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Foolproof Way To Sneak Alcohol Onboard a Cruise Ship

Written by T.I. Cruiser on March 9, 2009 · 109 Comments

One of the hottest topics in cruising is the subject of how to Sneak alcohol onto a cruise ship. When brought up on cruise message boards fierce debates break out in threads that tend to go on for many pages. It just seems to be one of those topics that whether or not you approve or disapprove of the action you still have an opinion. I’ve seen message board threads that start out as intelligent discussion degenerate into grade school name calling sessions.

Two Reasons for Sneaking alcohol on to a cruise ship

Typically there are two reasons someone would Sneak alcohol on to a cruise ship. The first is because you would like to enjoy a drink in your stateroom without having to either order room service or physically go to the bar to get one. To me this is perfectly understandable, I like to have a glass of wine while I get dressed for dinner. While it is true that many cruise lines allow you to carry on wine there are some that forbid this practice.

The second (and more popular) reason for Sneaking alcohol on a cruise ship is to save money. It is no big secret that one of the biggest “extra” expenses incurred onboard a cruise ship is the bar tab. Order a couple of daily specials at the pool, a bottle of wine with dinner, and a cocktail in the evening and its pretty easy for a couple to spend a hundred dollars per day (or more) on drinks alone. With the economy completely screwed up (and no promise of it improving in the near future) we are all looking for ways to save money. One of the most popular ways to keep a cruise vacation as affordable as possible is Sneaking alcohol on to a cruise ship.

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. It is basically a non-breakable saline bags that can be filled with your liquid of choice and packed in your checked bags. While this may seem a little bit extreme upon doing more research I was shocked at just how many people actually use the rum runner. In the war on cruise overspending this seems to be the weapon of choice.

The reason the “rum runner” is so successful is two fold. First of all, since the alcohol isn’t in it’s regular container it doesn’t look like your normal bottle of booze when it passes through the scanner. Secondly, the density of the actual “rum runner” container is specially designed to not resemble anything that would contain alcohol. I completely understand how someone could be skeptical on whether this will work or not, but the proof is in the pudding. A simple search on “rum runner” and a bit of research will reveal that no one has ever been caught smuggling booze onboard a cruise ship while using one. In fact, I am so convinced this will work I plan on using one on my March 15th cruise.

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.

TIC Examines: The Royal Caribbean Alcohol Policy

Written by T.I. Cruiser on December 20, 2008 · 2 Comments

The Royal Caribbean alcohol policy is rather comprehensive. It includes bringing alcohol onboard the ship as well as how to act when consuming alcohol. It is rather lengthy so I made a brief summary, but I do advise anyone who will be sailing with Royal Caribbean to review the full policy.

My summary:
The minimum drinking age onboard Royal Caribbean ships is 21 years old for all alcoholic beverages. On cruises leaving from South American or European countries passengers 18 years and older may drink as long as they are sailing with a parent and the parent signs a waiver. Royal Caribbean does not allow alcoholic beverages of any kind to being brought onboard their ships. Any alcoholic beverages purchased in the ships shops will be stored until the end of your cruise.

Here is the Royal Caribbean guest conduct policy as it pertains to alcohol consumption.

Royal Caribbean reserves the right to revoke or otherwise restrict drinking privileges of any guest, regardless of age.

Royal Caribbean guests are expected to be responsible for their actions at all times, including during transfers to and from ships, inside terminals, while onboard, at our ports of call, during shore excursions and at our private destinations. Consuming alcohol to excess impairs one’s judgment and reduces one’s ability to recognize and avoid potentially dangerous situations.

Guests who choose to consume alcohol must do so responsibly.

The minimum drinking age for all alcoholic beverages on Royal Caribbean International ships is 21. A guest’s age is established upon embarkation (beginning of the cruise). If a guest celebrates their 21st birthday during the cruise, the guest may thereafter ask the Guest Relations Manger to modify ship’s records to permit their consumption of alcohol during the remainder of the cruise. The guest will be required to appear at the Guest Relations Desk with his or her parent or guardian and to present a government issued form of identification to establish that the guest’s 21st birthday was celebrated during the cruise. The ship’s staff may refuse to serve alcoholic beverages to any guest who does not consume alcohol responsibly and may request verification of a guest’s age to determine whether they are of age to consume alcohol pursuant to this policy.

No guest under age 21 may possess or consume alcohol during transfers to and from ships, inside terminals, while onboard or at our private destinations. Should a parent or guardian choose to permit their minor(s) to consume alcohol while ashore during a port of call or an excursion (where local laws permit), they remain accountable for ensuring the minor(s) consume responsibly and retain their ability to recognize and avoid potentially dangerous situations when they return to the ship.

On cruises embarking in a country where the legal drinking age is lower than 21, a parent who is sailing with his or her 18 to 20 year old minor son or daughter, may be permitted to sign a waiver allowing the minor to consume alcoholic beverages. The authorizing parent and the minor must agree to be responsible for ensuring the minor will consume alcohol responsibly and otherwise comply with the Guest Conduct Policy, including among other things, not providing alcoholic beverages to any other person, regardless of age.

Guests are not permitted to bring alcoholic beverages onboard for consumption or any other purpose.

Alcoholic beverages that are purchased from onboard shops or in ports of call (which must be presented to security upon re-boarding), will be secured by ship’s personnel and delivered to the guest’s stateroom just prior to the conclusion of the cruise. Security may inspect containers (water bottles, soda bottles, mouthwash, luggage, etc.) at any time, and those concealing or attempting to conceal alcohol will be subject to action pursuant to the “Consequences Section” of this Guest Conduct Policy. Guests under the age of 21 who possess alcohol in violation of this policy will not have alcohol returned to them and appropriate consequences will be considered, including but not limited to loss of privileges to use the disco or other areas or facilities of the ship.

Guests who violate any alcohol policy, including but not limited to underage drinking; providing alcohol to minor(s); possessing, concealing or attempting to conceal alcoholic items in their luggage, when boarding, or while on board; or failing to consume alcohol responsibly, will be considered for discipline under the provisions of this policy.

TIC Examines: The Princess Cruises Alcohol Policy

Written by T.I. Cruiser on December 19, 2008 · Leave a Comment

The Princess policy on alcohol is presented as perfectly as one could want. It is in a simple question and answer format that gets straight to the point. Here it is:

Question: What is the alcohol policy onboard Princess Cruises?
Answer: We kindly request that you do not bring alcoholic beverages (other than wine and/or champagne) onboard for consumption. Alcoholic beverages that are purchased duty free from the ship’s gift shop or at ports of call will be collected for safekeeping and delivered to your stateroom on the last day of the voyage. A member of our Security Staff will be at the gangway to assist with the storage of your alcoholic beverage purchases.

Question: What are the age restrictions for alcohol consumption and access to the casino and disco?
Answer: The legal drinking age of 21 years is always observed onboard and proof of age may be required. All onboard staff are trained to take seriously their responsibility to not serve alcohol to underage passengers. The age restrictions are clearly posted in the bars. Entry into the disco is limited to passengers 18 years and older. Be sure to check with the child and teen centers, however, for special disco events designed just for kids. Children under the age of 18 are welcome in the gymnasium, spa and jacuzzi; and also in the evening entertainment show lounges when accompanied by a parent or guardian.

In line with domestic age limits, as well as Princess’ company policy, the casino is reserved for passengers 21 years and older. Additionally, only those passengers 21 years and older will be allowed to purchase or consume alcohol. For those whose age is questionable, picture identification may be requested.

Additionally on a seperate part of the Princess Cruises website I was able to find this information.

You may bring wine or champagne onboard to celebrate special occasions (limit: one bottle per person). If consumed in the dining rooms or alternative restaurants, each bottle will be subject to a $15 corkage fee*.

Out of boredom I was able to gather information from other areas. Some of this information was gathered from other portions of their website and some from other places on the internet or personal experience. In any case here is my interpretation of the Princess Cruises alcohol policy:

Onboard Princess Cruise’s ships, the legal drinking age is 21 with the exception being the Sea Princess (because it carries mainly British Passengers) where the minimum age is 18. Any liquor brought onboard at embarkation or purchased in port or onboard will be stored until the end of the cruise. Passengers can bring wine or champagne onboard for consumption in restaurants or your stateroom. There is a 15-dollar corkage fee if consumed in a restaurant.