Been on a cruise?

[luv]

Went on my first cruise last fall. Drove down to New Orleans. Five day cruise to Yucatan and Cozumel. It's not that much, really. It's not too difficult to go five days without soda. You can have water, juice, coffee, etc. I typically just bought one of whatever the drink of the day was. Any alcohol you purchase gets sent to your room the night before you get off the boat. I made sure to buy a couple pints at one of the ports. That last morning before getting off the boat was killer...lol. Yeah, save some money for ports and extras. I ended up getting some pictures done, and that's what cost me. The gratuity is automatically added, but you can go to customer service and have it taken off. I took off some of mine, but left some extra cash for the people in charge of our room.

[KCSPORTSNUT]

Yes and leaving Saturday the 26th on our next one.Always go Holland America,this trip is San Juan PR,St Thomas VI,Grand Turks and Half Moon Cay.And you can put 1/2 gallon booze bottles in your luggage we always do.Its a blast and the service is excellent.

[Mr. Flopnuts]

Originally Posted by KCSPORTSNUT

Yes and leaving Saturday the 26th on our next one.Always go Holland America,this trip is San Juan PR,St Thomas VI,Grand Turks and Half Moon Cay.And you can put 1/2 gallon booze bottles in your luggage we always do.Its a blast and the service is excellent.

So with Holland you can bring your own? Just has to be the big bottles? Limit on that, or can you bring as many as you want?

[Old Dog]

Originally Posted by Mr. Flopnuts

So with Holland you can bring your own?

No it's not their policy either (had to look it up though).
I assume what he's saying is just to pack it in your luggage and it will often get through. I know that's what we do with Carnival. I've only been on two, but on both we put a couple of bottles (750s, not 1/2 gallons) in each bag and I figured if it got on, great, if not, I'd get it back at the end of the cruise since I left it in the original containers.

Last week we got all six bottles in. You can also carry on two bottles of wine if that's your thing.

Also, when you're leaving a port they tell you to check your liquor, but they don't always pay real close attention to if you go to the check in table or not. Leaving Cozumel last Thursday, I carried a 3L bottle of Jack Daniel's straight to the room.

[Mr. Flopnuts]

Originally Posted by Old Dog

No it's not their policy either (had to look it up though).
I assume what he's saying is just to pack it in your luggage and it will often get through. I know that's what we do with Carnival. I've only been on two, but on both we put a couple of bottles (750s, not 1/2 gallons) in each bag and I figured if it got on, great, if not, I'd get it back at the end of the cruise since I left it in the original containers.

Last week we got all six bottles in. You can also carry on two bottles of wine if that's your thing.

Also, when you're leaving a port they tell you to check your liquor, but they don't always pay real close attention to if you go to the check in table or not. Leaving Cozumel last Thursday, I carried a 3L bottle of Jack Daniel's straight to the room.

So they won't kick you off or anything if they catch you not checking it? They'll just take it and give it back at the end? Shit. I'd take my chances.

[Radar Chief]

Originally Posted by Mr. Flopnuts

So they won't kick you off or anything if they catch you not checking it? They'll just take it and give it back at the end? Shit. I'd take my chances.

I know, right?
I look back at the trouble we went through to hide booze in mouthwash bottles and just laugh.

[Old Dog]

Originally Posted by Mr. Flopnuts

So they won't kick you off or anything if they catch you not checking it? They'll just take it and give it back at the end? Shit. I'd take my chances.

I figure it's a no brainer to try to get a bottle or two on board. If they catch it, I get it back anyway. I've found that a 750ml bottle can fit inside a shoe.


I can only speak for Carnival, but

Copied from their liquor and beverage policy:
http://www.carnival.com/core/faq.aspx?faq=liquor
All alcohol/hard liquor/beer (sealed, unopened bottles/cans), wine/champagne over the allowable 1-bottle per guest (sealed, unopened bottles) or excessive quantities of non-alcoholic beverages (over 12 per person, sealed, unopened bottles/cans) will be confiscated and stored for safekeeping until the end of the voyage. The retained item(s) will be available for collection onboard in a designated location on the morning of debarkation. Unsealed liquids that are prohibited will be discarded, as well as any unclaimed items left after the voyage, and no compensation will be given in either case.

[htismaqe]

Only on Chiefsplanet.

Let's go on a CRUISE and then see what we can do to pinch every last penny on incidentals.

[Mr. Flopnuts]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

Only on Chiefsplanet.

Let's go on a CRUISE and then see what we can do to pinch every last penny on incidentals.

'Merica! **** yeah! But freedom isn't free. Naw there's a hefty ****in fee. And if you don't sneak on your booze, someone else will. Freedom is bringing booze on the boat!

[Radar Chief]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

Only on Chiefsplanet.

Let's go on a CRUISE and then see what we can do to pinch every last penny on incidentals.

Your drink tastes better when you think you’re cheating “the man”.

[Bearcat]

I went on a 7 night cruise and I think I spent like $50 on the ship... you'll spend more if you want to drink, and of course they give you ample opportunities to spend your money, but it's not like they hold a gun to your head. They'll gouge you on the excursions, but we mostly went out on our own. They were charging $150 for one excursion, and we basically followed the excursion's plan, took public transportation, and did it for about $30.

I know some people could just stay on the ship the whole time, but I personally got far more out of the ports, and probably wouldn't spend that kind of money to just relax on the ship. Granted, there was a lot to do, and the endless supply of food was nice, I got kind of restless during the days at sea. Probably just me though... doing nothing on a balcony of a ship is great for 15 minutes or reading for an hour is nice, then I wish I had an internet connection or ps3.

[luv]

Originally Posted by Bearcat

I went on a 7 night cruise and I think I spent like $50 on the ship... you'll spend more if you want to drink, and of course they give you ample opportunities to spend your money, but it's not like they hold a gun to your head. They'll gouge you on the excursions, but we mostly went out on our own. They were charging $150 for one excursion, and we basically followed the excursion's plan, took public transportation, and did it for about $30.

I know some people could just stay on the ship the whole time, but I personally got far more out of the ports, and probably wouldn't spend that kind of money to just relax on the ship. Granted, there was a lot to do, and the endless supply of food was nice, I got kind of restless during the days at sea. Probably just me though... doing nothing on a balcony of a ship is great for 15 minutes or reading for an hour is nice, then I wish I had an internet connection or ps3.

Five days without internet. Five days. Somehow, I survived. I'm really not sure how. I missed it more than I missed my phone, but that isn't saying much.

I enjoyed roaming the boat. There was always something going on. Of course, I enjoy me time, so I had no problem walking around, sitting down, reading, taking a nap, etc.

[T-Town]

I've been on a few and love em! Booze is expensive on the ship so make sure you bring enough money for that, gambling, and tipping. It really adds up quickly.

[DaKCMan AP]

Been on 7. Not really looking to go anymore (at least for now) but #8 will be this spring since it's a family thing.

[KCBOSS1]

Just went on my first one this year. Went to Atlantis...incredible but not enough time at Atlantis. It was a 7 day cruise, enjoyed the time at sea, but it got a little long on the specific boat we were on and the other two stops were a little boring. Next cruise, I will do 5 days out of Florida with a 2-day stay at Atlantis where I will rent a room to get full access to the Park for much cheaper than my $700 one day with a family of six. Atlantis is one of the most awesome places on earth, but I would advise going in the winter or offseason, much cheaper, less crowd at the stops. Also, the excursions (Carnival at least) are more expensive than you can work out on your own. Have fun!