Bringing Soda & Water at Embarkation

[VMax1700]

8 hours ago, neuronbob said:

handed them to the porters on boarding, tipped the porters 🙂 , and they delivered them to our cabin,

The porters do not deliver the bags etc to the cabin.  The porters only load the cages and put them shore side.  It is the cabin stewards who deliver the bags to the cabins.

 

If HAL say to carry on your water and soda why is it not possible for you to abide by their request?

 

[catl331]

8 hours ago, neuronbob said:

I plan to do the same when I arrive to Nieuw Amsterdam in a month.

Please don't. I once had a suitcase pull-up handle mechanism broken by having too much weight on it in the cage that is used to put them on the ship. Have consideration for people whose luggage will get soaked if your water gets crushed.

Edited February 19, 2020 by catl331

[DivotMaker]

48 minutes ago, VMax1700 said:

 

If HAL say to carry on your water and soda why is it not possible for you to abide by their request?

 

Where do they say that?  I’m not saying it’s not in their policy but I genuinely want to know as I cannot find it.  And FWIW, we would always carry our own on board as I personally don’t think it’s right to risk damaging someone else’s luggage or its contents.  

[*Miss G*]

36 minutes ago, DivotMaker said:

Where do they say that?  I’m not saying it’s not in their policy but I genuinely want to know as I cannot find it.  And FWIW, we would always carry our own on board as I personally don’t think it’s right to risk damaging someone else’s luggage or its contents.  

 

Do you have a copy of your boarding document?  I think it might be in there.  I know they specify alcohol has to be carried on in the Know Before You Go but it doesn’t specifically mention non-alcoholic beverages.  The cruise contract alludes to it:

 

 

[DivotMaker]

9 minutes ago, *Miss G* said:

 

Do you have a copy of your boarding document?  I think it might be in there.  I know they specify alcohol has to be carried on in the Know Before You Go but it doesn’t specifically mention non-alcoholic beverages.  The cruise contract alludes to it:

 

 

 

Thanks Miss G, we don't set sail until June, so I was really just curious.  But I still think it's prudent for guests to carry their own beverages aboard.  I just wish HAL would be more obvious about this requirement as some will continue to force porters/crew to carry it on board without explicit guidelines indicating it's not allowed.

[T8NCruise]

If you ask the question of HAL, or on HAL's facebook page, you will get the response that water and soda should be carried on board.

[DivotMaker]

I don't disagree, but, as shown in other posts on this board, there will always be people who will only go by what's in writing and in official policy, so if it's not there they believe they are free to have porters/crew carry their water/soda on board for them.

[VMax1700]

As far as I remember it is printed on the first page of the boarding documents.

[neuronbob]

To be honest, I wasn’t aware there was a policy until I read this thread.  I certainly had no idea that it was such a hot topic for some.  I’m here to learn, I certainly just learned something, and I appreciate the knowledge.  🙂

[neuronbob]

19 hours ago, VMax1700 said:

As far as I remember it is printed on the first page of the boarding documents.

I just looked at my boarding documents.  No policy there.

[VMax1700]

5 hours ago, neuronbob said:

I just looked at my boarding documents.  No policy there.

Ok, maybe it is the wine policy that is stated on the boarding docs.

[catl331]

4 hours ago, VMax1700 said:

Ok, maybe it is the wine policy that is stated on the boarding docs.

No, that's not in the edocs either.  KnowBeforeYouGo has the only written description:

[GRACECRUISE]

Lesson learned....quite a few years ago someone on our floor brought cans of beer on in a duffel.  My luggage can in and smelled of beer.  In the laundry room was a beer soaked duffel bag with some busted cans of beer.  Found it when I did a load of laundry while unpacking.  Not something I planned to do.  Luckily nothing ruined.

[TAD2005]

The basic reason for the carry on policy is because with an x-ray of your luggage, HAL security cannot clearly determine if you have 24 can of coke or 24 cans of beer.   So, there is extra time and effort once the bags are delivered to the cargo hold of the ship to determine if you are smuggling cans of beer.   But there is also the common sense reasoning and respect for other passengers luggage.   In most ports, the shore side porters will happily take your cash and put your cases of water or soda into the huge luggage steel cages along with everyone's luggage.  Those cages are delivered by fork lift to the cargo hold of the ship.  That is where the local port employees (porters) responsibility ends.  If your bag with a lot of soda, sitting out in the hot sun, happens to be near the bottom of the cage, it will have hundreds of pounds of luggage squashing your hot cans of soda or plastic bottles of water.  If those cans or bottles rupture, your soda will be soaked into every passenger's bags that are unfortunate enough to be under your soda bag.  

Short story...Don't do it.   Be respectful for your fellow passengers.   Buy a small amount and carry it on.  Then in subsequent ports, buy more and carry it on.   There's no restrictions to bringing soda and water onboard in any port.

[neuronbob]

4 hours ago, TAD2005 said:

The basic reason for the carry on policy is because with an x-ray of your luggage, HAL security cannot clearly determine if you have 24 can of coke or 24 cans of beer.   So, there is extra time and effort once the bags are delivered to the cargo hold of the ship to determine if you are smuggling cans of beer.   But there is also the common sense reasoning and respect for other passengers luggage.   In most ports, the shore side porters will happily take your cash and put your cases of water or soda into the huge luggage steel cages along with everyone's luggage.  Those cages are delivered by fork lift to the cargo hold of the ship.  That is where the local port employees (porters) responsibility ends.  If your bag with a lot of soda, sitting out in the hot sun, happens to be near the bottom of the cage, it will have hundreds of pounds of luggage squashing your hot cans of soda or plastic bottles of water.  If those cans or bottles rupture, your soda will be soaked into every passenger's bags that are unfortunate enough to be under your soda bag.  

Short story...Don't do it.   Be respectful for your fellow passengers.   Buy a small amount and carry it on.  Then in subsequent ports, buy more and carry it on.   There's no restrictions to bringing soda and water onboard in any port.

 

Thank you for the thorough explanation.  Best explanation in this thread.  Again, I had no idea.  Still relatively new to cruising and still learning "do's and don'ts".

 

You rock and thanks for the teaching, I owe you a cold beer if I meet you on a ship.

[Seasick Sailor]

18 hours ago, catl331 said:

No, that's not in the edocs either.  KnowBeforeYouGo has the only written description:

 

Hi Catl331, A somewhat shorter version is actually printed on your luggage tags.

[catl331]

50 minutes ago, Seasick Sailor said:

Hi Catl331, A somewhat shorter version is actually printed on your luggage tags.

That must be what VMax was thinking of. I never noticed that! Thanks

[VMax1700]

48 minutes ago, catl331 said:

That must be what VMax was thinking of. I never noticed that! Thanks

Yes that is the bit I remember.  Now I can stop searching through my 'Recycle Bin' trying to find past boarding passes.