Bringing Beer Aboard From Port

[Vagabondgirl]

Hi Everyone,

 

It's been a long time since I've cruised so I'm not sure of the current protocol...

My husband and I are beer enthusiasts- we love to try all the different beers we can, especially from microbreweries.  We are sailing on the Summit in a couple of weeks and have the premium drink package so this isn't an issue of being cheap and smuggling lots of beer on board :)

If we purchase a couple of local beers while in port will they confiscate them when we re board the ship? If so will they be returned at the end of the cruise?

Thanks in advance for your insight!

[PTKeil]

Great question! Same for us so hope to get some info.

[NLH Arizona]

Guests are not permitted to bring alcoholic beverages onboard; with the exception of embarkation day when guests are permitted to bring onboard with them up to two (2) bottles of wine (which are subject to a corkage fee) per stateroom. 

 

Alcohol secured by ship's personnel will be returned to guests just prior to the conclusion of their cruise vacation. 

Edited March 27, 2019 by NLH Arizona

[justcrusn]

So, its not as easy as that. In theory they will confiscate the alcohol and hold it until the end of the cruise. In reality, the answer is “sometimes yes, sometimes no”

Many times no one is at the table to collect it, or no one tells you to. 

Be prepaired to have it collected and held, but it MIGHT not be.

[Gonzo70]

Agree with Justcrusn - have seen it go both ways. Sometimes even on the same cruise they will confiscate booze at one port and not the next. While the rules are it will be confiscated and returned at the end of the cruise, I’d estimate more than 50% of the time they let it go through. Be prepared to give it up (and don’t try to conceal it or make cause a fuss if they take it), but hope for the best. It would be nice (and sensible) that they’d allow people with drink packages to bring on a reasonable amount of alcohol at ports. Maybe one day it will become a policy. Maybe. 

 

Good luck and welcome to Cruise Critic. 

[Vagabondgirl]

Yeah, I'm aware of the official policy but I also know that official policies aren't always as official in life as they are on paper...

I should have worded my question better and asked if anyone had any recent experience bringing a couple of bottles on.

And it really is a shame that they haven't updated the policy. What's the big deal of bringing on a small amount of locally produced alcohol that isn't available on the ship? I don't see that changing anytime soon but a girl can dream!

  In any case we won't sweat it and will give it a try. We have a couple of days in San Juan so worst case scenario we'll just have to drink it there post cruise 🙂

[gold1953]

7 hours ago, Vagabondgirl said:

Yeah, I'm aware of the official policy but I also know that official policies aren't always as official in life as they are on paper...

I should have worded my question better and asked if anyone had any recent experience bringing a couple of bottles on.

And it really is a shame that they haven't updated the policy. What's the big deal of bringing on a small amount of locally produced alcohol that isn't available on the ship? I don't see that changing anytime soon but a girl can dream!

  In any case we won't sweat it and will give it a try. We have a couple of days in San Juan so worst case scenario we'll just have to drink it there post cruise 🙂

Lets look at this .. 2700 passengers and only 1000 take a 'couple' of local beers.... each port.. so profit for that night goes down at least $4000 or even double that .. not going to happen . Their house , their rules. 

your beer will appear in your cabin on the last evening while you are at dinner.

[cruisestitch]

If the beers are very unusual, It might be worth taking the chance of bringing them aboard and not having them confiscated. But be prepared that you might in fact lose them forever. So don’t spend a great deal of money on this, in case they are never seen again.

[Gonzo70]

2 hours ago, gold1953 said:

Lets look at this .. 2700 passengers and only 1000 take a 'couple' of local beers.... each port.. so profit for that night goes down at least $4000 or even double that .. not going to happen . Their house , their rules. 

your beer will appear in your cabin on the last evening while you are at dinner.

 

If people have beverage packages, Celebrity's profit actually goes up if they consume alcohol they purchase off the ship. I think Celebrity should permit people with beverage packages to bring on a reasonable allowance at ports of call.

[A Sixth?]

1 hour ago, Gonzo70 said:

 

If people have beverage packages, Celebrity's profit actually goes up if they consume alcohol they purchase off the ship. I think Celebrity should permit people with beverage packages to bring on a reasonable allowance at ports of call.

 

I wonder when they are going to check you for "reverse" smuggling. 🙂

[gold1953]

2 hours ago, Gonzo70 said:

 

If people have beverage packages, Celebrity's profit actually goes up if they consume alcohol they purchase off the ship. I think Celebrity should permit people with beverage packages to bring on a reasonable allowance at ports of call.

what a way to hold up the security lines 

 I will never get a beverage package  and many don't .. so if half do  still a lot to deal with . 

[Tourist1292]

2 hours ago, Gonzo70 said:

 

If people have beverage packages, Celebrity's profit actually goes up if they consume alcohol they purchase off the ship. I think Celebrity should permit people with beverage packages to bring on a reasonable allowance at ports of call.

Beverage package cannot be shared while the smuggled beers may. The calculation is not as simple as you think.

[Trainer]

On trip to Cuba, on RCCL, the policy was to allow passengers to bring back and keep their rum purchases in their rooms.  The reason given was that so many people do this, the ship doesn't have enough to room to keep it all in the designated storage room. 😁  So I guess it varies widely.