Rum Runners

[cruisegirl1]

There has been some discussion elsewhere on these boards that infer that there may be one machine at MIA, and one at SJU. Have not heard tell of them elsewhere. Not sure if even that is true or not, and certainly have not heard anything about them being at any other US or Canadian port (not sure about others as I do not sail them).

 

The scans apparently cannot handle a full suitcase - any suspect containers are put through individually. They also are not onboard individual ships - just the port (if in fact, they are there).

So bottom line, unless one is sailing out of MIA or SJU (and perhaps not even there), one is no more likely to get 'caught' than they have been previously.

 

Not an opinion on whether one should try, just an evaluation of screening.

 

 

 

Sorry to repost. - but scanners are ON the ships - at least on RCCL . I went to security AFTER sail away to get my luggage. Naturally the xray cannot determine the specific liquid – just most any liquid in a larger bottle.

 

 

 

repost:

I recently spent some time ( maybe 30 minutes ) in the security areas of RCCL Jewel, retrieving my luggage. Any bottle that is suspect, they hold the luggage, notify you to come to security where they again put it through X-ray and tell you that they saw a “whatever” . In my case it was a bottle of wine. They examined it to be sure it was sealed and took it with the promise of return on the last evening. They did not go through any suitcase; they had the passenger do that. I personally saw security open sealed water bottles (plastic) and smell the contents. There were opening anything larger than a 4-6 oz. mouthwash bottle and also smelling the contents. Anything in a flask, they went to a rest room, emptied the contents and returned the empty flask to passengers. All of the staff were very nice and professional. My bottle of wine was returned to me early the last evening.

[slider728]

Hi, Wondering if any one has recently cruised with Rum Runners?? We are cruising soon on the Eclipse and would like to bring some tequila rose for morning coffee on the balcony. Its just 1 liquor I can't seem to find on a cruise ship.

 

I went on the Millie in November out of Miami. I had packed two small rum runners with vodka for having a drink at night before bed (to me it was a convenience factor and I wasn't paying $80 a bottle for booze for the stateroom. We bought our alcohol from the bars and waitstaff when we weren't in our room). I just put the rum runner in a ziploc bag and placed one rum runner in each of my dress shoes.

 

I had also tossed two 12 packs of soda into a suitcase (mixer and my morning drink) and we brought a case of water to take with us on shore excursions and such (I worked/lived in a lot of 3rd world countries and am very picky about bottled water. I've gotten sick from "bottled" water purchased locally in the store that I suspect was tap water in a bottle). I just stuck a luggage tag from the cruise ship on the case of water.

 

The final verdict?

 

The rum runners and my suitcase with cans of soda made it through with absolutely no problem (which really makes me wonder if I could have smuggled beer in cans...not that I would have, but makes me think it is possible). The water eventually made it, but it didn't show up at our stateroom until a few hours after we left port. I'm not sure if it got delayed due to the amount of luggage to deliver or if they decided to inspect it more carefully, but it definitely did not make it with the rest of my luggage.

 

So personally, I think you'll make it through with rum runners just fine. It seems that the case of water probably drew extra attention and probably isn't a good way to smuggle booze. What shocked me is that I didn't get called to the naughty room to have the cans inspected.

[phoenix_dream]

Sorry to repost. - but scanners are ON the ships - at least on RCCL . I went to security AFTER sail away to get my luggage. Naturally the xray cannot determine the specific liquid – just most any liquid in a larger bottle.

 

 

 

repost:

I recently spent some time ( maybe 30 minutes ) in the security areas of RCCL Jewel, retrieving my luggage. Any bottle that is suspect, they hold the luggage, notify you to come to security where they again put it through X-ray and tell you that they saw a “whatever” . In my case it was a bottle of wine. They examined it to be sure it was sealed and took it with the promise of return on the last evening. They did not go through any suitcase; they had the passenger do that. I personally saw security open sealed water bottles (plastic) and smell the contents. There were opening anything larger than a 4-6 oz. mouthwash bottle and also smelling the contents. Anything in a flask, they went to a rest room, emptied the contents and returned the empty flask to passengers. All of the staff were very nice and professional. My bottle of wine was returned to me early the last evening.

To clarify, I meant the special scanners which can detect alcohol versus other liquid are not on any ship to my knowledge. The ships do, of course, have the regular x-ray scanners which are used when returning from port.

[yippiolguis]

really silly question. So Celebrity allows me to take from my home into the ship 2 bottles of wine and I don't have to pay anithing if i drink them on my cabin?

[Northern Aurora]

So Celebrity allows me to take from my home into the ship 2 bottles of wine and I don't have to pay anithing if i drink them on my cabin?

 

There is a corkage fee only if you take one of your bottles of wine into a restaurant.

[Mermen]

Rum Runners have always worked for us.

 

The bottle of sparkling wine =X= gives to Elite guests...we've always left it in our room for another night. I wonder if we would need to pay a corkage fee if we brought it to our table in Blue one night?

[A Sixth?]

Rum Runners have always worked for us.

 

The bottle of sparkling wine =X= gives to Elite guests...we've always left it in our room for another night. I wonder if we would need to pay a corkage fee if we brought it to our table in Blue one night?

 

No, we've brought it (or it's substituted red or white) and never been charged a fee. That's for the MDR never been to Blu... but I can't imagine there being any difference

[rwr235]

Rum Runners have always worked for us.

 

The bottle of sparkling wine =X= gives to Elite guests...we've always left it in our room for another night. I wonder if we would need to pay a corkage fee if we brought it to our table in Blue one night?

 

No also if you receive one in your cabin as a gift from a family/friend/TA etc...if the bottle was purchased through the Celebrity Bon Voyage Gift program.

 

Enjoy

 

Woody

[jackdiamond]

No! Just answering the OP's question without pontificating with rules, hearsay, and innuendo. :eek:

Are you aware of the legal definition of hearsay?

[Wine-O]

Are you aware of the legal definition of hearsay?

 

No, I'm not a lawyer, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last week. :D:D

[2beachlovers]

no, i'm not a lawyer, but i did stay at a holiday inn express last week. :d:d

 

lol!:):d:)

[navyrotorhead]

No, I'm not a lawyer, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last week. :D:D

 

EVERYTHING depends upon what the meaning of the word "is" is. :p :)

[Mermen]

No, we've brought it (or it's substituted red or white) and never been charged a fee. That's for the MDR never been to Blu... but I can't imagine there being any difference

 

Thanks A Sixth? and Woody!

 

Appreciate also the tip on substituting the bubbly for a bottle of red or white. I did not know that! Just ask our cabin attendant? :)

[Wine-O]

Thanks A Sixth? and Woody!

 

Appreciate also the tip on substituting the bubbly for a bottle of red or white. I did not know that! Just ask our cabin attendant? :)

 

We took it to the dining room the last day to share with our table mates. The Sommelier told us he would give us credit (don't remember how much, but it was a good deal) on a bottle of Cab. We tried that on another cruise, and they said no. I guess it varies from ship to ship.

[ronbetty2001]

There is another way to look at putting things into the checked in bags. If there are 2,500 passengers and each passenger checks with an average of 1.5 bags per person (some people more, some less) that's 3,750 bags of luggage. Let's say that check in is noon and all need to be a board ship by 4:00pm. That's 4 hours or 240 minutes. The cruise line needs to check in your bag, check your tags, load into the proper carts for your deck, wheel the carts into the baggage area, X-ray the bags then reload onto another cart and take them to the proper deck and store by your cabin. I would say that the cruise line only has about 2.5 hours total to spend X-raying bags. That's about 150 minutes to X-ray 3,750 bags, that's gives them around 25 bags a minute or 2.4 seconds a bag. Not a lot of time to really look closely at any one bag. The main thing they are looking for is explosives, guns etc. So in my opinion if something doesn't stand out it gets on board.

Just my thoughts,

Capt. Ron

[cruisestitch]

And yet the naughty room is full of irons, steamers, liquor bottles, and other items on the forbidden list.:):):)

[Mermen]

There is another way to look at putting things into the checked in bags. If there are 2,500 passengers and each passenger checks with an average of 1.5 bags per person (some people more, some less) that's 3,750 bags of luggage. Let's say that check in is noon and all need to be a board ship by 4:00pm. That's 4 hours or 240 minutes. The cruise line needs to check in your bag, check your tags, load into the proper carts for your deck, wheel the carts into the baggage area, X-ray the bags then reload onto another cart and take them to the proper deck and store by your cabin. I would say that the cruise line only has about 2.5 hours total to spend X-raying bags. That's about 150 minutes to X-ray 3,750 bags, that's gives them around 25 bags a minute or 2.4 seconds a bag. Not a lot of time to really look closely at any one bag. The main thing they are looking for is explosives, guns etc. So in my opinion if something doesn't stand out it gets on board.

Just my thoughts,

Capt. Ron

 

I like your thoughts...it seems like a mad rush to get the bags on board. Makes sense to me. : )

[Cruising Rules]

I must say that while I do not sneak liquor on board (don't drink that much) I do understand those looking to circumvent the "rules". Charging $80 or $100 for a bottle of liquor in your room that costs $20-$25 is a bit on the greedy side and only increases the desire of some to find ways to "beat the system". While I don't condone this activity I don't find it apalling as some do and understand that to the average middle income cruiser, this is a lot of money and they are in many cases just trying to enjoy their vacation without breaking the bank. To those of you who consider this "stealing" I would think you have a pretty narrow view of life. Solution? ... charge $40-$50 per bottle and I'm sure this activity would decrease dramatically! I am pretty confident those same individuals will also buy an occasional drink in the bar as well and in the end the carriers will not feel their margins impacted on the downside.

[phoenix_dream]

I must say that while I do not sneak liquor on board (don't drink that much) I do understand those looking to circumvent the "rules". Charging $80 or $100 for a bottle of liquor in your room that costs $20-$25 is a bit on the greedy side and only increases the desire of some to find ways to "beat the system". While I don't condone this activity I don't find it apalling as some do and understand that to the average middle income cruiser, this is a lot of money and they are in many cases just trying to enjoy their vacation without breaking the bank. To those of you who consider this "stealing" I would think you have a pretty narrow view of life. Solution? ... charge $40-$50 per bottle and I'm sure this activity would decrease dramatically! I am pretty confident those same individuals will also buy an occasional drink in the bar as well and in the end the carriers will not feel their margins impacted on the downside.

I think there's a word for this and it's rationalization. This has nothing to do with a narrow view of life. The definition of stealing is essentially taking something that does not rightfully belong to you. I agree the prices are pretty ridiculous. At the same time, I think the price of a Jaguar is also pretty ridiculous but that does not justify me sneaking one out of the dealership by disguising it as a Chevy and paying accordingly. The difference in price point unfortunately does not change the basic tenent. If someone feels they want to circumvent the rules this way it is their choice and they have to look at themselves in the mirror at the end of the day. But let's not try to justify the behavior using the same excuses used by car thieves and bank robbers. It's wrong, and if you want to do it anyway, just own up to it and move on. Don't try to rationalize it away. My opinion.

[BlueCat1105]

I don't understand the disguising as a Chevy part, but that Jaguar doesn't cost 4 times as much at one dealership than it does at another. I believe their point was that they had marked a $20 item up 200% and that put it out of reach, so they wanted to bring their own. You can bring on soda if the ship's soda is not to your liking, so that, I believe is the rationale. Not a judgment either way - just an observation that those two comparisons don't compare.

[Mermen]

I must say that while I do not sneak liquor on board (don't drink that much) I do understand those looking to circumvent the "rules". Charging $80 or $100 for a bottle of liquor in your room that costs $20-$25 is a bit on the greedy side and only increases the desire of some to find ways to "beat the system". While I don't condone this activity I don't find it apalling as some do and understand that to the average middle income cruiser, this is a lot of money and they are in many cases just trying to enjoy their vacation without breaking the bank. To those of you who consider this "stealing" I would think you have a pretty narrow view of life. Solution? ... charge $40-$50 per bottle and I'm sure this activity would decrease dramatically! I am pretty confident those same individuals will also buy an occasional drink in the bar as well and in the end the carriers will not feel their margins impacted on the downside.

 

I understand your point and agree. Also didn't understand the Jaguar example - that actually would be stealing. That is a civil crime and a felony. Smuggling booze on board is violating the terms of your contract, and as far as I'm concerned, as long as passengers are OK with that, and understand the implications-they're choice.

 

You're right though...charging $80-$100 for a bottle of $25 liquor is absurd and greedy. They're choice to do it, but still greedy. Other lines don't charge that much, and if the price were more reasonable (and even allowed room for a modest mark up, not 300%) I would purchase the in-cabin set up. Until that time comes, I'll gladly bring my Rum Runners...:p

[phoenix_dream]

The point about the Jaguar is basically that the fact that something is too expensive in your opinion does not justify your theft of it. That seems to be the argument of many who bring on their own liquor. There certainly can be different degrees of wrongdoing (ie, petty theft versus grand larceny) but the basic tenants of right and wrong do not change because they are not convenient to you. Not stealing just breaking rules? Rationalization at its finest. When you bring on your own liquor you are stealing potential revenue from the cruiseline. Why do others care? Are we the morality police or what? When you steal potential revenue from the cruiseline, the pricing of drinks for the rest of us needs to be raised accordingly so that they can make a certain percentage of profit. So in essence, when you do this you are stealing from me and every other honest person onboard.

 

I came back to this thread to explain my Jaguar comments, but don't really care to continue morality discussions so will leave it at that. I only care because it does in fact ultimately impact me as regards drink pricing. Some things are black and white, but we want to make them grey. This is not grey. I don't agree with the rationalization that it is.

[Evilgrin72]

Actually, a much better analogy would be if you owned a Jaguar, were driving to a neighboring state and at the border, they pulled you over, forced you to park your car in an underground garage and rent the exact same car from them for $100 a day. People might be inclined to find another way across the border.

 

The cruise lines can charge exorbitant amounts of money for beverages because they leave you no other option than abstinence, which most people don't care to practice on vacation. They do this so that they can keep the berths priced as low as possible figuring it's much easier to deny oneself a cruise vacation when sitting behind a computer monitor and faced with a $2,000 decision than it is to deny oneself a $9 Planter's Punch poolside once you're on board.

 

It's great for non-drinkers or light drinkers, who continue to get tremendous value for a cruise vacation (where else can you get lodging, island-to-island transportation, and all your meals paid for for under $100 a day?) but it sucks for the heavy drinkers whose added expenditure helps subsidize the cost of cruising for everyone else. It's along this fracture that the battle lines are typically drawn in these debates.

[jjwoben1]

Do not know why rules cannot be followed. It is an obsession for some to try and find a way around any rule that is posted. Must be in their genes. It's the same with the smoking rules. ;)

[BlueCat1105]

Actually, they don't force abstinence because they do allow a bottle of wine per person, so why don't they allow a small bottle of liquor in lieu of the wine. Wine gives my husband heartburn!