I am a first time cruiser and I have been reading a lot on line so I know what to expect and can have the most fun during the cruise. I am sure I will be posting frequently as I have til Nov before the cruise and lots of questions!! So here goes another ... I have been reading about people carrying on their own alcohol. I have read about people putting it in cough medicine bottles, water bottles, and other people just putting it bottle and all in the suitcase. Even one guy who said he put an entire 24 pack of beer in a suit case . (Finally to the question ... ) Are you "allowed" to bring on your own alcohol (wine/rum/beer) on board the ship? If so, can you make your own drink and take it say to ... the pool deck? I am not talking about bringing your own bottle of Rum to dinner and mixing drinks at the table, but if you want to have a drink by the pool or on your balcony, it's all OK? I am cruising on Carnival Conquest.
I am a first time cruiser and I have been reading a lot on line so I know what to expect and can have the most fun during the cruise. I am sure I will be posting frequently as I have til Nov before the cruise and lots of questions!! So here goes another ... I have been reading about people carrying on their own alcohol. I have read about people putting it in cough medicine bottles, water bottles, and other people just putting it bottle and all in the suitcase. Even one guy who said he put an entire 24 pack of beer in a suit case . (Finally to the question ... ) Are you "allowed" to bring on your own alcohol (wine/rum/beer) on board the ship? If so, can you make your own drink and take it say to ... the pool deck? I am not talking about bringing your own bottle of Rum to dinner and mixing drinks at the table, but if you want to have a drink by the pool or on your balcony, it's all OK? I am cruising on Carnival Conquest.
I don't know what the policy is on every ship but assume it's the same. I was recently on the Fantasy and not only are you not allowed to bring your own alcohol from home on board, anything you buy off the ship or even on the ship from the duty free is held or taken from you and is delivered to you the night before you get off the boat.
With all that said, I personally know several people that have successfully brought their own by simply packing it in their suitcase.
Carnival Cruise lines does not allow you to bring alcohol on board thier cruise ships in anyway shape or form.
With that said ;
I have personally taken liqour on board from Puerto Rico where they board. THere is a duty free shop 50 feet from the boarding security gate,,,,,,and the sales lady told me to just put the bottles in your carry on and they will get thru sucessfully. AND they did.
I'm not sure what kind of aggreeement Carnival may have with the Puerto Rican people but i didn't have any problem there.
Now as far as other ports, they do Xray everything you bring back on board and I have seen them make people take thier liqour out of thier bag and leave it with security till the night before you debark the ship.
There is however a neat way to bring hard liqour back to the ship, Use empty 2 litre plastic pop bottles, ex. dark rum, looks just like Coca Cola, Vodka looks like Club Soda,Amber rum looks like ginger Ale, etc etc etc and it works. Turn the cover tightly, so as to give the appearance of it never being opened in the first place. They are NOT allowed to smell ,taste, or inspect your hand held drinks or food!
Give it a try, and don't forget to put a couple of 40 oz.s in your suitcase before you embark the ship! Booze on Carnival is VERY expensive.
Well, actually there is a loophole. When you first board (not at a port of call), you are actually allowed to bring wine aboard. Here is the text from Carnival's web site: "Fine wine or champagne may be brought on board during embarkation only. If the wine and/or champagne is brought to the Dining room for consumption, a $10 corkage fee per bottle will be charged to the guest; otherwise, the guest may only drink the wine and/or champagne in the privacy of a stateroom. The wine and/or champagne may NOT be brought into any other public lounge or area."
I'm gonna pack six or seven bottles of "fine wine" in my suitcase to drink in the evenings on our balcony. Even without this loophole, I imagine that you can pretty much put whatever you want in your suitcase and so long as you consume it discreetly it will be a non-issue. I've also read reviews from people who left their wine out in the room and the room steward put it on ice for them!
I have taken cruises on several different cruise lines, and I find the "published" policy to be the same - no liquor allowed on board. However prior to 9/11 this was no an issue. On a Princees (Grand) ship out of Ft. Lauderdale I was sold liquor at the duty free shop at the dock. An hour prior to sailing I had to go back to the duty free shop and pick up my booze. There was no problem bringing it on the ship. However, after 9/11 the checks were a lot tighter and the liquor was being taken during a bag sarch. As a matter of fact they had so many bottles it looked like a mini-liquor store. However, I was able to get mine on, since I had vodka in water bottles and I had it in all my bags, the carry on as well and the bags delivered to my room. I have noticed that the father we get away from 9/11 the less checks of liquor are taking place. The last cruise out of Cocoa Beach (on a RCCL ship) my wife when thru security (with the booze) before I could part ther car. So, there was VERY LITTLE checking of booze going on - That I have seen.
the last cruise on carnival I had my hard alcohol confisgated I had it in my carry on it was x rayed they ask what it was was it beer , wine or hard spirits, I did not lie I told the hard spirits I had to turn it over till we returned I did get it back at the end of the cruise, while I was filling out the forms I asked some questions what was allowed they told me beer and wine was allowed on with no questions, how I know this there was a group of loud people of about 25 and they were all standing in line with open heniken bottles and went thru the xray and embarking without incident and had cases of beer and wine among the group in thier carry ons
I always put my vodka in water bottles, and I have yet to be stopped. And it is not like I am trying to rip off the cruise line - I just like to have a cocktail on the balcony while I watch the world go by.
So here goes another ... I have been reading about people carrying on their own alcohol. I have read about people putting it in cough medicine bottles, water bottles, and other people just putting it bottle and all in the suitcase. Even one guy who said he put an entire 24 pack of beer in a suit case . (Finally to the question ... 
) Are you "allowed" to bring on your own alcohol (wine/rum/beer) on board the ship? If so, can you make your own drink and take it say to ... the pool deck? I am not talking about bringing your own bottle of Rum to dinner and mixing drinks at the table, but if you want to have a drink by the pool or on your balcony, it's all OK? I am cruising on Carnival Conquest.
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