Beer?

[Sunshine91]

Like dark beers/micro brews.. Do they offer anything like Sam Adams ,Bass Ale,or New Castle??:rolleyes:

 

Mmmmmm. Yum yum. Love my New Castle. Don't remember seeing anything that good or interesting on-board. (Hence the Coors Light).

 

I remember drinking some Red Stripe. Oh, wait. I think that was at a bar in Tortola. Sorry.

[bruce-r]

Cop, and if I wear suspenders? The air we breathe is only about 2% o 2...

You aren't even close to correct. The air we breath is 21% oxygen, almost 79% nitrogen, with the rest just trace amounts of helium, argon, and a few other more exotic gases.

 

Not that it is important that you are accurate or not, it is just typical of your posts in general.

[cruisinbulldog]

Mmmmmm. Yum yum. Love my New Castle. Don't remember seeing anything that good or interesting on-board. (Hence the Coors Light).

 

I remember drinking some Red Stripe. Oh, wait. I think that was at a bar in Tortola. Sorry.

 

You would think that with the restrictions they put on us as far as bringing brews onto the ship they would at least offer us some selection..Not just Bud or Bud Light!!:(

[PRINSENDAM]

 

 

What about if you pick up a six pack of local carribean brew? Will they strip search you when you return from a shore excursion?

 

 

John,

 

I just had a reply back from STATENDAM regarding the alcohol policy. Beer is NOT allowd to be brought on board. Simple as that. If you do... like any other alcohol other than wine & champagne, it will be taken and held for you until the end of the cruise.

 

I thought they used to allow wine AND beer but as I not above, beer is now NOT allowed.

 

I guess this also answers teh question about bringing along a large cooler at embarkation. Waste of time.

 

Stephen

[PRINSENDAM]

Steven, yes, I'm certain. OK, not certain enough to bet the amount I'm paying for my next cruise ;) , but certain.

No alcohol except for wine and champagne (sparkling wine in all it's forms).

 

 

Ruth,

 

You should have made the bet! You could have paid for another cruise.:)

 

STATENDAM Neptune Lounge confirmed your information. Thanks.

 

Stephen

[kevdmeyer]

:D Bruce

[JLC@SD]

If Coors Light, Coors, Bud and Corona are the only choices I have no other choice than to try and bring some good beer on board. ie Fosters, Bass or Warsteiner.

 

What about if you pick up a six pack of local carribean brew? Will they strip search you when you return from a shore excursion?

 

They do not have to stripsearch you.........the little cans will show up on the xray machine that everytheng goes through when you reboard......:)

[Oceanwench]

I have always been disappointed that HAL does not stock dark beer.

 

I saw some young guys take on a 12-pack of beer in St. Thomas when I was on the Zuiderdam last year.

They just put it in a beach bag -- it was obvious to me, behind them in line, what they had.

They were not stopped, and the beer was not confiscated.

They were high-fiving their success on the elevator.

[johnef]

I can imagine the celebration of "beating the man".

 

Thanks all!

[Copper10-8]

I can imagine the celebration of "beating the man".

 

Thanks all!

 

Ah yes, but sometimes "the man" has the last word and then it becomes "crying in the beer";)

[Oceanwench]

I guess in this situation, their beach bag worked just as well as a Samsonite suitcase! :D

[Chivalrygirl]

John,

 

I just had a reply back from STATENDAM regarding the alcohol policy. Beer is NOT allowd to be brought on board. Simple as that. If you do... like any other alcohol other than wine & champagne, it will be taken and held for you until the end of the cruise.

 

I thought they used to allow wine AND beer but as I not above, beer is now NOT allowed.

 

I guess this also answers teh question about bringing along a large cooler at embarkation. Waste of time.

 

Stephen

 

Thats more than interesting Stephen , Statendam did not confiscate any beer that we or anybody that we knew took on board. Mind you they were not always doing the screening themselves it was being done ashore. We came to the conclusion also that the security guys really didn't give a "DAM".

Val

[u4ea]

Yes, what is on paper is one thing, but if you are discreet, it is ok. I've brought on many a local beer, and NEVER had a problem. Stephen, enjoyed your paintings on my most recent voyage on the Noordam IV.

Mark...

[PRINSENDAM]

Thats more than interesting Stephen , Statendam did not confiscate any beer that we or anybody that we knew took on board. Mind you they were not always doing the screening themselves it was being done ashore. We came to the conclusion also that the security guys really didn't give a "DAM".

Val

 

 

Val, In which ports was the screening done ashore? The xray machine is on board and everything passes through it.... and the passengers walk through a metal detector. There may well be screening ashore like in Vancouver, San Francisco, Long Beach etc. If you remember Honolulu... everyone was screened inside the terminal building as well as coming back on board.

 

If you got beer on board without anyone saying anything then you just got lucky that's all.

 

The OP asked what the policy was regarding beer and the answer I gave it the correct one. I'd hate to encourage someone to bring beer on board only to have them confiscate it at the gangway.

 

Stephen

[PRINSENDAM]

Yes, what is on paper is one thing, but if you are discreet, it is ok. I've brought on many a local beer, and NEVER had a problem. Stephen, enjoyed your paintings on my most recent voyage on the Noordam IV.

Mark...

 

Mark,

 

Thanks your kind comments... and I'm sure you enjoyed NOORDAM.

 

I was under the impression that beer was permitted to be brought on board but when Ruth said that is wasn't I checked with the STATENDAM to find out and they confirmed that it wasn't. Might be a recent change in policy I don't know.

 

Personally I think that if you want to stop people bringing cheap alcohol on board.... spirits, wine or beer the correct way to tackle the problem is to make the price so attractive that no one would bother to waste their time ashore searching for less expensive booze than can be purchased on board.

 

Example.... a bottle of duty free might cost say... $30 ashore.... perhaps five or ten dollars lower than what is paid in the duty free shop on board. The bottle is brought on board and put into storage until the end of the cruise. If the ship was to lower their price to the same or even a bit lower than ashore where do you think the passengers would make their purchase? On the ship of course! It isn't rocket science.

 

Cruise lines lower the price of a cruise fare in order to attact customers but then miss out on the sales of duty free by charging more than what is available ashore.

 

Likewise the prices of wines on board. Borderline extortion! The prices could be cut by 50% and they would still make money. In the dining room every evening I'm always amazed to see the number of tables without wine. I know damn well the majority of passengers drink... in varying amounts so the only reason why they don't order wine is most likely to be the high cost. I tried to explain to the Cellar Master on the STATENDAM that it was lointless trying to push $100 to $200 bottles of wine to passengers every night on a 28 day cruise. I explained that on a long cruise... or even on shorter cruises, wine with dinner is supposed to be enjoyable but that doessn't mean every night is a 'celebration' dinner where one might purchase a higher priced wine. If they were to offer bottles of wine in the $15 to $20 range they would make a real killing. It can be done because on Saga Cruises there are wines available for less than that on their wine list and at night in the dining room almost every table will have wine. Check out their website www.sagacruises.co.uk they list all of their bar prices and duty free prices on board their ships. Price includes gratuity. I even have a notice here from a recent cruise in the SAGA RUBY.... Happy Hour in ALL Saga Ruby Bard... 6 pm to 8pm.... drink are one pound... about US$1.65 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Stephen

[Chivalrygirl]

Val, In which ports was the screening done ashore? The xray machine is on board and everything passes through it.... and the passengers walk through a metal detector. There may well be screening ashore like in Vancouver, San Francisco, Long Beach etc. If you remember Honolulu... everyone was screened inside the terminal building as well as coming back on board.

 

If you got beer on board without anyone saying anything then you just got lucky that's all.

 

The OP asked what the policy was regarding beer and the answer I gave it the correct one. I'd hate to encourage someone to bring beer on board only to have them confiscate it at the gangway.

 

Stephen

 

Stephen

You are absolutely correct that is what all HAL's material suggests, but we did not flaunt it in their faces either, just 1/2 doz beers at a time or maybe once 1 doz. Yep it was the ports you have listed, but I can't remember being screened twice in Honolulu, I was shattered by the time I got back to the ship, my man walked me rather some distance, it was getting late and it was dark and wet and hot, I hink I was zoombiefied on that occasion however, we did visit Walmart in Honolulu and that is where we bought the dozen beers. I think like the other lady says as long as you don't flaunt it, they let it go. Maybe someone trying to bring a trolley load on would be very obvious and again I suppose its personal choice if you want to risk it eh!

I really have no idea whether HAL have contracted out the security or not, but someone did suggest this was the case, and that they were more relaxed about the alcohol policy. The strangest look I got reboarding the ship (and there is a long saga attached to this) was when in Ketchikan I returned to the ship with a six pack of beautiful New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, I suppose the "Old girl" with her six pack of wine did look amusing to the young bucks at security. Because when I returned with my man at San Fran and he was carrying a six pack of NZ SB, no one was in the slightest bit interested.

Golly look at the time its almost 4.30 here, very close to the SB hour so I better go get me wine glass at the ready. :-)

Cheers

Val

[Chivalrygirl]

Stephe

How eloquently you have said what all the Aussies and Kiwis were saying on board. We came home with a heap of USD in our pockets, we were happy to purchase on board but we drew the line at out right exortion. My man sometimes drinks Heineken. I rang room service for 1/2 doz, it cost ust $US18. ashore in Long Beach in a drug store we bought 1 doz for $US14. I wrote my feelings on our survey form, the fact that quite literally we stopped spending money on board for that very reason, in my wildest dreams I never imagined that the prices would be so high on board for alcohol in particular. Five weeks at sea and I only had one of my precious Pina Coladas :-(

[AAAAmerican]

It was..

 

Prior times when cruising was that.. alcohol was affordable and bought aboard.

 

 

Then the greed (\:mad:/) and need came in ..building of Billion Dollar Ship (s) $1,000,000,000.00

 

The ms Noordam IV has vendors which supplies the stores aboard..which do PRICE MATCH as they say they do Guarantee It too.. not to be undersold for Tobacco and/or Alcohol ...

 

But the burden of the Proof is on the Cruise Guest as it should be.. I saw a big difference even in the Tax/Duty Free in St. Thomas USVI in the Jack Daniels Blue Label and Johny Walker Blue Label as well.. They did Price Match!

 

US Citizens are able to bring more back from the USVI than other stops in Ports. And so far thats the Lowest Cost I have seen and/or found for purchase. St.Maarten (Dutch), Antilles is lower in some items as well.

 

Your so very correct if the Ships and C Lines Lowered the prices they would sell more wines and Duty Free again..Revenue Generation in itself is not that important then to them.. ..

 

Here in NJ, a Massacusetts based Food Store Chain has $2.00 Two Dollar Wines which are great table wines.. if C Lines sold table wines then they would UpSell other wines once people had them more and would be a Normalcy not a Luxury...

 

Remember when the STeaks used to be a nice Three Inch Cut and PRIME...

 

Grain and Hay fed Cattle/Steers do taste different.

 

Cruise Lines could charge More and have the increased perception of Quality with a Concience for the Cruise Guest Consumer once again and people would pay a premium for it too.. know they had quality not just the word spelling it in ads...

 

Remeber the Real Cheese Cakes they used to make? They had as in any basic place an easy recipe which at the most uses about 1 tsp of flour.. on Cruise Ships to save money , but HALT QUALITY, they use it as a filler...

 

Even compare a basic Frozen Food Grocery Store Brand of Cream Cheese Cake to Any SHIPS... No we are not talking about Horse Cheese either..that would be too expensive for most ships...

 

Use that as a Ratio Grading Basis...:cool:

 

 

 

Mark,

 

Thanks your kind comments... and I'm sure you enjoyed NOORDAM.

 

I was under the impression that beer was permitted to be brought on board but when Ruth said that is wasn't I checked with the STATENDAM to find out and they confirmed that it wasn't. Might be a recent change in policy I don't know.

 

Personally I think that if you want to stop people bringing cheap alcohol on board.... spirits, wine or beer the correct way to tackle the problem is to make the price so attractive that no one would bother to waste their time ashore searching for less expensive booze than can be purchased on board.

 

Example.... a bottle of duty free might cost say... $30 ashore.... perhaps five or ten dollars lower than what is paid in the duty free shop on board. The bottle is brought on board and put into storage until the end of the cruise. If the ship was to lower their price to the same or even a bit lower than ashore where do you think the passengers would make their purchase? On the ship of course! It isn't rocket science.

 

Cruise lines lower the price of a cruise fare in order to attact customers but then miss out on the sales of duty free by charging more than what is available ashore.

 

Likewise the prices of wines on board. Borderline extortion! The prices could be cut by 50% and they would still make money. In the dining room every evening I'm always amazed to see the number of tables without wine. I know damn well the majority of passengers drink... in varying amounts so the only reason why they don't order wine is most likely to be the high cost. I tried to explain to the Cellar Master on the STATENDAM that it was lointless trying to push $100 to $200 bottles of wine to passengers every night on a 28 day cruise. I explained that on a long cruise... or even on shorter cruises, wine with dinner is supposed to be enjoyable but that doessn't mean every night is a 'celebration' dinner where one might purchase a higher priced wine. If they were to offer bottles of wine in the $15 to $20 range they would make a real killing. It can be done because on Saga Cruises there are wines available for less than that on their wine list and at night in the dining room almost every table will have wine. Check out their website www.sagacruises.co.uk they list all of their bar prices and duty free prices on board their ships. Price includes gratuity. I even have a notice here from a recent cruise in the SAGA RUBY.... Happy Hour in ALL Saga Ruby Bard... 6 pm to 8pm.... drink are one pound... about US$1.65 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Stephen

[Copper10-8]

Stephen

I really have no idea whether HAL have contracted out the security or not, but someone did suggest this was the case, and that they were more relaxed about the alcohol policy. The strangest look I got reboarding the ship (and there is a long saga attached to this) was when in Ketchikan I returned to the ship with a six pack of beautiful New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, I suppose the "Old girl" with her six pack of wine did look amusing to the young bucks at security. Because when I returned with my man at San Fran and he was carrying a six pack of NZ SB, no one was in the slightest bit interested.

 

Val, unless this changed very recently, HAL does not contract out security aboard their ships. There is one main guy, the ship's Security Officer, a two-striper. Then they have up to three-four, usually Filipino guys in HAL uniform with an "S" for "security" on their shoulder boards. Have also seen some Ghurka's on HAL once carrying out this function. (wouldn't want to pick a fight with those dudes and their kukris:eek: ) Those are the gents who "man" the x-ray and metal detector machines at the gangway when you come back aboard

The only "contract" security associated with a HAL cruise that I'm aware of are the guys and girls ashore inside the terminal when your first board your ship. Port security ashore, depending on what port/country you're at/in on any given day, can be anything from that country's military (Mexico and South America comes to mind), to local, state or federal police to private security and/or "rent a cops"

[Sunshine91]

Have also seen some Ghurka's on HAL once carrying out this function. (wouldn't want to pick a fight with those dudes and their kukris:eek: )

 

Copper - Ghurka? Kukris? 'Splain please. This blonde don't understand.

 

Thanks.

[Sunshine91]

Double vision.

[Copper10-8]

Copper - Ghurka? Kukris? 'Splain please. This blonde don't understand.

 

Thanks.

 

Gurkha's come from the high mountains of western Nepal. They've been part of the British Army for decades and have a fierce reputation. The Kukri is their fighting knive. Although small in stature these are men you don't want to mess with.

[Sunshine91]

Gurkha's come from the high mountains of western Nepal. They've been part of the British Army for decades and have a fierce reputation. The Kukri is their fighting knive. Although small in stature these are men you don't want to mess with.

 

Ah. Thanks muchly.

Sounds like the kind of guy you want on your side in a fight.

[Chivalrygirl]

John

Thats got to be the answer, the HAL security officer, liked us, quite often when we went ashore, for some strange reason we ran into him, I think he liked my stupid sense of humour, and I liked his. That has to be the reason why he let us pass with our six pack of Heiniken. lol One day while boarding the ship in Hawaii, wearing next to nothing it ws so damn hot, the security check went over the top a bit, big Hawaiin broads with a metal detector, what the hell we could have put under next to nothing beats me. As I passed security officer I asked him (bearing in mind I am rather on the other side of being a younin) would he like me to strip. He laughed his head off and then suggested we should have been on board about 7 months ago when the had a family of 7 with the name of Bin Laden!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Here is a bit of history, the Gurkha's played a huge part in the Battle of Monte Casino. They been around for a mighty long time.

[AAAAmerican]

I know Monte Casino well.

 

In Italy, south of Roma, the Polish Cemetary for all those fallen heroes. Americans also!

 

 

 

John

Thats got to be the answer, the HAL security officer, liked us, quite often when we went ashore, for some strange reason we ran into him, I think he liked my stupid sense of humour, and I liked his. That has to be the reason why he let us pass with our six pack of Heiniken. lol One day while boarding the ship in Hawaii, wearing next to nothing it ws so damn hot, the security check went over the top a bit, big Hawaiin broads with a metal detector, what the hell we could have put under next to nothing beats me. As I passed security officer I asked him (bearing in mind I am rather on the other side of being a younin) would he like me to strip. He laughed his head off and then suggested we should have been on board about 7 months ago when the had a family of 7 with the name of Bin Laden!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Here is a bit of history, the Gurkha's played a huge part in the Battle of Monte Casino. They been around for a mighty long time.