Disappointed with one RCI Rule!

[The Big Booper]

So far as I know (and I am fully aware that there is MUCH I do not), Royal Caribbean is the only line to have been sued because of an alcohol related death stemming from consumption of alcohol brought on board. That could have a great deal to do with why the line has a rule that others do not.

 

Precisely.

 

There are many Mr/Mrs. George Smiths in our population and many tort-abusing attorneys at work here in the US.

 

This ban on bringing any booze on board might have been part of the settlement in that case.

 

Expect to see an expansion of the rights of the greedy American tort bar to sue anybody and anyone in the next few years.

 

As the movie "Sideways" so brilliantly shows, the heavy duty wine drinkers are a slightly more refined version of the non-stop buckets of beer crowd.

[Leejnd4]

I disappear from the board for a few months and when I return, the same crap posts about alcohol in the cabins from off the ship.

 

It's quite simple. RCCL wants you to buy their alcohol. If you are that attached to the bottle and are too cheap to pay for it at the bar, perhaps RCCL is not for you. If that is your only complaint for the cruise, it's a sad commentary on your trip.

 

And you come back after a few months and post one of the same nonsensical responses that always turn up in these threads. :rolleyes:

 

Yes, of course RCI wants us to buy their alcohol. But they don't have a right to FORCE us to buy it from them - any more than they have a right to force us to buy their excursions, or their toothpaste, or their jewelry. If we want to use private excursions, bring our own toothpaste, and walk past their gold-by-the-inch tables, we are entitled to do so.

 

As for this line: "If that is your only complaint for the cruise, it's a sad commentary on your trip." I'm sorry, but that is personally insulting - and there's just no place for such impolite comments in this forum. Clearly you didn't read my post, where I made it clear that our rejection of their booze policies has nothing to do with being "cheap", and everything to do with not wanting to be treated like children, or forced to drink only what they offer.

 

The only accurate statement in your post is that RCCL is clearly not the right cruise line for us. So we now give our business to cruise lines that treat us with basic respect, and do not force unreasonable monopolies on us.

[anchoras]

I have sailed on most every cruiseline, RCCL, is the only company that will not allow any liquor to be brought abord, however I can say that this is only within the last few years. In the 1980 and the 1990' s such rules did not apply, it ashame, however I will still cruise RCCL.

[Leejnd4]

I don't see what the big deal is. If you enjoy sampling different wines then buy them and let security give them back to you on the last night so you can have them at home. Heck, buy a couple bottles!

You must not have read my post, where I explained why it's a "big deal" to us. If I purchase local wines while on vacation, I expect to be able to enjoy them while on my vacation, and not be forced to cart them all home. And with the recent luggage weight restrictions on airlines, the fact is that I CAN'T bring home very many bottles with me anyway.

 

Hopefully this helps explain why it's a big deal to some of us.

[rednancy1]

Leejnd4, thanks for the rumrunner website. :D

 

Big Bopper....love the movie Sideways.

 

I really dislike RCI's rule about not bringing wine on board. I do believe it is protect themselves from the hard drinking crowd that tends to fall overboard. <read the sarcasm in that> :mad: It is also the $$$$$.:mad:

 

We usually buy a wine & dine package and take a bottle of wine back to our room to drink on the balcony. Also we'll have a bottle of wine delivered as our D+ amenity.:)

 

Critterchick....remember the peenot grigggggio?:eek:

[hawkfanI]

In these economically challenging times, I would think that cruise lines would make concessions to maintain their customer base.

[FL_Cruiser64]

In these economically challenging times, I would think that cruise lines would make concessions to maintain their customer base.

 

 

This is a joke right?:cool:

[vickiw0318]

If you are talking about the George Smith case, the actual lawsuit had nothing to do with him being drunk, the line having allowed him to become drunk, or allowing him to smuggle booze onboard. The lawsuit was the widow making the claim that they didn't not properly and fully investigate his disappearance and that they did not preserve the crime scene until investigators had arrived.

 

 

No, I am not talking about George Smith. I am talking about Daniel Diperio. Here is a link: http://www.*****************/Daniel_Dipiero.html . The severe changes to Royal Caribbean policy occured after this event. This account does not jive with all I remember reading on line here at the time the event occurred.

[wolfshadow]

For those of you who find RCI’s rules to be as abhorrent as I do, but do not wish to abandon the line, there are options. I know that the whole concept of “smuggling” is distasteful – I certainly find it so – but it’s a sad necessity if you want to be able to enjoy your own beverages in the privacy of your cabin. Your best option is to use Rum Runner Flasks. These are sturdy, flexible plastic containers that have been designed strictly for this purpose, and are virtually undetectable by the bag scanners used by ships. You can purchase them here: www.rumrunnerflasks.com. They have been used successfully by hundreds, if not thousands, of cruisers…and in all the years I’ve been on Cruise Critic I have not heard of one single verified report of passengers getting caught with them. And on the remote chance that you DO get caught with them, the worst that will happen is that they will confiscate your booze. (Do not believe the usual alarmists in here who might tell you that you could be “denied boarding” for smuggling alcohol. It’s never happened.)

 

Rum runners are best for smuggling liquor, as opposed to wine – but they actually are great for wine as well. As wine lovers know, the enemy of wine is air – but if you decant your wine into a rum runner right before you board, and then squeeze all the air out of it before you seal it, it will preserve your wine for several days at least. I recently did a series of experiments using rum runners to preserve wine, and they truly work great! I use them at home to save bottles of wine that I’ve opened but didn’t finish.

Thanks for the great info! I work for a winegrape grower in the Lodi, CA area, with over 1700 acres of various varieties and I usually bring a couple of bottles or a box onboard with me, as well. I have only been on Celebrity, but it definitely surprises me that RCCL has this rule and Celebrity does not. I am going on the Mariner in April and had no clue that I could not bring my own wine with me. Your flask idea is much appreciated as well as the link in which to purchase them. Thanks, again!

[Leejnd4]

Thanks for the great info! I work for a winegrape grower in the Lodi, CA area, with over 1700 acres of various varieties and I usually bring a couple of bottles or a box onboard with me, as well. I have only been on Celebrity, but it definitely surprises me that RCCL has this rule and Celebrity does not. I am going on the Mariner in April and had no clue that I could not bring my own wine with me. Your flask idea is much appreciated as well as the link in which to purchase them. Thanks, again!

 

You are quite welcome! That's what these boards are for - and that's why those of us who are died-in-the-wool booze smugglers ;) continue to post to these threads. We know that there are always new cruisers (or at least, new to Cruise Critic) who can benefit from our experiences.

 

In the past, many wine lovers have expressed skepticism about using rum runners for wine, since, as we know, wine will start to deteriorate the moment you open it, and usually is only drinkable for a day or two at the most after opening. The good news about rum runners is that, unlike just re-corking an opened bottle, rum runners allow you to remove ALL the air so that your wine is well-preserved. It won't preserve it forever - the wine did come into some contact with air during the transfer process, so it will start a slow deterioration - but in my own experiments, I found that if you follow certain steps, your wine will remain drinkable for at LEAST 5 to 7 days.

 

The key is to limit contact with air during the transfer. You can do this by using a pouring attachment, which you stick down into the rum runner and pour, rather than just pouring directly from the bottle opening. Then quickly squeeze out all the air in the flask and close. This will ensure that your wine had minimal oxygenation during transfer, and NO air contact once it's safely in the flask.

[ladylawyer]

Oh no doubt it's $$$$$$$

 

But to play devil's advocate and if I had to give a PR answer, I would say it's also to prevent those that are Under 21 from stepping off in port, loading up on bottles, then bringing those onboard and serving it to their Under 21 friends.

 

I am betting that Azmara or Cunard doesn't have alot of Under 21s looking to do the same. ;)

 

There's a simple solution to that concern. Since RCI does not allow alcohol consumption for guests under 21, and because their Sea Pass cards clearly reflect that they are under 21 (double hole-punch), require that any alcohol brought on by someone under 21 must be "confiscated" until the end of the cruise.

 

That allows those who are within RCI's drinking age parameters to enjoy their locally purchased wine.

 

However, I'm still betting that it's a $$$$$ thing ... not a protect us from those evil lawyers thing. ;) ~ LL

[Lynn the Cruiser]

I've never had any booze confiscated yet and I've brought it aboard almost every cruise upon boarding from the islands. I really didn't care if they took it, as long as I got it at the end of the cruise, because it was souvenirs for my adult kids. I really don't care to drink much, maybe 2 or 3 drinks during the cruise, but I guess I could have drank it in my room if I wanted to.:confused: I would have a bottle or 2 of rum mostly in the bags with the rest of my junk that I bought and it would go through the scanners and was never taken.:eek:

[Cruisin Bob]

Exactly what I was thinking. So the ship was Fab. The service was Fab. MTD was Fab.

 

A glass of wine in the cabin - deal breaker? :confused:

 

to start I usually agree with you, but while not a deal breaker by it's self it can be the straw that breaks the camels back.

 

There are other things that are done better on Princess IMO that I will not list here.

 

There are things on RCI that are better than Princess, but again I will not list here.

 

Lucky for all of us there are two great competitors for our cruise dollars:)

 

Sometimes, something like wine ( a delightful beverage) will push someone over the edge.

[Leejnd4]

to start I usually agree with you, but while not a deal breaker by it's self it can be the straw that breaks the camels back.

 

There are other things that are done better on Princess IMO that I will not list here.

 

There are things on RCI that are better than Princess, but again I will not list here.

 

Lucky for all of us there are two great competitors for our cruise dollars:)

 

Sometimes, something like wine ( a delightful beverage) will push someone over the edge.

 

Excellent points - and hopefully, this helps those who find it hard to believe that we can allow "a glass of wine in the cabin" to be a deal-breaker, to understand where we're coming from. There really are a number of other lines that are similar to RCI, on which we don't have to deny ourselves something that, to us, is a pretty important part of the enjoyment of travel. Wine tasting may not be everyone's cup of tea (or glass of Syrah), but I can assure all of you that there are many who, like me, consider the denial of this pleasure to be a very good reason to abandon this cruise line.

[critterchick]

Critterchick....remember the peenot grigggggio?:eek:

 

I do, and it's a thing of the past. They've cut back drastically on the DP offerings.:mad:

 

Originally Posted by RBOrrell

I disappear from the board for a few months and when I return, the same crap posts about alcohol in the cabins from off the ship.

 

It's quite simple. RCCL wants you to buy their alcohol. If you are that attached to the bottle and are too cheap to pay for it at the bar, perhaps RCCL is not for you. If that is your only complaint for the cruise, it's a sad commentary on your trip.

 

 

You might try reading the complaint a little more closely. Cost wasn't even the issue.

[retiredonthesea]

Doesn't RCI have a corkage fee for wines like NCL? You can bring your own wine aboard and they just charge you a corkage fee of $15.00. No limit to how much you want to bring. We have bought wines in different ports and didn't even have to pay a fee if it was close to just a few days left in the cruise. I think they figured it wasn't a problem that we'd be drinking our own wine the last night of the cruise.

[crusinmama06]

to start I usually agree with you, but while not a deal breaker by it's self it can be the straw that breaks the camels back.

 

There are other things that are done better on Princess IMO that I will not list here. Sometimes, something like wine ( a delightful beverage) will push someone over the edge.

 

Fair enough. :D I see your point. :)

 

Everyone expects something different out of their cruise experience. At this point in my life, alcohol is literally the least of my concerns. The whole ship could be dry, I would still be there. ;) A "delightful beverage" to me is iced tea...lol. :D

 

But I can see how with all things being equal - someone would choose to sail with a line that allowed them to get the most of their cruise.

[critterchick]

Doesn't RCI have a corkage fee for wines like NCL? You can bring your own wine aboard and they just charge you a corkage fee of $15.00. No limit to how much you want to bring. We have bought wines in different ports and didn't even have to pay a fee if it was close to just a few days left in the cruise. I think they figured it wasn't a problem that we'd be drinking our own wine the last night of the cruise.

 

No. You are not allowed to bring any alcoholic beverages onboard - wine, beer, hard liquor, liqueurs, all are forbidden. What they will, do, however, is threaten a corkage fee of $12.00 if you bring to the dining room any wine that you ordered FROM THEM ON THEIR OWN WEBSITE OUT OF THEIR OWN CELLAR (or a DP amenity, again from their own stock), if you originally asked that the wine be delivered to your cabin. We've never actually been charged, but on Monarch they left a little card in the cabin along with the wine. So in theory you could pay their marked up price PLUS corkage. Asinine!

 

Our headwaiter once tried to charge me corkage on a bottle of wine that was given to me as the most travelled cruiser. I told him that he could give it back to the Captain, then, with my regrets. He backed off.

 

Again, it's not a dealbreaker for me, but it's an annoying policy and I get increasingly irritated as I think about it.

[FL_Cruiser64]

ok - read some accounts of the case - including some independent ones. The mother filed a suit - only $150,000 - haven't found the outcome.

 

Sorry he's dead - but the guy was an idiot. And his mother's suit basically accuses RCCL of not being a babysitter for a 21yo.

 

I'm still not buying that it's about safety or liability. There are probably only a handful of insurance companies on the planet that handle such ships, and if they felt it was a liability issue they'd make it a requirement for all ships - all lines - and even RCI's other lines are not included in the restrictions. It may have crossed the minds of the big wigs at RCCL to institute the changes at that time so people assumed it was about safety.

 

 

That wasn't the only case though.

 

There were 3 or 4 cases in which RCI was suit because people got drunk, got hurt or hurt themselves.

 

Bottom line is: it is not allowed to bring wine on board but there are always lines where people can sail on and can bring their own wine. :D

[Cruise Junky]

It's definitely a deal breaker for us. There is no other line that doesn't allow wine to be brought on. So between no wine from port and no liquor package for the room, we'll cruise elsewhere. The only way to vote is with your business and we feel VERY strongly about being treated as an out of control teenager by a company that we are paying thousands of $$$$ to for a vacation. It's reached the point that when I'm looking for a cruise and have the ability to refine my search by cruiseline, I don't even search RCL anymore, they're not on my radar of possibilities.

[Leejnd4]

Fair enough. :D I see your point. :)

 

Everyone expects something different out of their cruise experience. At this point in my life, alcohol is literally the least of my concerns. The whole ship could be dry, I would still be there. ;) A "delightful beverage" to me is iced tea...lol. :D

 

But I can see how with all things being equal - someone would choose to sail with a line that allowed them to get the most of their cruise.

 

Can I tell you how absolutely tickled I am by your post? This may literally be the first time that someone who previously didn't get it, actually paid attention to our attempts to explain this, made the effort to see it from our perspective, and agreed that our desires are, in fact, perfectly reasonable. THANK YOU! And please know that I'm not being sarcastic - I mean this wholeheartedly.

 

Everyone has different interests, dreams and desires for their vacations - and just because someone isn't interested in the same things as others, doesn't mean these interests are any less valid. I personally have zero interest in playing bingo, participating in trivia games, or attending art auctions, whereas I know there are some cruisers who couldn't imagine NOT doing these things on their cruise. I have little interest in taking bus tours, and will always go for the active excursion (hiking, scuba diving, zip-lining), whereas some people (including my Mom, a frequent cruise companion) would much rather go on a tour with a good guide who can provide some history and background of the region, while she sits in air-conditioned comfort on the bus. All of these choices are valid, and many cruisers choose their cruise based on their ability to partake in them.

 

Unfortunately, those of us who have an interest in wine-tasting, and wish to bring our own purchases into our cabins, often find ourselves the target of derision and insulting comments in this forum. We have been called alcoholics, cheapskates, rule-breakers, pretentious, bottom-feeders, and many other choice epithets. And for what? Because we enjoy drinking certain alcoholic beverages that the ship doesn't provide - so we do what we have to in order to be able to partake in this pleasure?

 

The worst part is, even after we have gone to great lengths to explain ourselves, people STILL repeat the same insults. There's a perfect example right in this thread - member RBOrrell says that we are "too cheap to pay for it at the bar"...even after I explained in, I think, pretty understandable terms that money has nothing to do with it. I sometimes wonder why I bother trying - although I guess the answer to that is that I am simply trying to ensure that we drinkers are able to have our discussions uninterrupted, and so I strike back when we get attacked.

 

But then I read your reply, and you actually made the effort to hear us, and accept our explanations. All I can say is...THANK YOU, and I do hope others will see that there is no harm in actually allowing your opinion to be swayed! :)

[Leejnd4]

It's definitely a deal breaker for us. There is no other line that doesn't allow wine to be brought on. So between no wine from port and no liquor package for the room, we'll cruise elsewhere. The only way to vote is with your business and we feel VERY strongly about being treated as an out of control teenager by a company that we are paying thousands of $$$$ to for a vacation. It's reached the point that when I'm looking for a cruise and have the ability to refine my search by cruiseline, I don't even search RCL anymore, they're not on my radar of possibilities.

 

My feelings exactly, stated very succinctly.

 

It IS unfortunate, because RCI does offer some itineraries that I would like to try. But until they start treating me like the adult that I am, they are off my radar too.

 

As for the reasons behind this rule - honestly, I don't care. While I am of the opinion that it's primarily profit-motivated, it may very well also have something to do with lawsuits. Doesn't matter to me. There are other tactics they could use to limit their liability, and reduce the number of drunks who kill themselves, without treating ME like a recalcitrant child who needs supervision. And we must also remember that they are the ONLY cruise line out there with such rigid limitations - so it's clear that other cruise lines are able to manage their liability and drunkard deaths without going so overboard (pun intended ;)) in their restrictions.

[galavant3]

Fair enough. :D I see your point. :)

 

Everyone expects something different out of their cruise experience. At this point in my life, alcohol is literally the least of my concerns. The whole ship could be dry, I would still be there. ;) A "delightful beverage" to me is iced tea...lol. :D

 

But I can see how with all things being equal - someone would choose to sail with a line that allowed them to get the most of their cruise.

 

Ditto. I enjoy a nice glass of wine but it isn't really an issue for me when I cruise. I have no problem finding a wine that I like.

 

The wonderful thing is there are many options. I wouldn't consider Disney because my kids are older and I am told they don't have casinos. We all make the choice that best suits our needs. As it should be!

[FL_Cruiser64]

Fair enough. :D I see your point. :)

 

Everyone expects something different out of their cruise experience. At this point in my life, alcohol is literally the least of my concerns. The whole ship could be dry, I would still be there. ;) A "delightful beverage" to me is iced tea...lol. :D

 

But I can see how with all things being equal - someone would choose to sail with a line that allowed them to get the most of their cruise.

 

 

But they don't! ;)

 

Why not? :D

[Cruise Junky]

No, I am not talking about George Smith. I am talking about Daniel Diperio. Here is a link: http://www.*****************/Daniel_Dipiero.html . The severe changes to Royal Caribbean policy occured after this event. This account does not jive with all I remember reading on line here at the time the event occurred.

 

I thought with Daniel Dipiero the lawsuit was that he was continually served alcohol BY RCI when he was visibly drunk. He'd been cut off by one bar tender and then just moved on to another bar and got served.