Alcohol policy

Good afternoon everyone. I wonder if you can help me.

I am leaving on Wednesday from NYC to do the transatlantic to the UK. I read on the Cunard website that I can bring one bottle of wine per person to celebrate a special event. Now do I pack this in my case or carry it on?

I am reluctant to pack it because if it gets broken then my evening wear will get ruined (red wine drinker and I don't fancy bringing two bottles of white). Will it get confiscated if I bring it in my carry on? Security measures? I am driving to the port so I don't have to worry about a flight.

Confused and in need of help!

Thanks

mum2bowie

Bring it on in hand baggage, a wheely case is ideal. You won't have a problem even if you bring a few more actually.

The security scan isn't interested in a few bottles of wine. Don't forget the corkage though take it into the MD.

David.

Thanks David

Bring it on in hand baggage, a wheely case is ideal. You won't have a problem even if you bring a few more actually.

 

The security scan isn't interested in a few bottles of wine. Don't forget the corkage though take it into the MD.

 

David.

David's answer is perfect. We've done this several times.

Just wondering - Do all of you that bring wine and other adult beverages on board also carry a bottle or two when you check into a land based hotel and do you also bring your own adult beverages to land based restaurants that sell booze? If not why do it on a ship?

Good afternoon everyone. I wonder if you can help me.

I am leaving on Wednesday from NYC to do the transatlantic to the UK. I read on the Cunard website that I can bring one bottle of wine per person to celebrate a special event. Now do I pack this in my case or carry it on?

I am reluctant to pack it because if it gets broken then my evening wear will get ruined (red wine drinker and I don't fancy bringing two bottles of white). Will it get confiscated if I bring it in my carry on? Security measures? I am driving to the port so I don't have to worry about a flight.

Confused and in need of help!

Thanks

mum2bowie

A good red for the sail-away, followed by (for the cruise duration) drinks in the bars and in the dining rooms with use of the Wine list. It is so naff to walk around the ship holding a drink, let alone walking into a restaurant. :eek:

Just wondering - Do all of you that bring wine and other adult beverages on board also carry a bottle or two when you check into a land based hotel and do you also bring your own adult beverages to land based restaurants that sell booze? If not why do it on a ship?

Although I rarely bring any alcohol on to a ship, when I do it is so we can have a drink of bubbly in our stateroom. I do not bring wine to a restaurant, even though many restaurants in Ontario (and maybe elsewhere) encourage you to do so upon payment of a corkage fee. In hotels I often bring a bottle of wine or even gin to our room. There are no rules about that. The same with trains: on long-distance Canadian trains it is permissible to bring one's own drinks to be enjoyed in the privacy of a sleeper compartment.

Although I rarely bring any alcohol on to a ship, when I do it is so we can have a drink of bubbly in our stateroom. I do not bring wine to a restaurant, even though many restaurants in Ontario (and maybe elsewhere) encourage you to do so upon payment of a corkage fee. In hotels I often bring a bottle of wine or even gin to our room. There are no rules about that. The same with trains: on long-distance Canadian trains it is permissible to bring one's own drinks to be enjoyed in the privacy of a sleeper compartment.

David, I do likewise. Must be an Ontario thing! :)

We spent hundreds of dollars last week and the week before on wine and cocktails. We also spent euros on wine and vodka in shops in port. We took it back on board with no problems for drinking in our stateroom. The only problem was that we forgot to take a corkscrew. All the wine we bought had corks rather than screw tops!

I rarely drink but travelled with a companion who is used to drinking, and I was encouraged to join him. I enjoyed it! I think a combination of buying on the ship plus buying in port is acceptable.

Do remember to take a corkscrew! ;)

Cunard is a little different from other cruise lines. You are welcome to bring a personal bottle(s) aboard. I bring my own preferred brand of soft drink aboard.

We brought a bottle of very fine wine on our TA two years ago. We gave it to the sommelier. He served it to us at dinner. We gladly paid the corkage fee. We insisted that he taste it. He was unfamiliar with this vintage.

I agree that wandering around the ship with a drink in your hand is poor behavior.

Just off last week. We did the crossing from NYC to Southampton. At Red Hook, we put our two bottles of allowed wine in our carry ons and mentioned it to security. They could care less. We went right through. No check point like Princess. We also had a bottle of vodka in our suitcase and it also went right through. Cunard still made a small fortune from our cocktail purchases in the Golden Lion Pub!

Just wondering - Do all of you that bring wine and other adult beverages on board also carry a bottle or two when you check into a land based hotel and do you also bring your own adult beverages to land based restaurants that sell booze? If not why do it on a ship?

It's just nice having a glass of wine while relaxing prior to dinner in the comfort of our stateroom or on the balcony. We do the same at home at times before going out to dinner...no difference.

I never bothered bringing wine with me on a cruise ship, but I can imagine one reason why one might want to: the Cunard wine list (the very same everywhere) is a bit weirdly built. There are many gaps in it, wine types or regions that are rather poorly covered, or in a patchy way. Also, value for money is sometimes seriously questionable. So if one would want to bother with lugging around a number of wine bottles on top of the already bulky luggage that one normally has to take on a cruise, it might actually make sense, be it to drink in the stateroom or in the dining room.

Just wondering - Do all of you that bring wine and other adult beverages on board also carry a bottle or two when you check into a land based hotel and do you also bring your own adult beverages to land based restaurants that sell booze? If not why do it on a ship?

We sometimes carry in a bottle of wine to a restaurant and pay the corkage. We often carry a bottle of wine into a hotel for a drink before or after dinner in our room. We often carry one or two bottles of wine on board Cunard because Cunard's mark-up on wine is especially high.

Just wondering - Do all of you that bring wine and other adult beverages on board also carry a bottle or two when you check into a land based hotel and do you also bring your own adult beverages to land based restaurants that sell booze? If not why do it on a ship?

Not to a restaurant on land or at sea but we do take something to have before dinner in our room/on the balcony. If it's practical we take it with us, if not we buy it at our destination.

We always take around half a dozen Widows for the room, although on one occasion, we brought one with us to the TE. We gave the sommelier the choice: corkage or tip. He chose the tip.

Stewart

I never bothered bringing wine with me on a cruise ship, but I can imagine one reason why one might want to: the Cunard wine list (the very same everywhere) is a bit weirdly built. There are many gaps in it, wine types or regions that are rather poorly covered, or in a patchy way.

We had wine with our dinner on our recent cruise. The friend travelling with me only likes Chardonnay. I think we had a choice of two types. One was unwooded so we stuck with that the whole voyage. It would have been nice to try something else but there was nothing appropriate. At least we could make different choices on land.

We had wine with our dinner on our recent cruise. The friend travelling with me only likes Chardonnay. I think we had a choice of two types. One was unwooded so we stuck with that the whole voyage. It would have been nice to try something else but there was nothing appropriate. At least we could make different choices on land.

Does your friend only drink Australian Chardonnay? There are only 2 of those on the list but plenty from other regions, several available by the glass.

Just wondering - Do all of you that bring wine and other adult beverages on board also carry a bottle or two when you check into a land based hotel and do you also bring your own adult beverages to land based restaurants that sell booze? If not why do it on a ship?

Yes.

Also, value for money is sometimes seriously questionable.

Does your friend only drink Australian Chardonnay? There are only 2 of those on the list but plenty from other regions, several available by the glass.

Australian Chardonnay is the preferred drink. Since it was in the restaurant, we were looking at bottles rather than by the glass. I can't remember David being shown much choice, actually. Anyway, he was happy with what we had.

Yes, to a hotel, and if the restaurant welcomes you to bring your favorite wine subject to an agreed-upon corkage fee, why not? But obviously we've struck some kind of nerve. Care to elaborate?

I guess the question arises out of what my parents did many many years ago (I am 76). They always took a bottle with them because they barely had enough money to pay for the motel or hotel room let alone have a beverage before or during dinner. In fact when motels raised their rates on the NJ to FL run they just drove longer each day so the trip was only one night out instead of a more relaxing two.

So I always looked at the practice as being done by those who had very little extra cash and needed a way to cheat out the system to survive. Also being a small business owner, I find the practice as one of taking income away from the very person who is allowing you the opportunity to enjoy the experience. I realize that people do not see mega corporations as having this problem but multiply one lost bottle of wine or drink times 3,000 passengers times more than one day. Sort of like a corporation with 20,000 employees, the taking of a single paper clip by one employee is nothing multiply that by 20,000 and you are talking serious shrinkages.

Compound that by so many people posting in all manner of threads about cheating out the dress code, the beverage policy, looking for the upgrade fairy and so on and you wonder if anyone is willing to pay a fair price for anything anymore.

No one is being cheated. Nothing is being snuck aboard. Cunard's policy welcomes passengers to bring on wine and liquor at embarkation and at ports of call without the need for subterfuge.

Of course if his doesn't imply that you should do so yourself.

There is no cheating involved, that's one of the pleasures of sailing with Cunard - being treated as an adult !

I don't think they have anything to fear from us "cheating the system". A glass of bubbly whilst getting ready doesn't stop us managing a cocktail before dinner and wine with.