How do they know if you are bring alcohol on board?

[beverly631]

I was wondering how they know if you are bringing alcohol in your suitcase? I don't think a cardboard box of mixed cocktails will look like a bottle. I also saw plastic bottles to use for this purpose. On Celebrity they allow a bottle of wine but not NCL.

 

Any experiences?

[BaumD]

They X-ray your luggage and know what to look for. Hiding booze in a mouthwash bottle is an old trick and they know all about it.

[cb at sea]

They have years and years of experience looking for contraband....plastic may make it through....and if you can "muddle" your stuff together with hair dryers, clothes hangers, and other "stuff", you'll probably get it into your cabin.

 

The problem is that I don't want to sit in my cabin to drink! We like to be "out and about"..so buying drinks makes the most sense (and is the most fun!)...

 

 

I don't understand why wine is classed differently than beer or liquor...it all gets a good buzz going! I think it's discrimination! While I don't mind getting a buzz off of wine, I refuse to pay their prices to do so. I can buy a BIG bottle of wine at home for $6.29....on the ship, I'd pay $9 for a simple GLASS of that same wine...stupid and ridiculous!

 

I stick with mixed drinks (they mix them STRONG) for the most bang for my buck!

[sail7seas]

All luggage on all cruise lines leaving U.S. ports is x-rayed.

They find 'most' of the liquor.

I suppose some slips by or they let it pass but it's more likely than not they will confiscate it.

[aohkay]

I was wondering how they know if you are bringing alcohol in your suitcase? I don't think a cardboard box of mixed cocktails will look like a bottle. I also saw plastic bottles to use for this purpose. On Celebrity they allow a bottle of wine but not NCL.

 

Any experiences?

 

You should go with Celebritiy then in order to take your bottle of wine on. :rolleyes:

[kitty9]

Believe me, these security guys know what to look for. On my recent Celebrity cruise I was called to the "naughty room" because of my extension cord for my mobility scooter. I was shocked by the huge numbers of bottles of booze they found in luggage. All kinds of containers, from plastic ones to mouthwash bottles to rum runners and those little bottles from the airlines. Smuggling is not as easy as it was years ago.

[LadyShiva]

On Celebrity they allow a bottle of wine but not NCL.

 

NCL allows you to bring wine, they just charge you a minor corkage fee: http://www2.ncl.com/faq#alcohol-consumption

[Hlitner]

First off, many cruise lines allow wine to be brought on board (RCCL is a major exception). Some lines limit wine to 1 bottle per person (i.e. Celebrity) and others (such as HA) have no specific limit. As to corkage fees, they only apply to wine that is brought to the dining room. I would also add that having been on a few cruises (we stopped counting after the first 2 1/2 years of cruising) we have found that the wine limits (on cruise lines that allow at least some wine) is not always enforced. When we cruise in Europe (with many different cruise lines) we have often brought local/regional wines onboard at intervening ports (not allowed by most cruise line rules) and have never had a problem.

 

Hank

[pris993]

First off, many cruise lines allow wine to be brought on board (RCCL is a major exception). Some lines limit wine to 1 bottle per person (i.e. Celebrity) and others (such as HA) have no specific limit. As to corkage fees, they only apply to wine that is brought to the dining room. I would also add that having been on a few cruises (we stopped counting after the first 2 1/2 years of cruising) we have found that the wine limits (on cruise lines that allow at least some wine) is not always enforced. When we cruise in Europe (with many different cruise lines) we have often brought local/regional wines onboard at intervening ports (not allowed by most cruise line rules) and have never had a problem.

 

Hank

 

We have never packed wine or alcohol in luggage, only in our carryon. Have never had anyone ask to keep anything we carried on or brought back from ports in 25 years of cruising. We enjoy having lunch in our cabin, on our balcony many days, enjoy a drink and wine at the time. We bring wine to the MDR for dinner and buy some on board as well.

[Keith1010]

Best bet is to not sneak it on board.

 

Keith

[NoobCruise]

You can take all the wine you want onboard HAL. You can also order bottles of booze for your room. I thought their prices were very reasonable, similar to what I'd pay at home at Costco for 1 L bottles. Their cocktails and beer prices were also similar to what I'd pay at a bar or restaurant at home.

[rvsullivan]

I was wondering how they know if you are bringing alcohol in your suitcase? I don't think a cardboard box of mixed cocktails will look like a bottle. I also saw plastic bottles to use for this purpose. On Celebrity they allow a bottle of wine but not NCL.

 

Any experiences?

 

NCL allows you to bring on unlimited wine, you just pay a small corkage fee per bottle. You can also pre order booze for your room in advance by calling the 800 number. It includes 3 mixers and 3 garnishes.

[spookwife]

NCL allows you to bring wine, they just charge you a minor corkage fee: http://www2.ncl.com/faq#alcohol-consumption

 

they all charge a corkage fee (if they permit it to be brought on board) for opening OUTSIDE your cabin as well( ie, the dining rooms) . while we sail on Royal now and abide by their policy of no alcohol on board( we do find their wine packages to be a very good value based on what we drink) when we sailed Carnival and Disney in the past, we just packed a small travel corkscrew in our checked luggage and opened our brought on bottles in the cabin ourselves.

[sail7seas]

Sail HAL. They allow all the wine you want, no corkage fee if you drink it in your cabin and you can bring your own soda and water, if you wish.

 

That being said, we never bother to lug any of it. There are ample choices on board to get what we will enjoy.

[kitty9]

Hank, Celebrity allows two bottles per CABIN, not one bottle per person. So, if anyone has four people in a cabin, they're allowed the two bottles, not four bottles.

[boogs]

Depending on the port and the cruise line, there are scanners that can detect the molecular makeup of different liquids, even if they are in a container. These scanners are programmed to identify banned liquids and ignore permitted liquids.

 

It's the luck of the draw whether you get caught or not. Personally, I would rather not start my cruise having to deal with being caught. That would set the wrong vibe for the entire vacation.

[dread_pirate]

As to corkage fees, they only apply to wine that is brought to the dining room.

 

Except NCL. NCL's corkage fee applies to wine that is brought on board. They charge the corkage when you check in. When we were in Bermuda, they also occasionally had a table for the corkage fee when you returned to the ship. (Since we were docked there for 2 nights, they couldn't man it constantly.)

[calliopecruiser]

I was wondering how they know if you are bringing alcohol in your suitcase?

 

The same way customs staff know if you are smuggling contraband.....a combination of training and experience, along with technology (scanners and x-rays). At least if you choose to try and smuggle alcohol on board, the worst they will do is confiscate it.