DCL carry-on alcohol policy changing Sept. 30 2015

[C6PT7]

I knew they try to upsell the wine and liquor in palos, but i had not read they have a upset on the meals as well?
$30/oz? must be kobe steak? that isn't itialian though right? do they reduce the price as the cruise progresses or do they just throw out the unused specialities at the end of the cruise?
i get the upsell in remy, they have different offerings, but i hadn't heard about palo as well? haven't cruised with dcl for at least 10 years so this is the first i am hearing about this since going the dis.

 

[MousseauMob]

I'm not sure where people are getting that other lines don't allow you to bring wine on board, that's not what I'm finding in my research. DCL used to be the most liberal and now they are one of the most expensive and restrictive.

HAL
Each guest 21 years and older may bring one bottle of wine or champagne (no larger than 750ml) onboard in carry-on luggage at the beginning of the voyage. This bottle will not be subject to a corkage fee if consumed in the stateroom. Additional wine or champagne bottles (no larger than 750ml) in carry-on luggage are welcome, but will incur a US$18.00 (subject to change) corkage fee each, irrespective of where they are intended to be consumed. Wine and champagne bottles (no larger than 750ml) purchased in ports of call are welcome to be brought onboard subject to a US$18.00 (subject to change) corkage fee each, irrespective of where they are intended to be consumed. Alternatively guests can choose to have these bottles stored and returned on the last evening of the voyage at no charge

Princess
As provided in the Passage Contract, guests agree not to bring alcoholic beverages of any kind onboard for consumption, except one bottle of wine or champagne per adult of drinking age (no larger than 750 ml) per voyage, which will not be subject to a corkage fee if consumed in the stateroom. Additional wine or champagne bottles are welcome, but will incur a $15 corkage fee each, irrespective of where they are intended to be consumed. Alcoholic beverages that are purchased duty free from the ship's gift shop, or at ports of call, will be collected for safekeeping and delivered to the guest's stateroom on the last day of the cruise.

Celebrity
No beer or hard liquor may be brought onboard for consumption. If you wish to bring personal wine onboard with you on the day you board your cruise, you may do so, limited to two (2) 750ml bottles per stateroom. When enjoyed in any shipboard restaurant, bar or dining venue, each bottle shall be subject to a corkage fee of $25.

RC
Guests wishing to bring personal wine and champagne onboard may do so only on boarding day, limited to two (2) 750 ml bottles per stateroom. Additional bottles of wine beyond two (2) bottles that are brought onboard or any alcoholic beverages purchased in ports of call or from Shops On Board will be stored by the ship and delivered to your stateroom on the last day of the sailing.

NCL
Please note that with the exception of Wine and Champagne, all guests are prohibited from bringing alcohol on board our ships. If you purchase any alcohol at one of our ports-of-call or in our onboard shops, we will safely store your purchase(s) and either on the final night of the cruise or the morning of debarkation it will be available for pick up in a designated area.

Guests may bring bottles of wine and champagne on board. When bottles are brought on board and served or consumed in any restaurant, public room area or in their stateroom, a corkage fee will be charged according to bottle sizes noted below.

750 ml Bottle: $15.00
1,500 ml Magnum: $30.00

It appears HAL is the most liberal as they don't restrict the number of bottles and if you buy in a port you can ask them to hold it for delivery (no charge) or consume it with a corkage charge. DCL appears to be more in line with Celebrity in corkage fee and restriction (other than the 6 beers).

Oops - missed NCL - which might be more liberal than HAL, have included them now!

 

[Dug720]

I'm not sure where people are getting that other lines don't allow you to bring wine on board, that's not what I'm finding in my research. DCL used to be the most liberal and now they are one of the most expensive and restrictive.

HAL
Each guest 21 years and older may bring one bottle of wine or champagne (no larger than 750ml) onboard in carry-on luggage at the beginning of the voyage. This bottle will not be subject to a corkage fee if consumed in the stateroom. Additional wine or champagne bottles (no larger than 750ml) in carry-on luggage are welcome, but will incur a US$18.00 (subject to change) corkage fee each, irrespective of where they are intended to be consumed. Wine and champagne bottles (no larger than 750ml) purchased in ports of call are welcome to be brought onboard subject to a US$18.00 (subject to change) corkage fee each, irrespective of where they are intended to be consumed. Alternatively guests can choose to have these bottles stored and returned on the last evening of the voyage at no charge

Princess
As provided in the Passage Contract, guests agree not to bring alcoholic beverages of any kind onboard for consumption, except one bottle of wine or champagne per adult of drinking age (no larger than 750 ml) per voyage, which will not be subject to a corkage fee if consumed in the stateroom. Additional wine or champagne bottles are welcome, but will incur a $15 corkage fee each, irrespective of where they are intended to be consumed. Alcoholic beverages that are purchased duty free from the ship's gift shop, or at ports of call, will be collected for safekeeping and delivered to the guest's stateroom on the last day of the cruise.

Celebrity
No beer or hard liquor may be brought onboard for consumption. If you wish to bring personal wine onboard with you on the day you board your cruise, you may do so, limited to two (2) 750ml bottles per stateroom. When enjoyed in any shipboard restaurant, bar or dining venue, each bottle shall be subject to a corkage fee of $25.

RC
Guests wishing to bring personal wine and champagne onboard may do so only on boarding day, limited to two (2) 750 ml bottles per stateroom. Additional bottles of wine beyond two (2) bottles that are brought onboard or any alcoholic beverages purchased in ports of call or from Shops On Board will be stored by the ship and delivered to your stateroom on the last day of the sailing.

It appears HAL is the most liberal as they don't restrict the number of bottles and if you buy in a port you can ask them to hold it for delivery (no charge) or consume it with a corkage charge. DCL appears to be more in line with Celebrity in corkage fee and restriction (other than the 6 beers).

HAL also has the most liberal smoking policy (still allowed on balconies), so that to me offsets the "more liberal" wine policy that punishes solo cruisers an extra $18 because a cabin with 2 adults gets 2 bottles, but a solo cruiser is only allowed one where Disney and RCCL set the 2 bottles per stateroom.

 

[MousseauMob]

HAL also has the most liberal smoking policy (still allowed on balconies), so that to me offsets the "more liberal" wine policy that punishes solo cruisers an extra $18 because a cabin with 2 adults gets 2 bottles, but a solo cruiser is only allowed one where Disney and RCCL set the 2 bottles per stateroom.

Disney's isn't 2 per stateroom, it's also per person and it say's excess bottles must be retrieved or be destroyed with no compensation, whereas HAL delivers any you have asked them to store. Plus there is no limit, as a solo you could bring 6 bottles on HAL and they won't confiscate them like DCL - they would just have corkage. So IMO I still think they are the more liberal. But that's just my opinion and everyone has their own, and don't even get me started on solo punishment in the cruise industry... I did see those new solo cabins which looked cool... can't recall which line that is now - maybe RCCL?

 

[C6PT7]

IMO dcl have gone about this so wrong. and again. they obviously did not learn from last time.
firstly the lack of notice given. very very wrong and has upset so many people and turned others away. it is just bad business practice to spring this change on your customers without the proper notice. that and the lack of planning in training the shore side staff.
secondly, it is obviously not really been thought thru with the length of cruise and number of ports taken into consideration. why does a 3 day cruise get the same allowance as a 7 day or 14 day cruise?
thirdly, they could have made money by charging a nominal fee for hard liquor, say $10 per bottle, and for every bottle of wine past the 2 per person limit brought aboard in the embarkation port, and LOWERED the corkage fee to say $10/$15 for the restaurnts. $25 is so stupid.

what i haven't understood was why were the servers allowed to not charge the corkage at their discretion? if it were a land based restaurant the owner would decipline that staff member or terminate them? dcl have turned a blind eye for years, but rather than making hard and fast rules and implementing them, they have helped make this mess and upset, then handled it wrong imo.

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

Disney's isn't 2 per stateroom, it's also per person and it say's excess bottles must be retrieved or be destroyed with no compensation, whereas HAL delivers any you have asked them to store. Plus there is no limit, as a solo you could bring 6 bottles on HAL and they won't confiscate them like DCL - they would just have corkage. So IMO I still think they are the more liberal. But that's just my opinion and everyone has their own, and don't even get me started on solo punishment in the cruise industry... I did see those new solo cabins which looked cool... can't recall which line that is now - maybe RCCL?

Solo cabins are on NCL, @perditax just wrote an awesome review of one of them on Cruise Critic.

 

[MousseauMob]

Solo cabins are on NCL, @perditax just wrote an awesome review of one of them on Cruise Critic.

That was it, that was the one I read/saw! Thanks!

 

[Weedy]

I'll start by saying it's easy to be snarky when it doesn't effect you.
Lots of people are complaining that it was changed after their PIF date and they can't cancel. But I have yet to see ( doesn't mean their aren't) anyone who is not past their PIF date say they are going to cancel. And really your going to tell your kids sorry guys we aren't going on the Disney cruise because We can't bring a bottle of Rum.

Yes we have cruised Disney a lot and yes we carry on our own wine and yes we have a cruise booked in December that this will effect. But luckily it's a 4 day so 4 bottles of wine and we should be ok. Lol.

 

[DMMarla07860]

Well I can't complain about this because it doesn't effect me, though my dad has carried stuff on, but I'm sure this isn't any big big deal breaker for him. I did talk to a few of the bartenders/servers on the ships I know and they all thought this should have happened a while ago

 

[Cruise]

I'd just like to say - I think everyone should probably refrain from posting information (joking or not) about ways to "sneak" alcohol onboard. Not only do you not want to give Disney ideas about where to locate your smuggled liquor ( ), it's also not fair to the DISboards to have posts on their site that encourage someone to "break the rules." I know the DISboards and their employees all try to keep a good relationship with Disney.

 

[C6PT7]

I'd just like to say - I think everyone should probably refrain from posting information (joking or not) about ways to "sneak" alcohol onboard. Not only do you not want to give Disney ideas about where to locate your smuggled liquor ( ), it's also not fair to the DISboards to have posts on their site that encourage someone to "break the rules." I know the DISboards and their employees all try to keep a good relationship with Disney.

The disboards can and do remove any post they feel are inappropriate. they have moderators for that.
whilst the disboards and their employees try to keep a good relationship with disney, disney are doing their best to foul their relationship with their customers by making last minute policy changes that can have a financial impact on their customer if they drink alcohol. If dcl are not aware of the techniques used on other lines, then more fool them.
i say share the smuggling techniques and let dcl have to spend extra money finding the smuggled booze?
there are very knowledgeable thread here with tips and tricks
http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2061057
http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2094164

 

[phinz]

HAL also has the most liberal smoking policy (still allowed on balconies), so that to me offsets the "more liberal" wine policy that punishes solo cruisers an extra $18 because a cabin with 2 adults gets 2 bottles, but a solo cruiser is only allowed one where Disney and RCCL set the 2 bottles per stateroom.

Looks like I might cruise HAL. All the wine I want *and* I can still enjoy a cigar or my pipe on the verandah? I'm all about that.

 

[godde8ss]

I think many people are missing the point focusing on the alcohol aspect, with the "it doesn't affect me mindset". If they can change a policy like this, with no warning, that affects PIF guests, than they can change a policy that does affect Joe No Drinkin' Cruiser...And when it comes that time, be it room service charges, character meet and greet up charges or whatever you did not budget for and now have to pay for, it will be your turn to rant...

Again, missing the point comparing Disney to other cruise lines as far as the onboard alcohol policies. Our cruise, 5 night, sailing 10/23, is currently priced at $1010 per person for an interior cabin, in off season. RCL has similar sail date, $614 per person, 7 night, better itinerary. So, I'm not really interested in a direct comparison of their beverage policy. We chose Disney for what Disney represents, but we certainly made up some of that disparity with the "perks." a.k.a. the things that stood out not an apples to apples comparison.

 

[VowRenewal13]

You'd be amazed at the creativity exhibited when people do this. A few have already been suggested on this thread.

BTW, I have a really high end wine corking tool available if anyone needs one (I'm out of foil however)

Check out Amazon.com They have all of your corking and sealing supplies.

 

[phinz]

I'll start by saying it's easy to be snarky when it doesn't effect you.
Lots of people are complaining that it was changed after their PIF date and they can't cancel. But I have yet to see ( doesn't mean their aren't) anyone who is not past their PIF date say they are going to cancel.

Then you're not paying attention, because I've made it clear that I plan on canceling our March cruise if the policy isn't rescinded. I can stay in Key West (my entire reason for taking that cruise) for cheaper than the cruise, *and* I can bring my own booze.

 

[Minniemiss]

I knew they try to upsell the wine and liquor in palos, but i had not read they have a upset on the meals as well?
$30/oz? must be kobe steak? that isn't itialian though right? do they reduce the price as the cruise progresses or do they just throw out the unused specialities at the end of the cruise?
i get the upsell in remy, they have different offerings, but i hadn't heard about palo as well? haven't cruised with dcl for at least 10 years so this is the first i am hearing about this since going the dis.

You haven't cruised DCL for at least 10 years?

 

[C6PT7]

You haven't cruised DCL for at least 10 years?

no

 

[bumbershoot]

I think you misunderstanding what the shore side staff member was saying. as the email addresses confiscated booze only, it makes more sense when you add the word confiscated (bolded).
"If a guest would like to pack confiscated alcohol into their luggage, that has been stored at the cruise terminal they may wish to consider not using the Onboard Airline Check-In program or perhaps bring an extra
piece of luggage." makes more sense to me.

So we think that they are going to store confiscated alcohol at the cruise terminal? Well then I'm sure we'll all get our confiscated booze back. Yeah, sure...

But you and I having a different understanding of it goes exactly along with what I'm saying. This rep has NO idea of what he's talking about or what is going ot happen. He's making it up. This is not a Legal-vetted response. This isn't a crafted email by those who craft the emails for the reps. He's writing on his own. And it makes no sense.



Oh but WAIT! I have just remembered that we HAD TO carry the guavaberry rum off with us, it could not be put into checked luggage, because it had to be declared. That's on Royal. But I'm still not remembering when we got it; if it was the night before or as we left. Drat. But the person is talking about not partaking in onboard checkin, and that would almost certainly be true for the bag with the rum, because it will have to be checked BUT it has to come off the ship with the person for customs.

what i haven't understood was why were the servers allowed to not charge the corkage at their discretion?

EXACTLY! Oh so very much exactly.

This is another example of "there's a problem. servers aren't charging corkage all the time, people are getting too drunk, and people aren't buying enough booze from us. Let's destroy it ALL."

Just like GAC turning into DAS. If there was a problem with abuse, stop the CMs who were turning GAC into FOTL! Even DAS is being used that way; I have a few friends who were recently at WDW and they are trustworthy people who swear up and down that they got FOTL. One has now invited herself on our future trip, and she'll bring her mom, so that we can all (this would be a group of 10 at least LOL) get FOTL. But instead of stopping the CMs, they burned it to the ground and started anew.

It's their M.O. Don't make the CMs do their job by charging corkage or watching over all guests OR stopping the bartenders from overserving. Just destroy everything.

Sigh.

 

[niccikatie]

The crazy thing is, I can get an NCL Panama canal cruise for the exact same price off my onboard booking DCL Panama. The NCL cruise includes an alcohol beverage package and soda card for my DD. I loved our Disney experience, but the value just isn't adding up for me when I can get better perks on other lines. I have to say the service on my Spring Break Celebrity cruise was just as good as my DCL experience. One of the biggest drawbacks I saw with cruising was feeling like I had to pay for a bunch of little things - including our drinks - which made it hard to budget. I loved the freedom of the beverage package on Celebrity and had no concerns about "breaking even". I could try new drinks and not worry if I didn't like them. I could get bottled water delivered to me on the pool deck (it's not only the alcoholic drinks! I got plenty of specialty coffees, bottles of water to bring into ports and at the pool, my DD's package included smoothies and virgin drinks). The cruise was a gift to my mom and it was so nice for her not to have to worry if I was paying extra or "too much" for something. We felt pampered by it. It's not about over consuming or getting rowdy or needing alcohol to have fun. It's about the experience. This will impact my value-based decisions on cruises in the future.

 

[C6PT7]

So we think that they are going to store confiscated alcohol at the cruise terminal? Well then I'm sure we'll all get our confiscated booze back. Yeah, sure...

But you and I having a different understanding of it goes exactly along with what I'm saying. This rep has NO idea of what he's talking about or what is going ot happen. He's making it up. This is not a Legal-vetted response. This isn't a crafted email by those who craft the emails for the reps. He's writing on his own. And it makes no sense.
Oh but WAIT! I have just remembered that we HAD TO carry the guavaberry rum off with us, it could not be put into checked luggage, because it had to be declared. That's on Royal. But I'm still not remembering when we got it; if it was the night before or as we left. Drat. But the person is talking about not partaking in onboard checkin, and that would almost certainly be true for the bag with the rum, because it will have to be checked BUT it has to come off the ship with the person for customs.
EXACTLY! Oh so very much exactly.

This is another example of "there's a problem. servers aren't charging corkage all the time, people are getting too drunk, and people aren't buying enough booze from us. Let's destroy it ALL."

Just like GAC turning into DAS. If there was a problem with abuse, stop the CMs who were turning GAC into FOTL! Even DAS is being used that way; I have a few friends who were recently at WDW and they are trustworthy people who swear up and down that they got FOTL. One has now invited herself on our future trip, and she'll bring her mom, so that we can all (this would be a group of 10 at least LOL) get FOTL. But instead of stopping the CMs, they burned it to the ground and started anew.

It's their M.O. Don't make the CMs do their job by charging corkage or watching over all guests OR stopping the bartenders from overserving. Just destroy everything.

Sigh.

WOW!
hold on there lady!

from that email yes i think they are saying they will hold confiscated booze at the terminal. after all that is where they xray the checked luggage. that is where they scan your carry on and inspect it. that is where they would remove any excess booze as per the email. why does it not make sense to reclaim excess booze on your way off the ship before customs?
why are you ranting at me by the way? I'm not dcl?
the policy of hand carrying rather than checking booze in luggage works both ways right? why would they not want you to put it into your baggage incase of breakage on the way in, but not the way out?
and yes, either way, concealed in your checked baggage being on the participating airline program does not exempt anyone from that policy?
Again, why are you being angry and ranting at me?
I have no experience of the gas and the das.
please feel free to rant at someone else who knows about that.

edit to add.
whilst you are obviously very passionate about this, please do not take it out on me because i just pointed out that you has misread or taken what was said in the email out of context as i read it.