquor (based on the Princess cellars reference) the answer is no. Or yes as long as you do not get caught.

Smuggling discussion to commence in 3...2....1....

You may bring as many 750 ml bottles of wine or champagne as you wish. The first bottle per passenger is free as long as you do not consume it outside your cabin; additional bottles are supposed to be each charged a $15 corkage fee upon boarding, no matter where you plan to open it.

 

But presuming you are asking about hard liquor (based on the Princess cellars reference) the answer is no. Or yes as long as you do not get caught.

 

Smuggling discussion to commence in 3...2....1....

Not looking to turn this into a smuggling discussion... :)

But on Carnival I can buy a bottle of Scotch in the fun shops.

I notice they also sell scotch here (half bottles - 375 ml). But the selection is not good at all. I am wondering if they sell full size bottles, and better selection on board.

Now as for the smuggling discussion... is it rum runners? Mouthwash bottles? Shampoo? Re-corked wine bottles? ;p

Not looking to turn this into a smuggling discussion... :)

 

But on Carnival I can buy a bottle of Scotch in the fun shops.

 

I notice they also sell scotch here (half bottles - 375 ml). But the selection is not good at all. I am wondering if they sell full size bottles, and better selection on board.

Now as for the smuggling discussion... is it rum runners? Mouthwash bottles? Shampoo? Re-corked wine bottles? ;p

Princess sells what they claim is scotch. Johnny Walker Red and Cutty Sark. These are only palatable if you mix them with something and what is the point of scotch you have to mix?

No. You can't buy any other bottles of liquor for onboard consumption. Period. Any duty-free bottles you buy onboard are kept by the ship and given to you the last night before disembarkation day. If you want to drink that night there is nothing stopping you but you'd best drink the entire thing as they want your checked baggage put out that evening and it won't get past security in an airport in a carry-on bag.

My son bought 375ml vodka from room service.

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They d sell 375 ml bottles. Quite expensive.

Can I buy full bottles to drink onboard? (not the duty free, I get that has to be taken off the ship at the end of the cruise).

By “full” bottles do you mean 750 ml? The answer then is yes for wine and no for spirits. If however you regard a 375 bottle of spirits as “full” then the answer is yes for spirits as well. You can also pre-order spirits and wine prior to your cruise. We do that all the time and when on board and our cabin inventory starts running low we call cabin service and replenish. For pre-ordering, just use your Princess Personalizer, click on “Onboard Reservations then click on “Princess Cellars”. You might regard their list as "limited" though, however they do add and detract from time to time. Here is the list they have right now for spirit pre-order as well as from cabin delivery service:

Courvoisier VSOP

$32.20

Jim Beam

$17.25

Crown Royal

$23.00

Jack Daniel's

$27.60

Cutty Sark

$17.25

Johnnie Walker Red Label

$25.00

Skyy

$17.25

Absolut

$20.70

Bacardi White

$17.00

Cruzan Coconut

$17.25

Gordon's

$17.25

Bombay Sapphire

$23.00

I always figure that the 375ml bottle onboard is about the same cost as a 750ml bottle at home (if you live in the US - if you live in Canada then it's not expensive onboard at all). Even at what is, for me, twice the price it's still less expensive than buying drinks in the bar. Our last cruise and our next cruise (SOON!) were both booked under the Sip and Sail promo in 2016 so no worries for us and no need to purchase in-cabin bottles.

Princess sells what they claim is scotch. Johnny Walker Red and Cutty Sark. These are only palatable if you mix them with something and what is the point of scotch you have to mix?

 

No. You can't buy any other bottles of liquor for onboard consumption. Period. Any duty-free bottles you buy onboard are kept by the ship and given to you the last night before disembarkation day. If you want to drink that night there is nothing stopping you but you'd best drink the entire thing as they want your checked baggage put out that evening and it won't get past security in an airport in a carry-on bag.

One of the things that I wish Princess would seriously think about changing.....After all they are a UK based company....more or less...is their brand of scotch. What they sell is not scotch...it is a mixed bag of something or other that has to be mixed. they would do so much better to have some real single malts for sale. I know there are some at the bar....but it might be nice to be able to buy a small bottle for room consumption.....and rum also. There are some excellent rums available....God knows they go where they are made. PLEASE...Princess...think about it...

 

Now as for the smuggling discussion... is it rum runners? Mouthwash bottles? Shampoo? Re-corked wine bottles? ;p

All of the above are OK but I prefer the RumRunners.

As long as that keeps working (as it has in the past) I'll stick with them.

Should they change in the future I'll go to a re-corked wine bottle but that would take away from my 2 free bottles of wine. :confused:

Decisions, decisions.

My son bought 375ml vodka from room service.

 

 

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They no longer offer this option on the Regal Princess so I would be worried that may go fleet wide. According to what we saw and were told on the Regal, you can only order these bottles prior to your cruise via your personalizer or as a gift with them. You can not order them once on board the ship via room service or any other venue.

They no longer offer this option on the Regal Princess so I would be worried that may go fleet wide. According to what we saw and were told on the Regal, you can only order these bottles prior to your cruise via your personalizer or as a gift with them. You can not order them once on board the ship via room service or any other venue.

Not that the price was anything to get excited about in the first place but this is a bad move in general since it'll only lead to less profits in the long run.

ie- more smuggling.

They no longer offer this option on the Regal Princess so I would be worried that may go fleet wide. According to what we saw and were told on the Regal, you can only order these bottles prior to your cruise via your personalizer or as a gift with them. You can not order them once on board the ship via room service or any other venue.

We have been through this before: A little dichotomy here, as Princess says that it is not doing that on the Regal nor do they have plans to expand such a policy fleetwide. "It appears to me there has been no significant change in Princess room service liquor policy. "The rep. I spoke to was fairly knowledgeable but then after my questioning, he decided he didn’t have the answer for sure, so met with others then got back. He said, where that rumor stems from is an inventory procedure. If they don’t have enough of this or that in inventory to take care of pre-orders then they won’t deliver to the cabin until they get enough of that particular liquor in the ship’s storage. I suggested, that is the way it has always been, is it not, pre-orders get priority? I pinned them down and they said emphatically, that liquor orders from room service will still be honored and delivered if they have it. Now, I believe him, but I’m not certain if he has pertinent company policy down accurately with respect to changes here. So, I’m still nervous, made him promise to email me if he gets further insight." We get on the Pacific for over three weeks in a week, if I find such a policy is actually in the offing, Goodbye Princess hello Regent.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2568958&page=4

By “full” bottles do you mean 750 ml? The answer then is yes for wine and no for spirits. If however you regard a 375 bottle of spirits as “full” then the answer is yes for spirits as well. You can also pre-order spirits and wine prior to your cruise. We do that all the time and when on board and our cabin inventory starts running low we call cabin service and replenish. For pre-ordering, just use your Princess Personalizer, click on “Onboard Reservations then click on “Princess Cellars”. You might regard their list as "limited" though, however they do add and detract from time to time. Here is the list they have right now for spirit pre-order as well as from cabin delivery service:

 

 

Courvoisier VSOP

$32.20

Jim Beam

$17.25

Crown Royal

$23.00

Jack Daniel's

$27.60

Cutty Sark

$17.25

Johnnie Walker Red Label

$25.00

Skyy

$17.25

Absolut

$20.70

Bacardi White

$17.00

Cruzan Coconut

$17.25

Gordon's

$17.25

Bombay Sapphire

$23.00

I just checked my sailing aboard the Star, and this is what is on the list:

Spirits

Item-2345 FormCourvoisier VSOP

350ml Cognac

Item-2335 FormJim Beam

375ml Bourbon

Item-2333 FormCrown Royal

375ml Bourbon

Item-2334 FormJack Daniel's

375ml Bourbon

Item-2341 FormCutty Sark

350ml Scotch

Item-2340 FormJohnnie Walker Red Label

375ml Scotch

Item-2353 FormSkyy

375ml Vodka

Item-2360 FormCruzan Coconut

375ml Rum

Item-2367 FormGordon's

375ml Gin

We have been through this before: A little dichotomy here, as Princess says that it is not doing that on the Regal nor do they have plans to expand such a policy fleetwide. "It appears to me there has been no significant change in Princess room service liquor policy. "The rep. I spoke to was fairly knowledgeable but then after my questioning, he decided he didn’t have the answer for sure, so met with others then got back. He said, where that rumor stems from is an inventory procedure. If they don’t have enough of this or that in inventory to take care of pre-orders then they won’t deliver to the cabin until they get enough of that particular liquor in the ship’s storage. I suggested, that is the way it has always been, is it not, pre-orders get priority? I pinned them down and they said emphatically, that liquor orders from room service will still be honored and delivered if they have it. Now, I believe him, but I’m not certain if he has pertinent company policy down accurately with respect to changes here. So, I’m still nervous, made him promise to email me if he gets further insight." We get on the Pacific for over three weeks in a week, if I find such a policy is actually in the offing, Goodbye Princess hello Regent.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2568958&page=4

All I know is it wasn’t offered the week prior to our 12/3/17 Regal sailing when our friends texted me that and wasn’t offered on our sailing. The menu was also not in the room service book.

I always figure that the 375ml bottle onboard is about the same cost as a 750ml bottle at home (if you live in the US - if you live in Canada then it's not expensive onboard at all).

I agree with Thrak and others that the price of booze is outrageous on board. I also agree with the general rule that the price of a 750 ml bottle, of whatever, at your favorite retail liquor outlet at home will be close to what a 375 ml bottle of the same is on board. So today, when I was shopping at COSTCO I had to chuckle. A 750 ml bottle of their "The Last Drop" 58 year old Scotch Whiskey is $3,599.99 although they throw in a "free" 50 ml bottle of the same all in a very nice insulated container. Also, the COSTCO 750 ml bottle of Johnnie Walker "The John Walker Scotch Whiskey" is $2,799.00. Then, more for the budget minded would be COSTCO's 750 ml "Red Breast" Irish Whiskey for $239.99. So, if the formula holds, expect to pay $7,200.---$5,600.---$480.00 respectively on the ship.

I still am concerned as to whether or not there is not some merit to HostCJSkids' posts regarding Princess either cutting back on or eliminating completely previous cabin service booze orders and delivery service.

We just got off the Pacific Princess, after a little over three week cruise. We found, with one exception, no difference in pertinent service here that we have always experienced. The exception involved cases of water. Along with my spirits and wine order, I ordered a case of 24 bottles water on my Cruise Personalizer at their listed price per case. I received a half case of water for free instead, as it was apparently included in the cruise package. Later in the cruise, I ordered another case, which they told me they couldn't do unless I paid the going rate per bottle of two bucks. They said I had to "pre-order" in order to get one at the low rate. I said "I did". As you can determine, I was confused, so asked a few more questions, only to decide they were more confused that I.

I had no problem with spirits or wine cabin delivery. They had an outdated wine list for room service in our cabin. However, I found I could order any wine they had on the ship available in any bar, as they apparently quit stocking a wine inventory for delivery to the cabin, instead they would pick it up at the bar and delivery it. But they kept saying it would take some time to do that, however, never did it take more than 10 minutes for them to show up with my order. They always seemed confused though, leading me to believe some changes might be in the works. Here is what I said in my review to them:

"We never personally experienced much of a problem here, however, something is amiss. We did witness the considerable confusion which apparently exists within the Princess Cruise line fleet at large, this is over room service liquor order policy and even water bottle orders, as pre-orders prior to initial embarkation get tangled with room service liquor order requests due contradictions emanating from staff and company both orally and written. It might well be that the line is determined to eventually eliminate service to cabins where spirits or wine can be ordered for consumption within. If not, I suggest Princess better start attempting to squelch rumors and altercations that suggest otherwise, bring forth a consistent written policy/procedure, since a practice like that if it materializes, will be a real downer for cruisers like ourselves."

 

But on Carnival I can buy a bottle of Scotch in the fun shops.

 

You don't get any alcohol purchased in the Carnival Fun Shop until the end of the cruise. It's been years since you were able to bring a bottle purchased in the fun shop to your cabin for onboard consumption. They do offer bottles (mostly 1 liter) in their "In-Stateroom Beverages" ordering system, but they are extremely overpriced.

Has anybody had experience with ordering the 375 ml bottles from room service on the Regal in the last week or two? I'm trying to figure out if I need to preorder on the website or not! We like to have a drink on our balcony and have always enjoyed having the 375 ml bottles available from room service.

You don't get any alcohol purchased in the Carnival Fun Shop until the end of the cruise. It's been years since you were able to bring a bottle purchased in the fun shop to your cabin for onboard consumption. They do offer bottles (mostly 1 liter) in their "In-Stateroom Beverages" ordering system, but they are extremely overpriced.

“The Fun Shop” is what Carnival calls their online shop for ordering onboard items pre-cruise - similar what you get through Princess Cruise Personalizer. So yes, you can order 750 ml bottles of alcohol and have them delivered to your stateroom. They run $75 to $90 each I believe.

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“The Fun Shop” is what Carnival calls their online shop for ordering onboard items pre-cruise - similar what you get through Princess Cruise Personalizer. So yes, you can order 750 ml bottles of alcohol and have them delivered to your stateroom. They run $75 to $90 each I believe.

 

 

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Sorry, I may have called the shops onboard by the wrong name. We have always referred to them as the Fun Shops and I thought the post was referring to buying onboard.

“The Fun Shop” is what Carnival calls their online shop for ordering onboard items pre-cruise - similar what you get through Princess Cruise Personalizer. So yes, you can order 750 ml bottles of alcohol and have them delivered to your stateroom. They run $75 to $90 each I believe.

 

 

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The bottles of limited choices are 375 ml and not 750 ml. You have the prices correct however and they will sell you some mixers.

The bottles of limited choices are 375 ml and not 750 ml. You have the prices correct however and they will sell you some mixers.

If you follow the trail of the posts, you’ll see I’m replying to a post about Carnival, and their bottles are 750 ml and 1 litre for $75 to $90. However you are correct - Princess’ offerings are 375 ml and approx $18 to $35.

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My wife and I are booked for the 15 night RT from LA to Hawaii. That itinerary includes 9-10 sea days. My wife and I would love to be able to enjoy our suite balcony during those sea days, and we enjoy the odd rum and Coke. I had my TA check on purchasing a 350ML bottle of Rum, but the only Rum available was coconut flavored rum!:confused: That wouldn't be my choice for a rum and Coke. According to Ship's Services, they don't offer plain rum!:( You can order Jim Beam, Jack, Crown Royal, Vodka, Gin, Courvoisier, Cutty, Johnny Walker, and something called Cruzan Coconut, but no plain ordinary Rum! :rolleyes:

My wife and I are booked for the 15 night RT from LA to Hawaii. That itinerary includes 9-10 sea days. My wife and I would love to be able to enjoy our suite balcony during those sea days, and we enjoy the odd rum and Coke. I had my TA check on purchasing a 350ML bottle of Rum, but the only Rum available was coconut flavored rum!:confused: That wouldn't be my choice for a rum and Coke. According to Ship's Services, they don't offer plain rum!:( You can order Jim Beam, Jack, Crown Royal, Vodka, Gin, Courvoisier, Cutty, Johnny Walker, and something called Cruzan Coconut, but no plain ordinary Rum! :rolleyes:

I just checked on the Princess site under "Cruise Gifts and Services" and there is a choice of Bacardi White Rum or Cruzan Coconut Rum. I was not logged into a personalizer since I don't have a cruise booked currently, but you could easily check yourself and see if you can pre-order the Bacardi White. Might not be your rum of choice, but it's not coconut!