Jump to content

How to bring on alcohol?


Micktooth

Recommended Posts

Many people have said they have brought on alcohol. Does Carnival "allow" a limited amount of alcohol? Perhaps a couple of bottles of wine. How about beer? Any tips,suggestions and/or experiences would be greatly appreciated.

Dave

Link to comment
Share on other sites

They allow a bottle of wine or champagne to be brought on.... otherwise, just pack your alcohol in your checked luggage, I've never had any trouble... I don't bother with transferring it to another container :rolleyes: I don't like my vodka to taste like shampoo :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, just pack it in your checked luggage. I always wrap mine in bubble wrap and place in ziplock bag. Or you can pour white alcohol in a water bottle and dark alcohol in Coke, Pepsi or Tea bottles and put in cooler. I've done it both ways and had no problem. :p

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As Previously Stated, Bubble Wrap It And Pack It In Your Checked In Luggage. You Won't Have Any Problems. I Am A Diet Coke (can)freek So I Packed A 12 Pack In My Luggage And It Arrived Fine. I'm Glad I Did Because I Could Not Find Any On The Carnival Conquest.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is straight from Carnival's website:

 

>>

Liquor and Beverage Policy

 

Bringing Alcohol On Board - Embarkation

 

Guests are prohibited from bringing alcoholic beverages on board.

 

One bottle of fine wine or champagne, per stateroom, may be brought on board during embarkation only. If the wine and/or champagne is brought to the Dining room for consumption, a $10 corkage fee per bottle will be charged to the guest; otherwise, the guest may only drink the wine and/or champagne in the privacy of a stateroom. The wine and/or champagne may NOT be brought into any other public lounge or area.

 

Guests may bring a small quantity of non-alcoholic beverages. Excessive quantities, to be determined at the discretion of security and/or the embarkation personnel, will be confiscated and retained by Carnival until the cruise is completed. <<

 

SO, we're packing two bottles of champagne (one for us and one for our table the last night......we thought that would be nice), and those will be in our carry-on. The bottle of Crown Royal will be tightly wrapped in bubble wrap and then in a plastic baggie, which will be wrapped in a beach towel in our checked luggage. Wish us luck, but our friends have all done the same and had NO problems.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As Previously Stated, Bubble Wrap It And Pack It In Your Checked In Luggage. You Won't Have Any Problems. I Am A Diet Coke (can)freek So I Packed A 12 Pack In My Luggage And It Arrived Fine. I'm Glad I Did Because I Could Not Find Any On The Carnival Conquest.

 

It's bewildering that some ships don't carry one of the most popular drinks on the planet. Have you ever looked forward to getting a Diet Coke in port...only to find it has a different taste?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Has anyone ever have a bag not show up to his or her room due to the Beer Police. I have heard my people state they have not had any problems with packing a 12pk in the checked bags. At what point in the process would the beer be discovered/questioned and then be withheld? Would this happen before or after the luggage made it on the ship. The e-ray personnel and do they even work for the cruise line(are they the ones looking for it).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

we had 3 ppl in our cabin ... and we had 2 bottles of vodka .... and 3 or 4 bottles of wine ( it is a blur at this point...j/k) ..... I went to the liquor store and just looked for a plastic bottle w/ no metal on it ... slipped it into a plastic bottle... and put it into my checked LOCKED luggage .... and bam ... our own in cabin bar..... we would get plastic cups from the lido deck when we went up for breakfast ..... and take em back to the cabin .... get ready to go out ..... pour some vodka in our cup ....head back up to lido ...... mix in a little lemonade ...... and bam ...... free drink ...... and we had no trouble at all ...... and there were ppl we talked to that had brought on waaaaaaaay more than what we did ...... so you can do it ....LOL ... Happy Cruisin' ...

 

 

Beth

Link to comment
Share on other sites

After our recent cruise on the Conquest, I learned a couple of things. Several of the bars on the ship actually ran out of bottles and cans of diet Coke the last day of the cruise. Gaugin's bar just off the back of the casino was a very reliable source. For us, we packed too much booze, and not enough diet Coke. Packed a 12-pack in our carryon luggage with absolutely no problem, and would probably pack another 12-pack in checked luggage next time. Maybe I was lazy, but I had a hard time getting back to the cabin to fix myself a drink from the stash we brought. It was much more convenient to order from bar service. And, we spent less on drinks on the ship than we had anticipated. Everyone is different............

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, I completed a trip this past August on the Conquest and had no problem. Between the 4 of us we must of brought on a case and a half of soda, twelve pack of beer, and a case of water in addition to the booze. Hell, I had 4+ fifths in my carry-on hauled all the way from the west coast plus mixers and cups and went through security x-ray and all no problem. Having choices is a good thing right?

 

The worst part of all of this was I had to haul a lot of it back. I think that at their inception, rules limiting the amounts and types of alcohol that can be brought back on board probably had/have an honorable intent. Like trying to keep a ship full of spring breakers from getting blotto and falling overboard or creating rowdy situations that make life miserable for the average passenger. But obviously, the prime motivation now is money. How else could you explain the incessant non-stop hawking of drinks AND souvenoir glasses on the Lido all day and night. And right along with that is the absolutely assinine policy of not providing soda type soft drinks, especially by a cruiseline trying to foster the family and kid market unless of course, you buy the optional soda card? Simply stupid! This would be real hard to put in a self serve dispenser now wouldn't it? I'm fairly certain that things like juices and milk are more expensive than flavored carbonated sugar water.

 

I kind of put this type of thing in with how many large airlines are giving less and charging for more for just about everything. I mean I've begun to wonder when the airlines will start charging for using the toilet and also make us bring our own beach chairs to sit on. But enough of that rant... I think its safe to say that if you cruise during a time when there is larger concentrations of young people i.e. spring break, you can probably expect closer monitoring of this policy. In the end I think it comes down to common sense. I "think" there is a limit cruise lines will go to inconveinance and upset their customers but, if you know the rules and side-step those rules, just don't get upset if one-day you get called on it.

 

But as it pertains to beer, if you read the Carnival rules closely, it says nothing about beer; only liquor, wine and champagne and wine and champagne is o.k. just that they say they will charge you a cork fee. So my take is that bringing beer onboard is legal. In fact, during our Conquest cruise it was published in the ships daily newsletter that "case beer" would not be permitted to be brought back onboard. So taking these instructions literally, each of us brought 2 six packs of Red Stripe back onboard at Montego Bay in plain view and had no problem what so ever. The big problem though is that they don't serve this brand on the ship and it is also glass so you are certainly constrained to consuming it in your stateroom.

 

The thing to do would be to bring those plastic bottles of beer now popular at sporting venues around the country. The bottles are safe and you would fit in with what's being sold on the ship. In the end, beer, wine, soda... bring your own. Your assured of having it and as a result we'll be able to spend more on the other stuff that Carnival hawks to us. Beautiful world huh?

 

Hey, anyone been on a Glory cruise lately and know what types of beer (brands) they serve in plastic bottles onboard? I'm going to need the intel. Have Fun! :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

But as it pertains to beer, if you read the Carnival rules closely, it says nothing about beer; only liquor, wine and champagne and wine and champagne is o.k. just that they say they will charge you a cork fee. So my take is that bringing beer onboard is legal.

Actually, the "rules" say "no alcoholic beverages", which generally includes beer as well as liquor... so bringing beer onboard is not legal, but lots of people do it :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Haven't had a problem on Carnival if booze was packed in checked-in luggage. However, when we were on the Norwegian Sea there were several people who had their liquor confiscated--even though it was checked through.

 

If you buy a bottle in port the security screener will see it and try to confiscate it when you return to the ship. In this case, if you want to take it to your cabin, you can transfer the contents to a different container--preferably square/rectangular--and get it through.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't know if bringing alchohol on board is "illegal" it's just "prohibited" because they want to make money from you buying booze on the ship. Just like you're not supposed to bring your own snacks into the movie theater, lots of people do it anyway.

I would think that if you brought on board a bunch of the mini bottles of liquor and mixed it up with your toiletres, they would not be detected.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I stopped bringing my own beverages on the ship after I was informed of how little the Carnival employees were making and that they were counting on that .59 per mixed drink they served me.

 

The way I look at it everytime I sipped on my own alcohol I was taking away from those poor bar waiters.

 

pay my automatic tips + some

order drinks from waiter + some

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just went to Cozumel and had a (canned) "Cola Light" which is the equivalent of our diet coke. I don't think the different taste has anything to do with the water. I think it might be a different sweetener. They had these when I was stationed in Germany too. Personally, I like it better than our Diet Coke because it has a sweeter taste without any calories.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I stopped bringing my own beverages on the ship after I was informed of how little the Carnival employees were making and that they were counting on that .59 per mixed drink they served me.

 

The way I look at it everytime I sipped on my own alcohol I was taking away from those poor bar waiters.

 

pay my automatic tips + some

order drinks from waiter + some

Hmmm, I bring my own so I can have drinks in the cabin before dinner, YES in the morning (can't drink coffee w/out baileys :confused: and of course, nothing goes down better afterwards than a bloody mary), and at 4AM when everything has shut down. Brought 4 bottles along, and still managed to have a $620 bar tab in 5 days... I don't think anyone was robbed of their pay by me bringing anything along :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well not to beat a dead horse but... as far as not bringing on a favorite bottle or a few siz packs because of feeling sorry for the crew is in my opinion nonsense if not laughable. Every person working on that ship is doing so because they want to. I think involuntary servitude went out awhile ago. Many of those people are making pitiful wages compared to the US standard but making lots of dough compared to what they would be making at home. I refuse to concocked a guilt trip over cocktails because the crew is underpaid. Thats trying to make a case that passengers who bring booze onboard are "exploiting" these people. That is PC garbage if I've ever heard it. By that standard anyone who walks onboard is guilty. I agree tip well, when its DESERVED and lets keep the good times rollin!!:)

 

George

Link to comment
Share on other sites

GC - I'm with you on that one. I just pack stuff to have available in the room. It's a big pain to have to get dressed and head back out to a bar just to have a late night drink in the room sitting on the balcony. If Carnival had a consumption fee like RCCL does, then it wouldn't be a big deal. I'd buy it on the ship and gladly pay the extra money just to have the bottle in my room. With the duty free, I'd still probably come out better.I actually would just do without so I'm not really taking any food out of anyone's mouth. We "donate" plenty plenty to the cause over the course of the cruise.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Really my point was to say that the same people that beat the idea of reducing tips for under par service are the same ones that drag their alcohol on, seems like an oxymoron to me.

Well - I disagree. I take my own booze on and I tip above and beyond in most cases. Please refine from LUMPING everyone together.

 

As far as being an oxymoron - how does this seem like an oxymoron? CHEAP maybe - but an oxymoron - I don't see the connection - but maybe I'm just hangover from all the smuggled alcohol. :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...