Alcohol

[peterflegger]

What happened a few months age? Did they start restriciting or banning alcohol on board?

 

[PrincessShmoo]

What happened a few months age? Did they start restriciting or banning alcohol on board?

DCL announced that they were restricting the amounts of alcoholic beverages you could take onboard. No notice, just "alcoholic beverages are restricted to 1 wine bottle per person, etc".

There was such an outcry, it only lasted about 12 hours.

 

[cbate717]

So lets clarify....if i carry it on, i shouldn't have any problem bringing liquor on-board..beer...wine....rum....whatever.
But if its in checked luggage, they are going to take it?



My cruise is a long way away, so the rules could change, I'll keep an eye out

 

[mmouse37]

So lets clarify....if i carry it on, i shouldn't have any problem bringing liquor on-board..beer...wine....rum....whatever.
But if its in checked luggage, they are going to take it?



My cruise is a long way away, so the rules could change, I'll keep an eye out

DCL requests that you bring any beverages onboard in your carryons...NOT checked luggage. If they find it they MAY confiscate it. My worry is that if people ignore their guidelines they will definitely pull the perk.

MJ

 

[extechie rbd/wdt]

So lets clarify....if i carry it on, i shouldn't have any problem bringing liquor on-board..beer...wine....rum....whatever.
But if its in checked luggage, they are going to take it?



My cruise is a long way away, so the rules could change, I'll keep an eye out

To clarify, At the moment:

"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."

Even if the amount of alcohol is restricted at any point, the policy of "must be hand-carried on board" is very unlikely to be rescinded due to obvious reasons of spillage and contamination of your's and other's belongings.

HTH's!

Ex Techie

 

[PrincessShmoo]

So lets clarify....if i carry it on, i shouldn't have any problem bringing liquor on-board..beer...wine....rum....whatever.
But if its in checked luggage, they are going to take it?



My cruise is a long way away, so the rules could change, I'll keep an eye out

There's a reason DCL doesn't want drinks to be checked as luggage:

This is one of the luggage rooms, where the bags wait to be delivered to the staterooms. If there is breakage, you are going to damage more than just your stuff.

 

[tastefullyjenn]

"Just don't bring it with you" seems like it would be better than "haul it all the way down here, and then we'll take it away from you" but Disney logic does escape me sometimes.

Maybe it is born out of the economic downfall and they need to restock the bars onboard??

 

[extechie rbd/wdt]

Maybe it is born out of the economic downfall and they need to restock the bars onboard??

Haha!

The OP did say they returned it at the end of the cruise thou! Never said if it was still full!

Ex Techie

 

[Yokelridesagain]

DCL requests that you bring any beverages onboard in your carryons...NOT checked luggage. If they find it they MAY confiscate it. My worry is that if people ignore their guidelines they will definitely pull the perk.

MJ

To clarify...it's really not cool to try to put a bottle of liquor in your checked luggage. To the best of our collective knowledge, DCL will allow you to bring on enough alcohol to intoxicate a good sized whale as long as it's in a carry-on bag. Speaking from personal experience, it is not fun to have your clothes smell like tequila because a bottle broke open and spilled all over them. (Fortunately we were on the way home...)

It's also not cool to bring a glass of wine that you oh-so-cleverly poured in your stateroom to dinner. Do you show up to restaurants at home with your own drinks?

All that being said, DCL isn't trying to change their alcohol policy because of rule-breakers. They're trying to change it because they want to make money. Off of everyone. As long as people keep ponying up the money for a middle-of-the-road cruise experience at near-premium prices, they're going to keep pushing the envelope as far as they can.

 

[stitchlovestink]

There's a reason DCL doesn't want drinks to be checked as luggage:

This is one of the luggage rooms, where the bags wait to be delivered to the staterooms. If there is breakage, you are going to damage more than just your stuff.

HEY!!!!
When did you take this picture???
Me thinks me sees me own suitcases in that pileage!!

 

[extechie rbd/wdt]

[SNIP]

It's also not cool to bring a glass of wine that you oh-so-cleverly poured in your stateroom to dinner. Do you show up to restaurants at home with your own drinks?

All that being said, DCL isn't trying to change their alcohol policy because of rule-breakers. They're trying to change it because they want to make money. Off of everyone. As long as people keep ponying up the money for a middle-of-the-road cruise experience at near-premium prices, they're going to keep pushing the envelope as far as they can.

I disagree.
I think DCL are happy with their policy and "model" as long as Guest's abide by it, and do not put the server CM's in a position where they feel they may loose out on their tip's if they confront a Guest for exceeding the boundaries, or could receive a smaller amount for not turning a blind eye to the abuse/over stepping the mark/or Oh, OK just one more glass from your Stateroom after the last.

I really need's the Maitre 'D to be just that and be able to confront anyone breaking the rules, bending them, or just make a managerial decision.

Ex Techie

 

[jilljill]

To clarify...it's really not cool to try to put a bottle of liquor in your checked luggage. To the best of our collective knowledge, DCL will allow you to bring on enough alcohol to intoxicate a good sized whale as long as it's in a carry-on bag. Speaking from personal experience, it is not fun to have your clothes smell like tequila because a bottle broke open and spilled all over them. (Fortunately we were on the way home...)

It's also not cool to bring a glass of wine that you oh-so-cleverly poured in your stateroom to dinner. Do you show up to restaurants at home with your own drinks?

All that being said, DCL isn't trying to change their alcohol policy because of rule-breakers. They're trying to change it because they want to make money. Off of everyone. As long as people keep ponying up the money for a middle-of-the-road cruise experience at near-premium prices, they're going to keep pushing the envelope as far as they can.

I disagree.
I think DCL are happy with their policy and "model" as long as Guest's abide by it, and do not put the server CM's in a position where they feel they may loose out on their tip's if they confront a Guest for exceeding the boundaries, or could receive a smaller amount for not turning a blind eye to the abuse/over stepping the mark/or Oh, OK just one more glass from your Stateroom after the last.

I really need's the Maitre 'D to be just that and be able to confront anyone breaking the rules, bending them, or just make a managerial decision.

Ex Techie

But how are they going to know where you got the glass of wine, or other drink, that you are carrying into the dining room? It's just like going to a restaurant where you have to wait and you order a drink from the bar and then carry it to your table when it's ready. Sure the restaurant knows where the drink came from in that instance, but your server won't begrudge you for bringing that drink to the table with you. When you show up to one of the main dining rooms carrying your glass of wine or cocktail no one is going to ask to see a receipt to prove you purchased the drink on board. Extremely tacky of them to ask for a receipt in my opinion.
Also, the night of the Captain's reception many, many people carry a drink into the dining room - can't see them stopping that either.

I'm not trying to start anything with anyone, just pointing out different circumstances where you would bring in a drink to dinner and where they would be obtained.

 

[Yokelridesagain]

I disagree.
I think DCL are happy with their policy and "model" as long as Guest's abide by it, and do not put the server CM's in a position where they feel they may loose out on their tip's if they confront a Guest for exceeding the boundaries, or can get a smaller amount for turning a blind eye to the abuse/over stepping the mark/or Oh, OK just one more glass from your Stateroom after the last.

I really need's the Maitre 'D to be just that and be able to confront anyone breaking the rules, bending them, or just make a managerial decision.

Ex Techie

You may be right. I doubt it.

I will be (happily) surprised if DCL does not institute the policy they floated last August by the end of this calendar year.

If the situation you describe were really their primary concern, why didn't they change the policy to "no drinks carried into the dining room, unless you pay a corkage fee"? Easily enforceable, very reasonable.

Of course they want to stop people from carrying drinks into the dining rooms, but they also want to stop people from not buying drinks in the bars because they have litres of liquor in their staterooms.

Disney is a business. They want your cash (not that there's anything wrong with that...). Whatever they can do to maximize the amount of cash they can transfer from your pocket to theirs, they will.

Honestly I think what happened last year is that they were surprised by the number of high-rollers who threatened to permanently transfer their business to Oceania/Windstar/Regent, etc. over this issue. DCL played it very "safe" with their 2013 itineraries, and I fully expect them to try to optimize their fee structures this year to their advantage.

 

[Yokelridesagain]

But how are they going to know where you got the glass of wine, or other drink, that you are carrying into the dining room? It's just like going to a restaurant where you have to wait and you order a drink from the bar and then carry it to your table when it's ready. Sure the restaurant knows where the drink came from in that instance, but your server won't begrudge you for bringing that drink to the table with you. When you show up to one of the main dining rooms carrying your glass of wine or cocktail no one is going to ask to see a receipt to prove you purchased the drink on board. Extremely tacky of them to ask for a receipt in my opinion.
Also, the night of the Captain's reception many, many people carry a drink into the dining room - can't see them stopping that either.

I'm not trying to start anything with anyone, just pointing out different circumstances where you would bring in a drink to dinner and where they would be obtained.

Like I just said, I would have no problem with them telling you to finish your drink outside. It's fine if they want to "let it slide" if someone has a few sips of a drink left in a glass. On the other hand---seriously, if someone shows up wine a glass of wine brimming to the top what are the chances that they just ordered that in a bar? Virtually nil--it's not like the wine is cheaper in the bar than in the dining room!

Good point about the cocktails in Disney glasses from the receptions and such...I'm sure that some brilliant soul will dash up to their stateroom and fill up their brightly colored cocktail with several ounces of liquor and 'sneak' it into dinner...just as some people will succeed in sneaking liquor onto the ship no matter how stringent the policies are. It's one of the costs of doing business.

Nevertheless, I maintain that if they change the policy MOST people will (for one reason or another) tend to follow it...and that will benefit DCL's bottom line.

 

[extechie rbd/wdt]

Well I'm hoping that the whole time and posting thing has struck again with Yorklel posting first and JillJill afterwards!

Refering to Jilljill's post, A glass of wine or beer, tolerable.
Who know's where it came from? Stateroom or bar?
When the server notices that your glass was 3/4 empty and is now 3/4 full......
That person may have gone for a "top up".

Yorkle,

As Jilljill stated before you, how can DCL prove where you bought the drink or pored it yourself with a BYO policy?

Even if purchased at a bar, you may not, or anyone in your Stateroom have paid for it, so, there is the ambiguity.
Hense why a Maitre 'D with powers to discipline Guest's and over see the restaurant without fear of loss of a tip, is necessary IMO.

Ex Techie

 

[Yokelridesagain]

So why not just say, "you can't bring drinks in here, champ"?? It solves the (alleged) problem and isn't ambiguous. And no one who isn't trying to get out of paying for something is going to be put out much.

 

[extechie rbd/wdt]

So why not just say, "you can't bring drinks in here, champ"?? It solves the (alleged) problem and isn't ambiguous. And no one who isn't trying to get out of paying for something is going to be put out much.

I see nothing wrong with buying a glass of beer, wine or anything else at a bar and taking it into a restaurant owned by the same establishment.
1 glass per person is reasonable IMO with the BYO policy and if that glass get's topped up then they are trying to get out of paying and shouldn't feel put out by being caught?
I can't see that being any different to someone sneaking a bottle of wine into a bar and topping up their glass and being caught, except DCL graciously allow you to bring that first glass in the first place?

Ex Techie

 

[Yokelridesagain]

I see nothing wrong with buying a glass of beer, wine or anything else at a bar and taking it into a restaurant owned by the same establishment.
1 glass per person is reasonable IMO with the BYO policy and if that glass get's topped up then they are trying to get out of paying and shouldn't feel put out by being caught?
I can't see that being any different to someone sneaking a bottle of wine into a bar and topping up their glass and being caught, except DCL graciously allow you to bring that first glass in the first place?

Ex Techie

All I'm saying is, if all they were concerned about was people trying to skirt the rules by carrying beer/wine/liquor from their staterooms into the bars/restaurants, they could easily stop that by not allowing outside drinks into any of those places.

The apparent push toward banning or severely limiting BYO alcohol goes well beyond that. My position is that they very much want to stop you from drinking your own wine/beer/liquor in your stateroom so you will buy it from them instead.

We will see who is right, soon enough!

 

[mmouse37]

I also think it would be very tacky to ask people at the dining room door "Where did you get that drink?" "Show me a receipt"....so many people stop in one of the lounges before they head into the dining room I can't see them asking where you got it. I also can't see them saying not to bring a glass of anything into the dining room....that would offend so many people and turn people off.

MJ

 

[TDC Nala]

I really need's the Maitre 'D to be just that and be able to confront anyone breaking the rules, bending them, or just make a managerial decision.

That would mean either stopping anyone entering the dining room to ask them where they got the beverage they're carrying, in which case they could just say "I got it in the bar" and what would they do then, require the guest to produce a receipt? Can't see them putting their head servers through having to do that. Or keeping an eye on them when they leave the dining room so that if they come back with more wine they can be questioned as to where they got it. Crew members don't want to be doing a lot of interrogating the guests. Guests don't like it. I'm sure the crew doesn't either.

The other thing they could do is ban all outside beverages from the dining rooms, which would be easier if they want to go in that direction, and making guests aware before they get stopped and turned back (guests don't like that either) that they will not be permitted to carry in beverages even if they got them in the bar. Plus, prohibit carrying glasses out of the dining room as well.

At any rate they should be telling passengers ahead of time what they can or can't bring aboard ship, and not implementing a new alcohol policy by stealth.