NCL CONFISCATING ALCOHOL ON DOCK SIDE

[lesleyfb]

We have just come off the 7th April cruise from Rome to Dover and NCL were confiscating ANY alcohol being brought onboard. I had a bottle of champagne and it was taken. They were even taking those little mini bottles of wine you get served on the aircraft!! At every port when you came back onboard they scanned your bags and took anything alcoholic you had purchased ashore. People were very angry and were of the opinion that NCL may be in some financial trouble and were trying anything and everything to make people spend more onboard. It probably had the opposite affect as people were adamant they were going to buy less than they usually do. I heard some people say they would just take the gratuities off their account if NCL wanted to play hard-ball. I personally, can understand if you were trying to board with case loads of beer but the odd bottle of wine isn't hurting anyone. Princess allow you to bring beer & wine onboard and I think most people though most cruise lines did the same. WRONG - not NCL. Even the crew taking the liquor were embarrassed and said they were just following orders "no exceptions".

[lritch426]

I've been on Carnival 3 times and every time they took any alcohol brought onto the ship purchased at port. BUT we got it back the last day. Are you saying that you NEVER got it back from NCL? WOW. Anybody else have this experience?

 

[zimmerjulie]

From my experience, this rule is clearly stated in the ticket contract. You are not allowed to bring alcohol onboard. It is collected and returned to you the last night of the cruise. Some people still try, and some have been successful, but it seems like folks should be prepared to have the rule enforced. Taking tips away from the hardworking crew members that have nothing to do with this policy seems like an unkind thing to do.

[sterling2]

We have ordered wine and scotch from NCL for our 9/10 and 9/22 Dream cruises. It is supposed to be in our cabin when we sail. Hopefully it will be -- this seemed much easier than trying to smuggle anything onboard, not to mention having to fly with it. Has anyone else done this?

 

Sue

 

9/10 Dream Baltic cruise

 

9/22 Dream Transatlantic cruise

[sportsterjohn]

I saw booze being taken away from collage kids when boarding the Dream in March. Needless to say, the kids were not happy; BUT the cruise contract does clearly state that if you bring booze aboard,it will be held until the last night of the cruise. The problem is that alot of people think that they are special and that rules don't apply to them, then they get irate when they don't get the special treatment they believe they are entitled to.

 

NCL Sea 3/03

RCCL Sovereign 10/03

NCL Dream 3/7/2004

[Kuppykat]

The rules are made clear "No Alcoholic beverages allowed". If you want to drink in your cabin just order it and it will be delivered. Or like the last poster have a basket delivered to your cabin.

Why would anyone want to punish the staff by taking away their tips is beyond me. Most of these people work very hard for their tips. Why punish someone else (the staff) for a rule you are breaking? JMHO......Linda

 

Oceanic 8/69

Olympia 9/71

NCL Dawn 3/04

 

"Happiness is a choice"

[DivaG]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by ses320:

We have ordered wine and scotch from NCL for our 9/10 and 9/22 Dream cruises. It is supposed to be in our cabin when we sail. Hopefully it will be -- this seemed much easier than trying to smuggle anything onboard, not to mention having to fly with it. Has anyone else done this?

 

Sue

 

9/10 Dream Baltic cruise

http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=111111&cdt=2004;9;10;16;0;00&timezone=GMT+0000

 

9/22 Dream Transatlantic cruise

http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=111111&cdt=2004;9;22;16;0;00&timezone=GMT+0000 <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

 

Hi Sue, I'm interested in finding out how to order a bottle of wine or two? I'll be cruising on the Dawn on 9/12.

[cliffd64]

This is certainly nothing new at least to NCL...

 

You simply cannot bring alcohol onboard. They do have a policy regarding wine if you wish to pay the $10 corkage fee, but outside of that, no alcohol is allowed to be brought on board.

 

It has been this way for every one of the five cruises on NCL I have been on.

 

Cliff

 

 

Carnival Holiday November 2001

Norwegian Sky 11/4/2002

Norwegian Sky 11/11/2002

Norwegian Wind 10/11/2003

Norwegian Dawn 12/14/2003

Norwegian Sun 02/08/2004

[pswlrw]

I am cruising the Dawn on 4/25. I have no problem ordering my wine once I get on board, but I want to make sure that I can. Can I order a bottle of wine from room service? Or should I order myself a gift from the website?

[sterling2]

We ordered our wine and scotch through NCL. One we ordered through reservations and one we ordered from the hospitality desk. I can't remember which was which. If you have a travel agent, they should be able to help you. We have booked direct with NCL so I just called them. Happy sailing!

 

Sue

 

9/10 Dream Baltic cruise

 

9/22 Dream Transatlantic cruise

[mbisson]

ZIMMERJULIE is right! If ya try and get away with it, good for you. If ya try and they take your booze away-that's the breaks. But don't hurt the crew by not tiping, they have nothing to do with this decision.

 

-Monte

 

some of my cruising photos:

http://community.webshots.com/user/m1bisson

A bad day cruising is better than a good day at work.

 

The worst cruise I ever took was pretty damned good.

 

Platinum with RCI, a couple cruises with NCL and 1 with CCL

 

Clock remove but cruise in Dec

[howard6933]

All of the above answers are right on the

ball. I may be wrong, but I believe that all

the cruise lines pick up your liquor and hold

it for you until the final day of the cruise.

I have been on a dozen or so cruise lines and

I cannot think of one that doesn't do it. And

by the way, how about answering us and telling

us if you got your liquor back on the last day.

[Neon Coaster]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>I heard some people say they would just take the gratuities off their account if NCL wanted to play hard-ball.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

 

As other posters previous stated....what a ridiculous statement and action. Your room steward/ess or waiter has nothing to do with the rule (clearly stated in the Cruise Contract). These hard working folks rely a great deal on tips...proving a point thru them is pointless (and heartless).

[marfir]

We bought some "foo foo" fruity wines and had them taken from us on Star Princess. I've carried on the 4 pack carriers of rum on one Carnival ship and on another Carnival my friend had her 1 bottle taken away. I've also seen both things done on Celebrity so it is just a hit or miss.

 

Bottom line is that it's against the rules so don't complain if you get caught. I agree that penalizing the staff because you are mad at the cruise line is really TACKY!

[buzcruzer]

This is a stupid rule, people do not bring alcohol on board so they wont buy any on the ship, sometimes people like to have a drink in their room, or their own brand of wine or liquor. Take me for example, me and my 2 brothers got 5 bottles of rum on board and still manged a bar tab of over $1000 dollars between the three of us. You do the math, maybe NCL should too!

 

RCCL-Majesty of the Seas 04/02

NCL-Norwegian Dawn 04/03

NCL-Norwegian Wind 04/04

[CruisinMatt]

That seems odd that they are cracking down on this in Europe. I know all cruise lines are different, but on my Costa cruise we brought some small airline sized whiskeys in our luggage no problem and some rum from Mexico on an excursion no problem. When I was on the Dream last year it was no problem.

 

How much money can they really gain by this? You would think the extra labor involved would cancel out the true benefit.

 

_________________________

NCL Norway 2/00 - Eastern Carib.

Costa Atlantica 2/01 - Western Carib.

Costa Atlantica 2/02 - Eastern Carib.

NCL Dream 3/03 Valparaiso - Miami

Costa Mediterranea 3/04 Western Carib.

 

Proud member of the PPS-Passport Pusher Society

~~ www.savemartha.com ~~

[newmexicoNita]

WE haven't cruised Europe yet, but our last 4 cruises we have had or seen others get their booze removed for safe keeping. Though NCL was teh first to crack down all lines are following. Do I like this policy, of course not, but what can be done? The wine corkage fee on Elebrity is $12 comapred with $10 on NCL> i gurss we all are going to adjust to drinking less or paying more. NMNIta

 

Commodore 1984, Costa 1985, RCL 1987, Chandris 1989, NCL 1989, Commodore, 1991, NCL 1997, Carnival 1997, Carnival 1998,NCL 1998, NCL 1999, RCL 2000, RCL 2000, NCL 2002,NCL 2003, Celebrity 2003, NCL 2004

[cdkempton]

SES320 You ordered scotch & wine to be delivered to your stateroom?? Would you mind telling how much you paid??? We have been cruising since 1975 and have never had a problem bringing alcohol on board. We always spend plenty at the bars and in the dining room. We enjoy the company of the bar tenders from different parts of the world. there's a "world" of information there. However, we do enjoy a drink in the room while preparing for dinner or a nightcap to relax. We don't mind spending a bit more for NCL to deliver a bottle of vodka or whatever to the room for our personal use rather than carry a bottle from home but do they charge an arm and a leg??? Would appreciate updated info.

Happy Sails....

[cdkempton]

p.s. we sailed the HAL Ryndam Oct-Dec 2001 from San Diego around "the horn" to Rio and took booze on board for the 36 day cruise. We found we could buy liquor on board cheaper than in Calif. and take it to our room. Then in 2002 we did a 36 day cruise from Barcelona to L.A. Calif on the Crown Odyssey and picked up wines (especially in Spain & Portugal) and we also visited St Thomas, etc and took bottles on board.............no Problem! We alternated cocktail parties with our eight table mates and had a wonderful time. Everyone was still buying wines and cocktails at diffrent times from the bars. If the NCL would keep their prices reasonable, people wouldn't have a problem with ordering drinks. Most would just like to take a bit on board for those times when one might be (naked?)....Happy Sails

[sterling2]

A one litre bottle of Scotch was around $40 and the wine was about $21 a bottle. We enjoy cocktails in our cabin before dinner. This works for us.

 

Sue

 

9/10 Dream Baltic cruise

 

9/22 Dream Transatlantic cruise

[BruceMuzz]

Too many people miss the point here. This is not a revenue issue, but a liability one.

Several cruise lines have experimented with confiscating / not confiscating alcohol at the pier. The results were very consistent; Bar Revenues did not change when bottles were taken away from guests.

But it is not the Accountants who are pushing this issue - it's the Lawyers.

I know of one cruise line that is now battling $200 Million worth of litigation from cowboys who brought cases of booze aboard the ship, got drunk in their cabin, upset all their neighbors, fell down and broke something, and are sueing the cruise line for allowing them to behave badly and hurt themselves.

You and I didn't do this. But a small group of idiots did - and ruined it for everyone else.

[lesleyfb]

Sorry, I've just come back on line and YES, NCL did return your bottles on the last night of the cruise. This was our 8th cruise and we have taken the odd bottle aboard before with no problem but it seems a lot of people are interested in my post as over 500 people have viewed it. People need to be aware of what's happening in the here-and-now.

[DivaG]

Although I haven't cruised yet - going on my first in September on the Dawn - I can appreciate the idea of not bring any alcohol on board. It was my intention to bring some "beverages" aboard, but after having read many many many posts on the subject - I agree with BruceMuzz. Teenagers take cruises. Young adults who are unsupervised take cruises. They may be too young to legally drink in the bar, but if they have their own stash .......

 

G

[CruisinMatt]

Well, here we go again then. Another instance where we must pay for careless parents who refuse to control thier children.

 

_________________________

NCL Norway 2/00 - Eastern Carib.

Costa Atlantica 2/01 - Western Carib.

Costa Atlantica 2/02 - Eastern Carib.

NCL Dream 3/03 Valparaiso - Miami

Costa Mediterranea 3/04 Western Carib.

 

Proud member of the PPS-Passport Pusher Society

~~ www.savemartha.com ~~

[tiggrrr]

Please, please, please start reading your ticket contracts and stop giving the crew on board these ships a hard time! (Ex Crew Member!)