flying your liquour home ?

[lbtnewcruiser]

We generally buy the standard 3 bottles pp and leave the ship with 6 bottles of liquor combined purchased onboard, however we walk off then put it in our car and drive home. This upcoming trip we are flying out of San Juan after the cruise and back to New York. Can anyone share how we can fly home with our purchase and what's allowed ?

[Ontario Cruiser]

If you purchase your liquor anywhere other than at the airport when you depart you need to put it in your checked luggage we do that all the time Ontario Cruiser

[lbtnewcruiser]

If you purchase your liquor anywhere other than at the airport when you depart you need to put it in your checked luggage we do that all the time Ontario Cruiser

 

Thanks for the reply, we have never flown out of San Juan. Will we have the opportunity to purchase it at the airport and carry it on ?

[Clarea]

We generally buy the standard 3 bottles pp and leave the ship with 6 bottles of liquor combined purchased onboard, however we walk off then put it in our car and drive home. This upcoming trip we are flying out of San Juan after the cruise and back to New York. Can anyone share how we can fly home with our purchase and what's allowed ?

Consider something like this:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Reusable-Padded-Absorbent-Bio-Degradable-Accessories/dp/B00IIT9HM2/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1461752805&sr=8-3&keywords=wine+diaper+reusable+padded+absorbent+bag

[lbtnewcruiser]

Consider something like this:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Reusable-Padded-Absorbent-Bio-Degradable-Accessories/dp/B00IIT9HM2/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1461752805&sr=8-3&keywords=wine+diaper+reusable+padded+absorbent+bag

 

thanks, haven't seen these

[matj2000]

Not really convenient when flying.

 

I usually stuff it in you suitcase padded with all the clothes.

 

I would only do a couple of bottles, not 6.

[cruiseguy1016]

Thanks for the reply, we have never flown out of San Juan. Will we have the opportunity to purchase it at the airport and carry it on ?

 

The Duty Free stores at San Juan airport are beyond the security checkpoint so anything you buy there you can carry onto the plane with you. They will put it in a box that makes carrying onto the plane very easy. Check the prices when you land, before you head out of the terminal. I think you'll find that the prices in the airport are comparable to anything you will find on your cruise. Remember, if you have to stuff booze bottles into your checked luggage, the weight of the booze may put your luggage over the weight limit. If you have to pay an overweight baggage fee, that will negate any money you saved on the booze.

Edited April 27, 2016 by cruiseguy1016

[vickiw0318]

DD and I decided that Belgium beer and matching glasses would be vastly more appreciated by our guys at home than a Brugge t-shirt would be. We packed all the breakables in dirty clothes and put them in the middle of the luggage with more layers on either side. No accidents.

 

(They probably would have liked chocolate too, but we ate it all.)

[robtulipe]

Not really convenient when flying.

 

I usually stuff it in you suitcase padded with all the clothes.

 

I would only do a couple of bottles, not 6.

 

DD and I decided that Belgium beer and matching glasses would be vastly more appreciated by our guys at home than a Brugge t-shirt would be. We packed all the breakables in dirty clothes and put them in the middle of the luggage with more layers on either side. No accidents.

 

We actually wrap some clothes, like older t-shirts, typically free ship ones like those from the casino and our smaller than the ship's beach towels when in Caribbean, around each liquor bottles and then put each in its own large plastic bag and seal it by simply tying the open end with a knot. The plastic ship's wash and fold laundry bags are good for this or you can get a large plastic bag from a shop. Make sure the shop ones don't have holes. Then we place these in the middle of our luggage padded by our other clothing.

The plastic bag contains any leaks and the cloth wrapping not only absorbs any of these but prevents the shards of glass from puncturing the bag if a bottle should break. Also ensure all cap are tight.

We've never had a problem when using this alcohol bottle protection method in our air travel from 52 cruises and multiple land vacations but have seen a few leaking and alcohol smelling bags at the airport. Also we never put more than two bottles in a bag.

Edited April 27, 2016 by robtulipe

[bouhunter]

We've brought home dozens of bottles in our checked bags wrapped in dirty clothes. Never any breakage or leakage yet:D

 

As someone else noted - keep in mind the weight they will add. Most airlines are at 50 lbs per bag, maybe some at 40. We always have a luggage scale with us and check our bags before going to the airport. Or when at the end of a cruise before putting them in the hallway the night before disembarkation. Many times I've seen people sitting on the floor at an airport moving things from one bag to another when one was overweight. Doesn't look fun......

Edited April 27, 2016 by bouhunter

[ColoradoGurl]

I use the wine diapers and then stuff them between clothes in my suitcase. Last trip it took me over the weight limit, so that's something to consider, but there's also a rule about how high the alcohol content can be (I don't think it pertains to many things but maybe absinthe or something like that) and there's also a bottle limit of 5 per person...I think. I don't recall the specifics exactly, but I read it on an airlines website. You could probably Google it and find the right answer to double check me.

Edited April 27, 2016 by ColoradoGurl

[tsconley19]

We generally buy the standard 3 bottles pp and leave the ship with 6 bottles of liquor combined purchased onboard, however we walk off then put it in our car and drive home. This upcoming trip we are flying out of San Juan after the cruise and back to New York. Can anyone share how we can fly home with our purchase and what's allowed ?

 

Last year after our cruise on the Adventure, we purchased liquor airside at the airport in San Juan. It will be in a sealed container for airline travel and was allowed onboard the aircraft. We purchased two bottles of vodka and brought them both onboard. I'm not sure of the allowed amount? Just ask the person selling it. Perhaps a web search or the airport website will give you a definite answer.

Tom

Edited April 27, 2016 by tsconley19

[Sky616]

We just did this last week from San Juan. We only brought 4 bottles home total, 2 in each checked piece of luggage. I brought bubble wrap along from home and just wrapped it in there and stored it wrapped in clothes too. No problem it made it home intact. As a side note if you're looking for Cruzan Rum I found it cheapest in St. Croix out of all the islands we were at, I guess because it's made there. We didn't make it to the rum factory but there were shops along the street closest to the cruise ship. Have fun.

Edited April 27, 2016 by Sky616

[impatientlywaiting]

When we stopped in Grand Cayman last year we bought 4 bottles of 151 Tortuga Rum. I came prepared and wrapped each bottle in bubble wrap and secured that with packing tape; then I put each bottle in a 2 gallon zip lock baggie. Finally, I put each bottle in the middle of an ebag of clothes. Yes, it seems like a lot of work but with glass bottles I didn't want to take a chance!

 

On a previous trip we bought 6 bottles of rum and when we came through Customs I was asked how much alcohol we had. When I told the official I had 6 bottles instead of 4, he said to go ahead and go through because the paperwork for 2 extra bottles wasn't worth the $1 he would have to collect for each bottle.

[lbtnewcruiser]

Last year after our cruise on the Adventure, we purchased liquor airside at the airport in San Juan. It will be in a sealed container for airline travel and was allowed onboard the aircraft. We purchased two bottles of vodka and brought them both onboard. I'm not sure of the allowed amount? Just ask the person selling it. Perhaps a web search or the airport website will give you a definite answer.

Tom

 

Great, this is the info I was looking for. Did it count as your "carry on" ? Was there any fee from the airlines ? We are flying Jet Blue

[tsconley19]

We flew American, and was not counted as part of our carry on allowance. Not sure if other airlines would count it. There was no additional fee paid to bring aboard. You just can't open it! I think I remember a zip tie like plastic seal on the 2 bottle carboard container.

Tom

Edited April 27, 2016 by tsconley19

[jamesr3939]

Some of the shops will ship it home for you.

[Cbear1973]

So you all are aware:

 

The limit of hard liquor in a checked bag is 5 liters per person.

 

The liquor can't have a proof over 140. In other words, 151 rum can be removed from your bag as hazmat, because it is extremely flammable.

 

There is no limit as to bottles of wine that can be in a checked bag.

 

Do be aware of the weight limits, as others have said.

 

FYI, I work for TSA

[crzndeb]

I always bring empty rum runners with me and transfer the contents from the bottles into those. I then put those in large zip lock bags.

 

The exception was coming home from Sydney, and I bought a bottle of Absolut Limited Edition Oz, that I bought in duty free store, and was able to carry on. I wanted to keep the bottle for the artwork on it, and it could only be bought in Australia.

[zqvol]

We generally buy the standard 3 bottles pp and leave the ship with 6 bottles of liquor combined purchased onboard, however we walk off then put it in our car and drive home. This upcoming trip we are flying out of San Juan after the cruise and back to New York. Can anyone share how we can fly home with our purchase and what's allowed ?

 

As others have said San Juan is a great place to buy your liquor! Wait until after you clear security. There are a couple of duty free liquor stores after that point, they have a huge selextion. Buy as much as you want. they will box it for you and you can carry it on the plane. Even if you have a connection it is not an issue unless you have to clear security a second time, which as you know is rare in the US.

Edited April 30, 2016 by zqvol