Celebrity's alcohol policy - strictly enforced

[canderson]

As always, I took along wine for our cruise (just returned yesterday, Galaxy). As always, it was brought aboard at the point of initial embarkation (Galveston). As always, it was in my carry-on and easily seen during X-Ray inspection upon embarkation.

 

I had our butler deliver bottles to the dining room on 6 different occasions. As always, the sommelier took an interest in what we'd brought along (e.g., he couldn't believe that 1988 Riesling Auslese could possibly still be good -- surprise!)

 

No problems in any respect. Then again, we don't try to get around their booze policy. Could be you annoyed them with that, and they chose to put the kabosh on your entire stash.

 

As a side note: we even found a corkscrew provided in the cubby over the mini-bar in our Sky Suite!

[canderson]

You mentioned that you had a butler! Do you think that having a cabin that is cared for by a butler has any advantage over other cabins?

 

Rick

Nope. The guys doing the checking have never bothered us whether we're in a suite or not.

[GaryNFla]

We brought a bottle of vodka and rum in our suitcases. When we met our cabin steward we set the booze on the counter, tipped him nicely upfront and requested to always have diet coke, orange juice and ice. We never left our room and returned that any of the items were not supplied. We hardly touched the booze in the room. We had too much fun in the bars to leave and run back to the room just to refill our glasses. We sail again Jan 28 and I doubt we'll take any booze this time..

[tarheelmjfan]

We didn't have a problem bringing wine on Century last month. We had 2 reds, 2 whites, 2 bottles of port, & 1 bottle of Ice Wine in our carry on. We told our cabin attendant that we had brought some, & she said just to sit it out when we wanted it for dinner & she would deliver it to the dining room. We came in one port day & our wine was still there. No big deal, we would just order off their menu that evening. To our surprise, ours was waiting on us when we sat down for dinner. Our cabin attendant mentioned the next day that she had the day off, but remembered at the last minute that we may have set out a bottle of wine. She had rushed to our cabin, when we left for the show & quickly delivered it to the dining room. Now, that's service. :) I have already purchased 3 bottles of Ice Wine, & one bottle of port for DH for Christmas to take on our April cruise. I will be very disappointed, if the rules are changed. We would have no problem ordering a glass from the menu to enjoy with dessert, but X doesn't offer Ice Wine. We don't drink it at home, so we'd be stuck with it. I really expect to have no problems though.

[pennstater]

No problems in any respect. Then again, we don't try to get around their booze policy. Could be you annoyed them with that, and they chose to put the kabosh on your entire stash.

Sorry - I'm confused again. From what I read of Celebrity's policies, bringing on any alcohol (wine or liquor) violates their policy. Did I understand your inference correctly or am I missing something again?

 

The crew person was very insistent and stopped everyone boarding to at least ask if they were carrying alcohol (including inspecting at least one person's bags - that were obviously from the duty free shop) - so those with alcohol in their carry-on bags could have certainly gotten by with lying. But he didn't make any differentiation between wine and liquor - there were piles of bottles at the table, and some were obviously wine which may or may not have been purchased at the duty-free shop.

 

I'm sure we could have gotten an over-zealous crew person on this particular cruise, but I want people to know that they could easily run into the same thing so they can be prepared. We were very surprised and wouldn't have bought the wine if we didn't think we could have it with dinner. It wasn't a lot of $$ lost, but it was disappointing.

[Charles4515]

I'm sure we could have gotten an over-zealous crew person on this particular cruise, but I want people to know that they could easily run into the same thing so they can be prepared. We were very surprised and wouldn't have bought the wine if we didn't think we could have it with dinner. It wasn't a lot of $$ lost, but it was disappointing.

 

You should not be surprised that crew might be carrying out the Celebrity policy. If you are going to bring alcohol on board despite the Celebrity policy you have to do it by either lying about it, or avoiding the policy by omission, that is by not revealing or volunteering you are bringing it on.

[canderson]

You should not be surprised that crew might be carrying out the Celebrity policy. If you are going to bring alcohol on board despite the Celebrity policy you have to do it by either lying about it, or avoiding the policy by omission, that is by not revealing or volunteering you are bringing it on.

If I were ever to bring only wine aboard, and had it questioned by security (an unsmiling bunch if there ever were one), I'd ask to see the Restaurant Manager and not budge from the security area until I'd seen him.

[pennstater]

We bought a bottle of rum and a bottle of scotch in PR (not at the duty free) and put them in our rolling carry on and nothing was said. We also had some diet Coke and bottled water in there. Additionally, I bought a bottle of sparkling wine (Asti) in Barbados and in St. Kitts and brought it onboard in my beach bag and again nothing was said.

 

Maybe it is more obvious if you are carrying a bag from the duty free shop?

OK - I guess it was just me and the rest of the people with all those bottles at the table. :rolleyes: I'm glad you didn't run into the same problem. Yes, it was very obvious we were bringing alcohol aboard in our plastic shopping bags... but I was going on the information from previous posts here stating that others had taken on wine in obvious ways, ie. in large boxes. We probably could have 'gotten away with it' in our carry-ons, but if they are enforcing their own policy, I don't mind complying. I just was under the impression that it wasn't enforced.

 

And again, I'm not seeing anywhere in their policy where wine is excluded or subject to different rules other than bon voyage gifts and wine purchased from their approved vendors.

 

So, it seems that it isn't enforced universally, but it definitely was for me and my friends, and the others with bottles in that collection. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that we boarded late (6pm) with few others boarding at the time and the crew may have anticipated that people would be more likely to go out and purchase alcohol after initial boarding because we didn't sail until 11pm. Who knows... Whatever the reason, I won't take the chance again, unless I want to be prepared to actively lie when asked, should that happen. I'll just plan on ordering off the dining room wine list.

[canderson]

I'll just plan on ordering off the dining room wine list.

Unless you're travelling on one of the Millennium class ships and can ask your wine steward for a wine list from the specialty restaurant, you may be disappointed. Unfortunately, the C-Class ships have no such restaurant, and as a result, have only the more limited list from the main dining room (same on both classes). The M-Class specialty list has a better selection.

 

Let's face it -- many restaurants suffer equally -- they won't tie up funds in wines for as long as it takes for them to age properly, so they tend in most cases to buy the "ready-to-drink" sorts for the regular list.

 

A note: the list just recently changed, and I'll be posting a copy of it somewhere soon.

[emcee207]

Just got off the Constellation on Sat.Last year I bought wine in the duty free shop and just walked up with it in the bag. It was confiscated. I complained to the Room Steward and it was in my cabin the next day.

 

This trip I was prepared. I also read all the posts about this subject beforehand and it was stated OVER AND OVER AGAIN that in most cases, if you use your head and practice discretion, you wouldn't have a problem.

We put 3 bottles in our carryon's and were never questioned.

[moof]

On the Celebrity website it clearly states wine is allowed.. and what the corkage fees are.

 

Come to think of it, I carried my wine cooler onboard Zenith with me in October, with 6 bottles.

I read the policy on the Celebrity Web site, and it says that you have to purchase wine from them in order to drink it at dinner for the corkage fee. Can you please provide the link to where you say Celebrity's site says you can bring wine??

 

Thanks!

[moof]

Pennstater,

 

Where did you board, if you don't mind my asking?

[canderson]

I read the policy on the Celebrity Web site, and it says that you have to purchase wine from them in order to drink it at dinner for the corkage fee. Can you please provide the link to where you say Celebrity's site says you can bring wine??

 

Thanks!

You'll need to read that again. If you purchase the wine from Celebrity, there is no corkage fee.

[MortgageChick]

On the Galaxy Dec 29th. WE will bring on board 2 or 3 bottles of wine in our carry on and I will be stashing the usual 2 liters of liqour in our checked luggage. We buy plastic bottles with plastic caps, makes them less likely to be caught by the xray. Never a problem in 15 cruises, but there is a first time for everything. We also buy drinks at the bar and some wine by the glass in the dining room. While the policy states that wine consumed in the dining room , even with corkage fee, has to be delivered to the ship and from an authorized vendor, it seems that this is not enforced universally. .

 

Interesting how all lines are enforcing more rules during the good times. When sales were down after 9/11, i marched on board in St Maarten with a liter of Bailey and a liter of Kahlua and no one said boo! The cruise line was just happy to have us on board a mere 40 days after 9/11. The tides will turn again.

[pennstater]

...I may be getting close to needing to attend the "Friends of Bill W" meetings...

 

Sherri

 

:D:D We were wondering who this popular Bill W was!

[Cauvet]

My husband packed two 1.75 liters of gin in his bag (he put them in plastic bottles) and we put them up on our bar in our suite. The first thing our butler said was when you are finished with these, let me know and I can get you more in the duty free shop. When asked how, he said he had connections. And, he did get us another bottle when we needed one. Many others we met brought on wine and they even charged "corkage" of $15 per bottle.

[bububr]

Why would anyone on an upscale cruiseline, especially those who have cruised frequently...feel it is in their right to break/circumvent the rules of the cruise line. I am very surprised especially from the older crowd, sneaking booze aboard is such a "teenage" thing. I almost fell out of my chair reading about the case of beer in a post. What do you sit on your veranda with your loud shorts, black socks and sandals also?

 

On the other hand the grey area about wine and corkage fees needs to be clarifeid by the cruise line and they DO NEED to adhere to a specific rule.

 

And by the way, thanks to the "cheap" cruiser who's bottle of gin broke open and leaked into my suitcase. Nothing was completely ruined, but I smelled like a nasty drunk for the first couple of nights until I was able to have everything cleaned...I'm sure the Gin was less expensive than my laundry bill. I'd like to return the favor sometime...maybe with a nice Merlot.

 

The policies are there for areason. Be aware that what you do may affect others negatively.

 

Dave

[senior lady]

Why would anyone on an upscale cruiseline, especially those who have cruised frequently...feel it is in their right to break/circumvent the rules of the cruise line. I am very surprised especially from the older crowd, sneaking booze aboard is such a "teenage" thing. I almost fell out of my chair reading about the case of beer in a post. What do you sit on your veranda with your loud shorts, black socks and sandals also?

 

On the other hand the grey area about wine and corkage fees needs to be clarifeid by the cruise line and they DO NEED to adhere to a specific rule.

 

And by the way, thanks to the "cheap" cruiser who's bottle of gin broke open and leaked into my suitcase. Nothing was completely ruined, but I smelled like a nasty drunk for the first couple of nights until I was able to have everything cleaned...I'm sure the Gin was less expensive than my laundry bill. I'd like to return the favor sometime...maybe with a nice Merlot.

 

The policies are there for areason. Be aware that what you do may affect others negatively.

 

Dave

 

my, my aren't we grumpy:confused: My DH and our friends like to get together before dinner and enjoy a drink, or have one while relaxing on our balcony. So that's why we take liquor on our cruises. We spend lots around the ship also!!!

[kryos]

Might this type of crack down have more to do with the duty free nature of the alchohol? I know that any duty free alchohol purchased on board is held to the end of the cruise as well.

Thank God Celebrity doesn't do this with the duty-free cigarettes sold onboard. HAL doesn't do it either. Only Princess will hold the cigarette purchases and deliver them to your stateroom the evening before disembarkation. They also "officially" limit your purchases to one duty-free carton per passenger, though you can buy packs of cigarettes at any of the bars for immediate consumption during the cruise.

 

I think this rule is stupid and, as far as I know, Princess is the only line that follows it. Duty-free cigarettes are technically only for consumption outside of the U.S. Well, the ship is in international waters, right? That is outside of the U.S.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[crucero-amante]

Specifically, I'm wondering about those that say they brought it on without trying to hide it (ie, packed in bags) - and also those that brought wine from home to consume with dinner. I have read several posts stating that this was not a problem. Of course I could have tried to hide it (had I known they were enforcing the policy to the extent they did) but I would also then be forced to drink it only in our cabin and not with dinner.

 

I'm thinking that Celebrity is now enforcing their policy, at least when the liquor is plainly visible.

 

My last cruise was out of FLL and I then lived in Ohio. I special ordered two bottles of Vodka that wasn't sold in OH. I had the one bottle I wanted to consume on board in the carry on and the other bottle I was prepared to have them hold on top of all my stuff. I wasn't stopped or anything I just picked up my bags and walked on. I was really surprised. The ship was Summit just this last April. I've cruised Princess and the same thing not a word said; I had vodka in my carry on.

 

j~

[bububr]

I think you would be just as grumpy it the same had happened to you......am I right?:eek:

 

Dave

[msbptg]

Hay, being a philly boy, I would have expected u to do what my wife and I always do when sailing celebrity lines...after purchasing at any port, we transfer all the goods into a empty water bottle..walk right in with it in hand.. never a problem.. I even brought my own fancy plastic glass on one cruise and carried it around the pool deck everyday..lol..and no where not cheap...just smart..

[DancerOT]

Out of pure curiosity based upon this discussion and my upcoming cruise (although I dont bring wine on board), I decided to call Celebrity. They stated the policy recently changed and now you are NOT allowed to bring wine on board and pay the corkage fee. It changed sometime since August. The person I spoke to was just as annoyed about it as everyone here seems to be. The only thing I can think of is to call Celebrity and complain. If they get enough complaints they may reverse the new policy. Good luck!

[SheilaNC]

Weird - we sailed on the Millie late Oct/early Nov and there was no problem at all. Our steward brought the wine to the dining and the sommelier graciously served us and collected the corkage fee! Wish they'd get it straight.

[canderson]

Out of pure curiosity based upon this discussion and my upcoming cruise (although I dont bring wine on board), I decided to call Celebrity. They stated the policy recently changed and now you are NOT allowed to bring wine on board and pay the corkage fee. It changed sometime since August. The person I spoke to was just as annoyed about it as everyone here seems to be. The only thing I can think of is to call Celebrity and complain. If they get enough complaints they may reverse the new policy. Good luck!

If true, this comes as news to both the security and dining room staff of the Galaxy (returned 12/17). I will indeed make my thoughts known to the CC folks if I am able to verify this.