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Alcohol Confiscated - Caught !!

cruisesusie

By cruisesusie,
in Princess Cruises

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Shippy Great Review Rare

Shippy

Posted
Posted

Twice, on different cruiselines, we had to go to the naughty room.

Once for alcohol, once for a small travel iron.

We were instructed to open our luggage and remove & give to them the items they saw in the xray. They were returned at the end of the cruise.

The premise being that if they go into your luggage without you there.....you have every right to accuse them of taking something else out of your luggage.

 

you know...pilfering...like the TSA...we have had that happen...

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Cauzneffct

Cauzneffct

Posted
Posted
You do realize that is the problem...a $20 bottle of booze. If Princess and other lines would increase the quality of their liquor then maybe people would be less apt to smuggle. Personally, I can't take too much cheap booze.

 

I don't know about that. From the stories I see, its people bringing on cheap stuff (and sometimes a lot of it), not people bringing on their preferred single malt. Many/most of the comments focus on how the cost of alcohol on board is perceived as "outrageous," ie. too costly, not, as you would suggest, the opposite.

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bigguy6

bigguy6

Posted
Posted

The people who defend the cruise lines on their liquor policies didn't sail 15/20 years ago and are not aware of one large fact. In the past you could bring liquor on board no problem. But it really didn't matter because back then liquor at the bars and at the gift shop was dirt cheap. Cheaper than you could buy it on shore at least in a US port. Why? Because then, as now, the lines purchase their liquor where ever they don't have to pay any taxes on their purchases. In other words the liquor they sell costs them very little and they use to pass that savings on to their customers. I therefore don't feel sorry for them at all and think what they are doing now is akin to what the airlines are doing with the nickel and diming.

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Cauzneffct

Cauzneffct

Posted
Posted
You mean trying to stay profitable, providing a return for investors and staying in business??:)

 

I think its weird how people expect businesses to operate in a way which they themselves would not operate their own business.

 

Princess should not try to make money off of alcohol. In fact, they should sell it to me at a loss if they want me to cruise with them. And what's up with cabins costing hundreds if not thousands of dollars for a week or so? If they lowered their prices to $1 a day, they'd have people beating down the doors to sign up! Clearly they're just trying to rip us off.

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Liz54

Liz54

Posted
Posted
I think its weird how people expect businesses to operate in a way which they themselves would not operate their own business.

 

Princess should not try to make money off of alcohol. In fact, they should sell it to me at a loss if they want me to cruise with them. And what's up with cabins costing hundreds if not thousands of dollars for a week or so? If they lowered their prices to $1 a day, they'd have people beating down the doors to sign up! Clearly they're just trying to rip us off.

 

And people would bring on smuggled booze, eat like hogs and remove the auto tips. They would be out of biz before the end of the first cruise!

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Thrak

Thrak

Posted
Posted
They certainly seemed to remain profitable in the old days without the exorbitant, as I say, nickel and diming.

 

20 years ago fuel cost was a tiny fraction of what it is today.

 

While I have to agree with your statement regarding fuel costs I also have to remember that everything - including wages - were a tiny fraction of what they are now.

 

I don't have a high-paying job but I do make a bit over 22 times as much today as I did when I was first married. (I've been married a long time. ;))

 

I agree that the cruise line needs to make a profit but your statement about fuel costs doesn't cover the whole story.

 

NOTE: I am not commenting on the alcohol policy - just on the fuel cost comment. Princess has the right to implement the alcohol policy as they see fit.

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Loonbeam

Loonbeam

Posted
Posted

Your point about 22 years is a good one..

 

It's not just the costs. Fares are to a certain extent inelastic, they can only charge what the market would bear, or sale empty, because cabin nights are perishable (if not sold by the time the ship sales, they have no value).

 

Lets just say overall costs have increased by a 10.4% in the last 5 years (I used a compounded 2% inflation rate, which is probably a bit low.). Fares have not gone up by the same factor because of the inelasticity noted above. Based on the latest cruisemarketwatch report I have seen, fares have overall been static for the last 3 years on average (with some spikes and dips, of course). And you can cruise Alaska on the same ship and dates we did in 2014 for about $120 more than we did in 2009, which represents a 4% increase in 5 years assuming no price drops).

 

In short, the lines cannot increase revenues from cabin sales to match cost increases. Which means they have two options. Cut costs and/or find alternative revenue sources. (or lose money, which is not the point of the exercise). We've seen both.

 

People like to compare the cruise lines to the airlines as regards add-on pricing. And they are correct to do so. You know why? Because as the cruise lines have noted, IT WORKS. Airlines are making money now. And there is ample proof (Spirit Airlines) that consumers ignore those fees in their value assessment (Look, I am flying for $1, I got a DEAL! - One reason Southwest does not allow their fares to be shown on many aggregators is they are actually more expensive on fares, even though their fees make them net lower price, people will choose the other airline based on the ticket price).

 

 

Just like with airlines, we have only ourselves to blame, as we constantly chase the lowest fare (do a thread search on Price drops). Perhaps instead of a corkage policy, you'd prefer the lines to go to all non-refundable fares with change fees?

 

Alcohol is a big moneymaker for the lines, and now they have started to protect their turf. If it gets to the point where it makes financial sense to invest in people to search every bag, they will. More likely, they will invest in new x-ray scanners like the TSA use that can detect liquids, and the next generation can even make a decent guess as to what kind of liquid.

 

 

 

While I have to agree with your statement regarding fuel costs I also have to remember that everything - including wages - were a tiny fraction of what they are now.

 

I don't have a high-paying job but I do make a bit over 22 times as much today as I did when I was first married. (I've been married a long time. ;))

 

I agree that the cruise line needs to make a profit but your statement about fuel costs doesn't cover the whole story.

 

NOTE: I am not commenting on the alcohol policy - just on the fuel cost comment. Princess has the right to implement the alcohol policy as they see fit.

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Steviewonder1

Steviewonder1

Posted
Posted

Just off our Eastern Med Cruise and on three ports NO Scanning of what you brought on board, machines not in boarding area. Yes we cleared scanners in the port, but they did not care to check bottles! All came aboard in plastic containers as it has for the last 15 years and all made it to our room. I have never taken Glass Bottles (which have lead in them and light up on an Xray Machine) to get my libations on the ship. YMMV.

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cantwaitfornextcruise

cantwaitfornextcruise

Posted
Posted (edited)
The people who defend the cruise lines on their liquor policies didn't sail 15/20 years ago and are not aware of one large fact. In the past you could bring liquor on board no problem. quote]

 

I started cruising with my parents in 1964 which is over 15/20 years ago and with my husband since 1986 only with Princess since 2003 currently have over 300 sailed days with Princess and I'm sorry your post doesn't stack up.

Princess had a no hard liquor policy in 2003 and officially only 1 bottle of wine/champagne, In my opinion, they are at fault now for not implementing their own policy just like dress codes, chair hogs etc etc we could all add to this list.

 

Princess is a mass market cruise line and as such keep cabin costs low, and makes profit from on-board spend. if they don't make the bottom line cabin costs will go up and then we all pay.

My comment on this thread is rules are rules if you don't like the rules take your hard earned money and spend it somewhere that has rules which suit you better and Princess should not put in rules which they don't adhere to, and yes I have commented on my last 6 post cruise surveys on several issues where they are not following the contract.

Without rules you have anarchy

Edited by cantwaitfornextcruise
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rpcv77

rpcv77

Posted
Posted

Things always change. Few things are like what they were 20 years ago. We may or may not like the changes but time never marches backwards. I was a Peace Corps volunteer in Afghanistan more than 30 years ago, changed. I was a Pan Am flight attendant, change. I've been an elementary school teacher for a long time, constant change. I either adapt to the changes or move on.

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notentirelynormal

notentirelynormal

Posted
Posted (edited)

Well we've been cruising a long time. One thing that hasn't changed much is the cruise fare itself. A few years ago I came across some of my old itineries and back in the early 80s we paid around the same cruise dollar amount as we do now. True, back then we didn't get nickled and dimed and we also paid a much larger percentage of money. I think the bill was around $3000 for the cruise itself for 3 people in a 4 single bed cabin with a porthole. They were not fancy cabins. Fast forward, we can pay $3000 for an obstructed view for 3 people today. Back then I made around $23000 a year now we make substantially more.

 

Also, the wine I enjoy on the ship is only around $5 more then what I can get it for at my local wine stores. Not worth paying a corkage fee when it comes to that.

Edited by notentirelynormal
.
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MicCanberra Holiday Sharing Rare

MicCanberra

Posted
Posted
Well we've been cruising a long time. One thing that hasn't changed much is the cruise fare itself. A few years ago I came across some of my old itineries and back in the early 80s we paid around the same cruise dollar amount as we do now. True, back then we didn't get nickled and dimed and we also paid a much larger percentage of money. I think the bill was around $3000 for the cruise itself for 3 people in a 4 single bed cabin with a porthole. They were not fancy cabins. Fast forward, we can pay $3000 for an obstructed view for 3 people today. Back then I made around $23000 a year now we make substantially more.

 

Also, the wine I enjoy on the ship is only around $5 more then what I can get it for at my local wine stores. Not worth paying a corkage fee when it comes to that.

 

Great point about standard fees for cabins not increasing that much from years ago. A lot more people cruising now than back then as well as the ships are so much bigger.:D

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Loonbeam

Loonbeam

Posted
Posted

There is some economies of scale, but margin on cabin revenue is still pretty much non-existent now.

 

Great point about standard fees for cabins not increasing that much from years ago. A lot more people cruising now than back then as well as the ships are so much bigger.:D
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donaldsc

donaldsc

Posted
Posted
Is there something in the cruise contract or terms of passage that allows the cruise line to open and search bags in the passangers' absence?

 

The cruise contract is on the Princess WEB site for all to read although nobody ever does. Go to their site and check.

 

DON

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caribill

caribill

Posted
Posted
I hate to be asking this one, as I'm aware of the policy, I cant seem to remember or find the info, does the wine have to be in our carry on??

 

Yes in carry on 1 bottle per pax

 

Which means transferring bottles from any airline checked luggage since there it is prohibited in carry ons.

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MicCanberra Holiday Sharing Rare

MicCanberra

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Posted
Which means transferring bottles from any airline checked luggage since there it is prohibited in carry ons.

Yes, but it depends on the flight type.

Aussie Domestic flights have no liquid restrictions for carry on luggage, only weight.:D

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