Taking alcohol on board

I have not read previous replies, so forgive me if I am commenting repetitively... We are currently booking with Norwegian, they still allow unlimited to be brought on. $15 corking fee now applies to all bottles, regardless of cork or twist top.

Is this for wine for the cabin? Not sure what to say really. Probably cheaper to have the wine from the ship as they do some nice ones at a good price. Interesting though

I agree - could see this one coming.

 

We were on Celebrity once on a wine excursion with the person responsible on the ship for all excursions. (She was coming along for quality assurance purposes). She shared with us that she was always frustrated that the ship would not allow anyone on a ship's wine excursion to take wine back unless it was stored away until the end of a cruise. She had been trying to persuade the company to allow just a couple of bottles as on a fly cruise it is sad to enjoy a lovely day and not be able to take a reminder home / to be able to enjoy a drink at sailaway as a nice memory of the day. (We don't all want to get 'tanked up' on cheap wine!)

Yet on Celebrity last year we bought 2 litres of spirit in Italy and openly took it onboard expecting it to be confiscated and no one bothered.

Interesting, we were charged $15 in August 2017.

 

Yes, Cunard drinks are v. expensive wherever you buy them from, and you can rack up a healthy bar bill if you like a cocktail or two.

I thought Cunard's web site was quoting $20 corkage well before August, but in any case it does now and that's what we were charged last month. It was still worth it as the bottle in question (which cost me £50 a few years ago) would have been $hundreds if it had even been on the wine list.

The other interesting thing is that Cunard feel able to scalp their passengers for drinks in the bars and restaurants (even some Americans complain in the Cunard CC forum) but still implicitly allow any amount to be carried on board. I would hope on that basis that the worst case predictions of restricted carry-ons = much higher bar prices for P&O won't necessarily follow. It looks like Cunard benchmark their prices against US lines, but lines which mainly sell to UK customers seem to track UK lounge bar/hotel bar prices. I'd be sad to be proved wrong, but I think the shroud-waving about where P&O prices will go is rather overdone.

What next, vouchers for duty free cigs? If not, is this discrimination against smokers?

Soon be all inclusive alcohol, tobacco, ice cream, you name it!

Well the changes happen tomorow. It would be really interesting to hear from anyone on a cruise after that date

A. Is there is actually any noticeable impact on procedures on the ships eg are there more bag searches?

B. Are queues longer to get back onboard or is it just business as usual?

C. Has anyone located the "naughty room" as yet or seen their first rum runner?

In other words has this change impacted on passengers other than by restricting what they can bring onboard or is is all just something and nothing.

You don't see rum runners. That's the point. I have used them successfully on American lines but always respected P and O for treating me like an adult so I didn't have to. It's a floating hotel! No hotel of any number of stars in which I have stayed has ever prevented me from bringing alcohol in to drink in my room. It's about freedom. A friend whom I introduced to P and O last year has now refused to cruise with them again even though I pointed out that most lines forbid the bringing aboard of bottles. On principle. She is now planning a land based holiday and trying to get me to join her instead.

Cunard's corkage charge is $20. You have to look hard to find anything below $30 on the wine list so there's still a potential saving if you take something reasonable on board with you.

I looked into this when I sailed with them last year.

The $30 wines on their wine list ($34.50 with the 15% service charge) you could buy in the UK for about $8.50 (at the exchange rate then), so with the $20 corkage, it would be a £5 saving.

Moving up the price range, a $35 wine would save about £8.50 and a $40 wine about £12.

I took on-board half a dozen bottles ordered and picked up from Majestic (which is handily the opposite side of the road to the station in Southampton) and saved around £125 off the on-board price even after paying the corkage.

Well the changes happen tomorow. It would be really interesting to hear from anyone on a cruise after that date

 

A. Is there is actually any noticeable impact on procedures on the ships eg are there more bag searches?

B. Are queues longer to get back onboard or is it just business as usual?

C. Has anyone located the "naughty room" as yet or seen their first rum runner?

 

In other words has this change impacted on passengers other than by restricting what they can bring onboard or is is all just something and nothing.

We go on Ventura on Monday. I'll let you know. I'll also be interested to see how they deal with checks in the Caribbean where everybody used to bring duty free back on board

I too am waiting with interest about the Caribbean cruises for me it was a real bonus I loved a G & T on the balcony at all different times of the day. Not sure if we are doing our usual pre Xmas cruise this year last year we did a couple of land based Caribbean hols and really missed the ship so wont be doing that again.

I do like a drink but don't like fitting it into a specific time like to spread it out across the day. Our bar bill is usually £700 plus so we do use the bars so I am not the happiest with this little perk being taken away.

I too am waiting with interest about the Caribbean cruises for me it was a real bonus I loved a G & T on the balcony at all different times of the day.

It's been pointed out a number of times in this thread and elsewhere that most of the Room Service spirits prices are in the same ball park as UK retail prices so there's no real loss to anyone who's happy with the brands on offer. The main losers from the policy are wine drinkers, and to a lesser extent beer drinkers.

We go on Ventura on Monday. I'll let you know. I'll also be interested to see how they deal with checks in the Caribbean where everybody used to bring duty free back on board

Yes, many of us will be interested to know about the efficiency of the P&O Alcohol Police from 1st February.:halo:

It's been pointed out a number of times in this thread and elsewhere that most of the Room Service spirits prices are in the same ball park as UK retail prices

They are the same at the moment as they are competing with the alcohol brought onboard.

Reducing competition only has one effect on prices.

They are the same at the moment as they are competing with the alcohol brought onboard.

 

Reducing competition only has one effect on prices.

Tell that to Cunard, their drinks prices are much higher than P&O's and yet they allow pax to carry any amount on board for private consumption.

Tell that to Cunard, their drinks prices are much higher than P&O's and yet they allow pax to carry any amount on board for private consumption.

I wasn't aware that Cunard allowed unlimited amounts of alcohol to be carried on board by passengers???

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It has just been posted on the roll call forum that the drinks policy has been relaxed until 15th February.

It has just been posted on the roll call forum that the drinks policy has been relaxed until 15th February.

The P&O Alcohol Police are still in training then? :')

I wasn't aware that Cunard allowed unlimited amounts of alcohol to be carried on board by passengers???

 

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We were on QM2 in March last year, Sydney to HK. You could take what booze you liked on board. Their bar prices are way over the top. Cunard must think all their pax are multi millionaires.:evilsmile:

Sure their bar prices are high, but do Cunard sell whole bottles of spirits to drink in your cabin?

The cheapest room service Scotch is Grouse at $70, cheapest gin is Gordon's at $60, cheapest vodka is Smirnoff 21 at $60. All including the customary six mixers. Far, far higher than P&O whatever happens to the $/£ rate.

any one been caught or understands the rule properley?

i;m on azura on 9th march i now unerstand i can't take any alchol from duty free what i want for my room is a bottle of malibu for drinking in the room can i buy 1 bottle and take this on to the ship as i'm not sure from what i've read.

every message i have read talks of wine and not spirits

any one been caught or understands the rule properley?

i;m on azura on 9th march i now unerstand i can't take any alchol from duty free what i want for my room is a bottle of malibu for drinking in the room can i buy 1 bottle and take this on to the ship as i'm not sure from what i've read.

every message i have read talks of wine and not spirits

I am useless at trying to post from elsewhere, but if you go on their site somewhere there may be a list of bottles of drinks you get via the room steward. They are NOT duty free prices, about on par with a shop. Not sure if Malibu is one of the bottles, but you can look. You have not been able to buy at duty free prices on board and take straightaway for years. They tried it for a while but then stopped. You can buy duty free on board ,but it is kept until the last day of the cruise and you have to collect it. That option is only available if your cruise has at least one port outside the eu..ie Gib..Guernsey..

any one been caught or understands the rule properley?

i;m on azura on 9th march i now unerstand i can't take any alchol from duty free what i want for my room is a bottle of malibu for drinking in the room can i buy 1 bottle and take this on to the ship as i'm not sure from what i've read.

every message i have read talks of wine and not spirits

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any one been caught or understands the rule properley?

 

i;m on azura on 9th march i now unerstand i can't take any alchol from duty free what i want for my room is a bottle of malibu for drinking in the room can i buy 1 bottle and take this on to the ship as i'm not sure from what i've read.

 

every message i have read talks of wine and not spirits

The rule is not difficult to understand. You can take on 1 Ltr of alcohol per person at the start of a cruise. In your case a bottle of Malibu. Drinks in cabin are reasonable, well spirits as I have posted before. However the list is restricted and drinks like Malibu are not on the list.

You could ask how much they would sell a bottle for.

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any one been caught or understands the rule properley?

i;m on azura on 9th march i now unerstand i can't take any alchol from duty free what i want for my room is a bottle of malibu for drinking in the room can i buy 1 bottle and take this on to the ship as i'm not sure from what i've read.

every message i have read talks of wine and not spirits

Each guest aged 18 years (21 years in US ports) and older may bring one litre of the following; wine, Champagne, beer, spirit or liqueur on board as they embark the ship for the first time only.

https://ask.pocruises.com/help/PO/life-on-board/corkage_charges

Read the website always.

any one been caught or understands the rule properley?

 

i;m on azura on 9th march i now unerstand i can't take any alchol from duty free what i want for my room is a bottle of malibu for drinking in the room can i buy 1 bottle and take this on to the ship as i'm not sure from what i've read.

 

every message i have read talks of wine and not spirits

Buy it in the airport before your flight or on plane if they sell it. Once you get to Barbados you will embark the ship direct from the coach so there will be no chance to buy it in the terminal. If you buy it later in the terminal it will probably be confiscated until you get back to Southampton.

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This thread has an image of the in-cabin spirits menu - no Malibu bottles for in-cabin purchase it seems, so buy it in the airport to take on board with you. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2561647

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