True or not true?

mustang sally · #1 (**permalink**) July 5th, 2010, 07:29 PM

A colleague of mine was telling me about his cruise with his wife. She is a TA. He said that if you are cruising out of San Juan, and you purchase liquor in the store in the San Juan terminal - they allow you to take it on board and to your room for consumption. I have never heard this before. Can anyone validate this? All I have ever heard was if you buy liquor when in port - you have to surrender it when you board until you are going home. Thanks.

juliecat · #2 (**permalink**) July 5th, 2010, 10:36 PM

It depends on the cruise line's rules, not the port. Some lines confiscate all liquor brought onboard regardless, others turn a blind eye (or just expect people to be adult about it).

Which cruise line are you planning to sail on?

J

blueliner · #3 (**permalink**) July 5th, 2010, 10:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mustang sally

A colleague of mine was telling me about his cruise with his wife. She is a TA. He said that if you are cruising out of San Juan, and you purchase liquor in the store in the San Juan terminal - they allow you to take it on board and to your room for consumption. I have never heard this before. Can anyone validate this? All I have ever heard was if you buy liquor when in port - you have to surrender it when you board until you are going home. Thanks.

Certainly not when I sailed out of San Juan, unless your friends sneaked the alcohol onboard. I don't recall anywhere in the Pan-American Pier or on the docks in Old San Juan that you could buy alcohol. There might be some stores close by, but not in the cruise terminals that I recall.

Cruiselines do confiscate the alcohol brought onboard and deliver it to your stateroom the last night of the cruise. If the cruiseline doesn't sell you the alcohol, they aren't making any money from it.

Donna · #4 (**permalink**) July 6th, 2010, 07:30 AM

Years ago, when this was allowed, yes, there was a store in the terminal that sold liquor, but I haven't seen it in years....You said a T/A told you this?

beenie weenie · #5 (**permalink**) July 6th, 2010, 08:26 AM

I am sure your TA is mistaken. However, a couple of years ago we were in San Juan on NCL (a notorious booze confiscating cruiseline) and we bought 3 or 4 bottles of rum, we didn't care if they saved it until the end of the cruise or not, because it was such a fantastic deal. Anyhow, we walked on the ship laid it on the scanner belt the security guy pointed to it on the screen and was getting ready to point us to the table where they tag and store the impounded alcohol but the person was away from their station, so he simply waved us on, with booze in hand. So sometimes you get lucky. Actually we've never had alcohol confiscated from us

Mike M · #6 (**permalink**) July 6th, 2010, 10:01 AM

Long Ago In A Galaxy Far Far Away.

About five or six years ago this was true but now it is not. Things have changed and cruise lines are cracking down on bringing liquor onboard.

This is old and no longer valid information.

Take care,
Mike

Trip · #7 (**permalink**) July 6th, 2010, 10:23 AM

When I walked through the terminal last fall, I realized the liquor store was gone...always used to be crowded...times have changed!

mustang sally · #8 (**permalink**) July 6th, 2010, 02:57 PM

We are cruising with Carnival. This is not my TA - she is the wife of someone I work with. We were in San Juan in Oct 08 and there was a huge liquor store in the terminal. Is it gone already? Anyway - my co-worker said that if you buy the liquor in the terminal in San Juan - Carnival allows you to bring it to your cabin. This is why you get second opinions I guess.

Donna · #9 (**permalink**) July 6th, 2010, 07:05 PM

Nope, just no longer true, no liquor store there anymore....Yep, it was always busy...