Souvenir Alcohol - can we take on board?

[spazwok]

We are doing an Alaska cruise with Celebrity out of Vancouver in May and it is at the end of a 7 week vacation in the USA. We are from Australia. My husband and brother in law are into craft beer and whiskey and will likely be looking to purchase some bottles of beer/whiskey to bring home as souvenirs for themselves and friends.

 

I know you aren't allowed to take alcohol on board for consumption while on the cruise, but would we be able to bring these bottles on if we let Celebrity know?

 

I read that if you buy alcohol in port then they will keep the alcohol for you and give it to you on the last day before you disembark. Could we do the same thing with this on embarkation day?

 

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

[cruisestitch]

I did this when taking some special bottles on a transatlantic to Europe. I bubble wrapped the bottles, marked them with my name and turned them over to an officer at the terminal, making a note of his name in case of problems later. I was worried that I might not ever see them again but it worked out ok for me, they returned them to me on the final night of the cruise but as always, one experience may not be predictive to all cases.

[groryjm]

On our cruise to the med last year I bought a bottle of my favourite Lambs rum in Valletta (at only 10 euros:cool:) and showed it to the guy on the sucurity scanner when I walked back on to the ship. Wether it was because he didn't want the hassle or not he just smilled and let me walk on:eek:

 

But as cruisestitch says it is down to the individual circumstance at the time

[miched]

if you stop in Skagway there is a brew pub there in the center of town called Skagway brewing. A nice place to stop for a pint, souvinors and they also have reasonably priced and good food. it was a lot nicer and better than the Red Dog saloon that was at another port.

 

drink up 🍻🍺🍹🍷

[CHEZMARYLOU]

My husband purchased a limited edition bottle of Crown Royal on our land tour in Alaska. When we boarded the ship the security person indicated we should check it at the table by the door. I didn't quite hear what he said and walked right past the table with no questions asked. Had we checked it I'm sure it would have been returned at the end of the cruise.

[RickT]

Have experienced both scenarios (hand over nice bottles of Scotch or keep walking back to your stateroom). In the situations where I had to hand it over it was always brought to my stateroom the final evening of the cruise.

 

If you're flying out of Vancouver, don't forget to put the bottle IN your luggage as you won't be able to go through security with them.

[cle-guy]

My husband purchased a limited edition bottle of Crown Royal on our land tour in Alaska. When we boarded the ship the security person indicated we should check it at the table by the door. I didn't quite hear what he said and walked right past the table with no questions asked.

 

This has been my experience as well. Point me to the table to check it and no one was there to do it so I just boarded the elevators with to and kept with me.

Edited March 1, 2015 by cle-guy

[spazwok]

Have experienced both scenarios (hand over nice bottles of Scotch or keep walking back to your stateroom). In the situations where I had to hand it over it was always brought to my stateroom the final evening of the cruise.

 

If you're flying out of Vancouver, don't forget to put the bottle IN your luggage as you won't be able to go through security with them.

 

Is that the same in US airports? You're not allowed to take alcohol in your carry on luggage??

[RickT]

Is that the same in US airports? You're not allowed to take alcohol in your carry on luggage??

 

Correct. The only exception is alcohol bought at Duty Free, and even that can be a problem if you have a connection and need to go through security at that connection. Some of the Duty Free shops seal the bag and it's supposed to be OK to take through security, but I've seen it confiscated. Best to wrap it in some clothing and leave it in your suitcase.