Confiscated Liquor While Checking in on Back Half of B2B

[SNJCruisers]

In April, we will be getting onto the Independence of the Seas for a 6 day cruise after just getting off of 7 days on the Celebrity Silhouette. We will be buying a couple of bottles while in St Maarten on the Silhouette and I am concerned about making sure that we get the bottles delivered to us on our last day on the Indie. The bottles will not be in our luggage or even hidden in a carry on. I will carry them through at check-in. I am just concerned about them being transferred from the x ray scanner at the port to the holding area on the ship and finally delivered to us 6 days later.

I know that a way to avoid this is to buy the bottles on the second leg, but there is a specific store that we want to go to that is in St Maarten. This is our first B2B and I just want things to go smoothly, so I am looking for confirmation that I am worrying about nothing. Thanks.

[RoyalDiamond]

How many bottles are you buying? You may now carry 2 bottles on board per stateroom on boarding day.

[RoyalDiamond]

I should clarify...you can carry 2 bottles of wine/champagne onboard on boarding day, not hard liquor. If you're talking about liquor (and after re-reading your post, it does say that), then it probably would be confiscated. We had a similar issue in Fort Lauderdale at boarding. Going through security, we had 4 bottles of wine. We had just disembarked one ship, and had received a few bottles as our D+ amenity that we didn't drink. So, they let us keep 2, and took the other 2. On the final day, they were returned to us in our stateroom.

 

Peter

[Langley Cruisers]

Just a note that since you are changing not only ships but lines, this is not considered a B2B in the eyes and policies of either line.

 

If they are 2 bottles of wine (max. 750 ml. per), you will be permitted to carry them onto Indy without having to conceal them. If they are hard liquor and they allow it, you will need to relinquish them at embarkation (after explaining the situation) and they will be delivered to you on the final night or morning of your last cruise. Not sure what will actually happen here. Hope you'll let us know. :)

[maureencruiser]

How many bottles are you buying? You may now carry 2 bottles on board per stateroom on boarding day.

 

 

2 bottles of wine! It sounds like OP is talking hard liquor and no, you cannot take that onto the 2nd ship. Why not ship it from the store where you buy it?

[maureencruiser]

Langley and I posting at the same time! :D

[SNJCruisers]

If they are 2 bottles of wine (max. 750 ml. per), you will be permitted to carry them onto Indy without having to conceal them. If they are hard liquor and they allow it, you will need to relinquish them at embarkation (after explaining the situation) and they will be delivered to you on the final night or morning of your last cruise. Not sure what will actually happen here. Hope you'll let us know. :)

 

2 bottles of wine! It sounds like OP is talking hard liquor and no, you cannot take that onto the 2nd ship. Why not ship it from the store where you buy it?

It's 2 bottles of Cognac and it would be cheaper to buy them at a port during the second leg instead of buying them in St Maarten and shipping them home. I know for certain that the Cognac is 50.00 per bottle at a certain store in St Maarten near the port. If I was 100% certain we could get it for the same price in either Grand Cayman or Falmouth, then we could just wait and buy it then. We may just roll the dice and hopefully get it in one of those 2 ports for the same price instead of shlepping it from the Silhouette to the Indie.

[maureencruiser]

Why not try going on a roll call for a ship going to those ports and seeing if someone will price check for you? A lot of people buy liquor and people always want to help someone else. Does the ship do that same itinerary all the time? If not, you can go to cruisett.com to see what ships will be in those ports the next week or so.

[bouhunter]

Is it really worth the worry and logistical concerns to save a few bucks? Compared to the overall cost of two cruises I can't see how it's that important to deal with the issue at all.

[SNJCruisers]

Is it really worth the worry and logistical concerns to save a few bucks? Compared to the overall cost of two cruises I can't see how it's that important to deal with the issue at all.

When you micromanage things and are also proud of the fact that you carry zero credit card debt, then you're able to afford a B2B cruise vacation for the first time in your life while being underemployed for the past 6 years.

[Langley Cruisers]

Is it really worth the worry and logistical concerns to save a few bucks? Compared to the overall cost of two cruises I can't see how it's that important to deal with the issue at all.

 

With all due respect, you seem very negative in so many of your comments, here and in other threads. Obviously OP has a question and posted it here looking for advice. Some of us helped him/her the best we could. I guess not every thread will appeal to absolutely everyone, but would it kill ya to just pass by the ones that don't interest you instead of making rude comments like yours above?

 

Seriously concerned. Hope you're OK. :)

[cal516]

With all due respect, you seem very negative in so many of your comments ...

 

Hardly seems bouhunter's comment merited this response. I was thinking the exact same thing. But then, I hate schlepping stuff around!

 

... Cal

[nacdcruiser]

My recommendation would be to obtain liquor box(es) the last night of your Celebrity cruise and put your bottles in their liquor boxes and seal them. Carnival was fine to give us a couple of empty boxes - assume X would do the same.

 

Carry them to the Indy security screening area where you let them know your intent and they’ll mark your cabin # on the boxes, keep them at the security screening station and you should get them back at the end of your 2nd cruise. They'll only do this for unopened bottles. Anything they find that is open will be discarded.

 

For a second (and better) opinion, ask the screening people at your first cruise if this would be acceptable.

 

 

Enjoy you B2B!!!

[cruisenfever]

In April, we will be getting onto the Independence of the Seas for a 6 day cruise after just getting off of 7 days on the Celebrity Silhouette. We will be buying a couple of bottles while in St Maarten on the Silhouette and I am concerned about making sure that we get the bottles delivered to us on our last day on the Indie.

First of all you are doing a consecutive cruise on 2 different ships as well as 2 different cruise lines.

 

If you are purchasing your Cognac while on board Celebrity, you will receive those bottles at the completion of your cruise either the night prior to debarkation or the morning of debarkation.

 

You will then be taking those bottles with you when you board Indy where they will be held for you until the end of your cruise.

Edited November 16, 2013 by cruisenfever

[klepton]

I have surrendered bottles of liquor at the beginning of a cruise and received it as expected on the last night, just as I have when I've purchased alcohol in ports and surrendered to "the table" upon getting back to the ship. This was Carnival, not RCI, but I don't think you'll have any issues. A previous poster mentioned getting the boxes/cartons from your first cruise, which is a great idea.

 

I understand your hesitation, as those are somewhat expensive bottles. Mine were $13 bottles of Don Q rum. :) But the check-in system is designed for this type of scenario, so you should be fine.

 

I don't know if that affects customs/allowance on your second cruise or not. I'd assume not, but I don't know. In my case I didn't claim it on the customs form because I bought it in Puerto Rico (US Territory). The agent looked over my form, and asked if we had any tobacco or alcohol. I told him we had two litres of rum that we purchased in PR and took on the ship with us, and were just bringing them back. He simply waived us through.

[Folk Singer]

I should clarify...you can carry 2 bottles of wine/champagne onboard on boarding day, not hard liquor. If you're talking about liquor (and after re-reading your post, it does say that), then it probably would be confiscated. We had a similar issue in Fort Lauderdale at boarding. Going through security, we had 4 bottles of wine. We had just disembarked one ship, and had received a few bottles as our D+ amenity that we didn't drink. So, they let us keep 2, and took the other 2. On the final day, they were returned to us in our stateroom.

 

Peter

 

 

that seems to be the norm.

[oneputt18]

And technically they don't have to return the confiscated liquor.

 

Quoted from Royal's website :

 

** Alcoholic beverages that are purchased in ports-of-call or from shops onboard will be stored by the ship and delivered to you on the last day of the sailing. Alcoholic beverages seized on embarkation day will not be returned.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[satxdiver]

Celebrity and RCCL are owned by the same company and have agreements between the two. So I do not imagine there will be a problem of going from one to the other.

 

I have brought alcohol with me before when embarking. I simply turned it over to the alcohol police in the terminal right after the scanners just like I have done when reboarding the ship at a port. It was delivered to my cabin the night before we disembarked again much like has been done in the past. No problems were encountered.

 

So to the OP, simply carry your alcohol with you as you check in to embark on your second cruise. They will take it, label it and store it for you until you disembark.

[setsail]

Flying? It has to be packed in your sc. Cannot hand carry aboard a plane. Will it make your sc overweight resulting in charges.

Edited November 17, 2013 by setsail

[Folk Singer]

Flying? It has to be packed in your sc. Cannot hand carry aboard a plane. Will it make your sc overweight resulting in charges.

 

we often check alcohol into our luggage and have it go checked luggage as we always have a little room for things. as long as it is well packed never had a problem. esp if it is something really special, like a very old cognac or champagne/port. we always make sure not to go over our allowed limits for customs.

Edited November 18, 2013 by Folk Singer