Bringing alcohol back from a port

[Cruise Junky]

Quick question, will they hold it or destroy it? We're looking at Koningsdam next year with a stop in Oporto.

[mllewis48]

Quick question, will they hold it or destroy it? We're looking at Koningsdam next year with a stop in Oporto.

 

 

 

Hold until the end of the cruise!

 

 

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[Cruise Junky]

Hold until the end of the cruise!

 

 

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Great - thanks

[57redbird]

I don't know what the criteria is....we have brought back on board 1 bottle of tequila from Mexico & 1 bottle of Curacao liqueur (on separate HAL cruises) & they both went through the scanner & up to our cabin without question.

[Cruise Junky]

I don't know what the criteria is....we have brought back on board 1 bottle of tequila from Mexico & 1 bottle of Curacao liqueur (on separate HAL cruises) & they both went through the scanner & up to our cabin without question.

 

Good to know - might bring back limoncello in Naples too :)

[mllewis48]

I don't know what the criteria is....we have brought back on board 1 bottle of tequila from Mexico & 1 bottle of Curacao liqueur (on separate HAL cruises) & they both went through the scanner & up to our cabin without question.

 

 

 

Interesting since that practice is against what HAL policies say, you were lucky. Maybe the crew was in a good mood?

 

 

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[sayaguru]

Yes the rules are that you can't keep it but I found it a bit hit and miss. One port there was a duty free shop at the terminal. The scanner wasn't even set up. One guy bought a carton of beer on. :eek:

I got back on the ship but after seeing that, went and bought a bottle of Baileys. I like Baileys and Ice with my coffee. :D

[jtl513]

I don't know what the criteria is....we have brought back on board 1 bottle of tequila from Mexico & 1 bottle of Curacao liqueur (on separate HAL cruises) & they both went through the scanner & up to our cabin without question.

I brought on a bottle of Limoncello in Naples by jokingly saying it was "lemon wine". I don't know if the guard believed that or just decided to let it go. :D

[take us away]

Once had security tell me I could keep the bottle of port as bought while on a ship's tour - or maybe he was just in a good mood. Anyway, enjoyed my nightly glass before bed.

[IndyDenise]

I brought on a bottle of Limoncello in Naples by jokingly saying it was "lemon wine". I don't know if the guard believed that or just decided to let it go. :D

 

 

 

 

I brought Limencello onboard at Rome.. and didn't say a word because I really thought it was "lemon wine" since the bottle looked like wine! ( this was before Limoncello was a popular thing ) Lol!

 

No problems getting it onboard!

 

 

 

 

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[Wehwalt]

I think the policy varies by ship and by itinerary, as a practical matter. A short Caribbean cruise with a young average age may be treated differently than a world cruise stop someplace in Italy with many vineyards nearby since the party hearty crowd isn't as well represented. I'm sure you'd still have to pay corkage if you wanted it in the dining room.

[RuthC]

I think the policy varies by ship and by itinerary, as a practical matter.

It isn't so much that the policy varies; it doesn't. It's that enforcement and application of the policy varies. One can never predict.

[Wehwalt]

It isn't so much that the policy varies; it doesn't. It's that enforcement and application of the policy varies. One can never predict.

 

Quite so. I usually make it on my legitimate one exempt bottle.

[obriendan]

I think the policy varies by ship and by itinerary, as a practical matter. A short Caribbean cruise with a young average age may be treated differently than a world cruise stop someplace in Italy with many vineyards nearby since the party hearty crowd isn't as well represented. I'm sure you'd still have to pay corkage if you wanted it in the dining room.

g

 

And by the time of day! We returned late about 9 PM from an excursion in Perth to the Maasdam with two bottles of wine. By this time the wine police had retired and we sailed right through!

 

Dan

[3rdGenCunarder]

It isn't so much that the policy varies; it doesn't. It's that enforcement and application of the policy varies. One can never predict.

 

Enforcement definitely varies. On a stop in Saint John, I went to the market to get a lobster roll to take back to the ship for lunch. I had a bottle of water in my tote bag, too. No problem with the lobster roll, but they wanted to see the bottle I was carrying. It's the only time I've had a bottle of water questioned.

[saatuk]

Good to know - might bring back limoncello in Naples too :)

 

In Naples last November, I had 3 bottles of wine and went to the alcohol desk. They said 'no problem' as long as it wasn't Limoncello, so on I went ?! One person in my party was stopped to investigate a bottle of vinegar, though.

 

I think anything is possible.

[ger_77]

It really is hit and miss - we just returned from a Southern Caribbean cruise beginning in Tampa. We boarded with 3 bottles of wine; 2 in my carry-on, 1 in DH's. Nothing was said.

 

At many of the ports there wasn't even a table set up, so if people had brought alcohol back to the ship with them, there wasn't any place to check them. On the other hand, I guess people got a little brave, and at Curacao and Aruba, they had banquet tables set up and they were loaded with bottles. :eek:

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

[chele670]

Just got off the Westerdam. We bought on bottles of vodka from Maui and they didn't say anything because they were in round bottles. We handed it over anyways and the guy marked it as other instead of liquor...but I did embark with a wine bottle full of Malibu, recorked and sealed by the best TA ever!

 

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[Appalachian Mountain Mama]

I understand the restrictions on alcohol because the ship's are making money off the drinks but if you have purchased the drink package they already have your money, why do they care if you bring another bottle of wine onboard?

 

 

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[RuthC]

I understand the restrictions on alcohol because the ship's are making money off the drinks but if you have purchased the drink package they already have your money, why do they care if you bring another bottle of wine onboard?

People abused the privilege of unlimited wine for use in your own cabin, so HAL tightened the rules. It would be impossible to administer that rule if there were all sorts of exceptions to it. One fiat for everyone is easier for them.

 

At one point HAL decided it was in their best interest to allow one exception, and that is you may bring back wine purchased on a HAL shore excursion to a winery. That would limit a decrease in shore excursion sales.

[3rdGenCunarder]

People abused the privilege of unlimited wine for use in your own cabin, so HAL tightened the rules. It would be impossible to administer that rule if there were all sorts of exceptions to it. One fiat for everyone is easier for them.

 

At one point HAL decided it was in their best interest to allow one exception, and that is you may bring back wine purchased on a HAL shore excursion to a winery. That would limit a decrease in shore excursion sales.

 

I know about the wine exemption,and I think that's good for everyone--HAL's tours, the winery, and the passenger. What about all the tours that go to the Curacao factory? Any exemption there, or is it just confiscated and held as with other liquor purchases? We haven't bothered with alcohol purchases in port in a long time, so any rules I remember would be out of date.

[RuthC]

What about all the tours that go to the Curacao factory? Any exemption there, or is it just confiscated and held as with other liquor purchases?

I don't know of any exemption for that, but I've never tried, either.

I know I've never read about that type of exemption on this forum.

[POA1]

I know about the wine exemption,and I think that's good for everyone--HAL's tours, the winery, and the passenger. What about all the tours that go to the Curacao factory? Any exemption there, or is it just confiscated and held as with other liquor purchases? We haven't bothered with alcohol purchases in port in a long time, so any rules I remember would be out of date.

Curacao isn't exempt from being held, regardless of where you buy it.

[RMLincoln]

Seems like wine is treated one way, that is one corkage-exempt 750ml bottle per adult at embarkation, in your carry-on bag, or one corkage-exempt bottle per adult from a ship excursion to a winery.... or pay corkage for additional bottles in either case.

 

And all alcoholic, non-wine products are treated another way, that is that they are confiscated until the end of the cruise then returned to you.

 

There are ship excursions to breweries, distilleries and specialty liquor factories but their products are not allowed back to the passenger cabins during the cruise.

 

Have I got it right? What have I missed? Thanks, m--

[3rdGenCunarder]

Seems like wine is treated one way, that is one corkage-exempt 750ml bottle per adult at embarkation, in your carry-on bag, or one corkage-exempt bottle per adult from a ship excursion to a winery.... or pay corkage for additional bottles in either case.

 

And all alcoholic, non-wine products are treated another way, that is that they are confiscated until the end of the cruise then returned to you.

 

There are ship excursions to breweries, distilleries and specialty liquor factories but their products are not allowed back to the passenger cabins during the cruise.

 

Have I got it right? What have I missed? Thanks, m--

 

That sounds right to me. You can keep wine but nothing else. The beer thing is particularly annoying, as HAL does not offer a good choice, and there are so many local beers that we'd love to try. Last fall, they picked up some local beers at one of our stops, maybe PEI. We had a wonderful local ale. It was all gone the next day. :( Wish we'd bought a few extra bottles to take back to our room.