bringing beverages/food aboard?

[HoustonRose]

What can we and can we not bring on board? I understand you cannot bring alcohol. Any good ideas of how to smuggle some in? But what about soft drinks, water, food........... Also, what happens if they find alcohol in your luggage? Do they just take the alcohol and hold it to the end of the cruise, meanwhile returning your luggage to you, or do they hold the whole luggage? Please let me know. Happy Turkey Day!!

[mikesteg]

There are lots of posts on various ways to smuggle on alcohol. Generally get it in or put it in plastic bottles, double bag and cushion it, and put it in your checked bags. Rumor is that they will find it if you try to carry it on. If you get caught, they should just keep the liquor. I've heard that NCL will keep the whole bag until you come to get it and then they make you remove the booze.

 

Soft drinks and water you should be able to carry on with no problem. Check the web page for whatever line you're cruising. The water on the ship is just fine, BTW. Some people don't like it because it doesn't have the same minerals and other 'stuff' as your local tap water, but bringing a few bottles and then refilling from the tap should be fine unless you have special needs.

 

Food? If you have special dietary needs talk to the cruise line. If not, why would you bring on any food (other than some snacks in case you can't board for a few hours) ? There will be a buffet as soon as you board, and on most ships it never stops after that. Anyway, bringing it on should be no problem. Certain foods/flowers can't be brought back into the U.S. at all. They'll tell you about that onboard, but assume you can't bring back anything that is unsealed.

[HoustonRose]

Thanks for the info. I was thinking chocolate covered strawberries might be nice...... Maybe they'll have that on board......

[mikesteg]

That is a pretty common item.

What cruise line?

[kitty9]

There's no reason to bring any food on board. Chocolate covered strawberries would not hold up well if you're bringing them on a flight, waiting to check in at the dock and then up to your cabin. Those things would be a melted mess within a very short time. Besides, they serve them on most ships.

 

As for alcohol, it's just a spin of the lucky dial if they take your booze away. Some cruise lines are very strict and will take it away, and some will not. Also, it's a general rule that you never drink your own alcohol on the ship in any of the public areas---that stuff is only for consumption in your cabin. If you purchase alcohol on any of the islands, most cruise lines will take it away from you when you reboard the ship and only return it on the last night. It's the same if you purchase any of the cheap booze on the ship.

[mikesteg]

Those things would be a melted mess within a very short time.

 

 

An excellent point: you may have to eat them at the airport! :D

 

 

Houston, see this: http://www.ncl.com/more/bon_voyage.htm

Amazingly, it appears that NCL doesn't have chocolate covered strawberries. They do have strawberries and wine, and a variety of other things that might work.

[Nitemare]

Go to the Money Saving Tips board, you'll see a many hundred post discussion on bringing alcohol onboard with you.

[wendyandcliff]

My cousin brings her alcohol in a clean listerine bottle. The bottle is plastic and they don't question what is in it. We have a pull icechest that looks like a booksack. I fill it with water and soft drinks. My husband can't live without his dr pepper and they don't sell that on board. I didn't put any ice in it, I kept it in the fridge in the room. If you don't have a fridge you can get you stuarts to keep ice in it. I also brought snacks for getting on and off of the ship (granola bars, breakfast bars, etc.) All of this went through screening several times and noone said anything.

[RetRanger]

I am always amused by the boose smugglers, that a little to intense for a relaxing vacation, bar bill is just part of the vaction buget. Unless, of course, one has special consumptive needs.

 

But you can bring wine and chapaigne on most lines as well as soda and water with no problem. You can also buy those items in port and bring them to you room.

[Snoopywy]

I brought water n soda in my luggages, no problem.. no body check it. but i think it depends on which cruise line..

[mikesteg]

Better to carry it on though. If one of those cans/bottles of soda gets crushed, the dry cleaning bill will be more than a coke card. Also, think of the person who bag is below yours.

 

On most lines, your can check a cooler and it will be delivered to your room. Some do that with beer, but obviously it would work well with soda and be "legal". Of course, this won't work too well if you have to fly to the port. Also, you may need to duct tape or otherwise seal the cooler since many modern coolers don't have a latch that will stay shut when handled as luggage.