Bringing on alcohol.

We have always brought a bottle on board so we could have a drink in the cabin while getting ready for dinner. Yes, we know you can order a drink from cabin service but it takes about 30 minutes for the drinks to arrive, watered down because they have traveled the whole ship after they were sitting on the bar waiting for cabin service to pick them up. They are delivered while we are both undressed and one is in the shower, that's why we like to bring a bottle to make a drink in the cabin. It is after all a cruise and we like to at least have the comfort of home in our cabin.

We always keep the bottle in the cabinet so there is never a problem with the cabin steward. On our last cruise I came back to the cabin in the afternoon and there was a letter stating that alcohol had been removed from our cabin. This meant that someone had gone thru our cabinets since nothing was out in the open. I went to GR who said that it obviously was our Cabin Steward who turned us in. Obviously it wasn't the CS, it was the day before tips were to be handed out. Turns out, it was the bar staff who came into our cabin, after we had the refridg. emtied the first night, and they felt free to go thru our cabinets. First, they had no business in our cabin since the mini bar had been emptied. Second, they had no business going thru our cabinets. GR had no problem with this saying that they were only doing their job. Isn't there some kind of rule saying that the staff doesn't have a right to go thru your personal property?? Really, who wants staff outside of the Cabin Steward in your cabin.

Wow! How did you find out it was the bar staff? I didn't think anybody but cabin stewards had access to cabins in non-emergency situations. This would infuriate me!! Who originally emptied the bar - was it bar staff or the the cabin steward? I've only sailed Carnival (but I'm looking into a Royal Caribbean cruise), and the cabin stewards handle everything with regard to the mini-bars. I guess it makes sense that bar staff would turn you in, since it hits them, but why are they going into your cabin without your knowledge, and then going through your stuff? It's bad enough they went in there without you knowing, but they should have done the task at hand and left. I wonder if this is a new strategy to cut down on booze smuggling (which I'm not against, booze smuggling, that is:D)?

We have always brought a bottle on board so we could have a drink in the cabin while getting ready for dinner. Yes, we know you can order a drink from cabin service but it takes about 30 minutes for the drinks to arrive, watered down because they have traveled the whole ship after they were sitting on the bar waiting for cabin service to pick them up. They are delivered while we are both undressed and one is in the shower, that's why we like to bring a bottle to make a drink in the cabin. It is after all a cruise and we like to at least have the comfort of home in our cabin.

 

We always keep the bottle in the cabinet so there is never a problem with the cabin steward. On our last cruise I came back to the cabin in the afternoon and there was a letter stating that alcohol had been removed from our cabin. This meant that someone had gone thru our cabinets since nothing was out in the open. I went to GR who said that it obviously was our Cabin Steward who turned us in. Obviously it wasn't the CS, it was the day before tips were to be handed out. Turns out, it was the bar staff who came into our cabin, after we had the refridg. emtied the first night, and they felt free to go thru our cabinets. First, they had no business in our cabin since the mini bar had been emptied. Second, they had no business going thru our cabinets. GR had no problem with this saying that they were only doing their job. Isn't there some kind of rule saying that the staff doesn't have a right to go thru your personal property?? Really, who wants staff outside of the Cabin Steward in your cabin.

You and I may not like it, but "we had the refridg. emtied the first night" says that you asked one of those bar staff into your cabin. I wonder if they would have been looking into your cabins if you had not emtined the frig. I can belive that the bar staff was just doing his job. It looks that RCI is really trying to enforce this rule. Now if only they would also enforce some of the other rules too - - but that is another matter.

Just curious which ship and when did you sail??? This does seem to be over the board in "snooping". I too would be upset because not only looking for alcohol what about finding prescription drugs, personal items, etc. As far as I'm concerned it is wrong that they would let staff the liberty to enter anyone's cabin....Then again, maybe we should go enter the staff's cabin and see how much alcohol and other items they buy in port is in THEIR room (LOL)

So if I ask them to empty the fridge and get a basket of stuff delivered from Just Because, are they going to snoop and take my stuff even though I paid for it?

So if I ask them to empty the fridge and get a basket of stuff delivered from Just Because, are they going to snoop and take my stuff even though I paid for it?

Sounds like it. Wow.

I always have an open bottle of wine in the room. It may be the bottle we ordered at dinner and carried from the dining room to the cabin, or it may be a bottle from home.

I’ve always kept it in plain sight – often in the ice bucket. How would someone know if it was the wine purchased in the dining room or wine from home?

The story seems a little fishy to me.

M

I agree with cruisegirl1...this sounds a bit fishy to me, as well. If this is exactly how it happened I would be mad as h#ll! I don't feel it is the right of ANY cruise staff to go through our personal belongings or cabinets......unless they have permission and suspicion!

What ship??? When did this take place??? What cabin were you in???

I hope things haven't changed. I have always brought my own, I also spend

enough on theirs. My cabin steward's have even set up my bar asking if I needed any extra items. Most of my cruising has been on RCCL (my fave.

so far). I would also think you would need to be present for them to do any type of search like that. I guess I'll find out soon.

D/S:rolleyes:

So if I ask them to empty the fridge and get a basket of stuff delivered from Just Because, are they going to snoop and take my stuff even though I paid for it?

RCCL get a delivery charge for things order from JBOY. Therefore, I don't believe they would take anything from your gift basket. I do believe that every day someone checks the refrig so that they can bill you for items removed. My guess, is that if everything is removed from the refrig and given to the person who checks, then there is no reason for them to come back unless a different person, who doesn't know things were removed checks. If you just take things out and put them on the counter, the checker would probably still come in.

Having said that, if the checker finds your own soda, ie tonic, or something to mix with booze, he might have instructions to look for alcohol. I am not saying that it is right to search your cabinets, but that might be what he is told to do. I'm sure it is to cut down on smuggling. Lots of changes have been made after the young man who smuggled went overboard.

Katie

I hope things haven't changed. I have always brought my own, I also spend

enough on theirs. My cabin steward's have even set up my bar asking if I needed any extra items. Most of my cruising has been on RCCL (my fave.

so far). I would also think you would need to be present for them to do any type of search like that. I guess I'll find out soon.

D/S:rolleyes:

Ist of all I am sorry for the double post. Cat jump in. Next is this about the

newly weds? The young guy going over or is it a new one and I live under a

rock?

D/S

First of all, I'm not trying to be a smart aleck or anything else, just trying to reason with why they can do what they did.

FWIW, if you read your contract, they have the right to search anywhere, anytime, and for anything on their property and that includes your personal belongings stored on their property. That cabin is yours to use in exchange for your money for a contracted period of time, but they reserve the right to inspect their property at any time. Since alcohol is specifically banned from being brought on board and/or taken to the cabin (banned in writing in multiple locations, and you signed that you understood this), then you can get as mad you want, but there is absolutely nothing you can do about them confiscating it from you while on board. For that matter, if you really wanted to make a stink about it, you can be removed from the ship at the next port for having it onboard. I haven't heard of anyone being kicked off just for having booze (except for underage), but the threat is there. Big flick, it's their ship, their rules, and they don't have to follow the laws of the USA (concerning search and siezure) while you're onboard their ship.

I hope that makes sense, it probably isn't what most people want to hear, but it's my understanding of the cruise contract and having been embarked on numerous vessels over the course of my life.

Since when have they banned alcohol from being taken to your cabin? I have bought beer by the bucket and taken it to my cabin, with the understanding that it is allowable. The room stewards have always iced it down for me. You can also order alcohol from rooms service, and it will be delivered. What is the difference if you carry it to your cabin or room service delivers it?:confused:

This doesn't make any sense to me either. We always have our fridge emptied so we can fit our bottled water in it. While the cruiseline no longer allows guests to bring onboard alcohol, including wine, it makes no sense to me that the bar staff would search the cabin simply because the fridge was emptied. I would think it would be the housekeeping staff (perhaps the chief housekeeper), as the steward would not want to lose his/her tip by reporting alcohol in the cabin. Perhaps someone on the staff saw a corkscrew or empty wine glasses and decided to investigate. They certainly have the right to search the cabin.

As to bringing wine or beer to your cabin from the bar or ordering it from room service, you are certainly allowed to do so. If you bring your opened wine from the dining room to the room, the crew will recognize it as the ship's wine and there won't be any problems. However, if there is an opened bottle of Markham merlot on the counter and RCCL doesn't offer it, it's obviously been smuggled on.

I, too, would be interested to know what ship the OP sailed on and when.

I didn't say enough to make my point. My point is you're not allowed to bring alcohol onboard and keep it in your cabin from home (for instance, in your luggage), nor are you allowed to buy booze in the ship's store and take it to your cabin, you can't go buy booze in port and take it to your cabin. Now these are according to the rules, and don't have any bearing on what people actually do. I wasn't talking about buying a bucket of beer, I was talking about bringing a 12 pack from 7-Eleven.

This is absurd to me!! I've pre-ordered (with RCI) to have two bottles of red wine in my cabin and we also get a bottle of champagne the night of our wedding, and a bottle with our breakfast in bed! They better not remove it....how do they truly know if we've ordered it or snuck it on??!!??

This is Tom (husband of Brigittetom) This occured on Mariner early Dec 06. Our steward emptied the contents of the mini-bar on on day one and gave everything to the mini-bar staff. There was no indication of any bar staff intrusion for the first 4 1/2 days.That afternoon, when we were out, the liquor was removed from closed cabinets above the safe and an unsigned note (form letter) from the bar manager stated that alcoholic beverages had been found in our cabin and any open bottles had already been poured out.

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We knew the rules and were prepared to surrender our "contraband" if caught. After initially trying to implicate the steward, GR admitted it is against policy for bar staff to search cabinets. Nothing was done about that infraction.

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Wraithe - Only security has the right to search any part of the ship. Neither bar staff nor cabin steward nor laundry delivery, (all of whom have pass keys) are allowed to rifle your cabinets or closets.

GR and an assistant bar manager verified this, but no action was taken.

Thats awful to think someone was going through your personal things, thats a very personal invasion, who knows what people bring with them on their trips for enjoyment! But it seems that many people BYOB on the cruises with no problem at all, this is the first I have read, although I'm a very new member, but have read a ton of threads! They have even said the steward put their wine/beer on ice and brought bigger buckets! Was this a younger couple maybe? Although that should have no bearing at all. We will be on the Rhapsody on 3-25, anyone ever have a problem with that ship? Please I hope not! How scary to think while your out your room and personal things are getting touched and taken. Please tell me this is a rare occurance, this is our first cruise and I will be so leary to leave our room and be on guard when we come back! But we will have a oceanview, so no mini fridge right? So that should keep them out I hope! Please past cruisers on Rhapsody ever had this problem? Thank you in advance!

Lori

Wraithe - Only security has the right to search any part of the ship. Neither bar staff nor cabin steward nor laundry delivery, (all of whom have pass keys) are allowed to rifle your cabinets or closets.

GR and an assistant bar manager verified this, but no action was taken.

I would completely agree that only security and/or a ship's officer should have the right to search a cabin, and IMHO, if security is searching a room, for their protection, a ship's officer should be present.

On Rhapsody, mini-bar stockers don't enter Ov or below cabins, but if you use laundry services, they will deliver clothes to your cabin even if you are not there.

The mini-bar stockers , on the pther hand had no reason to enter our cabin, as there was no property of their's inside.

RCL did nothing, as the next week in our different cabin, the steward again emptied the fridge and even called a bar manager (in our presence) requesting bar staff not enter as we didn't want mini-bar service. Brigitte was awakened from a nap on day 6 by bar staff, who upon seeing her, said "I"ll come back later" I THINK NOT!

We are a 60-ish couple. We are Diamond C&A and have never experienced (or heard of) any such privacy invasion until this.

I believe that if security (with or without Officers) conduct a search, they request your presence for legal reasons.

Very strange goings on. Thanks, CruznTom, for providing more information. This seems very strange to me. I'd be interested in what their reasoning was, but I suppose we'll never know.

Karen

We have never had a problem bringing alcohol on and have been on the Rhapsody 3 times. I think we all just need to be careful about this or the cruise lines (all of them) are going to start being stricter about this. Personally, even though we bring on some liquor, we always spend a lot of money buying drinks and wine on board.........I hope that is the same for you.

We have never had a problem bringing alcohol on and have been on the Rhapsody 3 times. I think we all just need to be careful about this or the cruise lines (all of them) are going to start being stricter about this. Personally, even though we bring on some liquor, we always spend a lot of money buying drinks and wine on board.........I hope that is the same for you.