taking wine on board

This is my first cruise, Caribbean Princess Baltic 27.6.15. Been motor caravaners for 20 yrs but nothing is forever. Can I take a few wine boxes? I'm sure the companies don't like it, but do they actively forbid it? Spring234

This is my first cruise, Caribbean Princess Baltic 27.6.15. Been motor caravaners for 20 yrs but nothing is forever. Can I take a few wine boxes? I'm sure the companies don't like it, but do they actively forbid it? Spring234

Princess policy on taking wine on board is one bottle of wine or champagne (750ml) per person.

Luggage is xrayed before being loaded on to the ship, and any extra may be removed, and if you are carrying it on there is even more chance of it being taken off you.

Additional 750ml bottles can be taken on over and above the 2 you are allowed but you may be charged $15 corkage fee per bottle.

Prices on board are reasonable, in line with UK pub prices (ish) from $7 per glass, approx £5.

Thanks for that. Are other companies less particular?

Yes, it's actively forbidden.

Princess allow you to take aboard only one bottle (75cl) of wine per adult (or is it two per cabin?), at your embarkation port only, to drink in your cabin/balcony.

That's not to say folk don't break the rules, but a couple of words of warning:

Hand luggage is scanned on embarkation and at all ports of call.

Checked luggage is also scanned, not always efficiently or effectively.

Folk who take extra alcohol aboard often do so without being aware of the rules. If found, they normally have to go to the "naughty room" to collect & open their cases. Unauthorised alcohol is confiscated & can usually be re-claimed at the end of the cruise. Here's a picture of a Princess ship's naughty-room

http://guides.gamepressure.com/theelderscrollsvskyrim/gfx/word/-1923520859.jpg

Folk who disguise alcohol in bottles of coke etc do so because they clearly know the rules, and stories of folk who've done so being thrown off the ship circulate the web from time to time.

Not telling you what to do, just telling you what happens.

Princess are unusual in that they do allow folk to bring aboard extra bottles of wine at embarkation, subject to a corkage charge of $15 per bottle. You can drink this anywhere on the ship, including at the dinner table - there's no "service charge", just that $15 per bottle corkage added to your on-board account when you take it aboard. We did this with a case of wine out of Sydney - the purchase price of wine (that we liked) plus the $15 corkage was cheaper than ship's cheapest wine (which was of unknown quality).

You'll have to do the maths to decide if it's worthwhile for your cruise.

JB :)

Thanks for that. Are other companies less particular?

They're all much the same, though some like NCL don't even allow that one-bottle-of-wine-per-person.

The big exception is P&O. You can take aboard any quantity within reason of any alcohol, including spirits, etc to drink in your cabin. You can't beat taking aboard a bottle of Pimms & some lemonade, add some fruit from the buffet (sadly I've never found mint on a ship) & making your own Pimms o'clock drink on the balcony.

They very occasionally invoke their right to confiscate if someone tries to take aboard a shed-load of drink, clearly intent on spending their cruise horizontally.

BTW I''ll disagree, in the most agreeable way ;), with SwissDave.

Or mebbe Dave drinks in more up-market pubs than this simple country boy.;)

I find Princess prices quite a bit higher than my local.

For example a bottle of wine $25 plus mandatory 15% service on Princess compared to around £10 to £12 in my watering holes with no service charge. (errrr..... no service either :D)

P&O's prices are broadly the same as my local, again no service charge.

JB :)

They're all much the same, though some like NCL don't even allow that one-bottle-of-wine-per-person.

 

The big exception is P&O. You can take aboard any quantity within reason of any alcohol, including spirits, etc to drink in your cabin. You can't beat taking aboard a bottle of Pimms & some lemonade, add some fruit from the buffet (sadly I've never found mint on a ship) & making your own Pimms o'clock drink on the balcony.

They very occasionally invoke their right to confiscate if someone tries to take aboard a shed-load of drink, clearly intent on spending their cruise horizontally.

 

BTW I''ll disagree, in the most agreeable way ;), with SwissDave.

Or mebbe Dave drinks in more up-market pubs than this simple country boy.;)

I find Princess prices quite a bit higher than my local.

For example a bottle of wine $25 plus mandatory 15% service on Princess compared to around £10 to £12 in my watering holes with no service charge. (errrr..... no service either :D)

 

P&O's prices are broadly the same as my local, again no service charge.

 

JB :)

I suppose it depends on the quality of your local. No sawdust where I drink ;)

Although I do have a good view of Lac Leman.

In my old local in North West Kent area pints are now £3.80 and bottle of wine £18, they redecorated so must want their money back as quickly as possible. Can still get a Sam Smiths in the villages around York for £1.80 or less (but they can keep it, horrible stuff - to me a least)

I suppose it depends on the quality of your local. No sawdust where I drink ;)

 

Although I do have a good view of Lac Leman.

 

In my old local in North West Kent area pints are now £3.80 and bottle of wine £18, they redecorated so must want their money back as quickly as possible. Can still get a Sam Smiths in the villages around York for £1.80 or less (but they can keep it, horrible stuff - to me a least)

SwissDave, the excellent Swiss White wines and the view of Lac Leman/Mont Blanc are two of the things we miss terribly after moving back to Canada. If not for the cost of living, we'd move back in a heartbeat. We'll just have to keep buying lottery tickets ;)

 

Although I do have a good view of Lac Leman.

 

Well if you can hack Swiss prices, Dave, I'm sure you can hack Princess prices :)

How much does 0.568261 of a pint of froth cost there now?

JB :)

They're all much the same, though some like NCL don't even allow that one-bottle-of-wine-per-person.

 

The big exception is P&O.

Well, DCL is also an exception. DCL allows you to bring onboard whatever beverages you wish, as much as you wish (wine, liquor, water, soda). Only requirement is you must do so in your carry on bags, not checked.

This is my first cruise, Caribbean Princess Baltic 27.6.15. Been motor caravaners for 20 yrs but nothing is forever. Can I take a few wine boxes? I'm sure the companies don't like it, but do they actively forbid it? Spring234

Read the rules for Princess on their WEB site. It will tell you.

DON

Spring 234 come and join the roll call for this cruise. There are lots of us on there already. Go to roll calls, click princess cruises, carribean princess and look for date of cruise.

As for taking wine on board as people have said you can take as much as you like but may be charged for anything over 1 bottle per person. I have taken wine boxes on on my last two cruises no problem, was prepared to pay the corkage but was not asked. Whatever you do do NOT take it in checked luggage, take it in your carry on. See you on the ship :)

I'm considering packing in checked luggage our two favorite bottles of champagne for our Celebrity cruise (on ice in room for balcony sunsets). Hubby is afraid it'll leak despite my bubble wrapping and sealing in XXL Ziploc bag. Question.... Will there be a problem with having both bottles in my luggage rather than each of us packing one per person?

Thanks for that. Are other companies less particular?

Disney has no limit on the amount you bring on board.

quite honestly it is not unreasonable to abide by every cruise line's policy. if you want all the booze you can swill, sail on a premium line that includes all alcohol in the price.

@ sheff29

re: two bottles of Champagne -- NOT magnums.

Take them out of whoever's checked baggage and carry them on, no need to have them in any suitcase (at embarkation), although they can be in whatever carryon or tote you you will carry with you. They will need to be visually checked at security OR go to Naughty Room to retrieve.

If you fly they'll have to be in checked OR bought in duty-free. If in checked -- get them out before giving big bags to porters at the curb.

I wouldn't want my clothing soaked because you were unaware of what can happen with bottles in suitcases.....bubble wrap or in plastic or both.

Have you witnessed how longshoremen handle thousands of bags in very few hours?

That is why it is requested that you carry on wine an champagne.

David

Well if you can hack Swiss prices, Dave, I'm sure you can hack Princess prices :)

 

How much does 0.568261 of a pint of froth cost there now?

 

JB :)

All depends where you go and what you drink. Swiss stuff in my local café bar is CHF5.90 = £4.08, the imported stuff like Heineken is CHF9.50. Bottle of Magners cider CHF9.80

300ml local wine is CHF9.90

so going on Princess to going to the UK or on a cruise is cheap for me by comparison. (I also book my cruises through a UK travel agent, the one approved Swiss agent charges upto 50% more)

SwissDave, the excellent Swiss White wines and the view of Lac Leman/Mont Blanc are two of the things we miss terribly after moving back to Canada. If not for the cost of living, we'd move back in a heartbeat. We'll just have to keep buying lottery tickets ;)

You are so right. I love Epesses and my local village wine, St-Legier. Wherever I am in the country I always have the local wine - never a bad one has been consumed.

I brought wine onto Royal Caribbean last August. You are allowed 2 bottles per room, not sure if they actually check. They say free in room and a 15 corkage in MDR but we were never charged. Had a great waiter.

On our last Princess cruise, I found enforcement spotty. I brought 2 bottles of wine in my carry on, plus 2 bottles of single malt scotch that I picked up in duty free. With the scotch I also had a copy of the passage contract that said i would get them back at the end of the cruise, which I was very willing to do.

I ended up having to go to Passenger Services to argue the point with the passage contract. It was a B2B, and they gave me the scotch back at the end of the first leg!

In Valparaiso, since there were scanners in the terminal, they did not check anything when boarding.

For the most part you can bring on 2 per cabin at any port. If you wish to enjoy your non Princess in the dining room there will be a 15$ corkage fee.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'm considering packing in checked luggage our two favorite bottles of champagne for our Celebrity cruise (on ice in room for balcony sunsets). Hubby is afraid it'll leak despite my bubble wrapping and sealing in XXL Ziploc bag. Question.... Will there be a problem with having both bottles in my luggage rather than each of us packing one per person?

Pull them from your case when you get yo port and carry them on

Sent from my KFTT using Tapatalk