DCL Revises Alcohol Policy

PhotoDave219

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
So in a blatant cash grab, DCL is now limiting the amount of alcohol you can bring on board AND banning personal liquor.

Now if you want a mixed drink, you must pay Disney's ridiculous on-ship prices.

The details?

  • Each Guest 21 years and older may bring two bottles of unopened wine or champagne (no larger than 750ml) or six beers (no larger than 12oz) onboard in carry-on luggage at the beginning of the voyage and at each port-of-call.
  • All alcoholic beverages packed in checked luggage will be removed and stored until the completion of the cruise.
  • Wine or champagne in excess of the two allowable bottles or beer in excess of the six beers will be stored and Guests may retrieve them at the end of the voyage.
  • All liquors and spirits (including powdered alcohol) are prohibited and will be stored until the completion of the cruise.
  • Guests must retrieve any stored alcohol at the end of the cruise. Uncollected alcohol will be destroyed and no compensation will be offered.
  • Alcohol brought on board may not be consumed in any lounge or public area.
 

Master Yoda

Pro Star Wars geek.
Premium Member
This just puts DCL inline with other cruise lines.

Carnival's policy

Bringing Liquor and Beverages Onboard - Embarkation

  • Guests are prohibited from bringing water, sodas and other non-alcoholic beverages onboard that are packaged in bottles.
  • A small quantity of non-alcoholic beverages (i.e., sparkling water, sodas, juice, and milk) packaged in cans or cartons may be brought onboard on embarkation day and must be in the guest's carry-on luggage. A small quantity is considered a maximum of 12 sealed, unopened cans/cartons of 12 ounces each or less per person.
  • Guests are prohibited from bringing alcoholic beverages on board with the following exception:
  • At the beginning of the cruise during embarkation day only, guests (21 years of age and older) may bring one 750 ml bottle of sealed/unopened wine or champagne per person in their carry-on luggage.
  • A $15 USD corkage fee (a charge exacted at a restaurant for every bottle of wine served that was not bought on the premises), per 750 ml bottle, will be charged should guests wish to consume their wine or champagne in the main dining room, steakhouse or bar.
  • All liquor, beer, other forms of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages outside of the exceptions referenced above are strictly prohibited in both carry-on and checked luggage and such items will be confiscated and discarded and no compensation will be provided.

Norwegian's policy

All guests are prohibited from bringing alcohol on board our ships. Please note that with the exception of Wine and Champagne, all guests are prohibited from bringing alcohol on board our ships. If you purchase any alcohol at one of our ports-of-call or in our onboard shops, we will safely store your purchase(s) and either on the final night of the cruise or the morning of debarkation it will be available for pick up in a designated area. Wine & Champagne Policy Guests may bring bottles of wine and champagne on board. When bottles are brought on board and served or consumed in any restaurant, public room area or in their stateroom, a corkage fee will be charged according to bottle sizes noted below. 750 ml Bottle: $15.00 1,500 ml Magnum: $30.00 Wine or champagne sent directly to the ship by travel agents, friends, family, etc. or from another retail source, are subject to the same fees. Box wines are not allowed on board.

Royal Caribbean's policy

Guests are not allowed to bring beer, hard liquor, fortified wines or non-alcoholic beverages onboard for consumption or any other use on boarding day or while in port. Alcoholic beverages seized on boarding day will not be returned.

Guests wishing to bring personal wine and champagne onboard may do so only on boarding day, limited to two (2) 750 ml bottles per stateroom. Additional bottles of wine beyond two (2) bottles that are brought onboard or any alcoholic beverages purchased in ports of call or from Shops On Board will be stored by the ship and delivered to your stateroom on the last day of the sailing.

Security may inspect containers (water bottles, soda bottles, mouthwash, luggage etc.) and will dispose of containers holding alcohol. Guests who violate any alcohol policies, (over consume, provide alcohol to people under age 21, demonstrate irresponsible behavior, or attempt to conceal alcoholic items at security and or luggage check points or any other time), may be disembarked or not allowed to board, at their own expense, in accordance with our Guest Conduct Policy. Guests who are under the permitted drinking age will not have alcohol returned to them.
 

lostpro9het

Well-Known Member
This just puts DCL inline with other cruise lines.....

Which goes against why I choose DCL, they are not inline with other cruises! I am pretty disappointed about this, I wont lie. Im glad our September cruise is unaffected but upset that our April cruise, which was paid in full last month under under the old rules, is going to be affected by the new rules.

I'm already researching beer bottle cappers for the trip in April....
 

rob0519

Well-Known Member
Hmmm the words "Disney" and "blatant cash grab" in the same sentence? How rare. It's times like this that I'm glad the wife and I don't drink enough for this to be a problem for us. We're taking our first NCL cruise this November and I was absolutely shocked at the price and policies of their Ultimate Drink Package. Does Disney even have a hard liquor drink package? Either way, I can see this being a new and huge expense for some guests.
 

wdwstateofmind

Well-Known Member
Maybe someone can correct me, but I don't think they've ever searched my carry-on. What's stopping me unless they start having us put them through scanners?
 

jme

Well-Known Member
They do run carry-on through scanners as you enter the cruise terminal before heading up the escalators (and you walk through a metal detector). I don't know if they have ever been looking for bottles, or how they will know if the 2 bottles in your luggage are Wine or Tequila (bottle shape?)

By the way, this sucks and was one of my major selling points on why I (and other people should) choose DCL over the other lines.
 

Ulysses McGill

Active Member
Looks like it's back to re-bottling things for me. I'm not surprised, just disappointed that they changed it so suddenly.

I hate drinking on the ship (any ship, not just DCL) because you basically get mixer with a splash of liquor. Except for one time on the Magic, I had the most awesome bartender. That dude knew how to take care of folks.
 

wogwog

Well-Known Member
I am in Central Florida and cruise to fit my calendar and to take advantage of a good resident, military, or old folk discount. Disney, RC and Celebrity. The food on Disney ship to ship is very consistent. It is good cruise quality RC and Celebrity can be hit or miss. But with a little research on blogs and such I have sailed certain ships I think actually offer superior food to Disney. I still prefer DCL but I would hate to se them keep doing "trial" cuts in what they offer. Honestly with careful shopping and research I can close the price difference a lot. Especially on short notice. I know it is not as easy for those outside of Florida.


I drink only wine, but ....

I did not author this. I remember seeing it on a blog or..? But it fits the current situation.

"First they came for the liquor drinkers, and I did nothing because I drank no liquor.
Then they came for the beer drinkers, and I did nothing because I drank no beer.
When they came for us wine drinkers, there was no one left to help us."

It is a play on a historical saying.

So please complain to Disney for those who do care about this change. Next cut, and there will be one if they get this implemented could be something you cherish.

Disney wants to get in line with the competition they say. The competition charges a lot more for Internet. The competition charges for in room movies. The competition does not offer free soda. The competition does not offer as many movies in a theater. The competition has a service charge for room service. The competition does not offer a guest self serve laundry. Make your own list.

I have 27 DCL cruises in about 6 years since moving to Florida, and about 8 on RC and Celebrity. I just wrote to DCL of my displeasure
 

jme

Well-Known Member
So please complain to Disney for those who do care about this change. Next cut, and there will be one if they get this implemented could be something you cherish.

Disney wants to get in line with the competition they say. The competition charges a lot more for Internet. The competition charges for in room movies. The competition does not offer free soda. The competition does not offer as many movies in a theater. The competition has a service charge for room service. The competition does not offer a guest self serve laundry. Make your own list.

I have 27 DCL cruises in about 6 years since moving to Florida, and about 8 on RC and Celebrity. I just wrote to DCL of my displeasure

I agree. Both my wife and I have sent in complaints. For anyone else who would like to do so, I submitted mine via their help site:
https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/planning-center/my-cruise-plans/email-help-center/
 

Sans Souci

Well-Known Member
Did they ever give a reason why?

We always brought on a bottle of rum to consume on our verandah, but still purchased mixed drinks, the wine package and my husband bought that beer package they shill in Cabanas at lunch on embarkation day.
 

jme

Well-Known Member
Only 500 characters are allowed! Anyone have a direct email I can use?
You should write to them in under 500 characters in addition to sending an email. The more contacts about it a Customer Support center receives, the more likely it is to be flagged as an "issue" and escalated. So if an executive gets a handful of email, thats one thing. But if they get a handful of emails and the support center manager saying they have gotten an influx of complaints regarding the policy, that's something else.
Will they revert the policy change? Probably not, but if they hear the same complaint from enough sources they might re-think it.

I do think it's unfair as it currently is. Someone going on a 3 night cruise can bring 2 bottles of wine. Someone going on a 14 night cruise, can bring 2 bottles of wine... Someone going on back-to-back 3 and 4 nights, can bring on twice the wine over the course of 7 nights, that someone going on a 7 night cruise can. Seems arbitrary and unbalanced.
 

lostpro9het

Well-Known Member
You should write to them in under 500 characters in addition to sending an email. The more contacts about it a Customer Support center receives, the more likely it is to be flagged as an "issue" and escalated. So if an executive gets a handful of email, thats one thing. But if they get a handful of emails and the support center manager saying they have gotten an influx of complaints regarding the policy, that's something else.
Will they revert the policy change? Probably not, but if they hear the same complaint from enough sources they might re-think it.

I do think it's unfair as it currently is. Someone going on a 3 night cruise can bring 2 bottles of wine. Someone going on a 14 night cruise, can bring 2 bottles of wine... Someone going on back-to-back 3 and 4 nights, can bring on twice the wine over the course of 7 nights, that someone going on a 7 night cruise can. Seems arbitrary and unbalanced.
I will create a shorter version. Im also sending it here as suggested by my cruise agent:

dcl.guest.communications@disneycruise.com
 

sweetpee_1993

Well-Known Member
This just puts DCL inline with other cruise lines.

Yep, it sure does. Too bad their pricing isn't anywhere NEAR inline with other cruise lines. If you're going to command a premium so far over and above your competition it would stand to reason you'd be finding ways to set yourself apart from them. It's not about aligning. It's about money. It us that simple.


Make no mistake, even when I do cruise with Disney in the future I'll be bringing my liquor with me. Game on, Mickey. Game on.


Feeling so happy to be setting off in other directions in our future both near and distant. Disney is falling so short within the cruise industry. Spend time actually exploring other options and you'll see how truly *not* innovative DCL is of late. Get past the stigmas and labels from those who love to spin stories. It's a big world with amazing things to do and see. Get out of the comfort zone and discover the world!
 

jakeman

Well-Known Member
I did not author this. I remember seeing it on a blog or..? But it fits the current situation.

"First they came for the liquor drinkers, and I did nothing because I drank no liquor.
Then they came for the beer drinkers, and I did nothing because I drank no beer.
When they came for us wine drinkers, there was no one left to help us."

It is a play on a historical saying.
It's a "play" on a regarding the inactivity of the German people in reacting to the atrocities of the National Socialist against groups of people.

Wikipedia entry: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_they_came_...

Pretty much in no way appropriate for an alcohol policy change on a cruise ship.
 

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