Alcohol now being destroyed

[ONT-CA]

To have one's personal alcoholic beverage pour down the drain. Indeed, "What a sad way to vacation."

[sackman]

One of my fondest cruise memories was on a Med cruise in 2010. We embarked in Civitaveccia, and prior to embarkation, we visited a little store in Rome to pick up four bottles of wine. Two white, two red. My wife and I enjoyed that wine on our balcony every evening prior to dinner. It was really, really nice.

 

This new policy (or should I say heavy handed enforcement of an existing policy) is extremely unfortunate. There are some very simple pleasures that I like when cruising. Taking one of those away will force me to look for other options.

[Loonbeam]

Serious question - how many people complaining about this enforcement change were in support of the more restrictive smoking rules change? I'm sure there are more than a few.

 

We all like change when we agree with it, and we dislike it when it impacts us negatively, but we have to accept that all change will not be in our favor and take the positive and negative hits as they come.

[antsp]

The story continues

 

To be honest the incident has all but been forgotten, 4 days at sea certanly clears ones mind, also you cant let it spoil your cruise and it most certanly hasnt.

I post with a small update. *Friday we had a voice mail message on our stateroom phone expaining the company policy about alcohol and so on. On returning to our cabin last night (sat) we have been asked to call the pursers desk after today to speak to a certain person about our complaint. So its 8 am on Sunday morning as i post this, i will try and update later with what i thought was a dead issue.*

[cr8tiv1]

The story continues

 

To be honest the incident has all but been forgotten, 4 days at sea certanly clears ones mind, also you cant let it spoil your cruise and it most certanly hasnt.

I post with a small update. *Friday we had a voice mail message on our stateroom phone expaining the company policy about alcohol and so on. On returning to our cabin last night (sat) we have been asked to call the pursers desk after today to speak to a certain person about our complaint. So its 8 am on Sunday morning as i post this, i will try and update later with what i thought was a dead issue.*

 

Yes, your thread generated quite a discussion. Thank you for returning as often as you do (using precious Elite minutes) to post updates. I know of one thread, that many had posted, asking the OP to clarify or update. She never did and it was very frustrating to those who had posted concerns and help.

 

I hope the seas have been kind to your voyage. The islands just had a major weather event that is moving West to East. Enjoy the 4 islands. Each has such unique features. Hope you found some time to enjoy ELUA. Give them my "Aloha" if you should run into them.

 

Renee (displaced local girl)

[beg3yrs]

The story continues

 

To be honest the incident has all but been forgotten, 4 days at sea certanly clears ones mind, also you cant let it spoil your cruise and it most certanly hasnt.

I post with a small update. *Friday we had a voice mail message on our stateroom phone expaining the company policy about alcohol and so on. On returning to our cabin last night (sat) we have been asked to call the pursers desk after today to speak to a certain person about our complaint. So its 8 am on Sunday morning as i post this, i will try and update later with what i thought was a dead issue.*

 

Hopefully they'll make good on your champagne as according to an interview, published on the CruiseCritic web-site, with one of the Princess VP's, they recognize champagne as wine and should not have taken it.

[baldercash]

Princess has made this decision and are aware of the fall out.

Everyone who cruises knows that every bottle on a ship is recycled / crushed so it would be easy for Princess to count empties or gross weight of waste glass to calculate lost sales to boarded bottles of wine and liquor.

You may smuggle it on but who bothers to take the empty off the ship to discard?

The system has been abused and the abusers have bragged of it.

 

All those people drinking in their rooms take away from the vitality and life of the ship.

Instead of drinking a bottle of wine in your room go to the bar and have glass and enjoy the ambiance of the ship you are sailing on. It is the healthier and smarter choice.

[gollywags]

We just returned from the Panama canal on the coral Princess. On previous cruises there was a happy hour at the bars for two hours and the drink of the day was reasonably priced between 5 and six dollars. Now there is no happy hour and the drink of the day is close to eight dollars. My husband and I had a mojito and there was very little alcohol in it. Those are bad policies. When one pays the full price one should get the customary poured shot. I felt cheated and did not order another mixed drink. They offered a ten bottle wine package for two hundred and ten dollars and you could chose any wine for under twenty-nine dollars. You must order in the dining room and you could take the bottle with you. We were very pleased with this program. Most passengers did not know about it. Everyone we told purchased it and was satisfied. We were on an all inclusive cruise last yeR and the drinks were not watered down and the wines were lovely. The total costs were not that much above a minisuite at princess with all the other line included. However it was not as much fun as princess always is and there were no fabulous peanut butter cookies. Best jule

[tanzer22pilot]

There should still be creative ways around the policy. Pour the alcohol into plastic water or pop bottles instead of their original, labeled packaging.

 

You could also pour your liquor into a wine bottle and bring it on within the rules of the alcohol policy. I doubt they're going to open a wine bottle and check to see if it's actually wine.

 

If the alcohol policy becomes so restrictive that it's impossible to get around it, then you need to consider that when booking. It is a shame for people who are already booked, though.

 

And we wonder why Princess started to enforce their policy.

[pablo222]

As to the "belligerent" implementation of this now enforced rule, I am sure that each will find his or her own way to extract their pound of flesh without cutting off their nose to spite their face.

 

With regard to the belligerent food and beverage manager that

I refer to -- this 'gent' could go up to a woman and tell her she

was the most beautiful woman on the planet -- and do it in

such a way that she was insulted.

 

With regards to Princess' general lax enforcement of their own policy,

they should make sure that Courtesy and Respect are Unfailing

across all levels of staff and crew. They seem to have forgotten

about monitoring the more senior officers.

 

My personal encounter with this 'gent' had nothing to do with

the liquor policy.

[ONT-CA]

...Now there is no happy hour and the drink of the day is close to eight dollars. My husband and I had a mojito and there was very little alcohol in it. Those are bad policies. When one pays the full price one should get the customary poured shot. I felt cheated and did not order another mixed drink.

 

The irony of this action is that the alcohol intended for this drink is the cheapest ingredient, cheaper than the limes used and even cheaper than the cost of making the ice cubes. Non-taxed duty free alcohol costs pennies. But greed rears it's ugly head and not only are they attempting to force people to drink in their bars but under pour the recipe in the hopes that they will order additional.

[capriccio]

 

All those people drinking in their rooms take away from the vitality and life of the ship.

Instead of drinking a bottle of wine in your room go to the bar and have glass and enjoy the ambiance of the ship you are sailing on. It is the healthier and smarter choice.

 

I think it is awfully presumptuous of you to call drinking in a bar the 'healthier and smarter' choice! Call me anti-social :eek: but I prefer to have a glass or two of wine on my balcony after a day in port and before getting ready to go to dinner as many others have noted on this thread. The ambiance is great (especially if it is a suite balcony) and the company (my DH) couldn't be better. And I don't think my fellow cruisers want to see me hot and sweaty after a day in port or with wet hair and no makeup getting ready for dinner :p.

 

That glass or two doesn't preclude us from buying a bottle at dinner - and I personally have no issue with the corkage charge for extra bottles consumed in the cabin. I just want Princess to clearly communicate the policy to everyone and then enforce it fairly.

[phillipahain]

Princess will find this will simply backfire on them

Because if they water down drinks and increase the prices passengers simply wont bother

The whole policy will be totally counter productive

[Pia1913]

We just returned from the Panama canal on the coral Princess. On previous cruises there was a happy hour at the bars for two hours and the drink of the day was reasonably priced between 5 and six dollars. Now there is no happy hour and the drink of the day is close to eight dollars. My husband and I had a mojito and there was very little alcohol in it. Those are bad policies. When one pays the full price one should get the customary poured shot. I felt cheated and did not order another mixed drink. They offered a ten bottle wine package for two hundred and ten dollars and you could chose any wine for under twenty-nine dollars. You must order in the dining room and you could take the bottle with you. We were very pleased with this program. Most passengers did not know about it. Everyone we told purchased it and was satisfied. We were on an all inclusive cruise last yeR and the drinks were not watered down and the wines were lovely. The total costs were not that much above a minisuite at princess with all the other line included. However it was not as much fun as princess always is and there were no fabulous peanut butter cookies. Best jule

 

Are you sure there was no 2 hour Happy Hour? They haven't been advertising it, but it's still going on. I'm not referring to the 2 hour Elite/Plat/Suite. That's something else.

[antsp]

With regard to the belligerent food and beverage manager that

I refer to -- this 'gent' could go up to a woman and tell her she

was the most beautiful woman on the planet -- and do it in

such a way that she was insulted.

 

With regards to Princess' general lax enforcement of their own policy,

they should make sure that Courtesy and Respect are Unfailing

across all levels of staff and crew. They seem to have forgotten

about monitoring the more senior officers.

 

My personal encounter with this 'gent' had nothing to do with

the liquor policy.

I love reading comments from a cc members who have no idea of whats gone on. Please read my post it was quite detailed. My main complaint was his attitude. It was the smirking, almost a laugh, i have sailed Princess 17 times and never ever recieved this smarmy ass attitude from anyone anywhere. Oh and by the way im a he not a she.

 

Yours

 

Anthony

[bhopal21]

I would like to know the name of this person with the attitude.

 

Glad you are not letting it ruin your cruise.

 

 

Mike:)

[Pstcrik]

All those people drinking in their rooms take away from the vitality and life of the ship.

Instead of drinking a bottle of wine in your room go to the bar and have glass and enjoy the ambiance of the ship you are sailing on. It is the healthier and smarter choice.

 

What a ridiculous statement.

[bigguy1]

One of my fondest cruise memories was on a Med cruise in 2010. We embarked in Civitaveccia, and prior to embarkation, we visited a little store in Rome to pick up four bottles of wine. Two white, two red. My wife and I enjoyed that wine on our balcony every evening prior to dinner. It was really, really nice.

 

This new policy (or should I say heavy handed enforcement of an existing policy) is extremely unfortunate. There are some very simple pleasures that I like when cruising. Taking one of those away will force me to look for other options.

 

They didn't take away one of your simple pleasures, you simply have to pay for it. $15.00 per bottle.

[bigguy1]

One of my fondest cruise memories was on a Med cruise in 2010. We embarked in Civitaveccia, and prior to embarkation, we visited a little store in Rome to pick up four bottles of wine. Two white, two red. My wife and I enjoyed that wine on our balcony every evening prior to dinner. It was really, really nice.

 

This new policy (or should I say heavy handed enforcement of an existing policy) is extremely unfortunate. There are some very simple pleasures that I like when cruising. Taking one of those away will force me to look for other options.

 

Well said!

[jerwick]

Sailed on the Golden 2-27-13 and took 6 bottles of wine in carryon. I knew full well the policy was changed and I was prepared to pay the extra $15 for the 4 over the limit. To my surprise were allowed all 6 with no additional charge. I even took 2 to the dining room and was not charged corkage fee. Just luck of the draw I guess.

 

Seems to be unknown yet how Princess will react to 2 bottles being brought on at a visiting port by both cruisers. Hopefully they will allow 2 bottles as has been told to me by customer relations.

 

Jerry

[gollywags]

We asked about the happy hour at the wheelhouse bar and explorers lounge and both bartenders acknowledged they once offered it but are not now. The lounge for elite and suite passengers is now charging six dollars rather than 4.50'. Should a drink have one or one and a half ounces. Thanks jule

[cruzsnooze]

Hopefully they'll make good on your champagne as according to an interview, published on the CruiseCritic web-site, with one of the Princess VP's, they recognize champagne as wine and should not have taken it.

Their Champagne was over 750 ml so was not within policy so should they make good!

[cruzsnooze]

There should still be creative ways around the policy. Pour the alcohol into plastic water or pop bottles instead of their original, labeled packaging.

 

You could also pour your liquor into a wine bottle and bring it on within the rules of the alcohol policy. I doubt they're going to open a wine bottle and check to see if it's actually wine.

 

If the alcohol policy becomes so restrictive that it's impossible to get around it, then you need to consider that when booking. It is a shame for people who are already booked, though.

Are you really advocating how to cheat and smuggle :eek:

[81Zoomie]

I just broke down and read "the contract" on Princess.com. It says anything over one bottle per pax and 750ml will be discarded. If there is a provision to carry aboard extra and pay the $15 corkage, Princess has not changed the contract to reflect the change. This would explain the crews confusion in implementing a new policy. Yet another example of poor communication by Princess. We brought absurd a bottle of wine on RCL in Spain and no one said a word. This Spanish wine cost $9 at the port and was far better than the $7 US wine we had to pay $30 for in the dining room. And yes, we drank it on our balcony during sail away!

[ONT-CA]

Their Champagne was over 750 ml so was not within policy so should they make good!

 

If volume be the criteria, play on. Let's weigh each and every passenger and charge him or her according to a volume charge. There can be many ways to improve return on investment, how about Trivia, attendance @ $10. per person. How about washroom, @$1.00 per entry, how about Pizza at $5.00 per slice how about TV movies PPV at say $5. each how about mechanical wheelchairs, any suggestions? Why is it that the cruise industry thinks that those who will pay $499. for a cruise will not pay $625 for the same thing improved? Management has depleted the menus, the entertainment, and the ports of call and cannot yet find enough savings to satisfy them. Well my friends, you are going in the wrong direction. You should be improving service, food, and entertainment in order for us to say, yes, it is worth the extra price to cruise.