Bringing liquor home when flying?

[davy jones]

It's been a long time since we did this. You can't carry it on the flight anymore.

 

Does anyone still do this with the liquor in checked luggage?

[sparks1093]

It's been a long time since we did this. You can't carry it on the flight anymore.

 

Does anyone still do this with the liquor in checked luggage?

 

That's how most people handle it after making sure it is well wrapped. We've always driven so haven't had to face this issue but may have to next year.

[Sherri914]

It's been a long time since we did this. You can't carry it on the flight anymore.

 

Does anyone still do this with the liquor in checked luggage?

 

Last time, we flew w/ connecting flights (had to change planes) with quite a bit in our checked luggage. On the ship and at various ports we bought the big bottle of Crown Royal (3L), two 2L bottles of vodka, two bottles of Sherridans, one bottle of Bailey's and one bottle of rum. We had quite the load. The hardest part was fitting it all in the two suitcases we had brought, dispersing them for weight purposes to stay under 50lbs each, and doing it safely so that they were protected and wouldn't break. And we were successful!

 

I had two very large Ziploc bags that I had brought. They're 5 gallon size. I put as many bottles as I could in those two bags, hoping that it would contain the fluid if anything broke in flight. Then I started rolling our clothes and put a layer on the bottom of the suitcase, placed the filled bag in the center, then surrounded and topped it with more rolled clothes. It had quite the nice cushion. I also rolled each bottle in a t-shirt before placing inside the bags. Did this with both bags and it worked. No spills!

Edited August 17, 2015 by Sherri914

[mediccruzin]

You will have to pack it in your luggage in the parking lot of the cruise terminal or the airport terminal as you have to go get your alcohol the morning of getting off the ship now.

[Normal 1]

Connections are the risky part. They really heave those bags around. Last time we flew, we bought some kiddie arm floatie thingies. Put them around bottles and inflated then into ziplock bags then in middle of suitcase with soft stuff around.

 

Also found it helped if bottles purchased on the cruise as they came in a box that helped with breakables. We have not cruised under the new rules of picking your bottles up debarkation morning. That will be interesting to see how much pain it is.

 

May want to invest in a luggage scale so you know how close to 50 pounds you are. rearranging in the airport sucks!

 

Even though some pricing is cheap (and some areas have big local taxes), we find just as good of sales at Binny's, Sams, etc. Exception being the Sheridans that cannot be purchased in the States.

 

Good luck!

[paul929207]

We no longer bother. The risk of damage is just not worth taking.

[zqvol]

Only time we do it now is when we fly out of San Juan or St. Thomas. You buy liquor after you clear security and then can carry it on the plane with you. Sometimes not a lot of variety, but it works out great. We usually bring back about 10 -12 liters and carry it with us the whole way including connections.

 

This only works where you can buy it after security, and when you have a domestic flight so that you don't have to security again.

[wwcruisers]

We always pack a couple of sheets of bubble wrap, and a small roll of strong plastic tape. It doesn't take up much room in the suitcase, and it's great to have, in case you need to brink back something fragile -- alcohol, perfume, etc. :cool:

[Dayenu]

It's been a long time since we did this. You can't carry it on the flight anymore.

 

Does anyone still do this with the liquor in checked luggage?

 

When we know we'll be buying bottles, we bring bubble wrap. We don't buy much.

 

Don't know where you live... we have a chain store BevMo that sells rum, tequila - and the prices are great, so we buy here and give them away as "souvenirs" :)

[sfaaa]

As said, you can buy at airport duty free shop and hand carry the booze onto the plane. It costs more but they sometimes have decent sales.

Edited August 17, 2015 by sfaaa

[navybankerteacher]

As said, you can buy at airport duty free shop and hand carry the booze onto the plane. It costs more but they sometimes have decent sales.

 

This only works on international flights. In any event, I have not noticed a steep enough discount to make the hassle and risk of damage worthwhile.

[Flatbush Flyer]

Some of the best wine and spirits in the world are widely available via the internet or in local free standing or chain stores (e.g., total wine, BevMo, and even certain Costcos, etc). We also buy a lot of wine direct from the winery with $0 shipping if you buy at least a case.

 

Actually, prices may sometimes be higher in the country of origin, particularly if the bulk of their production is being exported.

 

And don't get me started about airport "duty free" - what a ripoff (if you live in a state that allows interstate shipping from wineries direct or at discount outlets).

 

Now, occasionally, there will be a hard to find (at a decent US price) wine (e.g., 2011 Quinto do Vallado.) That Quinto sells for about $75 here in California (if you can find it). In Lisbon, it's €35. However, you've still got to get it home. Check your local wine store for styrofoam bottle holders. They can bring a great wine with you at embarkation and take the rare find home with you at disembarkation.

 

Of course, weight is a consideration (another good reason to do your best to score business upgrades [with a 70 lb limit] on the international flights).

 

But, at the bottom line, so much of what specific brands folks talk on CC about bringing home is (IMO) not worth the effort.

 

Likewise, I can't believe that folks will bring cheap wine from home or port on a cruise and then pay corkage. As a general rule, limit bring-aboard wines meant for dinner (and therefore corkage fees) to special bottles unavailable on the ship or where the same offering's ship price exceeds your bottle's cost plus corkage.

Edited August 17, 2015 by Flatbush Flyer

[Keith1010]

We no longer bother. The risk of damage is just not worth taking.

 

Ditto. :)

[Treven]

...

I had two very large Ziploc bags that I had brought. They're 5 gallon size. I put as many bottles as I could in those two bags, hoping that it would contain the fluid if anything broke in flight. Then I started rolling our clothes and put a layer on the bottom of the suitcase, placed the filled bag in the center, then surrounded and topped it with more rolled clothes. It had quite the nice cushion. I also rolled each bottle in a t-shirt before placing inside the bags. Did this with both bags and it worked. No spills!

This is pretty much how I do it as well. Clothes on the bottom of my duffel. Adult beverage individually wrapped in my Levis, and then more clothes on top of that. Fortunately I don't have to deal with the weight limit, so the extra weight of the beverages won't matter.

Edited August 17, 2015 by Treven

[jamessemaj]

I don't think the effort is worth it, for a few bucks savings. I gave up trying to bring back tax free liquor long ago. If I am wrong, please enlighten me and tell me how much I would save going through the flying hassles of bringing back liquor.

[pris993]

We only do it if we are on a cruise to our home port or we are flying internationally and have a direct flight, then buy only if we find something in duty free that we can't buy a home for a similar amount.

 

For us it is French Rums, if we are in Paris we will pick up a bottle, hard to find even in San Francisco, so worth it if on a direct Air France flight, we can carryon from the duty free at the check in gate. Would never try to put in check luggage, even though we have hard sided luggage.

[kelkel2]

It's been a long time since we did this. You can't carry it on the flight anymore.

 

Does anyone still do this with the liquor in checked luggage?

 

Yes we've done it, in fact we have brought more than one bottle back home on one trip. We just try to split the bottles up between suitcases so they won't break each other. We also try to wrap them very well and put them between clothing. We haven't had any problems getting them back home. (knock on wood)

[davy jones]

Thanks for the input. It looks like it can be done. If the $ savings is great, I will use your tips. If the difference is not great, it may not be worth the effort for 2 bottles.

[Talisker92]

There are also some that are not available locally. Johnny Walker Explorers Club scotch is only available at duty free stores or on board BA flights.

Edited August 18, 2015 by Talisker92

[Donray]

You will have to pack it in your luggage in the parking lot of the cruise terminal or the airport terminal as you have to go get your alcohol the morning of getting off the ship now.

 

Why? The cruises I have been on (over 25) delivered the alcohol the night before so you could pack it. What ship were you on that delivery the alcohol during debarkation?

[CruisingAlong4Now]

:(From my post on another thread about wine/liquor in checked bags:

 

On behalf of your fellow travelers, please do not put your breakable bottles in your checked bag if wrapped in your clothes, even if in bubble wrap. Many posters here will tell you they do this all the time and they should be grateful that they have not had a bad experience. But it only takes one bad flight to have wide negative repercussions for many people.

 

I had my cruise ruined by someone who put wine in his checked bags. Clearly their "rarely" breakable bottles, defied convention and decided to break or their corks popped, or whatever, but my suitcases came into the baggage carousel soaked in wine and alcohol. There were also many other bags that were soaked in alcohol.

 

The airlines found the offending traveler and opened their suitcase in the baggage claim area and lo and behold, there was the broken wine bottle which had pierced the protective wraps.

 

Fortunately I had flown in several days prior to the cruise, but instead of relaxing, I and my DH ran around town trying to get all new clothes. Nothing was salvageable. I then had to deal with the airlines and my insurance company about who was going to pay me. I really wanted payment to come from the inconsiderate louse who just had to take his own particular wine with him rather than go several days without his wino fix.

 

And as others have said, good wine doesn't travel well in checked bags (too shaken up) and almost all liquors and other alcoholic beverages are available at home.

[tetleytea]

The TSA's track record with wine bottles is less than favorable. And they don't just turn up broken--they turn up missing.

[kelkel2]

You will have to pack it in your luggage in the parking lot of the cruise terminal or the airport terminal as you have to go get your alcohol the morning of getting off the ship now.

 

The delivery of alcohol on debarkation day is a Carnival policy and is not an industry standard. But is a good thing to point out to those who have never traveled carnival or who haven't in a while. It's something they have implemented in the last few months. Not too many happy people concerning this policy.