Bringing Alcohol on Board

[Ontario cruise duo]

On a recent cruise we were told that in each port (by other cruisers) that you could bring 6 beers per person on board and they would not confiscate it from you. Has any else brought beer on board lately?

[johnql]

Sorry, never heard of such a policy. I think you were misinformed or someone was just pulling your leg.

[Ontario cruise duo]

Sorry, never heard of such a policy. I think you were misinformed or someone was just pulling your leg.

 

Didn't believe it either until two women on our cruise ship heard it and did it on the second to last port. They each brought on a six pack in a plastic bag. Of course, it went through their scanners and had no problems! I know these women weren't the type to lie.

[johnql]

Didn't believe it either until two women on our cruise ship heard it and did it on the second to last port. They each brought on a six pack in a plastic bag. Of course, it went through their scanners and had no problems! I know these women weren't the type to lie.

I've seen that happen, too, but that doesn't mean that it's officially condoned. Either the checkers missed it or didn't care.

[SeaShark]

On a recent cruise we were told that in each port (by other cruisers) that you could bring 6 beers per person on board and they would not confiscate it from you. Has any else brought beer on board lately?

 

Since you were onboard an NCL ship when you heard this, why didn't you simply ask one one crew members onboard for confirmation instead of relying on what you're told "by other cruisers"??

 

Or were you simply waiting for April Fool's Day to prank the message board with this "rumor"? :rolleyes:

[richm20]

You can bring a 6 pack provided it is in a white plastic bag and the cans are placed in the bag upside down.

[danfiveoh]

You can bring a 6 pack provided it is in a white plastic bag and the cans are placed in the bag upside down.

 

That's odd. On our last cruise, they insisted that the cans be placed sideways.....

[tdcjerry]

They have all eyes looking for bottles of alcohol, not cans, soda and beer look the same inside a bag and they want the line to move along. We refilled our rum runners twice and go them back onboard just fine, and before it is said that the cruise contract says " you can't bring alcohal onboard" it gets done and NCL is still making money off drinks.

[trish1c]

The policy is no beer or hard liquor. Sometimes it's not enforced, but the policy is still no.

[Ontario cruise duo]

Okay, so at our very last port on March 25/12, we did attempt this. DH of course was not thrilled that I was willing to try it. 6 BOTTLES of Corona's, in it's 6 pack holder, placed inside the store's colored plastic shopping bag. Placed on the ship's security scanner, through security and back to us it came. No problem whatsoever. Total savings $7.00. Worth it. Not really, but wanted to give it a try.

[realtrip]

You can bring a 6 pack provided it is in a white plastic bag and the cans are placed in the bag upside down.

And:

That's odd. On our last cruise, they insisted that the cans be placed sideways....

 

Maybe I'll just print these as proof for the security check guys!:D

guaranteed all will be fine, lol

[Ontario cruise duo]

Just for the record, we did buy 5 buckets of beer, a few single bottles of beer, speciality drinks and wine. NCL did okay by us, as we only purchased a six pack off the ship. I had just never heard of this before. Would I buy beer in each port.... not likely.... $7.00 is really not worth it to us. I think the buckets of beer at $28.00 (for Corona's) isn't a bad price at all. And don't get me wrong... we are not big time drinkers. This was a 10 day cruise after all.

[kaylasnana]

We just got off the dawn last week and my brother bought a six pack on one of the islands and was curious to see if they would let him keep it. When he got to security, they asked if it was beer or rum. He said he thought it was beer (haha) and they said fine.

[Ajkcruiser]

I ordered a bar set up,,, because my cruise is 13 nights,,, and between all those sea days,,,,,one drink here another there,,,it is worth it for me,,, but the prices ARE high...

 

Royal Caribbean is the parent company for Pullmantur,,, a liner which offers AI,,,, about a month ago they launched their Summer/Fall sale in Canada around 1,500 bucks AI (air, transfers and cruise) now,,,,I can't help myself to think.......which is a wiser choice in business?

 

 

AJ

 

Ever wonder why things are not done a certain way, even though people outside of a business "feel" that it is logical? ;)

[sstrong]

A few more thoughts on the "criminality" of smuggling alcohol on board:

 

The scope of a rule or a law is no more and no less than the scope of its enforcement. The cruise lines know many people smuggle liquor on board. Some people probably would not pay as much for a ticket, and may not cruise at all, if they couldn't reasonably count on being able to bring alcohol on board. For passengers who like to drink a lot, the cost of buying alcohol on the ship might double the cost of a cruise, or more.

 

Disclosure: I am one of those who would not be willing to pay nearly as much for a ticket if I could not bring my own liquor on board.

 

From the cruise lines' perspective, selling their own liquor is very profitable so they logically impose certain barriers to bringing it onboard. The barriers are:

 

(1) a stated policy that passengers are not allowed to bring liquor onboard; and

 

(2) a relatively unobtrusive screening process designed to make it somewhat difficult but not nearly impossible for passengers to do so.

 

It's a small step above movie theater security, which may stop you if you try to walk in with an open bottle of soda but won't make any effort to look for it in your purse or pockets. The cruise lines know this and it is within their power to rationally adjust the scope of the rules, by which I mean the extent of enforcement because they are the same thing. A rule or law has no meaning detached from its enforcement. The cruise lines, being profitable, well-managed businesses, have rationally concluded that the current level of enforcement is optimally efficient. The cruise lines could make it more difficult to bring alcohol on board. They could implement more thorough screening, require cabin stewards to report liquor in staterooms, and fine passengers caught violating the policy. The fact that they choose not to do so suggests they believe the current system is the most profitable. This makes sense to me. As I said, many would not be willing to pay the same price for a ticket knowing they can't bring liquor on board. It's not hard to believe the cruise lines have struck the perfect balance between driving away customers and encouraging them to by drinks on board.

 

So there you have it: the perfectly rational status quo where passengers continue to cruise and the cruise lines continue to profit. Some passengers buy rum runners and smuggle liquor on board, while others for whom money is less of an object rationally choose to forgo the minor inconvenience and pay for it onboard. The cruise lines understand this, they expect it, and they don't view passengers are "criminals." It's not a moral issue, it's a common sense issue. The cruise lines are running a business and want to maximize profit. It's no different for passengers. We rationally seek to minimize our expenses for much the same reason.

 

By the way, it's worth noting that many passengers don't drink at all. Smuggling liquor on board is no more "criminal" than choosing not to drink. Smugglers and teetotalers both generate less profit for a cruise line for the same reason.

[Richie2pies]

Aren't Princess and HAL in business to make money? Why do they allow wine and champagne to be brought onboard and why are their bottles of liquor for in-room consumption MUCH cheaper? Inquiring minds want to know.

[SeaShark]

Aren't Princess and HAL in business to make money? Why do they allow wine and champagne to be brought onboard and why are their bottles of liquor for in-room consumption MUCH cheaper? Inquiring minds want to know.

 

If Princess and HAL are sooooooooooooo profitable, then why aren't the rest of the Carnival Brands also following this business model?? Minds that don't read the Inquirer also want to know...:rolleyes:

[sdmike]

Aren't Princess and HAL in business to make money? Why do they allow wine and champagne to be brought onboard and why are their bottles of liquor for in-room consumption MUCH cheaper? Inquiring minds want to know.

 

Higher fares allow them to rely less on alcohol revenues

[Demonyte]

While I do think that NCL's bar setup prices are honestly rip-off, partly I do understand one rationale behind the decision.

 

Because NCL is one of the cheapest cruise lines, being able to get bottles of cheap alcohol directly to cabin where the company can't monitor passengers behaviour might cause problems and attract too much trouble makers.

 

Because of the higher prices and therefore different clientele, the higher class cruise lines do not necessarily have this problem and that's another reason why they can keep the bar setup prices lower.

[Bibble]

If Princess and HAL are sooooooooooooo profitable, then why aren't the rest of the Carnival Brands also following this business model?? Minds that don't read the Inquirer also want to know...:rolleyes:

 

Carnival follows this, I don't know about the rest of the Carnival brands though. On Carnival I have brought my allowed wine & champagne, and I have also purchased a bottle of liquor for my cabin that equated for $4/drink instead of $11.

[salty dingo]

If you are creative you can get the booze onboard. Just a matter of wanting to and being determined.

[katiepe]

Where are the prices for "the bar set up"

Is it like Bon Voyage for Carnival?