Sneaking alcohol onto DCL - We need to learn how

[AndreAggie]

We snuck alcohol on a Carnival cruise using rum runners. However, we hardly used any of it and it was more hassle than it was worth. I also took my two allotted bottles of wine on and drank about 2 glasses worth out of one bottle. I guess if I'm cruising in the Caribbean, I want tropical drinks too! Now we just plan to have one, maybe 2 drinks a day and allocate it in our budget. Otherwise, I'd have to sneak on alcohol, mixers and blender!

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Uh, yeah, if someone opens it up and inspects it. I carry water with me everywhere. People "inspecting" it just take it at face value that it is water. I carry a water bottle with me when I board DCL ships. No one has ever even given it a second glance.

I guarantee I could fill my Dasani bottle with vodka and take it anywhere I take a bottle of water. Easily.

Nope. Don't have to open it at all. All ya gotta do is shake the bottle. Try it. Fill you a Dasani bottle with vodka and give it a shake. Now get a bottle of legit Dasani and give it a shake. What difference do you see???

 

[sweetpee_1993]

They really don't have a clue how many people are sneaking on extra alcohol, they just watch their profit margins.

I don't think they really care so long as the profits are where they want them to be.

 

[littleblackegg]

No, it makes perfect sense. You are correct that it wasn't about punishing rule breakers but about increasing profits. But that's exactly why I said what I did. Follow along:

1) DCL says you can bring on unlimited alcohol, but it must be consumed in your stateroom.
2) If people follow the rule, then DCL gets revenue from bar sales on the pool deck and in the MDRs.
3) People refuse to follow that rule and take their own mixed drinks to the pool deck and their own glasses of wine (not bottles as to avoid the corkage fee) into the MDRs.
4) DCL loses sales of alcohol to those bringing their own to these locations because people want to drink when they are laying by the pool or eating dinner.
5) DCL decides that since people aren't purchasing their alcohol on the pool deck or in the MDRs, they will place new restrictions. Now no one can have their own liquor-based drinks and must purchase them from DCL whether they want to consume them in their stateroom, on the pool deck, or MDRs.

I have no idea where you are getting the idea that I said this was to punish people.

You have to remember the DCL anticipates that people will be carrying drinks around. Just like companies that sell retail anticipate loss of inventory on a daily basis. This is called "shrinkage," and companies usually base unit shrinkage on a per consumer basis. Companies do several things to make up for shrinkage-they monitor it quarterly so they can determine trends, they adjust the prices of certain items (thereby covering the shrinkage in another item the custom is likely to buy), they decide they have enough profits to cover the shrinkage for the quarter without raising prices. Disney has always know they would have shrinkage with the current policy and I suspect covered it by higher-than-average costs for cruises. Chances are good they feel they can't continue to raise prices on cruises and should come up with a new alcohol policy. Lots of people who drink in their room are also running bar tabs. This industry has a relatively small profit margin. Everything counts. It was a policy that worked for them for a long time but it doesn't anymore. Even if people complied 100%, it wouldn't work anymore.

 

[Rogillio]

I love the topic.

RE following the 'rules'. Have you ever exceeded the posted speed limit? Have your ever failed to come to a complete stop at a stop sign? Do you use your turn signals every time you change lanes or make a turn? Ever text and drive or make phone calls while driving? These are laws and I tend to put a little more stock in laws than I do corporate rules. Traffic laws are there to protect lives. The DCL rules are there mostly to protect profit.

Having said that, the alcohol policy change is probably being driven by 2 factors. One reason is liability. If some idiot drinks a bottle of his own Jack Daniels and falls overboard, DCL could/would be held liable because of their alcohol policy. The second reason is obviously money. If people bring their own booze instead of paying $8 for a drink with just a splash of alcohol then you cut into profit.

I thought about bringing booze on the ship and decided it's just not worth the hassle. I like the convenience of just going to the bar and getting a drink. So I end up with a $90 a day bar tab! So what!? I paid $4,500 for the cruise and airfare.....what's another few hundred?! I figure it's just part of the cost of cruising. Convenience comes with a price....that's the reason we will pay $5.00 for two bottles of at WDW when I can buy a case of 24 at Walmart for that price.

So quit being a cheapskate! I say that mostly tongue in cheek because I have in the past brought rum on board that I bought in Nassau and took a water bottle full of rum ashore at CC to 'beef up' the little umbrella drinks on the beach. I just like my drinks a little stronger than the average bear like them.

BTW, anyone know how they intend to control what you bring on board at the ports of call? If I want to bring back some rum from Nassau or other ports of call, will the 'confiscate' the booze when I get back on the ship and hold it for me till we disembark?

 

[PrincessTrisha]

Carnival stopped bringing bottled water aboard. My opinion is that it was due to people using cases of bottled water to smuggle on clear liquor. I know exactly how that worked. I know exactly how you can tell the difference between the contents of a clear bottle of liquid. In response to the halt to carrying on bottled water Carnival has dropped the price of bottled water packages onboard their ships. So instead of $30-something a case it's now more like $5 a case. Don't quote me on those prices. More an example than anything. If DCL would like to DROP the price of anything I don't see that being a terrible thing in and of itself.

It's $2.99 a case of 12. If DCL wants to be "in line with industry standards", why doesn't it drop it's water prices and allow pre-orders for less than $9 for a 6 pack of Dasani.

 

[TheLanes]

I love the topic.

RE following the 'rules'. Have you ever exceeded the posted speed limit? Have your ever failed to come to a complete stop at a stop sign? Do you use your turn signals every time you change lanes or make a turn? Ever text and drive or make phone calls while driving? These are laws and I tend to put a little more stock in laws than I do corporate rules. Traffic laws are there to protect lives. The DCL rules are there mostly to protect profit.

Having said that, the alcohol policy change is probably being driven by 2 factors. One reason is liability. If some idiot drinks a bottle of his own Jack Daniels and falls overboard, DCL could/would be held liable because of their alcohol policy. The second reason is obviously money. If people bring their own booze instead of paying $8 for a drink with just a splash of alcohol then you cut into profit.

I hardly ever see bartenders give a lick about how drunk people are. If they started cutting off drunks when they should, they would be in big trouble with management for not maximizing profits. They only care about liability by posting rules and pretending to follow them.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

It's $2.99 a case of 12. If DCL wants to be "in line with industry standards", why doesn't it drop it's water prices and allow pre-orders for less than $9 for a 6 pack of Dasani.

Thanks for the price quote. I was thinking $3 for 12 (or $6 for 24). That's definitely more in-line with land pricing. Now there's no need to carry bottled water onboard other than dislike of whatever brand they sell.

 

[DLgal]

Nope. Don't have to open it at all. All ya gotta do is shake the bottle. Try it. Fill you a Dasani bottle with vodka and give it a shake. Now get a bottle of legit Dasani and give it a shake. What difference do you see???

I actually just did this in my kitchen. I shook a bottle of almost full Absolut. I shook a bottle of Target brands bottled drinking water. They both bubbled about the same. What am I missing?

 

[AndreAggie]

I actually just did this in my kitchen. I shook a bottle of almost full Absolut. I shook a bottle of Target brands bottled drinking water. They both bubbled about the same. What am I missing?

The reason you didn't see a difference is because you're using 2 opened bottles. A sealed water bottle and water bottle full of vodka bubble differently.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

I actually just did this in my kitchen. I shook a bottle of almost full Absolut. I shook a bottle of Target brands bottled drinking water. They both bubbled about the same. What am I missing?

When I do it it's a difference in the dissipation. Of course I conducted the experiment with moonshine sooooo...

 

[DLgal]

The reason you didn't see a difference is because you're using 2 opened bottles. A sealed water bottle and water bottle full of vodka bubble differently.

There is no rule that you have to bring sealed water bottles onboard. My whole family carried water onboard last time, in thermoses (kids), plastic water bottles, and a camelback water bottle. NONE of them were ever handled directly by DCL staff. They were left in their respective carry on bag pockets. This is pretty much my point. They won't take a water bottle out of a child's backpack and shake it. This isn't the airport.

 

[J&HSal]

Damn first cruise in 3 years coming up and they changed the alcohol rule.... Fml

 

[Neesy228]

This is becoming a very interesting cruise indeed. I want my own personal Mary Poppins to order me into my pajamas and make me finish my plate. They could make make a fortune on us lapsed Catholic Anglophiles. What DID I do with those sherry glasses and my riding crop?

I'm finding this thread super amusing, but this made me laugh out loud! I'm starting to think that you, me and sweetpee would be great friends!

 

[littleblackegg]

There is no rule that you have to bring sealed water bottles onboard. My whole family carried water onboard last time, in thermoses (kids), plastic water bottles, and a camelback water bottle. NONE of them were ever handled directly by DCL staff. They were left in their respective carry on bag pockets. This is pretty much my point. They won't take a water bottle out of a child's backpack and shake it. This isn't the airport.

I'm starting to see some perks to breeding.

 

[Neesy228]

There is no rule that you have to bring sealed water bottles onboard. My whole family carried water onboard last time, in thermoses (kids), plastic water bottles, and a camelback water bottle. NONE of them were ever handled directly by DCL staff. They were left in their respective carry on bag pockets. This is pretty much my point. They won't take a water bottle out of a child's backpack and shake it. This isn't the airport.

They may under the new rules. Before they had no need to take out a bottle and shake it. Now they do. Just think of those great lines at security!

 

[sweetpee_1993]

They may under the new rules. Before they had no need to take out a bottle and shake it. Now they do. Just think of those great lines at security!

You know, I'm almost sorry I'm not sailing in October. I would be all over these tests to see what happens.

 

[Neesy228]

You know, I'm almost sorry I'm not sailing in October. I would be all over these tests to see what happens.

I'm sailing in October!! Hahaha

 

[Ofinn]

Couldnt you just put a plastic bottle of booze or some minis with the plastic tops.in your cargo shorts or under your shirt or jacket. They dont pat people down.

 

[TheLanes]

Couldnt you just put a plastic bottle of booze or some minis with the plastic tops.in your cargo shorts or under your shirt or jacket. They dont pat people down.

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