New Luggage Tag Wording re: Wine

[Loonbeam]

Hate to burst people's bubble, but rum runners are very visible on modern scanners. It's more a lack of effort than effectiveness of product.

 

Modern x-ray machines, not to mention MW scanners can easily detect liquids, they reflect differently.

 

I wonder how their scanners would detect a box of wine in my suitcase. Wouldn't it be pretty much the same as a rum runner?

[aaerobear]

In most ports the security scanners and personnel are port employees and could care less about what you take on board in your carry-on. There is almost NEVER a Princess person near the scanners. (most ports do not allow ships personnel near the security area)

 

As for NCL, they have a separate contract with the ports for extra screeners to scan and remove liquor bottles. They keep a large bin there and put all the confiscated bottles in the big bin.

 

Unless they start renewing their contracts and paying a lot more, I do not think it will happen.

 

One thing that I think may have driven this is all the posting here and on other sites about how to smuggle liquor and wine on board. With so many posting about it it has to have made an impression.

[luvseaside]

Just FYI - When I got home today and looked at the boarding passes & luggage tags that I printed yesterday (for our cruise this weekend), the new language wasn't on them. So this just occurred in the last 24 hours.

 

Regardless, who knows what this means in a real world sense. In the grand scheme of things, they have always said just 1 bottle per person so it's not like I could argue with them about charging me, nor would I. Hey, it's vacation! I'll just go with the flow! (Can you tell I'm already in vacation mode?) :p

[GHDPeter]

In most ports the security scanners and personnel are port employees and could care less about what you take on board in your carry-on. There is almost NEVER a Princess person near the scanners. (most ports do not allow ships personnel near the security area)

 

As for NCL, they have a separate contract with the ports for extra screeners to scan and remove liquor bottles. They keep a large bin there and put all the confiscated bottles in the big bin.

 

Unless they start renewing their contracts and paying a lot more, I do not think it will happen.

 

One thing that I think may have driven this is all the posting here and on other sites about how to smuggle liquor and wine on board. With so many posting about it it has to have made an impression.

 

On my cruise last October I was called down to security to collect my 2 suit cases, one had our 2 bottles of wine since we came straight from the airport and the other had a strip of AA batteries.

 

Princess security were scanning bags as they came aboard, they rescanned my bags and then asked me to open them. Once they saw it was wine there was no issue and once they saw the strip of 24 AA batteries that was all good too.

 

On my NYE cruise last month I had Champagne packed in my bag and they were delivered without question I put that down to the different bottle shape.

[h3rjp]

I wonder if you were to pack 2 bottles in your checked bags and bring 2 bottles in your carry-on, how would they know that you had 4 bottles ( assuming 2 adults)?

 

Kinda what I was wondering.

[pablo222]

[quote name='toberman']...but, really... they're just doing what almost (if not all) the other lines are doing.
[/quote]

This is just like airline fees for check bags. When the first airline
does it, lots of teeth gnashing.

After a couple do it -- the remaining airlines have to be thinking
-- we are really missing some revenue here that our competitors are
getting.

[goldenrod]

:mad:Princess has changed the passenger contract. One of the reasons we liked cruising with with Princess was the liberal wine policy, you could bring on all the wine you wanted, now you can only bring one 750ml bottle per person period no matter how long the cruise. For a line that has no new ships and just average service and food I think they have made a major mistake, we will no longer have any incentive to choose Princess over other lines like Celebrity who's food and ships beat Princess.

[Working 2 Cruise]

Please feel free to sail with Celebrity and pay 2 or three times more for drinks, etc... Yes, Princess has changed its policy regarding wine, although it is not really enforced.

By the way, if you think Celebrity's food is so much better than Princess's, then by all means sail with them.

[luvtoteach]

[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]I don't think the contract changed just the enforcement of the contract.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[chrysalis]

[URL]http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1778041[/URL]

much discussion already...

[Shogun]

Hi There

No new ships,

What do you call the Royal and the Regal


yours Shogun

[waltd]

Nothing stays the same forever. Celebrity is nice. Enjoy.

[Seafoam Green]

That's kind of a flimsy reason to 'jump ship'!

Just back from the Pacific Princess. Embarked with two bottles of wine, and purchased another 3 bottles in 2 of our 5 ports. No problems at all and we did not conceal it.

[SwissDave]

There is no change to the contract, it has always been 1 bottle per person at embarkation and each port (Australian based ships have different rules).

[Pam in CA]

[quote name='goldenrod']For a line that has no new ships and just average service and food I think they have made a major mistake, we will no longer have any incentive to choose Princess over other lines like Celebrity who's food and ships beat Princess.[/quote]True, Princess hasn't had a new ship in a few years but the Royal is launching in June and the Regal a year later. So, there'll be at least two new ships to choose from. As for Celebrity's food and ships better than Princess, having sailed the Summit in a tiny balcony cabin (11" between the end of the bed and the wall... seriously?) and mystery meat food, not to mention the food in the buffet that was so rock hard a steak knife couldn't make a dent, I have to respectfully disagree.

[mkazmer]

Enjoy cruising with Celebrity - we won't miss you!

We cruised a bit with Celebrity for a number of years and went back to them last Feb for a cruise on the Eclipse - boy what a disappointment both in the ship and the food and the service - we won't be going back - at least not on any of their Solstice class ships -

Princess is and will be our number 1 choice for cruises!

[skynight]

[quote name='goldenrod']:mad:Princess has changed the passenger contract. One of the reasons we liked cruising with with Princess was the liberal wine policy, you could bring on all the wine you wanted, now you can only bring one 750ml bottle per person period no matter how long the cruise. For a line that has no new ships and just average service and food I think they have made a major mistake, we will no longer have any incentive to choose Princess over other lines like Celebrity who's food and ships beat Princess.[/quote]
Not new, been around awhile. Just got off a Princess last Sat and there were no issues with bringing wine on board at embark and also at the ports of call. For now everything remains the same. But, changes will come, expect them.

[madjohn]

I dont drink so no real problem for me. Go on a cruise and dont drink, you will be amazed at how low your OBA is.

[thinfool]

Old news.

[Astro Flyer]

[quote name='luvtoteach'][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]I don't think the contract changed just the enforcement of the contract.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/QUOTE]

[quote name='SwissDave']There is no change to the contract, it has always been 1 bottle per person at embarkation and each port (Australian based ships have different rules).[/QUOTE]
The wine limit is new in the contract which previously stated no specific limit & the old 1 bottle limit was in brochures & very rarely enforced. With the new wording they're clearly stating their policy & procedures. However it's still to be seen how they decide to implement it.

They've always banned booze yet we read about it being brought onboard in luggage & I've seen it being done. Hopefully they'll enforce their total booze ban before enforcing any wine limitations without adding a corkage fee to enjoy more than 2 bottles of our favorite wines in our cabins. That limit may be okay for some on a 7 day cruise but certainly not good for those of us who are fortunate enough to be able to sail on longer cruises. :(

[Pam in CA]

I found some small boxes of wine (enough for 3 5.6-oz servings) that I'm going to tuck away in my luggage next week. It may be rotgut but if it's half-way decent, I can tuck them into corners of my suitcase or into my carry-on if I'm not flying. I plan to try one before leaving, though. :) People who know me know that I don't really drink so unless the wine is awful, I'm OK with it.

[AKman2495]

So...Celebrity is for you huh? JUst popped over to the Celebrity board and found this:

[url]http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1771000[/url]

Seems like he has had enough of Celebrity and wants to move to Hal....

Oh...and apparently, Celebrity has bad coffee too...

[url]http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1777825[/url]

Good luck with Celebrity...

[billet]

[quote name='toberman']Finally someone mentions that they've read the "Fine Print". The one bottle 'policy' was stated in the brochures, and FAQs, but there was never a limit in the "Passage Contract" !! They changed that sometime last year. Now the "Contract" limits us to 1 bottle/per person/per voyage.

Hasn't been enforced yet (that I know of), but [B][I]now[/I][/B] Princess is throwing in our faces by putting it on the luggage tags and Boarding Pass.... Nobody can claim ignorance once Princess starts to enforce the regulation [I]-which they will![/I]

Good on Princess for giving us a 'lead-in' time to adjust, but, really... they're just doing what almost (if not all) the other lines are doing.

Plus - I don't find Princess's prices unreasonable when you pre-order liquor, or purchase the wine package once on board as compared to other Lines.[/QUOTE]

I wish cruise critic had a Like button!

[fishywood]

Its all just legal mumbo-jumbo that the parent corporation told Princess to add. A direct parallel is the disclaimer on OBCs that they may not be used for certain charges; Princess has [U]never[/U] separated the charges on your folio to accomplish this--I doubt they even have the capablity to do so. As for the wine restrictions, Carnival PLC made Cunard add the same language more than a year ago--but if you go to the FAQs on Cunard's UK web site they all but tell you to ignore it. Which is what you can do with Princess' new "rules" until you hear otherwise from a current passenger. (I see you are active on your roll calls, but don't be a stranger here--there is [I]always[/I] an active thread on this subject).

[Astro Flyer]

[quote name='AKman2495']So...Celebrity is for you huh? JUst popped over to the Celebrity board and found this:

[url]http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1771000[/url]

Seems like he has had enough of Celebrity and wants to move to Hal....

Oh...and apparently, Celebrity has bad coffee too...

[url]http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1777825[/url]

Good luck with Celebrity...[/QUOTE]
All of the mass market cruise lines are changing as they struggle to find ways to keep their fares affordable enough to sail full. I don't put much credence in posts from those who say how everything is so terrible on any cruise line.

We have an upcoming 'family' cruise on RCI so I've been reading posts on their board and guess what...many hate that coffee also. There's a $25 corkage fee if you want to bring the one bottle per person per cruise with you to the dining room. If you choose their version of anytime dining then you have to prepay your tips at final payment. You also have to prepay for tours & to pre-reserve specialty dining rooms and they charge a cancellation fee if you cancel the restaurant reservation within 24 hours.

There are pros and cons to each cruise line and we decide which ones we prefer. Obviously Princess is no longer the choice of OP & wish them luck finding a cruise line that provides everything without sailing on a luxury cruise line.