Can you bring your own alcohol on board NCL ships

I am going to be sailing for the first time on NCL in March. I have always sailed on Carnival. I know they tell you that you are not allowed to bring alcohol on board but we have always brought our own beer in our suitcase and also diet coke and wine as well. Never had a problem. Can anyone advise whether this is a big problem on NCL or are they very strict and confiscate everything?? Any info appreciated. Also, will I like NCL as much as Carnival?

Soda are fine, bringinh your own alcohol and beer is a SERIOUS NO-NO. NCL is probably the most strict in this regards. You can order bar set-up from the ships coordinator. I found the bucket o beer to be a good value.

I have always sailed on Carnival. I know they tell you that you are not allowed to bring alcohol on board but we have always brought our own beer in our suitcase and also diet coke and wine as well. Never had a problem.

I'm just a little curious. You said you've never had a problem with Carnival, but you posted on the Carnival board today - http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=13265913#post13265913 ... "Does anyone know how strict Carnival is on bringing on alcohol such as beer and wine?? Also what about pop??"

Makes me just a little confused:rolleyes:

It's been said that soda is OK, beer and liquor are not OK and wine is subject to a $15 per bottle fee.

If you really want to find out for sure, just bring what you want and find out! The worst that can happen is that you are called down to open your bag, they take the contraband and keep if for you until the end of the cruise.

what about doing a search of the NCL board..... this has been discussed about 100 different threads!!!!

I just got off the nine-day NCL Pearl cruise and managed to get a 12-pack of beer through security. I bought some liners that said Pepsi and put them over the beer. I also packed the beer inside a 12-pack of soft drinks. They will not detect beer if it is in a can. I also rolled up some cans in a beach towel.

I took my beers all around the ship without being questioned. I even took a few to dinner. I did not sneak any hard alcohol aboard.

The only thing security detected was our wine. We brought three bottles aboard and paid the cork fee. It still was cheaper than paying the ship's prices and you can bring the wine to any of the restaurants and they will open them for you. They give you a sticker for each bottle of wine you pay for.

I also saw people pouring hard alcohol into plastic bottles. Just be descreet and you should have no problems.

I think it is a shame how the alcohol policy makes people resort to all sorts of unnecessary antics. It would be much better, IMHO, to just let passengers bring what they want. If profits suffer because of this, just raise the fares. I know I would pay more for a cruise line that did not play games like this.

As it is, we can continue to smuggle, and ironically, we'll spend less because of it.

I think it is a shame how the alcohol policy makes people resort to all sorts of unnecessary antics. It would be much better, IMHO, to just let passengers bring what they want. If profits suffer because of this, just raise the fares. I know I would pay more for a cruise line that did not play games like this.

 

As it is, we can continue to smuggle, and ironically, we'll spend less because of it.

For the record you can contact NCL and request a bar setup. It only costs $40 for the bottle of your choice. A bottle of Grey Goose is going to cost you about $30-$40 and a bottle of JD or Southern Comfort will cost $20-$30 in any store. I would just pay the extra few bucks and not have to worry about how you are going to sneak a bottle on board.

I look at it this way, a bottle of SoCo is going to cost me $40 on the ship and that bottle will produce 20-30 drinks. Now if I were to purchase each drink in the casino or bar it would cost me about $7. 20 drinks at $7 a pop would come out to $140. You are still saving $100 if you decide to go with the bar setup.

Just my 2 cents,

Brian

We are not huge drinkers, but I enjoy a few beers. That's why I elected to bring the beer aboard. I agree that the cruise lines should let you bring stuff aboard. You used to be able to do it. I remember buying a bottle of Myers rum in Jamaica and bringing it right aboard. But that was 20 years ago.

The cruise line could also lower drink prices to make it more affordable, or even have drink cards. I know RCI used to have a 12-drink drink card you could buy for about $48 and they just punched it every time you bought a drink. We made them last the entire 7-day cruise.

to have a bar setup? Are all the ships the same? Is there a site where you can check prices?

We prefer to have a wee dram or two in our cabin before dinner and this would make it much easier.

to have a bar setup? Are all the ships the same? Is there a site where you can check prices?

 

We prefer to have a wee dram or two in our cabin before dinner and this would make it much easier.

I can not take credit for this, I found this menu on the forum under another thread. The menu is a couple of years old, but I don’t think much has changed.

http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2264197270059187889kExPdr

The bar menu is the same for all NCL ships. You must e-mail your request to the ship coordinator 60 days before your departure date, but I have read that people have waited as late as 7 days before sailing and didn’t have a problem. The e-mail is below:

ShipCoordinator(ship name here)@ncl.com

ex. ShipCoordinatorGem@ncl.com

I should also add that much like NCL's soda card, you can purchase an alcohol card. The only stipulation is that you must be in a large group to purchase the card and everyone in your group must purchase it. I think it was something like $45 a day. It wasn't cheap, but depending on how much you drink it may be worth it.

"I think it is a shame how the alcohol policy makes people resort to all sorts of unnecessary antics. It would be much better, IMHO, to just let passengers bring what they want. If profits suffer because of this, just raise the fares. I know I would pay more for a cruise line that did not play games like this.

As it is, we can continue to smuggle, and ironically, we'll spend less because of it."

What a stupid statement. What about Bingo? I think everyone should be charged for Bingo in the cruise price. And oh yea...art. Just raise the fares to cover it. And why not cover the cost of souveneirs for all of us to enjoy in the cruise price? Just raise the fares.

Do you smuggle alcohol into the local bar? Do you smuggle popcorn into the movies? Why not smuggle your own steak into Outback and save the expense of ordering one?

Alcohol is a huge profit maker for all cruise lines. If you have to resort to wrapping beer cans in Pepsi wrappers to be able to cruise, then find a cheaper vacation. Such cheap as*ses on these boards. I swear.

Here is a novel idea!!!! Why not see if you can enjoy a vacation SOBER!!!!

Wow, what a radical approach.

Some of us dont have to drink like fish to sail with them. Keep the cost of the cruise DOWN in any way possible and let me decide on where I want to spend my money on the trip.

I don't drink like a fish, but I do enjoy a beer or two. I would rather spend my money on other things aboard the ship. And we did. We went to several specialty restaurants during our 9-day cruise. I just think the pricing for some drinks is a little too expensive. Some of us do travel on a budget and bringing sodas and a few beers on board keeps us within that budget. Personally, it is about choice and I chose to spend our cash on other things.

Did we spend money in the spa? Yes. Did we spend money in the casino? Yes. Did we spend money at the specialty restaurants? Did we purchase some drinks? Yes. I just never bought a beer or a soda or water.

I don't drink like a fish, but I do enjoy a beer or two. I would rather spend my money on other things aboard the ship. And we did. We went to several specialty restaurants during our 9-day cruise. I just think the pricing for some drinks is a little too expensive. Some of us do travel on a budget and bringing sodas and a few beers on board keeps us within that budget. Personally, it is about choice and I chose to spend our cash on other things.

Did we spend money in the spa? Yes. Did we spend money in the casino? Yes. Did we spend money at the specialty restaurants? Yes. Did we purchase some drinks? Yes. I just never bought a beer or a soda or water.

for the email address. I search high and low on the NCL website but didn't see anything like that.

I did send off an email and within minutes got a reply. Yes, the prices are still the same. Not cheap, but alot better then trying to smuggle. Plus we also got a wine list. Wow, not cheap there. But what the hay, we will be on holidays.

Thanks again.

So if you want a beer or soda in a nice restaurant, do you put them in your pants pockets because you prefer to spend your money on the food?

Your'e just cheap. That's all there is to know.

CHEAP

Hotels don't x-ray guests to see if they have beer in their luggage. Why should cruise lines? Give the guy a break....

What a stupid statement. What about Bingo? I think everyone should be charged for Bingo in the cruise price. And oh yea...art. Just raise the fares to cover it. And why not cover the cost of souveneirs for all of us to enjoy in the cruise price? Just raise the fares.

Do you smuggle alcohol into the local bar? Do you smuggle popcorn into the movies? Why not smuggle your own steak into Outback and save the expense of ordering one?

I think it was a perfectly valid point - I don't take my own alcohol to bars or restaurants on land or at sea. Nor do I take opcorn to the movies. But I do take my own alcohol into my hotel room with me, and no one has a problem with that on land. But apparently NCL wants to profit from that. I think that is wrong and they should get their profit elsewhere.

My point is if they can't make enough profit without some silly rules like the alcohol policy, they should raise the fares so they can make a fair profit without burdening the people who are drinking in their cabin.

Now, the bar setup is a good idea - there are 20 driks per liter, but I do question if Grey Goose is going to be $40 a liter - I bet the premium brands are more.

Anyway, I realize lots of people will have different opinions on this... I just have a sore spot for being told what I can'd do in my cabin when it does not bother anyone else.

LOL, of course booze smugglers are cheap! But that's like saying NCL stockholders are greedy. As long as the only penalty for being caught is spending some time in the "naughty room," smuggling is likely to continue.

Question is, though, why do you care? If you owned stock in NCL I could see you being concerned, but if you don't, you might consider that smugglers, by taking care of their own liquoring up, actually free up bartenders and/or servers to take care of non-smugglers like yourself. You get faster, more attentive service, and the "cheap" smugglers save, apparently, a bundle. Everybody's happy, right? :D

Or am I missing something?

So if you want a beer or soda in a nice restaurant, do you put them in your pants pockets because you prefer to spend your money on the food?

Your'e just cheap. That's all there is to know.

CHEAP

Gosh...Tell us how you REALLY feel!

...by taking care of their own liquoring up, actually free up bartenders and/or servers to take care of non-smugglers like yourself. You get faster, more attentive service, and the "cheap" smugglers save, apparently, a bundle. Everybody's happy, right? :D

Now I'll drink to THAT!

I also emailed the ship's coordinator after reading your message, and she replied immediately. We decided to go ahead and order a bottle of our favorite (Beefeater's Gin at $40) for our 2/17 Pearl cruise rather than chance trying to smuggle anything. I agree with the OP that it's a shame we can't bring something on board with us to keep in our cabin, but it's not worth the humiliation of getting caught. Now my big dilemma is what about the tonic? Can we carry that on board without being chastised? Or will it be provided as part of the set up (fat chance, right)??

Anyway, I realize lots of people will have different opinions on this... I just have a sore spot for being told what I can'd do in my cabin when it does not bother anyone else.

I do agree with that statement. But again you are more then welcome to get the bar setup and do what you please in your own room. If they do offer Grey Goose I assume it will be priced at $55 like the other higher end bottles on that list. True it will be at a premium price, but that is to be expected. It's not any different then going to a ball game, resort, concert or club. The better the event or resort the more you EXPECT to pay. Thats not always the case, but we ALL expect to pay higher prices when we are on vacation. A bottle of water in Disney costs just as much as a beer does on NCL. Why? Because they can charge that much for WATER and we will pay!

And Tony, I am only speaking for myself but I hope you dont drink.

I'm just happy that NCL treats me like an adult and allows me to purchase a bar set-up for my room. I just booked a RCCL cruise and only after I paid for it in full did I find out I don't have that option on that line. I still spent about $600.00 on extrs, including drinks, on my last cruise with NCL and will do so again the next time I sail NCL.

RCCL got my cruise this time because it was cheap, cheap, cheap but I won't spend much extra money with them. They lost money on me and I won't sail with them again.

Winnie