Why Bring Your Own Booze?

[scotslizzy]

Hi

 

So glad you enjoyed your cruise and I am looking forard to your full review . My question here is how did you manage to get 4 bottles of cava and rum on board ?

 

We are sailing from Cittavechia and I just presumed that they would have xray equipment at each main port.

 

Like othr posters I woudl be ore than happy to buy a bottle of Vodka for our cabin if they woudl only let us . Feel it is very unfair to discriminate against liquor as opposed to wine which you can order for your room.

 

No matter what we always have a large bar bill as I enjoy the cocktails and would never skimp on this aspect of your cruising but hubby still likes his wee drink on the balcony and RC know that most of us do it so why not allow us to pucrchase on board ,they woudl still get a mark up ?

 

Scotslizzy

[cruiser87654321]

That is what I wanted to know too! We will be buying the wine package, but we do like a glass or two in our cabin whilst we dress for dinner. Is the luggage not xrayed? we are going from Southampton.

[MAZANDSTEVE]

Hi

 

So glad you enjoyed your cruise and I am looking forard to your full review . My question here is how did you manage to get 4 bottles of cava and rum on board ?

 

We are sailing from Cittavechia and I just presumed that they would have xray equipment at each main port.

 

Like othr posters I woudl be ore than happy to buy a bottle of Vodka for our cabin if they woudl only let us . Feel it is very unfair to discriminate against liquor as opposed to wine which you can order for your room.

 

No matter what we always have a large bar bill as I enjoy the cocktails and would never skimp on this aspect of your cruising but hubby still likes his wee drink on the balcony and RC know that most of us do it so why not allow us to pucrchase on board ,they woudl still get a mark up ?

 

Scotslizzy

 

 

 

If you are sailing from Barcelona.............. after security, there is a duty free shop where you can buy what you like, there is no further security checks, really!! someone mentioned it to me and its true.

[BillB48]

That is what I wanted to know too! We will be buying the wine package, but we do like a glass or two in our cabin whilst we dress for dinner. Is the luggage not xrayed? we are going from Southampton.

 

The easiest way if you are buying a wine package is to just take a bottle from the dinning room. They will even give you a couple of clean glasses to go with it. You can order wine from your package at any dinning venue, such as the Windjammer at lunch, don't finish the bottle and you are all set for the evening glass before dinner.

[MAZANDSTEVE]

The easiest way if you are buying a wine package is to just take a bottle from the dinning room. They will even give you a couple of clean glasses to go with it. You can order wine from your package at any dinning venue, such as the Windjammer at lunch, don't finish the bottle and you are all set for the evening glass before dinner.

 

 

We did that too, we would have half a bottle each with dinner then have the rest sent to the room.

[ChipLondon]

Ummmm.... A bottle of top shelf whisky is about $25 (for the small bottle) A 6 pack of diet coke is about $5, that's $30.

 

At @ about $7 per drink on board, Let's say 4 drinks per day = $28 (plus gratuity/tip == $35) multiply that by 6 days = $210

 

I'm saving $180

 

 

Er, no you are not as you would only get about 12 cruise size drinks to your bottle, and therefore even on your calculations 12 x $8.05 ($7 plus 15%grats ) = $96.6 minus your cost of $30 your saving would be $66.6. not your highly inflated $180. Or working on the basis of making a bottle last all week, I would suggest simply drinking coke and saving even more, as you will barely taste the whisky anyway.

Why do people not realise that a cruise line like other businesses are entitled to make a profit. Once you take off the taxes and other overheads, the amount pf profit drops, and that is what they use (along with base cruise costs ) to pay for everything else you get.

Sure drink prices can be reduced, and then cruise prices would raise, we cannot have it both ways.

[cruiser87654321]

I don't think anyone would deny them a profit. However, if as someone earlier posted a £6.50 bottle of wine is £33 onboard then that is a huge mark up, and one that cannot be explained away as a fair/reasonable profit margin, even allowing for overheads.

[Gator626]

Er, no you are not as you would only get about 12 cruise size drinks to your bottle, and therefore even on your calculations 12 x $8.05 ($7 plus 15%grats ) = $96.6 minus your cost of $30 your saving would be $66.6. not your highly inflated $180. Or working on the basis of making a bottle last all week, I would suggest simply drinking coke and saving even more, as you will barely taste the whisky anyway.

Why do people not realise that a cruise line like other businesses are entitled to make a profit. Once you take off the taxes and other overheads, the amount pf profit drops, and that is what they use (along with base cruise costs ) to pay for everything else you get.

Sure drink prices can be reduced, and then cruise prices would raise, we cannot have it both ways.

 

Excellent post. 99% of cruisers will never realize this, but if everybody decided to abide by the "no bringing your own alcohol" rule and did not smuggle their own on board, they would very most likely see a drop in cabin prices. Ah how some errr most people can be so short sighted. :rolleyes:

[cruiser87654321]

Excellent post. 99% of cruisers will never realize this, but if everybody decided to abide by the "no bringing your own alcohol" rule and did not smuggle their own on board, they would very most likely see a drop in cabin prices. Ah how some errr most people can be so short sighted. :rolleyes:

 

I would imagine 99% of cruisers realise this perfectly well,but that does not address my point above re huge mark ups. For a bottle costing £6.50, most of us would be happy to paythe usual restaurant mark up of around £22, to add another £11 on top cannot be fair reflection of the overheads.

[English_in_Spain]

If you are sailing from Barcelona.............. after security, there is a duty free shop where you can buy what you like, there is no further security checks, really!! someone mentioned it to me and its true.

 

Is this the shop you mean?

 

 

Are you sure this is after the security checks? I thought it was before.

 

The reason we like to take our own bottles on board is that RCI do not sell the drinks we like to drink.

 

We have even offered to take it onboard and put it behind the bar for them to sell it to us. They will not do this.

[shelby_36]

You can see the full wine list (bottles and by the glass) if you follow the link in my signature.

 

My opinion of the wine list is that the lower end wines are overpriced, but if you move up in quality, you can find some good deals at 1.5 to 2x retail, sometimes even less (I'm basing it on prices in California). For example, a bottle of Cakebread Cellars Chardonnay is $38.00 on sale in the market, but $49 onboard. That's a terrific price. Yes, it's expensive, but it's way more than twice as good as La Terrible, the house wine that sells for $22 or so, or a Mondavi that sells for the high $20s. Or the Stag's Leap Merlot, which is $65 on the wine list and about $30 on sale.

 

There is only one wine on the list that is "hundreds and hundreds," and that's Opus One at $285. Other than that, only about half a dozen even pass the $100 mark.:)

 

I wouldn't smuggle good wine onboard. Never mind their confiscating it - at least I (theoretically) would get it back at the end of the cruise. But if my packing failed and a good Petite Syrah broke, I would cry buckets!

 

 

There are several on that list I can get locally for under $10.00 and they have $40+ prices on them. My husband bought them and enjoyed them Its just a shame RC feels they have to gouge the customer.

[Gator626]

I would imagine 99% of cruisers realise this perfectly well,but that does not address my point above re huge mark ups. For a bottle costing £6.50, most of us would be happy to paythe usual restaurant mark up of around £22, to add another £11 on top cannot be fair reflection of the overheads.

 

Part of that I'm sure goes to making up for lost revenue due to people smuggling their own booze.

[Gator626]

And I say 99% of cruisers do not realize it because if they did, why would they continue to contribute to the problem of increased costs knowing that if they stopped smuggling booze, it just might decrease the overall cost of the cruise across the board.

[MAZANDSTEVE]

Is this the shop you mean?

 

 

Are you sure this is after the security checks? I thought it was before.

 

The reason we like to take our own bottles on board is that RCI do not sell the drinks we like to drink.

 

We have even offered to take it onboard and put it behind the bar for them to sell it to us. They will not do this.

 

 

It looks like the same one, it was after definately, we had got our sea passes at this point and then went passed the shop to get our photo done then onto the ship, there wasnt any more checks. We would not have managed to get all the bottles on board otherwise. It has been mentioned on CC a few times but quietly.:D

[MAZANDSTEVE]

Part of that I'm sure goes to making up for lost revenue due to people smuggling their own booze.

 

 

So if we all stop smuggling do you think they will lower the prices??:D Actually I wasnt smuggling come to think of it, I just bought at the shop and they didnt take it off me as there was no security when boarding.

[adbnva]

what happens 9/01?

[Gator626]

So if we all stop smuggling do you think they will lower the prices??:D

 

Across all cruises, operating costs would go down. Some cruise lines might keep prices stand pat and just realize the extra revenue. Others might decrease prices on cabins/drinks/etc. Laws of supply and demand would force the cruise lines who don't initally drop prices to drop them in order to remain competitve with those who dropped them to begin with. So, everyone wins! :cool:

[carhirer]

Hi Folks;

 

This is not a flame at people, nor is it a shot at people. I'm looking for an honest answer.

 

If you break down the cost of a cruise, it is pretty cheap all things considered. Even at say $200 a day for top of the line cabin and amenities, it still includes all of your ship board entertainment, and food. A resort in the Caribbean-a good one- starts at around that or more per day. I just had friends come back from Atlantis and pay 425 a night. This doesn't include food.

 

Now why to people feel a need to take money from the cruise line by bringing thier own booze on board? How much are you really saving? Is it worth the hassle to pack it carefully, worry about security finding it, or worse have your bottle of 12 year old scotch decorate your clothes?

 

Just being curious and looking for answers. I keep going back to something my travel agent told me... If you can't afford to go, come home one day early.

 

Thoughts?

 

Are you really looking for an "honest answer" or trying to make a point?

 

It is not worth the hassle and the angst, but nobody likes to be in a captive market. At a resort, they would probably charge similar prices, but if I don't like it I can drive out and go elsewhere for a drink or dinner. Not that easy on a boat. Also, resorts do not generally ban bringing in your own drink "for regulatory reasons"

 

This inability to give RCCL the finger, when they insult our intelligence, is why this subject gets so heated.

[luckyprincess]

I don't smuggle alcohol because I'm pretty much a wine drinker, and I can get the package on board. I don't really care about the mark ups because its about the same in any good restaurant here. I wouldn't think to compare the price of a bottle in a retail wine shop to the same bottle at a restaurant - of course there will be mark ups. I'm not going to bring in my own risotto either, even though I can get it for less!:D I just see that as a price of vacation. Then again, I don't really drink enough to get upset by it.

I don't get the remarks that its awful to walk (not very far) to one of the many lounges or bars to get a drink for your cabin. We did that and it didn't take a lot out of us or anything. Just got in an elevator, laughing and talking, strolled to the bar, ordered, bantered with the bartender, strolled back up to the room and onto the balcony. If you're asking me to wind through the streets of Baghdad to get my drink then I'll agree its a hassle!:p I will say, though, that we aren't such big drinkers that we would be hit with the desire for hard alcohol at 3 am with the night being ruined if we didn't get any.

My sister and her husband love their mixed drinks and I could see the unavailability of it affecting her cruise in much the same way as some other posters. It wouldn't be the money but the convienence, I think, that would bother her. I do wonder, though, if the majority of those that smuggle are more like my sister - big drinkers. I know everyone says 'we smuggle alcohol but only have maybe one drink on the balcony at night' but we all know that everyone always tips $20 over the suggested amount and never 'reserves' lounge chairs, too!:p:p

[xpcdoojk]

Hi Folks;

 

This is not a flame at people, nor is it a shot at people. I'm looking for an honest answer.

 

If you break down the cost of a cruise, it is pretty cheap all things considered. Even at say $200 a day for top of the line cabin and amenities, it still includes all of your ship board entertainment, and food. A resort in the Caribbean-a good one- starts at around that or more per day. I just had friends come back from Atlantis and pay 425 a night. This doesn't include food.

 

Now why to people feel a need to take money from the cruise line by bringing thier own booze on board? How much are you really saving? Is it worth the hassle to pack it carefully, worry about security finding it, or worse have your bottle of 12 year old scotch decorate your clothes?

 

Just being curious and looking for answers. I keep going back to something my travel agent told me... If you can't afford to go, come home one day early.

 

Thoughts?

 

How about mind your own business? Just curious, why are you unable to?

 

jc:D

[djhuff]

I am of the thought process that alcohol in the room leads to higher bar tabs. If you have a few drinks before you go out, then have one at the bar, you are more likely to be a little more "loose" with your spending and that $12 martini doesn't seem so bad because you are having a good time. If you have to spend that on your first drink, you still may have the judgment to hold back and not order a second.

[xpcdoojk]

Doug.........you are a man after my own heart! I used to purchase several bottles of different liquors onboard, to be able to have friends in to our cabin for a cocktail at sailaway, or just enjoy great companionship.

 

We are D+ and always sail in a full suite........so we have access to the concierge lounge.....or the alternate........so we have free liquor anytime after 5 PM that we choose...........oh, yea...up till 8 or 8:30 PM, depending on the late dinner hour.

 

Why do I continue to have liquor in my cabin? To be able to offer someone a drink, which is the social thing to do........still in this day and age.

 

No one has ever been kicked off.........or not been allowed to board...because they have liquor with them........that I'm aware of!

 

The day that it's taken from me......is the day that I say "good bye" to RCCL!

 

Rick

 

Rick, you da man!

 

I probably wouldn't say goodbye for taking it. It is their rules, and I am aware of them. That said if they treat me like a criminal for doing something completely legal. Then sayanora, and I can't wait for my day on the Today show afterwards. :D

 

jc

[carhirer]

How about mind your own business? Just curious, why are you unable to?

 

jc:D

 

Ouch!!

[MAZANDSTEVE]

Across all cruises, operating costs would go down. Some cruise lines might keep prices stand pat and just realize the extra revenue. Others might decrease prices on cabins/drinks/etc. Laws of supply and demand would force the cruise lines who don't initally drop prices to drop them in order to remain competitve with those who dropped them to begin with. So, everyone wins! :cool:

 

 

Wow, where do you get this information?

 

I feel pretty sure they would not lower the prices people will still buy a fair share even if they smuggle.

[spammie]

For us it has NEVER been about the cost of alcohol. In fact I have never thought the drinks were expensive except for the ones in the soveneir glasses. Our local bars and restaurants charge about the same prices. For us it has ALWAYS been about convenience. We like to have an "adult beverage" while getting ready for dinner or just sitting out on our balcony watching the world go by. In the past when it was available we paid the $9 per bottle charge for the convenience of taking it back to our cabin (more revenue for RCCL) but they did away with that. I also paid approximately 3 times the price to have a "gift basket" delivered for our cruise on Mariner with 3 bottles of flavored vodka and then they did away with that. Believe me we order drinks at the pool, in the casino at dinner etc. We always have a substantial seapass bill at the end of the cruise. For us it is all about convenience.