buying liquor on board vs. smuggling

[newgirl]

I know this is a hot topic, but my question is this...

 

When I was on board, I was blown away by how inexpensive the liquor was in the Duty Free shop. Now, this could just be a function of my hometown liquor laws keeping the prices higher here. It just seems to me that it would be cheaper and more convenient to buy a bottle on board to keep in your room.

[Mom1977]

Sounds nice, but they won't let you. When you buy liquor on board, they take it from you in the store and return it the night before you leave the ship...so you CAN'T take it to the room with you.

[newgirl]

You know, now that you say that, it makes sense. We just thought they were being polite in offering to keep and deliver it. Their service was so good throughout the cruise it didn't occur to us it was a policy. Since we fell in love with the Fun Ship Cooler, from the bar, during the trip, it wasn't an issue.

 

Thanks for clearing that up, though!:)

[Kurbanfan]

I know this is a hot topic, but my question is this...

 

When I was on board, I was blown away by how inexpensive the liquor was in the Duty Free shop. Now, this could just be a function of my hometown liquor laws keeping the prices higher here. It just seems to me that it would be cheaper and more convenient to buy a bottle on board to keep in your room.

 

Your won't be smuggling any thing - Just put it in your checked luggage, it goes through the scanners just like carry on. They are aware what is in your check luggage. They just look the other way.:D

[rellersi]

I have read on a couple of other threads here that you CAN buy a bottle(s) for your room. Not as cheap as the duty free shop, slightly less than if you bought a bottle from room service at a hotel. You must call the Gift department and order prior to the cruise, and from what I read, not all Reps who answer the phone are aware that this is allowed and may tell you differently. I will still buy my drinks on board, so much easier than going back to the cabin whenever I need a drink, and for the most part cheaper than land based hotel bars any way

[Cotton]

I have read on a couple of other threads here that you CAN buy a bottle(s) for your room. Not as cheap as the duty free shop, slightly less than if you bought a bottle from room service at a hotel.

 

Rellersi - This is correct. You can call the Bon Voyage dept. at Carnival prior to your cruise and order bottles of liquor to be sent to your cabin. It's very expensive - or seems so to me. However, it may be worth it to some folks to not have to sneak the bottles on.:confused:

 

Kurban - It's not as simple as you make it sound. MANY times, the booze or beer is discovered in the checked luggage, and it is quite possible that it WILL be confiscated.

[LHP]

If I remember correctly, rum was about $40.00 for a liter where it runs about $20.00 for 1.75 liters at home. Now of course, if you are comparing it to the hotel services then it is less expensive than hotels...just more expensive than home.

[tigerdadky]

Just off the Elation and now the hold it till the morning of departure and u go to the library and pick it up, its cheap but u cant indulge while on the ship

[ohman4966]

I have read on a couple of other threads here that you CAN buy a bottle(s) for your room. Not as cheap as the duty free shop, slightly less than if you bought a bottle from room service at a hotel. You must call the Gift department and order prior to the cruise, and from what I read, not all Reps who answer the phone are aware that this is allowed and may tell you differently. I will still buy my drinks on board, so much easier than going back to the cabin whenever I need a drink, and for the most part cheaper than land based hotel bars any way

 

You can buy it through (just becuase of you) its a delivery service they charged me 40.00 for a case of beer not sure what a bottle is but you can call and find out, i ordered two and it was in my room by 6:00 sailing day and that was on April 1/06 on the triumph.

[Kurbanfan]

I

Kurban - It's not as simple as you make it sound. MANY times, the booze or beer is discovered in the checked luggage, and it is quite possible that it WILL be confiscated.

 

I was on the Victory 2003. When we received our luggage on board, I opened it and saw that someone had gone thru it. There was a letter letting me know they searched it. Seems when they ran it thru the scanner they saw what they thought was a weapon. It was a unbrella.

I had 2 bottles of rum inside. Guess what? they left it in there. They told us they run all checked luggage thru the scanner.

We have always brought on booze in our checked luggage on all our eight cruises since 1999. Never was confiscated. So chances are not very high that it will be confiscated. Also, everyone I have talked to have never had it confiscated from checked luggage

[caribbean dreams]

I must have been on a very relaxed ship, our last cruise, we bought our usual bottles of Cruzin rum and totally expected them to hold it, but they gave it to us right then, so we took it to our cabin and enjoyed.

after talking to other passengers, they all said the booze was given to the also.

 

 

[Cotton]

I must have been on a very relaxed ship, our last cruise, we bought our usual bottles of Cruzin rum and totally expected them to hold it, but they gave it to us right then, so we took it to our cabin and enjoyed.

after talking to other passengers, they all said the booze was given to the also.

 

On which cruiseline?

 

On Carnival, they DO allow you to take it to your cabin if you purchase it on the last evening. If you mean earlier in the cruise, then this is the VERY FIRST post I've seen that said that...and I've been on this board for almost four years.

[Kurbanfan]

On which cruiseline?

 

On Carnival, they DO allow you to take it to your cabin if you purchase it on the last evening. If you mean earlier in the cruise, then this is the VERY FIRST post I've seen that said that...and I've been on this board for almost four years.

 

They held onto it when we bought it in the stores on board til the last nite. Also, we have bought lots in port and they never took it away from us. We ran it thru the scanner and took it right up to our cabin.

[Katlan]

Since we fell in love with the Fun Ship Cooler, from the bar

 

hmmm ...this sounds interesting ... what exactly IS a Fun Ship cooler?

[VentureMan_2000]

I believe it is an soft ice chest cooler that comes with 4 beers, a couple of beer mugs, and a hat...

 

Sound right folks...?

[TinAngel]

I suspect that the cruise line "booze police" are in part solely due to the abuse of this substance by "teens". Just my theory. NCL "Red tagged" one of my bags last year: contained medical supplies for Roatan: IV bottles of Ringer's Lactate and Saline solution. They were suspecting I had "booze" Funny when I explained what was normal saline they said "what salt water" and well the guys were from another country.

 

My "issue" is ok: Carnival allows a nice bottle of bubbly or wine to be carried on, great, I have a fine French one that has dust on the bottle.

 

But do you not realize that in the Cat 12 suites there be stocked bars? So

if you pay the extra $800+ you get to "save" by having a suite?

 

The other aspect is the "booze police" have a "quota" trust me they are not working overtime to go after every bottle found. Just a theory, Joe

[Mom1977]

Tin Angel,

 

"But do you not realize that in the Cat 12 suites there be stocked bars? So

if you pay the extra $800+ you get to "save" by having a suite? "

 

They are stocked also in Cat 11, but you do realize, they aren't free! You have to pay for anything that is removed from the fridges!

[Kurbanfan]

Tin Angel,

 

"But do you not realize that in the Cat 12 suites there be stocked bars? So

if you pay the extra $800+ you get to "save" by having a suite? "

 

Didn't know that! but that's $800 more per person right? I don't think we could drink $1600.00 worth of booze:eek:

[TinAngel]

Yes,

 

I recall the bill may have covered the cokes in the fridge? Maybe but I know the hard stuff was not charged. The gin, vodka, etc. nor the celery sticks and tomato juice each morning.

 

The extra $ is not worth it to anyone except those who have big $ and those like us who have a few good years left and a secure retirement pension.:D

I think my booze bill was $400 for one cruise. On an Army cruise where I paid for the beers and such on pool deck. I had perhaps four beers a day.

 

:eek: Having been on a "troop ship" I refuse to be "below deck", just brings back memories of a few cruises that were really bad. Yes we had our rifles but no bullets!

 

We went on deck for "PT" Physical Training: yee gads! now they charge for this as a "health and fitness: service. Yes, some of the enlisted did sneak booze onboard, officers well was easier. Can you fantazise this: a battalion of men on a cruise to a lovely Southeast Asian port of call? But we still had the "booze police". :D To bad the military now flies all troops, well not all the USMC still cruises, and no cruise director and no "Fun Ship".

 

Trust me those Marines can sneak booze onboard always. "Semper Fi"

 

Doc

 

899 men on a cruise, no women, now they have such cruises.....and folks pay for them:eek:

[caribbean dreams]

On which cruiseline?

 

On Carnival, they DO allow you to take it to your cabin if you purchase it on the last evening. If you mean earlier in the cruise, then this is the VERY FIRST post I've seen that said that...and I've been on this board for almost four years.

 

It was Carnival Destiny last august, they were letting you take the booze to your rooms, when you boarded the ship from the ports, there was not even a table set up to check the liquor in 3 of the 4 ports.

I'm not saying this is a normal thing, because we have cruised Carnival alot and they have never done this before, i am saying it was some kind of fluke or test. Everyone on the ship was talking about it.

[gsb]

:D nt

[newgirl]

hmmm ...this sounds interesting ... what exactly IS a Fun Ship cooler?

 

It is the drink they were serving by the pool...it had rum, vodka, apricot brandy, amaretto and fruit punch...very tasty!

[Kaki321]

I called Carnival's Bon Voyage dept to order a bottle of Makers Mark for my husband, and they don't carry it :(. In fact, I didn't see it on the "bar" list either that I have seem posted from time to time.

 

I also understand that Well Wishers got busted recently, so I can't order from there.

 

I am not a liquor drinker, but looking on the bottle Makers Mark is a "kentucky straight bourbon whiskey". What other brands are comparable? Jack Daniels, Johnny Walker? I have no idea. Any ideas on what I can substitute? (yeah, I did ask my husband, he doesn't know)

 

Guess he can experiment with the mini bar, eh? :)

[wentworth]

We were also able to purchase liquor at the port terminal just before

entering the Destiny. They have a liquor store there and were giving out

samples. You then went inside, purchased whatever you wanted and

then entered the ship. First and only time on any of our 6 Carnival

Cruises could we just walk on board with liquor.

[gsb]

Jack Daniels would probably be a very good choice!

 

http://www.kentuckystraightbourbon.com/