boxed wine - YES or NO

[rvsullivan]

I think that most of the folks that post against smuggling, both on the ship, through customs and taking food ashore in foreign ports, understand that their disapproval will change nothing. I think that the pro smuggling folks can get even more crazy with their responses. The common justifications are what I find amazing:

I can't afford to pay

NCL (or any other line) are overcharging on the cruise prices

Ships wine is to expensive

It's my right

Others have done it

People on CC have said it is ok

 

People that can pay between $100-1000 per day per person and read all of the cruise lines rules ahead of time, should probably not cruise or take an all inclusive. At least the one post says outright that they cheat on everything, it is still dishonest/stealing and those that disapprove are correct (in my opinion) in calling it out. Speeding is not stealing, shoplifting, robbery and theft are stealing.

[mraven]

Speeding is not stealing, shoplifting, robbery and theft are stealing.

 

Speeding is against the law.

Stealing is against the law.

Smuggling alcohol onto a ship is not against the law. It is a violation of the cruise contract.

[rvsullivan]

Speeding is against the law.

Stealing is against the law.

Smuggling alcohol onto a ship is not against the law. It is a violation of the cruise contract.

 

Spin it however makes you feel good. Not what I would teach my kids. Your experience may differ.

You are stealing money the cruise line is entitled to, what's the name for that?

[davesgirl51]

Not to hijack this thread but when we were waiting to debark the Jewel on one of our cruises this year, I witnessed something in the "debark on your own" line that I found so blatantly wrong that my partner had to remind me that it was none of my business.

 

We were waiting (with the photo gallery down the hall). A couple (who were members of an extended family group) had 2 children (a boy and a girl - perhaps about 9 and 12, respectively). One or both of the children were looking at the photos and when the salesman wasn't looking, they grabbed a few and sauntered back into the debarkation line to show their parents who were "instructed" to approve them (leading me to believe the children had been instructed to steal them). A minute later, the salesman having kept a wary eye out, left his station, came to the line and calmly told the parents that the cost would be such and such. The parents declined to purchase them, the salesman got the pictures back and he returned to his paperwork.

 

End of story ? No way. Ten minutes later, seeing the salesman engaged with an honest customer, the boy returns and takes the 'wanted' picture again, returns to the parents and I watch aghast as the mother gives the picture to the father to put it in the luggage. No adult members of this group intervene not even "auntie" or "grandma" (maybe ?).

 

Meanwhile there is the 'requisite' grumbling about how long the line is taking. When the line started to move, an older European couple (who had witnessed what we had) clearly worried about making a flight home, cut in front of this 'upstanding-I-want-to-emulate-you' family. Well d***** if "auntie" or "grandma" and mom and dad didn't have something to say to them ! :eek:

 

I'll probably live long enough to see the parents of those kids on Dr. Phil with tears of disbelief dripping down their face begging for help with their "brats". :rolleyes:

[mraven]

Spin it however makes you feel good. Not what I would teach my kids. Your experience may differ.

You are stealing money the cruise line is entitled to, what's the name for that?

 

Not spinning anything. I was correcting your flawed analogy.

[Army/Police Vet]

Not spinning anything. I was correcting your flawed analogy.

 

This isn't about breaking the law. It IS about honesty, ethics and integrity. Someone people have it, some people don't.

[Army/Police Vet]

I think that most of the folks that post against smuggling, both on the ship, through customs and taking food ashore in foreign ports, understand that their disapproval will change nothing. I think that the pro smuggling folks can get even more crazy with their responses. The common justifications are what I find amazing:

I can't afford to pay

NCL (or any other line) are overcharging on the cruise prices

Ships wine is to expensive

It's my right

Others have done it

People on CC have said it is ok

 

People that can pay between $100-1000 per day per person and read all of the cruise lines rules ahead of time, should probably not cruise or take an all inclusive. At least the one post says outright that they cheat on everything, it is still dishonest/stealing and those that disapprove are correct (in my opinion) in calling it out. Speeding is not stealing, shoplifting, robbery and theft are stealing.

 

Thank you. Nice to see at least someone gets it.

[sparks1093]

This isn't about breaking the law. It IS about honesty, ethics and integrity. Someone people have it, some people don't.

 

Honesty, ethics and integrity are four letter words to a lot of people nowadays;).

[SuiteTraveler]

I am curious to all of you who think it's ok to sneak alcohol on board, do you also cheat on your taxes?

 

I think that Celebrity has stumbled upon the ideal solution to this problem.

They have an all-inclusive drinks package that I would be more than happy to pay for on ANY cruiseline. This package included all water, specialty water, specialty coffees and teas, soda, and any alcoholic beverage $12 and under - which pretty much covered 98% of beverages available on the ship. Recently they amended this package to include any beverage and if you choose something that is more than $12, then they just charge you the difference. I was more than happy to pay for the package and what was interesting is that Celebrity didn't care if we took bottles of wine that we bought on land to our stateroom either - afterall, we had already paid for all our beverages onboard, so what difference would it make? I really wish that ALL cruiselines would offer this type of package because I really appreciate the convenience. I'm not a heavy drinker - Cafe Il Bacio (the coffee and tea shop) was more my hangout than the Martini ice bar, but it was nice to be able to get anything I wanted on the ship any time I wanted it without worrying about the extra cost and there was no fumbling with lots of slips of paper.

[rvsullivan]

I think that Celebrity has stumbled upon the ideal solution to this problem.

They have an all-inclusive drinks package that I would be more than happy to pay for on ANY cruiseline. This package included all water, specialty water, specialty coffees and teas, soda, and any alcoholic beverage $12 and under - which pretty much covered 98% of beverages available on the ship. Recently they amended this package to include any beverage and if you choose something that is more than $12, then they just charge you the difference. I was more than happy to pay for the package and what was interesting is that Celebrity didn't care if we took bottles of wine that we bought on land to our stateroom either - afterall, we had already paid for all our beverages onboard, so what difference would it make? I really wish that ALL cruiselines would offer this type of package because I really appreciate the convenience. I'm not a heavy drinker - Cafe Il Bacio (the coffee and tea shop) was more my hangout than the Martini ice bar, but it was nice to be able to get anything I wanted on the ship any time I wanted it without worrying about the extra cost and there was no fumbling with lots of slips of paper.

 

I agree on this one. How much does Celebrity charge? I know that NCL does offer a "package" for groups which I think runs about $50 per day and must be taken by all in the group and for every day of the cruise. It also brings out the complainers though. On one of the spring cruises this year folks complained about how much it cost and others about folks drinking "too much" whatever that means.

[SuiteTraveler]

I agree on this one. How much does Celebrity charge? I know that NCL does offer a "package" for groups which I think runs about $50 per day and must be taken by all in the group and for every day of the cruise. It also brings out the complainers though. On one of the spring cruises this year folks complained about how much it cost and others about folks drinking "too much" whatever that means.

 

There are two levels:

Classic - less expensive

Premium - higher cost but access to almost everything onboard

 

According to this:

http://www.lastminutetravel.com/blog/index.php/2010/05/04/celebrity-cruises-adds-new-drink-deals/

Classic is $44.85 per day

Premium is $56.35 per day

We bought the Premium package and IMO, it was 100% worth it. Plus, after the cruise, I sat down and totaled up what I bought (from memory) and I was running up at least $70 to $100 per day - mostly in fresh squeezed juice, water, specialty water (I love Pelligrino and had it often), specialty teas, then a little wine with dinner and sometimes a martini. If someone drank a lot of alchohol, they would really save a lot of money with this package. I'm not the sort of person who drinks all day long, but it was nice to know if I wanted a glass of wine with lunch during a day at sea, I could have it without blowing the budget and I do believe I did that one day - with some pasta with seafood - I had a nice Pinot Grigio. I can't say enough good things about the whole deal. It made things so much simpler for crew and passengers alike and it was just a good deal. Our sommelier did wine pairings with our dinner courses, which was really nice. We had the opportunity to try pretty much every wine offered by the glass - and there are many - but then it was a 2 week cruise.

 

ALL drinks, whether alcoholic or not, costing $8 or less per serving are included in the Classic [Alcoholic] Package.

ALL non-alcoholic drinks costing $8 or less are included in the Classic Non-Alcoholic Package.

ALL drinks, whether alcoholic or not, costing $12 or less per serving are included in Premium [Alcoholic] Package.

All non-alcoholic drinks costing $12 or less are included in the Premium Non-Alcoholic Package.

Drinks costing more than $12 per serving are now included with an upcharge to cover the additional cost (for example $15 - $12 = $3 upcharge)

The "martini tasting" session ($15) is not included in any package.

[luddite]

Speeding is against the law.

Stealing is against the law.

Smuggling alcohol onto a ship is not against the law. It is a violation of the cruise contract.

 

A speeding ticket is just a tax on behavior.

And it really has nothing to do with smuggling hotch onto a cruise ship.

 

I still enjoy thinking about my favorite Cruise Critic quote:

"Try a boxed wine, some of them aren't so bad!"

 

Just a classic line!:)

[luddite]

I think that most of the folks that post against smuggling, both on the ship, through customs and taking food ashore in foreign ports, understand that their disapproval will change nothing. I think that the pro smuggling folks can get even more crazy with their responses. The common justifications are what I find amazing:

I can't afford to pay

NCL (or any other line) are overcharging on the cruise prices

Ships wine is to expensive

It's my right

Others have done it

People on CC have said it is ok

 

People that can pay between $100-1000 per day per person and read all of the cruise lines rules ahead of time, should probably not cruise or take an all inclusive. At least the one post says outright that they cheat on everything, it is still dishonest/stealing and those that disapprove are correct (in my opinion) in calling it out. Speeding is not stealing, shoplifting, robbery and theft are stealing.

 

The simple reality? People smuggle hootch onto ships because there are really no consequences if they are caught. It's not like they intend to boot the smugglers at some hellhole port with a hearty hi-yi-yay.

[Ms belp]

This isn't about breaking the law. It IS about honesty, ethics and integrity. Someone people have it, some people don't.

 

:) Thank you. Remember, we are what we make of this country.:):confused:

[cruisersunsetbrat]

We just got off the Sky today- had no problem getting one boxed wine onboard our checked luggage.

 

Last year we tried to carry on two(larger) bottles of wine on Carnival Destiny and both were confiscated. NOT hiding = carrying on. Although we were told we could claim them on the last day of the cruise, no one could find them . . .

[valleyvillage]

It really got me to thinking. I did a little Googling and found a very interesting theory: Kohlberg's Stages of Moral Development. It's on Wikipedia if you would like to read the whole thing.

 

Basically, it looks like this:

 

Level 1 (Pre-Conventional)1. Obedience and punishment orientation(How can I avoid punishment?) 2. Self-interest orientation(What's in it for me?)(Paying for a benefit)

 

Level 2 (Conventional) 3. Interpersonal accord and conformity(Social norms)(The good boy/good girl attitude) 4. Authority and social-order maintaining orientation(Law and order morality)

 

Level 3 (Post-Conventional) 5. Social contract orientation 6. Universal ethical principles(Principled conscience)

 

It looks like the booze smuggling struggle would be centered in the first Level: Obediance and Punishment and What's in it for Me? :D

 

My father sat next to an elderly couple on an airplane. They were reading the bible for most of the flight, beaming and sharing favorite passages with each other. At the end of the meal service (this was when they still had meals!) the man passed his silverware to his wife. She carefully cleaned both his and hers and then wrapped them in a napkin. While placing them in her purse she remarked, "There, that completes our set!"

[Ms belp]

It really got me to thinking. I did a little Googling and found a very interesting theory: Kohlberg's Stages of Moral Development. It's on Wikipedia if you would like to read the whole thing.

 

Basically, it looks like this:

 

Level 1 (Pre-Conventional)1. Obedience and punishment orientation(How can I avoid punishment?) 2. Self-interest orientation(What's in it for me?)(Paying for a benefit)

 

Level 2 (Conventional) 3. Interpersonal accord and conformity(Social norms)(The good boy/good girl attitude) 4. Authority and social-order maintaining orientation(Law and order morality)

 

Level 3 (Post-Conventional) 5. Social contract orientation 6. Universal ethical principles(Principled conscience)

 

It looks like the booze smuggling struggle would be centered in the first Level: Obediance and Punishment and What's in it for Me? :D

 

My father sat next to an elderly couple on an airplane. They were reading the bible for most of the flight, beaming and sharing favorite passages with each other. At the end of the meal service (this was when they still had meals!) the man passed his silverware to his wife. She carefully cleaned both his and hers and then wrapped them in a napkin. While placing them in her purse she remarked, "There, that completes our set!"

 

You're too funny. Guess their parents didn't teach them any better.

[mittchelandsophie]

Boxed wine anyone? I thought the OP was a bit more like... Would you like it shaken or stirred? Not... Do you cheat on your taxes and where is your moral compass? Or... If you have to bring on boxed wine or even ask to bring on boxed wine you can't afford to cruise! LOL

So... To the couple of you who post self righteously... CHEERS!

[sdmike]

Carnival lets you each bring a bottle on board no charge. Try them next time.

 

I too find it funny that somebody may pay thousands for a cruise but balk at spending $15 corkage or $30 for a bottle of wine.

[HotRoot]

In the past, we have taken a case of wine onboard on RCCL, Princess, Carnival, and Windstar at no charge. Now we try to cruise the all inclusive luxury lines and don't need to take wine with us. Maybe the rules have changed. We are booked on NCL for November 2012 in the OS mainly because of the itinerary. We will probably not take wine with us and not drink wine onboard.

[CRAustin]

I packed two octagon and had plans to declare - didn't understand you had to carry it on. Well we drank about 1/2 of one and brought the unopened back home, now I know I only need one this time. That was on the Epic last April

[oldguysandgalls]

Somebody once said ....;) .... (me)

 

"Smuggle" the wine, and cruise without the wine.

 

"Buy" the wine, and pay the "dime".

 

But to "whine" about the "wine" you ain't got, ain't gonna get you mine.

[mittchelandsophie]

I just want to remind all of you, this is not a Smuggling Thread! It's a thread about bringing on boxed wine vs. bottled wine. At no point did I say "I don't want to pay a corkage fee". This was a question actually asked for somebody else. To the poster (rsullivan) who thinks that I can't afford to cruise because I asked this question.... My sister will not be cruising (that is who I asked the question for). On the other hand... I will be traveling with my mother who CAN'T afford to cruise. (is that ok that she vacations?) My aunt and I have split the cost of her travel and I have supplied her with an on board credit.

I find it quite ignorant that someone would be willing to comment on whether someone can or should vacation based on their financial situation.

 

You may have more than someone else but, that doesn't make you more deserving or better than anyone. It only makes you more fortunate that some. What you choose to do with "more fortunate" in part defines your character. I choose to give back to people less fortunate than me.

 

Ignorance equals tragedy!

 

I challenge all of you who read this to give back to someone less fortunate today...

 

Food pantry shelves are empty!

Deliver fresh produce to a soup kitchen!

Adopt a family for the Holidays!

 

"It Takes a Village" Hillary Clinton

[Oviedo32765]

Hi Everyone!!

 

Can you bring boxed wine or will it be taken on Embarkation? It does state "NO" to boxed wine in the rules and regs. I was just wondering if anyone has done it before.

 

Thanks so much...

 

If this isn't a smuggling thread, then what part of "NO" do you not understand?

[swedish weave]

I just want to remind all of you, this is not a Smuggling Thread! It's a thread about bringing on boxed wine vs. bottled wine. At no point did I say "I don't want to pay a corkage fee". This was a question actually asked for somebody else. To the poster (rsullivan) who thinks that I can't afford to cruise because I asked this question.... My sister will not be cruising (that is who I asked the question for). On the other hand... I will be traveling with my mother who CAN'T afford to cruise. (is that ok that she vacations?) My aunt and I have split the cost of her travel and I have supplied her with an on board credit.

I find it quite ignorant that someone would be willing to comment on whether someone can or should vacation based on their financial situation.

 

You may have more than someone else but, that doesn't make you more deserving or better than anyone. It only makes you more fortunate that some. What you choose to do with "more fortunate" in part defines your character. I choose to give back to people less fortunate than me.

 

Ignorance equals tragedy!

 

I challenge all of you who read this to give back to someone less fortunate today...

 

Food pantry shelves are empty!

Deliver fresh produce to a soup kitchen!

Adopt a family for the Holidays!

 

"It Takes a Village" Hillary Clinton

 

Some of those who preach morality on these boards would probably steal the gold out of your teeth if they got the opportunity !!

 

Don't let them get you too excited. You are on a GOOD course !!!