We have all thought about it ~ and some have actually done it! Sneaking alcohol on a cruise. Who doesn’t want to save a few bucks on adult beverages? It becomes a game to some….fill old shampoo bottles or mouthwash. News flash ~ NO one needs a full size bottle of shampoo or mouthwash on a cruise. That is the first clue to the cruise line! But we still give it the old college try. Why not?
Well, recently I read an article on why you should NOT sneak alcohol onboard your cruise ship. I laughed and immediately assumed the cruise lines themselves put the words together for this article. They loose money if you are successful in your sneaking endeavor. As I was giggling like a school girl, I realized that there are a few valid points to consider. I decided to share the 5 reasons in the article for not becoming a booze smuggler. Not much will actually happen to you, other than loosing money or a little dignity. Read on!
You checked your luggage and nothing happened. SCORE! VICTORY! Or is it? You didn’t SEE anything happen when your bag went through the scanner, but when you finally get your bag delivered it feels a little lighter. And less sloshing is heard from within. Your liquor is gone! And a note from the cruise line is left in its place. BUSTED! Now they know you are a sneak, so be prepared to have a thorough carry on checking returning from every port of call. The good news is, you get it back the day you get off the ship. Nice…..
On the other hand, they DO find something suspicious when your luggage goes through the scanner and stop the line. Oh oh! “Sir/Madame can you please come with me?” OMG…how embarrassing!!! You’ve been caught and now they will make a big deal of taking your mother load out of your baggage in front of every passenger! AND they will make them all wait while they take their sweet time about it, and all 3200 passengers are really miffed at you! YEP, you will get the stink eye for a week! Again, you get it back, but not until the end of the cruise.
The method of your sneakery could cost you a bit of money. There are companies that pray 
on booze smugglers and sell you containers SURE to get through the dreaded scanner. Whether or not you are successful in getting your stash through, you spent good money that might have bought a couple of cheap souvenirs in port. OR you were unsuccessful, it was confiscated and now you have to buy the expensive drinks onboard anyway. Double whammy in the wallet!
The drinking age is 21 onboard most ships. Under age cruisers that try to sneak adult beverages onboard and get caught will have an additional problem besides loosing money and embarrassment. They will not get their drinks back, unlike the over 21 year olds. The article also covers underage drinking and the negative aspects and warns against sneaking drinks onboard as well. As they say, rules and age limits are in place for a reason.
What you can do is bring a bottle of wine or champagne on board with you, typically 750ml. The cruise line might charge a corkage fee if you bring it into the dining room, but it is free to drink in your stateroom. The other plus is your not spending a fortune on a wine you really don’t like. You can bring your favorite!
Bottom line, I guess they made a few valid points. But if you’re like a lot of people, you will just try to find alternative sneaky ways to try to outwit the cruise lines. I will drink to that!