Best way to have alcohol in your stateroom?

[TOMCAT22]

If I were you I'd go for the rum runner method in your main suitcase,try to have one in each suitcase so if 1 is found you still have another.Yes,I know it's smuggling but if you buy the beverage package then you are not really ripping RCI off and will be saving them money as the drinks in your stateroom won't be supplied by them.

I have had 100% success with this method.

 

 

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[cruiseguy1016]

I'm not a big drinker but do enjoy a couple of beers or a vodka tonic or two during sail aways as you mentioned. We are booked on Jewel for b2b's in August. I will not buy a drink package since I do not drink enough to make it worth it. Nor do I want to have my beers or vodka tonics in the Concierge Lounge (have access since we booked an OS). And I assume I couldn't walk in to the Concierge Lounge and walk out with a beer in each hand to take to my room. SO, here is my plan.

 

Once I board I will go to the closest bar and buy a bucket of beers (I assume that is still possible - we rarely sail RCL). I will take those to my room and place them in my frig. The stuff in my frig will be placed in a cabinet in the suite. I will tell the room service guy where it is so he can do his daily inventory. I will have my beer readily available. As for the vodka tonics. I will take a few, maybe 4-5 mini bottles (50mL's) in my luggage and another 4-5 in my wifes bag, which is plenty for me. Then I'll order some cans of tonic, then go to a bar and try to get a couple of limes from a bartender (for a tip offer).

 

The only problem with this is that the "frig" is not actually a refrigerator. It is more like a glorified cooler. It keeps things cool but it does not make them cold. Your beer will probably not be as cold as you want it to be.

[DShock]

I'll stay with my plan. The bucket of beer part of the plan is fair to RCL and placing a few mini bottles in my bags is not a big deal. Drink packages they sell just aren't good for me as I will not be doing 7 drinks per day on such a port intensive cruise (wouldn't drink 7 a day even if it was sea day intensive). Just wish they offered more options like Princess. As far as a frig we have to have one that cools to a certain level as my wife takes her injectable meds and they have to be cold. Every cruise line we have sailed with are aware of this medical requirement and always accomodate.

[Justmekaren918]

I was amazed to see the traveling size variety of alcohol that comes in plastic now. That also includes some wine and champs. Makes life easier to pack for success!

[Beardface]

Here's my situation:

 

I really enjoy reading on my stateroom balcony for hours during the afternoons on sea days. I also really enjoy just sitting out there during sailaway from ports, just enjoying the scenery/ambiance. In both cases, I like to have a drink or 5. In my ideal world, I have a bottle of Jim Beam and some coke and I can mix my drinks myself whenever I want more. Unless I'm missing something, this doesn't seem possible on RCL. Here would be my options:

 

1) I will purchase the Ultimate drink package, so I could go to a bar each time I need a new drink. This is what I thought I'd do on the Allure last Dec, but really was inconvenient. I don't want to interrupt my book or leave the sailaway for 10 minutes while going to get a new drink.

2) Order from room service, I know the drink package doesn't cover this, so I'd need to pay for the drinks, but even still it could take upwards of 30 minutes to get one delivered.

3) Rum runners - even though I'll have the ultimate plan, perhaps smuggling makes sense just so I have the convenience of enjoying it in the room.

4) Some people talk about "stocking up" through the week. IE stopping by bars and ordering their favorite liquor neat, then taking it back to their room and pouring it into a bottle. This seems like a lot of work. I could *maybe* do this with beer if I ask the bartender not to take the top off, but can't see myself doing this with Jim Beam.

 

Since Royal doesn't allow you to bring your own on, and doesn't allow me to buy it via Bon Voyage, am I missing any options?

 

I know I'm allowed to bring on wine, but unfortunately two bottles of wine wouldn't last very long.

 

Curious to hear what others have done.

 

Just got off the Oasis. Let me tell you this... Unless you like gourmet coffee and tea, the Ultimate Package is a waste of money. Get the Premium, as it covers all alcoholic plans.

 

My wife and I got the premium, and brought on the 2 allowed bottles of wine, and it was more than enough for us over the course of the week. We found the only times we were in the room were when we first woke up, and when we were getting ready for bed. There's always at least 1 bar open for morning drinks, so Bloody Mary's were easy to find on the way to the Windjammer or Johnny Rockets for breakfast. We had the wine for before-dinner drinks (and when that ran out, we'd head to a bar on the way back to the cabin and get a drink to hold us over). If we got ready for dinner too early, the Viking Crown was a short walk away, and was located directly over the dining room.

 

I'll say this... we got the Premium package and drank enough over the course of the week to break even. Even on a ship the size of the Oasis, I came away feeling like having your own alcohol in the cabin would be a waste because you're really not in there long enough to use it. With a drink package, getting something at the bar is too easy to waste your time trying to smuggle something in, and even better, you're not locked into only one type of drink til the stash runs out.

[luckyprincess]

You can bring wine on now?? Really? Is it per cabin or per person? I want to pre-order some wines and some champagne for the stateroom (I always do champagne and strawberries on the balcony for sailaway!) but when I did it on Freedom it was an epic failure on their part! Feel free to access my Freedom review to hear how badly they screwed it up! I really, really don't want that to happen again! Anyone know if the wine service that is pre-ordered is good on Liberty?

[Beardface]

You can bring wine on now?? Really? Is it per cabin or per person? I want to pre-order some wines and some champagne for the stateroom (I always do champagne and strawberries on the balcony for sailaway!) but when I did it on Freedom it was an epic failure on their part! Feel free to access my Freedom review to hear how badly they screwed it up! I really, really don't want that to happen again! Anyone know if the wine service that is pre-ordered is good on Liberty?

 

You can bring in 2 bottles of wine or champagne per cabin.

 

We stopped at Total Wine in Ft. Lauderdale the night before we sailed and we were good for the trip. Put both in our carry-on bag and got through security question-free.

Edited July 10, 2014 by Beardface

[luckyprincess]

You can bring in 2 bottles of wine or champagne per cabin.

 

We stopped at Total Wine in Ft. Lauderdale the night before we sailed and we were good for the trip. Put both in our carry-on bag and got through security question-free.

 

That's great news for me!! Considering I'm on a steady diet of full strength Dramamine when I cruise I can't drink too too much anyway :D

[UMDelt]

I assume I couldn't walk in to the Concierge Lounge and walk out with a beer in each hand to take to my room.

 

I was able to do this twice a few months ago on Oasis. Each time I requested two drinks "to go," the staff gave me somewhat of a glare and politely replied, "We usually don't do this..."

 

It probably helped that I joked about the long wait for my fiance to get ready for dinner and I "really need these two drinks." :D

[Clarea]

You can bring wine on now?? Really? Is it per cabin or per person? I want to pre-order some wines and some champagne for the stateroom (I always do champagne and strawberries on the balcony for sailaway!) but when I did it on Freedom it was an epic failure on their part! Feel free to access my Freedom review to hear how badly they screwed it up! I really, really don't want that to happen again! Anyone know if the wine service that is pre-ordered is good on Liberty?

Note that they may charge you $25 per bottle of wine if you bring it to a public venue. So if you want to use your wine for dinner, pour a glass (or two) and take it that way.

[Plymouthmerlin67]

We boarded Independence in Southampton a few weeks ago with two bottles of champagne in our hand luggage. Had one in our room, the other we had on deck 12 at sunset to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary. We did take the bottle up from our room in a beach bag just in case anyone tried to take it off us.