Booze

[cf_chuck]

Replying to CF Chuck, you are correct that I have no official knowledge that led me to my assumption/presumption that it is profit that is the driver of the change in policy referenced in mine. Indeed, from my post I thought it was pretty clear that it was my opinion, although I believe it is a reasonably informed one. When I have discussed this with 2 hotel managers over the years, they have indicated that I am correct. If you or anyone has another explanation, or believe there are other causes that led to the policy change, please share...

 

I have no question that profit considerations might have been one of the drivers for the change in policy. I have no knowledge of what other drivers might be or might have been.

 

If profit was a significant motivator, based on reports here, it seems that HAL is doing a poor job of tending to the goose laying the golden egg. Today's technology allows a pretty good scan of the contents, and with things like liquor, the signature profile isn't difficult to pick up. Since they allow things to go through, per your posts and posts of others, I find it difficult to believe that profit is the only motive, as you wrote.

 

This is a public board, and anyone, including HAL or CCL employees, can check in and monitor those areas that are important to them. I do find it a bit disingenious on the part of the alcohol smugglers to be so open about what they do given HAL's policy and openly encouraging others to join them. Reminds me of a DC5 song, "Catch Me If You Can" (yeah, there was also a more recent movie by the same title). While most post with anonymity, the posts give an indication of the general compliance. Some here go so far as to recommend open confrontation if challenged. I think this is a bad idea since it can get the pax thrown off the ship.

[Copper10-8]

Just a heads up to all prospective "secretly without anyone noticing alcohol taking on boarders" I have it from semi-reliable interior motive information gatherers that HAL, in the very near future, will be deploying IOBSA (The Intentional On Board Smuggling of Alcohol) canines at all their port of entries (both foreign and domestic).

I'm fairly certain, although this by no means can be confirmed to the 100 percentile average, that you have all heard about canines (read dog as is "does yer deug bite?") that are trained to detect certain narcotics, agricultural products, explosives, folks plain refusing to wear underwear:eek: , and what not. Heck, for all I know, you might have had the undeniable pleasure to observe those four-legged friends of mankind in the performance of their no doubt very important duties at a port or airport, simply mahvelous creatures, I'm sure, you would all agree!:)

But I degress and would like to humbly offer my sincere apologies for that character flaw (when I was a mere young lad in the low countries, I was once struck by a windmill vane but that's a whole other story...........) So back to the IOBSA K-9s. Yes, they will be deployed shortly and will make life purely miserable for all those attempting, with malice afore thought, no doubt, to smuggle onboard via

a. the gangway

b. their checked baggage

c. by any other physically possible means

any alcholic product known to mankind, without having first so notified Holland America Line, inc, a public entity, either verbally or in writing, of their specific intent to bypass HAL rule and regulation #31, Page 97, Paragraph 3, Subsection a, the transportation and taking onboard (without specific permission) of alcoholic products and such on ships flying the flag of "Het Koninginenrijk der Nederlanden" also known as the Queendom of The Netherlands.

So, be afraid my booze smuggling friends, BE VERY AFRAID!:p

[Boytjie]

This would be our very first Cruise...Should we do this??? We have the least expensive cabin and are on a tight budget...We do not drink a great deal but $5.00 or more for a drink is a lot to us...we still need money left over for tips and such...

 

What will you do if you do take a bottle of liquor on board and it is confiscated to be returned on the last night of the cruise? No booze in cabin and no money to buy a drink.

[Boytjie]

Will anyone be put off the ship for this "offense" of bringing on personal liquor? Please, be serious. It would be a frosty day--in anywhere but Alaska--for that to happen.

 

And someone said that that could happen? Who did?

[Boytjie]

Thank you for the good Information. Are we understanding that it is OK to take on Wine??? for our Cabin... and that purchasing a cocktail or fifth for our room does not cost too much???

 

You can bring all the wine you wish, to consume in your cabin or you can pay a $15 corkage fee and have enjoy in a dining room or lounge.

[cf_chuck]

Just a heads up to all prospective "secretly without anyone noticing alcohol taking on boarders" I have it from semi-reliable interior motive information gatherers that HAL, in the very near future, will be deploying IOBSA (The Intentional On Board Smuggling of Alcohol) canines at all their port of entries (both foreign and domestic).

 

Welcome back John, enjoyed your posts from the E'dam.

 

But according to my semi-reliable interior motive information sources, it is possible to throw off these canines with the generous use of cheap, alcohol based scents. Studies show that the alcohol in the scent masks the presence of the smuggled alcohol and the smell causes canine sneezing fits.:eek: In order to preserve the cover, these same sources recommend that the smugglers be doused in the same scent to present the appearance of consistency and to avoid any obvious discrepancy. :D

[Copper10-8]

Welcome back John, enjoyed your posts from the E'dam.

 

But according to my semi-reliable interior motive information sources, it is possible to throw off these canines with the generous use of cheap, alcohol based scents. Studies show that the alcohol in the scent masks the presence of the smuggled alcohol and the smell causes canine sneezing fits.:eek: In order to preserve the cover, these same sources recommend that the smugglers be doused in the same scent to present the appearance of consistency and to avoid any obvious discrepancy. :D

 

Thanks Chuck and touche!;)

[sauvichick]

I normally don't respond to the bringing alcohol on board thread but I'm extremely happy that HAL still allows wine & champagne and without a limit.

[kakalina]

Thanks Chuck and touche!;) [/quoteJohn:

 

John, Welcome home and I love your new avatar. Real kewl dude! :D

[Sailor Gal]

Wow. You guys are nasty. The poor cruiser just wanted some innocent advice and instead got flammed. Just bring on some good wine and soda. Anything like liquor or beer - you should just purchase on board. Simple as that. Don't let these folks make you mad.

[Taxguy77]

Thanks for the warning!;)

HAL, according to some posters, needs to pull out all stops on the expense amount for security to prevent a few people from having an 'unofficial' drink in their cabin before dinner. Those folks will just have to learn to drink wine or get my new book, Instantaneous Dog Training for Smugglers to be released shortly.:p

 

Seriously, we will be in Lisbon a couple of days before our next cruise, and plan on buying a few bottles there. Need to get home with two or three to remember the trip!:)

[Taxguy77]

To previous post, Portugal is the home of Port!

Hope everybody knew that.:cool:

[Taxguy77]

I'm brand spankin' new to cruising, and I have The age-old question: Is there a :) preferred :) way to sneak booze onto the ship in checked luggage?

 

HAL is not the only forum that may flame you for the slightest thing. Just go with the good and forget the rest.:)

Ships tours are usually expensive, research other ways of seeing the sights. Ports often have a tourist office very nearby and may have self-directed walking or bus tours. Hop on-hop off (called Hop-hop) busses which are often a great way to see a city. Your public library is a good source.

[cf_chuck]

Wow. You guys are nasty. The poor cruiser just wanted some innocent advice and instead got flammed. Just bring on some good wine and soda. Anything like liquor or beer - you should just purchase on board. Simple as that. Don't let these folks make you mad.

 

My Miss Manners guide to ettiquite and protocol states that the proper response is to address the specific request made. The specific request made was about liquor. This was addressed based on the HAL policy, which you have reinforced. Thank you for your support.

[cf_chuck]

HAL, according to some posters, needs to pull out all stops on the expense amount for security to prevent a few people from having an 'unofficial' drink in their cabin before dinner.

 

Could you give me some quotes supporting this? I admit I haven't been around for that long, but at least on the threads where this has arisen (seems to be a bi-monthly thing), I haven't seen anyone advocating increased spending on HAL's part to enforce their policy, much less going to the extremes you have suggested.

[cf_chuck]

I normally don't respond to the bringing alcohol on board thread but I'm extremely happy that HAL still allows wine & champagne and without a limit.

 

And I am happy for you. I have to say that I'm envious of those that can take advantage of this in a way that I can't because I have this umbillical cord called a PC that I haven't been able to drop and have to fly - hmmm, case of wine or a PC - might be able to make that 2 cases. Decisions, decisions, something worth pondering. ;)

[pipedreams62]

They've already implemented some NEW procedures at the gangway

 

 

[cf_chuck]

They've already implemented some NEW procedures at the gangway

 

EEEEWWWW.

 

Some estimates of prostate health in men suggest as high as a 50% abnormalty. Given the "aged" population of HAL crusiers, the likelihood of an abnormality is higher still.

 

You ain't fooling me, this is just another way for HAL to make a buck and avoid liability.

[Boytjie]

Wow. You guys are nasty. The poor cruiser just wanted some innocent advice and instead got flammed.

 

'Innocent' advice on how to break the rules.... :rolleyes:

[sauvichick]

And I am happy for you. I have to say that I'm envious of those that can take advantage of this in a way that I can't because I have this umbillical cord called a PC that I haven't been able to drop and have to fly - hmmm, case of wine or a PC - might be able to make that 2 cases. Decisions, decisions, something worth pondering. ;)

 

Just because the policy doesn't specify a limit does not mean I would ever bring a case on board-just a few bottles. We always purchase on board.

[kryos]

In short, I don’t feel that the poster is hurting me in any way (well, maybe his choice of Scotch could be better), and I seen no reason to flame him.

I don't see where he was flamed at all. He asked a question and he was given an answer.

 

There is one cruise line, and I honestly forget which one it was ... maybe Royal Caribbean? ... that had a lot of people breaking the rules. They used to permit a limited amount of maybe it was wine and soda to be brought onboard. But people abused the rules ... they brought on multiple cases of soda and water and snuck bottles of alcohol too. This eats right into the cruise line's profits, especially regards the alcohol, because that's a major onboard revenue source. So, because people abused the cruise line's policy, now NOTHING can be brought onboard. No soda, no bottled water ... no beer ... NOTHING. And this is all because too many people weren't following the rules. Now everyone suffers, including the mom cruising with her two kids who love scarfing up bottled water. On the ship that's gonna be three dollars or so a pop.

 

HAL sets out their rules regarding alcohol very clearly both on their web site and in the Know Before You Go book. Any cruiser planning a HAL sailing should read this information ... long before booknig. It's readily available online. If the rules don't appeal to you, or you don't agree with them, then you always have the option to say "the h*ll with HAL" ... and to take your business elsewhere. Believe me, I'm no always follow the rules type of person, but when breaking a rule could possibly hurt others, then that rule needs to be followed. In the case of bringing alcohol onboard, I think you're gonna have a hard time finding ANY mass market cruise line that will allow it.

 

Yes, I agree 100% that the purpose of this rule is to increase HAL's onboard revenue. No question about it. But then think about how things are at home. You ever see those little signs in restaurant windows ... "No food may be brought in?" That's because some people wanting to sit with their friends, but not wanting to spend money on a meal, would actually have the gall to bring their own sandwich into the restaurant with them and then only order perhaps a soda or something to wash it down. They are taking up a seat and the restaurant is making very little to nothing on them being there.

 

It's the same way with HAL. You're onboard and if you want a drink, they want you to purchase it from them. Understandable.

 

Now for wine and the other items that are permissible, fine ... bring them onboard and enjoy them. But don't take a cruise and then break a rule that hurts me ... because if you and 100 other people sneak alcohol onboard, the day is gonna come when HAL will get sick of it and ban everything. Now I can't even have my favorite brand of soda ... maybe a brand that HAL does not stock ... while I am on my cruise.

 

Believe me, I understand about cruising on a budget. I too take the lowest category cabins to keep my costs down. But if the OP is so up against it that he cannot afford to buy a few drinks onboard, then the only advice I can give him is perhaps he should wait a bit and save some more money before he books his HAL cruise.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[mikjr]

You can bring all the wine you wish, to consume in your cabin or you can pay a $15 corkage fee and have enjoy in a dining room or lounge.

 

I might add that their $15 corkage fee is VERY reasonable! There are several restaurants here in OC that charge $35 and up for the same service

[mikjr]

Wow. You guys are nasty. The poor cruiser just wanted some innocent advice and instead got flammed.

 

 

Boy... I'm sure glad I didn't ask that question....

 

[sapper1]

I don't see where he was flamed at all. He asked a question and he was given an answer.

 

There is one cruise line, and I honestly forget which one it was ... maybe Royal Caribbean? ... that had a lot of people breaking the rules. They used to permit a limited amount of maybe it was wine and soda to be brought onboard. But people abused the rules ... they brought on multiple cases of soda and water and snuck bottles of alcohol too. This eats right into the cruise line's profits, especially regards the alcohol, because that's a major onboard revenue source. So, because people abused the cruise line's policy, now NOTHING can be brought onboard. No soda, no bottled water ... no beer ... NOTHING. And this is all because too many people weren't following the rules. Now everyone suffers, including the mom cruising with her two kids who love scarfing up bottled water. On the ship that's gonna be three dollars or so a pop.

 

HAL sets out their rules regarding alcohol very clearly both on their web site and in the Know Before You Go book. Any cruiser planning a HAL sailing should read this information ... long before booknig. It's readily available online. If the rules don't appeal to you, or you don't agree with them, then you always have the option to say "the h*ll with HAL" ... and to take your business elsewhere. Believe me, I'm no always follow the rules type of person, but when breaking a rule could possibly hurt others, then that rule needs to be followed. In the case of bringing alcohol onboard, I think you're gonna have a hard time finding ANY mass market cruise line that will allow it.

 

Yes, I agree 100% that the purpose of this rule is to increase HAL's onboard revenue. No question about it. But then think about how things are at home. You ever see those little signs in restaurant windows ... "No food may be brought in?" That's because some people wanting to sit with their friends, but not wanting to spend money on a meal, would actually have the gall to bring their own sandwich into the restaurant with them and then only order perhaps a soda or something to wash it down. They are taking up a seat and the restaurant is making very little to nothing on them being there.

 

It's the same way with HAL. You're onboard and if you want a drink, they want you to purchase it from them. Understandable.

 

Now for wine and the other items that are permissible, fine ... bring them onboard and enjoy them. But don't take a cruise and then break a rule that hurts me ... because if you and 100 other people sneak alcohol onboard, the day is gonna come when HAL will get sick of it and ban everything. Now I can't even have my favorite brand of soda ... maybe a brand that HAL does not stock ... while I am on my cruise.

 

Believe me, I understand about cruising on a budget. I too take the lowest category cabins to keep my costs down. But if the OP is so up against it that he cannot afford to buy a few drinks onboard, then the only advice I can give him is perhaps he should wait a bit and save some more money before he books his HAL cruise.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

You have made your point in a very clear and non-confrontational way that everyone should be able to understand. ----Very good post!!

[Taxguy77]

I might add that their $15 corkage fee is VERY reasonable! There are several restaurants here in OC that charge $35 and up for the same service

 

I agree completely.:) Last year on AZ, the limit was one bottle of wine and $25 corkage.:(

A man I met on board said he always asked an officer when he left the ship if it would be OK to bring a bottle back and usually got a 'yes' or 'for your room only' answer. Last year it was NO.