Alcohol now being destroyed

[JimmyVWine]

If Princess were smart, they would reduce the price of the bottles so people would just purchase their bottles through Princess.

 

Actually, Princess's wine prices are very fair by any measure. I don't think that the people who bring wine aboard do so in a attempt to avoid gouging. Rather, the selection on board is of rather basic, large production wines of little distinction. People going on vacation looking to really enjoy "the good life", or to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, honeymoons, retirements, and such, are looking for better quality wines that cannot be bought on board at any price. So they bring it. Also, there are passengers who simply prefer their favorite brand that may be of the same quality as those sold on board, but isn't offered. So they bring it. Either way, people aren't trying to avoid an unreasonable markup. They just want their particular selection. It's hard to compare the prices on board to a typical restaurant wine list and conclude that Princess's prices are high.

[antsp]

If you already purchased the bottles prior to the cruise all you can do is take them out of your carry-on baggage when you check in and ask nicely if they can hold them for you and return them to you at the end of the cruise. If you are up front and clearly not trying to smuggle them onboard they SHOULD accomodate you and provide you with this customer service. To act otherwise would be a customer service blunder more costly than the revenue from two bottles of Canadian Club. (By the way, if you buy alcohol during the cruise, while in port or at the onboard duty free shop, they store it for you so why not in your situation?)

 

No they wont

[antsp]

Just had a meeting with the customer services manager, all explained in detail of whats what and why. *The rules are as everyone now really knows. No liqour allowed at all on embarcation. Wine Must be carried on , no limits but $15 per bottle after 1st. Liquor allowed on a ports but must be turned in. Starting on the *Golden its going fleet wide, why, incident on a P and O ship in Australia with some one drunk going over board via a balcony. This rules comes from above, from Carnival. Lots of sorrys no comment on the officers attitude, and to be fair to him what cah he do or say.*

Its easy when you walk away to ask all the awkward questions. But hey i never, my brain switched of 4 days ago. *No more to say really. Dont bring liquor on board on embarcation day or it may be found and dumped. The irony of all this is we dont even drink, or to say we can take it or leave it, the bottles where gifts for home.*

Anyway Hilo in the morning

 

Yours

 

Anthony

[caribill]

It was post #306.

 

Mike:)

 

 

Thanks

[cr8tiv1]

Thank you, again, for coming back to the thread with the follow up meeting with Customer Service. If any one else is questioning the policy, I see that you spelled it out quite clearly. Time to put this to rest (I know you have already).

 

Now the fun begins. Hilo, Honolulu, Nawiliwili, and Lahaina. Have you been to the islands before? Do you have a must do list? Are you involved in any of the shipboard activities? Hilo is my favorite of all the towns and cities in the state. So much to see and do and not enough time in one port visit. Hope the rain stays away long so your visit will be memorable. Rainbow Falls in the morning is best (that is when you will see the rainbows).

 

Aloha, Renee (displaced local girl)

[caribill]

why, incident on a P and O ship in Australia with some one drunk going over board via a balcony.

 

Nice to know that nobody can get drunk on any Carnival Corp brand ships using just ship supplied spirits.

 

Maybe this is why many have posted they can barely detect a trace of alcohol in their Princess drinks.

[Opua Kiwi]

Just had a meeting with the customer services manager, all explained in detail of whats what and why. *The rules are as everyone now really knows. No liqour allowed at all on embarcation. Wine Must be carried on , no limits but $15 per bottle after 1st. Liquor allowed on a ports but must be turned in. Starting on the *Golden its going fleet wide, why, incident on a P and O ship in Australia with some one drunk going over board via a balcony. This rules comes from above, from Carnival. Lots of sorrys no comment on the officers attitude, and to be fair to him what cah he do or say.*

Its easy when you walk away to ask all the awkward questions. But hey i never, my brain switched of 4 days ago. *No more to say really. Dont bring liquor on board on embarcation day or it may be found and dumped. The irony of all this is we dont even drink, or to say we can take it or leave it, the bottles where gifts for home.*

Anyway Hilo in the morning

 

Yours

 

Anthony

 

 

 

 

Thank you so much for sorting that out for us all now sit back switch off and just enjoy your wonderful cruise.

Cheers

Angela

[PunkiC]

Just had a meeting with the customer services manager, all explained in detail of whats what and why. *The rules are as everyone now really knows. No liqour allowed at all on embarcation. Wine Must be carried on , no limits but $15 per bottle after 1st. Liquor allowed on a ports but must be turned in. Starting on the *Golden its going fleet wide, why, incident on a P and O ship in Australia with some one drunk going over board via a balcony. This rules comes from above, from Carnival. Lots of sorrys no comment on the officers attitude, and to be fair to him what cah he do or say.*

 

Sounds like the information from the Customer Services Manager is still out of sync with the information provided by Julie Benson, Princess VP of Public Relations, who clearly said that it doesn't matter if the wine is brought aboard in carry-ons or checked.

 

They still need a whole lot more clarification, communication and training if they want this to go smoothly.

 

It's hard to believe that they haven't figured that out by now. :confused:

[Astro Flyer]

Actually, Princess's wine prices are very fair by any measure. I don't think that the people who bring wine aboard do so in a attempt to avoid gouging. Rather, the selection on board is of rather basic, large production wines of little distinction. People going on vacation looking to really enjoy "the good life", or to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, honeymoons, retirements, and such, are looking for better quality wines that cannot be bought on board at any price. So they bring it. Also, there are passengers who simply prefer their favorite brand that may be of the same quality as those sold on board, but isn't offered. So they bring it. Either way, people aren't trying to avoid an unreasonable markup. They just want their particular selection. It's hard to compare the prices on board to a typical restaurant wine list and conclude that Princess's prices are high.

I agree with everything you said & Princess prices are better than on RCI where I had to get their wine package to reduce prices closer to what I can purchase individual bottles on Princess. I particularly enjoy great wines from the great ports of call on a cruise which are not available on the ship.

[Loonbeam]

If this truly is driven by the parent corp (and it may be since I think they carry the umbrella insurance and re-insurance policies for the lines) that means HAL will see similar changes at some point.

 

I was told insurance changes were part of the impetus for this decision although not the only one so this would be in line with that.

 

Just had a meeting with the customer services manager, all explained in detail of whats what and why. *The rules are as everyone now really knows. No liqour allowed at all on embarcation. Wine Must be carried on , no limits but $15 per bottle after 1st. Liquor allowed on a ports but must be turned in. Starting on the *Golden its going fleet wide, why, incident on a P and O ship in Australia with some one drunk going over board via a balcony. This rules comes from above, from Carnival. Lots of sorrys no comment on the officers attitude, and to be fair to him what cah he do or say.*

Its easy when you walk away to ask all the awkward questions. But hey i never, my brain switched of 4 days ago. *No more to say really. Dont bring liquor on board on embarcation day or it may be found and dumped. The irony of all this is we dont even drink, or to say we can take it or leave it, the bottles where gifts for home.*

Anyway Hilo in the morning

 

Yours

 

Anthony

[BoPippy]

I will see on Saturday.I plan on bringing a dozen beer in my carry on backpack in Ft. Lauderdale.:D

[paul929207]

I will see on Saturday.I plan on bringing a dozen beer in my carry on backpack in Ft. Lauderdale.:D

Have they implemented the policy on the Emerald.

[WarEagle76]

So let’s say on the first day of the cruise, I board with my allotment of one bottle of wine in my carry on. Two days later at a port stop, I take a Princess tour of a winery, and at the winery I purchase a bottle of wine. The next day at a different port, I stop at a grocery on my way back to the ship and purchase another bottle of wine. Will there be tracking involved based upon the fact I used my Princess allotment on the first day I boarded the ship, and will subsequent purchases of wine made at ports during the cruise (limited to one bottle per port) be subject to the $15 corkage fee?

[Cauzneffct]

I'm curious as to whether the "no hard alcohol" enforcement will actually have much blow back on Princess in terms fewer cabins sold or even less alcohol sold on board.

 

There's only a certain percentage of cruisers who knowingly smuggle on hard alcohol in violation of the contract. Of those, there is probably only a percentage of whom feel that continuing to smuggle on alcohol is their right (as opposed to an "oh well" attitude), and of those, there is only a percentage of whom would feel so strongly about this perceived right that they would take their vacation dollars elsewhere. I would have to think that the overall number of such cruisers cannot be very high on a per-ship basis.

[JimmyVWine]

So let’s say on the first day of the cruise, I board with my allotment of one bottle of wine in my carry on. Two days later at a port stop, I take a Princess tour of a winery, and at the winery I purchase a bottle of wine. The next day at a different port, I stop at a grocery on my way back to the ship and purchase another bottle of wine. Will there be tracking involved based upon the fact I used my Princess allotment on the first day I boarded the ship, and will subsequent purchases of wine made at ports during the cruise (limited to one bottle per port) be subject to the $15 corkage fee?

 

I don't think they really need to "track" anything. They probably just add each and every bottle (including the "first" one) to your shipboard account and at the end, credit you with $15 toward your total bill. (Or $30 if your cabin is registered with two adults). Just like they add the gratuity to your account even if you have "pre-paid" it, and then they apply your pre-payment to your bill to even things out.

[ONT-CA]

If this kafuffle of possession of personal alcohol has been about the legal implications of responsibility for any passenger’s over consumption what of the passenger who can and does bring aboard a dozen bottles of wine, pays the $180. corkage fees and takes them to his cabin? Surely I would not be accused of being suspicious if I said that the revenue of $180. had taken presedent. And as there being no direct revenue from the bottle of 18-year-old XXX in my luggage, down the drain it goes. A policy concocted in Denmark perhaps?

[Cauzneffct]

So let’s say on the first day of the cruise, I board with my allotment of one bottle of wine in my carry on. Two days later at a port stop, I take a Princess tour of a winery, and at the winery I purchase a bottle of wine. The next day at a different port, I stop at a grocery on my way back to the ship and purchase another bottle of wine. Will there be tracking involved based upon the fact I used my Princess allotment on the first day I boarded the ship, and will subsequent purchases of wine made at ports during the cruise (limited to one bottle per port) be subject to the $15 corkage fee?

 

As far as I can tell, the port issue you raise hasn't really been fully developed (I haven't seen any reports of crusiers being subject to the policy at port rather than embarkation). I'm also not sure if there will be a 1 bottle-per-port rule, or if, in theory, you could buy a case on a winery tour and pay the $15 per. I also think there is still mixed info regarding the policy for "storing" wine bought at port if the cruiser does not wish to consume it on board and whether that would be subject to the corkage (or storage) fee.

[JimmyVWine]

I'm curious as to whether the "no hard alcohol" enforcement will actually have much blow back on Princess in terms fewer cabins sold or even less alcohol sold on board.

 

There's only a certain percentage of cruisers who knowingly smuggle on hard alcohol in violation of the contract. Of those, there is probably only a percentage of whom feel that continuing to smuggle on alcohol is their right (as opposed to an "oh well" attitude), and of those, there is only a percentage of whom would feel so strongly about this perceived right that they would take their vacation dollars elsewhere. I would have to think that the overall number of such cruisers cannot be very high on a per-ship basis.

 

And the final thing to consider is....where are they going to go? Disney will let you bring on hard liquor, but their cruises tend to be priced higher. Certainly higher than the price of a bottle of Scotch or gin bought on board. It's easy to say: "I am going to vote with my wallet", but turning down a $799 fare that requires you to buy a $75 bottle of liquor in favor of a $1050 fare for a similar cruise that allows you to bring on your own bottle is a classic example of cutting off one's nose to spite one's face. I just don't see too many (or any) comparable cruise lines in terms of price and atmosphere that one can run to if one intends to escape Princess, completely.

[WarEagle76]

As far as I can tell, the port issue you raise hasn't really been fully developed (I haven't seen any reports of crusiers being subject to the policy at port rather than embarkation).

 

If the Princess track record of bungling the implementation of changes and enforcing existing rules is any indication, you are probably right. Guess we will find out in a few weeks.

[paul929207]

And the final thing to consider is....where are they going to go? Disney will let you bring on hard liquor, but their cruises tend to be priced higher. Certainly higher than the price of a bottle of Scotch or gin bought on board. It's easy to say: "I am going to vote with my wallet", but turning down a $799 fare that requires you to buy a $75 bottle of liquor in favor of a $1050 fare for a similar cruise that allows you to bring on your own bottle is a classic example of cutting off one's nose to spite one's face. I just don't see too many (or any) comparable cruise lines in terms of price and atmosphere that one can run to if one intends to escape Princess, completely.

Throw in the perks many have accumulated on Princess with the Captain's Circle, Shareholder, Military and FCC's

[Cauzneffct]

And the final thing to consider is....where are they going to go? Disney will let you bring on hard liquor, but their cruises tend to be priced higher. Certainly higher than the price of a bottle of Scotch or gin bought on board. It's easy to say: "I am going to vote with my wallet", but turning down a $799 fare that requires you to buy a $75 bottle of liquor in favor of a $1050 fare for a similar cruise that allows you to bring on your own bottle is a classic example of cutting off one's nose to spite one's face. I just don't see too many (or any) comparable cruise lines in terms of price and atmosphere that one can run to if one intends to escape Princess, completely.

 

And thats just if the persons in question are spending just $799 on their cabin. The impression I get from this thread is that some/many of the smugglers are spending far more than that, and some are even claiming that they spend more than that on their non-smuggled bar bill. If one is spending multiple thousands of dollars on a cabin, or willing to spend almost a thousand dollars on house booze, it seems strange to then bolt because of cost of a bottle of booze (or, in the abstract, the perceived affront to one's dignity in being denied the right to do as one pleases despite express agreement to the contrary).

[pablo222]

I just don't see too many (or any) comparable cruise lines in terms of price and atmosphere that one can run to if one intends to escape Princess, completely.

 

Nowhere to run baby! Nowhere to hide!

Martha Reeves & the Vandellas

 

(that shows how old I am!)

[ONT-CA]

It’s human nature to not want to be taken advantage of. If the bottle in your luggage is a hazard such as fire or poses legal concerns one can understand the now total ban on personal spirits. But it is becoming more than obvious that the sole purpose of denying passengers their freedom of this personal pleasure by way of this ban is an attempt to generate more bar revenue for the line. This is not fully understood by or a concern of the teetotalers who see it purely as a contractual equation. But what would the general feeling be if the line decided to ban all cameras coming aboard so that their photo gallery could generate even more revenue. Imagine the indignation.

[Cauzneffct]

It’s human nature to not want to be taken advantage of. If the bottle in your luggage is a hazard such as fire or poses legal concerns one can understand the now total ban on personal spirits. But it is becoming more than obvious that the sole purpose of denying passengers their freedom of this personal pleasure by way of this ban is an attempt to generate more bar revenue for the line. This is not fully understood by or a concern of the teetotalers who see it purely as a contractual equation. But what would the general feeling be if the line decided to ban all cameras coming aboard so that their photo gallery could generate even more revenue. Imagine the indignation.

 

And people would be free to switch cruise lines because the policy would be absurd. However, if one was aware of said policy, nevertheless agreed to the contract stating that no outside cameras were permitted, and then tried to sneak on their camera, they'd be hard pressed to argue that the enforcement of the policy they agreed to was unjust.

 

Freedoms, however much they may be enjoyed, can be waived if one agrees to limit or sign them away.

[CantanaLobo]

... But what would the general feeling be if the line decided to ban all cameras coming aboard so that their photo gallery could generate even more revenue. Imagine the indignation.

 

Don't give them ideas.

 

I'm one of those types that follows the rules. On the Ultimate Ship tour we took, they said no cameras, I didn't bring one even though I'd read here on CC that it's sometimes OK. Just not worth my bother. A hypothetical ship-wide "no camera" rule would just be a factor in what cruise line I pick. I wouldn't get indignant, nor would I shop for Nikon Runners.