Bringing Alcohol on Board

[oceantraveler]

Does HA allow you to bring your own alcohol on board?

[Denn33]

Wine, yes.

Hard alcohol, no.

[jtl513]

No beer either.

[earl_m]

You are allow to bring a couple bottles of wine , depending on who is checking maybe a bottle of liquer

[NoNoNanette]

We brought an entire CASE of wine with us on the Volendam. Wheeled it right in as "carry on" luggage.

 

No problem. :)

[debijaynes]

We have always brought liquor aboard, both pre -cruise and from different ports if we have forgotten a certain brand. As HAL drinks are now poured by the thimble-ful and the charges have increased, this is a good savings on your pre-dinner cocktail!

[serendipity1499]

We have always brought liquor aboard, both pre -cruise and from different ports if we have forgotten a certain brand. As HAL drinks are now poured by the thimble-ful and the charges have increased, this is a good savings on your pre-dinner cocktail!

 

Just because you've done it, does not mean it is permitted!

 

According to the HAL Web site you are only permitted to bring Soda (pop), Water & Wine on board..

 

And you can bring as much as you want of the wine, soda & water..We've also seen psgrs. checking in with a case of wine..We usually bring a couple of bottles of wine & a 12 pack of Diet Pepsi (Hal only has coke products) but never Water...The HAL tap water is better than you can get in bottles...

 

Even if you have previously brought liquor on board, you should be prepared to have it confiscated!

 

I purchased a special bottle of "Brandy" in port as a gift, & it was confiscated when I re-boarded the Westerdam..They did return it to me the night before we disembarked..

 

Enjoy your cruise..:) Betty

[NoNoNanette]

Does HA allow you to bring your own alcohol on board?

 

If you decide to "break the rules" and bring hard-liquor on, make certain that you pack it in your CHECKED LUGGAGE.

 

We've never had a problem. (And believe me.... we STILL have a hefty happy-hour bill at the end of each cruise!) :)

[hammybee]

Just curious. How come you never ( or rarely) see this topic on the Crystal, Seaborn etc. boards?

[SDHALFAN]

Just curious. How come you never ( or rarely) see this topic on the Crystal, Seaborn etc. boards?

 

Hi Captain, my Captain:

 

Aren't all alcoholic beverages included in the cruise price on those lines?

 

Valerie:)

[cruizelvr]

We have learned from past passengers, the thing to do is empty out your refridgerator and put your own wine in it. But I have had it recommended to bring your own corkscrew. We plan on stocking up before we board and having before dinner drinks in our room. You can bring your own wine to dinner but there is a 15% corkage fee, to open and pour your wine. Sometimes they don't charge you this, but it is listed as a fee.

 

There are other threads about this out there - try a search.:)

[jtl513]

... but there is a 15% corkage fee, to open and pour your wine.

It's a $15 fee, not a 15% one. :)

[boards]

As far Hal drinks are concerned, we have found the drinks to be very satifactory. They are strong enough for us.

[hammybee]

Hi Captain, my Captain:

 

Aren't all alcoholic beverages included in the cruise price on those lines?

 

Valerie:)

 

Included on Seaborn . Crystal charges for cocktails. Both allow passengers to BYOB, which is, now that I dug into it, why we don't read about sneaking bottles onboard. ( DUH)

 

Carnival, NCL, Cunard, RCL, Celebrity, Windstar, Princess and HAL do not allow BYOB.

 

But for some reason, Disney allows it.

 

Thanks Valerie for keeping me on the straight and narrow. :)

[Copper10-8]

To all you hard liquor on board bringers, remember..........................you can run on a ship but you can't hide!:cool: HAL just spent mucho dineros on state of the art detection equipment that will pin-point concealed (hard) liquor inside checked as well as cary-on luggage. In addition, the new photographic equipment coming out (you know, the infamous "welcome aboard" shot:eek: ) will be able to pick up the slightest trace of nervousness/anxiety when that pic is taken in the case of shipboard prohibition rule breakers.

So, with all that, do you think it's worth it?.............Well to tell you the truth in all this excitement I've kind of lost track myself. So, you've got to ask yourself one question, do I feel lucky. Well, do ya, HAL rule breaker? ;)

[Krazy Kruizers]

We just order a bottle for our cabin through ship services. Or you can wait until you are on the ship and order through room service - there is a 15% gratuity added on.

[SnorkelBear]

Good one Copper.

 

By next month I heard you will also be able to receive a prostate check while waiting in line. To reduce the stress level, the procedure will be done by someone in either a pirate or dolphin costume.

 

I think we should cast all of our stones at the real rule breakers. The ones that cause irrepairable harm to scores of us. Yes. That's right. The flippant abusers of the no lounger saving rule. :)

[u4ea]

HAL just spent mucho dineros on state of the art detection equipment that will pin-point concealed (hard) liquor inside checked as well as cary-on luggage. In addition, the new photographic equipment coming out (you know, the infamous "welcome aboard" shot:eek: ) will be able to pick up the slightest trace of nervousness/anxiety when that pic is taken in the case of shipboard prohibition rule breakers.

 

The problem is, they always forget to plug it in.:eek:;)

Mark..

[oceantraveler]

thanks for the thoughts- on past cruises we have filled waterbottles with Vodka / clear alcohol and been fine....i wasn't sure with all the "new" government regulations if this was watched even more closely.... for example at the airport they make you dump out your water now....

 

any thoughts on that???

[pms4104]

Yes, oceantraveler, if your booze is in your carryon TSA at the airport will make you dump that along with the water.

[surfklutz]

Just curious. How come you never ( or rarely) see this topic on the Crystal, Seaborn etc. boards?

 

It is included on Seabourn but not Crystal. I believe that people who are paying the price of either of those ships are not worried about a bar bill.

[sfbear]

On Princess and Oceania I have purchased liquor (full bottles) from room service. Not exactly Costco prices, but certainly worth the convenience of not having to haul liquor through all the scanners, etc.

My Question is then, Can you purchase full bottles from HAL room service? Could you give me some idea of the prices?

Thanks - - looking forward to Montreal to NYC on 9/19 on the Veendam.

Rich

[advocado]

It is included on Seabourn but not Crystal. I believe that people who are paying the price of either of those ships are not worried about a bar bill.

I've cruised on Seabourn a few times. It's different. It costs a helluva lot but it is wonderful. Weeks before the cruise you are sent a card so that you can let them know how you want your bar stocked in your cabin (NOT the minibar). If you smoke cigars (I do -- on the verandah...) they ask you what kind you want in your cabin! Because Seabourn did not do Alaska, I opted for HAL (Noordam). It was not as wonderful. But not by a whole lot. We did pay for wine and booze. I brought my own smokes. We did stand in a few lines. BUT... we enjoyed it thoroughly. So much so that I booked the Maasdam for the Panama Canal in January '08 and the Noordam again in Sepember '08. Even getting an SA suite saved many thousands of dollars less than Seabourn. With the money saved, I can have Dom Perignon with every meal -- including breakfast! After one week on the Noordam, my wine and booze bill was a fraction of the difference in cost on the luxury lines. Now, I'm getting e-mails and letters from Seabourn, asking, "Where are you?". I'm quite content, thank you...

[m steve]

Most cruise lines say you can't bring liquor on board at embarkation or from the ports. It is rarely enforced. Recent CC's said NCL is taking it from checked bags. Haven't sailed w/them in 5years. In 12 cruises we have never had liquor when boarding held. Only a few times was the port purchases held for disembarkation. We have them hold the boxes as they get in the way in the cabin.

This is a rule established only to increase revenue and not for safety or any important reason. My suggestion is to take it on in your luggage (not Carry on) well packed in plastic and t shirts.

There is a difference between confiscation and holding it until debarkation. Confiscation means you don't get it back.

I guess they allow it on Disney because with all the kids you will need a lot of drinks!

[jtl513]

My Question is then, Can you purchase full bottles from HAL room service? Could you give me some idea of the prices?

Most liquors are offered in several brands. Here are the highest and lowest prices for some liquors. All of them include the 15% sevice charge.

 

Whiskey - Seagrams VO $29.90, Crown Royal $42.55

Scotch - Cutty Sark 32.20, Johnny Walker Black 77.05

Gin - Beefeaters 32.20, Bombay Sapphire 42.55

Rum - Myers 32.20, Bacardi White 35.65

Bourbon - Jim Beam 34.50, Jack Daniels Black 55.20

Cognac - Hennessy VS 93.15, Remy Martin XQ 225.40

Tequila - one brand only, which I forgot to note 34.50

Vodka - Smirnoff 27.60, Chopin or Grey Goose 70.15