Liquor inspection

[PunkiC]

So are you saying, snorklin'barb, that Cunard charged you a corkage fee when you boarded the ship, or when you took a bottle of wine to dinner?

 

I have no problem with a corkage fee on a bottle of wine that I bring to the dinner table. I just can't deal with the Mickey Mouse concept of someone telling what I can and cannot have/do in my own private room. I am an old woman as long as my activities are legal, my private acitivities are my business and only my business.

 

We'll see how it all shakes down.

[Noire]

I thought I saw a Rum Runners post yesterday, but now I can't find it. I didn't have time to read it all when I first saw the thread and was curious. Does anybody know where it is?

 

Rum Runners Thread

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=809360

[amjdcm]

We haven't sail NCL in several years but the short Bahamas cruise sounded interesting. I read on other threads that NCL xrays all bags and removes any liquor packed inside. Is this true? We like our afternoon cocktails on the balcony and this would prfeclude us from sailing with them. Any info would be appreciated. Actual experience rather than "I heards". Thanks

if having your bags checked for liquour is going to keep you from using NCL, you had better think about doing something other than a cruise. you said you have not cruised for a while, but all of the mass market cruiselines (carnival, holland, princess, ncl, rcci, celebrity) xray bags looking for contraband.

[snorklinbarb]

So are you saying, snorklin'barb, that Cunard charged you a corkage fee when you boarded the ship, or when you took a bottle of wine to dinner?

 

I have no problem with a corkage fee on a bottle of wine that I bring to the dinner table. I just can't deal with the Mickey Mouse concept of someone telling what I can and cannot have/do in my own private room. I am an old woman as long as my activities are legal, my private acitivities are my business and only my business.

 

We'll see how it all shakes down.

 

Good question. On QM2, I intended to take it to dinner to celebrate a traveling companion's birthday. Paid corkage of $15 in the DR. (Friends just paid $25 on Celebrity). I think what you're saying is I could have had it in the cabin at no charge.

 

On NCL I've paid corkage at times right after security. Other times, waved right through, especially if it's just 1 bottle of wine. If you get there early, sometimes they don't have the table set up yet.;):)

[PunkiC]

So are you saying, snorklin'barb, that Cunard charged you a corkage fee as you boarded the ship? Or, was it at the dinner table?

[PunkiC]

So are you saying, snorklin'barb, that Cunard charged you a corkage fee as you boarded the ship? Or, was it at the dinner table?

[PunkiC]

So are you saying, snorklin'barb, that Cunard charged you a corkage fee as you boarded the ship? Or, was it at the dinner table?

[PunkiC]

So are you saying, snorklin'barb, that Cunard charged you a corkage fee as you boarded the ship? Or, was it at the dinner table?

[PunkiC]

So are you saying, snorklin'barb, that Cunard charged you a corkage fee as you boarded the ship? Or, was it at the dinner table?

[PunkiC]

So are you saying, snorklin'barb, that Cunard charged you a corkage fee as you boarded the ship? Or, was it at the dinner table?

[CocoKai]

This was our recent wine experience with NCL.

 

Between 2 families, we each brought a half case of wine. We knew that we would be paying $90 each for corkage in and out of our room. During x-ray in Seattle, we are pulled over to a table...no problem...knew it was going to happen.

 

The NCL gentleman at the table informs us that NO alcohol is allowed to be brought on the ship. We tell him its wine, not hard alcohol. He says, "Sorry, no alcohol" and starts to take our boxes away. We inform of NCL's policy of paying $15 corkage. He has this look of a "light bulb" moment and sits our boxes back down, next to the stickers for paid corkage. He then asks us to open the boxes. Seeing how we just got off an airplane, I did not have a box cutter, he had nothing, so we are now stabbing the boxes with our keys to get it open. He examines the wine, sticks his stickers on and writes up the receipt. Off we go with our mutilated boxes.

 

This NCL gentleman was operating the table for wine corkage and that was his level of knowledge and supplies to deal with people bringing wine aboard.

 

Next time....HAL or Princess.

[mbisson]

 

This NCL gentleman was operating the table for wine corkage and that was his level of knowledge and supplies to deal with people bringing wine aboard.

 

Next time....HAL or Princess.

 

Good idea...I'm sure there are no idiots working for HAL or Princess ;)

[Lancer525]

What, exactly, would it take for us, the general cruising public, to make it plain to the cruise lines that we want them to change their alcohol policies?

 

I tend to think that it ought not to boil down to just the "bottom line" but that passenger service ought to at least factor into this.

 

Maybe I am naive, but I think that if I'm paying for the trip, I ought not to be so restricted. Oh well... This is another one of those long lists of things that we won't ever be able to get the huge corporations to listen to us over...

[CocoKai]

Oh...there are idiots on every line but you can bring wine on for free.

[Richie2pies]

I just recently came back from Las Vegas. Top class hotel. Yes, the drink prices at the bars were comparable to NCL. However, they didn't X-ray my bags when checking in and I drank my own wine in my room. These cruise lines better smarten up if they want to keep customers returning. People spend enough at the bar and if they want to have a drink in their room without paying absurd prices, why not?

[Lancer525]

Rum Runners Thread

 

I sort of hate to ask this, but what, exactly, is a "rum runner" :confused:

[*Wink*]

Hi - If you do a search for rumrunners flasks in the NCL forum, you'll find a ton of helpful information. We use them and they're great. :D

[Noire]

I sort of hate to ask this, but what, exactly, is a "rum runner" :confused:

 

I didn't know either, until I started reading these boards. They are like plastic flasks that cruisers use to smuggle booze onboard.

[dolfan95831]

I sort of hate to ask this, but what, exactly, is a "rum runner" :confused:

 

www.rumrunnersflask.com

 

:-) enjoy

[Boat_Drinks]

How come it won on a blind tasting test agaist the over hyped/priced skinny bottles. Once you mix vodka with anything there is no taste difference between $10 a 1.75 and $40 a ltr. It's all snob appeal. People buy the hype.

 

Absolutely not true. I've tried almost all vodkas, from low-end to high-end and there are great vodkas, good vodkas and really "rank" vodkas. Smirnoff is a little better than "rank" but not quite "good".

 

The taste of vodka varies greatly. The more expensive vodkas are typically much more refined with a very smooth taste, the lower end vodkas have a noticable (and objectionable, IMHO) taste.

 

If your objective is to mix vodka with a mixer that will mask the taste of the vodka, you probably won't notice a difference (but you may have a headache after drinking some of that stuff!). If you drink vodka martinis (as I do) you should INSIST on a top quality vodka, it's an entirely different drink.

 

FWIW, Grey Goose (France) and Ketel One (Holland) are two extremely good vodkas, and reasonably priced.

 

And now back to our regularly scheduled program...... :)

[discjoker]

Absolutely not true. I've tried almost all vodkas, from low-end to high-end and there are great vodkas, good vodkas and really "rank" vodkas. Smirnoff is a little better than "rank" but not quite "good".

 

The taste of vodka varies greatly. The more expensive vodkas are typically much more refined with a very smooth taste, the lower end vodkas have a noticable (and objectionable, IMHO) taste.

 

If your objective is to mix vodka with a mixer that will mask the taste of the vodka, you probably won't notice a difference (but you may have a headache after drinking some of that stuff!). If you drink vodka martinis (as I do) you should INSIST on a top quality vodka, it's an entirely different drink.

 

FWIW, Grey Goose (France) and Ketel One (Holland) are two extremely good vodkas, and reasonably priced.

 

And now back to our regularly scheduled program...... :)

 

You are 100% spot on...only thing that sends shivers down my spine is your mention of vodka "martinis." A vodka "martini"???...absolute sacrilege in my opinion (my main issue is calling it a martini...a martini is made with gin). But if it floats your boat go for it I guess....;)

[Noire]

You are 100% spot on...only thing that sends shivers down my spine is your mention of vodka "martinis." A vodka "martini"???...absolute sacrilege in my opinion (my main issue is calling it a martini...a martini is made with gin). But if it floats your boat go for it I guess....;)

 

Historically, yes. However, there is a new "breed" of martinis and they are indeed made with vodka. Several restaurants/bars have a martini list and they are all made with vodka. Now if you go to an "old school" type of place it will probably be made with gin. I don't care what they call it. As long as what I want to drink is in my glass, Im cool :cool:

[PunkiC]

I love vodka martinis, with no vermouth. :D

 

Even scarier for you purists, I love Absolut Vodka martinis. Everybody has different tastes.

[newmexicoNita]

This was our recent wine experience with NCL.

 

Between 2 families, we each brought a half case of wine. We knew that we would be paying $90 each for corkage in and out of our room. During x-ray in Seattle, we are pulled over to a table...no problem...knew it was going to happen.

 

The NCL gentleman at the table informs us that NO alcohol is allowed to be brought on the ship. We tell him its wine, not hard alcohol. He says, "Sorry, no alcohol" and starts to take our boxes away. We inform of NCL's policy of paying $15 corkage. He has this look of a "light bulb" moment and sits our boxes back down, next to the stickers for paid corkage. He then asks us to open the boxes. Seeing how we just got off an airplane, I did not have a box cutter, he had nothing, so we are now stabbing the boxes with our keys to get it open. He examines the wine, sticks his stickers on and writes up the receipt. Off we go with our mutilated boxes.

 

This NCL gentleman was operating the table for wine corkage and that was his level of knowledge and supplies to deal with people bringing wine aboard.

 

Next time....HAL or Princess.

oh for heaven's sake, you would let this stop you from cruising a line? Of course he should have known, I can assure you this was an isolated experience. Now if you like the other lines better, that is one thing, but to let something like this color your view is a little hard to swallow.

 

Nita

[mbisson]

oh for heaven's sake, you would let this stop you from cruising a line? Of course he should have known, I can assure you this was an isolated experience. Now if you like the other lines better, that is one thing, but to let something like this color your view is a little hard to swallow.

 

Nita

 

 

I thought from his reply to my post, that his problem was with the fact they charged at all....but he knew in advance they would, so I'm totally confused.