DCL carry-on alcohol policy changing Sept. 30 2015

[C6PT7]

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'm intrigued by your post. Whilst i absolutly disagree with people openly and blatantly bringing bottles of alcohol in to venues, what kind of mess did they leave to be cleared up other than some shot glasses and a few empty bottles? i cannot see how collecting empty glasses and throwing a few bottles in the trash really impacted dcls labor in a significant way?
how come they were in d lounge at 3/4am? i never knew that venue stayed open that late?
why didn't an officer or security staff confront the group when they first started their boozing session with their own alcohol in the first instance? why did they allow them to do this?

edit to add
why were the teenage sent to d lounge when there were people getting drunk on russian vodka there?

 

[sweetpee_1993]

I am not 100% sure but didn't they switch from Evian (spring) water to a cheaper brand of bottled tap water? I would guess that is why the price is lower, not as a gesture to guests. But I haven't been on board to confirm this myself.

Personally I'd rather have tap water than Evian. Blech! What I read described it as a price in line with purchasing bottled water from a grocery store. They didn't specify artesian, etc.

 

[DMMarla07860]

Some people don't drink beer or wine and want a cocktail or two on their verandah while getting ready for dinner. One bottle for a 7 night cruise was plenty. Now we can't do that. Instead we quick get ready, have to go to a noisy bar with loud music, watch kids scream and frolick around, pay a ridiculous amount for a drink not made the way you like it.

actually you can find bars that aren't noisy, I have just saying they are there, not all have screaming kids lol

 

[littleblackegg]

I'm intrigued by your post. Whilst i absolutly disagree with people openly and blatantly bringing bottles of alcohol in to venues, what kind of mess did they leave to be cleared up other than some shot glasses and a few empty bottles? i cannot see how collecting empty glasses and throwing a few bottles in the trash really impacted dcls labor in a significant way?
how come they were in d lounge at 3/4am? i never knew that venue stayed open that late?
why didn't an officer or security staff confront the group when they first started their boozing session with their own alcohol in the first instance? why did they allow them to do this?

edit to add
why were the teenage sent to d lounge when there were people getting drunk on russian vodka there?

Also, if this was so distressing to someone, why would they hang around? Seems much more pleasant to just leave and go to one's stateroom or to another part of the ship.

 

[C6PT7]

Also, if this was so distressing to someone, why would they hang around? Seems much more pleasant to just leave and go to one's stateroom or to another part of the ship.

One has to wonder who called security? A pax or staff member?

 

[Twinprincesses]

I have an issue with Disney not caring that people had paid in full and changed the carry on policy for them. They could have bumoed out the date to those that had not paid in full but didn't. People budget for their trips and to not even consider this fact is inconsiderate. If we cancel our trip after 60 days we have a penalty.

I understand changes their policy although I don't like it, it is the timing that Disney shows they do not care about their clients. The magic is going away with every trip we take. Everything is about money.

And for those that think people still won't get drunk you are wrong they will. It will just be going in Mickeys pocket instead.

Disney does not = happy family time. It = relaxation and $

 

[littleblackegg]

One has to wonder who called security? A pax or staff member?

This drunken free-for-all is making me miserable! I'm going to sit here and watch and be grumpy!

 

[funfam]

When reading stories on these boards I always assume the author has taken a little poetic license and that exaggerations are to be expected. If not, I really have to wonder how so few people have encountered so many issues that the average person has not ever seen.

 

[Twinprincesses]

I think there is a very small handful of people that do not drink that find any alcohol consumption offensive. So therefore anyone drinking and "having fun" in a manner that could seem slightly intoxicated could be offensive to those people. On our last cruise we got rowdy for 5 minutes at the adult pool after mixology not after consuming our own beverages and the staff asked us to calm down which we did. I am sure anyone at the pool could hype up that encounter w us.

 

[PenskeSth1]

DH usually buys a bottle of wine during our Palo dinner and that is about all we drink. I am glad we are not huge drinkers. We have never brought any alcohol on any of our DIsney cruises. We cruise just to enjoy the ships entertainment and to relax. Guess we just don't get what the fuss is all about.

 

[A_Princess'_Daddy]

We were already getting tired of DCL's boring itineraries, repetitive menus, and cliche shows, but we did have a bounce back scheduled for Summer of 2016 and were leaning towards keeping it. The smug attitude of Disney with their responses to those on this thread who complained sealed it for us, however, and we have canceled the cruise. Honestly, it isn't about the alcohol policy for us (we usually don't carry on any alcohol) but rather about their cavalier attitude towards their brand. Their product is not so special, in our opinion, that it warrants the premium they charge, and we no longer see a need to pay it if they're going to be "just another carrier."

This should in no way take the shine off or the excitement out of a cruise for anybody looking forward to one, especially if its your first cruise. It is a great experience and you'll have a blast. But after multiple cruises seeing the same shows, same ports, same menus, and same merchandise time after time, we're ready for a change and will pursue one for next summer's cruise.

 

[Ofinn]

DH usually buys a bottle of wine during our Palo dinner and that is about all we drink. I am glad we are not huge drinkers. We have never brought any alcohol on any of our DIsney cruises. We cruise just to enjoy the ships entertainment and to relax. Guess we just don't get what the fuss is all about.

Next time your on a cruise...uh look around. Have you ever noticed how many people are drinking? You can't be serious?

 

[tidefan]

DH usually buys a bottle of wine during our Palo dinner and that is about all we drink. I am glad we are not huge drinkers. We have never brought any alcohol on any of our DIsney cruises. We cruise just to enjoy the ships entertainment and to relax. Guess we just don't get what the fuss is all about.

I think it's the fact that a LOT of people could use this perk in specific to justify (in some ways) the vast price premium that DCL charges for its cruises. It definitely decreases DCL's value to a number of people.

I think that even if they would allow 1 375 ml bottle (that's a half sized one), I don't think that there would be near the outcry. We will be trying Carnival for the first time in November. For a 7-night cruise, it is just over 1/3 of the price of the Disney Fantasy that week, and we'll be getting a Balcony on Carnival vs. an inside on the Fantasy. Now, I love DCL just as much, if not more than others here, however, I also don't have unending amounts of vacation dollars, either. So, for someone like me, this may be the proverbial "straw" that pushes me over to other lines. Honestly, the limitations on the OnBoard booking (where they started not doing the 10% discount for OBB on certain dates) I think was the beginning. DCL is trying to see just how elastic their demand is. I think that if they still fill the ships, then they will just continue to reduce perks and add expense (and granted, as a business, they should), however, they could also be affecting the demand side of the model a LOT more than they realize...

 

[CarolynK]

i don't understand your cunard point. i don't see a restriction on the number of bottles allowed on and the corkage fee is less than disney...

There isn't a restriction...we did a Transatlantic cruise this past June on QM2. It was our experience that theirs is the most liberal of all the lines we've sailed (we've done HAL, DCL, Carnival, Princess & RCCL). Basically, you can bring whatever you want, and knowing this, we brought a bottle of Hendrick's for the before-dinner drink (in the cabin), a bottle of Drambuie for an after-dinner drink (in the cabin), as well as 5 bottles of wine that we took to the dining room and paid corkage.
As adults who enjoy alcohol, we found Cunard's policy to be very good, and it adds to our preference of Cunard over DCL.
Cunard is a nicer line, and their alcohol policy is an appreciated perk, especially in view of how bland and tasteless the English-style food on that cruise was!

 

[jpeppers]

We were already getting tired of DCL's boring itineraries, repetitive menus, and cliche shows, but we did have a bounce back scheduled for Summer of 2016 and were leaning towards keeping it. The smug attitude of Disney with their responses to those on this thread who complained sealed it for us, however, and we have canceled the cruise. Honestly, it isn't about the alcohol policy for us (we usually don't carry on any alcohol) but rather about their cavalier attitude towards their brand. Their product is not so special, in our opinion, that it warrants the premium they charge, and we no longer see a need to pay it if they're going to be "just another carrier."

This should in no way take the shine off or the excitement out of a cruise for anybody looking forward to one, especially if its your first cruise. It is a great experience and you'll have a blast. But after multiple cruises seeing the same shows, same ports, same menus, and same merchandise time after time, we're ready for a change and will pursue one for next summer's cruise.

This was why we changed from the Dream because how many times can someone go to Nassau? I am also not a big food guy (more of a burger/pizza guy) but I go to the dinners for my daughter and on my 3 cruises (2 on the Dream 1 on the Fantasy) the menus in the restaurants do appear to be exactly the same. If you chose to go to Cabanas you also order off the same menus. I actually head for the appetizer buffet in the bar district at night or room service. I did send an E-mail in and I didn't even receive the form letter back. I have loved my Disney cruises but am now only doing them because of my daughter. She is sold on the kids clubs, I can't seem to convince her that they are on all the cruise lines so I will probably do my cruise this year then it is time for me to get a lot more out of my money on a different line.

As for these posts "Disney Fantasy" keeps putting up, I am in complete shock over what she says she saw on her cruises. I have worked law enforcement for 26 years so I am very observant and even though I drink and love going to the bars on the boat I never stop observing I am very good at it and I have never seen an out of control adult on the ships, I also have never even seen anyone who you could identify as security. I asked the bartenders about the security issue and they could not even give me an answer because they said they hadn't observed any major issues. She does say these issues were on cruises from foreign ports which are very few.

I'm not going to say I didn't occasionally leave my room with a Beer as I headed to dinner or the Bar but this cost Disney nothing because I bought a drink as soon as I got to my location. My guess is that this is what most people did when they supposedly abused the policy. I never sat at the pool and decided to head down 7 flights of stars to replenish my drink for free and I find those types of accusations by someone who names themselves after a Disney ship very insulting. I have also read where bartenders were upset because they were losing out on tips, in my case it was exactly the opposite.......because I could save money with my alcohol I brought on board I tipped at an insane rate. I would say I was tipping at least 40% even after the mandatory tip so 55%. Unless I get incredible service now I will be hard pressed to tip anything over a $1 a drink over the mandatory tip.

 

[gismo1554]

My guess is that this is what most people did when they supposedly abused the policy. I never sat at the pool and decided to head down 7 flights of stars to replenish my drink for free and I find those types of accusations by someone who names themselves after a Disney ship very insulting. I have also read where bartenders were upset because they were losing out on tips, in my case it was exactly the opposite.......because I could save money with my alcohol I brought on board I tipped at an insane rate. I would say I was tipping at least 40% even after the mandatory tip so 55%. Unless I get incredible service now I will be hard pressed to tip anything over a $1 a drink over the mandatory tip.

Ditto. I think this policy is actually going to make me much less likely to buy any drink as I will probably just choose to go get a coke instead. Part of my reason for liking having liquor in the room is so that I don't need to go to a bar to have a nightcap but if I did decide on a drink while getting dressed for dinner or for the show I might have taken it with me if unfinished. Then I would buy another in the show or at dinner. Now I will be making a detour via Deck 9 instead as I don't see the point in having one just in the show. I like one once getting ready and I would have to go via a bar for this which defeats the purpose.

 

[kaseyC]

Also, if this was so distressing to someone, why would they hang around? Seems much more pleasant to just leave and go to one's stateroom or to another part of the ship.

It makes one wonder how one person knew so much about this group and their behavior until 3-4 am? Were they a part of the group? Were they just lurking around the group so they could report them? Heard the whole thing second hand? Maybe sour grapes because they were invited to be part of the group? LOL Things that make you go hmm!! Lots of questions here, that I'm sure will never be answered.

Seriously though, I've never had that much information about what another group was doing unless I was part of the group or I heard about it from someone else.

 

[ZephyrHawk]

DH usually buys a bottle of wine during our Palo dinner and that is about all we drink. I am glad we are not huge drinkers. We have never brought any alcohol on any of our DIsney cruises. We cruise just to enjoy the ships entertainment and to relax. Guess we just don't get what the fuss is all about.

The fuss is about money. Money, money, money. Do you have a DCL cruise coming up in the next few months? If so, DCL just stole from you. No, you may not realize it, because you don't think of things in strictly economic terms, but they did. Do you like money? Does your DH? If so, you should be fussing. It's about money.

 

[PrincessTrisha]

I am not 100% sure but didn't they switch from Evian (spring) water to a cheaper brand of bottled tap water? I would guess that is why the price is lower, not as a gesture to guests. But I haven't been on board to confirm this myself.

On Carnival? The water wasn't Evian to begin with - it was Nestle. The majority is now Ice River Green Spring water. And yes, the reduction in price was directly related to not being able to carry on bottled water anymore to stop smuggling of alcohol in water and soda bottles. You can bring on 12 cans or boxes/tetra paks of non-alcoholic beverages, but no bottles of any beverage.

 

[tinkerone]

There isn't a restriction...we did a Transatlantic cruise this past June on QM2. It was our experience that theirs is the most liberal of all the lines we've sailed (we've done HAL, DCL, Carnival, Princess & RCCL). Basically, you can bring whatever you want, and knowing this, we brought a bottle of Hendrick's for the before-dinner drink (in the cabin), a bottle of Drambuie for an after-dinner drink (in the cabin), as well as 5 bottles of wine that we took to the dining room and paid corkage.
As adults who enjoy alcohol, we found Cunard's policy to be very good, and it adds to our preference of Cunard over DCL.
Cunard is a nicer line, and their alcohol policy is an appreciated perk, especially in view of how bland and tasteless the English-style food on that cruise was!

thats why i didn't get the posters point. why put in cunard and try and say dcl is in line. not exactly making their point. lol.