Do You Have First Hand Knowledge Of Booze Being Confiscated?

[98Charlie]

With all of the threads about smuggling I was thinking that I've never had any first hand knowledge of alcohol being detected and "detained".

 

So, has anyone had theirs held? Talked to another passenger who had to give up their private stock for the duration?

 

It really seems that a lot must make it through without detection.

 

Charlie

[cb at sea]

Alot does make it through--especially if you're not trying to stock an entire bar! The checks they do are sort of "hit or miss", from what I can tell. We never bother bringing stuff aboard, as we fly to port and it's just too much trouble. But, we've asked tablemates about their experiences and have never encountered any who had their "stuff" discovered or confiscated. Perhaps it's due to their age--a bit more "mature" than college-aged! (this is where tablemates come in handy!!! Info about all KINDS of things!!! And the opportunity to check out other cabin types!!! Make friends, y'all!)

[98Charlie]

That's been our experience also. We've just never run in to anyone that has said they've had their "juice" sent to "juice jail" upon embarkation:)

 

What got me thinking was a thread where a poster said that one of the porters at the dock indicated that he would make sure that their bag got to the cabin with the stash undisturbed. They tipped him $10 or an extra $10 and, lo and behold, the case made it. But, as I understand it, the porters do no more than move the luggage from the sidewalk to a dunnage rack.

 

Charlie

[paul929207]

I have never heard of anyone havng their booze "held" till the final night.

[trudle]

:eek: We had our booze taken away, on one of our NCL Cruises, along with many, many,many other people. We also had one bag that made it to the room with the alcohol. There were racks and racks of baggage that had to be opened to find the bottles, they took the bottles away till after the Cruise. So, some make it and some don't and we are not teenagers:p

 

Happy Cruising.

[WeBeGone]

On our RCL cruise I had a bottle of wine in my carry on. They took it and said I could get it back when we returned. Unfortunately I forgot to pick it up.

[sail7seas]

We never bother to bring liquor aboard. If we want a drink (and we do enjoy a cocktail before dinner), we go to a lounge. We're not trying to squeeze every nickel on vacation and our enjoyment of our wine or drink includes sitting in a lovely lounge, listening to the music, seeing our fellow guests.......not drinking alone in our cabin. Just not our style.

For us it isn't about drinking, it's about socializing.

 

[Cruise Junky]

We have either openly brought on booze or smuggled (NCL) every trip without incident. Nothing has been taken even when we've been perfectly willing to hand over purchases what we intended to take home. But we have had friends who had a $300 bottle of scotch taken when they boarded HAL. I think the Security Officer decided to keep it in his cabin rather than it going into the general stash of collected booze as it was such an expensive bottle. They got it back and brought it home with them. If I'd have paid the $60,000 that they did, I'd have been pissed!!

[firefly333]

I think RCL is much stricter than other cruiselines about smuggling booze, especially if you are cruising in the spring, they totally crack down. We were not even allowed to get our purchased booze until the morning of departure, instead of the night before.

[cruisemom42]

Last year on Princess out of FLL I had two bottles of wine in my carry-on (that was all I had as I don't pack it in my suitcases) and one was "held" for me. Seems unfair when I know of others who bring on cases. Princess allows you to bring on wine and champagne, btw, so I wasn't "smuggling" per se. However, they've recently started saying only 1 bottle per passenger. :(

[Papasaurus]

I just ordered mine from he bon voyage dept. for my cruise this week. Not worth the trouble of trying to smuggle. The price was not a lot higher that local purchase. Will by wife her wine and take it aboard since it is legal.

[galavant3]

We don't even bother trying to smuggle. We find it much easier to just purchase our drinks on board. I figure I am doing my part to keep the cost of cruising down! And we don't know anyone personally that smuggles so we have no personal experience.

[muffin]

last year in Vancouver, en route to Alaska, the man infront of us had a bottle of wine in his carry on. It showed in the xray. It was removed from his bag, lablelled with his cabin number, and put on a table which held several dozen bottles of assorted liquor.

[kitty9]

I had my bottles of rum taken on Princess and RCCI cruises after I purchased them in St Thomas or St Martin. I saw four separate individuals have their bottles taken on Celebrity.

 

I was sitting in the entrance lobby on RCCI and saw numerous passengers return from shore and every one of them had their booze boxes taken.

[quester1]

When we cruised with NCL on the Pride of Hawaii I had 4 bottles of booze in my cheaked luggage. Two bottles in each suitcase. The booze was in their orignal bottles.

 

Half of our luggage was promptly delivered to our stateroom including one of the sit cases with booze in it.

 

I was beginning to wonder wher the other suitcase was when we recieved a phone call directing us to report to a specific room to collect our bag because booze had been noted in it.

 

Upon arriving at the designated room I stood in line for about 30 minutes with about 75 other people. Some who where very upset and angery and others that were very contrite and embarrassed.

 

Myself, I was in good spirits (no pun intended). I always believed in the follow. if you're going to sin - sin boldly and it is easier to get forgiveness than it is to get permission.

 

When it was my turn the officer stated that they know that their is a bottle of liqueur in your suitcase. I quickly noted the singular and wispered to my DW if she wanted the bottle of wine or the bottle of rum while I openned my suitcase. She wanted the wine. I boldly pulled the bottle of rum out of the suitcase while carefully consealilng the bottle of wine from view and prsented it to the officer.

 

The officer gave me a receipt for the rum and told me I would be notified at the end of the where I could go a collect my bottle of rum.

 

When I went to collect my 750ml bottle of Bicardi rum, they could find it.

 

After search for a few minutes they gave me 1 litter bottle of Bicardi rum from the bar in the lounge because the bars do not stock 750 ml bottles.

 

So I came out a head at the end of the day.

 

FYI - while in line a women two our three people in front of me openned her suitcase and discovered that her bottle of white wine had broken soaking all her clothing. The outside of her suitcase appeared dry.

 

She was very anger and tried to blame the cruise line for damaging your clothes and demanded that they "fix her problem". Her husband was very embarrassed and quickly ushered her away.

 

I also learned that NCl was X-raying all the luggage that was loaded on the ship. Odd though that only caught one of my siutcases Since the bootles are very distictively shaped.

 

Since then I alway put my booze in plastic water bottles, inside zip lock bags, wrapped well in my clothing and located in the middle of my suitcase.

 

I've never had any leakage or been caught again.;)

[cruisefan42]

We purchase wine in the port city before we board the ship. Some we drink on the balcony and some we take to the dining room for a $15 fee. It works out well for us because we are sure we will have the wines we like.

[quester1]

We never bother to bring liquor aboard. If we want a drink (and we do enjoy a cocktail before dinner), we go to a lounge. We're not trying to squeeze every nickel on vacation and our enjoyment of our wine or drink includes sitting in a lovely lounge, listening to the music, seeing our fellow guests.......not drinking alone in our cabin. Just not our style.

For us it isn't about drinking, it's about socializing.

 

 

Even though we smuggle our own on board, we do not just consume it in our stateroom.

 

We bring our fancy stainless steel and insulted cups with us and mix drinks in it to take up to the deck and on shore (empty of course - except maybe full of coffee). We've put Bailey's in the cup and then filled them with coffee in the buffet for our very own specialty coffee.

 

Just a tip for you frugal people that fill their own cup or water bottle in the buffet. In most cases the thermos cups and water bottles are to tall to fit properly under the dispenser's spout. Please use a clean cup at the dispenser to transfer the beverage of your choice to your person thermos cup or water bottle. This way you will not contaminate the dispenser spout by inadvertantly touching it with your cup or bottle. By using a clean cup you will avoid offending your fellow passengers and win a node of approval from the buffets serving staff. As well no one can or will tell you stop filling your cup or water bottle for a good reason.

 

Some time we buy the sail away collector cups and us them if they are appropriate.

 

I've also seen other people buy the souviner thermos cups and use them on deck. I once saw a man on deck order a coke in his souviner cup and then add rum to it from a mickey bottle he had stashed in his beach bag.

 

We take our cups every where on board during the day.

 

The only place I've haven't had the nerve to take the cup is into the formal dinning room, captians cocktal party, or specialty restaurant - got to draw the line somewhere.

 

Oh yes, we often have a drink on our balcony while relaxing before dinner and enjoying each others company.

[AllieInMD]

You might want to try the money saving tips board - lots of smugglers there :)

 

With all of the threads about smuggling I was thinking that I've never had any first hand knowledge of alcohol being detected and "detained".

 

So, has anyone had theirs held? Talked to another passenger who had to give up their private stock for the duration?

 

It really seems that a lot must make it through without detection.

 

Charlie

[rnff2]

(I'm getting on my soapbox);)

 

I'm glad to hear someone who was actually smuggling alcohol had their clothes ruined. Reading about all of you who smuggle alcohol on board make me very angry after our last cruise. When our luggage arrived in our cabin one of our suitcases was saturated inside and out with alcohol, and it was not our alcohol. We are assuming that someone thought they would smuggle alcohol in their suitcase and it broke and ran all over the luggage that sat below it. Our suitcase was ruined and I spent most of our first afternoon cleaning up sticky smelly booze. My formal dresses, all my shoes, my pj's, makeup case and much, much more was in that suitcase. I was actually able to pour alcohol out of the bottom of my suitcase!:eek: I do not blame the cruiseline I blame those of you who are too cheap to purchase your alcohol on the ship. You cost me alot of time and stress of cleaning up a mess that never should have been and money to wash and clean the items that were saturated and not to mention the items ruined, Oh and I forgot to add the time I missed enjoying the first afternoon of my cruise because I was cleaning up your mess! Please remember that smuggling your alcohol affects more than you!!! (ok, I'll get off my soap box now. I feel better finally geting a chance to vent.)

[AllieInMD]

You have a right to be angry at that person. However, you can't lump all people together, anymore than you can be angry at every waiter after one spills pasta on your white dress. Every post I read about smuggling is chock full of warnings about padding and ziploc bags - remember - they don't want THEIR clothes full of it either. And I have to say, yours is the first post I've ever seen of someone saying their luggage was ruined in this way.

 

Many smuggle for reasons other than being 'cheap' - that's a personal attack - but given your emotionally charged experience and vent - *shrug*

 

 

(I'm getting on my soapbox);)

 

I'm glad to hear someone who was actually smuggling alcohol had their clothes ruined. Reading about all of you who smuggle alcohol on board make me very angry after our last cruise. When our luggage arrived in our cabin one of our suitcases was saturated inside and out with alcohol, and it was not our alcohol. We are assuming that someone thought they would smuggle alcohol in their suitcase and it broke and ran all over the luggage that sat below it. Our suitcase was ruined and I spent most of our first afternoon cleaning up sticky smelly booze. My formal dresses, all my shoes, my pj's, makeup case and much, much more was in that suitcase. I was actually able to pour alcohol out of the bottom of my suitcase!:eek: I do not blame the cruiseline I blame those of you who are too cheap to purchase your alcohol on the ship. You cost me alot of time and stress of cleaning up a mess that never should have been and money to wash and clean the items that were saturated and not to mention the items ruined, Oh and I forgot to add the time I missed enjoying the first afternoon of my cruise because I was cleaning up your mess! Please remember that smuggling your alcohol affects more than you!!! (ok, I'll get off my soap box now. I feel better finally geting a chance to vent.)

[GottaLuvCruising]

Walking around the NCL Pearl day one in Seattle, we wondered what was going on in the room next to the library. There was lots of security and luggage - guests sheepishly entering and leaving. As it turns out, this was NCL's "naughty room" for smugglers who got caught. It was quite funny to watch and over the course of our cruise, we talked with many guests who were summoned to the naughty room - most with contraband, but some with other items that appeared suspicious.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Really couldn't vote.

We don't smuggle alcohol onto a ship -- we either pre-order a bottle for our cabin from ship services or wait until we are on the ship to order a bottle through room service.

Possibly the second choice is close to what I would have voted. We didn't know the people personally, but we have seen quite a few people on HAL ships have their alcohol taken away from them as they went through security -- it was in their carry-on luggage.

Also we have seen alcohol taken from people in various ports. On many HAL ships they actually have a table set up with a crew member manning it and tagging bottles to be delievered the last night of the cruise.

[richkinkade]

NCL seems to be the strictest about confiscating wine and liquor. On one cruise, I had a bottle of champagne in my luggage and the luggage went to the naughty room (along with many other bags). When I went to pick it up, I, unlike everyone else, admitted I knew I had it and offered to pay the corkage fee. The guy seemed surprised and sent be off with my wine and without charging me.

[BILLP1]

One of the reasons that we only sail Regent or Silversea.

 

Last time I felt the need to smuggle liquor was 40 years ago in school.

 

The cruise lines do not want anything to get in the way of their big revenue driver. Liquor.

[happyshelly]

I admit i have smuggled in the past(and probably the future).I bring one small bottle for me and one for the hubby. The only port that i thought and knew ahead of time i will have to surrender the alcohol was in San Juan since the liquor store is right there at the port. I bought stuff for friends back home and when we were going through security i was all prepared to give it up but they said have a nice day and enjoy the cruise. I had about 4 bottles that i bought at the peir. Totally shocked me.