how do you get your alcohol home?

[acruisenwego]

we normally cruise out of fl so we drive to the port(s) since we live in the Tampa area. our next cruise is on the Serenade out of San Juan. It just dawned on us that we will not be able to carry on our duty free purchased alcohol. DH usually gets some scotch and me some rum. So when flying how do you get it back home? should I pack bubble wrap? thanks kate :)

[Cruiser-M]

Hi, We're sailing with you in October and we always have to fly to get to a cruise port when we cruise in the Caribbean. We always pack it in our checked luggage and have never had a problem with breakage. We usually pack it in the middle with clothes wrapped around it. The only thing we have to worry about is the weight so I've had to buy a hand scale!:D

Mary

[acruisenwego]

thanks mary i will have to get one of those scales too!

[karena1]

We bought rum runners to bring our booze back home. Saves the weight of the bottle and no worry about it breaking. I saved bottles at home so when we got home I poured the rum runners into the glass bottles to store it until hubby drank it.

[Lucinarei]

A few of the ports we visited had stores that offered bottle "protectors" for $1. They were plastic cylinders to put your bottles in for flights. Don't know if they are available everywhere (or if they work- we didn't fly, so we didn't need them), but they looked like a good solution.

[soozaay]

...So when flying how do you get it back home? should I pack bubble wrap? thanks kate :)

 

GREAT QUESTION!!! We've been wondering what fellow cruisers have been doing too!

 

We bought rum runners to bring our booze back home. Saves the weight of the bottle and no worry about it breaking. I saved bottles at home so when we got home I poured the rum runners into the glass bottles to store it until hubby drank it.

 

What are rum runners? (besides the delicious rum cocktail!)

[karena1]

GREAT QUESTION!!! We've been wondering what fellow cruisers have been doing too!

 

 

 

What are rum runners? (besides the delicious rum cocktail!)

 

http://www.rumrunnerflasks.com. They are great for bring booze home. They are a tough/pliable plastic and the 32oz ones hold a little more than a liter. Saves room in the suitcase b/c they don't take as much room as a bottle and they are WAY lighter than a glass bottle so you save on weight also. I take them on every cruise to bring back booze for hubby.

[bouhunter]

Roll em' in dirty clothes, surrounded by more dirty clothes:D Have never had one break!:)

[peteukmcr]

We always have this issue as we have always flown to join a cruise be it in Europe or the US.

 

We purchase our duty free from the airport after passing through security and then carry it on board the aircraft. In the US we normally purchase the duty free at the store and then pick it up at the departure gate.

 

Is this not an option?

[bonsai3s]

we normally cruise out of fl so we drive to the port(s) since we live in the Tampa area. our next cruise is on the Serenade out of San Juan. It just dawned on us that we will not be able to carry on our duty free purchased alcohol. DH usually gets some scotch and me some rum. So when flying how do you get it back home? should I pack bubble wrap? thanks kate :)

 

Hi Kate,

 

I started my liquor collection many years ago. Before 9/11, it was easy to "carry-on" bottles of liquor onto planes and home. I've carried as much as 6 bottles at one time; nicely packed by the store inside those hard cardboard boxes. We have approximately 500 unopened liquor bottles...would you believe if I say I'm not an alcoholic?

 

With the advent of TSA, you can no longer carry-on liquor and have to check them in. We have invested on a couple of extremely tough and lightweight hard cases/luggages. As someone already suggested, we wrapped them with our dirty clothes and have not had a broken bottle. You will have to be very careful with the weight of your luggages on both domestic and international flights. Worse case scenario...you can always drink it before you leave...:)

[PeterPan]

Here is my latest addition to our cruise packing list:

 

VinniBag! http://ellessco.com/

 

This is basically a reusable version of the inflatable bags available at some port locations. They work wonderful!

[birdylady]

Here is my latest addition to our cruise packing list:

 

VinniBag! http://ellessco.com/

 

This is basically a reusable version of the inflatable bags available at some port locations. They work wonderful!

Neat idea, but is it just me that thinks it's a little pricey?

 

Erika

[Langley Cruisers]

We buy the extra large Ziploc bags at WalMart, I mean the really big ones. One bottle per bag, diagonally, zippered inside another bag. Pack with clothes all around, no problems or leakage as of yet. :) I also pack our shampoos and lotions this way too - if something does leak, it only gets through one layer of plastic zipper bag.

[erin_cruisers]

We bring alcohol home from every cruise, and in fact from every trip to the USA.

If you saw our Ontario prices for Beer, wine and spirits, you'd know why. ;)

 

Anyway, I have a method we use that has not failed us yet.

 

First, I bring home large bubble bags from my work. They are large enough to hold a magnum of wine (1.5 L).

As others have said you can probably buy these bubble bags at UPS stores, or elsewhere.

 

I seal the wine or liquour in the bubble bag, then put that inside another strong plastic bag and tie a good knott in that bag.

So, I'm counting on a double bag system to hold the contents. (I've even gone 3 bags in some cases)

 

Now I wrap this in a towel, or sweater, and use a few pieces of duct tape or masking tape to make sure it doesn't get unravelled.

As the luggage vibrates & bounces around it can happen - I've found my package outside the clothing I wrapped it in, so now I don't take chances.

 

Most importantly, place this wrapped package right in the middle of your suitcase, and pack clothes all around it. And only pack one bottle per suitcase.

- firstly for weight consideration, and secondly you don't want two bottles knocking against each other.

 

Since we travel with 4 suitcases we typically bring home 4 large bottles of liquour.

And never have had a problem. :D

[grand isle joe]

The only alchohol I carry home is left in my liver......:(

[acruisenwego]

thanks everyone.... some really good ideas. we also came up with some collapsible duffel bags that we might stick in luggage on the way down, then put bottles wrapped up tight in the checked luggage and any leftover (none liquid ) in the duffel bags and carry those on. we are on jetblue so we get 2 checked free, and even the 3rd is only $35, so its not too bad

[truffles2]

The last time we were in SJU you could purchase liquor at the airport (after going through security) and carry it onto the plane. I would assume that this has not changed. This is fine as long as you do not have any connection which requires you to go through security again. In other words, this works if you have a direct non-stop flight to your destination. If not, it must be in checked luggage or checked.

[traveling1969]

We use the ship-provided boxes and pad them well in our checked luggage. Many cruises and many bottles later = 0 breakage. Bon Voyage!

[jsmeeker]

The only alchohol I carry home is left in my liver......:(

 

 

 

:D

 

me too.

[mcangelwp]

The last time we were in SJU you could purchase liquor at the airport (after going through security) and carry it onto the plane. I would assume that this has not changed. This is fine as long as you do not have any connection which requires you to go through security again. In other words, this works if you have a direct non-stop flight to your destination. If not, it must be in checked luggage or checked.

 

Since San Juan is a US Territory, US citizens cannot purchase it duty free at the SJU airport because its considered a domestic flight. See below explanation...

 

"The duty free purchase and customs rules when travelling from Puerto Rico can be confusing. US citizens returning to the mainland do not need to clear customs, whereas foreign citizens do. If you are travelling by ship and the last port of call is another country, other than Puerto Rico, your jouney will be regarded as an international journey, so you will be able to purchase duty free goods, both in the port and onboard ship. If you fly direct to the US mainland from San Juan, this is regarded as a domestic flight and the usual 'international' duty free purchase allowances will not apply. This journey to the US can be likened to similar flights within the European Union which are regarded as intra-EU domestic flights, with no duty free facilities."

[RoofingPrincess]

I bring a couple of the 2.5 gal ziplock bags. Each bottle gets its own bag and is wrapped in dirty clothes, with plenty of dirty clothes all around it for padding. No casualties yet.

I took my mom on a cruise; she flew to my house, then our group took a bus to and from the port. The guy in the liquor store in St Thomas assured my mom that the carton he'd put her liquor in (and deliver to the ship) was OK to send through as checked baggage, "100% success!"

Took her to the airport to fly home. She presented the liquor box (It was 4 bottles, as I recall) as her second checked bag. The check-in agent told her it was at her own risk, that they didn't guarantee it would get there in one piece. I told her, "you take your chances with them, or you give it all to me, your choice!"

She took her chances.

100% success!

[oldguysandgalls]

We always pack a few yards of bubble wrap in our suitcases before we leave.

 

At the end of our cruise, we use the bubble wrap for any bottles and place them in our suitcases with some heavy clothing items as an extra cushion. We find this works perfectly for bottles and other fragile items purchased in various ports of call. Hope this helps. ( oh...and we save the bubble wrap for the next cruise)