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quote:What are your alcohol and consumption policies? Effective February 2003:Guests are prohibited from bringing beverages of any kind (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) on board the ship for consumption. This includes: sodas, juices and bottled water. However, we will make the following exception: If guests are celebrating a special occassion on board, they may bring ONE sealed bottle of wine or champagne per cabin. If the wine and/or champagne are brought to the Dining Room for consumption, a $10.00 corkage fee will be charged to the guest. Otherwise, the guest may drink the wine and/or champagne in the privacy of their cabin only. It may not be brought into any public lounge or room. Alcohol purchased in a port-of-call: Alcoholic beverages purchased in any port-of-call will be appropriated at the gangway and stored onboard until the last night of the cruise, upon which it will be delivered to the guests cabin. Alcohol purchased in ship gift shops: Alcoholic beverages of any kind purchased in the ship's gift shop will also be stored onboard and delivered to the guest's cabin on the last night of the cruise. Consumption of alcohol on board: The minimum age for the purchase and/or consumption of alcoholic beverages while on board is 21 years of age. In the event that Bar/Restaurant/Gift Shop Staff are in question that the guest is under 21, they shall request picture identification prior to serving said guest. Note: The legal drinking age onboard is 21 and is strictly enforced. We do not allow the purchase of drinks or bottles of liquor by adults for minors. Possession of alcohol by a minor will not be tolerated and any found will be confiscated, even if found in cabin.
Guests are prohibited from bringing beverages of any kind (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) on board the ship for consumption. This includes: sodas, juices and bottled water.
However, we will make the following exception: If guests are celebrating a special occassion on board, they may bring ONE sealed bottle of wine or champagne per cabin. If the wine and/or champagne are brought to the Dining Room for consumption, a $10.00 corkage fee will be charged to the guest. Otherwise, the guest may drink the wine and/or champagne in the privacy of their cabin only. It may not be brought into any public lounge or room.
Alcohol purchased in a port-of-call: Alcoholic beverages purchased in any port-of-call will be appropriated at the gangway and stored onboard until the last night of the cruise, upon which it will be delivered to the guests cabin.
Alcohol purchased in ship gift shops: Alcoholic beverages of any kind purchased in the ship's gift shop will also be stored onboard and delivered to the guest's cabin on the last night of the cruise.
Consumption of alcohol on board: The minimum age for the purchase and/or consumption of alcoholic beverages while on board is 21 years of age. In the event that Bar/Restaurant/Gift Shop Staff are in question that the guest is under 21, they shall request picture identification prior to serving said guest.
Note: The legal drinking age onboard is 21 and is strictly enforced. We do not allow the purchase of drinks or bottles of liquor by adults for minors. Possession of alcohol by a minor will not be tolerated and any found will be confiscated, even if found in cabin.
Joe at TravelPage.com
quote: joe at travelpage:Alcohol purchased in a port-of-call: Alcoholic beverages purchased in any port-of-call will be appropriated at the gangway and stored onboard until the last night of the cruise, upon which it will be delivered to the guests cabin.
Wow, the last night of each Carnival cruise will host some wild parties!
I don't see a problem with this? Yes, onboard prices can be expensive, but it is a business!
Do you take your own liquor to a land based bar?
I?ve never regarded cruising as a cheap vacation. O.K some cruise fares may seem good value, but the real profit is obviously created by the cashless accounts. I?ve witnessed passengers onboard spend two or three times their fares on the additionals, or more!
If cruise lines cut onboard prices, they would simply raise the fares. However, it is not difficult to see that low fares and higher bar prices does create the impression of a cheap vacation. When we book a cruise we often underestimate what we will spend onboard and forget about the tips.
I would imagine most of us spend more onboard than we intend to, don't we?
What about the folks who want to have a nightcap on their veranda before retiring? Call room service? Ridiculous!
quote:Originally posted by claudio:I feel sorry for american 18 to 21 year olds they can buy a car, drugs and as many rifles as they like but they cant have a beer. Know wonder the americans on boad pacific sky always look like they are having the time of their lives
Sad, but true. When I was a teen, I got around the drinking laws. My parents were permissive so I got it "out of my system" fairly young.
I recall, even to this day. Children in public or secular prep schools are far less rowdy than kids who are in strict parochial schools.
When I was a teen in the late 1970's, I had little interest in cruising, since i was too old for the kiddie stuff, and too young for the other entertainment.
quote:Originally posted by claudio:malcolm you seem to forget that the shipping lines buy all their booze duty free...
I did not realize that!
Perhaps some of the HAL faithful, such as Green and Sympatico, can tell me if this is still HAL's policy or whether Carnival greed has reared its ugly head?
Grant - the Ocean Bar on HAL ships is always packed with pre-dinner drinkers, so much so that at times you can't even get a seat. A lot of people also go to the Crow's Nest before and after dinner. Don't think the rise in drink prices has stopped HAL passengers from enjoying their drinks in the bars - and there is NO 15% added gratuity. Sure the price of drinks has gone up from the "old" days, but what hasn't.
From what I have seen, they also do a whopping business in the store which sells the bottles of liquor.
[ 02-28-2003: Message edited by: sympatico ]
Resorts using that 'all you can drink for one low price' policy invariable include only 'local' brands and, to my mind, encourage reckless consumption. For brand names you pay.
It's to be hoped that HAL continues to treat its passengers/guests as responsible adults. No reasonable person would expect to bring his or her own bottle to a bar or lounge. As for a corkage fee for a special wine - nothing wrong with that either - hotels and restaurants do it all the time.
I look forward to your update after your next cruise, Sympatico. One of the things we enjoyed most about the veranda cabin we had on our last cruise was a nightcap before retiring.
Seems to me that HAL has learned that if you treat passengers like adults and give them the respect they deserve, by in large you'll get that respect back. Frisking passengers returning to the ship from a duty-free port or conducting cabin searches for stashed liquor can do nothing but bring out the worst in people, IMHO.
Oh for crying out loud, no one does this. Carnival DID say that if the cabin steward finds alcohol in the cabin of underage occupants it will be taken away but they don't go snooping for it.
CGT
quote:Originally posted by CGT:conducting cabin searches for stashed liquor can do nothing but bring out the worst in people, IMHO.Oh for crying out loud, no one does this. Carnival DID say that if the cabin steward finds alcohol in the cabin of underage occupants it will be taken away but they don't go snooping for it.CGT
Oh for crying out loud, no one does this. Carnival DID say that if the cabin steward finds alcohol in the cabin of underage occupants it will be taken away but they don't go snooping for it.CGT
Seems to me that's an open invitation to 'stash your cache!
Sympatico: In my cruising experience, I think HAL is the only line that does not add the automatic gratuity. That is one of the many reasons that I have for travelling with them again and again. I still tip! 20% surcharge for a bottle of your favourite spirit is not ripping a passenger off. Wish all the cruise lines would do the same. I have had all my bags searched on reboarding, and have seen liquor taken away at that time. I refused to give up my Pepsi, even though they tried to take it away. Seems that if they have an exclusive contract with Coke, passengers are not permitted to bring even their favourite soda aboard. I say bull shit to all of this crap-at a resort I can bring in what I want regardless of the label on the beverage or the ocntents of the bottle. [B][/B]
[ 03-01-2003: Message edited by: K&K ]
quote:Originally posted by Grant:I refused to give up my Pepsi, even though they tried to take it away. Seems that if they have an exclusive contract with Coke, passengers are not permitted to bring even their favourite soda aboard.
I also take Schweppes Tonic and Ginger Ale - Canada Dry and the fountain offerings have no taste. Never had any problems.
quote:I have had all my bags searched on reboarding, and have seen liquor taken away at that time. I refused to give up my Pepsi, even though they tried to take it away.
Are you saying this happened on a HAL ship or some other cruise line? I am confused.
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