bringing booze - Summit

[ldtc2]

I know they have "cracked down" on bringing hard liquor on the ship. Do they scan luggage THAT carefully?

 

Any tips on how to smuggle my favorite vodka on?

 

Thanks

[firstplacechef]

I know they have "cracked down" on bringing hard liquor on the ship. Do they scan luggage THAT carefully?

 

Any tips on how to smuggle my favorite vodka on?

 

Thanks

 

google rum runners....great for cruises. I have used them on 4 cruises with no problem. You just cannot use them on airplanes, for obvious reasons, you fill just before arriving at the port.

[Longboysfan]

Put it in your carry on - not a plastic bag - there is a duty free shop on the pier in San Juan. Out of sight out of mind.

[CruiserCasey]

I haven't been on the Summit recently, but a few years ago I had no problem putting a few bottles in my luggage. But as firstplacechef stated, rum runners work great!

[kitkat9438]

I got busted with my rum runners on the Summit in December. They called me to the naughty room (because the xray machined picked up liquids in my suitcase) where I opened my suitcase and shuffled things around and pointed out my tolietries. My rum runners were in a plastic bag wrapped in beach towels. My suggestion would be to use the rum runners but hide them and put a bottle of wine on top just in case they "see" liquids which is what the xray is picking up. You can show them the wine and off you go. As others have suggested just put your purchase in your carry on from the duty free. My friends did this and got away with it. They also got back off the ship bought more and got back on with more purchases. It can be done!

 

Have a great trip.

[Wine-O]

I haven't been on the Summit recently, but a few years ago I had no problem putting a few bottles in my luggage. But as firstplacechef stated, rum runners work great!

 

It's been my experience that on initial embarkation, Celebrity does not check your carry-on bags. You go thru port security by port personnel, and I've never been stopped or questioned about anything in my bags after going thru x-ray. Additionally, I never flash my "stuff" in front of Celebrity personnel when checking in.

 

I've heard they are beginning to check closer since they rolled out their beverage packages. Rumrunners seem to work, but I've read on occasion that some were summonsed to the naughty room.

[cjrlauve]

rum runners....You just cannot use them on airplanes, for obvious reasons

 

You can check RumRunners in luggage on planes, just not carry-ons. Right?

[Wine-O]

You can check RumRunners in luggage on planes, just not carry-ons. Right?

 

Yes, I carried them in my checked baggage thru LHR to Rome, and they made it on board Solstice.

[sarahc78]

A friend that just returned from a cruise on Royal Carribean said she got her vodka on board by purchasing a flat of water bottles and then carefully removing a waterbottle (w/out ripping the plastic) she did this to several of them, she then emptied the water and filled them back up w/ Grey Goose closed the tops and slipped them back in under the plastic wrapping and voila!

 

I am going to try it myself on my cruise. I am also going to buy some nestea iced tea empty it and fill it w/ crown royal lol

[kitkat9438]

Yes you can check your rum runners in your checked bags on the plane. That's what we do. I like margaritas so I premix them and put them in the rum runners.

 

Hate to bust your bubble about going through screening, but I had a bottle of wine in a tote bag in a plastic sack and they stopped me TWICE to check and see if it was wine after I went through screening.

 

It all depends on who is doing the checking.

 

When we were in port we bought rum and put it in our carryon and walked right on no problem.

[Wine-O]

 

Hate to bust your bubble about going through screening, but I had a bottle of wine in a tote bag in a plastic sack and they stopped me TWICE to check and see if it was wine after I went through screening.

 

It all depends on who is doing the checking.

 

Stopped you twice? Did you go thru 2 security screenings?

 

I've been searched after coming back from a port visit, but I've never been searched or screened on initial embarkation other than put my stuff thru the x-ray machineat the following Ports -- FLL, NYC, Bayonne, Rome, and San Juan.

 

That's my story, and I'm sticking to it. :)

[teacher_md]

Used rum runners on the Summit last summer - worked no problem. Parents used them on Constellation - no problem.

[gotcha3]

It's been my experience that on initial embarkation, Celebrity does not check your carry-on bags. You go thru port security by port personnel, and I've never been stopped or questioned about anything in my bags after going thru x-ray. Additionally, I never flash my "stuff" in front of Celebrity personnel when checking in.

 

I've heard they are beginning to check closer since they rolled out their beverage packages. Rumrunners seem to work, but I've read on occasion that some were summonsed to the naughty room.

 

My wife and I boarded (initial embarkation) Summit last Feb in SJU and we went throught port security at the cruise terminal (after the liquor store) and AGAIN as we actually boarded the ship on the gangway. The terminal screeners couldn't have cared less about booze as I asked them if they did. It appeared to me that the second checkpoint was specifically looking for prohibited items, booze, irons, scissors, anything fun, etc. They had a whole table area setup with quite a haul.

[kitkat9438]

They took my tote bag just after going through the scanner and looked to make sure the bottle was wine and as we were going up the gang plank someone asked to see my bag and checked it again. Pretty wierd.

[Wine-O]

My wife and I boarded (initial embarkation) Summit last Feb in SJU and we went throught port security at the cruise terminal (after the liquor store) and AGAIN as we actually boarded the ship on the gangway. The terminal screeners couldn't have cared less about booze as I asked them if they did. It appeared to me that the second checkpoint was specifically looking for prohibited items, booze, irons, scissors, anything fun, etc. They had a whole table area setup with quite a haul.

 

You asked? First rule of thumb -- Don't ask, don't tell.

 

I have never been on a Celebrity/RCL ship that after you checked in and as you boarded the ship, the only checkpoint was a glass of champagne.

[BobandSandra]

google rum runners....great for cruises. I have used them on 4 cruises with no problem. You just cannot use them on airplanes, for obvious reasons, you fill just before arriving at the port.

 

Wonderful! Thanks. On nurse we met n a cruise had similiar containers labeled "Colonic flush". LOL

[medeacat]

I'm sorry, I don't wish to be rude but I find this whole thing rather tacky and juvenile.

 

Obviously you can afford to take a cruise, so just accept that you'll be paying higher prices for drinks than you would be paying to enjoy the same drink in your own home, and forget about it.

 

Or don't drink.

 

Or don't take the cruise until you can afford to enjoy it without stressing about smuggling aboard contraband "booze".

 

This is like naughty teens at a highschool dance for goodness sakes.

[mdublu]

I'm sorry, I don't wish to be rude but I find this whole thing rather tacky and juvenile.

 

Obviously you can afford to take a cruise, so just accept that you'll be paying higher prices for drinks than you would be paying to enjoy the same drink in your own home, and forget about it.

 

Or don't drink.

 

Or don't take the cruise until you can afford to enjoy it without stressing about smuggling aboard contraband "booze".

 

This is like naughty teens at a highschool dance for goodness sakes.

 

 

It is isn't it...I LOVE IT!!! This is just one of those many oddities about a cruise vacation that make it fun and different to me--the smuggling, the people ordering three entrees at dinner, having to scoot around my wife in the tiny cabin (I'd miss that if we ever got a suite), being at a different location every day, etc. Love it!

[mdublu]

From my local homebrew/winemaking store or most online winemaking websites, you can purchase synthetic corks and foil or shrink bottle wraps. So...buy a few bottles of wine you like, drink it, put in your liquor, cork it and wrap it. You can even go to a shipping supplies website and they have Styrofoam and bubble bags for packing the bottle. You can buy 30 corks and wraps for about $10 where I shop.

 

AND...if you dare...for $25, you can even have your bottle of liquor opened in the MDR by your sommelier!

 

Disclaimer: I have not actually tried smuggling like this yet nor would I ever bring it to the MDR for my sommelier to open.

[ldtc2]

I have taken 22 cruises in my life ( ain't that old LOL) ...

 

Was on Windstar in Italy and France this past summer - and didn't have this problem .....

It just annoys the heck out of me that I can't bring MY FAVORITE vodka on with me.

medeacat - thank you for your candor - however - since there are 20 of us going ( all family) - mostly people in their 30's ...... drinking the ship's watered down drinks - could be a very very expensive trip FOR THEM .... so, don't judge --- just listen to suggestions and learn from others .......

THANK YOU ALL FOR THIS CONCEPT OF RUM RUNNERS - BUT I DON'T WANT TO GO TO THE NAUGHTY ROOM ......... I would rather die ( would be so embarrassed) ........

 

Thanks ALL -

[sunlovermtl]

I have taken 22 cruises in my life ( ain't that old LOL) ...

 

Was on Windstar in Italy and France this past summer - and didn't have this problem .....

It just annoys the heck out of me that I can't bring MY FAVORITE vodka on with me.

medeacat - thank you for your candor - however - since there are 20 of us going ( all family) - mostly people in their 30's ...... drinking the ship's watered down drinks - could be a very very expensive trip FOR THEM .... so, don't judge --- just listen to suggestions and learn from others .......

THANK YOU ALL FOR THIS CONCEPT OF RUM RUNNERS - BUT I DON'T WANT TO GO TO THE NAUGHTY ROOM ......... I would rather die ( would be so embarrassed) ........

 

Thanks ALL -

 

It really depends on the checkers. We had two wine in each carry on and two more in the checked luggage plus hard liquor. We got questioned in San Juan but not in San Diego. Also in San Juan our luggage was held but our butler got it out of security for us. In San Diego we had huge bottles of beer and wine and not a peep. You just never know.

 

happy sailing

Claudette

[greg_atlanta]

At check-in for summit in san juan they hand out a little postcard saying "any liquor purchased at the duty free store in the terminal will not be allowed on the ship, will not be returned to you after the sailing, and will be destroyed."

 

I thought that was pretty clear.

 

I purchased two bottles of rum in Barbados and they collected it at security and said I could pick it up on the casino on disembarkation day after 5:30 am -- but it was delivered to the room the night before.