Why do you bring booze onboard?

[Taxguy77]

Well, originally, I thought you were actually interested in the motivations of passengers bringing on their own. But now I see that you are just as interested in agreeing and complimenting every post that accuses those you asked to contribute to your thread of stealing from cruiselines ..................., hmmm looks like a set up to me. :D

 

Again, I thank all of the cabin stewards I have had for keeping my Sam Adams Light nice and cold on ice. Of course, I guess some might consider these employees to be part of the "conspiracy" to rip off the cruiselines. ;)

If I knew that, they would be in a 'conspiacy' to move it to my room!:cool:

[Taxguy77]

"My only stance on this whole debate is that I could never smuggle booze onboard because I would not want to deal with the guilt of breaking the rules. "

 

 

Do you always stay at the posted speed limit when driving?

Do you always come to a complete stop at every stop sign?

Have you ever taken your own candy or snack to a movie theatre?

Have you ever received cash or tips for work done and not reported it as income to the government?

 

If you have done so to any of the above or any other "rules" set out to you then you are just as guilty as us who bring a bottle onboard with us.

 

I think each of us views rules emposed on us with our own discretion as to whether the rules are fair or not. Personally, me having the odd drink confined to my room is one thing, wheeling out a cooler out to the pool and mixing my own cocktails in plain view of others is another.

 

Hitting below the belt!! Glad I don't have to say "ouch!".

[Taxguy77]

You must be getting desperate to have to grope for such an inappropriste comparison. In no way is it suggested anywhere that privately arranged tours are not allowed. It is, however, made clear that private supplies of liquor are not permitted. Hardly "...exactly the same...".

 

Grow up: admit that you are trying to get away with something --- no body is going to condemn you -- it is just that your feeble justifications are getting tiresome.

Not "exactly" the same, but pretty dam- close.

[Cruise Junky]

Can we just stop! This thread has gone downhill rapidly. It started as an adult discussion and turned into a stupid name calling thread. I assure you that those for and against smuggling really don't care about the other side's reasoning or justification.

 

Let it go!!

[Taxguy77]

OP: Thanks for starting the thread!:) Hope I'm not too drunk, wasn't when I started reading, but a lot of posts have come on.

Your point and question was missed by most of them.:eek:

Took (Didn't realize it was 'smuggling') a bottle of Scotch on board the NCL Crown years ago. We had a bow window, very few balconeys in those days, and enjoyed a drink before we dressed for dinner. The room steward had a fresh litre bottle of each, plain water (for me) and fizzy water (agua con gas) for my DW. Plus fresh fruit. That would be suite class now! Never took the bottle out of the room nor failed to buy a wine for dinner. Loss to NCL=0.! Trips booked with NCL after that cruise= 6. Never changed until they cut back EVERYTHING.

Have never bothered to take a bottle ( on a cruise, have on land) since, as we quit hard liquor and stick to beer.

If you HAVE to smuggle booze onboard to enjoy the cruise to save money(assuming they sell the brand you like), you have more troubles than can be solved here.

[spongerob]

Bean counters are incredible folks. They know the percentage of folks' date=' based on averages, who will not consume alcohol or don't drink. They know, based on averages, how much they will most likely earn on each cruise. These and other statistics are taken into account when planning revenue targets.

[/quote']Statistics are tools, not rules. Anyone who doesn't understand that is probably a bean counter. As RCI found out, and I will repeat, they saw no change in on-board spending at the bars when they aggressively enforced their rules, and when they were lax.

 

One could also argue, using the same logic, that people who book inside cabins and never take ship's tours have an effect on everyone else. ;)

[Putterdude]

My vote would be to end the thread....it's been interesting but it is going no where fast. On the side of the pro-sneaking, my head has not been changed and it won't be until the curiselines enforce their own regulations. I also don't believe that the anti-sneaking side has had their minds changed either. The thread has been interesting and at times amusing...but enough is enough.:)

[DaDead]

We take on our own booze/wine because we spend most of our free time on our deck enjoying each other. We're not ones for hanging out in bars and don't go to a lot of the shows at night, we'd rather take in the stars and enjoy each others company. That includes a cocktail that I have no intention of phoning room service for or running to a bar. On Princess it's not a big deal if we take on hard stuff as they're pretty reasonable by the bottle. I don't feel like I'm cheating anyone, we average about $100 a day onboard spending. I'm sure any cruise line would be happy if they could average that.

 

We don't equate it to taking wine to a restaurant as the ship is our hotel for the week, not just somewhere we eat. Really couldn't care less what other's think so please keep your rude comments to yourself.

 

I agree 100%. My husband is very fussy about the Irish Whisky that he drinks and he likes to have a cocktail on the balcony so he "smuggles" his favorite brand on board. Even so, we still have a pretty hefty bar bill at the end of a cruise! So the cruise line is still making money off of us and one bottle of whisky isn't going to hurt their profits!

[crazcane05]

That price works only because the line charges extra for other things - casino, tours, upscale restaurants and, yes, drinks.

 

I guess the many people that do not partake in the casino, book outside excursions, eat only the included food, and drink only free drinks or bring their own soda and water (which is allowed) are also impacting the cruise prices.....:cool: Man, cheapskates ruin it for everyone! :rolleyes:

[yesaccasey]

You drink what you want

You drink when you want

And my bar bill is high enough anyways.

 

Why wouldn't you?

[chrispb]

To bath in, of course.

 

(A silly question deserves a silly answer).:cool:

[Almost Packed]

i say why not bring it onboard. you can bring wine, why not a bottle of your favorite liquor? honestly, what's the difference?

 

the question should be...why do cruise lines ban certain alcohol? i have been just as tipsy off of wine as i have from a bottle of rum or 2 beers. so is it honestly about curbing the "intoxicated passengers"?

 

it's about $'s for the cruiseline...i understand they want to make a profit. why discriminate against your beverage of choice however?

 

okay, wine they get a corkage fee....when i bring my rum runners, i buy their soft drinks....if i spend more on alcoholic drinks, it's less i have to spend shopping, buying pics and losing in the casino...so all my $'s still go to the cruise line...i just choose which dollars and how....they actually make more of a profit by me doing it this way then they would if i had no adult beverages.

[RetireeWannabee]

Half correct. You don't lose the booze. You only lose access to it until the cruise is over.

You lose the booze if it's not in the original container.

[julieanne]

when i bring my rum runners, i buy their soft drinks....if i spend more on alcoholic drinks, it's less i have to spend shopping, buying pics and losing in the casino...so all my $'s still go to the cruise line...i just choose which dollars and how....they actually make more of a profit by me doing it this way then they would if i had no adult beverages.

I don't anymore......I bring Crystal Light to mix with some of my booze......My flavored Vodkas I drink on the rocks.....why ruin perfectly good, smuggled booze? :)LOL! I love this thread!

[RetireeWannabee]

...As noted previously, smuggling liquor and taking non-ship excursions both cost the cruise line money.

 

Not true. They never had my drinking or excursion money to start with, so it cost them nothing to not get that business from me.

 

They will carry the liquor and offer the excursions whether or not anyone purchases them (may cancel low enrollment excursion). I agree that the line incurs a cost to purchase a case of Liquor, but it's also true that the bottle will produce the same number of drinks whether it's emptied on this cruise, or the next, or the one after that. they still get their money from the inventory purchased. eventually. I believe this is why they do not carry more than mainstream liquor - to turn over the inventory quicker.

 

But, it doesn't cost them to keep that bottle of, eh, Happy Liquid since it is already paid for. The ship does not incur a cost when a person smuggles.

[pom]

Confirmed...they have the strictest policy at sea.

 

Hi I was reading this when I did my on line checking in,

 

Guests are not allowed to bring beer or hard liquor onboard for consumption or any other use. Guests wishing to bring personal wine onboard with them at the beginning of the cruise may do so, limited to two (2) bottles per stateroom, but when consumed in any

shipboard restaurant, bar, or dining venue, each bottle shall be subject to a corkage fee of $25.00.

 

Alcoholic beverages that are purchased in ports of calls or from the onboard shops will be stored by the ship and delivered to guest's staterooms on the last day of the sailing.

Security may inspect containers (water bottles, soda bottles, mouthwash, luggage etc.) and will dispose of containers holding alcohol.

 

Celebrity Cruises’ Guest Conduct Policy may be enforced, up to and including disembarkation, if a guest violates any alcohol policy. Guests

under the age of twentyone(21) will not have alcohol returned to them.

 

I was also told on another site by a person who had a friend just come off the same cruise I am going on and he had his rum runners sitting on the table and the stewart told him that he was supposed to report anyone who had them

 

So yes they are getting really strick on their alcohol , so I am going to buy some wine and other by the ships on line that you can buy and you are not charged the cork fee if you buy it from them as stated

[Cruise Junky]

Hi I was reading this when I did my on line checking in,

 

Guests are not allowed to bring beer or hard liquor onboard for consumption or any other use. Guests wishing to bring personal wine onboard with them at the beginning of the cruise may do so, limited to two (2) bottles per stateroom, but when consumed in any

shipboard restaurant, bar, or dining venue, each bottle shall be subject to a corkage fee of $25.00.

 

Alcoholic beverages that are purchased in ports of calls or from the onboard shops will be stored by the ship and delivered to guest's staterooms on the last day of the sailing.

Security may inspect containers (water bottles, soda bottles, mouthwash, luggage etc.) and will dispose of containers holding alcohol.

 

Celebrity Cruises’ Guest Conduct Policy may be enforced, up to and including disembarkation, if a guest violates any alcohol policy. Guests

under the age of twentyone(21) will not have alcohol returned to them.

 

I was also told on another site by a person who had a friend just come off the same cruise I am going on and he had his rum runners sitting on the table and the stewart told him that he was supposed to report anyone who had them

 

So yes they are getting really strick on their alcohol , so I am going to buy some wine and other by the ships on line that you can buy and you are not charged the cork fee if you buy it from them as stated

 

You're quoting Celebrity, I was talking about Royal Caribbean.

[Kaboochi]

I thought RCCI did not allow you to bring a bottle/pp onboard. Does anyone know?

[Cruise Junky]

I thought RCCI did not allow you to bring a bottle/pp onboard. Does anyone know?

 

Royal Caribbean doesn't allow you to take any alcoholic beverage including wine. To my knowledge, it's the only line that doesn't allow wine.

[Putterdude]

Royal Caribbean doesn't allow you to take any alcoholic beverage including wine. To my knowledge, it's the only line that doesn't allow wine.

 

Well that's it ....RCI is off my list....don't they know that prohibition was just a temparary measure that didn't work...thank God for small mercies. ;)

[G'ma]

"My only stance on this whole debate is that I could never smuggle booze onboard because I would not want to deal with the guilt of breaking the rules. "

 

 

Do you always stay at the posted speed limit when driving? Yes, it's the LAW, not a rule

Do you always come to a complete stop at every stop sign? Yes, ti's the law, not a rule

Have you ever taken your own candy or snack to a movie theatre? No, why would I?

Have you ever received cash or tips for work done and not reported it as income to the government? No, why would I?

 

If you have done so to any of the above or any other "rules" set out to you then you are just as guilty as us who bring a bottle onboard with us.

 

I think each of us views rules emposed on us with our own discretion as to whether the rules are fair or not. Personally, me having the odd drink confined to my room is one thing, wheeling out a cooler out to the pool and mixing my own cocktails in plain view of others is another.

 

Well, here's the deal. If everyone obeyed the "rules" according to their own discretion, we'd have anarchy.

 

Would you light up a smoke where it is prohibited? Would you yell "fire" in a crowded theater because you have freedom of speech?

 

Each person has a moral compass.....and they behave according to that compass....some are lacking.

 

If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don't have integrity, nothing else matters.

 

We can moralize all we want, make any excuse we want, talk about freedom of choice, "my money, my cruise" and all the other excuses. The fact is, those who smuggle booze do it so they don't have to shell out the money for drinks at the bar. That's it.

 

People who take their own candy into a theater do it for one reason....they don't want to shell out at the conessions stand. Those who cheat on their taxes do so because they don't want to pay up. Folks who run stop signs and exceed the speed limit do it because they believe they are entitled to do so.

 

There are those who truly believe they are completely exempt from any rule they don't like....and can do what they want at will.

[G'ma]

For the anti-smuggling crowd, have you ever booked an excursion outside of the cruise line? Don't you realize by doing so you're have a direct effect on the cruise line's bottom line and driving up the costs for everyone else? Do you feel guilty about doing that? Of course not. Nor should you. You're simply trying to have a more favorable experience on your cruise at a lesser cost to you. Which is exactly the same as enjoying a smuggled beer in your cabin.

 

There is no prohibition on booking outside tours...there are prohibitions on bringing your own booze.

[G'ma]

Love this thread! I am still going to stick with my original opinion that the ship is a floating hotel. Hotels never stop you from bringing liquor into your room. The fact of the matter is, if you're not traipsing all over the ship with your sippy cup, what is it anybody's business? I don't bring my own food/appetizers to a restaurant and I don't bring my own booze to a club but, I do bring booze into my hotel room. People who drink will always buy booze onboard. People who bring on their own booze are not affecting the bottom dollar. It's the cruise lines that are affecting their own bottom dollar by flooding the market with newer, bigger and better ships that they can't fill to capacity unless they cut the prices. A 14 day transatlantic cruise will cost me the same amount of $$$ that I spent in 2004. Cruising has never been cheaper (unless we're talking about 1972). Bottom line? You're entitled to your opinion but, it's not always about the money! I have family members who do not drink or drink very little. They do not partake of the ships services or tours. I guess they're impacting profits as well.......

 

Generally, hotels don't prohibit bringing alcohol into your room....cruise ships do.

 

I suppose, using this logic, that I'm free to light up in a nonsmoking hotel room?

[G'ma]

WOW! In 30 years that would be a billion dollars!:eek::confused:

 

Sure is.

 

Why do you think drinks have gone from 1.50-2.00 25 years ago to the prices today on a ship? Considering that most cruise lines buy their booze in bulk, duty free, drinks should remain a bargain onboard.

 

Even 10 years ago, it was rare to pay more than 3.00 for a drink or 1.75 for a bottle of beer.

 

Daily specials could be as low as 1.00......

 

The practice of smuggling has driven the prices up....which has increased smuggling, which as driven the prices up....it's a merry-go-round.

 

It doesn't effect me personally.....I don't feel the need to drink myself comatose at any time. Cocktail before dinner, maybe a bottle of wine for the dining room (which usually lasts a couple of days), perhaps an after dinner drink...maybe a special if it's Bloody Mary's.... Rarely more than 3 a day. But, that's me.

 

I can only laugh at the sots who spend their days sucking down alcohol and are plastered and foolish by noon....or who need to be assisted to their cabin because they are snockered.

[G'ma]

Of course smuggling liquor on board is not permitted; not one poster on this board disputes that. It's the rationale behind the rule that people question, which is generating additional revenue for the cruise line. As noted previously, smuggling liquor and taking non-ship excursions both cost the cruise line money. Simple...there is no rule against booking tours independently...there is a rule against smuggling.....You take offense to smuggling liquor but not taking non-ship excursions. That is illogical because if your argument is based on it hurting the ship's bottom line, they have the same effect. I don't give a rats behind about their bottom line....only to the extent it increases the amount of money I pay for my cruise and at the bar for YOUR behavior. The only difference being one is "against the rules," and one isn't. Which is the point. Do you light up in a nonsmoking area just because you don't like the ship's rule?

 

For all those of you like navybankerteacher whose argument boils down to, "I don't smuggle because it's against the rules," would you bring your own liquor onboard if it was allowed? No. I have no problem paying for my drinks onboard..whatever the selection. But, then, I don't drink myself into a coma nor am I so desparate for booze I'd smuggle it onboard. Besides, my suitcase is only 22"....no room.....:rolleyes:

 

I don't think much would change. The same people who currently bring it onboard to save a few bucks or to have the special drink they don't have available onboard (which seem to be the primary reasons posted to date) would keep doing so. The same people who currently don't because it's an inconvenience or because they don't care about the price savings (the primary reasons listed so far) will still do so.

 

Smuggler will smuggle....until the cruiselines invest in available scanners that detect liquids in a closed suitcase......like a few already have.