Sue

Now for my next stupid question (and be prepared for lots--I have tried cruisecritic and find it very difficult to use; will try cruisemate), is it true that cruise lines will confiscate any wine or booze you bring on board? I also drink lots of bottled water--do they charge or should I get the sodapop card? We are traveling Carnival.

LizB

Never had anything confiscated on Princess. I bring my own water, as they do charge.

Paul Therault

<BR>Hi Sue,<BR><BR>The upscale (expensive) cruiseines do not have any liquor policy. Most other cruise lines do. You can bring a couple of bottles of wine on board (any cruise line) to celebrate a special occasion (like a cruise).<BR><BR>If you are going to purchase quite a bit of water and soft drinks it would be best to purchase the soda card. If it is available on your ship.<BR><BR>Paul

linda

Paul, Carnival's policy is very clear- they allow you to bring ONE bottle of wine for an occasion.

Marie

I travel Princess most of the time. They allow wine & Champagne to be brought on board. Also water. No hard liquor but I usually pack a plastic bottle of Vodka in my suitcase and bring juice in my carry-on with my wine. There are refrigerators in every cabin, which is quite a plus.

lisa

I was not aware that cruise lines charge for water. I knew that they charge for soft drinks. Are there any beverages on Princess that they do not charge for?

Nanette

Linda sez:<BR><BR>"Message: Paul, Carnival's policy is very clear- they allow you to bring ONE bottle of wine for an occasion."<BR><BR>That couldn't be any further from the truth!<BR><BR>I brought (via carry-on) almost a dozen bottles of wine and champagne. They checked to make certain that no "booze" was mixed in.<BR><BR>You can bring AS MUCH AS YOU WANT onboard. They're hoping to charge you a 10 buck corkage fee in the dining room.<BR><BR>Sue:<BR><BR>Yes, they'll confiscate booze and beer if you have it in your carry-on. Put it in your checked luggage. NO PROBLEM!<BR><BR>

Sue

Nanette, whoo-hoo! I will give that a shot (so to speak). I asked the people at Cruise Only, who called Carnival, and they said I could bring in wine and water in a suitcase, so I assumed that meant not a carryon. I just figured I'd take an old throwaway suitcase for water since we all drink copious amounts. If water were included in the softdrink card, I'd just buy that, but no....

Nanette

Woooooo Hoooooo, indeed!<BR><BR>Not to worry! The instance I mentioned just happened for our April 6th HOLIDAY cruise. Wine was FINE.<BR><BR>(We also brought 4 cases of beer- checked luggage, and also checked a bottle of vodka that I had poured into Water Bottles)<BR><BR>Have a blast, kiddo!<BR>

Dana G

The majority of "standard" lines ( not<BR>the ultra luxury lines ) charge for bottled water, but not tap water. I<BR>brought one litre of water, kept refilling it from the tap.<BR><BR>We've never had a problem with a bottle or two of wine, but they don't want you to bring booze onboard. The mark-up is what pays for the "cheap" fares--you know, 7 days, $499. They make their money on liquor and the casino.<BR><BR>We usually bring booze in plastic flasks, usually in checked luggage. Haven't had trouble yet, after 13 cruises.

linda

just don't do what I did and use shampoo bottles. Thought I had rinsed them well, to this day I can't stand the smell of L'Oreal after drinking it in Merlot.

Dave

Best thing to take with you is one of those 16 ounce (or larger) insulated travel mugs for each person in your party. They're great for mixing a man-size cocktail for the pool area, or for your morning coffee at the buffet breakfasts. Sure saves a lot of wear and tear on the joints from running back and forth for a refill.

Paul Therault

<BR>Seems people go to a lot of trouble to sneak liquor on board. Is it worth it?<BR><BR>Paul

Nanette

It certainly IS worth it. If you're a "drinker", the ship's prices will clobber you. <BR><BR>(I shudder to think what my Sign and Sail card would have totalled, had I NOT brought some of my own libations.... we still had a substantial bill)<BR><BR>And, actually, it's no trouble. Transfer booze into plastic and CHECK it.<BR><BR>No problem, mon.

Sue

Gosh, thanks for all the advice. Time for another stupid question. If you order a bottle of wine at dinner and don't drink it all, can you take it back to your room? And if you can, can you bring it back to dinner the next night? (That's two stupid questions for the price of one--what a bargain!)

Dee

If you don't drink the bottle with dinner, you can either take it to your cabin, or the wine steward will keep it and serve it to you the next night.

Nanette

Keep in mind that they'll charge you a $10 corkage fee (at their discretion) if you bring a bottle of wine into the dining room.<BR><BR>What you might want to consider is walking into dinner with your own glass of wine.<BR><BR>We'd take turns with our dining partners cracking open wine before dinner in our respective cabins.<BR><BR>Nobody will bat an eye if you stroll into the dining room with a glass in your hand.

Mandy

I was thinking about buying local wine in each port and bringing it aboard. Is it acceptable to bring an already opened bottle to the dinner table so that we can share it with everyone?

Nanette

You might have trouble with bringing wine in from each port. I think that Carnival's policy is wine is OK upon initial embarkation. PERIOD.<BR><BR>(Friends were buying exotic rums and tequilas and transferring it into water bottles at each port)<BR><BR>The worst they'd do is confiscate it and return it to you the last night of the cruise.

Bea

Mandy,<BR>Don't be that cheap!!!<BR>bring the wine down and pay the $10 to have a bottle opened. what are you drinking MADDOG? You might as well stiff everyone on the tips while your at it.