Beverages on cruise ships

[Passepartout]

We earned it by sailing Celebrity. In the Diamond Lounge we ordered prem. drinks every night.

Just wondered. We have not sailed Royal Caribbean since becoming Celebrity Elite. Friends ordered top shelf booze at the Celebrity elite cocktail hours without extra charge. Figuring out who can drink what and at what cost is as difficult as sorting through all the cabin configurations and locations in order to book a cruise.

 

[dioxide45]

Royal allows two bottles of wine PER CABIN to go onboard. If there are two bottles of wine in the suitcase, that's not a problem. I can't imagine that they group all the bags going to a particular stateroom and then inspect them to make sure that there aren't more bottles in another suitcase that is going to the same room.......and then, if you're willing to wheel one around the ship until your room is open, there's your carryon.......

If you take a bottle to a dining venue, there's a $15.00 corkage fee. If you drink a glass in your room, of course, there's no fee.

I believe that the bottles of wine have to be carried on. You cant take them in the bags you check with the porter. Thus they send all suitcases where they detect bottles to the "naughty room".

 

[Passepartout]

I believe that the bottles of wine have to be carried on. You cant take them in the bags you check with the porter. Thus they send all suitcases where they detect bottles to the "naughty room".

I pack bottles or boxes of wine in the bags the porters deliver to the cabin- and have for years. We've never had to retrieve them- or had my vino confiscated. At one embarkation- in Barcelona- there's a liquor store right on the pier as you ride the escalator up to actually board the ship. I bought a couple of bottles, and simply carried them aboard in the store's bag. I was stopped by ship's security and told they would hold my wine and return it on debarkation day! I did an about face, went down the escalator and put the bottles in my backpack- rode back up and walked aboard. Out of sight, out of mind.

 

[dioxide45]

I pack bottles or boxes of wine in the bags the porters deliver to the cabin- and have for years. We've never had to retrieve them- or had my vino confiscated. At one embarkation- in Barcelona- there's a liquor store right on the pier as you ride the escalator up to actually board the ship. I bought a couple of bottles, and simply carried them aboard in the store's bag. I was stopped by ship's security and told they would hold my wine and return it on debarkation day! I did an about face, went down the escalator and put the bottles in my backpack- rode back up and walked aboard. Out of sight, out of mind.

I am just basing my comments on Carnival's written policy.

Bringing Liquor and Beverages Onboard - Embarkation

Guests are prohibited from bringing water, sodas and other non-alcoholic beverages onboard that are packaged in bottles.

A small quantity of non-alcoholic beverages (i.e., sparkling water, sodas, juice, and milk) packaged in cans or cartons may be brought onboard on embarkation day and must be in the guest's carry-on luggage. A small quantity is considered a maximum of 12 sealed, unopened cans/cartons of 12 ounces each or less per person.

Guests are prohibited from bringing alcoholic beverages on board with the following exception - At the beginning of the cruise during embarkation day only, guests (21 years of age and older) may bring one 750 ml bottle of sealed/unopened wine or champagne per person in their carry-on luggage. All liquor, beer, other forms of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages outside of this exception are strictly prohibited in both carry-on and checked luggage and such items will be confiscated and discarded and no compensation will be provided.

Other lines may work differently and as always YMMV.

 

[Passepartout]

Guests are prohibited from bringing alcoholic beverages on board with the following exception - At the beginning of the cruise during embarkation day only, guests (21 years of age and older) may bring one 750 ml bottle of sealed/unopened wine or champagne per person in their carry-on luggage. All liquor, beer, other forms of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages outside of this exception are strictly prohibited in both carry-on and checked luggage and such items will be confiscated and discarded and no compensation will be provided.

Right. I've read these disclaimers as well. And while they may well confiscate openly flaunted shore-bought beverages- after all, drinks aboard are a major profit center for the cruise lines. On embarkation day- what THEY call 'CHANGEOVER' when the 'old' passengers (and their luggage) disembark from about 7 A.M. to about 9:30, then the stewards have to clean and put the cabin back to 'postcard' condition before the 'new' passengers come aboard from about noon 'til maybe 4:00 P.M., then the ship sails about 5. The cabin stewards have to meet their new passengers and deliver 3,000 pieces of luggage by about 7 P.M.- NOBODY has time to be digging through locked luggage for something that will only pi$$ off the passengers and not net them, the employee, anything but hard feelings.

Yes, they CAN remove brought-aboard beverages, but in the real world, it's highly unlikely to happen. They may publish stuff like the above, but in reality, a repeat passenger is worth his weight in Jack Daniels, if not gold.

 

[dioxide45]

Right. I've read these disclaimers as well. And while they may well confiscate openly flaunted shore-bought beverages- after all, drinks aboard are a major profit center for the cruise lines. On embarkation day- what THEY call 'CHANGEOVER' when the 'old' passengers (and their luggage) disembark from about 7 A.M. to about 9:30, then the stewards have to clean and put the cabin back to 'postcard' condition before the 'new' passengers come aboard from about noon 'til maybe 4:00 P.M., then the ship sails about 5. The cabin stewards have to meet their new passengers and deliver 3,000 pieces of luggage by about 7 P.M.- NOBODY has time to be digging through locked luggage for something that will only pi$$ off the passengers and not net them, the employee, anything but hard feelings.

Yes, they CAN remove brought-aboard beverages, but in the real world, it's highly unlikely to happen. They may publish stuff like the above, but in reality, a repeat passenger is worth his weight in Jack Daniels, if not gold.

They do seem to identify some bottles in packed luggage. Lots of reports on Cruise Critic of being called to the naughty room. So at least some lines check and perhaps it is only a random check or what they can easily pick up on xray. I suspect the people checking luggage are short support staff, not those working on the ship.

 

[PStreet1]

We've always packed bottles in the bags that are checked with the porter--never had any confiscated on Royal, Celebrity or Holland.

 

[pedro47]

We do not pack our vino in our check luggage because we do not want any damage or broken vino bottles.
On Celebrity you can bring cases of soda and water on the ship with no problems. However, no alcohol bottles are permitted.
The naughty room will hold your liquor until the ship returned to original /home embarkation port.

 

[Talent312]

I might buy one or two drinks on a 7-day cruise, but I'm quite willing to go without a bottle in my suitcase.

I have a vivid memory of carting wine around in a suitcase after DW bought a few bottles during a trip in France. I had the pleasure of lugging them thru Provence and the Cote d'Azur. Although they never broke, I almost wish they had. Now, if we buy wine abroad, we ship it home.

 

[isisdave]

I pack bottles or boxes of wine in the bags the porters deliver to the cabin- and have for years. We've never had to retrieve them- or had my vino confiscated. At one embarkation- in Barcelona- there's a liquor store right on the pier as you ride the escalator up to actually board the ship. I bought a couple of bottles, and simply carried them aboard in the store's bag. I was stopped by ship's security and told they would hold my wine and return it on debarkation day! I did an about face, went down the escalator and put the bottles in my backpack- rode back up and walked aboard. Out of sight, out of mind.

I remember that place -- it works because it's AFTER your backpack is examined at the security point.
Nowadays, it's "every dollar counts" so they are getting more thorough about detecting bottles. But with the "two per cabin" limit, I agree that two per suitcase are likely to get through, until they figure out how to identify a particular bag with a particular room as it goes through the xray.

 

[PStreet1]

We usually have a special dinner, or two, while on board; we take wine for that night(s). We'd rather pay the corkage fee and take a bottle we know to be excellent than pay their price for a special bottle.

 

[Bwolf]

As others mentioned, you have got to drink a lot of beverages to make the beverage package worth the cost.

We bought a prepaid beverage card that was basically a debit card to make beverage purchases more convenient. They refunded what we didn't spend.

 

[MULTIZ321]

As others mentioned, you have got to drink a lot of beverages to make the beverage package worth the cost.

We bought a prepaid beverage card that was basically a debit card to make beverage purchases more convenient. They refunded what we didn't spend.

Hi Bwolf,

What cruise line was that where you were able to get a refund for the unused amount?

Thanks.

Richard

 

[dioxide45]

We just booked a trip on the Norwegian Bliss for Dec 2018. It came with the beverage packages as a free perk. However, it still ends up costing about $15 a day per person as they charge the gratuity up front on the value of that package. I don't remember this on Celebrity when we got the free beverage package. We only paid gratuity when we upgraded to the premium beverage package and only paid the gratuity on the cost of the upgrade, not the initial cost. If we had stuck with the regular beverage package on that Celebrity Cruise we would not have paid anything for the beverage package. So there are different definitions of free.

 

[MULTIZ321]

Hi Bwolf,

What cruise line was that where you were able to getva refund for the unused amount?

Thanks.

Richard

I think your subsequent post about cruise advice answered my question - Holland America. I didn't know thst refund feature was a possibility.

Richard

 

[Bwolf]

Richard: Yes, HA. We didn't know it was a feature either. But the refund appeared on our statement.