Naughty Room on HAL

[3rdGenCunarder]

If you don't bring your allowed 1 bottle of wine per person on at embarkation, can you do it at a later port? Does HAL monitor the two bottle rule and give you one time (any time) to do it?

 

I'm pretty sure the two-bottle rule is only for embarkation. It would be too difficult to have someone going through records at the gangway area. When we "registered" our two bottles in Boston, the steward at the table just had a chart in which he wrote our name, cabin number, and number of bottles. He wasn't entering it into a computer, so it would be tough to go back and look it up.

[Randyk47]

On other lines I've smuggled regularly without incident. Think things through, understand how the xray systems and personnel work, then be creative. Self-righteous hall monitors can go pound sand after they review John 8:7.

 

Interesting to quote the Bible and support smuggling in the same post. :rolleyes::D In that vein Exodus 20:15 comes to mind. :) All that aside it seems to me that besides the revenue issue, in my mind the key reason cruise lines limit or restrict bringing spirits on board, cruise lines continue to learn how passengers circumvent their procedures. In the extreme the easy answer is like NCL to cut off bringing any liquid or restricted beverage on board.

[3rdGenCunarder]

Just to clarify, in case someone reading that sentence doesn't know, that bottle must be from a winery stop on the excursion, not purchased somewhere on an excursion that does not go to a winery.

 

I think that's a nice gesture, considering how expensive tours can be. Do they mark the bottles in some way? Do you put your tour sticker on the bottle to show it's from the tour?

[Randyk47]

I'm pretty sure the two-bottle rule is only for embarkation. It would be too difficult to have someone going through records at the gangway area. When we "registered" our two bottles in Boston, the steward at the table just had a chart in which he wrote our name, cabin number, and number of bottles. He wasn't entering it into a computer, so it would be tough to go back and look it up.

 

True. You have that one and only chance, outside of a ship sponsored winery tour during the cruise, to bring wine on board without the corkage charge.

[gpb11]

Interesting to quote the Bible and support smuggling in the same post. :rolleyes::D In that vein Exodus 20:15 comes to mind. :)

LOL. Nicely done. Strictly speaking, we both cited rather than quoted. ;) I respectfully disagree as to the applicability of Exodus 20:15, although it would certainly apply to instances of "sharing" a drinks package. :D Though Proverbs 23:20-21 does come to mind at times.

 

 

All that aside it seems to me that besides the revenue issue, in my mind the key reason cruise lines limit or restrict bringing spirits on board, cruise lines continue to learn how passengers circumvent their procedures. In the extreme the easy answer is like NCL to cut off bringing any liquid or restricted beverage on board.

While they certainly claim reasons of preventing issues from over-consumption, I think we all know full well that the main intent is revenue generation from a captive audience. NCL has gotten bad with that, drink prices through the roof and the complete prohibition of bringing any beverages aboard. It will be interesting to see how long that policy lasts with NCL. I for one will not sail with them for so long as that remains in effect.

 

On our last NCL cruise we didn't smuggle anything since we had the promo drinks package, yet we still enjoyed having our own cokes and sprites in the room.

Edited August 9, 2016 by gpb11

[DaveOKC]

I can understand why HAL holds the bottles of wine found in your luggage, as they have no way of knowing if you already brought your one bottle per person onboard at embarkation.

 

The only time I have been in the naughty room was when my wife packed HER Ulu knife in MY luggage! We had bought the knife onboard another HAL ship the day prior, so never thought a thing about it. Since it was HAL merchandise bought on a HAL ship, they reluctantly let us take it back to our cabin.

[Mosaic]

My turn,

As a past customer I did not even know of the policy change. I don't care about there silly rules either. TOO MANY RULES IN THIS WORLD. Period, period. 1 bottle for 7 day cruise. 1 bottle for 50 day cruise? I spend a lot of money with HAL but I am not loyal to HAL. Only Neptune Suites and so for me, saving perhaps hundreds more by bringing my own is ok by me. I give plenty of money to quality people aboard the ship otherwise and do not mind paying a corkage fee. Room consumption is another story.

 

And for the moralists, why don't you pay my corkage fees if money is not important?

[Mosaic]

...and besides, I Want to go to the Naughty room...but I don't want to wait in line for it. It must be very nice:)

[kazu]

My turn,

As a past customer I did not even know of the policy change. I don't care about there silly rules either. TOO MANY RULES IN THIS WORLD. Period, period. 1 bottle for 7 day cruise. 1 bottle for 50 day cruise? I spend a lot of money with HAL but I am not loyal to HAL. Only Neptune Suites and so for me, saving perhaps hundreds more by bringing my own is ok by me. I give plenty of money to quality people aboard the ship otherwise and do not mind paying a corkage fee. Room consumption is another story.

 

And for the moralists, why don't you pay my corkage fees if money is not important?

 

Since you didn't know about the new rule, you are probably not aware that HAL was going to change it to one bottle only and NO OTHERS permitted at all.

 

It was only through letters sent and posts here on this board (I think) that HAl acquiesced and changed the policy to allowing additional bottles of wine with a corkage fee. Many of us pay it ;).

 

My corkage fee costs enough, I can't afford to pay yours too;). Sorry:p:D

[kazu]

I can understand why HAL holds the bottles of wine found in your luggage, as they have no way of knowing if you already brought your one bottle per person onboard at embarkation.

 

The only time I have been in the naughty room was when my wife packed HER Ulu knife in MY luggage! We had bought the knife onboard another HAL ship the day prior, so never thought a thing about it. Since it was HAL merchandise bought on a HAL ship, they reluctantly let us take it back to our cabin.

 

Not to mention that the rules specifically state that the wine MUST be carried on ;)

[Mary Ellen]

While they certainly claim reasons of preventing issues from over-consumption, I think we all know full well that the main intent is revenue generation from a captive audience.

 

I'm going with someone who has proven knowledge in this area:

I have managed many ships for several different cruise lines. Occasionally in the past we experimented with confiscating alcohol one crusie and then allowing it onboard the next cruise.

 

We were quite surprised to learn that onboard revenues were rarely affected by these actions. We made as much bar revenue while confiscating alcohol as we did when we allowed passengers to bring it onboard.

 

But there were other issues that were affected by our actions.

When we confiscated alcohol, we had far fewer complaints from passengers that their neighbors were partying in their cabins and keeping everyone awake.

We also had far fewer accidents where drunk passengers were falling down and breaking bones.

We had fewer fights where drunks were punching each other over really silly things.

We had fewer cabins trashed by drunk partiers.

We had fewer drunk people falling overboard.

 

And most importantly, we had far fewer lawsuits from people who brought their own alcohol onboard, got drunk in their cabins, got into some sort of trouble, and then sued the cruise line for millions for getting them drunk.

 

Most of these were frivolous lawsuits that were thrown out of court. But the cruise lines still had to pay big legal fees to defend themselves until the charges were thrown out. At one point, the cruise line I worked for had over $500 Million in frivolous lawsuits to defend.

 

The US Courts ruled that they would be more willing to dismiss the bulk of these charges if the cruise lines could demonstrate that we had a relatively tight control of alcohol consumption on our vessels.

 

By limiting and controlling what is brought onboard, establishing Responsible Service of Alcohol Training for all servers, making regulations for refusing to serve drunks, and keeping prices comparable to those on shore, the cruise lines convinced the courts that we are making a serious effort to control drunkenness on our ships. The courts in turn have been very cooperative in refusing to entertain frivolous lawsuits from those who still manage to get themselves drunk on ships.

 

Unfortunately when you deal with the masses on a mass market ship, the bad behaviour of a few has unfortunate consequences for all of us.

 

The directive to confiscate alcohol did not come from our Revenue Department, but from our Legal Department.

[dockman]

I'm going with someone who has proven knowledge in this area:

 

Originally Posted by BruceMuzz View Post

I have managed many ships for several different cruise lines. Occasionally in the past we experimented with confiscating alcohol one crusie and then allowing it onboard the next cruise.

 

We were quite surprised to learn that onboard revenues were rarely affected by these actions. We made as much bar revenue while confiscating alcohol as we did when we allowed passengers to bring it onboard.

 

But there were other issues that were affected by our actions.

When we confiscated alcohol, we had far fewer complaints from passengers that their neighbors were partying in their cabins and keeping everyone awake.

We also had far fewer accidents where drunk passengers were falling down and breaking bones.

We had fewer fights where drunks were punching each other over really silly things.

We had fewer cabins trashed by drunk partiers.

We had fewer drunk people falling overboard.

 

And most importantly, we had far fewer lawsuits from people who brought their own alcohol onboard, got drunk in their cabins, got into some sort of trouble, and then sued the cruise line for millions for getting them drunk.

 

Most of these were frivolous lawsuits that were thrown out of court. But the cruise lines still had to pay big legal fees to defend themselves until the charges were thrown out. At one point, the cruise line I worked for had over $500 Million in frivolous lawsuits to defend.

 

The US Courts ruled that they would be more willing to dismiss the bulk of these charges if the cruise lines could demonstrate that we had a relatively tight control of alcohol consumption on our vessels.

 

By limiting and controlling what is brought onboard, establishing Responsible Service of Alcohol Training for all servers, making regulations for refusing to serve drunks, and keeping prices comparable to those on shore, the cruise lines convinced the courts that we are making a serious effort to control drunkenness on our ships. The courts in turn have been very cooperative in refusing to entertain frivolous lawsuits from those who still manage to get themselves drunk on ships.

 

Unfortunately when you deal with the masses on a mass market ship, the bad behaviour of a few has unfortunate consequences for all of us.

 

The directive to confiscate alcohol did not come from our Revenue Department, but from our Legal Department.

 

 

 

 

interesting but how does this jive with being able to order big bottles of liquor to your stateroom...i would think hard booze would be more likely to cause the problems described than wine drinkers?...of course alcohol is still alcohol but sure a lot quicker to get falling down drunk from a fifth of vodka than a bottle of wine...

[RocketMan275]

In Boston, they were very quick to take the bag that had 2 bottles of wine. I barely had "that has wine" out of my mouth when it was whisked over the the wine check-in table. On that same cruise, when I was returning to the ship in Saint John, they saw a bottle in my tote bag and asked to see it. It was just a bottle of water, and tit was fine once they saw what it was.

 

In Fort Lauderdale this past winter, I had two bottles of champagne in an insulated tote and it went through the scanner without a comment. I didn't see a wine table anywhere. Maybe they ignored it because it was only 2 bottles? Maybe they were just too busy?

 

I haven't brought wine on board in ports during a cruise. I know you don't get the two freebies. So do you take your bottles to someone and pay the corkage? I wish they'd let us take beer on board. Just a couple of bottles of something local to improve on HAL's poor selection.

 

In FLL, this past March I carried six bottles of wine through security. Immediately, Security informed me that I could only bring two bottles on board and they were confiscating the remaining.

 

I, immediately, told them I could bring as many as I liked if I paid corkage.

 

Security told me that there was no one there from the cruise line to collect corkage. I told Security that was their problem, not mine.

 

Security said I should leave the bottles and they would have Holland deliver them to my room. I told Security that I would leave a note with name, cabin number, and number of bottles.

 

Security said to take the wine and Holland would contact me on board.

 

Holland didn't contact me so I went to Guest Services to pay the corkage. GS thanked me, gave me for stickers, but never charged me for the corkage.

[blrgrl]

Tell your neighbor that's a naughty thing to do. Then tell him he should call his brother!:p (the one in Vancouver).

Edited August 9, 2016 by blrgrl
left of part of it.

[sail7seas]

I am still trying to figure out why OP's friend thinks the rules don't apply to him. wHY DOES he exempt himse? i wonder if there are othrer such rules I hope someon te4lls him life boat drill is not optional. What other ruleswill he exeelfmpt himself from?

Edited August 9, 2016 by sail7seas

[SilvertoGold]

In FLL, this past March I carried six bottles of wine through security. Immediately, Security informed me that I could only bring two bottles on board and they were confiscating the remaining.

 

I, immediately, told them I could bring as many as I liked if I paid corkage.

 

Security told me that there was no one there from the cruise line to collect corkage. I told Security that was their problem, not mine.

 

Security said I should leave the bottles and they would have Holland deliver them to my room. I told Security that I would leave a note with name, cabin number, and number of bottles.

 

Security said to take the wine and Holland would contact me on board.

 

Holland didn't contact me so I went to Guest Services to pay the corkage. GS thanked me, gave me for stickers, but never charged me for the corkage.

 

Good grief!! This is wild. You did a good job of handling this!

[SilvertoGold]

Concerning the Bruce Muzz's interesting post: I cannot begin to imagine that HAL would have such problems, in their various incarnations, with drunks. Some cruise lines, I guess so, but HAL, I doubt it. OK, so we don't cruise the Caribbean, is that it?

 

We've seen a few drunks (one was the comedian and he was tipsy when he came into the Explorers Lounge and got worse) in our serial cruising on HAL and we find it rare.

[sail7seas]

While I have no personal experience or knowledge of it ever happening I believe cruise lines can deny boarding for attempts to "smuggle" prohibited items on board. By "smuggle" I mean an obvious attempt to conceal or somehow camouflage the item with the goal of getting through security. Just putting a bottle of alcohol in your luggage in its regular retail container is not smuggling per se and I suppose a passenger could always plead ignorance and let the cruise line take or hold the alcohol. On least on the surface that's different than trying to deliberately conceal by putting the same alcohol in a "rum runner" or some other container in a deliberate attempt to bypass detection. Again, I don't know if anybody has actually been denied boarding but I think it's possible and certainly not worth the risk.

 

Concerning the Bruce Muzz's interesting

 

Wewil4r Vw5ibbrwn a great many tyimes wmr m4brt dewe w drvree fromlomh [pt5trobl4m on HWL. ahaWl fdo4sed noyy edr4m yt6o hasvb I cannot begin to imagine that HAL would have such problems, in their I aagreewhgreevarious incarnations, with drunks. Some cruise lines, I guess so, but HAL, I doubt it. OK, s't cruise the Caribbean, is that it?

 

We've seen a few drunks (one was the comedian and he was tipsy when he came into the Explorers Lounge and got worse) in our serial cruising on HAL and we find it rare.

........

[david,Mississauga]

I found this thread most interesting and amusing. Until our HAL cruise last year (our first time on HAL in decades) I had never encountered any restriction on bringing alcohol on a ship. Nor have we ever brought on board more than one bottle between us, but because HAL makes a big deal of their restrictions we brought our allowed one each.

 

We took our first cruise in 1972 on a small Canadian Pacific ship and brought a bottle of gin on board. Of course, in those innocent days there was no security and no silly rules against alcohol. Almost all of our cruises/crossings in the past 35 years have been with P&O or Cunard, both of which realistically have no restrictions on personal alcohol. They do have a written policy but Cunard, for one, says it is not their intention to enforce it unless they deem it necessary.

 

I am sympathetic to those who want to smuggle on more, although I accept that the cruise line owns the ship and can make and enforce the rules as they see fit. It seems bizarre that a person cannot bring on a few bottles of bubbly or gin or whatever for consumption in their private space. When I travel across Canada on VIA Rail’s Canadian I can bring into our compartment all I want, just as in a hotel room.

 

When Cunard and P&O search our luggage I know it is a security issue. But when most other lines do so I get the impression they are simply looking for alcohol. At security in Vancouver last year, the security person (I know they are not employed by HAL) said to me as if she was addressing a naughty schoolboy: “You have two bottles in that bag and you have to go over to that desk.” After waiting in a short queue I was amused by the HAL employee carefully examining the bottles to make sure they were bubbly and not (horrors!) gin or scotch, then filling out paperwork.

[sail7seas]

I can't understand how people can spend thousands of d

 

 

 

People complain about the change in cruise lines but not often ab out the change in cruisers.

Edited August 10, 2016 by sail7seas

[serendipity1499]

Does anyone know if one can purchase a one litre bottle of a brand they normally drink, from either the tax free shop or a HAL bar & drink it in their cabin if it's not on the indulgences list ?

 

I drink Capt. Morgan SPICED RUM & HAL does not have it on the indulgences list.:( Believe we were able to find it in the tax free shop but that was only to carry home..

 

Bacardi is not my favorite & don't know what Myers dark rum tastes like.. I'm not a big drinker & don't normally take a full shot of liquor in any drink.. Only use 1/2 shot so a bottle lasts a long time, unless it's Baileys.:) LOL

 

It would be nice to enjoy a Capt. Morgan & Pepsi on our balcony since we normally don't book balcony cabins.. Yes, understand HAL only sells coke but I'll be happy to bring the Pepsi..

 

When we're out & about the we'll use our Beverage Cards for coffee's & drinks including Capt. Morgan..

 

Thanks..

 

Edited August 11, 2016 by serendipity1499

[jtl513]

Does anyone know if one can purchase a one litre bottle of a brand they normally drink, from either the tax free shop or a HAL bar & drink it in their cabin if it's not on the indulgences list?

I'm pretty sure once on board you can buy any bottle that the bars stock, but not from the shop.

[Yehootu]

Tell your neighbor that's a naughty thing to do. Then tell him he should call his brother!:p (the one in Vancouver).

The one across the street called today. I told him I was asking for a friend going out of SEA. He gave me a hard time.

Aloha

[Jane1614]

We just got back from a 12 day Baltic cruise on the Zuiderdam. In Copenhagen we purchased 6 bottles of wine to bring on board at Embarkation. We did this because there are certain wines we like that we cannot get on board, not that we were trying to save any money. We were not trying to smuggle them on. We knew we could bring one bottle per person without corkage charge, and the rest were subject to the $18 fee per bottle. We had no problem with that. We had it in our carry on. At the terminal security they asked us how many bottles we had in there (after viewing it in the x ray machine) We said 6. They told us only 2 were allowed and we had to show proof that we could bring more. So I did show them proof. Its written on the back of the luggage tags the specific instructions. So they said ok and let us through. We checked in and told them we had wine, and would pay the corkage, they said ok, and proceeded to give us our boarding cards, We walked on board, wondering when they would ask about the wine, and no one ever did. So we were never charged. It was our first time on HAL so we didn't know the procedure. But we were willing to pay the corkage charge. We drank a few bottles in our room. We brought a bottle to dinner with us at Caneletto one night and no one said a word. We were never charged! And no intention of sneaking it on!

[SilvertoGold]

Jan1614

 

Very informative. This is HAL: less than consistent application of policy.

 

Thanks for the information about the back of the luggage tags. This is new to me and good to know.