NCL CONFISCATING ALCOHOL ON DOCK SIDE

[lesleyfb]

Money talks.

[gardencat]

PFV. You just list another example of NCL's guest relations attitude. 'Take a hike' seems to be their standard response to most situations and I, like you, will be doing just that and booking future cruises elsewhere.
I also thought Insidecabin's comment comparing having to buy all your alcohol from the bars to being forced to buy your shampoo from the spa was interesting. If I go to the Spa I expect to pay high prices for the services and products but I don't expect to be told what I can wash my hair with in my own cabin. Same thing with my in cabin drinks.

[insidecabin]

As promised IN comparison we have just done a 4 night on the Fred Olsen Black Watch and I actualy spoke to a member of staff about the Alcohol policy.
Same rules apply "no personal alcohol" but in practice only large quantities that are noticed by the security will actualy be stored at your convenience no intrusive bag searches. In europe some ports of call feature alcohol port,brandy etc and even then they would not as a routine look for and take stuff because it is mostly for taking home.

NOW for the REAL difference. In your cabin is a
"CABIN & TAX FREE SHOPPING FORM" with a selection of drinks cigarettes and Cigars. Order before 12noon for same day delivery.
Whisky(6) £9-£13 aged(3) £18-£19 malt(3) £20
Other examples Tequila Sauza gold £14, Absolut £10,Barcardi £10,Jack Daniel's £18, Bombay Sapphire £12 + a load more (litre bottles).
SO as you can see even with the state of the $ (£1-$1.80) some lines can treat the customer like adults and not RIP them off, isn't NCL $50+ for this stuff.

Bar prices were good in general 15%-40% cheaper than NCL and much the same for the wine and the price on the list is the price you pay no service charge.

I also found an old post from our RCI trip saying you could buy Drinks in the shop for the cabin at reasonable prices $10ish

[carolmacey]

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

The other part of this problem is teenagers sharing their booze, or parents' booze with other underage teens.

Norwegian Sky Back-to-back
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[carolmacey]

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

Another twist is that on this trip, because of US source, many product fruit included were illegal to import into europe. So was NCL checking bags on the way off the ship for packed lunches etc. NO way, just the alcohol check on the way back on board.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

When we docked in Cabo San Lucas last week, they did, in fact, search bags coming ashore and confiscated a large quantitiy of fruits, etc. I don't know what happened to the "smuggled fruit."

Norwegian Sky Back-to-back
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[carolmacey]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by lesleyfb:
I asked the wine waiter on our 7th April cruise if they had a wine package i.e. buy 5 get one free was was informed that they did not.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Both our April 18th and 25th cruises had wine packeages for sale. You also saved $5 per bottle of wine if you attended the $10 wine tasting, and ordered wine from there.

Norwegian Sky Back-to-back
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[lesleyfb]

Thanks for that info. I was taken aback when they said they didn't have a wine package - maybe I should have asked someone other than the sommalier. I would have though they would be pushing their packages - more sales for them and a saving for the guest. Oh well. On our Oct Princess cruise I'll make sure I ask the right person if they have any specials.

[gardencat]

You should keep your eye on the 'sky Panama Canal review' thread. We don't have all the details yet but I think it says that those on the ship who identified themselves as CC members got the soda package ( through Jim Deering ?) but nobody else on the ship could buy it.Seems like maybe these special programs are only available at the discretion of who ever is in charge for your particular cruise and you can't depend on them.

[uneamie]

Is it true that you cannot take "wine" on board at embarkation??? [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_confused.gif[/img]

Carnival allows a reasonable amount of wine and or champaign. We took one of those liter boxes last year in our carry on and had no problem what so ever. It did not stop me from purchasing drinks on board.....love all those "foo foo drinks", but it was great to have or little stash in our room so as to have a nice glass of wine before dinner or at the end of the evening without having to wait for a room service order.

I think I shall risk taking our wine and see what happens. [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_eek.gif[/img]


<p align="center">[img]http://mywebpages.comcast.net/poetryparlor/swimgirl.gif[/img]
[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=800080&cdt=2005;1;30;17;30;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img]
Countdown - Dawn 11 day cruise

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Home Lines - 5/1988
Disney Wonder - 10/1998
Carnival Triumph - 7/2002
Carnival Legend - 10/2003
NCL - Dawn - 1/2005
</P>

[lesleyfb]

I know, I know, I know. It's unbelievable but true. They took everything remotely alcoholic. Some people had put vodka or gin in a plastic lemonade bottle (in their cases) and their luggage wasn't delivered. They got called to pick up their luggage and NCL confiscated the "lemonade". I couldn't believe it either. How to make your passengers feel at home eh! NCL are going to lose a lot of trade thru this. We have booked ourselves on the Princess line as they allow wine/champagne to be brought onboard. As has been stated previously - OK, if someone is coming onboard with kegs of beer or a truck load of wine fair enough .... but the odd bottle. Get a grip NCL.

[cliffd64]

What I find hilarious is that it's obvious that these people KNEW they were violating the posted policy by trying to hide their alcohol, and yet they still have the gall to complain when getting caught? You just can't have it both ways!

If it is truly all that important to be able to bring your own booze aboard... by all means... seek out another line. For me... it's somewhere near the bottom of my vacation priority list. I read the rules, and try to stay within them for the most part and guess what... no hassles [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img]

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

[gardencat]

Cliffd64
I think you've got it right. You know the rules. If you want to try to get away with breaking them, fine, but don't act shocked if you get caught. If you don't like NCL's alcohol policy cruise another line next time. I know I will.

[uneamie]

I don't think that this policy will keep us from going on our Dawn cruise in January, but it might influence my decision for future cruises.

I spend plenty of money on those high priced drinks aside from the little bit of wine I bring for our room use. The cruiselines make a bundle from all the added extra's including the casino's....and we spend our fair share.

It is not going to ruin my cruise in any way shape or form but this policy will be considered for our next time around.


<p align="center">[img]http://mywebpages.comcast.net/poetryparlor/swimgirl.gif[/img]
[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=800080&cdt=2005;1;30;17;30;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img]
Countdown - Dawn 11 day cruise

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Home Lines - 5/1988
Disney Wonder - 10/1998
Carnival Triumph - 7/2002
Carnival Legend - 10/2003
NCL - Dawn - 1/2005
</P>

[trish1c]

What I find interesting is that most of the "smugglers" try to justify it by saying I only want a little for my room or 1 drink before dinner, before bed, whatever. It really is a liability issue; if you get tanked in your room then have 1 drink legitimately, somebody is going to argue that NCL had a legal obligation to protect you from your own bad judgment.

I have to believe that if someone is going through all the trouble of pouring it into different bottles there has to be a [I]reason[/I]. I remember all the techniques from way back when, when I was underage & couldn't get a drink legally.

Before you jump all over me for being in a glass house -- we knew the rules & tried to bring wine aboard. When it was confiscated we laughed & happily paid the corkage fee. When we wanted to bring mixed drinks to friends on their balcony, a waitress from the bar actually carried them on a tray for us.

Smuggle all you want. Have fun. Be creative. Just don't get mad when you get caught. It's not like nobody warned you.

Trish

[lesleyfb]

No one was given the option of paying the corkage fee. That's what I'm saying. It was the way it was done. They were very brusque in the manner in which they carried out the procedure. It wasn't a case of trying to smuggle on liquor - I'm talking about one bottle of champagne, not hidden, the guy virtually ripped the bag it was in out of my husband's hand.

[gardencat]

Lesleyfb
Sorry but I just can't agree that NCL's objection to bringing alcohol on board is a liability issue. Go check the thread 'bringing water on board.'
You will see that NCL told one passenger she was not allowed to bring her own water on board! What is their liability here? Are they afraid she'll drown in her bottle of water and sue them?
This is a concern about cutting into their bar sales and affecting their bottom line IMO.
Having said that, they get to make the rules so if you don't like them cruise elsewhere.

[uneamie]

I do not see the liability issue either. Someone stated on another post that they went to the bar and ordered a bottle of wine to take back to their room, no problem what so ever! One can get just as drunk on wine you buy on the ship as you can with wine you take on yourself.

They want you to buy it from them...simple as that. That is the only reason for the "rule".
They have a right to make the rule and I have a right to not like it and still take a cruise with them. Just because I don't agree with a rule does not mean I need to go elsewhere, (for now anyway)...it just means I need to deal with it!
[img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif[/img]


<p align="center">[img]http://mywebpages.comcast.net/poetryparlor/swimgirl.gif[/img]
[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=800080&cdt=2005;1;30;17;30;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img]
Countdown - Dawn 11 day cruise

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Home Lines - 5/1988
Disney Wonder - 10/1998
Carnival Triumph - 7/2002
Carnival Legend - 10/2003
NCL - Dawn - 1/2005
</P>

[gardencat]

Uneamie
I take your point. I guess what I meant was, if it is going to bother you a lot to have hassles about bringing alcohol, save yourself the hassle by going with another line.
In my opinion NCL hasn't shown much inclination to change their policies due to customer dissatisfaction so I don't expect to see them change this policy very soon.

[lorn63vt]

Okay,
My husband and I like to drink, and we get one vacation a year. We like to party a bit. On Carnival, we brought plenty of liquor on board, disguised in mouthwash bottles, shampoo bottles, and the like. Our room steward cleaned out the refrigerator for us, so we could put our bottles in there. (He got a nice tip also). We also spent PLENTY of money at the bars. So what's wrong with this? I have never cruised NCL before, will be doing so next April. What are the chances that they will find my "disguised" bottles in my checked luggage? I guess that is my question.
Lorn63vt

[Ma Bell]

Gardencat,

I see it's possible that you were misunderstood too. Are you sure you weren't trying to demean somebody? I know what my thoughts and motives were as I am sure you know what yours were. Sometimes things don't sound the way you mean them on the computer. I didn't word my sentence well. I explained myself and apologized to her and don't know anything else I could possibly do, but you found it necessary to jump in.

[uneamie]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by gardencat:
Uneamie
I take your point. I guess what I meant was, if it is going to bother you a lot to have hassles about bringing alcohol, save yourself the hassle by going with another line.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Got cha! [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]
Actually it's not that big a deal to us. We've only taken wine on a cruise once. We didn't have to smuggle or hide it. I just took it and decided if they confiscate it then so be it...no big deal. But they never said a word and we enjoyed having it at our disposal.

Like I said, I certainly won't cancel a cruise over it but in the future it could be a factor, depending on how we feel, as to whether we go with NCL. If we love our cruise then we surely will make that more important than a bottle of wine. [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif[/img]


<p align="center">[img]http://mywebpages.comcast.net/poetryparlor/swimgirl.gif[/img]
[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=800080&cdt=2005;1;30;17;30;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img]
Countdown - Dawn 11 day cruise

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Home Lines - 5/1988
Disney Wonder - 10/1998
Carnival Triumph - 7/2002
Carnival Legend - 10/2003
NCL - Dawn - 1/2005
</P>

[lesleyfb]

I agree. But if it comes to 2 cruises about the same and one is NCL and the other is say, RCI, then I would definitely lean towards the RCI cruise. Shame really.

[lesleyfb]

I've had a look on the Princess, Celebrity, RCI and Carnival and all their policies seem to be - no hard liquor but wine and champagne are fine. I think NCL are being extremely heavy handed and need to re-think the degree of flexibility they employ when confiscating some bottles.

[BigDave]

Cruises are great, but basically they are just big floating hotels with attached amusement parks.

As long as I am not breaking any laws they have no real right to mess with what I do in the privacy of my cabin.

It kind of pisses me off that cruise lines have decided to turn the screws by tightening the rules and enforcement.

Most cruise lines you can still get a bottle of a favorite drink in your cabin for a reasonable price.
I bought a bottle of Sheridans on RCCL last month and it was our sipping relaxation drink in our room all week Mmmmmmm. The cost was $10 per bottle to take to your room and the duty free prices were inexpensive. (The Sheridans was about $28 with the $10, rum would have been $20)

As long as I can get something I like reasonable priced to take or be delivered to my room it shouldn't be a problem.

If they have ridiculous rules, and high costs for on board ordering, and are using draconian methods for enforcement, why bother?

I'm currently testing the different cruise lines so I know what I like and what the trade offs are when planning a cruise.

Note that NCL is NOT on my current list, and it is not likely to be added.

BigDave

Enchantment 10/2002, Rhapsody 4/2004.
Caribbean Princess, E Carib. 11/27/2004 [img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=22AA22&cdt=2004;11;27;17;0;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img]
HAL Oosterdam, E Carib. 1/2/2005 [img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=22AA22&cdt=2005;1;2;17;0;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img]
Valor, W. Carib. 2/6/2005, Radiance, E. Carib 2/13/2005 [img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=22AA22&cdt=2005;2;6;17;0;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img]

[zachnlucy]

After having read all of these replies, I guess it just depends on the embarkation port and their employees. We embarked in Vancouver and had no problems. Nor did we see anyone else with problems. We had vodka and rum in Ozarka water bottles, and a couple of liqueurs in a black shampoo bottle. All luggage was delivered promptly. My sister put a bottle of rum in her checked baggage, undisguised, with no problems. I do agree with previous posters regarding just smiling if caught. That was my plan. If you know you're breaking the rules and you get caught, just grin and bear it.

Cindy

02/03 ~~ Carnival Holiday
07/03 ~~ Carnival Conquest
05/04 ~~ Norwegian Sun