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Rum Runners anyone?


jim98122x
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OK, my apologies for posting a somewhat duplicate question, but I've been reading 27+ pages of postings on the main board about using Rum Runners to smuggle booze on, and I just can't take one more page of the dim comments. I will skip right to my questions, which hopefully are pretty specific (since I've been reading 27+ pages...). I've aleady bought the rum-runners, so not interested in mouthwash bottles, dunkin donuts boxes, re-filling wine bottles, etc.

 

1. I read all the lines are strict screening for booze during spring break, but we're leaving next month (Dec). NCL and RCCL seem to be the most strict, so luckily (I think?) we're on Carnival. Some posts I've read are 3 and 4 years old, so not sure how current the info is on these. Anyone with RECENT experience using rum runners on Carnival out of Miami?

 

2. I won't have checked luggage, just a carry-on. Do these still get through screening on carry-on? Only bringing a couple of small ones, (x2) 8oz and (x1) 16oz, may not fill them all.

 

3. An 8oz one would fit in cargo short pockets or even in your pants. In Miami, do they "wand" you? Anyone do this-- any suggestions? Can't imagine they'd pat down your crotch (if they do-- I want that job...but that's another story).

 

4. re-boarding somewhere like Cozumel or Belize, it it easy to get a re-filled RR back on? Again, just a small one.

 

5. and finally, any packing suggestions as well as instances if you have ever been nailed and confiscated?

 

thanks a lot for the help in advance

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OK, my apologies for posting a somewhat duplicate question, but I've been reading 27+ pages of postings on the main board about using Rum Runners to smuggle booze on, and I just can't take one more page of the dim comments. I will skip right to my questions, which hopefully are pretty specific (since I've been reading 27+ pages...). I've aleady bought the rum-runners, so not interested in mouthwash bottles, dunkin donuts boxes, re-filling wine bottles, etc.

 

1. I read all the lines are strict screening for booze during spring break, but we're leaving next month (Dec). NCL and RCCL seem to be the most strict, so luckily (I think?) we're on Carnival. Some posts I've read are 3 and 4 years old, so not sure how current the info is on these. Anyone with RECENT experience using rum runners on Carnival out of Miami?

 

2. I won't have checked luggage, just a carry-on. Do these still get through screening on carry-on? Only bringing a couple of small ones, (x2) 8oz and (x1) 16oz, may not fill them all.

 

3. An 8oz one would fit in cargo short pockets or even in your pants. In Miami, do they "wand" you? Anyone do this-- any suggestions? Can't imagine they'd pat down your crotch (if they do-- I want that job...but that's another story).

 

4. re-boarding somewhere like Cozumel or Belize, it it easy to get a re-filled RR back on? Again, just a small one.

 

5. and finally, any packing suggestions as well as instances if you have ever been nailed and confiscated?

 

thanks a lot for the help in advance

 

Just like the airport ALL carry on luggage/bags/purses are screened and you will be too. I've never seen pat downs unless you've set off the detector.

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Checked luggage is randomly checked. Carry-on luggage... ALL are screened, ala x-ray. So perhaps your best luck is to check a bag? Since it is random, there is no way they can catch everyone... feeling lucky?

 

Sealed bottles, if caught, can be returned at the conclusion of the cruise. Unsealed, or RRs are confiscated. Presume they will return the RR to you if you or they dispose of the booze, but not sure.

 

If they notice something in your checked luggage, you get a note in your room to report to security to claim your luggage... they will open and inspect in your presence only.

 

You are not "wanded" but walk through a metal detector. Any back-packs, jackets, etc., go thru the aforementioned x-ray machine. I really don't know how they catch a half-pint or pint bottle when you walk aboard the ship, particularly if you buy a plastic 'bottle' for this purpose, but I have not tried.

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OK, my apologies for posting a somewhat duplicate question, but I've been reading 27+ pages of postings on the main board about using Rum Runners to smuggle booze on, and I just can't take one more page of the dim comments. I will skip right to my questions, which hopefully are pretty specific (since I've been reading 27+ pages...). I've aleady bought the rum-runners, so not interested in mouthwash bottles, dunkin donuts boxes, re-filling wine bottles, etc.

 

1. I read all the lines are strict screening for booze during spring break, but we're leaving next month (Dec). NCL and RCCL seem to be the most strict, so luckily (I think?) we're on Carnival. Some posts I've read are 3 and 4 years old, so not sure how current the info is on these. Anyone with RECENT experience using rum runners on Carnival out of Miami?

 

2. I won't have checked luggage, just a carry-on. Do these still get through screening on carry-on? Only bringing a couple of small ones, (x2) 8oz and (x1) 16oz, may not fill them all.

 

3. An 8oz one would fit in cargo short pockets or even in your pants. In Miami, do they "wand" you? Anyone do this-- any suggestions? Can't imagine they'd pat down your crotch (if they do-- I want that job...but that's another story).

 

4. re-boarding somewhere like Cozumel or Belize, it it easy to get a re-filled RR back on? Again, just a small one.

 

5. and finally, any packing suggestions as well as instances if you have ever been nailed and confiscated?

 

thanks a lot for the help in advance

We never had problems on Cunard. We usually bought most of our "stuff" on St. Thomas. It went through the scanners & was never confiscated.

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Took two small RR's to the beach on some island or other on a Royal Carribbean cruise. Did not use it all. Reboarding ship, RR's in pocket of cargo shorts, set off alarm!! Got wanded and embarrassed(sp)!

 

Also, got called to "naughty room" to claim bag. They watched but let me go through bag. I cleverly moved things without showing the RR. Got away with that one!!

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All checked bags are sent through a very large x-ray scanner. I work at the San Francisco terminal and can assure you it is done and is a federal mandate.

 

Generally it is done by TSA or contract workers and NOT anyone from the cruise lines themselves. At port calls, the individual scanning can be either/or. Sometimes you get scanned by the port and sometimes it is on the ship itself. If it is by the port, then your chances are better to bring liquor back with you as there are no ship's personnel present during the scanning. If it is done on the ship, it is a crap shoot.

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All checked bags are sent through a very large x-ray scanner. I work at the San Francisco terminal and can assure you it is done and is a federal mandate.

 

Generally it is done by TSA or contract workers and NOT anyone from the cruise lines themselves. At port calls, the individual scanning can be either/or. Sometimes you get scanned by the port and sometimes it is on the ship itself. If it is by the port, then your chances are better to bring liquor back with you as there are no ship's personnel present during the scanning. If it is done on the ship, it is a crap shoot.

 

When depositing one's luggage at the pier, making sure to tip the steavedore..., one's bags are loaded into a cage that, when filled, is taken away by a forklift. One sees the forklifts shuttling the cages on board. We estimate that on a ship like the Grand there would be at least 5,000 pieces of checked luggage. Surely these cannot all be scanned, sent to the relevent floor and distributed to cabins in less than the customary two hours.

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Thanks aaerobear and ONT-CA. I think I've decided to bite the bullet and pay to check a bag on my flight. That way I can bring a bigger suitcase and check at the pier. More space, more room to hide the liquor. And I can bring the really good booze I never drink which I already have at home-- instead of wasting more money in Miami to buy more liquor I don't really need.

Edited by jim98122x
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ONT-CA,

 

It really does happen. I promise you. Looks are deceiving and baggage is changed from the original cages to others that are specially tagged for different parts of the ship. This change comes after the original cages are brought to the scanner area. The same as your checked luggage on an airline, after going down the bagbelt it is scanned and then loaded into a cart for the right flight (hopefully is gets to the right plane)

 

For cruise ships the bags are loaded on carts destined for FWD, MID, AFT sections of the ship.

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Put RR's in checked luggage..or order a bottle from Ship Services and not worry about it all ;) Seriously the stress of "wondering if we're gonna be caught?" is much more taxing than just paying the price for a bottle delivered to your stateroom...jmho...:) Either way hope you have a great time!

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ONT-CA,

 

It really does happen. I promise you. Looks are deceiving and baggage is changed from the original cages to others that are specially tagged for different parts of the ship. This change comes after the original cages are brought to the scanner area. The same as your checked luggage on an airline, after going down the bagbelt it is scanned and then loaded into a cart for the right flight (hopefully is gets to the right plane)

 

For cruise ships the bags are loaded on carts destined for FWD, MID, AFT sections of the ship.

 

I bow to your expertise but after 33 personal cruises without detection of naughtiness one wonders at the proficiency of the process. But best not press my luck with a discouraging word. I could add and the skies are not cloudy all day but then you were with us on that last cruise. More like a car wash convention...

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There will never be a "final" comment on this subject... but it sure seems to me that it is entirely random as to whether you are going to get caught. Some are caught and sent to the 'naughty room' and some are not.

 

Some of the best methods or 'secrets' are probably not shared here... I don't share mine! :p

 

My thought is that if you try to pack a mini-bar, you increase your chances of getting caught. If you only pack a small quantity, even if observed, it may get through.

 

I may pack a pint so I can have a cocktail while dressing before dinner. And I usually never empty it! But I also order a cocktail at dinner, the shows, and on deck whenever I want, and pay for them. Everything in moderation.... I hope the cruiselines are profitable, and booze is a part of that... so I don't abuse the situation by playing too many games. ;)

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My thought is that if you try to pack a mini-bar, you increase your chances of getting caught. If you only pack a small quantity, even if observed, it may get through.

 

 

One of my favorite sayings is, "Pigs get slaughtered". I'm not trying to bring mass quantities--so I suspect a couple of small RR's in my checked luggage will get through. I guess I'll find out.

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Put your RR in checked luggage which will give you a much better chance of getting it through. I have used them on almost all my cruises and have never had a problem. There are various theories such as put it in shoes, under cosmetics, inside folds of clothes, near the wheels, etc. Best plan though is to use several pieces of checked luggage and spread it around so that one find will only result in part of it found.

 

If you carry it on then your chances of being caught is greatly improved. The last cruises I have carried two 8 ounce RR on in my cargo shorts pocket. The metal detector is just that a metal detector. The RR are all plastic so they cannot set off an alarm. I have never seen anyone wanded down in all my cruises. The same technique can be used to bring it aboard at the various port calls. Carry it in your cargo shorts pocket.

 

On the ship I always carry around a sport bottle which has differing contents as the day progresses.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I just got back from a cruise on the Carnival Elation to Cozumel. I went with a group of about 30 people. Some of them tried different ways to get liquor on board.

 

I purchased Rum Runners from Amazon. Got 6 of them in 3 different sizes. I put the big ones in my tolietry bags and surrounded them with plastic and metal items that were in the tolietry bags. I also stuck one small one in a shoe and another big one wrapped up in a pair of pants. I put them all inside ziplock bags in case they leaked. My wife also put some in her suitcase the same way.

We made it on board with all of the Rum Runners and I think my bag was opened because the strap was zipped up in the suitcase and it wasnt like that when I gave it to them but nothing in my suitcase was moved at all.

 

Some friends of ours put a wine bottle in their bag because they didnt realize they had to carry it on. Their bottle was confiscated and their others bags were searched and messed up.

 

Another friend tried putting beer cans inside a coke 12 pack box and put the coke cans where the cans were visible through holes. They opened his box and confiscated the beer.

 

Security was opening any soda boxes or boxes of water to check for liquor. They then taped them back up if they were ok and gave them to you to carry on. I also heard they were shaking the water bottles to check the bubbles because liqour makes distinct bubbles.

 

I also had a duffle bag I checked that I put my 12 pack of sodas and cans of pineapple juice in. They didnt open my 12 pack at all.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I know you have probably already sailed but just for information and experience.. We just sailed on Carnival in December. My fiance brought 3- 8 oz RR unboard by putting them in her cargo pockets of her shorts.. and one in her waistband or something. as long as she didnt wear a bulky sweatshirt or metal, she walked through with no issue..

and we brought a 12 pack of 8 oz cranberry juice bottles..

Edited by ThisFemmeKat
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  • 3 weeks later...

Good Luck with your RR! I've had no problems at all with mine since obtaining a set three years ago!

 

I place the initial stash in the checked luggage when boarding ship. All pouches go undiscovered. Then when in port, cargo shorts pockets and even backpacks are used to get stuff back on the ship. Just make sure that on your person you don't have ANY metal that "just might" set off the alarms.

 

On last cruise, a travel buddy came through the X-ray machine behind me once and forgot to remove his belt. They pulled him aside rather than sending him back through and he was busted! Fortunately he only had one pouch on him!

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  • 3 weeks later...

I'm thinking about getting some RRs for our crusie in March.. Has anyone used them on NCL recently out of Miami?

 

As a side note, I didn't know liquor wasn't allowed and on my last cruise a few years ago, I got one of those big bottles (plastic) of Vodka on thru my checked luggage, I guess that was just luck!

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  • 1 month later...

Rum runners are collapsible containers to smuggle alcohol on board in your luggage if needed. They either work great or security just doesn't check luggage very thoroughly. Supposedly do not show up on X-ray. We have used them quite a few times.

 

 

Hawaii 2010 (nude cruise)

BOFI 2011 (nude cruise)

FF2 2011 (nude cruise)

BNB 2013 (Big Nude Boat)

Nude Amsterdam #8002

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