Taking Your Own Alcohol Restriction on Cruises

[Deleted User]

Was watching Rip Off Britain - Holidays and they were saying drinks packages often aren't worth it unless you are a big drinker but you could take your own. But was often restricted to one bottle of wine for example.

I have never been on a cruise but wondering how would Cruise staff know you have more than one bottle of wine in your luggage? Do they search your luggage on arrival in case you have naughty things in there like two bottles of wine instead of one, or heaven forbid, three? Or do they search your clothes for the nefarious wine supplies while you have been stupid enough to need to eat in a restaurant? I realise it might be obvious if you have soft luggage with bottle shaped bulges showing as you board but otherwise, how would they know?

bazzyb

Luggage is screened at the cruise terminal in exactly the same way as it would be screened at an airport if you were travelling by plane.

IvanOpinion

I assume you are not thinking in putting bottles into your main luggage? That would be totally irresponsible, since if it broke, while being handled, then not only would your belongings be ruined but it could quite possibly ruin other peoples belongings as well.

All other luggage you carry on board will go through an x-ray machine (like at the airport). Just read what the cruise line allows and follow their guidance - remember some lines may allow you to bring a bottle or two onboard at each port. Be careful though taking it down to restaurants since some cruise lines will charge a corkage fee which could totally negate any savings (I think it is is about £10-20 per bottle).

[Deleted User]

Oh dear some people are suspicious. I very very rarely even have one drink, let alone a bottle of wine. I have never been on a cruise and probably never will for reasons I won't go into.., but the programme did perk my curiosity, which is now explained.. I DID explain why I posted.

daveyjp

Those who think this through take a wine box in their luggage.

Security are looking for hazardous items, not bootleg booze.

Neil49

Rules vary across the different cruise lines. Some don't permit any to be taken on at all, some allow you to take on a bottle per person when first embarking and a few allow you to take on some at each port.

This would be for consumption in your cabin and not to be taken into a restaurant or bar.

strawb_shortcake

I've been on a cruise, they allowed 1ltr per adult of any alcohol for personal use in your room. My friend took 3ltrs and I took one, we never tried to drink this in the restaurant but it was easy enough to do elsewhere on the ship - regular cruisers don't like it as abuse of rules usually means it will be stopped.
You could also purchase bottles of spirits on board for your room, any bought in duty free or in port would be kept aside until the end of the cruise.

Drinks package was £40 a day and you'd be limited to 15 alcoholic drinks and unlimited soft inc tea and coffee

travellerboy

Most cruise lines have a limit on what you can bring aboard at embarkation. Check with the cruise line what's you're entitlement to avoid any hassle as they do scan your checked and carry-on luggage for other obvious reasons. We cruised HAL from Harwich UK to the Fiords and took 6 bottle of wine in our carry-on and paid the corkage fee at the restaurant, it definitely worked out cheaper

NoodleDoodleMan

Do they search your luggage on arrival in case you have naughty things in there like two bottles of wine instead of one, or heaven forbid, three?

Simple answer is yes - scrutiny is enforced on many. if not all cruise lines.

As above, rules vary from one line to another, there is no one policy fits all across the industry.

Again as mentioned, "illegal" alcohol is not the absolute number one priority for security inspections, however it is high on the list, and when spotted by x-ray machines the passenger is liable to be called to collect his luggage, minus the prohibited item(s) which are held by security staff until the end of the cruise - spirits are the top target

Cruise Critic (and fellow passengers we've met) has numerous anecdotes about clients being summonsed to the "naughty" room over such breach of rules.

In my experience (15 cruises across three different lines) in practice security staff are liable to turn a "Nelson's Eye" to a small transgression, such as a bottle of wine or a couple of bottles of the local beer taken aboard at a port of call - but you can't rely on that dispensation.

What motivates them to impose restrictions is brainless passengers attempting to board with a clear "in your face" situation carrying banned booze for everybody and the world to see - trying to insult security staff intelligence is a sure and certain way to initiate prohibition !!!
:beer:

Security are looking for hazardous items, not bootleg booze.

I've heard of, and read about, many incidences where passengers have had to surrender alcohol to ship's security staff after it has been identified in main luggage being loaded onboard from the quayside.

badger09

We usually cruise with Fred.Olsen and buy the drinks package, as we think its good value and means we don't have a bill at the end.

1st cruise with Princess out of Sydney in February and we won't be paying their approx £50:eek: pp pn package price. We like a couple of drinks, but not that much!

I've finally had their alcohol policy clarified:

Can't take any beer or spirits onboard
Can take 1 bottle of wine/sparkling pp on 1st embarkation - no charge, must drink in 'stateroom'
Can take as many bottles of wine as we wish, on 1st embarkation only, corkage approx £11.50 per bottle, can drink anywhere on ship

£11.50 is steep, but buying wine locally + corkage will still be cheaper than buying it onboard. Husband & friend's partner are beer drinkers, so we will have a bill at the end.

However, the package would have cost us approx £2500 which I think is extortionate.

NoodleDoodleMan

We cruised HAL from Harwich UK to the Fiords and took 6 bottle of wine in our carry-on and paid the corkage fee at the restaurant, it definitely worked out cheaper

I think most people who take wine onboard only take one or two bottles for consumption in their cabin, with no intention of taking it to the restuarant, where corkage is allowed.

The "cheaper" aspect would presumably depend on the quality (cost) of wine being taken on board for corkage, as this is a fixed price per bottle.

Would a bottle of "normal" priced supermarket wine, plus corkage, be a significantly better deal than the ship's house wines ?

Just curious.

Some cruise lines allow a bottle of wine per passenger taken onboard at point of departure for cabin consumption.

Spirits, and to a lesser extent beer, is the big issue as far as cruise lines are concerned - they don't want them taken onboard in any size shape or form, as a general rule.

Having said that, Thomsons (now Marella) until relaively recently allowed passengers to buy duty free spirits and take them away for cabin consumption. Now that they have gone all inclusive for drinks as default - I assume that policy has since been revised, as being redundant.