C'mon People!

Is all of this fuss about bringing your own alcohol on board really worth the bother? I know that the prices for booze on board are a lot higher than they should be - but you're on vacation, People - if you want a drink in your cabin - call room service - get a bottle of your favorite poison and be done with it! The cost difference is really not that big! And think of all the stress you're avoiding - all the energy in smuggling the booze aboard and worrying if the bag of whiskey in your luggage has burst or not!

Oy yoy!

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“He was, I believe, not in the least an ill-natured man: very much the opposite, I should say; but he would not suffer fools gladly.” George Bernard Shaw, “Pygmalion” (1912)

To answer Cruising Mike . . .

I agree - is it worth the bother? Smuggling alcohol onto a cruise ship?

But I think it's the principal of the matter that annoys cruise passengers more than anything else and which drives them to find ways to smuggle the alcohol on board ship. I think that if the cruise line restrictions were not in place, far fewer passengers would bother - but as soon as you tell people that they "can't " do something or "may not" do something, they will generally move heaven and hell to find a way to do it.

The problem with this issue us that it's nothing but greed, the scourge of our society that dictates the actions of the players.

Greed on the part of the cruise lines who don't want to lose a penny of income from the bar sales (as if they don't charge enough for alcohol as it is) and greed too on the part of the passengers who always seem to want something for nothing.

If the cruise lines brought down their prices (whatever happened to tax free alcohol at high seas being offered at reasonable prices in the bars and lounges???) and relaxed their policies about bringing alcohol on board, cruise passengers might not be so concerned with smuggling their alcohol on board.

Greed stimulates greed in others. Let the cruise lines be the first to stop the rot!

The prices cruiselines charge are almost extortionist ... so, YES, it is worth it. We're on a Caribbean cruise in March ... any tips from Prow's Edge readers on getting a couple of bottles of hard tack on board?

here are a few tips, but don’t tell anyone you got them from me!: fill a few screw-top soft-drink bottles with the same color liquor .... you know, vodka in soda bottles, dark rum or whiskey in coke bottles. I have friends who packed liquor with their toiletries and got away with it. just don’t mistakenly splash yourself with vodka before dinner!

The policies governing the taking of alcohol aboard vary so much that there’s only one thing to do before you even book your cruise (if the issue is that important to you) and that’s to ask the particular cruise lines for a specific outline of their regulations. But why bother? You’re on holiday, for goodness sake. Pay up and smile and don’t spoil your cruise.

Yes, check out the cruise line policies. Carnival, for instance, is quite clear – check its frequently asked questions and you’ll be told: “guests are prohibited from bringing alcoholic beverages onboard. However, at the beginning of the cruise during embarkation day, guests (21 years of age and older) may bring on board one bottle (750ml) of wine or champagne, per person, only in their carry-on luggage.  A $10 corkage fee per bottle will be charged should you wish to consume this wine in the main dining room; $14 corkage fee per bottle in the steakhouse. Guests may bring a small quantity of non-alcoholic beverages. All prohibited alcohol, excessive quantities of wine/champagne or non-alcoholic beverages will be removed and stored for safekeeping until the end of the voyage.

They can’t be clearer than that. And you’ll find almost every other cruise line will spell it out for you.

So why take a chance?

Oh great idea, agnes! You’ll discover how clever it is to fill screw-top bottles with liquor when you open your suitcase and find it has leaked and soaked your clothes. The laundry bills would have more than covered your liquor bills on the ship.

Why bother? Take a tip from me. It’s just not worth the hassle. If you can afford the cruise then you can afford to drink in moderation. Cut back on your intake. That’s probably the answer.

The simplest thing to do is to take a chance and cart your personal liquor in your carry-on bags. Don’t try it when you’re at a port-of-call. But you’ll probably get away with it when you embark. There they’re usually interested only in drugs and weapons. And the worst they can do is confiscate it for the duration of the journey. But they often turn a blind eye to it because it embarrasses them to tackle would-be guests about it.