Alcohol Policy Change?

[onecoolpilot]

haha, my DW and I were just laughing that in 1 1/2 days this thread has grown to 27 pages, with 399 replies (400 counting mine).

We dis'ers really love our alcohol I guess huh?

***ooops, make that 401***

 

[lisamarch]

So this just kind of makes people like me who are "on the fence" about paying this much versus Seeing something new, exciting, & different, give it just a little more thought perhaps.

Well said.

 

[AquaDame]

I admit I contacted my fiance as soon as I saw this and made sure he still wanted to cruise... (he does without question, fyew!).

I am in the same boat with most people it seems... I do not *need* alcohol to enjoy myself. In fact if I have more than a drink or two in a day I tend to get a migraine and just feel crummy in general since my body isn't used to it, and I feel guilty about the extra calories... That said, we did bring one small bottle of rum with us on our four night cruise and went through that very quickly - me with OJ and him with coke! We then started paying for a drink or two a day and when I got the bill at the end I was surprised how much it added up to! Enough for us to know we should bring a larger bottle of rum with us - not because we would drink more than we had, but to try and save a little $ since the next one will be a 7 night!

If they do pull the rug from under us so be it... we will bring a special bottle of wine to share on our first anniversary and a six pack of beer to enjoy when we escape the sun and just be very mindful of when we do purchase any other drinks - certainly not two a day anymore! I hope they do not make the change... that people just get with it and stop checking liquor when they aren't supposed to. If they really are doing this to get more customers in the bars then I have to say we will not be "falling" for that!

To the people who ask why we "need" alcohol, please keep in mind as others have said that it isn't what the item is so much as its that it is being taken away. I would certainly be just as vocal about them changing the rule allowing food to be brought into the theme parks. That is also not an allowance I make much use of, but it would just seem very stingy and mean of them to take the right away to try to make more money off us. In all honesty, this is from a girl who does on occasion sneak red vines into the movie theatre though, so perhaps I'm not your target audience. I can't abide by even a 100% markup let alone the 300%+ they do. In that case I happily go without most of the time.

 

[disneydreamer82]

Wow, an hour after reading this entire thread has been intense!! I certainly hope that the policy stays the "old" way with being able to carry-on your liquor. It absolutely helps with our budgeting, we don't bring a lot, usually a bottle of vodka for me and some type of bourbon for DH and of course a bottle or two of champagne. We still purchase drinks onboard, but it really is much cheaper for us to bring our own for the majority of our drinks. In the future when they do change the policy, I would hope they would offer something similar to CCL. They have a Bon Voyage department where you can order liquor to have waiting in your room for you. Of course it is overpriced but at least it is an option!!! I will be keeping a close eye on this as we sail in just 73 days!!

 

[ludari]

Do they not take it till the end of your cruise now??? I have never bought alcohol onboard but once on Royal Caribbean. On that ship they took it and gave it back at the end of the cruise.

No, my friends purchased additional alcohol when we where in Gibraltar for our TA cruise and they did not confiscate it. With the new policy I'm not sure what they are going to do.

 

[jilljill]

No, my friends purchased additional alcohol when we where in Gibraltar for our TA cruise and they did not confiscate it. With the new policy I'm not sure what they are going to do.

As has been stated a few times in this thread - DCL has recinded the policy and it has reverted back to their original carry on policy.

 

[luvbnmom]

I'm coming into this late but I was wondering the following...since the new policy changed (HUGE WAHOO IN OUR BOOK ) I'm curious how to bring the alcohol on board, is it only carry on OR can it be carry on and/or our luggage?

We are condsidering HARD ALCHOHOL (we thought it would be nice to have our own vodka-more so me & DH wanted Jack,) we aren't wine drinkers...so this whole policy change really helps us out in the pocket!

 

[jilljill]

I'm coming into this late but I was wondering the following...since the new policy changed (HUGE WAHOO IN OUR BOOK ) I'm curious how to bring the alcohol on board, is it only carry on OR can it be carry on and/or our luggage?

We are condsidering HARD ALCHOHOL (we thought it would be nice to have our own vodka-more so me & DH wanted Jack,) we aren't wine drinkers...so this whole policy change really helps us out in the pocket!

You must carry it on - this has always been DCL's policy. Please do not pack it in your luggage that you give to the porters.

 

[tinkerbell2181]

As has been stated a few times in this thread - DCL has recinded the policy and it has reverted back to their original carry on policy.

Ok, so new policy then DCL takes it back and no new policy. Gotcha

Thank goodness for DISboards or else I would have no idea about the changes. I'm still wondering though, if a policy changes again, am I going to be notified by DCL? We set sail Oct. 1st. It would be nice to know for sure what we should and shouldn't bring. I guess DISboards will keep me in the loop though! Would be nice if Disney tried to do the same since I'm paying them!

 

[luvbnmom]

You must carry it on - this has always been DCL's policy. Please do not pack it in your luggage that you give to the porters.

Perfect, THANKS FOR THE CLARIFICATION....I thought it was this but wanted to confirm w/ the pros since its our 1st Disney Cruise. So what ever we can fit in our carry on we can bring...no limit on bottles....I like a varity, I'm sure I'll bring some home but its nice to have a bit of a choice...

 

[Subi WRX]

I'm glad this was a false alarm for now.

Here's the thing:

This policy change would make DCL more like other cruiselines. Which, I thought, DCL always tried to set itself apart.

DCL does not "own" great service or great food for us. Frankly, we've had great service and great food on other lines as well.

Other line's alcohol policies were fine with us ... because we have paid significantly less in cruise fare than we would have had we sailed DCL.

We've seen the loss of the Pub Master on DCL. Important to us DINKs. We need something to justify the higher cost of DCL, especially since we feel we are paying for an awesome kids' program we don't use. If DCL stops looking the other way as to alcohol being brought on board, it would be harder and harder for us to justify DCL's hefty premium.

 

[justmestace]

Pepsi it is, but I'll have to bring it onboard (if it's still allowed) - since it's Coke products only on DCL!

Shhhh.....don't tell anyone, but that's what I sneak onboard!!

 

[arlopop]

Anyone who took booze onboard took advantage of what I perceive as a loophole (totally my opinion), me included (several times!) but it does clearly state at the port with a sign (that has always been there) that NO ALCOHOL IS PERMITTED. They have just chosen not to enforce it before this.

MJ

How is it you perceive this as a "loophole?" Regardless of what it says at the port it clearly states on DCL's website that alcohol IS permitted.

From DCL FAQ on prohibited items:
"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."

 

[MyYearWithTheMouse]

Ok, so new policy then DCL takes it back and no new policy. Gotcha

Thank goodness for DISboards or else I would have no idea about the changes. I'm still wondering though, if a policy changes again, am I going to be notified by DCL? We set sail Oct. 1st. It would be nice to know for sure what we should and shouldn't bring. I guess DISboards will keep me in the loop though! Would be nice if Disney tried to do the same since I'm paying them!

I know!! I was really cheesed off for the whole day that this new policy was in place. If they change anything before we leave in less than 3 weeks, they better call me directly!!

 

[TXDCLfan]

How is it you perceive this as a "loophole?" Regardless of what it says at the port it clearly states on DCL's website that alcohol IS permitted

.

From DCL FAQ on prohibited items:
"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."

Exactly

 

[cruiseletters]

My DH and I will be cruising on Oct. 9th on the Wonder. We very rarely drink during our every day working lives. When we cruise we bring wine on board with us. We don't travel with our grown children most of the time, so were on our own or with other couples that are cruising without children. We all look forward to enjoying good wine while relaxing and letting some one else do the driving. I was shocked when I found this topic because we had picked out the wine we were going to take on board with us and that was going to be at least a bottle a day. So glad that while I was still catching up on this thread they reversed the policy. My DH was getting very agitated that they hadn't bothered to notify us. As for some of the posters that don't drink but seemed to not understand that vacationing for some means that you actually do things differently then what you do the rest of the year. [ like enjoy some alcohol] It felt like they were being quite judge mental.

 

[kingdomkeeper]

Even though we are now once again allowed to bring alcohol of our choice onto DCL I would encourage anyone who has concerns about this option being taken away to politely contact dcl.guest.communications@disneycruise.com so that they have a record of peoples feelings on this for future reference.

 

[gdulaney]

Even though we are now once again allowed to bring alcohol of our choice onto DCL I would encourage anyone who has concerns about this option being taken away to politely contact dcl.guest.communications@disneycruise.com so that they have a record of peoples feelings on this for future reference.

That's a great suggestion! Or even log a survey on the cruise line website.

 

[mmouse37]

How is it you perceive this as a "loophole?" Regardless of what it says at the port it clearly states on DCL's website that alcohol IS permitted.

From DCL FAQ on prohibited items:
"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."

I am well aware of what is on the website....I quote it myself for people all the time....but it has not always been there. I concede loophole is the wrong word.....but current policy, I have always felt (and again this is MY opinion), was something that DCL tolerated and would eventually change, especially when people don't abide by their simple request to have booze carried and not in checked luggage. Just like they tolerate shorts in the dining room even though it is requested that they should not.

Just like everyone else...I am very happy that they are still letting us bring booze onboard.

MJ

 

[budbeerlady]

Even though we are now once again allowed to bring alcohol of our choice onto DCL I would encourage anyone who has concerns about this option being taken away to politely contact dcl.guest.communications@disneycruise.com so that they have a record of peoples feelings on this for future reference.

Please do!!!!
My email reads "Thank you for your email. We regret the disappointment you have expressed in your email. The information regarding the change to our alcohol policy is no longer applicable.

Our current policy regarding bringing alcohol onboard is still in place. As a reminder, Disney Cruise Line does not prohibit Guests from bringing alcohol onboard. Any fragile items (including alcohol) must be hand-carried onboard in a day bag and/or carry-on, which cannot exceed 22" wide, 14" high and 9" deep. Beverage coolers are not permitted onboard (cannot be checked or hand carried). Disney Cruise Line reserves the right to remove fragile items (includingbeverages) from the Guests' luggage and the items will be stored to return to the Guest at the end of the voyage. Beverage containers are considered fragile and such items have caused damage in checked luggage (e.g. carbonated cans "explode", glass bottles break).

Guests who request a Wine Steward to open and serve a bottle of champagne or wine that has been brought onboard will be charged a corking fee. If the Guest opens the bottle in the stateroom and brings it into the dining room, including Remy or Palo, they will still be charged a corking fee. Alcohol brought onboard cannot be consumed in any lounge or public area.

However, please be aware, policies are subject to change without notice.
I hope this information has been helpful. If you require further assistance in planning your visit, please feel free to contact us.
Sincerely,

I bolded the part about subject to change without notice, they can and might change it again. So please contact them!