New Carnival beverage policy prohbits bringing onboard... a bottle of water?

Carnival has updated its policy, that till now had reasonably restricted bringing outside booze onboard, to oddly prevent bringing any non-alcoholic beverages onboard. A Carnival spokesperson declined to elaborate to us on the rationale behind the change, beyond saying that "there were some abuses of the previous policy." Now we can understand maybe preventing somebody from rolling up with, say, ten cases of soda. But even a single bottle of water?

That's right, the policy says that absolutely any soda, water, or any other drink, will be discarded without compensation if you try to bring it on a Carnival ship. The only exception is that you can bring aboard a single bottle of wine or champagne at initial embarkation.

This certainly smells like an onboard-revenue-protection plan more than anything else. Without knowing specifically what "abuses" have prompted this new policy, the plan is hard to fathom. If people were stockpiling soda and selling it onboard... then by all means Carnival should prevent it. But the draconian restrictions sure seem like using a chainsaw to cut butter!

Here's the actual text of the new policy:

• Guests are prohibited from bringing alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages onboard. However, guests (21 years and older only) may bring one bottle of wine or champagne per person on board only during embarkation at the beginning of the cruise. A $10 corkage fee per bottle will be charged should you wish to consume this wine in the dining room or a $14 corkage fee per bottle in the Supper Club.
  
  
• Any additional quantity of wine/champagne or any alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages will be confiscated and discarded without compensation. Guests may purchase a variety of beverages on board the ship. Alcoholic beverages will not be sold or served to anyone under the age of 21. We reserve the right to refuse the sale of alcoholic beverages to anyone. Alcoholic beverages purchased in the ship's gift shops or in ports of call will be retained by Carnival until the end of the voyage.

UPDATE: After a mere three weeks Carnival has rescinded the new policy as it pertains to non-alcoholic beverages... once again passengers can bring aboard non-alcoholic drinks like water and soda in "reasonable quantities."

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Wii comes onboard Norwegian in new partnership with Nintendo

Have you heard about the video game consoles where players get so involved and active that cracked TVs have resulted? Well, Norwegian Cruise Line announced that shortly all of its vessels will feature these addictive Nintendo Wii (pronounced "whee") games, displayed on huge screens in public areas, making them a good time for players and spectators alike.

The Wii has received a ton of news coverage lately as a triumph of great design over glitzy technology. While the expensive and feature-laden Sony PS3 was expected to be the new must-have gamer's toy, instead the technologically simpler and cheaper Wii seems to be triumphing thanks to its unique controllers that encourage players to take their best tennis, golf or baseball swing, or boxing punches and bowling moves.

And with all this swinging, that's how some folks have broken vases or TVs in their living rooms. Presumably Norwegian will position the games far from anything breakable.

"With its active, engaging and inviting game experiences appealing to every age from kids to parents to grandparents, the Wii is a natural fit for Freestyle Cruising," said Colin Veitch, NCL’s president and CEO. "Cheering, yelling and high-fives will be highly encouraged."

On each ship, Wii systems will be in the atrium and other public rooms allowing guests to gather and play against each other while viewing the game on large video screens. Each ship's Kid's Crew facility will also feature two Wii kiosks for kids-only fun. The ships will also host tournaments and other activities around the games.

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