Can't bring soda on board anymore

[swedish weave]

You can buy corks and seals on Ebay and shrink the seals with a hair dryer.

 

You can also heat the original seals on some wine bottles and slip them off, fill the bottle with a liquid of your choice and put the seal back on with a little heat.

 

Think outside the box if you don't like the restrictions NCL imposes.

[craigers]

I have said it before and I will say it again - We on Cruise Critic have less than 25,000 members while the cruise industry has over 20,000,000 passengers per year. We are nothing in the scheme of things but a ripple in the ocean. Of the members of Cruise Critic I would guess less than 25% of us (about 6,250 of us) lug water on our cruise.

 

As you may be able to tell I don't care about lugging water on my cruise but here is my second contribution to getting to 2,500 post on the subject of lugging water on your cruise.

 

Hmm.According to Cruise Critic they have 1,414,759 members as of now,and growing.Where did you get the 25,000 member figure?

[Swells1]

Delete 😳

Edited July 18, 2016 by Swells1

[Computer Nerd]

it's painfully obvious you've never smuggled booze on before.

 

I would assume if you brought a twist off, they would still just charge you the fee

 

I mean the EASIEST thing to smuggle in a wine bottle with a screw cap would be vodka, just use food coloring...as for how you'd do it with other liquors, idk. Maybe shooters in with your toiletries and unmentionables.

 

just don't use a clear bottle. ;)

[aubreyc1988]

You don't need a screw cap, and you don't need to own a winery.

 

You simply need a little patience.

 

[YOUTUBE]Bry196a99G8[/YOUTUBE]

 

nice - i have a brand of wine that has a very unique top where you cant tell the seal has been broken and i've smuggled vodka onto a carnival cruise this way! I would have bought the alcohol package, but my girlfriend i went with didnt drink and had to get the package for both adults in room, so I just smuggled away! Vodka and soda all week long lol

[aubreyc1988]

just don't use a clear bottle. ;)

 

you clearly have got this figured out, lol!

[AquaMarineFerret]

nice - i have a brand of wine that has a very unique top where you cant tell the seal has been broken and i've smuggled vodka onto a carnival cruise this way! I would have bought the alcohol package, but my girlfriend i went with didnt drink and had to get the package for both adults in room, so I just smuggled away! Vodka and soda all week long lol

 

And people wonder why NCL are clamping down. Now all they have to concentrate on are the bottles of wine and Champagne, making it much more likely they will spot the 'cleverer' ploys. Good luck! :)

[Computer Nerd]

you clearly have got this figured out, lol!

 

now if i only drank so i could put my knowledge to use. :D

[AquaMarineFerret]

now if i only drank so i could put my knowledge to use. :D

 

But YOU don't need to drink it! Smuggle it onboard and then sell it on the black market! "Pssst, wanna buy some illegal liquor shipmate?" Easy money! :cool:

 

Might be a bit of short cruise though... ;)

[cruisebie]

When did this become a liquor smuggling thread? Shouldn't we be discussing ways to smuggle water or coke on board? Focus, people, focus 😆

[AquaMarineFerret]

When did this become a liquor smuggling thread? Shouldn't we be discussing ways to smuggle water or coke on board? Focus, people, focus

 

:D Dammit!

 

Well, I'm all for using red food colouring and smuggling water aboard as red wine. Now let me do the maths on that one...

[aubreyc1988]

:D Dammit!

 

Well, I'm all for using red food colouring and smuggling water aboard as red wine. Now let me do the maths on that one...

 

start putting coke products, water, in TSA 3-2-1 containers lol

[spenceblake]

In speaking with my DW this morning I asked her if we should book a specialty restaurant. Her response to me was "I am not going to give those people (NCL) any more of my money than I have to!". I have to say that I certainly agree with her. Our cruise is now a week out and we still are fuming over the way the implementation of this new beverage policy was handled. Without consideration of folks who are inside of the penalty phase for cancelling. Traveling on a budget with a family of 5 is expensive enough and to add a beverage package and still have to pay for water adds a hefty hit to our budget one of which we will not incur as we elect not to do so. Apparently, this is just fine with NCL as they continually find ways to disappoint their customers as noted by pax of this thread.

[Newfun4me]

Why did you buy the water package??? Owners suites come with unlimited bottled water.

 

Also, if your kids are minors and in a connecting penthouse, it is entirety possible that they will be granted Haven access too.

 

We bought it because unlimited bottled water is not provided for the penthouse. They aren't in a connecting room - they are a few rooms down. They are 17, so while they will be in that room, we had to book it as my husband in a room with one of them and me in a room with one of them.

[AquaMarineFerret]

In speaking with my DW this morning I asked her if we should book a specialty restaurant. Her response to me was "I am not going to give those people (NCL) any more of my money than I have to!". I have to say that I certainly agree with her. Our cruise is now a week out and we still are fuming over the way the implementation of this new beverage policy was handled. Without consideration of folks who are inside of the penalty phase for cancelling. Traveling on a budget with a family of 5 is expensive enough and to add a beverage package and still have to pay for water adds a hefty hit to our budget one of which we will not incur as we elect not to do so. Apparently, this is just fine with NCL as they continually find ways to disappoint their customers as noted by pax of this thread.

 

We have had a similar conversation. Whilst not in the 5 pax category, the two of us are certainly not travelling without budget constraints. This is our first ever cruise and I knew it wouldn't be cheap. However, having the goal-posts moved after you've budgeted and cannot cancel without penalty is not something that endears you to your service provider.

 

At first I felt a bit guilty at not buying any of NCL's excursion offerings or a speciality dining package (something I was surprised that my wife vetoed!) But now I am very much thinking along the same lines as you. We are now very much concentrating on spending our money on experiences ashore. What annoys me is that added costs aboard will have limitations on what we can afford to do. We do have a holiday budget and it is being squeezed, regardless of whether we enjoy Pepsi products or Coke products and regardless of whether we are bottled water (or not) drinkers.

 

I am pretty sure we will have a great holiday experience, but I feel that this whole sorry episode has taken some of the gloss off things. I don't like my choices being restricted and I don't like being taken advantage of. I do have a couple of nice new filter bottles on order from Amazon and I certainly will not be buying their stupidly overpriced water if I can avoid it. :p

Edited July 18, 2016 by AquaMarineFerret

[Warm Breezes]

In speaking with my DW this morning I asked her if we should book a specialty restaurant. Her response to me was "I am not going to give those people (NCL) any more of my money than I have to!". I have to say that I certainly agree with her. Our cruise is now a week out and we still are fuming over the way the implementation of this new beverage policy was handled. Without consideration of folks who are inside of the penalty phase for cancelling. Traveling on a budget with a family of 5 is expensive enough and to add a beverage package and still have to pay for water adds a hefty hit to our budget one of which we will not incur as we elect not to do so. Apparently, this is just fine with NCL as they continually find ways to disappoint their customers as noted by pax of this thread.

 

I really just don't get this. We have sailed 11 times with our kids without once buying a beverage package or bringing water or soda on-board for them. We purchased bottled water on our last cruise just because we got a deal on Carnival for $2.99....we left half of it behind, unopened. I doubt if I would do it again. We aren't for our next Carnival Cruise in 3 months. If you are truly cruising on a budget then you don't need to buy the expensive beverage package or bottled water. Ice tea, juice, milk, coffee, tea, lemonade, and fountain water are FREE and plentiful. If you want water on shore, we have where you can buy bottled water pretty inexpensively at most ports and you could always take your own bottle to fill and take ashore. If you blow your budget on beverage packages and bottled water then that is on you...NCL does offer many alternatives that are already included in your cruise fare.

Edited July 18, 2016 by Warm Breezes

[spenceblake]

We have had a similar conversation. Whilst not in the 5 pax category, the two of us are certainly not travelling without budget constraints. This is our first ever cruise and I knew it wouldn't be cheap. However, having the goal-posts moved after you've budgeted and cannot cancel without penalty is not something that endears you to your service provider.

 

At first I felt a bit guilty at not buying any of NCL's excursion offerings or a speciality dining package (something I was surprised that my wife vetoed!) But now I am very much thinking along the same lines as you. We are now very much concentrating on spending our money on experiences ashore. What annoys me is that added costs aboard will have limitations on what we can afford to do. We do have a holiday budget and it is being squeezed, regardless of whether we enjoy Pepsi products or Coke products and regardless of whether we are bottled water (or not) drinkers.

 

I am pretty sure we will have a great holiday experience, but I feel that this whole sorry episode has taken some of the gloss off things. I don't like my choices being restricted and I don't like being taken advantage of. I do have a couple of nice new filter bottles on order from Amazon and I certainly will not be buying their stupidly overpriced water if I can avoid it. :p

 

It certainly does take the gloss off of cruising with NCL. We are a fun group and will be traveling with other family members as well. We all have the same feeling of being taken advantage of and have posted our dismay with NCL in every way possible. Just can't believe the way that NCL customers like ourselves are being treated before we even board. Kind of like being slapped in the face and told to just deal with it. I would of never knowingly spent my hard earned money on a cruise operated by such greedy folks. Let's just call it what it is "GREED". I do understand security concerns but this policy implementation screams GREED!

[don't-use-real-name]

Awaiting reports from the front lines about the beverage and water wars.

How pleasant the relations are with the beverage combatants ?

Lines moving along at even a modest pace speed ?

What is happening with the spoils of war (beverages and water) ?

[AquaMarineFerret]

It certainly does take the gloss off of cruising with NCL. We are a fun group and will be traveling with other family members as well. We all have the same feeling of being taken advantage of and have posted our dismay with NCL in every way possible. Just can't believe the way that NCL customers like ourselves are being treated before we even board. Kind of like being slapped in the face and told to just deal with it. I would of never knowingly spent my hard earned money on a cruise operated by such greedy folks. Let's just call it what it is "GREED". I do understand security concerns but this policy implementation screams GREED!

 

Well, that's certainly an approach being advocated by certain contributors! :D

[RDC1]

And people wonder why NCL are clamping down. Now all they have to concentrate on are the bottles of wine and Champagne, making it much more likely they will spot the 'cleverer' ploys. Good luck! :)

 

The people that smuggled on booze did not want to pay ships prices. If they smuggle in a wine bottle, they still have to pay the corkage fee (on top of what they originally paid for the booze). They are limited to 2 bottles. So even if someone wants to go to the extreme of smuggling in a wine bottle, it has still gotten more expensive for them and the quantity that can be smuggled that way reduced.

 

Bottom line is while it might be possible, I doubt that many will try. The cost benefit ration has gotten worse and reduced the incentive.

[sparks1093]

The people that smuggled on booze did not want to pay ships prices. If they smuggle in a wine bottle, they still have to pay the corkage fee (on top of what they originally paid for the booze). They are limited to 2 bottles. So even if someone wants to go to the extreme of smuggling in a wine bottle, it has still gotten more expensive for them and the quantity that can be smuggled that way reduced.

 

Bottom line is while it might be possible, I doubt that many will try. The cost benefit ration has gotten worse and reduced the incentive.

 

I have seen nothing that suggests that there is a two bottle limit. As long as you are willing to cough up the corkage you can bring on as many as you want.

[cruisebie]

The people that smuggled on booze did not want to pay ships prices. If they smuggle in a wine bottle, they still have to pay the corkage fee (on top of what they originally paid for the booze). They are limited to 2 bottles. So even if someone wants to go to the extreme of smuggling in a wine bottle, it has still gotten more expensive for them and the quantity that can be smuggled that way reduced.

 

Bottom line is while it might be possible, I doubt that many will try. The cost benefit ration has gotten worse and reduced the incentive.

 

If someone pays the corkage fee for bringing on wine, that is not considered smuggling since the person would have followed the NCL policy. Also, I don't see anything in the new policy that restricts passengers to 2 bottles. I believe you can still bring as many bottles as you want as long as you pay the corkage fees. Carnival & Princess do have a 2 bottle restriction AFAIK.

 

I guess all of the would be liquid water bombers are going to have to switch over to wine bottles now. I feel soooo much safer.

[cruiserssandr]

I have seen nothing that suggests that there is a two bottle limit. As long as you are willing to cough up the corkage you can bring on as many as you want.

There is no limit on number of bottles of wine you bring on.

[sparks1093]

If someone pays the corkage fee for bringing on wine, that is not considered smuggling since the person would have followed the NCL policy. Also, I don't see anything in the new policy that restricts passengers to 2 bottles. I believe you can still bring as many bottles as you want as long as you pay the corkage fees. Carnival & Princess do have a 2 bottle restriction AFAIK.

 

I guess all of the would be liquid water bombers are going to have to switch over to wine bottles now. I feel soooo much safer.

 

Let's be clear, when NCL says "security" they mean security as in screening all bottles for hooch, it has nothing to do with security as the term is used by the airlines.

Edited July 18, 2016 by sparks1093

[TrinaLC]

In my opinion, the most harmful consequence of this policy is that many more guests will be filling bottles of water at the buffet stations which are not properly equipped for this. The consequences will be as follows:

1) long, very long lines at the water stations, and

2) increased risk of spreading disease.

 

I guess Norwegian is willing to take the risks involved with their new policy since their prices for bottled water are so outrageous. Me thinks Carnival has taken hold of these risks and, therefore, greatly reduced the price of bottled water they sell. Makes sence to avoid spreading disease.

 

Too bad NCL isn't as savy! ;)

 

I think it is clear that Carnival's ban on liquids was for SECURITY reasons - so they are willing to sell the water cheaply.

 

By contrast, NCL's ban was clearly for REVENUE reasons - so that are not willing to sell the water cheaply.