drink on board

[Stephen W]

Does anyone know if you can take your own alcohol on board, eg from Southampton. Thanks in advance.

[LEESRE]

If you are talking about P&O then the answer is yes you can take some onboard as long as you are not silly.

 

You can also buy from your Cabin Steward once onboard.

 

The actual wording on P&O holiday information is:-

 

We have recently updated our policy on the responsible serving of alcohol and we reserve the right to confiscate alcohol at the gangway should the need arise, it is not our intention to invoke this policy as a matter of course and we will implement it only on occasions where we consider it is likely that the health comfort safety and enjoyment of passengers may otherwise be compromised.

 

I think the other reply was for Cunard.

[capnpugwash]

You are quite right, it was for Cunard... mad cow moment:eek:

[LEESRE]

You are quite right, it was for Cunard... mad cow moment:eek:

 

LOL!! It happens to us all.:D :D

[LibraLass41]

No probs atall taking some alcohol for Cabin consumption only onboard from Southampton, we take a wine box of white wine for a fortnight cruise, ideal as no glass =no breakages, and the box is quite small and square and fits snuggly in the fridge in cabin, and in my handluggage case-on-wheels....

some take bottle or 2 of champagne on -whatever... just don't overdo it, struggling up the gangplank with booze in arms would be taking liberties, if its discreet you will be fine. :D

[ladyruby]

can you put any in your suitcase?

[capnpugwash]

You can put some in your case but have you seen how gently the porters throw your cases about when loading them onto the ship, and Vodka infused underwear is a treat I am in no hurry to experience.:)

[LibraLass41]

I put in a few tinnies for the'old man' for balcony drinking for some unknown mad reason, it was in my 'odds and sods' case - the one with no clothes, but hairdrier, my bags etc, when the case was delivered it smelt like a brewery, yes, one tin had pierced and leaked into the case... not worth doing..

 

My winebox has always travelled well, but well away from all clothes and shoes etc...

:)

[timetravellers]

We took a small bottle of vodka and a bottle of sherry on board in our Hand Luggage.

 

We ordered fresh orange juice for the vodka from the Cabin Steward.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

 

Gail

[ladyruby]

so would i be able to take 2 bottles of wine in my hand luggage?

[capnpugwash]

I would think that 2 bottles would pose no problem, other than not being sufficient:D

Jim

[LibraLass41]

I take a winebox on a 2 week + cruise, its also safer than bottles and smaller in volume, in the corner of my weekender hand luggage case!

It also fits in the cabin fridge.... maybe easier?

[ladyruby]

maybe a bottle of champayne? yes a box of wine is a good idea

[Pontius Navigator]

For our Canaries cruise I backpacked 3xwht wine and 1xfizz on board. At Maderia I came back with 6xMaderia.

 

Next cruise I back packed 3xwine and 1xgin. Now the hint.

 

Tesco (and others?) do a 3xbottle wine carrier (or is it 6?). If you can get a 3 bottle carrier it is ideal. Wine on, duty free off.

[StLucia]

PN, we are planning to take a box and some fiz in our hand luggage but can you take it on so brazenly?

[annieuk]

St. Lucia,

 

Yes you can. We put two bottles of fizz into a small wheeled case which we took on in Southampton as hand luggage. There is no problem with taking alcohol on board providing, as the brochure says, the passengers are not the worse for drink. For example, I would think there might be a problem if some passengers spent their time ashore in a port drinking in a bar, then bought some alcohol and appeared the worse for wear when they reboarded. Then, I guess the alcohol would be removed when it went through the security screen.

 

We also took some Pimms aboard and there was no problem with that.

 

Annie

[StLucia]

Thank you Annie, we might top up in Tenerife. I understand you can buy bottles on board to drink in your cabin as well, is this correct? I love a Baileys last thing at night would we be able to buy this?

 

Janet

[LibraLass41]

Yes, Baileys and Baileys Mint available at around £10 a litre.

 

Pack in hand luggage your wine , obviously no need to be 'brazen' about it - ie. carrying in your arms, but discreetly packed is fine.. as I mentioned already, we take a small 'weekender' type case for hand luggage so you can wheel on, no need to struggle with heavy bags...

[Pontius Navigator]

When we boarded at Maderia I had one 3 pack in my rucksack purely for convenience and we hand carried the other 3 pack in a plastic bag. Apart from being 4.5l and therefore over the UK duty free limit for fortified wine no one on the ship blinked. With one week of the cruise to go we could not possibly have sunk 2l of Maderia each.

 

One reason why P&O is happy for you to take wine on board is the potential for corkage if you chose to drink your wine aay from your cabin. The rule is £10 per bottle.

 

That said, on the Southampton sailaway, when champagne is available at only £2.95, a group had their own fizz and plastic glasses down at the poop end. No one pushed the corkage issue; in the dining room of course it would be different as the somelier would be looking after your wine for you.

[StLucia]

Yes, Baileys and Baileys Mint available at around £10 a litre.

 

 

That's a very good price, not worth bringing it on board. My DH loves brandy and scotch, are they a good price too?

 

We wouldn't want to take wine into the dining room, prefer to choose from their selection dependant on the menu, we just want it for on the balcony.

[LibraLass41]

If you took wine into the dining room , say a good bottle - shore side £15, menu price £30, you would be charged a 'corkage price' anyway.. around £10, someone will know the exact figure.

 

The wine/champagne/beer we are talking about is for 'cabin drinking only 'of course.

 

We also enjoy a good glass of wine on the balcony on a sea day, or after a port visit before getting ready for dinner - bliss.

 

Bottle of spirits can be bought,

 

Whisky - Teachers £9.50 a litre

Baileys and Baileys Mint £10.50 ''

Gin - Beefeater Crown jewel £15.75/ Bombay Sapphire £10.50

Vodka Smirnoff red label £6.50

 

list from May 08 cruise

[StLucia]

Thank you Libralass, that should keep us both happy. As you say balcony bliss.

[The Welsh Man]

Thank you Libralass, that should keep us both happy. As you say balcony bliss.

 

 

We've never taken booze on board from Southampton, put I've bought wine,Baileys etc in ports in the Med and the Caribbean.

 

Packed only in our hand luggage when coming back on board, always gone through security without any problems.(normally 2-3 bottles)

 

As Libralass says be sensible and enjoy!

 

Carl

[Pontius Navigator]

On Oceana, on the departure day, there was an 'off-licence' set up on the Lido Deck for orders of spirits and sale of wine plans. I don't know if the spirits were for take-home or on-board consumption.

 

On the final sea day there was another order point in the shopping area but the booze and fags were not delivered to the cabin until about 7pm. I think there may have been another order point topside.

 

Tip:

 

While LibraLass et al take wine boxes on board we select modern wines with screw caps. Saves searching for a corkscrew and is good for securing after a glass or two.

[Pontius Navigator]

Can anyone comment on the wine plans that are offered?

 

A quick scan suggested that they were good value bottle for bottle but how do you get what you like?

 

Do you get a bottle per couple per meal (perhaps too much)?

 

If you dine in a speciality restaurant is your plan bottle available there?