Packing liquor in luggage

Billi

Waiter
I normally pack alittle liquor in my luggage, but I'm hearing stories that Carnival and other lines are cracking down lately. Has anyone cruised recently and took liquor on board without any problems ???
 

bob

Community Manager Part Time Dinosaur
Staff member
For Gods sake, DON'T DO IT..........................................

OK got that out of my system :whistle:

Carnavours policy is pretty strict, and there are a lot of stories out there so I will only comment on my last Carnival experience this last February, I am not a hard core Carnival cruiser.
I think a lot depend on the port you are debarking from, basically you are allowed one bottle of wine or champagne per person over 21 no hard liquor, that said, our last Carnival was out of San Diego, we had pre ordered a few bottles of champagne delivered onboard plus a bottle of vodka for morning bloody marys (if you want to purchase liquor through Carnival you can only do it by phone pre cruise, you can not order it from room service, and they scan your packages when yoyu re board at ports of call, so if you don't want to hassle with liquor, it is not real cheap but you can pre order liter bottles), we usually have a balcony and we like to use it.
I purchased two bottles of champagne to carry on in our luggage, again maybe the port but I could have carried on a case if I could have gotten it into the luggage, other ports like Everglades might be a little more conservative, I have only sailed Princess and HAL out of Everglades so I don't know how tight Carnival is there.
On the other hand, all they do is take it away from you and give it back the last night so worst case is your going to get real drunk on the last night.
 

capteasy

New Member
I sailed out of New Orleans and Galveston on Carnival and packed liquor on both cruises and had no trouble. I packed 1 pint of scotch and 1 pint of rum. Had a great time on both cruises. And bought liquor in Cozumel and got it onboard with no problem.
 

bob

Community Manager Part Time Dinosaur
Staff member
And bought liquor in Cozumel and got it onboard with no problem.

Just a crap shoot, it really seems to boil down to who, what, why and where, and is it "your lucky day, punk", again, worst case is you have a hell of a last night if you don't have a way to get it home.
Princess currently has one of the most liberal policies they allow wine and champagne brought on in ports, but last year I brought on 4 bottles of champagne I picked up in Puerto Vallarta and got hassled at boarding and actually had to point out to the guy that the policy was hard liquor not wine and champagne, so it just depends on your luck of the draw and if you are dealing with a company man or an open mind when you board.
 

suer182

Forum Manager
I agree with bOB(yikes), it will all depend if that person is having a bad hair day or not. I have had other things, like shorts, drywall screws and pliers removed from my suitcase. Took 6 months to get the tools back and someone is walking around in my shorts.
 

Dwayne

Photograher
It is my opinion that some embarkation ports are either more strict or better at catching it going by reports. And sometimes I think it is hit or miss and some folks just get lucky. I started putting anything metal that could raise a suspicion in my back pack carry on. That way I don't have to get called down or it be missing. My cork-screw/bottle-opener (which is an allowed item) got my suitcase tagged once. They want you to put your allowed one bottle of wine or champagne in your carry on now. Time before last I had to show it wasn't opened. This last time I went straight through. It could have been a bottle of Skyy Vodka.
 

Calgon1

Awaiting results of mental evaluation
"Smuggling liquor. It can be done. All luggage, including carry-ons, is X-rayed and (supposedly) liquor or beer is consfiscated and returned on the last night. Wine is OK. If you're taking a clear liquor, transfer it to a water bottle and stash it in your carry-on. You'll probably have to do that between the airport and the cruise terminal. I also have a "fool-proof" way to smuggle,, which is very popular with members of Cruise-Addicts. Try this ... Go by your local speakeasy (I mean liquor store). Don't waste your money on some big, 'ol bottles of booze. Instead, opt for a nice selection of the individual serving bottles. You know the kind ... Yeah, the airline bottles. Be sure to buy the plastic ones and check that they have plastic caps. The why of this will be explained later. Get enough for however many drinks you're going to need for each day of your cruise. Play around with the planning. Be creative. This way, you have a choice of drinks throughout your cruise, instead of the same ol' thing every morning, day and night. *sigh* Boring!

Pack the little bottles in your suitcase. Because they're small, you can find all kinds of hiding places. This allows you to bring even more booze on your cruise. When looking for those nooks and crannies, don't overlook the hidden space inside your shoes. No, not the ones you're wearing, the ones you pack! Another advantage of using the small bottles is that, if one breaks, you'll only ruin one or two outfits, as opposed to your entire wardrobe.

When you get to the port, visit the restroom. Grab a handicap stall, as you'll need a little room for this step. Besides, you're going to need it much more than they will! Remove the tiny bottles and, using dental floss, tie them together, in a chain. Don't use an extra belt, because of the metal buckle, instead, grab that roll of duct tape I always recommend cruisers take. Wrap the tape around your waist, tie your bottle chains to it and let them hang down, inside your trouser legs. Here's why you buy plastic bottles ... 1) glass bottles can be COLD and that makes you walk funny, and 2) plastic bottles don't clink together and give you away!

Now, go on through the screening process. Act as normal as possible. Since the bottles have plastic caps, you won't have to worry about the metal detector. See? Another advantage of plastic!

One final advantage of the little bottles is that you can sneak them into the dining room and avoid any corkage fees! Just 'palm' the bottle and pretend that you are coughing while you chug away.

I guarantee, no one will know!"
 

laloba64

New Member
My first cruise was 2 years ago, on Royal Caribbean. My boyfriend bought a 6-pack of iced tea and one of "fancy" water, the kind that are plastic wrapped. He painstakingly removed a couple of bottles of each, replaced the contents with Jack Daniels and vodka, respectively, and then returned them to the 6-pack. We carried them on in reusable tote bags, plain as day, figured we'd take the chance that they'd confiscate them. Lo and behold, they were waiting for us at our cabin door when we arrived. :biggrin:
 

Dwayne

Photograher
My first cruise was 2 years ago, on Royal Caribbean. My boyfriend bought a 6-pack of iced tea and one of "fancy" water, the kind that are plastic wrapped. He painstakingly removed a couple of bottles of each, replaced the contents with Jack Daniels and vodka, respectively, and then returned them to the 6-pack. We carried them on in reusable tote bags, plain as day, figured we'd take the chance that they'd confiscate them. Lo and behold, they were waiting for us at our cabin door when we arrived. :biggrin:

I am confused (most folks know that about me) but, why were they waiting at the cabin door if you carried them on?
 

laloba64

New Member
I'm sorry if that was confusing. What I meant was that we brought them in open tote bags but did check them in w/our luggage, they just weren't *inside* the luggage, does that make sense?
 

Jim

Environmental Compliance Officer
Rumble has it that Carnival has advised security to begin looking for those plastic rum runners. John Herd, Carnival Cruise Director, is even adding the info to his blog.
 

George C

Staff Captain
We do 1 or 2 cruises a year and always bring on liquour have not had any problems yet, we have used the iced tea bottles a few times. We like HAL since they allow unlimited wine to be brought on board.
 

Jeanie

Staff Captain
I agree with bOB(yikes), it will all depend if that person is having a bad hair day or not. I have had other things, like shorts, drywall screws and pliers removed from my suitcase. Took 6 months to get the tools back and someone is walking around in my shorts.

Love it!!!!
 

ShipMaven

Forever Remembered
"Smuggling liquor. It can be done. All luggage, including carry-ons, is X-rayed and (supposedly) liquor or beer is consfiscated and returned on the last night. Wine is OK. If you're taking a clear liquor, transfer it to a water bottle and stash it in your carry-on. You'll probably have to do that between the airport and the cruise terminal. I also have a "fool-proof" way to smuggle,, which is very popular with members of Cruise-Addicts. Try this ... Go by your local speakeasy (I mean liquor store). Don't waste your money on some big, 'ol bottles of booze. Instead, opt for a nice selection of the individual serving bottles. You know the kind ... Yeah, the airline bottles. Be sure to buy the plastic ones and check that they have plastic caps. The why of this will be explained later. Get enough for however many drinks you're going to need for each day of your cruise. Play around with the planning. Be creative. This way, you have a choice of drinks throughout your cruise, instead of the same ol' thing every morning, day and night. *sigh* Boring!

Pack the little bottles in your suitcase. Because they're small, you can find all kinds of hiding places. This allows you to bring even more booze on your cruise. When looking for those nooks and crannies, don't overlook the hidden space inside your shoes. No, not the ones you're wearing, the ones you pack! Another advantage of using the small bottles is that, if one breaks, you'll only ruin one or two outfits, as opposed to your entire wardrobe.

When you get to the port, visit the restroom. Grab a handicap stall, as you'll need a little room for this step. Besides, you're going to need it much more than they will! Remove the tiny bottles and, using dental floss, tie them together, in a chain. Don't use an extra belt, because of the metal buckle, instead, grab that roll of duct tape I always recommend cruisers take. Wrap the tape around your waist, tie your bottle chains to it and let them hang down, inside your trouser legs. Here's why you buy plastic bottles ... 1) glass bottles can be COLD and that makes you walk funny, and 2) plastic bottles don't clink together and give you away!

Now, go on through the screening process. Act as normal as possible. Since the bottles have plastic caps, you won't have to worry about the metal detector. See? Another advantage of plastic!

One final advantage of the little bottles is that you can sneak them into the dining room and avoid any corkage fees! Just 'palm' the bottle and pretend that you are coughing while you chug away.

I guarantee, no one will know!"

Only YOU would come up with a "plan" like this, Calgon.
 

todd ham

New Member
I all ways pack liquor in my suit case last cruise this past june .I packed two quarts in my suit case , and I had liqour in my room when I boarded the ship, and I walked pass security with two quarts when we left grand turk, got lucky there.My liqour bill is all ways to high aboard the ship.I have to do the best thing that good for me.I am already paying a ton of money for the cruise.
 

lv2bgoing

Deck Crew
well I went on a cruise right after 9/11 and security was very tight. Here is what I did to get what I wanted on board. Peroxide bottles the large ones I filled them with Rum and Alcohol bottle large one filled it with vodka. they never asked any questions. You do what ya got ta do.:clap::biggrin:
 

Kruzr41

Shore Excursion Manager
I normally pack alittle liquor in my luggage, but I'm hearing stories that Carnival and other lines are cracking down lately. Has anyone cruised recently and took liquor on board without any problems ???

If you wish to have a drink in your room, ROOM SERVICE will happily deliver drinks to your room. And the bartenders and waiters in the many ships bars will gladly serve you. It is a vacation.
 

Goguinness

Ordinary Seaman
If you wish to have a drink in your room, ROOM SERVICE will happily deliver drinks to your room. And the bartenders and waiters in the many ships bars will gladly serve you. It is a vacation.


Amen Kruzr41
 
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