# Liquor in coach



## New to Amtrak (Jan 27, 2015)

**** NOTE THIS THREAD WAS ORIGINALLY POSTED TO AN 8 YEAR OLD THREAD ****

Hi all, I found this forum searching for HOW to sneak some liquor, use, and get away with it on my first train ride. I will be on The Pennsylvanian 42 and 43 trip to NYC. All of your ideas are helpful and make sense, mainly not be an asshat... out of sight, out of mind. I plan on bringing a couple plastic pint bottles of bourbon. I know this is an old thread, but I have to take a bus from Ohio to Pittsburgh to get on the train and I don't know if Greyhound is going to catch them or not. Please help!


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## AmtrakBlue (Jan 27, 2015)

New to Amtrak said:


> Hi all! I found this forum searching for HOW to sneak some liquor, use, and get away with it on my first train ride. I will be on The Pennsylvanian 42 and 43 trip to NYC. All of your ideas are helpful and make sense, mainly not be an asshat... out of sight, out of mind. I plan on bringing a couple plastic pint bottles of bourbon. I know this is an old thread, but I have to take a bus from Ohio to Pittsburgh to get on the train and I don't know if Greyhound is going to catch them or not. Please help!


You want help to break rules?


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## Guest (Jan 27, 2015)

If you can't make it to NYC without desperately needing to drink bourbon, in a place you know aren't allowed to drink, you need help (AA).


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## dart330 (Jan 27, 2015)

Drinking in coach is pretty common. If you are going to do beer stick with Budweiser as they are guaranteed to have it on board. Buy the first from the lounge and the rest from your stash. For wine, take the bag out of the box and keep it in your bag. Again buy a little bottle from the lounge for your first cup.

On to liqour, the best suggestion I ever got on the forums was to pre-mix your cocktail in a large thermos. Stays ice cold and the contents are not visible. Ice can be scarce so this is pretty nice. Straight whiskey you could just put it in an ice tea bottle and nobody would know the better.

As long as you keep quiet and enjoy the view there won't be any problem. I've seen people openly drinking from 5ths of liqour on the Surfliners with conductors walking by.

There will always be naysayers & teatotalers but wouldn't you rather the drunks be riding on the train instead of driving?


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## Long Train Runnin' (Jan 27, 2015)

Not an ultra frequent Greyhound rider in fact I've only been on it once :lol: but in my extremely limited experience they don't xray your bags like they would at an airport. Just roll your bag up to the side of the bus and it gets tossed underneath. Pre mixing into 20oz sodas would be your best bet I think, or get yourself a paper coffee cup in a convince store fill it with ice and mixer and enjoy i If you drink it straight then more power to you! Don't make a scene and you'll be good to go.


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## Ryan (Jan 27, 2015)

Nope. Just don't.


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## SarahZ (Jan 27, 2015)

Guest said:


> If you can't make it to NYC without desperately needing to drink bourbon, in a place you know aren't allowed to drink, you need help (AA).


This is a bit of an overreaction. The OP said nothing about "desperately" needing to drink. Many of us enjoy imbibing during a long trip. It doesn't mean we need to go to an AA meeting.


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## jebr (Jan 27, 2015)

There's no "good way" to get away with it in coach. Transporting them shouldn't be a problem so long as they don't search through your bags (I've never personally experienced that, but I suppose they could.) However, trying to drink with them would be fairly obvious and probably wouldn't work.


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## OlympianHiawatha (Jan 27, 2015)

jebr said:


> There's no "good way" to get away with it in coach. Transporting them shouldn't be a problem so long as they don't search through your bags (I've never personally experienced that, but I suppose they could.) However, trying to drink with them would be fairly obvious and probably wouldn't work.


Even if they search your bags, as long as you are not tankering Moonshine you will be fine; Amtrak even says you can carry it in Coach; just do not drink it in Coach. Of course if you are low profile about it........


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## VirginiaTraveler (Jan 27, 2015)

This is another area which we seem to depart from our European cousins. On board European trains, both overnight and daytime coach, there were never any issues with self-service of one own's alcohol. This was even permitted on trains where there was a restaurant/bar/bistro car which sold its own alcohol.

Seeing as Amtrak still allows consumption of beer, wine, and spirits, so long as they've been purchased from their own bar, one can only assume the policy is in place due to revenue protection. This, of course, also exists on airplanes, cruise ships, sports stadia, many resorts, and then other areas with captive audiences.


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## the_traveler (Jan 27, 2015)

[Moderator hat on]

We should not advise people specifically "how to get away with it". Likewise, we should not tell people to drive 56 mph in a 55 mph zone "because everybody does it and you will not be caught". Both are against the rules. If someone wishes to do either, it is up to them but we should not say either is right.

[Moderator hat off]


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## spacecadet (Jan 27, 2015)

Why not just buy some bourbon on the train? I realize it's a bit more expensive, but them's the breaks. You don't bring your own food to a restaurant to save money.


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## tp49 (Jan 28, 2015)

With Greyhound it depends on the station whether they check or not. I had a couple of airplane bottles in my pocket I got at a party sponsored by a liquor company. At this station they patted down the passengers for whatever reason and found them. They made me put them in an envelope and put them under the bus. Swadian will probably have more current information. YMMV

No, I wasn't looking to drink any of it at 9AM on a one hour trip but I did find the experience off-putting.


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## Bus Nut (Jan 28, 2015)

Don't be drunk and obnoxious, though, or they will kick you off the train. :angry2:

I'm thinking of the scene from "Dogma": "No ticket." :help:

And no, you _won't_ be getting a refund. :blush:


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## Devil's Advocate (Jan 28, 2015)

Guest said:


> If you can't make it to NYC without desperately needing to drink bourbon, in a place you know aren't allowed to drink, you need help (AA).


Youre allowed to drink in coach so long as you purchase your liquor from Amtrak.



jebr said:


> Trying to drink with them would be fairly obvious and probably wouldn't work.


Drinking alcohol discretely isnt that obvious in and of itself. Getting drunk is whats obvious.



VirginiaTraveler said:


> Seeing as Amtrak still allows consumption of beer, wine, and spirits, so long as they've been purchased from their own bar, one can only assume the policy is in place due to revenue protection. This, of course, also exists on airplanes, cruise ships, sports stadia, many resorts, and then other areas with captive audiences.


In theory its a safety measure by retaining control over additional servings. In reality Amtrak will sell you enough liquor to put a horse to sleep.



the_traveler said:


> We should not advise people specifically "how to get away with it". Likewise, we should not tell people to drive 56 mph in a 55 mph zone "because everybody does it and you will not be caught". Both are against the rules. If someone wishes to do either, it is up to then but we should not say either is right.


Says the member who routinely advised strangers on how to abuse every AGR loophole and oversight he ever came across?



spacecadet said:


> Why not just buy some bourbon on the train? I realize it's a bit more expensive, but them's the breaks. You don't bring your own food to a restaurant to save money.


Im not aware of any bourbon sold by Amtrak. Which makes sense since Amtraks selection of liquor is minuscule and often sells out long before it can be restocked. I've even cleaned them out with one double pulling out of the train's first station. It's not always a cost issue either. For me the tiny selection is the primary issue. The liquor I buy is often double or triple the cost of anything Ive ever seen Amtrak stock.



Bus Nut said:


> Don't be drunk and obnoxious, though, or they will kick you off the train.


This is why I dont mind people drinking in coach on a train. Theyre not driving drunk or stumbling into traffic or disrupting a flight or causing trouble for a bus driver. If they overdo it while on the train Amtrak can simply stop at a crossing and hand them over to the police. Drinking on the train is probably the safest possible way to imbibe while on the move.


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## cirdan (Jan 28, 2015)

VirginiaTraveler said:


> Seeing as Amtrak still allows consumption of beer, wine, and spirits, so long as they've been purchased from their own bar, one can only assume the policy is in place due to revenue protection. This, of course, also exists on airplanes, cruise ships, sports stadia, many resorts, and then other areas with captive audiences.


I've never been on a cruise ship but I have the impression that on airlines cabin staff often turn a blind eye if you're being low profile about it.

I once observed a party of noisy young men trying to share a bottle of whiky with the security agent. He said he couldn't drink any because he wasn't allowed to accept gifts. I would have thought not drinking on the job would be a more pressing reason. But maybe he was thinking, any excuse goes.


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## cirdan (Jan 28, 2015)

Long Train Runnin' said:


> Not an ultra frequent Greyhound rider in fact I've only been on it once :lol: but in my extremely limited experience they don't xray your bags like they would at an airport. Just roll your bag up to the side of the bus and it gets tossed underneath. Pre mixing into 20oz sodas would be your best bet I think, or get yourself a paper coffee cup in a convince store fill it with ice and mixer and enjoy i If you drink it straight then more power to you! Don't make a scene and you'll be good to go.


I've had my bags screened on entering the Greyhound terminal. I don't know what they were looking for thpugh. It definietly wasn't anything as strict as at airports.


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## AlexandriaVATraveler (Jan 28, 2015)

Between the kindergarten walk, assigned seats, and liquor policy, it makes me wonder how Europe is called the nanny-state compared to the US!


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## andersone (Jan 28, 2015)

I just got a ticket from a state trooper for "following too close" . I smiled, thanked the office and paid my fine. That's what life is all about. After 20 grateful years in AA I know what alcohol can do but what you do to with your life is your business as long as you don't make it mine. I often carried alcohol on, and was never questioned because it's not the alcohol but your behavior that Amtrak (big leap of faith here) is worried about. As mother, god rest her soul, used to say "If you can't be pleasant, don't be present." Enjoy your journey and Godspeed..


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## FormerOBS (Jan 28, 2015)

I won't condone this.

As I understand it, there are at least 2 reasons for the rule:

1. Revenue protection, as stated above.

2. Buying it on the train ensures that the person selling the liquor knows how much you have purchased, so that the Lounge car attendant

can judge when to cut the customer off. This may seem to be a "big brother" approach; but positive action by the attendant can prevent

the need to put you off the train in the custody of the local constable. And that's a good thing.

Tom


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## reppin_the_847 (Jan 28, 2015)

In my experience (both good & bad over the years), a couple beers will usually do the trick for a shorter trip if I feel in the mood for some imbibing. For a longer one, maybe a bit more. Beer IMO is way safer than getting sloshed on some hard liquor. Like the others said, don't get stumbling drunk or belligerent and you shouldn't have a problem.


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## VentureForth (Jan 28, 2015)

FormerOBS said:


> I won't condone this.
> 
> As I understand it, there are at least 2 reasons for the rule:
> 
> ...


Tom, with all due respect, neither of these uncondonable rationales are logical, as sleeper passengers are allowed to imbibe as much as they want of their own stash. It's a rule for the sake of having rules. As soon as you make an exception, then you are playing favorites with different classes of people. It's like passing a law restricting talking on cell phones while driving, except if you're a cop. Like a cop doesn't already have a dozen OTHER things to distract him, he's exempted by this silly rule (the simple "driving distracted" laws already cover this).

The real reason they don't let folks drink in coach is to protect other passengers. That's it. Pure and simple. It's much easier to say "Don't drink your own beer in coach" then excepting it if you buy it in the cafe than it is to patrol for obnoxious passengers. There are some who I wish got thrown off a train, but I know that getting arrested - even if let off right away - can do serious damage to one's reputation. On the other hand, if they can't control their intake, regardless of the source, then protect others and introduce them to shiny bracelets. I'm sure it won't be their first time.


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## alexandria traveler (Jan 28, 2015)

How about a compromise? If Amtrak can get you to your destination on time, you have to obey their alcohol rules. If they get you to your destination delayed, you get to play by your own alcohol rules.


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## BCL (Jan 28, 2015)

Jim Beam is sold on some routes.


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## BCL (Jan 28, 2015)

As for consumption of personal alcohol in coach, I've joked about this with some conductors. One even said that she didn't really care as long as someone isn't sloshed.


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## andersone (Jan 28, 2015)

Father used to say there were four men in the world you could trust

Jim Beam

Jack Daniels

George Dickle

and himself


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## cirdan (Jan 28, 2015)

reppin_the_847 said:


> In my experience (both good & bad over the years), a couple beers will usually do the trick for a shorter trip if I feel in the mood for some imbibing. For a longer one, maybe a bit more. Beer IMO is way safer than getting sloshed on some hard liquor. Like the others said, don't get stumbling drunk or belligerent and you shouldn't have a problem.


I'm in the fortunate position that too much alcohol makes me sleepy and not beligerent. So I can drink one more than's good for me without having to fear making a fool of myself. (but I still fear the headache the next morning)

But I have many times prevented friends I was travelling with from going too far.


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## FormerOBS (Jan 28, 2015)

I think Amtrak's position boils down to liability and the ability to keep a situation from getting out of hand. After all, Amtrak is primarily a transportation medium; not a bar. If Amtrak sold the liquor, then it's understood that Amtrak has a certain amount of responsibility. That is, they have to check I.D., pay attention to situations where a legal buyer may be giving the liquor to others, watch to see that nobody is imbibing too much, etc.; and if the situation does get out of hand, Amtrak has to respond appropriately.

If the liquor is brought from outside, Amtrak has no ability to monitor the situation closely, and Amtrak has a lessened ability to take appropriate action. In our litigious society, Amtrak could still be held responsible for the consequences of a passenger's drinking if a claimant finds a sympathetic court.

If this happens in a private room, it generally doesn't have a serious effect on other passengers; in an open coach, many (if not most) of the passengers in that car will be inconvenienced. No matter whether the passenger is in coach or sleeper, he can be put off the train if his behavior is reasonably perceived as a threat or an inconvenience to others (passengers or crew).

In actual practice, I have seen many situations that were defused without resort to the extreme measure of removing the passenger. On the A-Train, the consequences are more serious and problematic than on other trains: The passenger is put off, but his motor vehicle can't be unloaded until arrival at the train's destination. I've seen that happen, but it's rare.

I understand some people's questioning of rules. I do that myself sometimes. But sometimes it's just better to accept the rules and comply. There are much more important issues to argue over.

Tom


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## BCL (Jan 28, 2015)

cirdan said:


> reppin_the_847 said:
> 
> 
> > In my experience (both good & bad over the years), a couple beers will usually do the trick for a shorter trip if I feel in the mood for some imbibing. For a longer one, maybe a bit more. Beer IMO is way safer than getting sloshed on some hard liquor. Like the others said, don't get stumbling drunk or belligerent and you shouldn't have a problem.
> ...


Even those who aren't necessarily belligerent can do things like vomit when they're sick from the alcohol. I was talking to a commuter train conductor on a system that allows personal consumption of alcohol. He was joking that stainless steel vestibules are easier to clean up. I've seen groups bringing 12-packs of beer. I've heard about groups with a bottle of tequila just downing shot after shot. However, they do have exceptions for "event days" where they feel it might get out of hand because of the sheer number of passengers who might get drunk.


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## FormerOBS (Jan 28, 2015)

I wasn't going to mention the puke.


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## caravanman (Jan 28, 2015)

I think folk should control their own lives, and take responsibility for doing that, including how much they drink... The train is meant to be a "family environment" suitable for children too, so everyday normal standards of behaviour and respect for others should be the benchmark, methinks.

A discrete drink or two will pass unremarked, getting steaming drunk in any public place is never going to end well.

Yep, we Brits love our "nanny state", where we can travel as we please, no I.D, and thinking for yourself is not a crime...

Ed


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## Bob Dylan (Jan 28, 2015)

For a perfect example of drunks on the train, ride with Raider Nation before or after Oakland Raider Games like we experienced on the way to/from San Jose during the Gathering in Oct.


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## Rail Freak (Jan 28, 2015)

Amen!!!!!


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## fillyjonk (Jan 28, 2015)

Really, it kind of boils down to "don't be a jerk." I traveled coach back before they were so restrictive about booze....I remember a very delayed train (bad weather) one December, the guys behind me had a bottle of Jack Daniels they emptied in rather short order. They got louder and "friendlier" (in ways I don't want someone being friendly with me) as time wore on.

I finally wound up going and sitting in the lounge car, under the watchful eye of the lounge car attendant, for the rest of the trip just to avoid them.

Now, if someone had a little flask or something, and just took a limited amount, fine. But I'm too old and too grumpy to want to sit through a frat party on rails.

(I get a roomette, now. I will say once the people a couple roomettes down, the SCA had to come and tell them to be a bit less "obvious" about their partying and to close the door. The hall smelled of alcohol by that time....)


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## me_little_me (Jan 28, 2015)

FormerOBS said:


> I won't condone this.
> 
> As I understand it, there are at least 2 reasons for the rule:
> 
> ...


You left out the biggest: lawyers

Amtrak can get sued if you consume too much then something happens and they served it. So if you hide the six additional drinks after buying one, the lawyesr will claim Amtrak must have served them.

People will sue Amtrak when a drunk on the train does something even if Amtrak didn't serve the liquor.

The drunk will sue Amtrak for "letting" him get drunk and not finding his alcohol and stopping him from consuming it.

A teenager's parents who let someone give him a drink will sue Amtrak.

The difference between US and European "nanny" rules is that the Europeans are trying to protect you from yourself whereas in the US they are trying to protect themselves from you and your lawyer.


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## Devil's Advocate (Jan 28, 2015)

me_little_me said:


> If you hide the six additional drinks after buying one, the lawyesr will claim Amtrak must have served them. People will sue Amtrak when a drunk on the train does something even if Amtrak didn't serve the liquor. The drunk will sue Amtrak for "letting" him get drunk and not finding his alcohol and stopping him from consuming it. A teenager's parents who let someone give him a drink will sue Amtrak.


Do you have evidence of such lawsuits or is this more of an assumption on your part?



me_little_me said:


> The difference between US and European "nanny" rules is that the Europeans are trying to protect you from yourself whereas in the US they are trying to protect themselves from you and your lawyer.


How did you come to that conclusion?


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## tp49 (Jan 28, 2015)

me_little_me said:


> You left out the biggest: lawyers
> 
> Amtrak can get sued if you consume too much then something happens and they served it. So if you hide the six additional drinks after buying one, the lawyesr will claim Amtrak must have served them.
> 
> ...


No, he mentioned the liability issue in a subsequent post, which I would agree is the force behind the rule.


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## FormerOBS (Jan 28, 2015)

Within Amtrak, whenever the subject is discussed it's generally assumed that the Company's policies are heavily influenced by the opinions of Amtrak's legal department. I don't know for sure whether these issues have actually come up in court, but the fact that Amtrak's lawyers don't want to have to go to court over them is good enough for me. I understand there was at least one parent who sued because someone gave their child liquor. I don't know the outcome of that case.

Tom


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## me_little_me (Jan 28, 2015)

Devil's Advocate said:


> me_little_me said:
> 
> 
> > If you hide the six additional drinks after buying one, the lawyesr will claim Amtrak must have served them. People will sue Amtrak when a drunk on the train does something even if Amtrak didn't serve the liquor. The drunk will sue Amtrak for "letting" him get drunk and not finding his alcohol and stopping him from consuming it. A teenager's parents who let someone give him a drink will sue Amtrak.
> ...


I learned what sarcasm meant.


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## andersone (Jan 29, 2015)

and of course we don't have a sarcasm font,,,,,,


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## iggy (Jan 29, 2015)

"Don't be drunk and obnoxious, though, or they will kick you off the train."

Rarely seen this happen - very rarely seen anyone warned about being to intoxicated and go sleep it off etc.

"In theory its a safety measure by retaining control over additional servings. In reality Amtrak will sell you enough liquor to put a horse to sleep."

I've seen this scenario play out often. Most recently - Lincoln Service Business Class - a young couple heading to St Louis was putting beer away at a very fast rate between Joliet and Springfield IL - with no signs of stopping. Man could still walk when I deboarded. But no one was limiting amount consumed. I've seen one attendant recently state coach passenger could only have one at a time - but could purchase multiple and she would put them aside for passenger.


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## zephyr17 (Jan 29, 2015)

I've actually seen drunk and obnoxious folks put off the train on several occasions. Not on corridor trains like the Cascades (which I ride) or Lincoln Service, but on the long distance trains I've seen it with some regularity.

The person has usually gotten far up on the obnoxious scale, and is often put into the hands of the local PD at some grade crossing which the conductor has coordinated with the dispatcher. So occasionally those "Conductor to the IC" announcements over the PA are to handle the drunks.

I always wonder what goes through the head of the person when they wake up the next morning in the hands of the Oakridge, OR Police.

Most conductors seem quite serious about maintaining the "family atmosphere." On my last trip on the Empire Builder in December, the conductor announced that if a certain individual kept swearing, he'd be put off at the next stop.


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## BCL (Jan 29, 2015)

zephyr17 said:


> I've actually seen drunk and obnoxious folks put off the train on several occasions. Not on corridor trains like the Cascades (which I ride) or Lincoln Service, but on the long distance trains I've seen it with some regularity.
> 
> The person has usually gotten far up on the obnoxious scale, and is often put into the hands of the local PD at some grade crossing which the conductor has coordinated with the dispatcher. So occasionally those "Conductor to the IC" announcements over the PA are to handle the drunks.
> 
> ...


Remember the notorious cell phone talker put off and arrested in Oregon? Nearly 17 hours straight and wouldn't shut up even once warned that people were sleeping.


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## Meat Puppet (Jan 30, 2015)

sounds like a job for sham booze.

http://www.amazon.com/Smuggle-Mug-16oz-Shampoo-Conditioner/dp/B00JYAEUGM


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## VentureForth (Jan 30, 2015)

I don't think that drinking from a shampoo bottle would really be, well, discreet? If I saw someone drinking "shampoo", I'd think they needed more than just the local PD.

Not to mention, these are pretty dumb. It only takes a half-conscious cruise employee to recognize a non brand then shake the bottle to see if the viscosity is right or not. Or am I giving those guys way too much credit?

Rum Running on a cruise is completely different than drinking on a train. On most cruise lines, it's expressly prohibited to bring your own alcohol onboard to drink in your own private stateroom. Yes, some allow a couple bottles of wine to be opened by a crew member who charges the going price of a bottle of wine for the service, but that's the exception, not the norm.

Again, the cruise industry KNOWS that many (not all!) people cruise specifically to get drunk and their business model takes that into heavy consideration.

My daughter has seen someone ejected from the Palmetto, and on the Carolinian, I wished a couple of folks would be booted. I take the train for peace and transit, not for party housing.


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## Yampa Valley Mail (Feb 7, 2015)

Best drunk train is the River Runner east from Hermon MO on a Saturday eve during October fest at the winery 's. The one's that are still able to drink are doing it openly and making all kinds of noise all under the eye of a local law enforcement officer in each car. Makes for great people watching.


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## firstcultural (Feb 8, 2015)

SarahZ said:


> Guest said:
> 
> 
> > If you can't make it to NYC without desperately needing to drink bourbon, in a place you know aren't allowed to drink, you need help (AA).
> ...


Two pints of bourbon though?


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