Alcohol Policy Change?

[Christy323]

Unless I receive written confirmation of a change in policy prior to my embarkation next month, I'm ignoring this. The ability to carry on alcohol was indeed one of the factors that helped me ultimately choose DCL (I'm only 27 & I don't have kids, but I enjoy Disney's high-quality customer service) for my post-bar vacation. Changing policies after booking, while technically allowed under the contract, is bad form.

My hope is that if Disney does choose to change this policy, they apply the change such that it affects all cruises booked after the announcement of the policy change. That way people have fair notice of the change & can choose whether or not they will still choose DCL.

ETA: I spoke with two different CMs on the DCL hotline, & both of them said that they hadn't heard of any changes to the carryon alcohol policy. One of the CMs said that I was the third person she'd spoken to today about this (way to go, DISers, haha) & she agreed that it would be out of character for DCL to impose a change in policy with such little notice.

 

[DMMarla07860]

this won't affect me. I don't carry anything on. I usually might just get a drink of the day and then at night a chocolate martini or a beer depending on my mood. I can see how it might affect some people though

 

[MomsOf2boys]

It really won't effect me too much. We are not heavy drinkers. I thnk the alcohol tastings will get more crowded though if they change it. I'm kind of suprised though because you don't really see a lot of drunk people on the DCL's. I'm still very happy that soda is free! If they do discontinue letting people carry it on, they will probably have more specials and BOGO deals!

 

[devine5829]

We are wine drinkers and we have justified the price of the Disney Cruise by line allowing us to bring our own wine on board. I hope this is not the case. Just sent an email to inquire!!

 

[bcanderson78]

I'm not sure I believe this at all. I was just on the 8/25 Dream sailing and someone posted that their Travel Agent was told we were departing port an hour early and we all needed to be there early. No such thing existed and DCL had no idea where it had come from. We left at 5pm like normal. Until DCL actually tells you, I wouldn't trust it completely. It may be coming in the future which wouldn't surprise me either but until I hear them tell me, I'm not going to worry just yet.

 

[WiscBill]

If this policy does go into effect, it will definitely lead to us trying a different cruise line the future. One of the reasons we like DCL is that they are pretty much hassle free. We don't worry about getting charged for the kids clubs, we don't worry about getting charged for soda, and we didn't worry about getting drinks pushed at us all day long, since alcohol was clearly not a main profit center for DCL. The decision to restrict alcohol carry-ons may be just the start of more of these free things switching over to a pay for service model.

 

[NancyIL]

The person who posted that is Barb - aka "inkkognito" - who is going on her 82nd Disney cruise next month. If anyone would know, it would be her!

 

[KristiMc]

The person who posted that is Barb - aka "inkkognito" - who is going on her 82nd Disney cruise next month. If anyone would know, it would be her!

I was just going to say the same thing.

 

[peachygreen]

The person who posted that is Barb - aka "inkkognito" - who is going on her 82nd Disney cruise next month. If anyone would know, it would be her!

I was just going to say the same thing.

That's why I said I would normally consider the souce to be reliable. I have no reason to not believe Barb as she has proven in the past to have reliable information.

 

[Mom2Chachi]

If this is true then I'm happy I'll be sailing in less than 2 weeks because most likely it will be our last Disney cruise. I already have my bottle of rum packed and ready to go. We enjoy the Disney cruise but a huge part of justifying the cost is the savings in liquor. I still by the drink of the day but if I had to buy every drink then there would be nothing left for excursions or pictures. We've even convinced a large group of friends to sail next year with us and explained the cost comparison when considering the liquor and sodas to be included. If that's gone although no one (IMO) compares with Disney unfortunately we'll have to take another line if we want to go on at least 1 cruise a year.

 

[ibouncetoo]

Looks like the heavy drinkers will be choosing other lines.....

.

 

[atigeg]

This is Barb posting under Tony's ID. The info. in the Tweet came from a TA mailing list. We're sailing on 9/11 so I will see if I can get an official word directly from the ship, but I was confident enough in the mailing to Tweet it.

 

[krbrat]

The fact I can carry on my alcohol has influenced my ability to cruise with Disney and still be able to aford excursions and souvenirs. I cruise in one month and would be highly disappointed if this were the case. I love Disney, but with the economy the way it is it is getting harder to schedule and afford a nice vacation. We usually take a bottle of bourbon with us. If my husband and I have 2-3 drinks a night each, at maybe $8 a drink, by the time you add tip that would be $48-$50 a day day for alcohol. That's $350 for a 7 day cruise. So I either buy no souvenirs or book on a cheaper cruise line. Either way Krbrat is not happy.

 

[cloudnut220]

I hope this isn't true. I wouldn't consider us to be "big" drinkers but we do enjoy our wine, and I find the cruise line markup a bit ridiculous.

 

[Christy323]

Looks like the heavy drinkers will be choosing other lines.....

Perhaps. The folks who are NOT heavy drinkers but still like to enjoy a few drinks while on vacation will also be considering other lines. Like others mentioned, I personally justified the (much) higher cost of DCL by taking into consideration the fact that I would be able to avoid extra onboard costs by bringing my own alcohol. I don't drink well drinks; I drink expensive alcohol. Everyone knows the markup of alcohol in restaurants & on cruises is astronomical. For a 7-night cruise, we're talking a difference of hundreds of dollars.

 

[kathi]

I also am not a "heavy drinker" (and take some exception to that comment). I like quality wine, champagne and scotch. I bring it with me and enjoy it in my cabin. I also purchase wine at dinner and pre-dinner cocktails in the lounge.

For us to drink the quality of wine/champagne we enjoy without brining it onboard we would probably need to spend at least another $500 - $750 on the cruise. If Disney wants everyone to buy their booze at an outrageous markup, they should reduce the price of the cruise and make it commensurate with Celebrity and other similar lines.

I liked that Disney was doing things differently (probably for the same reason I like Apple). If they are going to be like other lines, I would like to see more competitive pricing.

Still hoping this is a mix-up in communications (not questioning our reliable source at all!)

 

[Mythicalbee]

We like what we like, and for a vacation we just prefer to have the beer wine or spirits that make us slink back in our chairs and say 'aaahhh, perfect' DCL seems to have an unexpected surprise here and there (like Boddingtons... what a treat!!!) So wonder if DCL will expand their offerings or take special requests?

And I gotta love that a well sourced tweet causes such a ruckus on the boards - why I love DISers!!!

 

[mecheermom]

This says "Alcohol is permitted on board. However, be aware that any fragile items (including bottled alcohol) must be hand-carried on board in a day bag and/or carry-on bag, the dimensions of which cannot exceed 22" wide, 14" high and 9" deep. Alcohol brought on board may not be consumed in any lounge or public area. Guests who arrive in the dining room with a bottle of champagne or wine that has been brought on board will be charged a corking fee of $20.00 per bottle. "

So it does nto say they are not allowed or restricted.

So plastic/aluminum flasks or wine bottles...or cans of beer for that matter can be packed in your suitcase??

 

[Twinprincesses]

Not that I would never cruise Disney again but I would be dissappointed. On our first Disney cruise I was not aware you could bring alcohol onboard which resulted in a $600 bar tab alone!!! Second crusie we forgot yet again but luckily we had OBC.

 

[DisneyZell]

I agree with many others...I like to bring my beer onboard. I'm not a heavy drinker, but even two beers a day would cha-ching it's way onto my credit card bill. Hopefully this is just one of those things Disney is floating to see how people react!

DZ