booze

[ALB]

Just wondering if I would get nailed if I brought 3 plastic mickies of vodka an board packed in my checked luggage. How fanatic are these people at this no booze rule?
Any help would be appreciated. Thanks ALB.

[Will]

ALB, I never carried on hard liquor,but have packed wine in my suitcases(always) with no problem.You will still run up a tab on your sail and sign card anyway,and they know this.

[Sunshine]

You might get a way with it. But to be honest the prices are not that bad. This topic has been discussed several times on these boards. You will see a lot of different opinions. In my case I do not think it is worth the hassel but it is up to you. If you get caught they just take it away and it has happened to friends of mine.

[Melody]

I have taken it on all of my cruises. My sign and sail card is still outrageous from all the bar drinks. Carnival's web site states fine wine and champagne are allowed to be brought on board. If you wish to drink it in the dining room a $10.00 cork fee will be charged. I usually bring something that mixes well with sodas and juice. I least get a freebie when I'm back in my room.

[Robert6260]

I took two bottles of vodka and a bottle of vermouth on my last cruise. It was in my checked luggage. No problems.

On my next cruise I am not taking any liquor because the drink prices are not that bad and I would rather drink at the bars then in my cabin. The booze also takes up a lot of room in my luggage and adds a lot of weight.

[Irish Girl]

I always take a couple bottles and drink them up. I don't drink in my cabin, I mix it in my cabin and take it upstairs. Of course, my insulated mug from home holds about 24 oz. So I can make a pretty big drink to go.

We just got back and smuggled in vodka and captain morgan's no problems. I used a milk of magnesia bottle & a gatorade bottle for the vodka and a friend put her morgans in an ice tea bottle. The milk of magnesia i put in my carry on and the gatorade was in my bag, kinda like i was drinking it on the way in. They didnt' notice, but my friends "tea" bottle was, but she just said she was brining the tea on board to drink. She also had a bottle of wine that we thought we'd drink at some point (they let you bring wine or champagne, anyway.)

But to be honest, we barely drank any of it!! the drinks were not as bad as we thought, and we drink kind of a lot. So, for cruise workers reading this, don't fret, we still mostly bought and drank ship drinks! i ended up dumping the vodka at the end and my friend dumped the whole captain morgan's bottle. Or actually, she left it for the crew memebers cleaning the room. Same for the wine we brought on.

Beer is like $4.89 (on the triumph) including the 15% gratutity and "girlie" drinks were a little more. that's comparable to like, a ruby tuesdays. You can also buy buckets o' beer for $17 (for 4 beers). I was amazed at how much I *didn't* actually spend on drinks!

Also, cigarettes. I was better off buying them on the ship. I'm so mad i didnt' think about the duty free shops on board, where a carton was $21...! I was giving them out like penny candy.

[Jim Bragg]

Maybe I should try and sneak in a bottle of whiskey to Ruth Cris Steak House and sneak a drink while bending over under the table! Their drink prices are outragious and I am not hurting anyone after all.
If you think that is stupid and silly then why don't you think it is onboard a ship? It really is the same thing. If you want to buy a drink onboard, do so. If you think your barbill is too high, then adjust your drinking habits or at least think about how much you are drinking. <G>
Jim

[Irish Girl]

Mini bottles fit in a purse just fine. Didn't you wonder why women always take their purses into the bathrooms? It isn't just for lipstick.

[ROXTEACHER]

Sure the alcohol will cost more in a restaurant than from your state store (as we have in PA) or your convenience store back home. Why is that justification for bringing your own on board. When I dine at a nice restaurant or join friends at their country club should I sneak some bottles of wine or liquor in with me because "the prices are so high?" Perhaps I should bring my own food along as well.

[Irish Girl]

Those foo foo drinks on a cruise cost over $7.00 each. That is more than double what we pay for a drink in a bar here. I can't afford to have 5 or 10 a day at that price so I will continue to smuggle. It is a personal choice for me because I have to save money for a cruise and can't afford to go on a whim. I only eat out about 2 times a year because it's so expensive.

Go ahead and flame me for smuggling, I don't care and will continue to do it as will hundreds of others.

[Will]

Well said Irish Girl

[Kuki]

If I had 10 drinks a day I'd need a team to carry me around the ship <G>

[CA Cruiser]

The "foo foo" drinks only cost over $7 if you get them in the souvenir glass. Ask for them in a regular glass and they should only be $4 at the most....if that. The "drink of the day" is usually $2.95 and are very good. A margarita at my local Mexican restaurant is $5 but only $2 on Monday nights...guess when we eat dinner there!!!?

[Chyna]

CACruiser that is what I was going to say...skip the glass and pay $2.95-$4.00

[PeterV]

Jim, I am surprised at you for making this comparison. No, bringing your own liquor on a cruise ship is NOTHING like doing it at a restaurant, the businesses are completely different, and the restaurants do not have a monopoly on the sales. I also do not consider the meals on a cruise ship to be anything like a fine resturant either, no matter how fancy the dining room, the food is still banquet style, and is not cooked to order.

The comparison is more like going to hotel and bringing your own. The cruise line is providing a service, i.e. bars, which you are free to use or not depending on your own value for service rendered. The fact that this used to be a common practice but was determined to have a detrimental affect on the bottom line, it was changed to allow the cruise lines more profit.

I liken this to the extra cost food and beverages like coffee bars. Do you mean to tell me that there is some sort of extra price involved in making those pastries and cookies they SELL on the ship?

The way that some people accept these things and actually buy them is what hurts the rest of the experience. I am sure that soon we will see generally crappy food for free and what was considered normal will be at extra cost. Why give away what you can sell, and even more so, why sell for little when you can sell for big.

When I started cruising, I remember getting fresh brewed coffee and iced tea and real juices in the buffet, now it is industrial strength concentrate, that they can adjust to be weaker and stretch it out. There also used to be great desserts in the buffet, and now they are getting simpler and simpler.

Cheers,
Peter

[Jim Bragg]

I stand by my statements. People that 'smuggle' booze onboard may not be breaking any criminal or civil laws but are certianly being dishonest. That is something I would not be proud of or even comfortable with!
Jim

[ROXTEACHER]

Amen Jim! I guess some folks idea of a great vacation is to stay in an alcohol induced fog the entire time. Don't get me wrong, I am a social drinker, but 10-15 drinks at day! You have got to be kidding me.

[PeterV]

Well Jim, I guess that is just the difference between you and I and you certainly have every right to feel that way.

I, on the other hand, do not feel that it is the least bit dishonest. The bar is a "service" the cruise line offers you, if a person chooses not to partake of the "service" that is their choice.

I wonder how much more "smuggling" would go on if they started taking everything away, including soda, water, wine, and snacks. I'm sure they will do this too when they are looking for another source of revenue. Then we can have all these great discussions about smuggling soda on board.

Cheers,
Peter

[LisaK]

Question? Do you pack booze in your suitcase when you go to stay at a nice resort hotel or do you go to the bar, restaurant or order room service for your drinks?? Same applies to cruise ships, cruise ships are floating resort hotels.

I am always amazed how a question concerning booze can bring out all these negative opinions, that were never asked for to begin with.
I rarely drink, maybe one drink once a month or so, but I smuggle (yes Jim strike me down) a bottle on board. I have done this since my first cruise. I always book a balcony cabin and we enjoy a drink before going to bed and setting on our balcony. Our first cruise we ordered from room service and waited 45 minutes for our drink. By then we were tired and didn't want it anymore. Since then we bring our own. Just because you have drinks in your room doesn't make you a drunk. Everyone has a right to there opinion so thanks for all of yours. Even yours Jim

[PeterV]

Lisa, I never felt the need to "smuggle" anything into a hotel, as there isn't anyone at the door examining my purchases and then confiscating them until my stay was over just to increase the profit level of the hotel. I just walked in and brought it to my room, no "smuggling" was necessary.

As to room service, didn't have to order them as I had it in my room.

I also have had no problem bringing my purchases to the pool area and enjoying them there as well.

Of course this doesn't apply to all-inclusives, as there is sufficient supplies for all, but still wouldn't have to "smuggle" something in if they didn't stock something I liked.

Cheers,
Peter

[Paul B]

What I can't understand is how people who consume three or so bottles of liquor in their room, buy some at the ships bars and have a bottle of wine at dinner every night on a 7 day cruise can stay sober enough to even know what is going on .

There is only so much life in a liver!

[Jim Bragg]

I am appreciative that we all understand that everyone is entitled to their own opinions and that everyone respects that opinion. So long as it is a company rule and not a criminal offense then you are indeed entitled to your own opinion. You also have to understand that the company is entitled to play the rules by their game so if you are caught, don't get upset if they take your booze away until the end of the voyage.
Jim