You MAY Still Bring Non-Alcoholic Drinks On RCI

[mohavemommy]

I took it a step further and emailed RCI recently. The following is what happened over a few days time:

 

Question:

With the medication I take, I only drink diet caffeine free cola. Is this available on the ship or am I allowed to bring some with me?

Answer:

We do have this item on board our ships and will be sent to your stateroom. Unfortunately you may not bring your own since we are able to get this item for you

Question:

Can you provide more details such as:

Is this actually diet caffeine free cola? ... not lemon-lime or something else, but cola. Can I safely assume that it is Caffeine Free Diet Coke that you carry? How will this arrive at my stateroom? Are you planning on charging me for providing it in my stateroom?

I am a little suspicious when you state that I may not bring any along with me. I know there is a rule regarding alcohol, but where can I find the rule you are stating about soft drinks? I have never seen that one on any documentation or on your website before.

Answer:

Regarding your email below we do have Caffeine Free Diet Coke.

The inventory Manager and the Maitre'D will have your information and will be able to assist you on getting this item to your stateroom and this will be charged to your on board account. Unfortunately because we do provide coke products on board we do not allow guest to bring on their own. For the reason of that it might be taken from you at the pier.

Question:

If you are proposing charging this to my on board account I would like to know ahead of time how much you are proposing charging. I will not pay what I feel is an unreasonable amount for it. Please advise as to pricing.

Also, I would still like for you to direct me to where in your guidelines it states that I may it may be seized from me if I bring my own. The only thing I find is where it states that soda bottles may be seized if they are found to contain alcohol. Thanks for your time in helping me to understand this policy.

Answer:

Regarding your email below the amount for the sodas is 1.73 each can, however the ship has advised that if you would like you may bring this product with you in your suitcase, if you choose to. Please be advised that if you choose to bring it with you that it must stay in your stateroom at all times.

 

 

Hopefully that answers some questions that you all may have! ... and I do refuse to be billed $1.73 for each can of soda I want to drink.

[dclcruiselover]

I am not allow caffeine..........yes no choc. either( but i do cheat a little on that) and have always brought one of those 24 can cases on Caffeine free Pepsi on board with me and have never been stopped. Just to be on safe side, have a doctors note. Wondering how they will handle that

 

I checked with RCI and was told I could not bring bottled water (1 case) on board with out a doctor's note. I cannot drink any other liquid due to a medical condition. They first tried to tell me that I must buy their bottled water, but I told them it was unfair since this was the only hydration I can have. After MANY emails back and forth and phone calls, I was told I needed a doctor's note on "official stationery" or script that states "it is medically necessary' for me to bring the bottled water on board. I then had to fax a copy of this note to RCI, then I got a email back stating I was cleared for one case of water; however, I must bring the original note with me to the pier for final approval. I leave on EOS in two weeks. I will have my case of water. Hope this is helpful. Oh, I also had them email me a note approving the water to come on board. :)

[Wine Luvuh]

Hey all,

I just returned from Navigator and had a soft sided cooler with 2 cases of water and a 12 pack of Diet Pepsi. When my luggage was delivered, there was a note inside saying that they had checked my luggage and nothing was confiscated.

 

It seems that what one is told on the phone vs what really happens at the pier are sometimes two very different things....

[GrannyMouse]

I'm not so sure about that...I called Royal Caribbean twice this weekend (to talk to two different representatives) and asked if I could bring bottled water and a case of Dr. Pepper onboard. Both told me, "Absolutely not, no liquids may be brought onboard due to new security restrictions." We plan on packing a few cans of Dr. Pepper in our checked luggage.

 

 

Be careful with the cans. I once packed a can of Coke in my suitcase on a return (thank goodness) trip from Disney and the can was punctured and got all over my clothes.

[kingsgirl]

A recent cruise critic article also states that the newly refurbished Majesty of the Seas charges for food in the new Compass Deli. This has been confirmed by several cruise critic members to not be true.

 

It seems experience is the only way to find out the truth of these matters. I intend to take just a few orally consumable liquids on board on Thursday. :D If they take any of it away from us, I'll report it here for sure.

 

 

LMAO Momma ...

 

Orally consumable vs what? Nasally consumable? hee hee:rolleyes: ;) :p

[time4agetaway]

Well, it sounds like the "official" policy is no liquids, however, the ships seem to be reasonable. I have every intention of bringing juice boxes for the kids. If I need to, I'll put them in a plastic bag with the clothes.

 

Thanks for this post. I appreciate it.

[EMc]

lawtyger: I think that most people know what the documents say, and what has been, but there have been reports where non-alcoholic drinks were *not* allowed.

 

The one I remember most clearly was someone trying to bring on a DOLLY-FULL, something like three or four cases! THAT was taken away and not allowed onboard.

 

Like most things, the outrageous actions of a few can spoil it for the majority.

 

Let's all use common sense.

 

Well. I brought 2 full cases of Pepsi when we boarded the Brilliance last December. It was an 11 day cruise and we wouldn't hit a port where we could pick up Pepsi until the fifth day. First "port" stop was Labadee.

The reason I bring the pepsi is because I don't like Coke....now, this would not be a problem if I was only going to drink it as a soda drink.. in that case I would just drink ginger ale...but, my alcoholic drink is VO (rye whiskey) and Pepsi. I really hope they don't start banning soft drinks. We always have a substantial bar bill at the end of our cruise. We even did one cruise on the BOS where we bought and paid for an unlimited alcohol sticker, the price was 50 bucks per day, per person plus the standard 15 % tip added. It really was a great deal.. it is very, very easy to spend 50 bucks a day onboard. A bottle of water is 4 bucks, the specialty coffeees were included, too. Plus wine. Think of it,, 2 or 3 bottles of wateer, 12 bucks, a drink of the day, a couple of frou frou drinks at the pool, drinks pre-dinner in the Schooner bar, drinks or wine at dinner and a few nightcaps in the disco. 50 bucks is easily spent even if you aren't much of a drinker. We are, they lost money on us! ;) The VO & Pepsi is the only thing I drink

So, don't be so quick to judge my actions as "outrageous". I'm not taking advantage of anything. The bartenders, happily, keep my Pepsi in the fridge behind the bar. I replenish it day by day. On my last cruise we met the Hotel Director, the Food and Beverage manager and the Bar manager. Had conversations with them at the bar while drinking the VO & Pepsi... they all got a kick out of it. We've been on the BOS 4 times and know lots of the crew, they know me by name and by the Pepsi! ;), we keep in touch via email and have even been asked to cruise with them next year. By that I mean, 4 crew members will be taking a cruise for themselves, they would like us to join them. Because of cracking down on bringing booze I was fearful that we might, at some point, run into the banning at the pier of soda. We brought our past bar bills from our past 5 cruises with RCCL with us, just in case! lol. At the end of this year we will have cruised with RCCL 9 times.. it's a relationship that we'd love to continue!

I hope RCCL keeps its hands off my Pepsi!

[MGoBlue2]

Nowhere does it state that water, soda or other non-alcoholics beverages may not be brought on board.

Nowhere does it state they may be brought on board either. Not that I would expect the Alcoholic Beverage policy to mention soft drinks - one way or the other.

[mommabean]

This note is on her legal prescription pad.....so i do not think it is something anyone can just make up. And I was not joking about it, I can not tolerate caffeine, and the cruiseline does not have caffeine free pepsi or even coke. If they did I would glady pay for the soda card and that would be the end of the problem.

There is no requirement that a doctor write a note on a prescription pad. If the note is long enough, it wouldn't fit. A prescription pad is generally only required to get a prescription filled at a pharmacy.

 

I was thinking along the lines of when I first did Atkins. In order for it to be done correctly, nutrasweet/aspartame is not recommended. Only splenda or saccharin is supposed to be used. I used to take my own soda with me - diet rite - because at the time it was the only one I could find with splenda as a sweetener. I even took a 6 pack with me to Ireland and they were amused because they didn't even have splenda in that country at that time.

 

I wouldn't pay a doctor for a note for my need for splenda for my Atkins diet. I sure wouldn't expect a "prescription" for it. Not for a ship. I'd write my own note if need be. :D And I'd love them to tell me or anyone, "Nope, no good. It's not on a prescription pad", as if they are a pharmacy.

[mommabean]

Oh, I have absolutely no problem with you doing what you are doing, but here is what I do:

 

I take those little packets of Crystal Light (or other brands) that are sized for a half liter water bottle. Instant caffeine-free diet drinks! And in multiple flavors!

 

:)

 

And I actually took the little crystal light packets that DO have caffeine in them on my last cruise. I wanted to stay awake but don't like to drink a lot of soda so I bought packets (and a couple of bottles) of crystal light "energy" and took them with me. No one took my bottles away from me either. That was in February - I know you remember. :)

[mommabean]

LMAO Momma ...

 

Orally consumable vs what? Nasally consumable? hee hee:rolleyes: ;) :p

I always take liquids that are not consumable. Eye drops, facial toner, makeup remover. And I'm not gonna drink those and you can't make me. :p

 

But I just might take a couple of bottles of crystal light and H2O, too. And who knows what other orally consumable liquid might find it's way into someone's luggage. :eek:

[Sun Lover]

I'll be on AOS this weekend and I read where someone said you can buy soda right by the pier to take on board. What about bottled water? Is there somewhere to get that, too, within walking distance of the pier? I'd like to bring maybe a six pack of soda and some bottled water on with us. I thought it might be easiest to get on the ship and get checked in and then go back for it if there's someplace close enough. Does anyone know?

[alwalaska]

I'm not so sure about that...I called Royal Caribbean twice this weekend (to talk to two different representatives) and asked if I could bring bottled water and a case of Dr. Pepper onboard. Both told me, "Absolutely not, no liquids may be brought onboard due to new security restrictions." We plan on packing a few cans of Dr. Pepper in our checked luggage.

 

I too was told this both by phone and by email from RCI. When I questioned why it was not posted anywhere and why the alchohol rule said that water battles would be checked to make sure they are not alchohol, he said, "well maybe they will allow one or two bottles of water on". It sounds like a policy shift that is not completely in place yet.

 

I personally will avoid taking water or pop as to avoid having an issue at the port, but I do worry about the "no liquids" wording since I will have shampoo, hairspray, etc in my checked luggage.:rolleyes:

[rdbradleyjr]

So I am thinking about having my wif.....I mean doctor write me a note. "I can only drink alcohol due to a medical condition puttingupwithher which is chronic. Due to the sevarity of this condition it must be a higher proof that is carried on the cruise ship." I see no reason why this shouldn't work...:D

[boltnut55]

Here's what I'm planning to do: bring a six-pack of Coke in my luggage and bring one bottle of water for each family member that we will refill each day. I think there is a difference between showing it to everyone (ie. holding a case with a big smile on your face with an attitude of "see what I'm going to get away with") and discreetly bringing it on board in a double plastic bg and drinking it inside your room. My water bottle will be in my fanny pack pocket during excursions. My Coke will be in my room for winding down at the end of the day.

 

If we get caught, I'll post here.

[bd6862]

I wish I would have had the written policy with me my on our cruise. We just returned from ROS on Sunday 4/1. We were not allowed at any port to bring any food or drink on to the ship. Period. If you bought a bottle of water from the ship, left, and tried to bring the same water back on....didn't happen. It had to be thrown away before boarding.

 

We did place a bottle of vodka and 1 case of Sugar Free Red Bull in our checked luggage. They confiscated our vodka but let us keep the red bull.

[boltnut55]

I wish I would have had the written policy with me my on our cruise. We just returned from ROS on Sunday 4/1. We were not allowed at any port to bring any food or drink on to the ship. Period. If you bought a bottle of water from the ship, left, and tried to bring the same water back on....didn't happen. It had to be thrown away before boarding.

 

We did place a bottle of vodka and 1 case of Sugar Free Red Bull in our checked luggage. They confiscated our vodka but let us keep the red bull.

 

Just to make sure... does that mean if we brought it on board initially (like in checked luggage as you did), that was okay? Last time we brought soda back from Catalina Island, but if we can't, then we'll make sure to just bring it on board in San Pedro. Thanks.

[mommabean]

So I am thinking about having my wif.....I mean doctor write me a note. "I can only drink alcohol due to a medical condition puttingupwithher which is chronic. Due to the sevarity of this condition it must be a higher proof that is carried on the cruise ship." I see no reason why this shouldn't work...:D

 

It sounds like you have the same prescription that I have. :D

 

I wish I would have had the written policy with me my on our cruise. We just returned from ROS on Sunday 4/1. We were not allowed at any port to bring any food or drink on to the ship. Period. If you bought a bottle of water from the ship, left, and tried to bring the same water back on....didn't happen. It had to be thrown away before boarding.

 

We did place a bottle of vodka and 1 case of Sugar Free Red Bull in our checked luggage. They confiscated our vodka but let us keep the red bull.

 

Uh oh. Now I'm worried again. Was it a full size bottle or one of the tinier flat bottles?

[bd6862]

We brought on the red bull at embarkation. We could not bring anything on after we left Galveston. Not water, sodas, nothing liquid

[bd6862]

We filled one large size water bottle and that was all. I started a thread from our cruise, Rhapsody review

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=9659085&posted=1#post9659085

 

You can read some of the other cruisers experiences. Be prepared to buy from the ship.

[roadnut]

When I hear what can/cannot be taken aboard a cruise ship, I liken it to what can/cannot be brought aboard an airplace. As far as liquids go, suddenly one morning airports across the country were jammed because it was decided that no liquids could be brought on a plane. No documents said that. No websites (at the time) said that. It was decided rather hastely, and that was that.

 

Now, the individual airlines didn't decide that, it was TSA who invoked that rule.

 

So...how is security handled at the piers? Is it the ships' security crew doing the checking, or a federal agency?

[theonlypino]

I wish I would have had the written policy with me my on our cruise. We just returned from ROS on Sunday 4/1. We were not allowed at any port to bring any food or drink on to the ship. Period. If you bought a bottle of water from the ship, left, and tried to bring the same water back on....didn't happen. It had to be thrown away before boarding.

 

We did place a bottle of vodka and 1 case of Sugar Free Red Bull in our checked luggage. They confiscated our vodka but let us keep the red bull.

 

I saw someone else post about their checked bags being inspected. Is this random or are all checked bags inspected?

 

Did they return your vodka at the end of the voyage?

[bd6862]

RDBRADLEYJR - we are LOAO right now!!!! too funny.....you go boy!!! and watch that medical condition closely you may need to have your medication readjusted

[bd6862]

I saw someone else post about their checked bags being inspected. Is this random or are all checked bags inspected?

 

Did they return your vodka at the end of the voyage?

 

We had all 3 of ours inspected and they found our vodka (cleverly hidden in a water bottle). They did leave us a lovely note that said we had brought aboard an un-authorized item and it was "dispoded" of. Yeah right!!!

 

Other CCer friends had their locked baggage held below and were called to come open their bags.

[bd6862]

Just to make sure... does that mean if we brought it on board initially (like in checked luggage as you did), that was okay? Last time we brought soda back from Catalina Island, but if we can't, then we'll make sure to just bring it on board in San Pedro. Thanks.

 

We brought our case od sugar free red bull in our checked luggae. Now....we were told by our bartender at the pool that had it been regular Red Bull most likely it would have been confiscated because the ships now carry Red Bull but not sugar free......We were not allowed to bring any liquids on board while we were in other ports. When I say any I mean any....not even the bottled water we purchased from them on the way to our ports