Rum Runner Risks

[Cloudsipping]

Sailed with Royal caribbean very recently. I had a drinks package and they charged me for two bottles of water in error. While I was down at guest services getting the charges removed, I could not help but overhear the conversation of a couple and a guest services staff member at the next desk. They were there to inquire why a relative of theirs had been thrown off the ship and not allowed to re-board. (we were docked at a port in a foreign country). They said that they had paid for the tickets, not the relative. The staff member made some clicks on a keyboard and said "this is not about that. This is not about who paid for the tickets" and then excused themselves to go to a back room and asked the couple to wait. Of course i was dying to know what this person had done. The staff member came back, and I am half-ashamed to admit i was straining my ears to hear. The staff member would not even tell THEM what the relative had done! Said only that he knew why he was banned from the ship, and they had to ask him what he had done! They tried to get the staff to reconsider, saying the relative did not have the funds the get himself back to the USA or even afford a room for the night in the port and the staff member was very polite but quite firm that he would not be allowed back on the ship.

Whatever happened, i have no doubt that it was more serious than a hidden rum runner, but believe me, they do take some things in the guest code of conduct quite seriously. This guy was stranded, end of story.

I kept teasing my family members, telling them to be on their best behavior at least until we left port.

[Clarea]

... The staff member would not even tell THEM what the relative had done! ...

I'll bet they wore shorts in the dining room, and those shorts were not nice enough.;)

[lbjen]

I just want to bring on a box or two of capri suns for the kiddos...we don't drink soda and I allow them one juice box a day after they have met their water quota. Should I just try and take it on in my carry on or try and pack it. If they say no its only $4 lost so not biggie

 

We had a pack of juice boxes and a couple cans of soda left over from our road trip that I didn't want to leave in the car for a week so we brought them on in our carry on, nobody said anything.

[krise88]

I use them and so do many of my friends, especially on our charter cruise which doesn't have an alcohol drink package available (they make too much money on us with booze) We usually buy the soda package and just keep adding booze to the soda all day to keep the buzz going. I drink a lot of redbull vodka and it was half the price to just buy redbull and add my own vodka. I still buy a few daiquiris and beer but with the RR its way less and my bill at the end is like 1/3 what it was before I starting using them. I use them for other things besides cruises too.

 

Never gotten caught, nor have any of my friends. Just don't bring too much, pack them with toiletries, and don't put them in a bag that has something suspicious looking in it that may be reason to have your bag opened like an iron or glass bottles. I highly doubt they would actually kick people off for that, never heard of it but I have heard of people getting them confiscated. It would not benefit RC to kick people off for cheating them out of $100 or so of booze when they make a few grand for those people coming back over and over. Most people using rum runners are repeat cruisers and pissing off returning customers is not going to make them continue to come back.

[nyllrap]

Hmm I'm sure they never thought of that. I bet they really appreciate the input. PROBLEM SOLVED!

Originally posted by Elvis1209 Here's an idea-why don't you just pay for your drinks or buy the drink package?

 

Elvis

 

 

I don't smuggle, but HERE is the reason I "don't just pay for my drinks or buy the drink package." Both are outrageously expensive. I would buy drinks if RCI priced their drinks reasonably. They don't, so I do without, except the two bottles of wine I bring onboard. I really just don't like to get ripped off.

[ourfamilylovescruising]

the best way not to get caught is to have husband or boyfriend where cargo shorts and put them in his pockets they will not set the metal detector off and then you can do the same thing in the port buy liquor there fill them up walk right on.

but make sure if he has to take off his belt that his shorts don't fall down my son in law wears his shorts loose and when he took his belt off the weight of the runners was pulling his pants down all of us behind him were laughing our heads off with the way he had to walk through :') but it works every time

[fridaythe13th]

We've used them in the past, but no more. They are not worth it in my eyes. Much easier just to buy a drink. We don't get the drink package since we don't drink enough to justify it. We do like that Celebrity (more times than not) has the free drink package. That, we like for trying different drinks that we don't want to spend $10-15 on and then not like it. That being said, we never had an issue packing them in our checked luggage, in zip locks, in case of spillage.

[TC1957]

But if cruise lines ever grew a spine, they would also be kicking off the chair hogs, the MDR flip flop wearers, the balcony smokers, the hot tub errr.... relaxers, the cruisers with any kids with them...........

 

Heck, from the last port-of-call I'd have the ship all to myself! :D

 

And if you happened to be on the same cruise I'm sure I'd have found something you did that warranted you being tossed too!:)

 

Care to explain how hogging a chair or wearing flip flops in the MDR cuts into the revenue of the cruise line?

 

I agree with you on balcony smokers. I do wonder though if most people might actually book more often with a line that enforces the rules to the point of not allowing people to board or kicking them off. After all, the passenger chooses to break the rules...they should be prepared to suffer the consequences of their decision.

[Sascol]

Care to explain how hogging a chair or wearing flip flops in the MDR cuts into the revenue of the cruise line?.

 

Sure...

 

Chair hogs: If I know a particular cruise line is slack about discouraging chair hogs and I have trouble finding a chair at the pool as a result of the chair hogs, I may consider a different cruise line for my next cruise.

 

Flip flops: If I want an upscale experience in the dining room and I know a particular cruise line allows flip flops, I may decide the cruise line that allows flip flops is not the cruise line I want to sail with.

[DirtyDawg]

Care to explain how hogging a chair or wearing flip flops in the MDR cuts into the revenue of the cruise line?

 

I agree with you on balcony smokers. I do wonder though if most people might actually book more often with a line that enforces the rules to the point of not allowing people to board or kicking them off. After all, the passenger chooses to break the rules...they should be prepared to suffer the consequences of their decision.

 

Sure...

 

Chair hogs: If I know a particular cruise line is slack about discouraging chair hogs and I have trouble finding a chair at the pool as a result of the chair hogs, I may consider a different cruise line for my next cruise.

 

Flip flops: If I want an upscale experience in the dining room and I know a particular cruise line allows flip flops, I may decide the cruise line that allows flip flops is not the cruise line I want to sail with.

 

Thanks Sascol, that covers the revenue angle quite well. :)

 

But TC, I wasn't really referring to revenue per see, six months ago when I posted that post you quoted. I was referring to the angst at that time, all over CC, about punishing rule breakers, i.e. chair hogs, balcony smokers, flip flop wearers, and kids of all shapes and sizes. People were going apoplectic over the most minor transgressions by their fellow cruisers. Go back and read some of the stuff from December and January. Man, a lot of our fellow CCer's were really in need of a vacation back then ........ or two..... or three:D

[Ladysilver]

My son-in-law was able to bring on his rum runners without an issue. I did tell him though that if he got caught, I didn't know him. Crazy. :cool:

[Cloudsipping]

That was funny, Bob, about the shorts in the MDR!

[JamesEM]

Have use RR for years and never had a problem, just don't get greedy.

[BillOh]

RCI and CC are currently tracking your IP and DNS pings now.... you are now on their radar....

 

 

 

 

And everyone says Royal IT isn't that smart. :confused:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[emoji12]

[Clepire]

...Has anyone actually gotten kicked off the cruise for trying to bring Rum Runners on?

 

Why don't you try it and report back your experience.

 

They went undetected. :)

[Clepire]

Try it lets see?....K.O. :rolleyes::rolleyes:

 

I did, no issues had. ;)

[amp0289]

RC has conveniently priced the majority of drinks at $13 or $15 each when the limit for the drink package is $12.

 

I guess this probably varies by ship, could even vary by sailing for all I know, but - we had a group of 5 that all bought the drink package on our December cruise, and none of us had to pay over our drink package for any drink ordered. We all tried several different drinks, including frozen drinks and wine. I'm sure you could find a drink over the limit, but you could certainly make due with what is in the limit without missing out on anything, IMO.

[LuckyStar]

I have done a lot of research on Rum Runners and was hoping to bring them on my next cruise. However, today I was reading the cruise documentation and it said "

Guests who violate any alcohol policies (over consuming,

providing alcohol to people under the age of 21,

demonstrating irresponsible behavior, or attempting

to conceal alcoholic items at security and or luggage

checkpoints or any other time), may be disembarked or

not allowed to board, at their own expense, in accordance

with the Guest Conduct Policy."

 

Has anyone actually gotten kicked off the cruise for trying to bring Rum Runners on?

 

Oh, boy, this should be fun. Going to get some popcorn.

[LMaxwell]

Oh, boy, this should be fun. Going to get some popcorn.

Good news, you can scroll up for the outcome.

[be4wesailaway]

Right !! I don’t mind buying the drink package, what does Bug me is the fact that my spouse has to buy the drink package as well, oh and I forgot my spouse does not drink,

so therefore I have to pay for two drinking packages not fair!

 

 

 

 

quote=clskinsfan;52020320]I dont think I am allowed to post links here. But check out the Royal Caribbean Blog. RC has conveniently priced the majority of drinks at $13 or $15 each when the limit for the drink package is $12. Now I guess you could go ahead and pay the extra couple of bucks. But If I am paying $400 up front for a drink package. I am not expecting to pay more money when I want a drink. I can smuggle all we need for a week of vacation for under $80 bucks for the two of us. Or about ten percent of the cost of the drink package. Sorry if that upsets people. But it is common sense to me.

[Kowale]

Seems like a lot of work. I say either pay for your drinks or... maybe just go without booze for a few days?

 

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[F27TW]

They work like a charm every time. Just put them in your checked luggage -not your carry-on- and just to be safe, tuck them inside something else so they're even less visible.

 

Been using them for years and im at 100% !

 

Best invention ever.

[ColoradoGurl]

Right !! I don’t mind buying the drink package, what does Bug me is the fact that my spouse has to buy the drink package as well, oh and I forgot my spouse does not drink,

 

so therefore I have to pay for two drinking packages not fair!

 

 

 

 

 

Why would you pay for 2 drink packages if you aren’t drinking more than $800+ dollars worth of alcohol on your own? Why not just NOT buy the drink package and pay out of pocket? You don’t HAVE to buy the drink package.

 

 

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[dwayneb236]

Actually no work at all. Very easy. Just fill and pack. We have the drink package this cruise but Royal will not listen to my wife and refuses to carry her Forty Creek, so she wants to bring some.

[Mikew0805]

OP - You could bring two bottles of whine, or purchase drinks individually or with a package.

 

Funny reading this thread for the past couple days and see a few that complain about those not dressed formal in the dining room, but have no problem trying to violate the alcohol policy. :rolleyes:

 

*For the grammar police, that was a purposeful alternate spelling. ;p