What is "booze cruise"

n. 1 (context British English) A brief trip from Britain to France and/or Belgium in order to buy alcohol (or tobacco) in bulk quantities without paying excise duty. 2 (context US Australian English) A recreational trip on a cruise ship or boat usually tailored to young people, with the expectation of heavy consumption of alcoholic beverages.

Booze cruise is a British colloquial term for a brief trip from Britain to France or Belgium with the intent of taking advantage of lower prices, and buying personal supplies of (especially) alcohol or tobacco in bulk quantities. This is a legally acceptable process and should not be confused with smuggling.

The term is also used in other countries to refer to a pleasure outing on a ship or boat involving a significant amount of drinking, or an outing to purchase large amounts of alcohol in bulk for a party or outing. It probably originated during Prohibition, when Americans would take "cruises to nowhere" to enjoy alcohol, which could legally be served on board once outside American territorial waters.

"Booze Cruise" is the eleventh episode of the second season of the American comedy television series The Office, and the show's seventeenth episode overall. Written by Greg Daniels and directed by Ken Kwapis, the episode first aired in the United States on January 5, 2006 on NBC. The episode featured Rob Riggle and Amy Adams as guest stars.

The series depicts the everyday lives of office employees in the Scranton, Pennsylvania branch of the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. In the episode, Michael Scott ( Steve Carell) brings the office on a booze cruise and plans on doing some "motivational" speaking. After he learns that the captain of the boat has other plans, a power struggle emerges. Meanwhile, Pam Beesly ( Jenna Fischer) and Roy's ( David Denman) previously stagnant relationship blossoms, while Jim Halpert ( John Krasinski) and Katy's ( Amy Adams) begins to falter.

The story for "Booze Cruise" was inspired by a friend of B. J. Novak's who had gone on a booze cruise. Novak told Daniels about the trip, and Daniels then proceeded to write an episode about it. The episode featured the third and final appearance of Katy, portrayed by Amy Adams. The filming of the episode was a departure from the norm of the series; filming took place on an actual boat and because of this, many cast members got sea sick. "Booze Cruise" received largely positive reviews from critics. The episode earned a Nielsen rating of 4.5 in the 18–49 demographic and was viewed by 8.7 million viewers.