Going on a Cruise..?

Question

I am going on a cruise next month and need some clever ideas to get my own alcohol on the boat (I don't think they let you bring your our own) because I can not make myself spend $8 for a drink. Be creative. Also any other advice on things to pack would be cool too.

Answer 1

LOL!

Well, in all honesty, I packed some wine to share with my wife on the actual night of our anniversary.

I actually put the bottle inside some socks that I packed!

I don't know if they check the bags per sé or if they simply don't care for whatever you bring onboard, but they didn't say anything to me.

Have fun! Don't drink TOO much!

Hope I helped!

Answer 2

You can bring wine and champagne with you no problem.  They'll charge you $10-$20 per bottle corkage fee if you want to drink it in a restaurant, but you can usually have it in your cabin no problem.

It's not super-classy, but if you *really* want to sneak alcohol aboard, put it in your checked luggage.  The cliche is to put vodka in a Listerine bottle with a little food coloring.

Put that in a plastic seal-able bag so you don't ruin your clothes if it leaks.  Wrap that in some sweaters for padding.  

BTW, if you stick to the drink of the day, it won't be $8.  More like $6 on RCI and Celebrity, $5 on Princess and Carnival.  Be sure to tell them you don't want a souvenir glass.  And you can usually get a beer for like $3.

Not sure if this is your first cruise, but you can check out the "know before you go" guide, which has packing tips, etc, here:

http://www.cruisesavvy.com/savvyguide/kn...

And if you'd be up for sharing your stories and pictures (maybe including your alcohol activities...) you can get a free, anonymous Cruise Journal here:

http://www.cruisesavvy.com/journals

Hope you have a good trip!

Answer 3

I have been on several cruises and have taken both liquor and wine with me on all of them.  I have packed vodka in water bottles as well as taking wine on in my carry on. It isn't hard to do if you really want to.

Answer 4

I am from the UK (Scotland) and have been on 20 cruises, half of them out of Miami, and to be honest, I haven't found the drink prices to be too expensive on any cruise ship.

(I suppose that just means that drink prices in the UK are much higher than in the US)

Plastic bottles well wrapped in clothes and packed in your suitcase are they best way to get it on-board but if you are flying remember the restrictions on what you can carry in your luggage.

Tip: Pack your case with everything you need, leave it for an hour, then take half of it out and leave it at home.

Good luck with the drink and enjoy your cruise.

Answer 5

DRINKS:

- Pack your liquor in your checked baggage and never your carry on bag;

- Instead of buying a fifth or quart bottle take a couple pint or half-pint bottles; consider also the mini-bottles of liquor.

- Pack your liquor in a zip lock bag just in case they spill, and  then in a heavy weight sock like a gym sock;

- Pack your liquor in the midst of your toiletries so that if it shows on the x-ray scanner it will be with other small bottles;

- Pack all of it in a place near a firm place in the center of your luggage (so it does not get bumped on either side).

When on ship always order your drinks in a plain glass (you must specify this or they will bring it in a fancy glass);  this will save you about $2.00 per drink.  When you get your liquor to your cabin, do NOT leave it sitting out; keep it out of sight because you never know what member of the crew may see it in passing your cabin door while the room steward is cleaning.

PACKING:

The dress on ship is casual all day until 6:00PM. So take: -swim wear (at least 2),

-shorts,

-sandals,

-beach shoes,

-your snorkel equipment if you have it,

-sun glasses and sun screen,

-lotions,

-a cap or big hat for the sun,

-a book if you are a reader, -

-your music player,

-sneakers and clothes to workout in if you like to use the gym, -good walking shoes,

-your camera, and

-other personal toiletries.

Your cabin will have towels and soap provided, including pool and beach towels. It will also have a generic hair shampoo so you do not need to bring that unless you like a specific brand. They do not provide tooth paste, mouth wash or lotions. They DO provide a hair dryer.

After 6:00 PM they request that you wear "sports or resort casual" attire. That's attire that you would expect a person to wear in a business office, (like a bank employee), shirt with a collar, slacks, skirt, blouse, etc. You can still wear shorts and swim wear in the pools and spas but not in public areas like dining rooms and restaurants, show rooms, etc. You don't need to take a lot of evening clothes because you will likely spend most of your time in shorts and swim wear.  You will need many sets of undies.  Cruise ships do have laundry service but its expensive and only Carnival has a self service laundromat.

Most cruises have a formal night when you can wear your best stuff and get pictures taken, and maybe meet the ship’s Captain. The formal nights are REQUESTED not required attire. But most people do dress up. You can wear what you would wear to church and you'll be fine. You will not be denied access to the dining room or anything else if you choose not to dress up.

- Its best to pack using soft-sided luggage because with space limited in your cabin it fits under the beds better if its not hard sided luggage.

-Be sure to take a small carry-on bag for the last night of the cruise. On the last evening you will be required to put your luggage outside your cabin by about 2:00 AM so that they can start taking it down to the lower deck for offloading the next morning. So you will need a small bag for your toiletries and your clothes that you sleep in.

- If you can take a six-pack of bottled water and soft drinks in your carry-on for your cabin. You will have to pay for both on the ship and its nice to have those handy in the cabin.

- If you are taking your cell phone, MP3 player or other item that needs to be plugged in take an extension cord as the plugs in the cabin are generally not in the best places and there are usually only one or two.

- Take a small bottle of hand sanitizer. There are generally sanitizer dispensers at the entrances of restaurants, the buffets and dining room, but some times the are not there or not working. The sanitizer helps prevent the spread of the Norwalk Virus that sometimes occur on cruise ships.

-If you plan to get into the pools or hot tub as soon as you get on ship, bring those clothes in your carry on bag; you other luggage may not get to your cabin until much later in the afternoon.

- take a can of air freshener because the cabin bathrooms do not have exhaust fans and you will need it.

Answer 6

When I cruised with Royal Caribbean back in September, some of the security personnel were whiffing passengers bottled drinks as they were coming on board from the port. So I'm not sure if the vodka-in-a-water-bottle scam will work.

You're best bet is to hide it within your luggage. They don't ever go through your personal belongings.

Answer 7

We have always had luck w/ buying a bottle on an island and bringing it back on board.  You have to be careful they don't see it, if they do, they will take it until the end of the trip.  Wrap it up in a beach towel or something.  Then you can make your own drinks and not have to buy their expensive ones.  Watch for happy hours or specials.

Pack a little bit of everything, it can get cool at night and hot during the day.  I always found that my pants got very wet at the bottom, so make sure you pack a couple pairs of jeans or pants.  

Have fun!

Answer 8

I went on a cruise at xmas and they never checked our cases or anything. You could try getting a water bottle like an evian one and putting clear liquer in it and carrying that on. It was useful when Tango bottles were black as you could put any coloured alcohol in those. other than that you could get the tiny bottles of spirits and roll them up with socks or in a make up/toiletry bag. Hope those few suggestions help.

Answer 9

They check your bags, so it probably won't work.  You can try the old Vodka in a water bottle trick and just carry it with you onto the boat.  But what are you going to do at the bar?  Keep running back to your room for a drink?  Or just get hammered before and pass out when you get there?

Answer 10

You can do it, its has never been a problem for me or any of the groups of 300 I have coordinated.

Take it in your luggage. I put the bottles in shoe boxes or wrapped them in pashminas. I wouldnt do the water bottle thing its looks too conspicous.  I also took a couple of bottles of wine and it was no problem. Probably easily saved ourselves $400-$500.