Comments on: Help! Princess confiscated my Cognac

By: Shel Horowitz

Shel Horowitz — Sat, 17 May 2008 17:46:55 +0000

But even if they can’t mail it, this was a bottle presumably purchased on-ship. They could return the unopened bottle to inventory and issue a check for the refund. No to do so sounds like stealing to me.

Shel Horowitz, author,
Principled Profit: Marketing That Puts People First

By: Dr Wong

Dr Wong — Wed, 14 May 2008 21:26:22 +0000

If they were flying back home from Alaska, there’s no way they could have carried the bottle back with them, due to TSA’s liquid container rule.

By: Tere

Tere — Wed, 14 May 2008 17:38:19 +0000

I have included at least two bottles of booze in every single Christmas box I’ve sent my brother’s family in Pennsylvania (from California) for 10 years – UPS doesn’t ask and I don’t tell. PA has very strict blue laws, and no way would I be allowed to do it if I declared what was in there – so I don’t. It’s all packed in with a bunch of other stuff, and very well cushioned, and never once have I had a problem. I doubt, though, that the authorities actually care very much about the odd holiday gift, where no commerce is being done – they likely save their efforts for commercial enterprises.

By: John F

John F — Tue, 13 May 2008 21:41:20 +0000

Of course, one can always just package it up and send it without telling anyone. One time I sent two cases of vodka (in individual packages) for Christmas gifts and they all arrived fine and everyone said I was lucky not to have been arrested!

By: Douglas Muth

Douglas Muth — Mon, 12 May 2008 15:41:43 +0000

When I travel, I make sure to take a picture of the inside of my suitcase, with any valuable items in plain view of the picture.

Having the picture makes it much easier to indicate what went missing, as well as providing proof that it really /was/ in my suitcase.

By: Jose

Jose — Sun, 11 May 2008 12:23:19 +0000

Being in the military, I have quite a good wine collection that I have gathered from all over the world. I tried to ship one of the bottles of wine to my ex-wife for a auction her company was having. I check with every known shipping company, and let me tell you. It is impossible for a person to ship any kind of alcohol to another person without both of them having a license. As John said, you can drive a car full of alcohol accross country you just can ship it. But, that being said, the cruise line should have offered to compensate the couple since it was there mistake to begin with.

By: John F

John F — Sun, 11 May 2008 11:56:51 +0000

IT is a federal offense to ship alcohol in the mail. UPS and Fedex and the other carriers all have programs for “approved” customers to do this. These typically are wholesalers and people that ship regularly. They are also further restricted by local laws in the receiving end. I know in Maryland, you cannot accept delivery of ANY alcohol by any shipping service unless it was produced in Maryland. So I can go to California and bring in all I want in my car, but I cannot get a small bottle shipped to me.

I am not sure whey someone would NOT carry a $143 bottle of hooch with them; but I think Princess did what they could. How often are they required to ship alcohol? And are they willing to risk a federal fine by doing so?