DCL carry-on alcohol policy changing Sept. 30 2015

[tinkerone]

You try to prove your side of the argument with personal attacks?

I think the ones who are not bothered are actually avoiding this thread, if it was a free vote I am sure people would with open minds know that cruisers abused it.

May be best to discuss your view without the need to make personal remarks it lowers your side of the argument.

be careful. i have seen some personal attacks come from 'other sides' (hmmmm) as well. it can't be one person doing it and calling out others for it.

 

[TheLanes]

You try to prove your side of the argument with personal attacks?

I think the ones who are not bothered are actually avoiding this thread, if it was a free vote I am sure people would with open minds know that cruisers abused it.

May be best to discuss your view without the need to make personal remarks it lowers your side of the argument.

You're hardly blameless. You called folks dishonest, hinted at calling us drunks with a problem, and other subtle things. Just because I'm less subtle than you doesn't make me worse.

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

be careful. i have seen some personal attacks come from 'other sides' (hmmmm) as well. it can't be one person doing it and calling out others for it.

I do not do personal attacks, I have highlighted people not telling the truth. Or implying they have done something and haven't done it and not come clean.

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

You're hardly blameless. You called folks dishonest, hinted at calling us drunks with a problem, and other subtle things. Just because I'm less subtle than you doesn't make me worse.

There were people on my cruise who abused it and were Drunk and they caused so many others to be unhappy.

People like a 'target' to vent their annoyance, that's understood, but to many focus on the wrong target, history shows it time and again, go for a target you can get, not the underlying correct reason.

I get many are annoyed, I brought booze on in the past, for limited consumption, I brought drinks on the cruise this month.

Yes I get annoyed when one or two posters give answers and have never done what they are posting about. Maybe right maybe wrong, but when I see others accept answers not knowing the full truth it grates on me.

 

[tinkerone]

I do not do personal attacks, I have highlighted people not telling the truth. Or implying they have done something and haven't done it and not come clean.

http://www.disboards.com/threads/cabana-on-last-morning.3438902/
i thought post 20 was very personal…..and i wasn't the only one.
jmo

 

[TheLanes]

There were people on my cruise who abused it and were Drunk and they caused so many others to be unhappy.

I'm sure that's true and they're jerks. Don't take that instance and apply it to anyone that drinks or wants to bend around a corporate policy to save money.

I normally drink about 4-5 drinks a week, usually one with dinner. On vacation, I'll have a few more, but still able to control myself and my children. Not sure why I'm explaining myself to you, but I think I'm like most others in this regard.

Here in San Diego, we can no longer drink at the beach because groups of college kids got wasted and caused major problems. The city changed the law to keep us safer. Draconian, but not greedy. Disney is only changing the policy to increase profits, don't for one second think corporate sat down and wrang their hands over a couple instances of unruly drunks

 

[bumbershoot]

I have a few FB friends who cruise DCL at least once a year and both of these people post photos at the very beginning of the vacation showing the 5 or more large bottles of liquor that they are bringing on for a 3 day cruise and then they will post a picture at the end of their cruise of the empty bottles and trashed area around them.

They posted a picture of the full bottles...where? In their stateroom?

Then they posted a picture of the empty bottles...in the same place? Stateroom?

What was trashed around the bottles? The desk? The room? How was it trashed?

Do you feel that they drank it all in one session on the last night? Do you think they didn't let housekeeping in the whole time?

Otherwise, how did the area around the empty bottles get trashed and stay trashed to the end?

I wonder if these friends staged things, just a bit, to make it look like more fun?

(not doubting you at all...but I am totally doubting your friends' truth-in-picture-taking...remembering college, me and buddies putting the empties altogether and strewing amusing things around, when if you took a look around the room it was totally clean)

 

[TestingH2O]

Others as above have posted it was abused by fellow cruisers, then some say its not common.

I find it hard to stay engaged because the term abuse is used in two ways.

First, abuse as in not following the policy by taking personal alcohol all over the ship thereby cutting into DCL profit margins. I'm quite sure this happened frequently and will continue but perhaps to a lesser degree with stricter guidelines. As a for profit company, I don't have a problem with DCL making this business decision and, if I did, I would take my consumer dollars elsewhere. (Implementation timing notwithstanding. I'm not so ok with that.)

The other usage is abuse as in drunken sailers. Pun intended. My experience is limited, but even by anecdotal evidence on this board, that seems quite limited and, I would imagine, did NOT play a role in the policy change.

 

[funfam]

I posted this earlier and left this thread when instead of being a discussion and constructive, it became personal by a few.

Others as above have posted it was abused by fellow cruisers, then some say its not common.

I have seen abuse on two Panama canal crossings, and my recent Northern Europe Baltic cruise.

My stance is I am sorry for the honest folk who were responsible and had it in their room and didn't abuse DCL policy.

Like everything, the majority suffer due to a few who always take it too far.


We have seen it time and time again here on these boards, we have seen people say they will drink near children pools they will drink in public places, contrary to existing policy.



My last cruise there was a group who were drunk, couldn't hold their booze or not use to English and Russian alcohol, and caused disruption in the early hours in the pool deck 9 and in D lounge. The poor cleaning staff at 3am/4am in D Lounge clearing up for byob containers etc left there, no profit for DCL but extra cost of cleaning up. The officers and security called to the deck and clearing up the after effects of a few drinking Russian vodka.

They thought it was fun but other people working for DCL are not employed to clear up after people who bring on their own booze.

Other fellow cruisers and people on these boards caused DCL to take this action, it isnt a conspiracy to get greater income it was abuse of a generous policy.

When you see new threads from some here, how to now smuggle booze on board, then you know some have a problem, not only they cant go on holiday and restrict booze, but want to openly on the open internet declare they intend to breach rules.

I do feel sorry for the responsible drinkers, the ones on long cruises with few ports of call. Or young kids who cant leave their rooms as the children are asleep. But remember, Fellow cruisers abused it, took it too far, and cause mess, disruption and cost to DCL. They are the focus of some peoples annoyance and not people posting their thoughts on these boards.

I have avoided posting on this thread but I just need to say this. Obviously you aren't a big drinker, I won't hold that against you , but you are way off about the alcohol in foreign beverages. Beer from the UK actually had less alcohol than US beer since they are taxed based on the amount of alcohol in the brew. The US has far more high gravity beers, and more coming out all the time, than can be found in the UK. Russians tend to drink more vodka than we do in the US but it isn't necessarily higher in alcohol content. Many of the vodkas available in the US have the same alcohol content or higher.
The people you encountered were drunk. They would have gotten drunk on their vacation no matter where they had gotten the booze. I have seen DCL bartenders serve people who were totally sloppy drunk without batting an eye. I love Disney but I will not be a Disney apologist. It is nice that some want to attribute the change to moral reasons or health and safety. This change was about money pure and simple.

 

[TeenaS]

For a

You actually described how I cruise to a tee! I don't generally like wine or beer and I love to have a mixed drink on my verandah as the sun is setting. I guess I've just never had an issue walking to the closest bar to get it. A process that usually takes less than 10 minutes. In all my sailings with dcl I've never encountered a bar overrun with kids or one where I wasn't served within a minute or two.

Let's say with tip you are averaging $12 a drink. You also buy one for your cruising companion and you are on a 3 day cruise. That's $72. If that amount of money is making or breaking your decision to cruise with DCL, I think it's ok to admit that DCL isn't for you.

For a 3 night cruise, you are correct. However, we cruise 7 nights or longer and with 3 adults usually, that is a lot of extra money PLUS the biggest deal is the inconvenience. If I want to not get dressed ...if I just got a shower, etc., its just a huge inconvenience. Its one of the biggest reasons we cruise DCL ...that plus the larger bathrooms. So taking away the convenience for me is a reason to go back to totally Celebrity ...lots cheaper and less kids and free cocktail hour for certain classes of loyalty program.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

When you see new threads from some here, how to now smuggle booze on board, then you know some have a problem, not only they cant go on holiday and restrict booze, but want to openly on the open internet declare they intend to breach rules.

(((raises hand))) Guilty. I'll be a rum runner post September 2015. Not hiding that fact. I'm in no way ashamed.

I don't have a drinking problem. I rarely drink at home in my daily life, actually. In fact, my last alcoholic beverage was.....hmmmm......almost 2 months ago, I think? Can't even be sure. Last time I was incapacitated drunk? I can tell you exactly when that was! May 1999 celebrating my now 16 yro niece's birth. I was sick for days.

We carried our usual quantities of liquor on the WBPC but didn't drink much of it at all. We've consumed more on a 3-night than we did on that 14-night. So I'm sure you're wondering why all the hullabaloo.

For me, it's a state of mind. It's looking forward to having no worries, no responsibilities, leaving reality behind and immersing in an atmosphere where I can drink & eat what I want without worry. I'm not driving anywhere. I can relax, let my hair down, throw caution to the wind a little bit, be free of all the bindings of daily life. When I chatter about all my drinkin' shenanigans you can rest assured that I know my limits and will manage myself appropriately. I don't ever get sloppy because I don't like to feel out of control. That's not fun. Being relaxed, buzzy-brained, and giggly is where I'm at. Doesn't hurt anyone. Its no detriment to my daily life. It's part of my vacation indulgence. Not a thing wrong with that. If I never drink a drop of the liquor I bring onboard I'm a happy little camper just having it there available to me if I want it.

So my state of mind that I so look forward to is being restricted, trampled upon even, by bean-counters pure & simple. (I like wine, love beer, but there's nothing quite like a good rum drink.) No Bueno, man. Not cool. So, yeah, the little rebel in me will protest. I'll unapologetically, even brazenly, take a stand. I can play the part of rum runner if it nurses my little mind-fix. No problem. If my stash gets dumped, fair enough. I want to smuggle. They don't want me to smuggle. Let's dance. All's fair in love and war.

And, if people like me who like to let their hair down and have a hellagood time don't belong on a Disney ship (I do NOT believe this one iota!) then to devil with it. I'd rather not be where the atmosphere is stuffy & no fun. Thankfully I've never found that on any of the 4 Disney ships. One thing I'll never be is a stick-in-the-mud, I guarantee that. And hey, characters like me might even be good for the joint to liven things up a bit.

But just to clarify, a willingness to exercise one's inner pirate does not make a person in need of intervention. Nor does it make a person worthy of being outcast on any level. It's all good. We can all be friends regardless. Let's have fun together!

 

[mcocruise]

For a


For a 3 night cruise, you are correct. However, we cruise 7 nights or longer and with 3 adults usually, that is a lot of extra money PLUS the biggest deal is the inconvenience. If I want to not get dressed ...if I just got a shower, etc., its just a huge inconvenience. Its one of the biggest reasons we cruise DCL ...that plus the larger bathrooms. So taking away the convenience for me is a reason to go back to totally Celebrity ...lots cheaper and less kids and free cocktail hour for certain classes of loyalty program.

Celebrity has a more restrictive alcohol policy. No beer or liquor and only 2 bottles of wine for the entire cruise. So you will still have the same inconvenience issue when you sail Celebrity even if you purchase the alcohol package. Unless you do mini-bar booze - but honestly who does that.

To address a few other comments from previous posters.

- I'm not a troll. I just have differing opinions on this. That's the great thing about a forum like this!
- while I do agree that cost was factored in on the decision, I think the overindulge probably did factor in as well. The cost of someone drunkenly injuring themselves or falling overboard is much greater from a PR standpoint to Disney than the added revenue. And yes, I know the bartenders will overserve people as well - but the ease of getting to that point when you have multiple bottles in your stateroom vs ordering at a bar is pretty great.

 

[TeenaS]

Celebrity has a more restrictive alcohol policy. No beer or liquor and only 2 bottles of wine for the entire cruise. So you will still have the same inconvenience issue when you sail Celebrity even if you purchase the alcohol package. Unless you do mini-bar booze - but honestly who does that.

To address a few other comments from previous posters.

- I'm not a troll. I just have differing opinions on this. That's the great thing about a forum like this!
- while I do agree that cost was factored in on the decision, I think the overindulge probably did factor in as well. The cost of someone drunkenly injuring themselves or falling overboard is much greater from a PR standpoint to Disney than the added revenue. And yes, I know the bartenders will overserve people as well - but the ease of getting to that point when you have multiple bottles in your stateroom vs ordering at a bar is pretty great.

I know Celebrity's policy. We drink Jack so I don't care about wine and beer. Absolutely I will have same inconvenience on Celebrity but I will get free cocktails before dinner and its lots cheaper and less kids so why go on Disney now? Disney's entertainment is better but we skp it because we've seen every show a dozen times. So because Disney is changing to standard cruise line practices but not changing to standard cruise line pricing, Celebrity is a better choice for me.

 

[TheLanes]

Celebrity has a more restrictive alcohol policy. No beer or liquor and only 2 bottles of wine for the entire cruise. So you will still have the same inconvenience issue when you sail Celebrity even if you purchase the alcohol package. Unless you do mini-bar booze - but honestly who does that.

To address a few other comments from previous posters.

- I'm not a troll. I just have differing opinions on this. That's the great thing about a forum like this!
- while I do agree that cost was factored in on the decision, I think the overindulge probably did factor in as well. The cost of someone drunkenly injuring themselves or falling overboard is much greater from a PR standpoint to Disney than the added revenue. And yes, I know the bartenders will overserve people as well - but the ease of getting to that point when you have multiple bottles in your stateroom vs ordering at a bar is pretty great.

Most bartenders I've seen don't stop people when they should. I know, I was one for awhile

 

[kaseyC]

I think the overindulge probably did factor in as well.

It may be a small factor, but I don't believe it is a major factor. Why, because DCL offers an option for groups that leads to and in a way encourages over indulgence. Groups can arrange for "open bar" events on the ships. Where for a set price pp, unlimited drinks for a set time period in one of the bars. Our cruise meet group had one on our 2014 EBTA. It was $15 pp and all you can drink for 2 hrs. The servers were bringing people multiple drinks at a time. At the end of that event, with liquor supplied by DCL, you had some very drunk people. Considering the fact that DCL has not stopped allowing groups to book and pay for "open bar" events, I tend to believe that over indulgence of alcohol is not a major factor in the decision to change the BYOB policy.

 

[TeenaS]

I also would like to add that I've seen just as many drunken out of control guests on cruises on Disney at bars (buying alcohol) as I've seen on RCCL and Celebrity.

In my opinion, drunks will be drunks no matter where they are and no matter if they bring their own or pay per drink. Disney's change in policy is for $$$. But then they need to reduce their prices too for the cruises.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Ooooohhh....hubby just gave me some interesting info! Because we've sailed Disney so much his coworkers think of him as some sort of expert. LOL! He said of the 3 different coworkers he knew were booked for Wonder sailings out of Galveston 2 came to him and told him they canceled after they heard about the change in the carried on liquor policy. I need to let my hair dresser know, too. She and her friends liked to book while Disney was in our backyard. Pretty sure they'll opt for another all-inclusive vaca in DR or Mexico.

 

[NerosFamily]

I'm sure that no one here would ever try to sneak alcohol onboard........ but what would stop someone from filling a large emptied iced tea bottle with bourbon, or an emptied grape juice bottle with wine, or a big emptied water jug with gin or vodka? (In addition to the 2 bottles of wine and 6 beers.) You can bring liquids on your carry-on as you board like before? Would security open the containers and do a sniff test?

 

[Maggie'sMom]

At the end of the day, none of us are privy to the actual conversations within DCL about this, but if I was to guess it would be both about the strength of liquor vs beer/wine (5 shots of vodka will do much more damage than an entire bottle of wine!) and also a cost analysis looking at the revenue lost in mixed drinks vs a few beers or glasses of wine.

You are obviously not a drinker. 1 shot of liquor = 1 5oz (full pour) glass of wine. 1 bottle of wine = 5 glasses. Ergo, 5 shots of vodka = 1 bottle of wine. The only difference is how quickly you might drink it. Most people aren't drinking straight shots. They are mixing their liquor with juice or soda. So in the end, they are probably drinking the mixed drinks about as quickly as they would drink a glass of wine. Therefore, those 5 shots of vodka aren't doing any more damage than a bottle of wine.

I haven't carried on alcohol to my DCL cruises. If I did, I would bring on a bottle or 2 of wine. So the policy change doesn't really impact me. BUT I'm still upset about the change. And that is for the following reasons:

1) The way this policy change was enacted was completely unfair to those cruisers that were past their PIF date. They booked, and paid a higher price for DCL, with the understanding that they could bring on their own liquor which would give a little cost savings and help offset the premium DCL was charging on their cruise fares. After PIF, DCL changes the policy which will increase the cost for these cruisers if they are planning to drink. DCL has not offered refunds for those cruisers who would now like to cancel their cruises due to the policy change or offered any OBC for to make it up to the PIF cruisers.

2) The responses DCL is providing to their customers who are upset with the change are inadequate, condescending, rude, and tone-deaf. Disney is a company who in the past has been known for their outstanding customer service and they are dropping the ball big time on this.

3) This is yet another perk that is being taken away from DCL cruisers. Following so closely to the discontinuation of getting characters to sign items dropped off at guest services, and reduced hours at the pools, it seems like DCL is just going to continue to take perks away without reducing their fares. That's not the way to keep your customer base happy.

This isn't about people being drunks or abusing alcohol. It's about budgets and customer service, or lack thereof.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I'm sure that no one here would ever try to sneak alcohol onboard........ but what would stop someone from filling a large emptied iced tea bottle with bourbon, or an emptied grape juice bottle with wine, or a big emptied water jug with gin or vodka? (In addition to the 2 bottles of wine and 6 beers.) You can bring liquids on your carry-on as you board like before? Would security open the containers and do a sniff test?

That remains to be seen. I would think they have some sort of screening planned. I know other cruise lines have been doing just that for some time, maybe they'll get some suggestions from them?