Breeze out of Galveston Question

[WanttoCruise2015]

Sorry if this has been posted before and sorry for posting in general Carnival Line section as couldn't find a new thread link for the Breeze itself.

 

I know that we cannot by the cheers package or alcohol to be in the room for day of departure from Galveston due to their laws but my question is once we (the ship) leaves the port are we allowed to buy alcohol for consumption that evening? How long after departure would we have to wait to be able to purchase as well as to avoid the taxes? I am certain my hubby would be extremely upset if he couldn't get a beer or 2 or even his JD and ginger on the first night. Honestly I would be a little disappointed as well if I couldn't start trying their cocktails out...

 

Also along the topic of alcohol and cocktails, any recommendations on a must try cocktail or must avoid at all costs cocktail? I would think I could easily sample each cocktail at one location per day....

 

Sure hope before our Jan 2017 cruise they will choose to adjust the bottomless bubbles and add nonalcoholic cocktails to the mix as my DS LOVES them but at over $5 each it would get quite expensive, thinking of giving a daily limit for nonalcoholic, arcade and candy that he could spend as he wishes but splurge a little that first night.

 

Oh and while posting does anyone know what the costs are in the arcade?

[WanttoCruise2015]

Sorry we have never cruised before so these are questions that are coming to mind as we wait...

 

 

Over 240 days to go

[dave_k58]

You will be able to drink as soon as you get on the ship in Galveston- just can't get certain things - hubby should be able to get his JD and Ginger - and there will be no shortage. Cheers just doesn't start till the next day.

[JaniceB]

The ship should be in international waters about 75miles out I believe.

[Crusin Hogs]

The ship should be in international waters about 75miles out I believe.

 

International waters is 2 miles off the coast , Carnival will serve liquor while in port in Galveston and after sail away , From a different cabinet other than the normal place . It all has Texas liquor tax stamps on it . They will charge Texas sales tax on each drink .

[JaniceB]

Thanks for clarifying that, wonder why they don't start serving the tax free liquor until about 7 or 8 pm from what I have read.

[Rudyard]

Thanks for clarifying that, wonder why they don't start serving the tax free liquor until about 7 or 8 pm from what I have read.

 

They probably wait longer than the two mile limit to make absolutely sure they aren't breaking any laws. Depending on what time you actually sail, they change to the regular menu after a couple of hours, maybe less than that.

 

To the OP, I was just looking at a pic I took of the Texas bar menu. JD is available as soon as you board.

Edited April 27, 2016 by Rudyard

[okgirl]

Thanks for clarifying that, wonder why they don't start serving the tax free liquor until about 7 or 8 pm from what I have read.

 

They start putting out the regular liquor within about 30 minutes after sailaway. At least at the lobby bar because that's where I do sailaway from.

[rufflesmom]

We usually sail out of Galveston. We alway get a drink upon boarding.

[bankofdad]

Sorry if this has been posted before and sorry for posting in general Carnival Line section as couldn't find a new thread link for the Breeze itself.

 

I know that we cannot by the cheers package or alcohol to be in the room for day of departure from Galveston due to their laws but my question is once we (the ship) leaves the port are we allowed to buy alcohol for consumption that evening? How long after departure would we have to wait to be able to purchase as well as to avoid the taxes? I am certain my hubby would be extremely upset if he couldn't get a beer or 2 or even his JD and ginger on the first night. Honestly I would be a little disappointed as well if I couldn't start trying their cocktails out...

 

Also along the topic of alcohol and cocktails, any recommendations on a must try cocktail or must avoid at all costs cocktail? I would think I could easily sample each cocktail at one location per day....

 

Sure hope before our Jan 2017 cruise they will choose to adjust the bottomless bubbles and add nonalcoholic cocktails to the mix as my DS LOVES them but at over $5 each it would get quite expensive, thinking of giving a daily limit for nonalcoholic, arcade and candy that he could spend as he wishes but splurge a little that first night.

 

Oh and while posting does anyone know what the costs are in the arcade?

 

You can get alcohol right when you board from the open bars. They do have some silly laws regarding what they will sell (example - the bucket of beers with be 4 12oz cans instead of the 16oz cans for the likes of Miller or Bud Light), but once you are away from port, about 40 nautical miles I was told and in international waters, everything is available from the bar (including the 16 oz varieties). Can't comment much on anything else other than beer personally, but DW also was able to get frozen drinks with alcohol as well. Maybe others can chime in on hard liquor rules.

 

I also noted on debarkation day last month in Galveston that they actually have storage cabinets at Redv Frog and Buleiguana bars that are labelled "Texas Liquor" for these very reasons.

 

Strange, but true.....:confused:

[JaniceB]

I thought it was more than 2 miles and longer than 30 minutes. I guess I will just have to wait and see.

[BallFour4]

Thanks for clarifying that, wonder why they don't start serving the tax free liquor until about 7 or 8 pm from what I have read.

 

Carnival has a decent bar service including frozen drinks as soon as you board here in Galveston. Texas law requires tax paid, and once the ship clears local waters they close the bars for about 10 minutes to store one set of bottles and open the full bar. This happens usually within 30 minutes of sailing, not 7-8pm.

 

Also, the state decided last year to resume enforcing the tax paid on bottles of alcohol brought back into the country. What was a simple system of having the purchases delivered to your cabin the night before or allowing last full day purchases to be carried from the on board store has become one more line to stand in early the last morning aboard.

 

Carnival leases the shop space aboard their ships to an outside vendor, and they want the same level of profit. Gone are the low cost flavored rums and cheap alcohol. With the decline in volume of bottles sold it's now more heavily weighted with premium brands and their respective costs.

 

.

Edited April 28, 2016 by BallFour4

[JaniceB]

"I looked at your cruise history and what you have read does not match up with reality. "

 

You are very correct I haven't cruised from Galveston yet, never said I did, just been researching cruises from Galveston and this is what others have posted.

Edited April 28, 2016 by JaniceB

[BallFour4]

"I looked at your cruise history and what you have read does not match up with reality. "

 

You are very correct I haven't cruised from Galveston yet, never said I did, just been researching cruises from Galveston and this is what others have posted.

 

I'd love to see a post that said 7-8pm. Please share.

 

.

Edited April 28, 2016 by BallFour4

[WanttoCruise2015]

Thankyou all for the info on the alcoholic purchases on the first night. At least now we have a better idea. Whether who is right and who is wrong on the exact time/distance that doesn't matter to me as long as I have a rough idea. Sounds like we may pay taxes on some drinks and we may not :D

[texast518]

You will be able to drink as soon as you get on the ship in Galveston- just can't get certain things - hubby should be able to get his JD and Ginger - and there will be no shortage. Cheers just doesn't start till the next day.

 

Pay Texas sales tax in port.

[troublemaker256]

Texas TABC laws are quite archaic to say the least. They Tax all Liquor and Tobacco products while bought in port, and will tax all Liquor and Tobacco products coming thru Texas after you get off the ship. They have TABC agents standing in the exit lobby watching for people that have Liquor they have picked up from the ship to make sure the taxes are paid on it. didn't used to be so strict, but after years of people thumbing their noses at the taxes, they now are posting these agents to make sure they collect the State Taxes, even if you are just passing thru, they will collect the taxes. Just another way to collect a different type of tax so they don't have to start a state income tax..

[coevan]

to be precise, international waters are 12 nautical miles or 13.8 miles, at 20 knots, it's a little more then a 1/2 hour

[BallFour4]

to be precise, international waters are 12 nautical miles or 13.8 miles, at 20 knots, it's a little more then a 1/2 hour

 

Me thinks you haven't always been in Grand Junction.

 

.

Edited April 29, 2016 by BallFour4

[isaiahsnana]

The alcohol that you can purchase from bars before international waters must have been purchased by Carnival in Texas and have a TLBC liquor stamp on it - thus making it more expensive to the Carnival purchase agent. They have those bottles out until you reach international waters where they put all those bottles away for the next departure from Galveston and take out the liquor purchased for the whole cruise line and thus at a cheaper purchase price to Carnival. That transition takes the bar staff some time to complete thus the difference in the amount of time stated by individuals who believe that there is a magic spot where the bar is instantly flipped from one to the other.

[Cruisin Mamma]

Good ol' TABC:D

[duchess720]

We usually sail out of Galveston. We alway get a drink upon boarding.

 

Hello,

can you tell us if there is an hotel with park and cruise, and if there is a shuttle from hotel to port, airport to hotel. Thanks

[dljones]

Hello,

can you tell us if there is an hotel with park and cruise, and if there is a shuttle from hotel to port, airport to hotel. Thanks

 

We live in Houston and we cruise out of Galveston all the time. Here is a link to follow for Park and Cruise hotels around the port area.

 

http://www.galveston.com/parkandcruise/

 

And for shuttle:

 

http://galveston-shuttle.com/

 

You can go pricy or cheap. Carnival also has shuttles from the airports. If you can fly into Hobby as it is significantly closer to the port than Intercontinental.

 

Good luck!!! Let us know if you have further questions.

[GweninTX]

Gaidos Seaside Inn is a great place to stay the night before and leave your car for free! We left ours for 28 nights for free when we were on a transatlantic!

[Joeinmo]

So, how does the Cheers program work during sail away? We purchased the program the other day off the My Cruise Manager.