alcohol

[lovenlife]

can you take beer or liqour in your suitcase, not your carry on but the regular suitcase? Do they check this?

[uppitycats]

can you take beer or liqour in your suitcase, not your carry on but the regular suitcase? Do they check this?

 

Most of the main-stream lines have rules about not bringing beer or alcohol on board. Some make exceptions for wine. If you want to chance breaking the rules, then you need to put it in your checked ("regular") luggage. Luggage is screened. If they find it (or have any questions about what is in your checked luggage), your luggage will be held up, and you'll be asked to come to a location on the ship and open it, and show them what is inside. If it's beer or liquor, they'll hold it for you until the end of your cruise, at which time you go and collect it and take it home with you, unopened.

 

Some cruise lines are more stringent than others. Folks do get it past the checkers. Others of us choose to abide by the rules and don't take it on.

[cb at sea]

You'd have to take alot to make it worth the while....beer isn't as easy as a small bottle of booze! They'll probably find it, and hold it until the end of the cruise.

[Johnthed0g]

Depends on the cruise line.

[travelntreats]

Is beer and liquor brought on board by any method, allowable on most cruiselines...NO

Is the above done by numerous passengers.....YES by means of "SMUGGLING" !

 

Are they caught doing so..... SOMETIMES !

 

Is wine brought onboard in carry on luggage allowable .... YES if within the guidelines of the cruiseline

 

Do I suggest the concept of "smuggling"....... NO !

[satxdiver]

You certainly can put beer and alcohol in your checked luggage. All of the cruise lines here in the US prohibit it though. However it is frequently done and is referred to as smuggling. Your chances of getting caught are small. They xray checked luggage for contraband which include alcohol but not limited to just that. It is hotly debated whether they do a 100% check or sampling of the checked luggage. If they detect anything not allowed, the cruise lines will usually call you down to a central point referred to as the naughty room here on cc and ask you to open the luggage. They will confiscate the alcohol or other contraband item and return it at the end of the cruise.

 

On a cruise ship with 3000+ pax, they will have only a few hours to check over 6000 pieces of luggage. That is not a lot of time to carefully screen each piece of luggage. Screening luggage costs money and in this competitive market, the cruise lines are not willing to put a lot of money into screening. They are not airlines with the prospect of someone trying to destroy the aircraft.

 

Most "smugglers" are not caught and enjoy their favorite beverage in their stateroom or other ship locations. A few are caught from time to time. There are a number of ways discussed on cc as to the art of smuggling. The most successful way so far is to use rumrunners. These are plastic bags similar to what box wine comes in. They can be found at rumrunnerflasks dot com.

 

The Carnival Corp lines (Carnival, Princess, HAL, etc) allow wine to be brought aboard and consumed in your state room or in the MDR. In the MDR they will charge a $15 corkage fee although some have reported not being charged. They have always charged me though.