Beware of carnival and alcohol purchased at ports

[MelAl45]

Consumers beware!!!! We just returned from Carnival Freedom April 17-23 and had purchased alcohol in different ports. They have a new procedure where any alcohol purchased at ports has to be picked up the morning of departure. We went down at 6a.m. and they didn't even look at our papers. They gave us 1 box and then my husband reminded me there was another box, they searched and found it and gave it to us. I assumed everything was there and didn't want to open the boxes as we had to get off the ship and the boxes were all taped up. When we opened the box we realized our order purchased at Blackbeards Duty Free Liquor in Grand Cayman was not there and was rudely told by a carnival representative there was basically nothing she could do if it was left on the ship we would have to return to the port to pick it us. We are in the Tampa area and are leaving tomorrow morning and we most certainly are not going to travel 4 hours back to Port Everglades to pick it up. I have contacted the store where it was purchased and am waiting to hear back from them. This new procedure is terrible and they were not organized and we had to ask them twice for another order and finally got it and then come to find out we were still missing items purchased. I much preferred getting our alcohol delivered the night before disembarkment so you could check it and if there was anything missing you had time to check with guest services. Our cruise was great and we had an awesome time, but in the future I will spend my thousands of dollars with another cruiseline that appreciates my business and knows a little bit about customer service.

[Cruise-Crazy]

This has been the policy for a while.

 

I don't think ANY cruise line is going to send you some liquor you left on the ship.

[Jennfor5]

Oh wow!! That is a shame!! I would be upset too.

[Nanaimobound]

poor organization for sure.

We had to pick up our liquor last morning on RCI Mariner but it was basically painless.

[stewpapa]

Consumers beware!!!! We just returned from Carnival Freedom April 17-23 and had purchased alcohol in different ports. They have a new procedure where any alcohol purchased at ports has to be picked up the morning of departure. We went down at 6a.m. and they didn't even look at our papers. They gave us 1 box and then my husband reminded me there was another box, they searched and found it and gave it to us. I assumed everything was there and didn't want to open the boxes as we had to get off the ship and the boxes were all taped up. When we opened the box we realized our order purchased at Blackbeards Duty Free Liquor in Grand Cayman was not there and was rudely told by a carnival representative there was basically nothing she could do if it was left on the ship we would have to return to the port to pick it us. We are in the Tampa area and are leaving tomorrow morning and we most certainly are not going to travel 4 hours back to Port Everglades to pick it up. I have contacted the store where it was purchased and am waiting to hear back from them. This new procedure is terrible and they were not organized and we had to ask them twice for another order and finally got it and then come to find out we were still missing items purchased. I much preferred getting our alcohol delivered the night before disembarkment so you could check it and if there was anything missing you had time to check with guest services. Our cruise was great and we had an awesome time, but in the future I will spend my thousands of dollars with another cruiseline that appreciates my business and knows a little bit about customer service.

 

 

I sympathize with you about what happened, and Carnival is in the wrong. However, if it was me and if I felt like you do, "Our cruise was great and we had an awesome time...", I would just not buy the alcohol to take home any more since they do not take care of it. It's not that big a savings and it would cost you a lot more to switch cruise lines, most likely. Carnival won't care if you switch, so you are only hurting yourself. If that is the only thing that went wrong, and you had an awesome time, sounds like Carnival without alcohol purchases would be a good idea for you. Just MHO.

[crusinpsychRN]

I won't be buying alcohol. They may see sales on board drop.

[okgirl]

I won't be buying alcohol. They may see sales on board drop.

 

The alcohol purchased on the ship is still delivered to your cabin the last night, it's just the stuff bought off the ship. I guess they were spending too much of their time delivering non-Carnival purchases and it sounds like other cruise lines have this policy as well.

[LHP]

The alcohol purchased on the ship is still delivered to your cabin the last night, it's just the stuff bought off the ship. I guess they were spending too much of their time delivering non-Carnival purchases and it sounds like other cruise lines have this policy as well.

 

Janey:

 

I had never thought of that....but it sounds like you hit the nail on the head.

 

It also gives another "advantage" to purchasing Carnival's liquor.

[Mich3]

We purchase alcohol this way, and will continue to do so. I think it depends where you live and what you like to drink, as to how much of a "deal" it is. When we can buy a liter of Absolut in GC for 1/2 the cost of 750/fifth in Michigan, it is worth bringing back.

 

I do not like the new Carnival procedure of morning delivery either, since you can no longer carry the bottles on airplanes, so we have to pack them. We did not have any problems with getting our bottles though.

 

I prefer to buy them from Carnival for convenience, and you can take them back to your room after buying from Carnival the last evening. GC sells the least expensive Absolut though, so, we always purchase one on shore, and take the receipt to Carnival to price match the rest. For the bottles we bought on shore, we packed our checked bag full the night before, and left enough room in our carry-on to pack the bottles we had to pick up. My husband went and got them in the morning, and we packed them in our carry-on, which we checked at the airport, even though it was carry-on size.

[jules1121]

Such a shame as I really enjoy purchasing a couple of bottles of stuff we can't get here when we are in port (but not enough that I want to add to the chaos of debarkation). :(

[golfadj]

Just another way to make you purchase your liquor on the ship.

 

Not going to have to go someplace to pick up liquor purchased off the ship the last morning.

 

I understand they do not want me to drink my booze on the ship but if they took it off me they can at least deliver it to my cabin the last night.

 

Lousy policy inconveniencing Carnival customers.

[chasinraynbowz]

I am sorry this happened to you. I can see why it would be upsetting but I am curious as to one of your statements. You say you have contacted the store where it was purchased and are waiting to hear back from them. Why? What can they do? I am not bashing, just curious as to why.

[K&P Luv2Cruise]

The alcohol purchased on the ship is still delivered to your cabin the last night, it's just the stuff bought off the ship. I guess they were spending too much of their time delivering non-Carnival purchases and it sounds like other cruise lines have this policy as well.

 

We purchased liquor on board the Destiny during the last sea day, and while they told us it would be delivered to our room that night, it was not (that we knew of). When DH went to Guest Services, they stated that no-one was there to sign for it the night before, so they were holding it for us to pick up.

 

If this is the new policy, then Room Stewards should be required to leave a note that the delivery was attempted, and where it was being held.

 

Didn't inconvenience us too much, as we do self-disembark and we just packed it in the carry-on and disembarked the ship.:)

[Mich3]

We purchased liquor on board the Destiny during the last sea day, and while they told us it would be delivered to our room that night, it was not (that we knew of). When DH went to Guest Services, they stated that no-one was there to sign for it the night before, so they were holding it for us to pick up.

 

If this is the new policy, then Room Stewards should be required to leave a note that the delivery was attempted, and where it was being held.

 

Didn't inconvenience us too much, as we do self-disembark and we just packed it in the carry-on and disembarked the ship.:)

 

This was probably a RS problem. Both our RS left our bottles, although we did have to sign for them--one time it was in the hall, and not when he handed us the bottles.

[AWCHIEF]

This new policy has pissed a lot of people off. Very inconvient and poorly executed by Carnival. There seems tobe no stardard way that it is handled from ship to ship. John Heald has received many, many complaints from his readers.

[CWcruisers]

Guess no one does what I do which is put it through the x-ray scanner, pick it up and keep on moving. I have never surrendered a bottle and it's not necessarily because I am planning on drinking it in my cabin, it's because I don't want to go through the hassle.

[Nanaimobound]

Guess no one does what I do which is put it through the x-ray scanner, pick it up and keep on moving. I have never surrendered a bottle and it's not necessarily because I am planning on drinking it in my cabin, it's because I don't want to go through the hassle.

 

Works sometimes but not all!

[Mich3]

Guess no one does what I do which is put it through the x-ray scanner, pick it up and keep on moving. I have never surrendered a bottle and it's not necessarily because I am planning on drinking it in my cabin, it's because I don't want to go through the hassle.

 

You have been lucky. Sometimes employees are not paying attention and we have done the same. However, there are also just as many times when we are watched to make sure we stop at the desk.

[firefly333]

Even with liquor purchased in the shops onboard there have been mistakes. I learned from other posts to always check the liquor, even liquor delivered to your cabin.

 

One person was upset to get home having purchased scotch for a friend and it was vodka, and the friend wouldnt pay for what they spent and the person purchasing was a non drinker.

 

check.

[Raven Days]

Guess no one does what I do which is put it through the x-ray scanner, pick it up and keep on moving. I have never surrendered a bottle and it's not necessarily because I am planning on drinking it in my cabin, it's because I don't want to go through the hassle.

 

Thats excatally what I did on the Liberty. The line was very long and I was in no mood to wait. I picked it up, looked at the line, and kept walking. I would have pleaded ingnorace if I had been stopped. I wasnt.

[Shelli]

For those who wonder about other lines' policies with purchased alcohol:

 

Our most recent cruise was with NCL, and we bought a couple of bottles onboard. We had to pick up those the last morning (as well as any bought onshore, if we'd gotten any). But it was an organized procedure and not a big problem.

[workn2cruise]

The alcohol purchased on the ship is still delivered to your cabin the last night, it's just the stuff bought off the ship. I guess they were spending too much of their time delivering non-Carnival purchases and it sounds like other cruise lines have this policy as well.

 

Last week on the Valor, they only delivered liquor that had been purchased in the gift shop on the first night. Liquor purchases made in the gift shop on subsequent days had to be picked up the last morning. They were making pages all morning long reminding people to come pick up their liquor.

[Weezerwoo]

Please remember that the people who experience problems are usually the most vocal...that's not a bad thing, but keep in mind that the customers who were satisifed don't always write about it!

 

That being said, just off the Carnival Valor. Took the slips for my booze purchases to the stated area, and had the liquor in hand in less than 5 minutes! Painless! Definitely will do it again!

[BaconIsGood]

Sorry to hear that! I learned the hard way to always check inside the box. I once purchased some Rum in the carnival gift shop. Got my box the last night but didn't bother to open it until I got home. When I got home, I was ready to end the vacation with a nice Rum and Coke.. But to my surprise they gave me Gin..... I HATE Gin lol

 

Oh well, don't let the loss of liquor ruin your day :)

[micro yaya]

we bought alchol on shore, and had it delivered to our stateroom on the last night... platinum gets their stuff delivered. the manager of the shop told us this was a new policy... great for us not so great if your not platinum