Smuggling Alcohol and avoiding the so-called "Naughty Room"

[CC Help Michell]

Sigh, DDP. Sometimes the delays here. :(

[ElizaBenet]

Agreed! You don't think newcruiser might have a motive do you? ;)

 

Maybe like some of the rest of us, the new poster got ill or had someone else get ill on the Spirit and doesn't want to see others waste their money and suffer.;)

[ElizaBenet]

On a serious note to the OP and anyone else...read your contract and the US Constitution (and I am being serious not sarcastic or catty)...the ship is governed by Florida law and therefore comes in under US laws.

 

The contract does not give them the right to search your luggage for alcohol or anything else. All the contract says is that you cannot bring alcohol on board...nothing about seizing and searching your luggage to search for alcohol. If a stranger walked up to you on the street and requested to search your belongings (purse, backpack, car, etc.) would you let them? I wouldn't. I would tell them where to go.

 

Furthermore, since there is nothing in the contract saying that by boarding the ship you agree to let them randomly search your belongings, they have no independent authority to search your luggage unless they are government officials/police. I do not know for sure, but I am pretty sure the yahoos on the ship are nothing more than hired security...not police or government officials. And, furhtermore, under 4th Amendment law, even the police would only have authority to search your belongings if they 1) have a search warrant 2) had probable cause to believe you had something illegal in there (which alochol is NOT illegal unless you are under 21) OR 3) you had a weapon.

 

They tried to search my luggage and I simply told them that that they could not and I would not give them permission. I calmly and politely explained the above to them and was allowed to leave with my luggage and WITHOUT it being searched. A couple of people bawked at me when I was talking about this in line, but in the end I wasn't the one who had my personal belongings riffled through or confiscated...and they were!

 

The only way they have authority to search your luggage is if YOU give them permission. Just don't give them permission!

 

Hope this helps!

[zachnlucy]

And, furhtermore, under 4th Amendment law, even the police would only have authority to search your belongings if they 1) have a search warrant 2) had probable cause to believe you had something illegal in there (which alochol is NOT illegal unless you are under 21) OR 3) you had a weapon.

 

 

I'm not being catty here either, and have a serious question about your response. Airlines are allowed to open and search luggage; why not cruiselines?

[ElizaBenet]

Also note that the contract only prevents alcohol...not soft drinks. I brought a 24 pack of Diet Dr. Pepper (which they don't even sell on the ship) in my duffle bag and it was delivered just fine. It was my bag that did not contain alcohol that they seized and attempted to search. I think they only look for things shapped like wine bottles or liquor bottles.

 

BTW - let me also point out that you may be subject to this even if you DO NOT have alcohol. I saw a little old lady (about 85) with a walker and they were searching her stuff. They even opened up her bottle of mouthwash and smelled it. They found nothing.

 

I think you would probably have more luck with trying to carry it on or putting it in a smaller bottle they are less likely to search. I was talking to some people we shared a cab with who put tequila in a mid-sized Listerine bottle (the listerine that is about the same color as tequila) and got threw just fine when they carried it on. Also, if you were very desperate, I can also think of all sorts of other bottles and containers that I am pretty sure they wouldn't search even if they found them in your luggage...but maybe I have dirty mind.

 

However, I think your best bet is to simply do what I did - not allow them to do what they have absolutely no right to do: search your belongings!

[CC Help Michell]

I'm not being catty here either, and have a serious question about your response. Airlines are allowed to open and search luggage; why not cruiselines?

 

Read the Constitution... it limits the government. Neither the airlines nor the cruiselines are government agencies. In other words... don't believe everything you read on the internet, lest you pitch a big fit in the "naughty room" and ten minutes later find yourself on the pier waving "bye bye" to your ship. Screaming "but a poster on CC said I didn't have to" isn't gonna help too much then.

[mbisson]

Read the Constitution... it limits the government. Neither the airlines nor the cruiselines are government agencies. In other words... don't believe everything you read on the internet, lest you pitch a big fit in the "naughty room" and ten minutes later find yourself on the pier waving "bye bye" to your ship. Screaming "but a poster on CC said I didn't have to" isn't gonna help too much then.

 

Darn Michell. Are you sure that if it's printed on the internet it may not be true? I had it all planned out and now I'm not so sure again ;).

[ElizaBenet]

I'm not being catty here either, and have a serious question about your response. Airlines are allowed to open and search luggage; why not cruiselines?

 

Because that is an issue of public safety and it is being done by the government...or, at least, people acting on behalf of the government. There is also probably something about it in your airline contract I would imagine. Searching for alcohol is not an issue of public safety and there was nothing about it in the contract. And I don't think the yahoos that were doing the searching on the ship were acting on behalf of the US Government to keep the ship safe. Now if they were searching for a weapon (or something that could be used as a weapon like an explosive), that would possibly be different. But my bag was labeled "liquor" with a tag that literally read liquor as were almost all of the bags I saw. I only saw one labeled with "knife."

[ElizaBenet]

Darn Michell. Are you sure that if it's printed on the internet it may not be true? I had it all planned out and now I'm not so sure again ;).

 

I don't care if you believe me or not. I was only trying to be helpful to the OP. The people in line didn't believe me either...but they got their stuff searched, their alcohol confiscated and their time wasted...and I didn't! So who had the last laugh?

 

And as for my analysis, I will let you know if I am right when I get my grade back from my Constitutional Law II Class on 4th and 5th Amendment Law. ;)

[mbisson]

I don't care if you believe me or not. The people in line didn't believe me either...but they got their stuff searched and their time wasted and I didn't. So who had the last laugh?

 

And as for my analysis, I will let you know if I am right when I get my grade back from my Constitutional Law II Class on 4th and 5th Amendment Law. ;)

 

 

Well, if you're a student I'm sure you're right!

[ElizaBenet]

Well, if you're a student I'm sure you're right!

 

I'm not sure if you are being genuine or sarcastic, but I will choose to interpret this statement as the former and not the later. :)

 

And, yes, I am a student! I will graduate in May with a law degree and am very ready to finally, after 20+ years of education, be done with being a student!

[Stockjock]

I will be doing the bar setup on an upcoming cruise. However, I do admit to having smuggled a bit in my day.

 

I could give you specifics, but that's too easy. Rather, I'd prefer that you simply imagine that you are the X-ray operator for NCL. What would tip you off? What would you be looking for? What sort of objects might look suspect and which probably would not?

 

I'll let you figure out the rest from here.

[MarkMichaels]

Lester,

I'm with ya on trying to save a few bucks, but after our last cruise, I honestly believe you are better off with the bar set up. Our NCLA cruise last month was very tough "sneaking" anything on. I didn't try anything in my checked luggage, but I walked thru security at one port with a airplane bottle of rum (the single shot little bottles) that I had forgotten about. I had a couple of quarters in my pocket and that was enough to set the alarm off and yes, I was padded down and that little bottle was confiscated. Never seen anything like that before. Funny thing was, I went thru that exact same xray line earlier with my cell phone on me and it didn't go off. The booze tables for confiscating seemed very full at all the ports.

 

I think the real problem is that up until the past year, most cruise lines turned the other cheek and didn't really enforce the booze rule. Several ports had duty free shops that you could pick up a few things after you went thru security and they would tell you to just put it in your carry on, and I think most folks thought it was ok to do that since the liquor store was in the terminal (myself included). Sadly, I'm afraid those days are gone. Lots of folks are going to be in for a suprise if they haven't cruised in the past year as there will be much longer lines at the naughty room. It sure sounds like NCL and RCI have cracked down. We used to walk on at almost every port with local beers, no questions asked, seems like the booze police would only stop you if you were carrying a box of booze from one of the liquor stores.

 

And I'm no law expert (nor do I play one on tv) and maybe the cruise lines can't legally check your bags, even with you present, but they can refuse you passage on their ship. That is in their contract.

 

Sorry if I didn't help answer your question, a year ago I would have said just put it in a bag, checked or carry on. I'm guessing that the crew gets to drink anything left behind, so they now have some incentive to get it all from us!

 

Mark

[salty dingo]

And, yes, I am a student! I will graduate in May with a law degree and am very ready to finally, after 20+ years of education, be done with being a student!

 

Congratulations on the upcoming graduation! But with such advanced education, you surely must know how to read a contract. And I am certain there is no amendment in the US Constitution protecting any of us passengers sailing on a foreign-flagged vessel in international waters. Did you see that in the contract? What about the part that gives the Captain the right to disembark any passenger at any time for any reason? I think refusing to allow your bags to be searched would be a valid reason. But I'm sure it wasn't worth the hassle to them.

 

But I don't doubt for a minute you were able to convince them it did apply. Reminds me of that scene in Legally Blonde where the woman is reclaiming her dog from the ex...

 

I just hope you don't seriously belive that you are subject to any US laws at sea on an NCL ship. I am about as far from an attorney as you can get, but I know US law stops at the border.

[newcruisernomore]

And I'm no law expert (nor do I play one on tv) and maybe the cruise lines can't legally check your bags, even with you present, but they can refuse you passage on their ship. That is in their contract.

 

They are not going to turn the ship around if you have already set sail. The boat had already left the port when the notices where being placed on people’s doors.

[salty dingo]

They are not going to turn the ship around if you have already set sail. The boat had already left the port when the notices where being placed on people’s doors.

 

No, they will not turn around but they can and do put people off at the next port of call for all sorts of violations. Not for liquor smuggling, but if you were a smart-a$$ to the security and caused a scene about bogus "rights" you have, who knows, they just might.

 

I know they put you off for criminal acts. They toss your belongings off too, and you are on your own at the pier, in a foreign country, to get back home on your own dime.

[ElizaBenet]

Maybe the crew didn't search your stuff but I don't think it had anything to do with the Constitution. The Constitution protects against state (as in the government) action. The last time I checked there is no constitutional right to cruise or to smuggle booze onto your cruise. This is a matter between private parties (you and the cruise line). As another poster mentioned, many stadiums subject patrons to searches for alcohol. Do they have the "right" to do that. No, but they do have the right to refuse you entry if you don't consent to it, just as the cruise ship could leave you at the next port if you refuse to consent to the search of your luggage.

 

Of course, if the cruise line conducts the search in an unreasonable manner, you may have a cause of action against the cruise line but, again, that is between private parties and doesn't involve constitutional rights.

 

BTW, to the OP, best of luck to you! The worst that can happen, assuming you don't invoke your "constitutional rights" against the cruise line personnel, is that they keep the booze until the end of your cruise.

I agree. Much of what you are stating is an exact review of what I stated in my original post.

 

As I said in the original post, it was not a constitutional issue unless the people who attempted to search me were police or government actors or something. I am not 100 percent sure what their positions were. I think they were just members of the crew...but I am not sure.

 

I also stated in the original post to which this was referencing that if they were just crew members acting on behalf of NCL, they did NOT have the right to search my belongings because it was not in the contract.

 

Also, the "constitutional right" I was referencing was the right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures... not the right, as you characterize it, to carry booze on cruise ships. This right is guaranteed by the 4th Amendment and the applicable to the States through the due process clause of the 14th Amendment.

[bacardi1224]

i was able to get alcohol in initially as well as after one of the ports. the only issue was on the last day when my bf and I, as well as 2 other couples, had our "water bottles" confiscated at the pool. we couldnt be angry since we broke the rules, and in a couple hours were able to purchase a bottle from duty free and open it right away. in addition to the smuggled alcohol there were plenty of bar drinks ordered (a final tab of about 400) and its safe to say I won't be drinking anything but water for the next 2 weeks :eek:

 

so good luck!

[USC93]

 

I also stated in the original post to which this was referencing that if they were just crew members acting on behalf of NCL, they did NOT have the right to search my belongings because it was not in the contract.

 

They don't have the right to search your belongings but they do have the right to force you off of the ship or refuse entry onto the ship if you refuse.

 

Also, the "constitutional right" I was referencing was the right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures... not the right, as you characterize it, to carry booze on cruise ships. This right is guaranteed by the 4th Amendment and the applicable to the States through the due process clause of the 14th Amendment.

 

It is applicable the States as in the States acting through the government. That has absolutely nothing to do with a cruise line subjecting you to a search. The right that is guranteed is that the government, be it federal, state or local, will not subject you to unreasonable searches and seizures. As I said, if the cruise line or any other private party subjects you to an unreasonable search or seizure, you may have a private cause of action against that private party but that has nothing to do with your consitutional right against unreasonable search and seizure.

[USC93]

 

I also stated in the original post to which this was referencing that if they were just crew members acting on behalf of NCL, they did NOT have the right to search my belongings because it was not in the contract.

 

They don't have the right to search your belongings but they do have the right to force you off of the ship or refuse entry onto the ship if you refuse.

 

Also, the "constitutional right" I was referencing was the right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures... not the right, as you characterize it, to carry booze on cruise ships. This right is guaranteed by the 4th Amendment and the applicable to the States through the due process clause of the 14th Amendment.

 

It is applicable to the States as in the States acting through the government. That has absolutely nothing to do with a cruise line subjecting you to a search. The right that is guranteed is that the government, be it federal, state or local, will not subject you to unreasonable searches and seizures. As I said, if the cruise line or any other private party subjects you to an unreasonable search or seizure, you may have a private cause of action against that private party but that has nothing to do with your consitutional right against unreasonable search and seizure.

[electricron]

It is applicable to the States as in the States acting through the government. That has absolutely nothing to do with a cruise line subjecting you to a search. The right that is guranteed is that the government, be it federal, state or local, will not subject you to unreasonable searches and seizures. As I said, if the cruise line or any other private party subjects you to an unreasonable search or seizure, you may have a private cause of action against that private party but that has nothing to do with your consitutional right against unreasonable search and seizure.

 

To add, NCL reserves the right to not accept anyone who will not submit to the search. Answer with a no, you could be tossed off the ship at the very next port.

[TXRed]

I thought this response was rude and obnoxious. Exactly who are you to question the OP if he can afford a cruise. A lot of people scrimp and save very, very hard to have what may be a once in a lifetime experience for them. the OP said he was the dad of 3 kids. Instead of questioning his ability to afford the cruise he should have been praised for at least making the effort. I certainly hope he has a fantastic cruise and if he gets on with liquor then good luck to him.

 

Applause!!! Standing Ovation!! I second this post!

 

Would someone explain what to RULES:( are for cruising 'right'? We have booked our 9th cruise.....gosh have we been doing it the wrong way all this time? I never saw a list of rules on how to cruise right!

[Alsgal247]

I guess I just want to say that we were successful in bringing 1 bottle and a few beers onboard and we are also sure that because we didn't go overboard and were discreet in our cabins with our contraband - it appeared the staff simply turned the other cheek.

 

This was our first 7 day cruise and as such are comparing with other vacation options. The significant price per drink is a real deterrent for us in choosing to cruise again - we don't need an all-inclusive but as beer and wine tends to be our beverage of choice - we usually can be quite happy shopping at a grocery store and not having to pay such large bar prices. (we're not ones for the fancy cocktails) It's not that we drink that much - but the price per drink is simply too high to make cruising an equitable choice.

 

We definitely enjoyed the cruise but I suspect this very fact will mean we'll choose a land vacation next time. ....and we were successful!

 

I also wanted to say that I think it's reasonable that this question keeps coming up because it is probably one of the most frustrating issues for a cruise vacation.

[Kevinc6969]

I hope I replied to all that emailed me. If I missed someone, just email me again. Once again, i will state that these are things that have worked for me in the past 15 cruises but things change and occasionally you get caught...but not from lack of trying. Good Luck to all and most of all

 

HAPPY CRUISING!!!!!!!!!!!!

[TXRed]

I hope I replied to all that emailed me. If I missed someone, just email me again. Once again, i will state that these are things that have worked for me in the past 15 cruises but things change and occasionally you get caught...but not from lack of trying. Good Luck to all and most of all

 

HAPPY CRUISING!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I didn't email you....cause I don't drink...but I wanted to thank you for jumping in and helping.....on our last cruise our son and DIL's on board account was a shock....and they do not drink very much...but it was their holiday and wanted to enjoy it.....they know now to ask drink prices before ordering:D