One of the hottest topics in cruising is the subject of how to Sneak alcohol onto a cruise ship
Two Reasons for Sneaking alcohol on to a cruise ship
Typically there are two reasons someone would Sneak alcohol on to
The second (and more popular) reason for Sneaking alcohol on
In the past bringing alcohol onboard wasn’t really that big of a deal. Sure, the cruise lines had rules regulating what could be carried on but in many instances they were very loosely enforced. However, the times they are a changin’. Although some cruise lines will continue to allow you to carry wine and other spirits onboard, there is a new emphasis on the bottom line which has brought along stricter regulations which are actively being enforced. In other words, if you plan to keep your bar tab manageable, its time to adapt and overcome.
Foolproof Way to Sneak Alcohol Onboard
The Best Way to Sneak Alcohol Onto a Cruise Ship That I Have Seen
Do a Google search on “sneaking alcohol onboard” and you will probably come across all sorts of ideas about filling shampoo containers and mouthwash bottles, neither of which sound very appealing to me. The best contraption I have run across while searching the internet is something called a rum runner
The reason the “rum runner
Update: On my last cruise I experimented with sneaking alcohol onboard the cruise ship. If you want to see how it went, you should read this post. Jump over to Amazon.com for this excellent resource on saving money while on a cruise ship.
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i snuck 2 bottles of vodka in and 2 bottles of wiskey, i just poured the vodka in fiji water bottles and the wiskey in the big plasted snapple bottles… worked for me
I have a friend who used the rum runners with no problems. But I do not have any of those and I went on a cruise through carnival last week. I have two ways which worked for me.
1- this is mainly for vodka due to smell, but should work with anything. Empty a listerine jug and fill the jug with liquor. Some listerine jugs are very large. Then just put a drop or two of green food coloring in the clear liquor. Looks (and smells if your using vodka) just like the mouthwash.
2- buy a 12 or 24 pack of waters at a grocery store, slide the bottles underneath the plastic, not ripping the plastic. Replace the water with clear liquor and slide right back under and in so it looks brand new and not touched. For best results, leave the bottles by the plastic with water and liquor in the hard – to – reach spots. Works everytime for me.
Always good to hear alternative methods. I’ve always thought about trying other methods but I’ve had such great luck with rum runners I figure I may as well keep going back to that well. Been using the same one for years… best 20 bucks I’ve ever spent.
My daugther just got back from a cruise last week. Her friends used the rum runners and they were confiscated. She took hers in water bottles and had no problem.
I just bought 1 Gallon Rum Runner and 3 16oz Rum Runners. Has anyone used a Gallon or is it going to be too bulky?
Thats pretty interesting… I would love to know more details. My guess would be they had other borderline items in the same bag as the rum runners, but then again I wasn’t there.
That is a pretty huge rum runner, I didn’t even know they made them that large.
My question is, we are driving down, when you say checked baggage, do you mean already check luggage from flying from home to the ship? Think I’ll try the water bottle trick, rum runner in my suitcase and have a friend who works at a winery, heck, I should just get her to cork me a bottle filled with liquor as they have pretty blue bottles that wouldn’t show. LOL Thought of a 12 pack of pop with just the top layer being pop to bring in beer, what do you think?
So…should I go with the 3 16oz deals? Additionally, can we get a report about how the friend got caught?
By checked I mean bags that you will be giving to the porters not the ones you will carry onboard the ship yourself.
OH okay, thanks. My boss just said I shouldn’t tell you this (when talking about my cruise in February) but I always throw a bottle of Jack in my suitcase and it always goes through. LOL Kinda worried about just throwing a bottle in there though.
Ok… I might have gotten lucky but my method was pretty simple and either we got super lucky or its a good one, we did it twice and brought on 3 liter bottles each time. We went through security with alcohol we had bought in bags and our check in aside. We docked out of Puerto Rico and you had duty free shops were you could get alcohol you could purchase and get at the end of your trip. On our way up the ramps, I pretended that I could not locate my phone and pretended to scramble through my purse and carry on, my husband pretended to set it next to my bigger carry on, just to put it inside my huge purse. Found my phone, gathered my things and kept walking, got on the ship, got asked if we had anything to check in, checked the second bag that contained just one more bottle and I went on my way with my three liters of vodka… made lots of friends on the trip that came to our balcony and drank and turned around and bought us drinks on the ship so we got the best of both worlds for free.
Yeah its hit or miss with bottles… I just like to tilt the odds in my favor as much as possible.
Just got back from Carnival Cruise out of Galveston. Case of water…confiscated! I guess everyone puts the bottles in the middle of the case (like we did) We may have gotten away with it if we put them on the outer part??? I dont know. Also had a bottle in the checked luggage! Busted again although we were able to retrieve that one at the end of the cruise. Not to mention, the only piece of luggage with the booze in it went “missing” for an entire day. Coincidence? To get the most out of your overpriced, weak, pre-mixed Pina Colada…ask for one with a “Bacardi Float” They pour an extra shot+ of rum on top and only charge you $1.50 extra. So basically you get a buzz from 2-$9.00 drinks=($18.00) instead of NO BUZZ from 5-or-so $7.50 drinks=($37.50)
Rum Runners are the way to go. Just about anything else is a game of Russian Roulette… minus the guns and death
Is it just me or does it seem like the listerene way never gets caught? It ruins the taste but maybe if you get childrens mouthwash it will work. I’ve also heard of saline solution bottles. Sound good?
Hi
we are crusing from venice next month, can i put a travel iron in my case along with booze, are cases scanned
Thank You
Hi,
We are going on RC cruise(Voyager of the seas) in a month, and I am highly considering of using some of those rum runners. Would it be smart to put it inside the toiletry bag with the rest of the things or is it better as some argued, to put it quite close to the wheels of the suitcase.
In the worst case scenario, they will only take it and won’t return it at all but never more than that, right?
Many thanks in advance
Many thanks in advance
Not sure if Listerine ever gets caught but I can’t see drinking mouthwash flavored alcohol all week. Maybe if I was taking along some sort of peppermint schnapps it would be good but I like my rum tasting like rum.
The iron will get you busted.
I like to keep my rum runners separate from anything that may raise suspicion. For that reason I keep them in a bag with nothing but clothes. You can tuck them in shoes or place them close to the wheels but since I have never been caught I’m not sure if those methods would be more successful. Its pretty hard to have better than a 100% success rate. As far as the penalty for getting caught they would call you down to the naughty room to open your bags with you there and confiscate the rum runners, nothing more.
Okay I’m leaving in a month on NCL 7 day cruise out of NY. I purchased rum runners after reading so many great posts. I’m still concerned with what will happen if they find my stash. Are rum runners less likely to be found if they are filled with clear liquids or does color not matter? Does anyone know the penalty for being caught on NCL cruises?
About to purchase 4 16oz Rum Runners and thinking of filling them with Patron & Vodka (2 & 2)…. is it possible (once filled) to insert them into shampoo bottles, or is that just going too above and beyond and not necessary? If I were to place them flat in the back pocket of jeans or dress pants, folded with others on top, should that do the trick? The site claims they are undetectable, so they would have to be “discovered” by curious security hands otherwise?
Nothing is completely undetectable these are just far more stealthy than most methods. The shampoo bottle thing may be a bit too much and probably not worth the effort. The jeans pocket method seems good. I’ve had luck placing them inside of shoes.
Carnival now uses a method where they shake the water bottles to tell if they are filled with alcohol… $ & booze gone.
I think one of the best methods is to carefully reseal a nice bottle of wine and take your chances there. The darker the bottle the better. If they make u open it tell them no & you get it back the last night anyways.
Thanks T.I. Cruiser for the rum runners idea, would you suggest walking through the security check point with them?
I am going on the oasis of the seas this sat…I guess taking 4-5 bottles of wine in my check in luggage is a waste of time? Is it worth my time or screw it?
Great thread, TI Cruiser-
We sail on Celebrity and have not yet (knock wood) been busted. We have used Rum Runners once. We mix Cosmos, just the Vodka and Cointreu and then pour those into the Rum Runners. The method we seem to use all the time is plastic “clear” gatorade 6-packs, or even the “dye-free” flavored waters you can buy at Target, or the grocery store. Rum Runners AND the bottles (left in their plastic ring if possible) have always worked.
Regarding Listerine…ugh, don’t even bother. We put Tequila in a listerine bottle one time, and one time only. Same color as the “original” Listerine. That crap was the foulest tasting stuff every. We ended up dumping the whole thing down the toilet in our cabin.
Another thought: When you are in port, buy a liter of vodka and a liter of water at a market. Dump the water and fill it with the vodka, or other clear spirit. Everyone brings water bottles to and from the ship and i have never seen a Celebrity personnel open a bottle of water to take a sniff. LOL.
Good luck!
I am going on RCL out of Miami. I used Rum Runners on a Carnival cruise in December and it worked great. My only concern, after reading- is that Miami port is the hardest port to get alcohol through. I am going to be with my family and grandparents. I am nervous because it would be highly embarrasing to get caught.
If caught, will they kick you off the ship? ( RCL website says they might) Also, Where should I pack these rum runners?
I’ve never heard anyone getting kicked off for rum runners. However they will call you down to the naughty room and trash the rum runners. I pack them in my checked luggage.
Carnival found my rum runners while boarding (2). My checked bag was locked and they asked me to open it. All they did was trash them both. I noticed that there were several others in a small bin that I assume were taken from other passengers. I asked the inspector if they saw many of them and he said they are on to them and on the look out for them now. I am scheduled for the Oasis of the Seas next but don’t think I will try the Rum Runners again. Any other ideas out there?
Can you give us any more details on how you packed the rum runners? Usually they get tipped off by certain things since its impossible for them to do a thorough scan of 5000 or so bags in the amount of time they have allotted for search.
When boarding the ships from Prt Canaveral, Royal Caribbean in particular, do you get patted down when you walk through the metal detector? If not, can you just take the Rum Runners or Floppy Flask with you through the metal detector?
Just got off Norwegian Jewel out of NYC.
NCL lets you bring sealed water on board. Here’s what to do…
Purchase a case of Kirkland/Costco water 35 pack of 500 mL for $3.59.
Then bought (2) 1.75 liters of clear rum, went cheap as it will be used as a mixer, $35.00 and did not want to spend alot if taken away. This will refill 7 water bottles, try not to spill, dry of excess, as they have to pass through security.
Next carefully pull out some water bottles, careful not to over stretch shrinked wrap plastic. I put a small dot on the “rum” bottle as not to confuse them with others water bottles. Replace the “rum” water bottles in the center of the case, as not to be seen.
Either carry on yourself or put a luggage tag on it. I checked it with a luggage tag and was at my cabin door several hours later. On the ship, purchased soda card/mug for $50 for mixing drinks.
As cruise ships have lots of cameras, I mixed in my cabin, bathroom or discreetly by my poolside lounger.
Average rum & cola was $7.18 with auto tip and tax.
As a result, with a heavy pouring hand, saved around $500, total out of pocket, about $89.
Good Luck & Happy Cruising!!!
We have a cruis at the end of Sept. on Canaveral. Are they on to the Rum runners?
Haven’t heard anything officially. The main thing works in our favors is its impossible to thoroughly scan five thousand bags in a 2 hour time span. They are on the lookout for tale tale shapes a rum runner stuffed into a shoe has a much greater chance of making it through than a bottle of vodka.
If you bring a bottle of wine on a Carnival cruise and you have it in your carry-on, do they take it and put it in the dining room, or can you take it to your room and bring it to the dining room whenever you want?
Used rum runner’s two years ago on Carnival. No problems at all. Smuggled clear and dark liquor. Put in checked luggage and put between clothes. We were on a week long cruise, so the luggage was full/full. Leaving next week on a 3 day. Planning on carry-on only, packing light, but will check in that small carry-on size bag with the porter, in order to get our alcohol on board. Hoping for success!
You take it with you to your room. You can then enjoy it there or in the dining room. The only thing with bringing it to the dining room is they may charge you a 10 dollar corkage fee in the main dining room and $14 dollars in specialty restaurants. I usually order the wine package since its not really a bad deal and save my carry-on bottles for relaxing in the room.
Good luck.
Bought the rum runners, filled them 2 nights before and packed them – they lasted less than 24 hours before leaking on to the already packed clothes. 4 out of 8 containers leaked.
Just got back from a Carnival cruise out of Port Canaveral. I was able to sneak four bottles of liquor on board between two couples. I decided the best way would be to hide it in plain sight. I took four bottles of Yellow Tail wine and carefully removed the shrink sleeve around the cork without breaking it. Drank the wine and refilled the bottles with various liquors – some I tinted with food coloring although a couple I didn’t do anything with. I slid the sleeve back onto the bottle and hit it with a hair dryer to tighten it up. We brought them on board in our carry-on as requested by Carnival. They even pulled two of the bottles and checked them but didn’t hesitate once they saw the label and the seal wasn’t broken. Funny thing was that they did confiscate my bottle of Jose Cuervo Margarita mix that was in my checked baggage. Just meant that I used more of their mixers on my unlimited soda/juice card.
I’m sorry to hear that. Did you happen to take notice of whether the rum runners were defective or punctured?
Nice… very nice.
Just got back from a 4 night RC cruise out of Miami. Used a 16oz rum runner bag in a running shoe, 2-8oz rum runners hidden in shampoo/body wash bottles (sealed w/ duct tape) and a 2x8oz binocular flask from Amazon. Had no problems and actually brought liquor home(which I’m finishing right now, sorry if any non sequitur). Had I not used Amazon points I reckon I would have paid roughly $50.00 for the flasks and inexpensive liquor. The risk (multiple flasks distributed over two luggage bags)was certainly rewarded by the estimated $200.00-$300.00 savings. Thanks everyone on this forum. The highlight was bringing the “binoculars” to Coco Cay and getting punch from the thirst quencher station and mixing drinks.
i use saline bags from a medical supply company, I empty out the saline and inject the alcohol. So far no problem. :>}
Thank you! Beacuse of your blog we will not cruise without the Rum Runner flasks again! On our past two cruises in ’03 and ’06 we simply bubble wrapped our bottles and stuck them in the suitcases. But I had been hearing more and more that the cruise lines were cracking down and confiscating booze in luggage. We just returned from an 8-day Christmas cruise with my extended family on RCL out of Galveston and I knew that my husband would have a fit if his Jack Daniels didn’t make it on board! After reading your post I purchased two of the Smuggler’s Revenge kits. They were shipped quickly and we used them according to the instructions and everything worked perfectly! A 1.75 liter bottle will fit into two of the largest flasks, and a bottle of wine fits into one large one. We carried bourbon, wine and pre-made margaritas with no problems and no leaks. To be safe, I did put each flask into a ziplock freezer bag. We spread the flasks among our various pieces of checked luggage and not one was found. Other family members also bought and used these flasks for the cruise and all of us got our alcohol onboard without a problem. Bought a soda card for unlimited cokes for my husband’s mixer and I just asked for a wine glass at the bar and used it for my wine. Nice to sit on our balcony and enjoy a drink without paying the high cost of drinks on the ship! Saved us several hundreds of dollars for sure!
P.S. We DID NOT LOCK our bags. Several of the people who posted that there bags got checked and alcohol foud said they had locked their bags. I think that is a dead giveaway – leave unlocked and carry any valuables in your carry on.
I have done 2 cruises both with Carnival 2005 & 2007. Both times I snuck 2 cases of Corona’s in my checked bag. Both times the bag made it to my room with no delays. I am cruising again on Sunday, and after reading here that they are more strict now, not sure I want to test my luck, but according to the website, if they take it, I get it back at the end of the cruise anyway so nothing lost. I will still swap out wine in a dark bottle with some vodka reseal the cork with a lighter and be covered either way.
I have been on two cruises, both with Carnival. I didn’t know much about sneaking liquor aboard a ship. So on our first cruise in 2010 my mom, my aunt and myself just rolled the bottle of liquor into a towel and packed it in between our clothes. We checked at about 1pm, and our luggage was delivered to us within 30 minutes. Surprisingly we all were able to get it on safely. Our second cruise was last year and we tried the same method. My aunts and cousins checked in early at about 11am and my mom and myself checked in at about 1pm. This time around everyone who checked in early had gotten their bottle taken, but my mom and myself were able to sneak ours on. We are going on another cruise this year and we defiantly don’t want to take our chances with just stuffing the bottle in our luggage. I am going to try the rum runners this time around!
I have heard numerous stories of hiding alcohol in bags. Has anyone ever tried just putting these rum runners in their pockets and literally carrying it on board? I’m thinking if there is no pat down, and they are not detected by a metal detector there that is a great way to go…anyone ever try?