Booze on Board

Regarding “A Toast to Your Cruise! Now Hand Over That Booze” (Insider, Oct. 19): You just made my whole year!

I booked a cruise for 11 for next August for my 50th wedding anniversary on Carnival’s new ship. What chutzpah! After reading your article, I am incensed at what the cruise line is enforcing on their paying passengers; i.e., the ban on bringing alcoholic beverages aboard ship.

Isn’t this some form of extortion? Notwithstanding the added 15% surcharge to each drink purchased. This sounds so appalling to me, I feel like canceling my reservations.

Thank you for this most informative article.

P.S.:

I spoke to Carnival this morning on their 800 number. The person I spoke with said that has always been their policy and all the cruise lines have that policy, and that if I don’t like it I should just cancel. Now I am really more upset than I was after reading your column! I cannot believe being spoken to like that.

JEAN FORMAN

Tarzana

We are always amused to read about the restrictive and expensive rules on the big cruise lines regarding alcoholic beverages. For several years, we have been annual passengers on American Canadian Caribbean Line, whose policy is never to sell any liquor aboard ship but to encourage passengers to bring their own aboard, if they wish to.

The line provides mixers at a fountain (no extra charge), and on every cruise ship, there are one or two cocktail parties for which the line furnishes all the drinks. Thus there are no bar bills.

ARTHUR and PHYLLIS FLECHSIG

Encinitas