Maybe We Made a Mistake...RCCL

[ElvisandTracey]

Let me tell you all, as a non-drinker, this thread is fascinating!!

 

I would never sacrifice the space in my suitcase to hold wine bottles-wine is rather nasty in my humble opinion.

 

If I wasted my space on wine bottles, where on earth would I pack all my shoes??

 

I am just amazed that people care so much about what they drink-

[Twaincruisers]

We like to drink micro-brews, wine, and a variety of mixed drinks, but we've never felt the need to bring our own booze to a cruise. We enjoy having drinks in the various bars and lounges on a ship. On shore, we carry a pack which holds everything we need or buy; sometimes the booze is confiscated, sometimes not. It is never a problem--except on NCL where they won't deliver it to you and make you pick it up on departure day! Seems a little strange that so many are so consumed with smuggling booze on a cruise.

[Travelgrrl]

Wow, The Other Chad, thanks for the nice words!

 

And I just have to say that though I'm usually a wine drinker, I've become a fan of Crown Royal recently - so that's what'll be in my suitcase for the Serenade next week - if you were there, I'd 'buy' you a drink!

 

(PS I do actually buy drinks on board too - and tip well - I'm not a total cheapskate!)

[mommabean]

Let me tell you all, as a non-drinker, this thread is fascinating!!

 

I would never sacrifice the space in my suitcase to hold wine bottles-wine is rather nasty in my humble opinion.

 

If I wasted my space on wine bottles, where on earth would I pack all my shoes??

 

I am just amazed that people care so much about what they drink-

 

I bring a completely separate bag to pack all my shoes. That frees up some space in my suitcase for my husband to pack "his" other 2 bottles of wine. That allowance is 2 bottles per person. :) 2 for him and 2 for him via me.

[tarheelmjfan]

I bring a completely separate bag to pack all my shoes. That frees up some space in my suitcase for my husband to pack "his" other 2 bottles of wine. That allowance is 2 bottles per person. :) 2 for him and 2 for him via me.

 

So, you're saying my DH & I can each bring 2 bottles onboard? As I mentioned in another thread, we enjoy having Ice Wine with dessert. The cruise lines don't offer anything similar. We've never had a problem carrying on as much as we wanted on X. This is w/o smuggling. :p We can order off the wine list for dinner, but will be disappointed if we can't bring on our Ice Wine. It's a vacation treat for us. 4 bottles would be more than enough. :)

 

On a side note, does anyone really think those people who became so inebriated they lost control of their faculties were drinking wine? Just a thought.

[vickiw0318]

As someone who now hangs out with "Bill W." while cruising, I can guarantee you that wine drinkers can get into a whole lot of trouble!

[caviargal]

Let me tell you all, as a non-drinker, this thread is fascinating!!

 

I would never sacrifice the space in my suitcase to hold wine bottles-wine is rather nasty in my humble opinion.

 

If I wasted my space on wine bottles, where on earth would I pack all my shoes??

 

I am just amazed that people care so much about what they drink-

 

As someone who appreciates both fine wine and great shoes, I can say that I have always been able to make room for both.:)

 

It is not so much of saving money as preferring to drink wines we enjoy. The mark up on RCI is, IMO, excessive, and I am always happy to pay a fair corkage.

 

For this weekend, it will be 5 pair of shoes and 4 bottles of wine.:D

[cruisinmon]

I always (3 cruises) have brought a bottle of Tequila, 12 pack of Heineken and 12 pack of Diet Pepsi in a "utility" suitcase. I dont believe ANY of my luggage has ever been OPENED much less anything removed. I personally dont see how they can inspect all of the bags in such a short time.

[theotherchad]

Wow, The Other Chad, thanks for the nice words!

 

And I just have to say that though I'm usually a wine drinker, I've become a fan of Crown Royal recently - so that's what'll be in my suitcase for the Serenade next week - if you were there, I'd 'buy' you a drink!

 

(PS I do actually buy drinks on board too - and tip well - I'm not a total cheapskate!)

 

When you're right, you're right! And I'm the same way. I don't really bring the liquor on board because I'm cheap. I do it for convenience. On our first two cruises (our only two, so far), my DW and I have developed a little routine, particularly on sea days. After the day's activities, (pool, rock wall, whatever) we go back to the room around 4 p.m. or so, take a little nap (we're not that old, we just stay up late to party at the Viking Crown and rise early to eat breakfast with friends in the Windjammer) and then shower and get ready for dinner.

I'm generally done in about 20 minutes, and while she finishes her hair and makeup, I look over the day's Cruise Compass and we talk about what we plan to do for the evening, before, and/or after dinner. While we do that, I like to have a pre-dinner/pre-show cocktail, and if I went up to one of the lounges to get that drink, I couldn't have the conversation with my wife.

That's pretty much the only drink I have that I don't get from a RCCL Bartender.

Granted, I know of people who bring big bottles, beer, wine, etc. and hardly ever buy a drink onboard, but I think those are the exception to the rule. RCCL for the most part will continue to let people do whatever they want to do, as long as they're not too blatant about it. And I'm perfectly happy with the status quo.

I like their policy on drunks too, as nearly as I can figure it out. I've seen people stumbling and slurring their words. They generally leave these people alone if they're not bothering anyone. I've also seen a very drunk young woman on the pool deck who was being loud and obnoxious and bugging people as she staggered around. She was quietly and quickly escorted off the pool deck by a couple of deck patrol guys, presumably to her cabin where she was politely asked to please sleep it off for a while. I did hear later that there may have been some indication that she (a very attractive young woman in a fairly small bikini) may have been about to put on a rather non-family friendly show when they intercepted her.

I saw her later in the cruise and she seemed much more subdued.

I can also testify that the deck patrol, while fairly unobtrusive, are watching very carefully. If you don't believe me, try this experiment. The sell glass bottles of Corona and Dos Equis at the pool bar. Say hi to Paul, the bartender for me, buy yourself one of those beers and go over and sit in the pool or the hot tub with your glass bottle, which is not allowed in the pool or hot tub. Time them. If they are not at your side with a smile and a plastic mug to pour your beer into, explaining that glass isn't allowed in those areas, within 90 seconds, call me and I'll pay for that beer. ;)

If they are paying attention that closely to the glass bottles, believe me, they're paying attention to whatever else is going on out there. It makes me feel much safer, even if it is a bit emabarrasing to be told you're a rule breaker!:D

[mommabean]

So, you're saying my DH & I can each bring 2 bottles onboard? As I mentioned in another thread, we enjoy having Ice Wine with dessert. The cruise lines don't offer anything similar. We've never had a problem carrying on as much as we wanted on X. This is w/o smuggling. :p We can order off the wine list for dinner, but will be disappointed if we can't bring on our Ice Wine. It's a vacation treat for us. 4 bottles would be more than enough. :)

 

On a side note, does anyone really think those people who became so inebriated they lost control of their faculties were drinking wine? Just a thought.

 

And I believe we actually brought 6 bottles on board for a 7 night cruise - didn't smuggle them. We just separated them 2 by 2 so they would be properly padded. The other 2 for my husband "belonged" to my 18 year old daughter who is permitted beer and wine should we allow it.

 

No one opened the bags. No one asked who they all belonged to.

 

That is 2 bottles per person. Sometimes we were charged the corkage fee, other times not.

 

Ships can't carry the greatest selections of wine. The movements the ship makes aren't so good for storage of better quality wines.

 

I'm sure RCI has rules so that should the need arise, they can have reason to enforce them. A normal family who isn't getting carried away or behaving oddly isn't of concern to them no matter how many bottles are carried on.

 

I admit our 6 wine carry on was 2 years ago. We didn't take wine when we had to fly to Vancouver to go on the ship. Airlines are violent with luggage. We'll see what happens when we leave from a local port again in August. I'm sure my husband will want to take some of his own.

 

I'm thinking of packing my own little bottle of Crown Royal....smuggling! :p

[DAVIDB1123]

My wife and I sailed on the Splendour last year in the Mediterranean and it was HORRIBLE! I can honestly say that the quality of food on this ship was FAR BELOW even standards set by Denny's!:eek: We have been on many cruises and this was the frist cruise that I have actually lost weight on. I looked forward to going into port just to have a descent meal. Not someone that is a picky eater...it was just horrible!

 

Something about the ambiance and the feel of the Ship...was just not right. We loved the Mediterranean Ports of call...but would NEVER go on the Splendour again.

 

But if you are worried about bringing alcohol on board...more people do it than you probably think and get away with it...including US!;)

[tarheelmjfan]

I admit our 6 wine carry on was 2 years ago. We didn't take wine when we had to fly to Vancouver to go on the ship. Airlines are violent with luggage. We'll see what happens when we leave from a local port again in August. I'm sure my husband will want to take some of his own.

 

 

We've flown from Florida to San Diego & Vancouver with wine in our carry on. We had no problems at all.

[mommabean]

We've flown from Florida to San Diego & Vancouver with wine in our carry on. We had no problems at all.

And we always thought wine would be considered a flammable liquid and not be allowed to carry that much on board. Really, we don't want to carry on that much weight. We could have bought some wine in Vancouver and packed it then I suppose. I think we just tried to travel without being our usual wine snob selves. :)

 

My sister did carry on her pointed hair cutting shears in Atlanta once - forgetting they were in her bag and no one noticed. I recently flew with my long pointy metal nail file - a Diamond Deb for the ladies who use one and know of them - and no one noticed it was in my purse. I also forgot until I got home.

 

No wonder they allow flammable liquids.

 

I did see a display once in an airport about what isn't allowed on the plane. Of all things, they showed a weed eater. Oh darn, I wanted to take mine with me next time. :rolleyes:

[vickiw0318]

Darn! No weedeaters? I was sure mine would come in handy on the glaciers in Alaska.

[wrp96]

Darn! No weedeaters? I was sure mine would come in handy on the glaciers in Alaska.

 

Maybe you could take your chainsaw instead.;)

[madelinerose]

You're a non-drinker...this is a non-issue for you.

 

Let me tell you all, as a non-drinker, this thread is fascinating!!II am just amazed that people care so much about what they drink-

[i15swguy]

Recently off the Radiance, Hawaii. I purchased wine and liquor in port, put it in my carry-on and there was never a confiscation. Does Holiday Inn take your wine away at check in? Cruise lines that take your personal property need to be avoided. Stand up for your rights!

[caviargal]

Recently off the Radiance, Hawaii. I purchased wine and liquor in port, put it in my carry-on and there was never a confiscation. Does Holiday Inn take your wine away at check in? Cruise lines that take your personal property need to be avoided. Stand up for your rights!

 

If a line has a published policy and you choose to sail that line, you have no "rights" that are in direct conflict with that policy.

 

If it is important to me to bring wine aboard, which it is, I choose a line who allows it by policy.

 

It is RCI's right to enforce their own policy.

[vickiw0318]

It seems to me that there are a lot of "for profit" venues that don't allow customers to bring in their own supplies of whatever. I was at a local music festival last weekend and you couldn't bring in any outside food, alcohol, soft drinks or water. And, yes, they were checking purses and folding chairs to make sure you didn't.

[parrotthead]

Will the fact that you can or cannot drink a particular type of wine ruin your overall cruise experience? It seems like a minor issue to me.

This is what I was thinking too...heck , I can stay home and drink what ever wine I want,..But, I want to Cruise, so Im ok with buying my Champagne form them...Sure its more expensive, they are a business...do you take your own booze to a restrurant???

[caviargal]

This is what I was thinking too...heck , I can stay home and drink what ever wine I want,..But, I want to Cruise, so Im ok with buying my Champagne form them...Sure its more expensive, they are a business...do you take your own booze to a restrurant???

 

Actually, sometimes we do and are happy to pay a corkage there as well.

 

Oenophiles are particular about their wines. RCI has a fairly pedestrian wine list with some better bottles in the specialty restaurants. I can pay 25 in the store plus corkage for the same wine they sell for over 100 on board. Why wouldn't I do that?

 

A good bottle of wine is a pleasure for some of us.

[parrotthead]

Actually, sometimes we do and are happy to pay a corkage there as well.

 

Oenophiles are particular about their wines. RCI has a fairly pedestrian wine list with some better bottles in the specialty restaurants. I can pay 25 in the store plus corkage for the same wine they sell for over 100 on board. Why wouldn't I do that?

 

A good bottle of wine is a pleasure for some of us.

Where I live you can not bring your own alcohol into restaurants...Nor into the concert venues, nor amusiment parks, you have to buy theirs if you want to drink...and thats the rules, so Im ok with it...but, thats just me.

[Erie Dave]

I enjoy wine, beer, and the occasional mixed drink. After reading this thread for a few days, a thought keeps coming to me. Could I go a whole week without my preferred brand of beer? wine? vodka? Well of course I could!!!!!

In my humble opinion, if you can't go a week without your Budweiser, or Sutter Home or it will kill you, I think you have much bigger issues to face. Doesn't this whole thread boil back down to smuggling booze on board to save money? Yes it does----if you say it doesn't, you are simply trying to justify it to yourself, the rest of us don't buy it. If you can't face a week without your brand, or need to consume such large quantities that you need to smuggle it on board to afford the volume, you may have a problem!

By the way, anyone notice the OP with 2 posts has not been back?

[Travelgrrl]

It's not volume, I'm just cheap. I admit it!

 

I DO buy a few foo foo drinks on board, or sometimes wine with dinner, and I tip really well when I do.

 

And I never drink sitting around at home (unless I had a guest over for dinner, and then some wine).

 

But yeah, it's nice to have a bottle of something in the room, for convenience sake too, to have a drink before dinner.

 

My name is Travelgrrl and I have a problem. I like to take 5 trips a year, so I am cheap!

[Cruising89143]

I enjoy wine, beer, and the occasional mixed drink. After reading this thread for a few days, a thought keeps coming to me. Could I go a whole week without my preferred brand of beer? wine? vodka? Well of course I could!!!!!

In my humble opinion, if you can't go a week without your Budweiser, or Sutter Home or it will kill you, I think you have much bigger issues to face. Doesn't this whole thread boil back down to smuggling booze on board to save money? Yes it does----if you say it doesn't, you are simply trying to justify it to yourself, the rest of us don't buy it. If you can't face a week without your brand, or need to consume such large quantities that you need to smuggle it on board to afford the volume, you may have a problem!

By the way, anyone notice the OP with 2 posts has not been back?

 

Personally I think that the cruise lines should stop all beverages being brought aboard. If you can afford the cruise then you can afford to buy the drinks. I can't see it killing anyone to have to drink something different for one week. Nothing like seeing Ellie Mae and Jethro rolling a hard sided cooler full of drinks up the gangway!!!!!:eek: