It looks like Carnival changed the beverage policy again!

[chamberbear]

I have read many different views regarding smuggling liquor on board. We are bringing on our tequila. Just like some people like a certain type of wine, we like our own tequila and they don't sell it on board. It is not the price as much as the selection for us.

 

We can't wait to sail and I do enjoy reading everyone's views and suggestions. I have really learned a lot.

 

Steph

[mom2NnB]

I agree!

Although i do think water and soda should be allowed to be carried on, just not in such large quantities than an ice chest is needed, a 12 pk of soda or case of water seems fine to me.

Along with the new wine policy limit, Carnival needs to specify what "small" quantity means.

 

Problem with this is if one person is allowed to bring a 12 pack, a family of four people would equal 2 cases. I know I couldn't handle (4) 12 packs without a cooler or something to carry it in. It will be hard enough keeping track of 2 kids on a large ship.

 

Do not flame me I'm just doing the math - NOT stating I am bringing 2 cases!!

[m steve]

would the gift shop also be required to stock MOON PIES?

[caribbean dreams]

Problem with this is if one person is allowed to bring a 12 pack, a family of four people would equal 2 cases. I know I couldn't handle (4) 12 packs without a cooler or something to carry it in. It will be hard enough keeping track of 2 kids on a large ship.

 

How about per cabin then.

[we2cruze]

I'd rather have the cruiselines go back to the pricing structure they had 10 or 12 years ago and "quit" nickel and diming me to "death".......

It was cheaper.........:eek:

Then a botle of beer was $2.25....a bottle of water was a $1.00....Soda card....????what?????? Wine was 1/2 the price......Photos.....weren't $10.00 for an 8x10......Shore excursions were reasonable.....

For all of us that have cruised at least for a whild...I assure you it was cheaper then (with higher cabin prices) than it is now with lower cabin prices......;)

Actually that depends on the amount of extras you require. I personally don't drink alcohol or soda, take ship excursions or buy many photos, so their high prices don't affect me. I would not like to be paying for the alcohol consumption, etc. of the rest of the passengers with my stateroom price.

[bflowngs]

When we were in the Caymans, I purchased liquor at the duty free store. They delivered it to the ship and it was brought to our cabin on the last day. I liked this convenience as I didn't have to lug it around.

 

We also bought cokes to take on board we when stopped in Coz. I had it in a bag and put it on the belt through the xray machines. No one stopped us, nor did they ask if we were taking any beverages on board.

 

I did see Carnival personnel opening bottles of mountain dew, etc, that pax were holding on their way back to ship. They sniffed them and then handed them back if there was no alcohol.

 

We just got back about 5 days ago when the ban was put in place. Pleny of people took soft drinks aboard and nothing was said.

 

By the way, we buy our liquor to take home with us, so having it delivered on the last is not an issue for us. I rather like ordering the drinks in the bar, but to each his own!!

[browneyes7]

My sister is very addicted to Dr. Pepper. There is no way she would go on a cruise without taking at least one DP per day. I also used to be addicted to DP, but now I drink tea all day long. (It is supposed to be better for you, and I really do love it!!)

 

Happy cruising to all!!!!

 

browneyes7:rolleyes:

[kujobie]

Actually that depends on the amount of extras you require. I personally don't drink alcohol or soda, take ship excursions or buy many photos, so their high prices don't affect me. I would not like to be paying for the alcohol consumption, etc. of the rest of the passengers with my stateroom price.

 

Exactly what I was gonna say. THey do nickel and dime you, but you are not forced to buy anything. As for the pricing, I paid over $600 per person for an OV GTY on the Jubilee six years ago. In February of this year, I paid $249 per person for the same category on Imagination. $350 will buy a lot of overpriced drinks..

[SAILSKAT]

I'm new to cruising, so I've just been reading the threads and trying to make plans. But I guess I just don't understand the motivation for bringing drinks from home. I looked at a posted Carnival drink menu from another thread and the prices seemed pretty normal. If I buy a glass of wine at a family style chain restaurant (like Outback or Bertucci's) I would expect to pay in the $8-$9 per glass and a diet coke would run $2-$2.50. If I go somewhere a little nicer I expect to pay $10-$12 for wine and maybe $4 for diet coke. When I stay at a mid-price hotel in Hawaii I usually pay $8-12 for frozen drink. In Mexico it would be $6-8. The Carnival menu I saw on line looked to be the same or even less (but this could have been an older pricelist). How much are drinks on the ship these days? I can't imagine lugging a 12 pack of soda on board just to save $36. What are the current prices for a typical mixed drink, frozen froo froo drink, soda, bottled water etc? How much are the soft-drink cards for the kids? Not making any judgements, I just want to know the facts so that I can make a decision that works for me. Thanks to all for sharing their experiences and opinions. It's really helpful and a great way to learn about cruising.

[Crusin Karen]

Sailskat, it's not just the $ involved, tho if you read my post a few pages ago :eek: you would understand that for ME, I don't want to pay $8-$9 for a wine spritzer that has "premium wine" and 1/2 soda. It is also the convenience of it. My DH and I like to have a few drinks on our balcony before dinner. Also sometimes as a drink before bed; sit on the balcony and look at the moon and the stars. We always cruise with other couples and normallly have "cocktail hour" after showers and dressing and before we go down to dinner. Everyone comes to our cabin and we make drinks. It's just another "comfort of home" rather than hunting down a bar and carrying drinks back to the cabin or ordering from room service. Also...I drink (as I said before) Carlo Rossi chablis. It costs me $8.99 for a 4L bottle of it at my Bottle King. I mix it with Sprite or Sierra Mist which is always on sale for 89@ for a 2 L bottle at my grocery store. I brought wine with me on our last cruise, but due to airline weight limits, didn't bring soda and the Sprite cans in the fridge in the cabins were $2.25 or $2.75. Can't remember...and I use 3/4 of a can for one drink....$8-$9 for the glass of wine...So multiply that to maybe 5-6 drinks/night for a one week cruise and you can see the savings. I don't know if it was on this thread, but someone posted that the ships should allow you to purchase the alcohol in their gift shops and take it back to your cabin. I think this will solve everyone's problem. The pax wouldn't have to worry about the hassle of smuggling and the cruise ship would still be getting $. They could open a "mini liquor store" in the corner of the gift shop. Sell cold beer, wine, spirits, etc. Allow pax to bring their own soda or they can get it from the mini bar in their cabin (or get a soda card) Just makes sense to me and I am really surprised none of the cruise lines have tested this out.

[mzloolue]

I'm new to cruising, so I've just been reading the threads and trying to make plans. But I guess I just don't understand the motivation for bringing drinks from home. I looked at a posted Carnival drink menu from another thread and the prices seemed pretty normal. If I buy a glass of wine at a family style chain restaurant (like Outback or Bertucci's) I would expect to pay in the $8-$9 per glass and a diet coke would run $2-$2.50. If I go somewhere a little nicer I expect to pay $10-$12 for wine and maybe $4 for diet coke. When I stay at a mid-price hotel in Hawaii I usually pay $8-12 for frozen drink. In Mexico it would be $6-8. The Carnival menu I saw on line looked to be the same or even less (but this could have been an older pricelist). How much are drinks on the ship these days? I can't imagine lugging a 12 pack of soda on board just to save $36. What are the current prices for a typical mixed drink, frozen froo froo drink, soda, bottled water etc? How much are the soft-drink cards for the kids? Not making any judgements, I just want to know the facts so that I can make a decision that works for me. Thanks to all for sharing their experiences and opinions. It's really helpful and a great way to learn about cruising.

 

Well, it doesn't necessarlily need to be that much lugging.

If you are driving in or have a rental car it's not a big deal to stop at Walgreens right before you go to embark and pick up some drinks and those little things we forgot...and there is always something.

 

Maybe I'm cheap...maybe I'm just realistic. DH and I are footing the bill for 5 cruises, including our three kids who are in college. Sometimes a number that seems insignificant gets a bit more noticable when you multiply by five. Plus each of the kids brings a companion, so that makes eight people...three cabins.

 

The past two cruises I brought a small soft sided fold up cooler for each of our cabins. Stopped at Walgreen's a block before the port, put the stuff into the coolers, and then the porters helped load it from the car onto their carts and that was that. It is delivered to the room...no problem at all.

 

On the way back, we can fold up the coolers or use them to pack stuff into.

 

If it was forbidden, we wouldn't do it, but it is an option. Not only that, I can have my Diet-Rite cola.

[SAILSKAT]

Thanks for clairfying. I guess I can understand the convience of having your own brand or having it available in your cabin. That makes sense. I am traveling with my two daughters and husband in two seperate cabins so I understand how quickly the cost can multiply when you add a family. I just think that for us (we are flying in) it doesn't make sense. But I feel your pain. I love a particular California 2003 Cabernet that I can buy at my local liquor store for $16 a bottle but I would pay $65 for the same bottle at my local steak house. I just returned from Paris where I bought a bottle of wine for $60 at a lovely restuarant that I later saw in Parisean grocery store for $4. But I guess I paid the extra $56 for the ambience of drinking it while looking over the Seine. I hope they relax things for those who want to take their own and keep prices where they are (which seem reasonable to me compared to local restuarants in the Northeast, where things seem to be a little more expensive in the first place). I think everyone works so hard all year and we all just want to stretch our travel dollars the best way we can. Now I wish I could take a bottle of cabernet on board for those idyllic moments on the balconly. I guess I'll just have to give up my 2-a-day latte habit for a few weeks before I leave to justify the additional cost. Cheers to you whatever you drink (and however you got it on board)!:D

[Crusin Karen]

Wow, Sailskat, those prices make my head spin...this from the $8.99 Carlo Rossi 4L bottle of wine drinker lol. I "justify" my smuggling because DH drops PLENTY of $ in the casino, we buy a lot of drinks on the ship also, we have recruited so many people to go with us on each cruise and always tip "extra" to our stewards. We keep our cabin immaculate. Only thing the steward has to do is the bed and change towels and swipe the bathroom. We are very courteous to our fellow pax, to the crew, always bring our plates off our tables on Lido, don't hog chairs...I always felt that if they could follow us for a week, they would be getting a list of booze from us and delivering it cold and ready to drink to our cabin from the local Bottle King lol. They are not going to be feeling any pain if we take a few bottles of booze in our suitcases. Our last cruise on the Spirit, one of the cans of Sprite was flat when I opened it (from the mini bar) Our steward happened to be in the hall and DH told him, he gave him a new can and kept saying, SO SORRY, SO SORRY, NO CHARGE, but of course, we would already have been charged for the flat soda. He just "replaced it." My DH gave him a $2 tip for the "new soda." (I almost threw him over board lol) And BTW, they also add 15% gratuity to all drink purchases....I just wish the cruise lines would all adopt a "don't flaunt it in our face and we won't bother you" attitude. Pack some bottles in your checked luggage,have them look the other way. Wheeling on coolers to me is a slap in the face to them in my own opinion.

[Ship Addict]

Just in the dining room; be aware that finding a corkscrew can be a problem; either bring your own or take your bottle down to a bar, during a slow time of course, and for a small tip for their generosity they will open your bottle and even give you proper wine glasses!

 

At least, that was my experience both times I went ;)

 

Or you could just bring your wine in a BOX or get one with a SCREW TOP!! (Can you tell I'm not much of a connoisseur??) :rolleyes:

 

Actually one time I had wine on board that had a cork and the room steward brought me a little corkscrew within minutes.

[Ship Addict]

I'd rather have the cruiselines go back to the pricing structure they had 10 or 12 years ago and "quit" nickel and diming me to "death".......

It was cheaper.........:eek:

Then a botle of beer was $2.25....a bottle of water was a $1.00....Soda card....????what?????? Wine was 1/2 the price......Photos.....weren't $10.00 for an 8x10......Shore excursions were reasonable.....

For all of us that have cruised at least for a whild...I assure you it was cheaper then (with higher cabin prices) than it is now with lower cabin prices......;)

 

I agree I hate the nickel and diming too -- but when was the last time you saw an 8x10 photo for $10?? I haven't seen that for a while!! Last time I saw they were $20.

[mdaddy]

I knew it was a bunch of B.S. that carnival wasn't going to allow any beverages on the ships. I just returned from the Ecstasy yesterday and guess what... I not only brought on vodka and pineapple juice (small quanities of each only for a drink while getting ready in evenings) but I also bought 4 bottles of Absolut vodka in Mexico and brought them on the ship when returning from port. Carnival is a VERY reasonable company who is after the dollar as any company is... but, they are also concerned with passenger satisfaction. It just takes a little common sense.

[concour]

Just got back from New Orleans and the Fantasy. They still were allowing rolling ice chests. Saw one rolling ice chest with a case of water on the top.

 

We got on board early and checked out the room while they were still turning them over and saw 4 or 5 cheap rolling ice chests in the halls. The room stewards said that was not unusual that cruiser don not want to fool with the empty chest on the way back

 

 

Bill

[kelz66]

I recieved my cruise documents this week and the beverage policy is the same word for word as it was on my previous cruises. :D

[Knights on the Beach]

I agree I hate the nickel and diming too -- but when was the last time you saw an 8x10 photo for $10?? I haven't seen that for a while!! Last time I saw they were $20.

They were $20 in December, but I've read they are now $23.

[redlef]

We got on board early and checked out the room while they were still turning them over and saw 4 or 5 cheap rolling ice chests in the halls. The room stewards said that was not unusual that cruiser don not want to fool with the empty chest on the way back.

 

That's funny. People don't want to pay the extra buck for a soda, but they'll schlepp two cases of it and leave a $30 cooler behind as garbage.

 

I guess on my next cruise, I'll bring my clothes in paper bags, then walk around and grab all the empty ice chests I can find. A poor man's luggage set!

[Crusin Karen]

redlef, LMAO...oh, that made my day. I guess we all got gray hair over the "new policy" for nothing. At least we will help Miss Clairol and Grecian Formula profits rise!

[southbayer]

I bet there was an "undercover" carnival upper level managment employee who under an "alias" on cruise critic, started this and got everyone scared. Just think, if they can scare an extra 1000 people here and there, that can translate into big Profit$$

They're prolly laughing thier arse's off at Miami Headquarters... Laughing all the way to the bank:D

[Glama]

I seriously wonder if the people that followed the "new" rule flipped out at embarkation when they saw Carnival STILL allowing drinks to be brought onboard. This may be one of the reasons that they changed it back.

 

There is another thread that I replied to this morning that stated that the person called Carnival directly and spoke to guest relations, they confirmed TWICE that you are allowed to bring up to 12 cans of your favorite beverage (too bad tanqueray doesn't come in cans, lol). She said that they will confiscate anything over and above that, to deter people from taking advantage of it. She also said that their law department is currently working on the policy, but that they are trying to deter people from bringing on a large amount of beverages. Wish I remembered which thread that was, but, I was happy to finally get some clarification.

[Crusin Karen]

I am going to repeat myself here...I really think if people would be "discreet" about smuggling, Carnival would look the other way. Bring a bar in your suitcase if you want, but don't walk on with cartons of beer, coolers and like that. Don't flaunt your smuggling. It is just a slap in the face to Carnival IMO.

[Glama]

Karen, EXACTLY!!! Just put it in your checked luggage, then you don't even have to carry it yourself. :)