Drinking and driving is a problem … and drinking and flying is no different. A United Airlines pilot found this out the hard way: he spilled his coffee, which triggered a hijacking alert. So, United Flight 940, which was set to go from Chicago to Frankfurt, Germany, had to dash across the border to Canada for an unscheduled stop.
A hijacking alert can have that effect, you know.
The plane landed safely in Toronto, an emergency was declared and the defense department in Canada was notified. In the end, everything was sorted out
If there is one thing cruise lines are it’s responsive to giving passengers what they want. A big part of the cruise experience has always been the food and these days there are more options than ever before. It’s been an evolution as cruise lines look for just the right mix of dining options to be everything to everyone. For the most part, cruise line dining options have been evolving well but not without moving a bit farther away from the all-inclusive nature cruise vacations are known for.
It wasn’t all that long ago that everybody on a cruise ship piled into the main dining room for dinner. They may have chosen an early or late dining time but that was about it in the way of options. Still, considering the all-inclusive nature of a cruise, it made sense and everyone was happy for the most part. Dancing waiters in the dining room and top-notch banquet-style service pleased pretty much everyone.
Then cruise lines started adding what were called “alternative dining options” to ships. Initially they were a single restaurant in addition to the main dining room where one might go for a super extra special occasion, pay a little more and get even better service and even better food than the already great stuff in main dining room.
I remember sailing on Carnival Legend when this concept first came out. We paid $20 extra for a steak that would have been called a roast back home able to feed a family of four along with a dining experience like no other. In the small venue there was live entertainment, waiters always within arms reach and they did a really good job in a different way than the main dining room. It made sense. It was worth the nominal fee and quite an experience. Not that the main dining room wasn’t, this was different and obviously something they couldn’t just throw in for everyone as part of the deal.
Fast forward to now and Allure of the Seas, Norwegian Epic or any one of a number of other ships where the main dining room experience is almost secondary and not the star of the show as it once was. Today there are more options than ever before for dining at any time of the day or night, for a price.
%Gallery-112282%”Oasis of the Seas features 24 distinct dining experiences, ranging from an exclusive signature restaurant, to neighborhood-specific themed venues, and new twists on Royal Caribbean’s traditional dining areas.” says cruise expert Linda Garrison.
Of those 24 dining options, 12 included in the price and 12 cost more, but prices are reasonable starting at $4.95 for Johnny Rockets, fun and casual indoor/outdoor diner to $35 for 150 Central Park, the ships premiere dining venue.
Other cruise lines and ships have up to a 50/50 split between complementary and extra charge dining options too. Norwegian Cruise Lines new Norwegian Epic has 9 complementary options and 10 extra charge choices.
A number of long-time cruise vacation fans recoil at the mere thought of paying a cover charge for, in their minds, what used to be included in the price. Surely, long ago when these options did not exist, that was true. But now pretty much all major cruise lines have dining options and doing so is consistent with what a cruise is all about
On a cruise, as opposed to other packaged vacation options, we can easily customize the experience to be pretty much what ever we want it to be. This is good news for travelers who are becoming more and more all about custom vacation options rather than a boiler-plate same experience for everyone.
Yes, you can still book a cruise, and have a good time without spending one penny more than the price of the cruise. The lines are well aware that it was the all-inclusive nature and extraordinary value of a cruise compared with other options, that got them where they are today. They are not going to turn their back on that.
Attractive dining options, at an extra charge, allow those who want more than the standard fare to get just that.
In 2011 and beyond, look for this trend to continue as cruise lines as well as other vacation options allow more customization. Those who want to debate the topic need to wake up and smell the coffee, this is not going away.
It wasn’t all that long ago when guests booked on any given cruise line did not have too much trouble bringing a bottle of fine wine, some soft drinks or bottled water on to the ship at embarkation to enjoy in their stateroom. There was no “smuggling” needed and cruise lines, for the most part, allowed it. Today, rules are changing and being strictly enforced.
Cruise lines in general allowed guests to bring on one bottle of fine wine for a special occasion when they boarded the ship. The only caveat being that if consumed in the dining room the line would charge a “corkage fee” for serving it. Bottled water and soft drinks too were allowed. I have checked cases of bottled water with porters at the pier before and they were delivered to our stateroom right along with luggage later in the day. Soft drinks in 12-packs were easy to add to checked luggage too, also with no problem.
Hard liquor, beer, excessive amounts of wine (like in a box) have always been prohibited but common advice was to wrap it securely and put in checked luggage. One could almost bet on it making its way through security and on to the ship. No problem. Still, it was technically smuggling and it might as well have been gasoline. If caught, the cruise line would take it.
Today, we see more reports of cruise lines cracking down on booze smuggling with this recent report by a Royal Caribbean passenger just off Oasis of the Seas saying:
“We gave all our luggage to the porter. All our bags showed up around 2 PM, except for 3 bags that contained alcohol”
“Our cabin steward said if we had Irons (fire hazard) or alcohol in those missing bags, that we needed to go down to level 2 and claim them. We went down and were surprised to see this large room covered with luggage. I’m talking 100’s of bags”
“They greeted us by asking if we had alcohol or irons in the bag. They had 2 different sections of bags, one for the irons and one for the alcohol. After locating our bags, we had to take them to a table to be opened, inspected by security while you rummage through your bag and get out the alcohol that the cruise line somehow determined was in it it. They taped all the items together, marked our room # on it and said it would be returned the last night of the cruise. Our cabin steward did return it around 6 PM on our last night”.
“One in our party had a 4 pack of those small bottles of wine that they confiscated. She thought she had rummaged completely through her bag in front of security, but she missed one bottle so we had that one anyway.”
Moral of the story: Pack junk wine or decoy bottles on top with the good stuff deep down in the luggage? Be more creative, like Ziploc bags of booze taped to your body?
Probably not.Royal Caribbean’s rules are clear: “Guests are not allowed to bring alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages on-board for consumption or any other use.” Try and you’re just rolling the dice as to if your contraband makes it on the ship or not.
Better idea: Budget for liquor and other beverage purchases and have an idea of what you might spend on the sailing then just consider it part of the price OR cruise a line that has a more lenient policy.
Carnival Cruise Line’s policy also prohibits bringing alcoholic beverages on board but says “wine enthusiasts may bring fine wine or champagne on board only during embarkation at the beginning of the cruise” and that guests “may bring a small quantity of nonalcoholic beverages” but quickly points out that “All liquor, excessive quantities of wine and nonalcoholic beverages, to be determined at the discretion of security and/or embarkation personnel, will be confiscated and discarded without compensation.” Princess Cruises also has that exemption for a bottle of wine at embarkation. Other lines have their own policies and they change from time to time so be sure you know for sure what the policy of your line is.
Another part of Royal Caribbean’s policy that is probably overlooked, especially by passengers who drive rather than fly to the port of embarkation:
“Please Note: All guests must comply with TSA guidelines for transporting liquids.”
Uh oh!
That surely means they could confiscate bottles of shampoo, mouthwash, lotions, and other liquids in excess of the 3oz TSA limit. This one has a double whammy of trouble. First, (and probably why they added it) filling a large Listerine bottle with Scotch or an Evian bottle with Vodka is no longer a really security-proof option. Next, will 3oz of your favorite shampoo really be enough for a week? Odds are you can bring many little bottles of shampoo and really creative people will find a way to smuggle booze on to the ship anyway.
Bad idea: The wine rack described as “Turn an A cup in to double Ds AND sport your favorite beverage for yourself and your friends! Better than a Boob Job and Cheaper Too! Not to mention the savings on over priced drinks.“
This is where we hope cruise lines don’t start TSA-style patdown’s any time soon.
Here are some important cruise vacation tips you might not find on any other list. The cruise lines won’t tell you these. A good travel agent might but it would not be negligent of them to keep these tips to themselves. Only the most trusted of friends will let you in on these tips, if they know about them.
Bring your own toilet paper– might as well just get this out of the way right up front. The cruise lines do a great job of feeding you, pampering you, and taking you to multiple destinations while you only have to unpack once. Providing plush, soft toilet paper is not one of their selling points.
Be careful flossing- or just skip it unless you’re on a really long cruise. Either that or bring along some Superglue if you have anything other than original teeth in your head. Crowns, bridgework, fillings, all love to jump out of your mouth at sea. Yes, the ship’s medical center can help but that brings us to number 3
It is going to cost more than you thought– this is nothing to be scared of but to say a cruise is totally “all-inclusive” is stretching it a bit. OK, a lot. While we have done cruises and not spent any money on-board (OK, one cruise and it was tough) We have also spent more than the total price of the cruise,on board, for extras not included in the price. Passing up on-board spending can mean losing out on some rich experiences through shore excursions, spa treatments and other things that cost extra. And buy travel insurance; it should cover that trip to the medical center.
Travel Insurance has you covered- eventually– Travel Insurance at sea is not like medical insurance at home where you make a co-pay at the doctors office and you’re done. The cruise line medical center is a fully-equipped hospital and they want their money at the time service is rendered. Later, you’ll file a claim with the travel insurance company and get reimbursed for covered charges. Bonus tip: get documentation on everything you spend money on that might be turned in later to the travel insurance company for reimbursement. You’ll jump through fewer hoops to get reimbursed down the road.
Be good, they can kick you off– Cruise lines, more specifically, the Captain (aka “master of the vessel”) has the right to put you off the ship at the next port without a refund or way back home if you misbehave. That could mean being rowdy in a bar, arguing with a casino dealer or smuggling drugs back on the ship from some lovely island in the Caribbean.
Cruise vacations that include New Years Eve are among some of the most highly sought-after sailings of the year, and for good reason. On board, the mood is festive, drinks flow freely, entertainment and dining is included and nobody has to drive home.
But that’s pretty much what cruise lines do every day. Sailings that include New Year’s Eve have special bonus events and amenities well worth the premium price of ringing in the new year at sea.
If you want to book one it’s probably too late now as these are some of the quickest to book of all sailings. Along with Christmas, Thanksgiving and the 4th of July they fill up fast with many guests booking a year or more in advance.
On Princess Cruises, guests get a fun-filled New Years Eve party with music, confetti, noise-makers and champagne and the festivities range from black-tie affairs to casual depending on the ship and itinerary. On New Years Day, football fans won’t miss their games and served alongside will be popcorn, chips, mini hot dogs or burgers and other stuff that is equally bad for you but surely part of it all. Other major lines run similar on board programs but are not the only choices for sailing over the holiday.
Pretty much any city with a large body of water close-by has New Year sailings with special packages available. Those too fill up fast though so its probably too late to book those as well.
This year we don’t even need to be at sea to get in on the cruise line fun though. Carnival Cruise Lines has been crowned “Official Confetti Sponsor” of New Year’s Eve in New York’s Times Square and confetti-fever is building in anticipation. Streaming video starting at 8PM ET will feature the line’s zany Senior Cruise Director John Heald who performed a confetti-worthiness test yesterday.