Alcohol now being destroyed

[ONT-CA]

When have bars ever been closed when ships are in port?Am I missing something?

 

Your are correct in that it depends on the port. It is not unlike the Casino. Whether or not certain states/ports permit it or not I cannot say but we have been on cruises where the bar was closed and on others where they were open but an extra tax was charge to the bill because of our location.

[robtulipe]

True. But when the cruise line wants to obtain wines from a small producer without large volume, they simply have the broker go in and negotiate the best price and buy it direct. Or do it themselves. The service that the broker provides (just got off the phone with one to discuss), includes bringing smaller producers into the tax-free fold, but sometimes it doesn't make sense to do that, and the cruise line or airline (through the broker) simply buys the wine the way anyone else would, if they want it that badly, negotiating the best possible price, and pays tax. Bottom line, based on what I was told, is that the majority of wine on the ship is tax free. But some of it is not. But the volume that is not is not enough to worry about. And again, this discussion was generic and not related to Princess. It is possible that Princess has no tax-free wine on board.

Since the excise tax rate for wine purchased in CA is only $0.20 per gallon, I agree the cruise lines likely isn't too concerned with that charge for their small volume requirements. The much higher state sales tax wouldn't apply since it isn't a retail sale.

IMO, Princess being part of Carnival Corp. would have mostly tax free wine onboard.

 

http://blog.wblakegray.com/2012/05/state-by-state-wine-tax-rates.html

[bdjam]

So given my participation in this thread and an upcoming cruise, I took a look at the passage contract and pasted the relevant section below and highlighted in red the areas of most contention. Bold emphasis is added by me.

 

Passengers agree not to bring alcoholic beverages of any kind on board for consumption except one bottle of wine or champagne per person of drinking age (no larger than 750 ml) per voyage only in his/her carry-on luggage. A corkage fee of $15.00 U.S.D. per bottle (which is subject to change without notice) will be applied to wine and champagne brought aboard by You and consumed in the ship’s public areas. Any wine(s) or champagne(s) supplied by the Carrier to You as a gift are not subject to a corkage fee. At embarkation, all luggage will be scanned for suspected alcohol in excess of the one bottle policy as provided herein. Your luggage will undergo a secondary inspection by a security team operating under CCTV (closed circuit surveillance) or in the event Your luggage is locked, You will be notified and are required to attend the secondary inspection where any alcohol found in violation of the one bottle policy will be removed and discarded. Carrier shall not be responsible for any loss, cost, disappointment or damage of any kind as a result of any alcoholic beverages removed in violation of the one bottle policy. You agree to surrender alcoholic beverages that are purchased duty free from the ship’s gift shop, or at ports of call, to Carrier, which will be delivered to Your stateroom on the last night of the voyage.

 

Please discuss...

[bigeagle12]

So given my participation in this thread and an upcoming cruise, I took a look at the passage contract and pasted the relevant section below and highlighted in red the areas of most contention. Bold emphasis is added by me.

 

 

 

Please discuss...

 

Yep :) .. their ships .. their rules :eek:

[bdjam]

Yep :) .. their ships .. their rules :eek:

 

One of the items I noticed of importance is the clause that alcohol purchased in ports of call would be held for return on the last night of the cruise. That should satisfy those who want to purchase duty free in port.

The whole thing doesn't seem that onerous to me.

[ONT-CA]

While the last stateent has applied in the past, namely you get your purchased ship duty free alcohol the night before disembarkation, I have had that happen as I commenced the second portion of a b2b but also handed it directly to take away. That then gave me these brands for the balance of the cruise. I am sure the duty free shop has the means to know if you will be aboard for the next cruise but they did not do so. Should they then now apply the condition of no packaged alcohol before the end of the second half of the b2b, one need only ask a fellow passenger who is disenbarking after the first half to purchase goods for you.

[paul929207]

On the Grand Princess 49 days around South America, they were very careful about duty free alcohol sales at the end of the first and second leg. Since about 2000 of the 2500 passengers were on for the duration, there was no sale in the Piazza the last sea day. At the end o fthe third leg, they had the normal sale.

[PunkiC]

So given my participation in this thread and an upcoming cruise, I took a look at the passage contract and pasted the relevant section below and highlighted in red the areas of most contention. Bold emphasis is added by me.

 

 

 

Please discuss...

 

Sadly, that information contradicts what Julie Benson, Princess VP of Public Relations said in her interview. She clearly state that it did not matter if the wine was in your carry on bags or check luggage.

 

It also fails to address the situation where a passenger has purchased or been gifted a special bottle of hard liquor during their travels and that is a serious problem. Princess has to find a way to store special liquor during the cruise on behalf of its customers.

 

It sounds like Princess is still stumbling here, trying to find answers that should have been clearly determined before they made any attempt to enforce the policy.

 

If, in fact, they were just testing the waters, (which is the only logical reason for such a botched introduction) then they should have come right out and said something like this: "We are contemplating a new policy with regard to boarding wine and champagne. Our currently thought is that every bottle in excess of one per adult , brought on board either at embarkation or at ports of call, will be charged a $15.00 corkage fee. This wine or champagne can be brought aboard either in carry on or checked bags (or not if that's what they intended). All alcohol other than wine or champagne will be stored on behalf of the passenger until the last night of the voyage. We will be testing this new policy on the Golden, commencing March 27, 2013. Further information will be provided as we continue our testing. Thank you for your consideration and cooperation."

[lcheater]

Vodka in a wine bottle for me then!

[robgvic]

They have always said they would take liquor purchased in ports for storage so there is no change there.

Actually their rules don't seem to have changed at all. The contract always said one bottle of winer per passenger and no hard liquor. Now they are finally enforcing it perhaps as a result of reading CC where members have bragged

about the ways they have gotten more liquor on board. I notice a lot of frequent Princess travellers have agreed with the changes

[pablo222]

Up until now, they have rarely if ever actually done this, which is kind of the point of the thread, so they've never really needed the facilities to do so (and it would not be a stretch to therefore assume that one factor in the lack of prior enforcement would be the lack of facilities).

 

I'm not sure what you are referring to. Every time I have been to

St. Thomas on Princess for the past 5+ years -- when I return to

the ship they collect alcohol from people, store it, and return it on

the last day of the cruise.

 

This is very common at most carribbean ports.

 

I don't see how the 'logistics' of adding one more port (the embarcation port) would be too hard for princess.

Other than, they want it to be....

[pablo222]

A Because the product is to be consumed only within international waters boundaries is the reason the bars are closed when the ships are in port.

 

You've got to venture out beyond the airport motel six

and its free wi-fi that you love so much.

 

Many, many people use the bars from the time they embark, until the ships sails and reaches 'international waters'.

 

For you to suggest that bars are closed in port is ...um... confused.

 

Anyone who has ever had a drink the first afternoon knows the reality...

[bigeagle12]

Sadly, that information contradicts what Julie Benson, Princess VP of Public Relations said in her interview. She clearly state that it did not matter if the wine was in your carry on bags or check luggage. What he posted says it is ok in checked luggage if within the policy

 

It also fails to address the situation where a passenger has purchased or been gifted a special bottle of hard liquor during their travels and that is a serious problem. Princess has to find a way to store special liquor during the cruise on behalf of its customers. Does say they will store bottles brought on at port until departure

 

 

see comments above

[necruiser215]

Alcohol beverages when delivered to vessels that are to sail into international waters are shiped in bond as "ship stores" and are free of all federal, state and local taxes and duties. Because the product is to be consumed only within international waters boundaries is the reason the bars are closed when the ships are in port.

 

Erras iterum. Cogita ante respondendo

[necruiser215]

You've got to venture out beyond the airport motel six

and its free wi-fi that you love so much.

 

Many, many people use the bars from the time they embark, until the ships sails and reaches 'international waters'.

 

For you to suggest that bars are closed in port is ...um... confused.

 

Anyone who has ever had a drink the first afternoon knows the reality...

 

You begin to wonder if they were ever really on a ship based on some of the ridiculous statements. Bars are open and waiting for you when you board!

[42CruiseCrazy]

Alcohol beverages when delivered to vessels that are to sail into international waters are shiped in bond as "ship stores" and are free of all federal, state and local taxes and duties. Because the product is to be consumed only within international waters boundaries is the reason the bars are closed when the ships are in port.

 

I sailed out of New York last year and about an hour after sailing past the Statue of Liberty I ordered a drink thinking that I had waited long enough and we were in International waters but I still paid tax. The long arm of the Taxman reaches very far.

[LETS PARTY]

They have always said they would take liquor purchased in ports for storage so there is no change there.

Actually their rules don't seem to have changed at all. The contract always said one bottle of winer per passenger and no hard liquor. Now they are finally enforcing it perhaps as a result of reading CC where members have bragged

about the ways they have gotten more liquor on board. I notice a lot of frequent Princess travellers have agreed with the changes

 

Sorry but the contract never stated one only.........it was changed in Sept 2012

[PunkiC]

Of course, everything is open to interpretation but what he actually said was:

 

"You will be notified and are required to attend the secondary inspection where any alcohol found in violation of the one bottle policy will be removed and discarded. Carrier shall not be responsible for any loss, cost, disappointment or damage of any kind as a result of any alcoholic beverages removed in violation of the one bottle policy."

 

To me that sounds like any bottle beyond the first will be discarded.

 

Yes, it does say that liquor can be brought on at ports, but there is no mention that it can be brought on and stored at embarkation which makes if really difficult for folks who are gifted or purchase special liquor during their travels to the ship.

[bdjam]

Sadly, that information contradicts what Julie Benson, Princess VP of Public Relations said in her interview. She clearly state that it did not matter if the wine was in your carry on bags or check luggage.

one bottle of wine or champagne per person of drinking age (no larger than 750 ml) per voyage only in his/her carry-on luggage.

Julie Benson is the Vice President of Public Relations and she really wasn't interviewed, she was questioned regarding a specific incident. I would think the passage contract would carry the weight of the final word.

It also fails to address the situation where a passenger has purchased or been gifted a special bottle of hard liquor during their travels and that is a serious problem. Princess has to find a way to store special liquor during the cruise on behalf of its customers.

You agree to surrender alcoholic beverages that are purchased duty free from the ship’s gift shop, or at ports of call, to Carrier, which will be delivered to Your stateroom on the last night of the voyage.

It sounds like Princess is still stumbling here, trying to find answers that should have been clearly determined before they made any attempt to enforce the policy.

The Passage Contract seems very clear to me - if the passenger feels that Princess isn't handling the policy evenly, referring to the contract should alleviate any issues.

If, in fact, they were just testing the waters, (which is the only logical reason for such a botched introduction) then they should have come right out and said something like this: "We are contemplating a new policy with regard to boarding wine and champagne. Our currently thought is that every bottle in excess of one per adult , brought on board either at embarkation or at ports of call, will be charged a $15.00 corkage fee. This wine or champagne can be brought aboard either in carry on or checked bags (or not if that's what they intended). All alcohol other than wine or champagne will be stored on behalf of the passenger until the last night of the voyage. We will be testing this new policy on the Golden, commencing March 27, 2013. Further information will be provided as we continue our testing. Thank you for your consideration and cooperation."

Princess' policy has been that one bottle of wine or champagne per person was allowable. People thwarted that policy and bragged about it. Apparently the violation was enough that Princess has had to go to increased measures to ensure the policy is adhered to. I'm not quite sure that it's reasonable to expect Princess to gently enact a procedure that is meant to identify those who are violating their policy, especially given the logistical issues of setting up and executing this policy on all of the line's ships.

[bdjam]

Vodka in a wine bottle for me then!

Any further questions? :rolleyes:

[necruiser215]

Vodka in a wine bottle for me then!

 

You can try. Many do on other lines with similar policies. Unfortunately, any unsealed bottles are discarded as the cruise lines are quite used to someone trying to sneak on liquor in wine bottles, mouthwash, shampoo, water, soda bottles, etc.

[bdjam]

Of course, everything is open to interpretation but what he actually said was:

 

"You will be notified and are required to attend the secondary inspection where any alcohol found in violation of the one bottle policy will be removed and discarded. Carrier shall not be responsible for any loss, cost, disappointment or damage of any kind as a result of any alcoholic beverages removed in violation of the one bottle policy."

 

To me that sounds like any bottle beyond the first will be discarded.

 

Yes, it does say that liquor can be brought on at ports, but there is no mention that it can be brought on and stored at embarkation which makes if really difficult for folks who are gifted or purchase special liquor during their travels to the ship.

So first of all, let's be clear...I didn't say this - I copied and pasted the paragraph straight from the contract.

Second - the policy says that the allowable alcohol must be carried on, not checked. If you carry 59 bottles of wine on with you, they will be allowed (with the appropriate corkage) but if you stash a bottle of vodka in with your underwear, if found in the scan, it will be discarded.

You're right about liquor that's purchased on the way to the ship, but as someone mentioned above, Princess isn't in the business of storage - isn't embarkation enough of a nightmare?

[PunkiC]

You agree to surrender alcoholic beverages that are purchased duty free from the ship’s gift shop, or at ports of call, to Carrier, which will be delivered to Your stateroom on the last night of the voyage.

 

Yes, this does address liquor purchased at duty free and at ports of call, but NOT liquor brought on board at embarkation. That's the issue, especially since they have previously clearly stated that they would destroy all liquor brought on board at embarkation.

 

Of course, that is not particularly surprising as they have made contradictory statements and taken contradictory actions about almost every issue surrounding the introduction of the new policy.

[GHDPeter]

To the tax question earlier here is an article that might be of minor interest

 

http://www.floridatoday.com/article/99999999/NEWS01/512110306/Cruise-lines-skirt-U-S-tax-labor-laws?nclick_check=1

[bdjam]

Yes, this does address liquor purchased at duty free and at ports of call, but NOT liquor brought on board at embarkation. That's the issue, especially since they have previously clearly stated that they would destroy all liquor brought on board at embarkation.

 

Again, I don't see the issue - passengers aren't allowed to bring alcohol (besides wine and champagne) on board at embarkation. Seems pretty cut and dry to me and no different than the policy was before.