New Alcohol Policy - How is it playing out at Embarkation?

[littleblackegg]

I'm really hoping they get this all figured out before we sail on the magic for Thanksgiving the policy seems pretty cut and dry, I don't understand why there's so much confusion!!!

People+change= confusion. They could just change the toilet paper and it would be a total fiasco. Such is the nature of people.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

I know. They don't throw your liquor in the garbage though. They check it and you can pick it up when you leave.

Right. It has been known since the policy was released that they would be storing it, not throwing it out. Your statement seemed to say that there were no limitations on the beer and wine. There are, and excess beer and wine will be stored just like the liquor.

 

[lizabu]

Right. It has been known since the policy was released that they would be storing it, not throwing it out. Your statement seemed to say that there were no limitations on the beer and wine. There are, and excess beer and wine will be stored just like the liquor.

Please quote the part of my statement where I said there were no limits

 

[Maggie'sMom]

Please quote the part of my statement where I said there were no limits

Someone on FB posted a pic of a huge table with alcohol on it at debarment. I asked what it was about and the person said they were making people check hard liquor bought at port and this set up was where people picked it up on the way off. There were numerous people posting questions and from what I read it was only hard liquor. People were allowed the wine and beer.

 

[TimeAndTide]

My apologies as this thread cracks me up a bit. We recently sailed in September (just under the wire). We brought an inordinate amount of alcohol onboard because my husband misunderstood my request for peach schnapps and brought THREE bottles of it. Lol. And we brought a little extra wine. But we only have ever drunk our own alcohol in our stateroom, always ordering wine at dinner and around the ship. So our worry in the end was not bringing it aboard, but somehow having to pay customs on the leftovers when we got off the ship (we didn't bring receipts). Turned out not to be an issue, thank goodness!

 

[bumbershoot]

Most people are VERY concrete thinkers. I can totally see cast members seeing three bottles of wine and asking two adults to put away one. Extrapolating that 2 adults with 3 bottles of wine is within the policy requires a bit of abstraction. These leaps of logic should be pretty easy, but I suspect a company like Disney doesn't encourage much critical or creative thinking. I'm sure it will get better.

Not cruise or Disney related, but I agree that sometimes people are very concrete thinkers. We went through a security checkpoint (unnecessary, it turned out...I missed the sign for the turn we were supposed to take) at Heathrow and were held up for about 8 minutes, just waiting there. Finally someone came over, looked at our stuff, counted us, and laughed, because we had been held up for having 2 3-1-1 bags. Yeah, there were TWO of us. So that was OK. But to the first person, 2 baggies in one bin was not OK.

 

[littleblackegg]

Not cruise or Disney related, but I agree that sometimes people are very concrete thinkers. We went through a security checkpoint (unnecessary, it turned out...I missed the sign for the turn we were supposed to take) at Heathrow and were held up for about 8 minutes, just waiting there. Finally someone came over, looked at our stuff, counted us, and laughed, because we had been held up for having 2 3-1-1 bags. Yeah, there were TWO of us. So that was OK. But to the first person, 2 baggies in one bin was not OK.

I warn my husband all the time: do it exactly like they ask, even if it means more steps. They need everything to follow their steps exactly or they have to make critical decisions. He always thinks I am crazy, but it's true. Make their lives easy and everyone's lives are easy. It's ironic, because our current technology can streamline and automate so much.

 

[Ulloa]

Following

 

[lizabu]

Ok maggiesmom....I totally see where I said people can bring unlimited amounts of wine and beer now...fail. You could always just apologize for putting words in my mouth ya know

 

[diznymom]

People+change= confusion. They could just change the toilet paper and it would be a total fiasco. Such is the nature of people.

Hey!! I resemble that one.

 

[Irish9697]

We sail out of Miami on the Magic on 12/27 so I'm interested to see experiences from there.

For what it's worth, I've sailed out of the Miami terminal on girls' trip party cruises on another line 3 times. Their rule is 1 bottle of wine per person carried on. We've always been successful bringing a Blackbox (box of wine) in our checked luggage. We've wrapped it as a present and put it in the middle of the suitcase surrounded by a yoga mat and running shoes. This particular cruise is a charter, though, and everyone smuggles...so maybe they're just lax because of that, but I assume the port workers are the same as other cruises??

 

[SuperDry]

Their rule is 1 bottle of wine per person carried on. We've always been successful bringing a Blackbox (box of wine) in our checked luggage.

They don't open everyone's checked luggage, but do x-ray them. A box of wine looks nothing like a bottle on an x-ray.

 

[Orukal]

This isn't something I plan on doing, simply because I don't want to spend all the time walking just for an extra 6-pack, but does anyone know or have any, recent, experience with bringing 2 bottles of wine or a 6-pack back on board at a stop, then heading back out, picking up a refill and bringing that back on board? You know, kinda double dipping to bring on extra libations? Do they keep track of cruisers coming back on board and how many bottles they have with them?

 

[bats]

I am still in shock that so many people are bothered by this new rule. DCL is a business, a successful one I guess and as such, they don't need to let you bring your own on.
I guess alcohol is more important to others than it is to me?

 

[Crystal O_o]

I am still in shock that so many people are bothered by this new rule. DCL is a business, a successful one I guess and as such, they don't need to let you bring your own on.
I guess alcohol is more important to others than it is to me?

Yes, it is more important to others then you. Secondly, I don't think it was just this one thing that bothers people but multiple things that makes it hard to continue to justify the higher cost.

 

[bumbershoot]

I am still in shock that so many people are bothered by this new rule. DCL is a business, a successful one I guess and as such, they don't need to let you bring your own on.
I guess alcohol is more important to others than it is to me?

Take something you like about dcl. Change it drastically. Or put a cost on it. After you've budgeted for the trip. Or after you've convinced others to try dcl based on that cool thing because that thing is the thing that makes the tipping point towards dcl.

Then have dcl mess it up, in two different ways, on the first two cruises post implementation. And have the phone cms deny what's happening. Oh and have the cms be super condescending for the month or so after its announced.

Whatever it is that you've chosen as the thing dcl does that means something to you and you wouldn't want them to change, just really imagine that whole scenario. Hopefully that will allow for the empathy to look beyond WHAT it's about and see that they could do this to any perk they want.

 

[jahber]

Take something you like about dcl. Change it drastically. Or put a cost on it. After you've budgeted for the trip. Or after you've convinced others to try dcl based on that cool thing because that thing is the thing that makes the tipping point towards dcl.

Then have dcl mess it up, in two different ways, on the first two cruises post implementation. And have the phone cms deny what's happening. Oh and have the cms be super condescending for the month or so after its announced.

Whatever it is that you've chosen as the thing dcl does that means something to you and you wouldn't want them to change, just really imagine that whole scenario. Hopefully that will allow for the empathy to look beyond WHAT it's about and see that they could do this to any perk they want.

And I have no doubt they WILL be implementing more "industry standard" practices. Things like charging for late-night time at the kids' clubs, no carry on soda or water, and so on. They already increased the cost of the nursery by 50% last year and increased Palo AGAIN and took away the signatures from guest services and are removing arcades and decreased pool and hot tub hours (these were all in the last year, except for the nursery) and ... Just wait. Then we'll see whether we are all just whiners or whether we were justified in being concerned about the direction DCL is taking.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

And I have no doubt they WILL be implementing more "industry standard" practices. Things like charging for late-night time at the kids' clubs, no carry on soda or water, and so on. They already increased the cost of the nursery by 50% last year and increased Palo AGAIN and took away the signatures from guest services and are removing arcades and decreased pool and hot tub hours (these were all in the last year, except for the nursery) and ... Just wait. Then we'll see whether we are all just whiners or whether we were justified in being concerned about the direction DCL is taking.

There were also Upcharge items added to the Palo menu this year. Upcharge for an upcharge. I saw it on Allure in 2013 and wrinkled my nose at it. This year I've seen DCL do it, too. So there's also that.

AND, get this! At Palo on the Dream last month I ordered my app, entree, then asked for a small side of the gnocchi & a small side of the mushroom risotto. I was told, "We aren't supposed to do that. I'll have to ask but probably not." Really????? It's never been a problem the countless times I've had Palo before. Alvaro on the Wonder would roll over and beg us to order more things. In fact, our friends at another table nearby who had a different server had all sorts of dishes they didn't even order brought to them to try. So there's ALSO pretty inconsistent service to look forward to. Color me even MORE unimpressed.

Disney is taking their industry standards pretty seriously, folks.

 

[emilyann415]

There were also Upcharge items added to the Palo menu this year. Upcharge for an upcharge. I saw it on Allure in 2013 and wrinkled my nose at it. This year I've seen DCL do it, too. So there's also that.

AND, get this! At Palo on the Dream last month I ordered my app, entree, then asked for a small side of the gnocchi & a small side of the mushroom risotto. I was told, "We aren't supposed to do that. I'll have to ask but probably not." Really????? It's never been a problem the countless times I've had Palo before. Alvaro on the Wonder would roll over and beg us to order more things. In fact, our friends at another table nearby who had a different server had all sorts of dishes they didn't even order brought to them to try. So there's ALSO pretty inconsistent service to look forward to. Color me even MORE unimpressed.

Disney is taking their industry standards pretty seriously, folks.

Ok....I must have been living under a rock....wasn't aware of the upcharge a Palo....please elaborate. I've convinced our friends to try Palo on our NYE cruise. They can sometimes be a bit more cost conscious than me and will not be happy if we pay the upcharge and and then another upcharge.....uuuuugh.

 

[Orukal]

I am still in shock that so many people are bothered by this new rule. DCL is a business, a successful one I guess and as such, they don't need to let you bring your own on.
I guess alcohol is more important to others than it is to me?

Yes, you don't get it. And like the hundreds of conversations on this board since the change was announced, you never will get it. To put on the broken record, "It's not about getting drunk. It's about a recent, steady flow of changes that negatively effect their customers with absolutely no consolations being made in return."