Worst case scenario for sneaking on alcohol.

[shark_bait]

Oh I'm sure they would CONFISCATE it. but if they gave me a hassle, it would be the last they see of the 8, high deck balcony rooms we buy every year. And I would let their corporate people know it.

 

We'd go to Celebrity. A bit more expensive, but we thought it was a great line. *shrugs*

 

I'm doubting they would give me a hard time, is all I'm saying. I get their "rules" however, as silly as they are. I know they'd take them from me if I was "caught"

 

So which is it, 4 High Deck Balcony Rooms a year or 8 High Deck Balcony Rooms a year?

[sail7seas]

The threat of never returning to sail with them again never works. They figure if you are threatening such, they have lost you anyway. There will be others to book your cabins. People come and people go but the ships go out full just about every cruise.

 

[RetireeWannabee]

The threat of never returning to sail with them again never works. They figure if you are threatening such, they have lost you anyway. There will be others to book your cabins. People come and people go but the ships go out full just about every cruise.

 

Yeah, in the grand scheme, I'm not that big of a loss!

[acc82]

Apparently some here think that there's some other reason they confiscate it, though I can't imagine what that reason is. see below

 

 

 

Apparently this person doesn't know why the cruise lines prohibit booze. I was merely asking whether this was really being debated? EXCEPT TO MAKE MONEY, WHAT IS ANY OTHER POSSIBLE REASON?? Because they LIKE to??? Because the line is owned by tee-totalers? Because they're worried about my safety??? if there is another reason, I wish this person would enlighten all of us. Seems pretty obvious to me - TO MAKE YOU BUY THEIR DRINKS TO INCREASE THEIR PROFITS.

 

Duh.

 

*rolls eyes*

i'm glad you can read their minds.... :-) maybe it's to keep people from jumping ship. there is such a thing as liabilty. they must cover themselves.

 

for once i actually agreed with ONE of your posts. the previous one to this. it doesn't matter why.....if you bring it, they can take it, they can dump it, whatever they want. when you hand your luggage over, that's it. you have at that point decided that you are willing to cut your losses. that's it, end of story.

[AllieInMD]

Never put all your eggs in one basket - gotta spread it around ;)

 

 

 

We tried to sneak ours on, we were with a party of 20. Some how we were elected to carry all the alcohol. Well, they x-rayed our bag and saw it all in there. They gave us a form to get it back at the end.

 

At our first port, we bought a bottle of vodka and a HUGE bottle of Water and transfered the vodka in the H20 bottle.

[Ontario Cruiser]

Gorc,

You mentioned that you would go with Celebrity. They are the worst or at least on our last trip to Hawaii they were. We have travelled Celebrity numerous times but this trip they had security people at every port and nothing was allowed on the ship. Not the ships people but hired ones. They were even opening water bottles and sniffing. One officer was so proud when she told us that she caught a little old lady doing that and threw it out. They also were trying to open cameras. My husband decided to buy one can of beer in Honolulu to see what would happen and they took it away from him and he just said to the officer enjoy.

Celebrity also charges $25 for corkage in the dining room. We understand that we can bring on a case of wine on HAL and pay only $15.00 for corkage in the dining room.

On embarkation in San Juan on the Summit we bought some booze that we were wanting them to take and store to take home but they never stopped us when we walked through withe the case. Maybe embarkation day is different.

Ontario Cruiser

[qorc]

i'm glad you can read their minds.... :-) maybe it's to keep people from jumping ship. there is such a thing as liabilty. they must cover themselves.

 

for once i actually agreed with ONE of your posts. the previous one to this. it doesn't matter why.....if you bring it, they can take it, they can dump it, whatever they want. when you hand your luggage over, that's it. you have at that point decided that you are willing to cut your losses. that's it, end of story.

Agreed! when you are on the high seas, in international waters, there are no rules except those that the cruise lines decide! If they confiscated all my booze, I would be pissed off. I would complain.

 

but in the end, there wouldn't be a damn thing I could do about it!

 

But we haven't been caught yet!

[qorc]

Gorc,

You mentioned that you would go with Celebrity. They are the worst or at least on our last trip to Hawaii they were. We have travelled Celebrity numerous times but this trip they had security people at every port and nothing was allowed on the ship. Not the ships people but hired ones. They were even opening water bottles and sniffing. One officer was so proud when she told us that she caught a little old lady doing that and threw it out. They also were trying to open cameras. My husband decided to buy one can of beer in Honolulu to see what would happen and they took it away from him and he just said to the officer enjoy.

Celebrity also charges $25 for corkage in the dining room. We understand that we can bring on a case of wine on HAL and pay only $15.00 for corkage in the dining room.

On embarkation in San Juan on the Summit we bought some booze that we were wanting them to take and store to take home but they never stopped us when we walked through withe the case. Maybe embarkation day is different.

Ontario Cruiser

 

Yes, so I've heard.

 

hell, if I have to DUCT-TAPE THE RUM RUNNERS TO MY BODY - sort of "midnight express" style - I would do it!!

 

And if they annoyed me, I'm moved to HAL or Princess or something...:)

[qorc]

The threat of never returning to sail with them again never works. They figure if you are threatening such, they have lost you anyway. There will be others to book your cabins. People come and people go but the ships go out full just about every cruise.

 

 

but you never know! It's amazing what you get if you're a Diamond member and you complain!

 

You don't really LOSE anything by complaining either!

[qorc]

So which is it, 4 High Deck Balcony Rooms a year or 8 High Deck Balcony Rooms a year?

 

4 rooms a year - 8 tickets (eg, 2 per room). I typo'd above. It happens.

[Ontario Cruiser]

Just came back from the Tahitian Princess and we had no trouble bringing beer on board at all ports of call.

We are booked on the Noordam Nov 7th and plan to buy wine for the dining room in Fort Lauderdale.

Ontario Cruiser

[cruisinwithboys]

We always have a beverage suitcase with cokes and bottle waters, the Captain goes in Lipton Tea bottle and all the clear stuff in water bottles. There is no way for them to tell the difference! :D And don't worry we still contributed our $800 Cruise line alcohol fare while on board! :rolleyes:

[owl61]

I have read the very credible post of a ship hotel mgr that the principle reason that most ships have a policy of not allowing pax to bring booze on board is so that they can make a demonstration in court that they have made an effort to control on board drunkeness and the injury that can result therefrom. It's a way to successfully defend against law suits brought by drunken passengers or victims thereof who have suffered injury from the ship's alleged negligence in allowing them to get dangerously drunk.

 

If that is true I would guess that the ship is not going to press too hard on those who try to sneak it on board in their luggage. They have the policy - the extremes to which they go to enforce it are probably a lot less critical than simply having one and making a reasonable show of enforcement.

 

While a broken bottle could be a castastrophe for the wardrobe I think that a properly packaged full bottle (inside a metal or wooden bottle holder and then wrapped with tee shirts) has zero chance of breaking. At least it has not happened to me in about 50 occurences. One can always put it in a big baggie to eliminate the worst consequences.

 

I think I'm an ethical person and it's doesn't violate my sense of ethics or fair play to bring a bottle or two of booze in my luggage to consume in my cabin. A hotel on land would not prohibit it ( and some cruise lines don't either) and I am not going to get dangerously drunk so I do it to save from running up an even bigger bar bill.

 

It is redundant to bring bottled water on board a modern ship. The water that comes out of the bathroom faucet contains less sodium and is healthier than the great % of bottled waters.

[julieanne]

Oh I'm sure they would CONFISCATE it. but if they gave me a hassle, it would be the last they see of the 8, high deck balcony rooms we buy every year. And I would let their corporate people know it.

 

We'd go to Celebrity. A bit more expensive, but we thought it was a great line. *shrugs*

 

I'm doubting they would give me a hard time, is all I'm saying. I get their "rules" however, as silly as they are. I know they'd take them from me if I was "caught"

LOL, Celebrity is the same company! This is Ellie Mae here. I always book those cheap inside cabins so I can enjoy those high priced drinks with a little smuggling thrown in! What really matters is: how long is your cruise? What month are you taking it and where are you going? Security measures are tighter in the shorter, high season months. As for the profit margin, with the amount of people who do not drink these days, I would bet that the highest profit margin and their largest money maker is....PICTURES!!! Look at the profit on photos! Now, I don't know about the price going up due to smuggling, I can tell you the prices of our last 4 cruises: 11/07, 7 day Conquest, $449 per person, 4/07 RCI Splendour 14 day t/a $499 pp, 5/06 14 day Celebrity t/a, $399 pp, 5/06, 14 day Celebrity t/a $450 pp. When and where you sail makes the largest difference in price. If your cruise is in high demand, it will cost you more, bottom line. Your neighbor who smuggles regularly is not increasing the cost of your trip. :eek:

[liver05]

I just got back from a carnival, long beach to catalina/ensenada. Thought I would share my experience............Was my first cruise so i was nervous about sneaking. Bought a 12 pack of bottled water 16 oz size (packaged in cardboard and plastic), carefully took out 4 of the waters from the middle. Filled 4 bottles with rum and vodka. Placed the 12 pack or water in a suitcase wrapped in a beach towel along with a 12 pack of coke for mix and check the bag in. no problems.

 

My other checked bag, i filled a 16oz mouthwash container with vodka and placed a drop of green food coloring in it. Placed this in my bathroom bag, with my tooth brush, hair gel...etc....and placed it in a checked bag....I also bought a a box or red boxed wine.....I removed the wine bag pouch from the wine box and placed it in 2 trash bags and placed in at the bottom of one of my checked bags and packed clothes on top of it........no problem....bags were waiting at the door within 2 hours, with ice already in the room....(had a nice buzz, until that emergency drill started).......We had so much supply, Infact we only drank half of the boxed wine and dumped out the mouthwash at the end of the cruise.....

 

I also brought 2 nice plastic cups and filled our drinks in these, i walked around the boat carring it and also took it into the evening shows and no one said a word.....

 

This forum helped me alot and saved me some serious cash. I did not buy a single drink on the boat, only in mexico at Papa's and Beer and a bottle of tequila to take home...........most other people had a 200-300 dollars booze bill...good luck

[yiayiamz]

Have you ever taken boxed wine on an airplane? I was wondering if it was safe in the cargo hold.