Buying bottles on 1st leg of a B2B???

[Cincicruiser]

Glad to help set the record straight.

By the way.....when trying to collect at the end of our B2B, our packages were not there for pick up. They were still locked up by Security somewhere. Had to find an officer with the key. Took 2 trips and 40 minutes.

[WindsorFred]

Glad to help set the record straight.

By the way.....when trying to collect at the end of our B2B, our packages were not there for pick up. They were still locked up by Security somewhere. Had to find an officer with the key. Took 2 trips and 40 minutes.

 

Wow!

[ryanpatricksmom]

It seems to me that they may as well stop selling liquor entirely. I can't imagine that the savings on a couple of bottles are worth standing in line at the end of your cruise, not to mention the weight in a suitcase. The only time that I've ever bought liquor on a cruise was a B2B. There's no way, even when we sail out of Baltimore and drive, that I'm waiting in a line to pick-up booze that I could save at most ten dollars a bottle on.

[breckbird]

Just returned home from our B2B Conquest 9/13 & 9/21. We bought Vodka both on board & at port on the 8 day 9/13 leg. We were told to pick it up the last morning of the cruise 6-8:30 am in the dining rm. Went at 8 am and it was not available for pick up. It was being "held" in security until the end of our 2nd leg.

The last day of our b2b we again went to the dining room for pick up.

 

 

thank you for your post finally a first hand answer to the ?

[WindsorFred]

It seems to me that they may as well stop selling liquor entirely. I can't imagine that the savings on a couple of bottles are worth standing in line at the end of your cruise, not to mention the weight in a suitcase. The only time that I've ever bought liquor on a cruise was a B2B. There's no way, even when we sail out of Baltimore and drive, that I'm waiting in a line to pick-up booze that I could save at most ten dollars a bottle on.

 

Same with us.

[lovebears]

Are you able to take the liquor back to your cabin to pack in suitcases?

[WindsorFred]

Are you able to take the liquor back to your cabin to pack in suitcases?

 

If you are doing self-assist and don't put your bags out the last night for pick-up.

[absolutonrox]

It seems to me that they may as well stop selling liquor entirely. I can't imagine that the savings on a couple of bottles are worth standing in line at the end of your cruise, not to mention the weight in a suitcase. The only time that I've ever bought liquor on a cruise was a B2B. There's no way, even when we sail out of Baltimore and drive, that I'm waiting in a line to pick-up booze that I could save at most ten dollars a bottle on.

 

This is something that is highly personal, so to stay they "may as well stop selling liquor entirely" is a bit harsh. DW and I were just on Pride in August. We purchased 4 bottles for our home bar and had no issue picking them up the morning of debarkation. Maybe we got lucky, but if memory serves we didn't wait more than 5 minutes in line. We woke up, went to the buffet for breakfast, stopped in Butterflies (I think this is where they distributed it on Pride, but I'm not 100%) to pick up our bottles and went back to the room. We had FTTF and having to pick up liquor the morning we left still did not keep us from debarking with the rest of the FTTF/priority debarkation crowd.

[WindsorFred]

[quote name='absolutonrox']This is something that is highly personal, so to stay they "may as well stop selling liquor entirely" is a bit harsh. DW and I were just on Pride in August. We purchased 4 bottles for our home bar and had no issue picking them up the morning of debarkation. Maybe we got lucky, but if memory serves we didn't wait more than 5 minutes in line. We woke up, went to the buffet for breakfast, stopped in Butterflies (I think this is where they distributed it on Pride, but I'm not 100%) to pick up our bottles and went back to the room. We had FTTF and having to pick up liquor the morning we left still did not keep us from debarking with the rest of the FTTF/priority debarkation crowd.[/QUOTE]

Good to know.

[lovebears]

Thanks for the good information about timing for picking up liquor.

[seattleny]

We sailed a couple of years back and went on b2b and went to gift shop nite before the end of our 1st cruise & took the liquor back to our cabin - store was VERY busy. & enjoyed those bottles on the 2nd leg of our cruise.

[tandemcruzr]

[quote name='seattleny']We sailed a couple of years back and went on b2b and went to gift shop nite before the end of our 1st cruise & took the liquor back to our cabin - store was VERY busy. & enjoyed those bottles on the 2nd leg of our cruise.[/quote]

Us too, but they recently changed the rules. :(

[WindsorFred]

[quote name='tandemcruzr']Us too, but they recently changed the rules. :([/QUOTE]

As of July 2015.

[dd2355]

Seems like the new rules would be easy enough to get around; make friends with some non-B2B folks on board or via a Roll Call and go with them to buy stuff the last night. They buy the bottles, you hand them cash to cover the cost plus a little for the inconvenience.

Not having done a B2B myself, what wouldn't work with that? Edited October 6, 2015 by dd2355

[kteachcruiser52]

[quote name='Cincicruiser']Just returned home from our B2B Conquest 9/13 & 9/21. We bought Vodka both on board & at port on the 8 day 9/13 leg. We were told to pick it up the last morning of the cruise 6-8:30 am in the dining rm. Went at 8 am and it was not available for pick up. It was being "held" in security until the end of our 2nd leg.
The last day of our b2b we again went to the dining room for pick up.[/QUOTE]

Sounds like they are enforcing their official policy.

[dd2355]

Yes, good point. In the event they're paying more attention than usual you bring 2+ bottles aboard, bag-checker notes the bottles & directs you to the table, you go there pulling [i]one[/i] bottle out to give them. I may just have to try that for the fun of it on my next sailing.

If they [b]truly[/b] wanted to enforce this stuff rather than merely dissuade the 90% who just go along with directions they'd start throwing violators off the ship. Eject one smuggler per cruise for a month or two and word would get around mighty quick. Edited October 7, 2015 by dd2355

[WindsorFred]

[quote name='ImANewfie']for someone who really wanted to have alcohol for the second leg, of course this would work. Your friends make the purchase, the leave with the alcohol because they got off ship in the morning. Once you leave, you cover their costs with cash and they hand you the bag. Simple

what i find even MORE simple is, the screening when you get on in ports of call. The screener will say please put alcohol at table to be picked up at end of cruise. The table is ALWAYS far removed from the screener, they do not ever have anyone enforcing that you actually go to the table, the screener is busy looking at the monitor screening others, and the lady or the gent at the table never questions anyone, half time is doing little to nothing, and its so simple to walk up over the stairs with your purchase. Simple

Please take alcohol over to table
ok
take your bag, walk past table if you have to but usually its not even in the path of walking anywhere
go up first flight of stairs for elevator if necessary

if they truly wanted to enforce this i believe they would have a second person between screener and table, to ensure you actually DO go over there.

I know people who have purchased wine / alcohol in every port for years, and years, doing as explained above, and not once, ever, were they stopped questioned or even looked at.[/QUOTE]

Might work.

[Canadian_J]

In our experience, we've always been able to walk right by the "confiscation table". Like others have said: the screeners don't communicate with the people at the tables, the table is never very close to the screening, and the people at the table never seem to be paying much attention.

[WindsorFred]

[quote name='Canadian_J']In our experience, we've always been able to walk right by the "confiscation table". Like others have said: the screeners don't communicate with the people at the tables, the table is never very close to the screening, and the people at the table never seem to be paying much attention.[/QUOTE]

Also good to know.

[Brighton Line]

[quote name='Canadian_J']In our experience, we've always been able to walk right by the "confiscation table". Like others have said: the screeners don't communicate with the people at the tables, the table is never very close to the screening, and the people at the table never seem to be paying much attention.[/QUOTE]

Ditto,and when the elevator area is crowded there is no way to know you went to the table.
Screeners are Security, Confiscator is House Keeping....
Heck the Poncho Seller (when it is raining) is from the Photo Dept.

LOL