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Wine Lovers


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I debated whether or not to bring my own wine on our recent Diamond Cruise. I happen to love an inexpensive chardonnay (Robert Mondavi)and I knew it would cost a lot more on the ship. But in the end I decided not to go through the hassle of bringing it in my suitcase. We were still on that pink cloud when we got our shipboard bill so I didn't think much about it. But today we got our credit card bill and I remembered that we spent over $7.00 per glass (after the tip) and I could have brought my own for a little more per BOTTLE. We don't drink much at home, but on a cruise we enjoy it. So two glasses of wine at dinner and maybe one later in the evening after the show before bed, times 2 people, times 7 days really adds up. Next time, I will take my own. Also, there are ads for the on-board liquor store in the Patter that says if you buy anything they will hold it for you until the end of the cruise, but they don't. You can take it with you when you buy it. We don't drink hard liquor, but I saw some expensive Russian Vodka for only $9.99 a bottle. Another idea - The Sheraton where we stayed across from the pier had a wine list that you could choose a wine and a quantity and then they would pack it for you for the ship. This would be nice for people flying in who don't want the weight in their luggage. I don't think you have to be a guest at the hotel to buy the wine.

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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Also, there are ads for the on-board liquor store in the Patter that says if you buy anything they will hold it for you until the end of the cruise, but they don't. You can take it with you when you buy it <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

 

Really? Like you can go in the gift shop on the ship, buy it, then take it to your cabin?

 

Happy Cruising

 

Chris

 

www.LifeIsCruising.com

 

Next up:

Caribbean Princess 06/26/04

Star Princess 10/24/04

Carnival Victory 12/19/04

Carnival Miracle 03/13/05

 

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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> Really? Like you can go in the gift shop on the ship, buy it, then take it to your cabin? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> As far as I know, alcohol sold through the gift shops is considered duty free and is held for you until the last night of the cruise. I've seen it happen on other ships. You can order alcohol for consumption in your room from the bars - in that case it's sold like any bar drink (although I don't know about the gratuity). Seems like a minor technical difference, but one that I believe is in place.

 

Of course I wasn't on Diamond Princess...

 

-------------------------

Sun Princess, 03/2004; Pacific Princess, 07/2003; Star Princess, 05/2003; Grand Princess, 10/2002; Grand Princess, 10/2002; Sun Princess, 05/2001; Sun Princess, 04/2001; Sun Princess, 09/2000; Sun Princess, 09/2000; Regal Princess, 10/1999; Sun Princess, 08/1998; Holiday, 05/1998; Westerdam, 09/1997; Regal Princess, 11/1996; Royal Odyssey, 09/1995; Starward, 11/1993

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The first day we saw people pay for it and then come out empty handed so we assumed the policy was in place. About the third or fourth day we saw someone pay for it and carry it out with them. Maybe it was an isolated incident. Anyone else on the board buy alcohol and take it to their rooms?????

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I know you can pre-order liquor like you might a tray fo canapes on a form you download off the Princess site, that works

 

Happy Cruising

 

Chris

 

www.LifeIsCruising.com

 

Next up:

Caribbean Princess 06/26/04

Star Princess 10/24/04

Carnival Victory 12/19/04

Carnival Miracle 03/13/05

 

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Ali - I've never carried wine onto a plane (I have carried it onto a cruise ship) but from everything I've read you're okay as long as the bottles aren't open. (I can tell you from experience: pack the corkscrew in your checked luggage!)

 

On our Golden cruise last year we brought champagne and a few bottles of very good wine. I bought wine shipping materials from a winery (wine and liquor stores sell it, too) packed up the wine, sealed the box, taped airline labels along with cruise ship labels on it and checked the box with our luggage at the airport in San Francisco. The box was on the carousel with our luggage when we arrived in Fort Lauderdale (we changed planes in Dallas). We used Princess transfers from the airport to the ship, and when the Princess rep at the airport saw the box along with our luggage he said,"Let me guess, that's the wine, right?"

So, we weren't the first people to think of doing that! I'd check it with my luggage again without hesitation.

 

-Donna

 

QEII 1973

QEII 1974

NCCL Southward 1982

Sun Princess 2002

Golden Princess 2003

 

 

countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=000080&cdt=2004;5;14;17;0;00&timezone=GMT-0800

Until the Sun Princess 2004!

 

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We carry on wine frequently when we travel as we visit wineries and vineyards wherever we go. One time in Germany we had a case that we shipped home as checked luggage. It made it fine to Chicago when we went through customs, but the Fragile labels were all in German, so by the time we were in baggage claim in Mpls we could smell the bin of wet cardboard and broken glass coming down the baggage chute! I think out of 12 bottles only 4 made it intact! So now we only buy what we can carry on! icon_wink.gif

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We will be on the Grand in October. We have bought wine onshore on other cruiselines qne brought it onboard without problems. Are we likely to have problems if we try to bring on a bottle of wine in our carry-on?

 

countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=0000ff&cdt=2004;10;10;17;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500  Until we sail on the Grand Princess

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Why would you take the chance of having a bottle break and wine leaking on everything. Maybe I am being a snob but it seems like a big hassle when one is supposed to be on vacation. I just got off the Grand and found the wine fairly reasonably priced. The Robert Mondavi was about $24/bottle. What is nice is that you don't have to finish the bottle in the dining room all in the same night. They will store it for you.

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As a side note, it is a good idea to throw a few water bottles in your baggage (its only water if it leaks.) Its great to have for princess cays, excursions, etc. and you can save $2 per bottle. I throw a few in everyone's bag.

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If you use the styrofoam or honycomb material made for shipping wine bottles you're not taking the chance of having a bottle break. It's an actual mold of a bottle which cushins it firmly. I've even used it to carry bottles onboard ship.

 

Saving money may be one reason that passengers bring their own wine, but isn't the only reason. We don't like the ship's wine list (at least the stuff in our price range, anyway!) and would rather pay $25 for a bottle of good wine at home, plus $10 corkage, than drink something which disappoints us. A winemaker friend of my husband gave us two bottles of his wines (they retail at $160 and $90 respectively) to take on our last cruise. We weren't going to pass up the chance to drink those wines on our cruise. So there are a lot if reasons that passengers bring their own wine.

 

Have a great cruise!

 

-Donna

 

QEII 1973

QEII 1974

NCCL Southward 1982

Sun Princess 2002

Golden Princess 2003

 

 

countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=000080&cdt=2004;5;14;17;0;00&timezone=GMT-0800

Until the Sun Princess 2004!

 

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I carried 5 "special occasion" bottles onboard the plane with me in my backback two weeks ago. They had been sitting around my house since I received them as gifts for a "milestone" birthday last years (LOL). I just wrapped them in bubble wrap and they were fine. I would NOT place them in luggage I was checking. One waiter was very interested in a wine that we had so we offered him a glass which he greatly appreciated.

 

With respect to a bottleof hard liquor, you can preorder it as a gift and it will be sent to your stateroom or, I believe, you can order it through room service. This will allow you to mix your own drinks should you so desire. You can purchase mixers on the ship or bring your own. I know what you're thinking... No, I'm not cheap (I still had a decent bar bill!!) but I strongly prefer no sugar added cranberry juice with my vodka and my DH likes caffeine free Coke with his rum. These are not available onboard so we stopped at the 17th St. Publix in FLL and picked them up on the way to the ship (thanks to the CC'ers who suggested this!!).

 

Hope this helps.

 

[This message was edited by pattie63 on 04-14-04 at 07:11 AM.]

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The airlines are getting really strict on pasengers whom are carrying too much weight (baggage). With what my wife takes, I think the wine would "tip the scales" for us - LOL The cost of being "over weight" is outstripping to savings by far.

 

I actually thought the wine prices and drink prices were very reasonable on board. A $24 bottle of wine on the ship was smack inbetween a restaurant price and retail. 7 bottles of wine probably cost me a $70 premium max for 2 people.

 

Last but not least, I agree that you could easily 'break' a bottle and the smell on your clothes - the risks are too great.

 

As they say, you get what you pay for. Me, I pay for a stressless cruise and carrying heavy "booze" items creates more stress than I care for.

 

On the Golden, they had 2 "wine tasting" sessions that were great value and great fun.

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Dubibub2 - You are so right about the luggage restrictions. If you are going to pack your wine in your checked baggage, it might indeed become a VERY expensive bottle if your bag winds up over the weight limit! You are also right that the wine prices on the ship are reasonable. If you don't have something special to bring along, then your better off leaving it home.

 

QE2 - 2000

Grand Princess - 2002

Coral Princess - 2004

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We brought two "empty" carryons to Fort Lauderdale with us. Stopped at a Publix Market and picked up 5 bottles of wine total for under $60, 2 chardonnary (Black Opal) and 3 red Shiraz reserve. We rolled them in t-shirts and put 3 in DHs backpack and 2 in my small carryon, absolutely no problem. In fact when we got to the pier, we even turned over my carryon to the guys loading the luggage advising them of the "wine" and it arrived at our cabin safe and sound. I had put the corkscrew in my makeup bag (we just brought a small one) which was in checked luggage. I found sitting on balcony before dinner and after evening festivities with a glass of wine was absolutely wonderful. We did have a couple of drinks in the Wheelhouse lounge (great band)most evenings and on ocassion a glass of wine with dinner.

DH did not open his third bottle and we put it in backpack (carryon). No problem going through security at FTL. I will tell you tho that they did go through ALL of our checked luggage, left the notes behind that they had opened our luggage. I don't even bother to lock it anymore. No one took anything but missing two luggage tags when we got back home - go figure. Princess runs a very smooth embarkation and disembarkation. It is too bad that there are those that choose the me, me, me attitude. We stayed in our cabin until they called all the reds and then headed out to deck 5. By then it was not too bad and as we signed up for the transportation back to the airport through Princess. Great deal at $10 per head.

They take you luggage, you go to the head of a line, they check you in and voila, you can now go have a good cup of coffee - that was my only gripe - coffee was terrible, someone needs to go to coffee school. Thank goodness I like tea.

This was on the Grand Princess. Awesome, Awesome time - first cruise and will not be the last.......

 

countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=00ff00&cdt=2004;4;4;17;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500

First Cruisers - Grand Princess 4/4/04

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My local wine store had a great cardboard box that held three bottles of wine. It fit in my carryon bag. I also have a padded wine bottle case (a freebie from Food and Wine magazine) that holds two bottles. My partner carried it in his carryon along.

 

When we were in Seattle before our cruise last summer, the place we bought wine had a nice coardboard box that held six bottles. We wanted to try some Washington State wines that aren't available to us. Most of the wines I see on the Princess wine list in our price range are things we can get locally.

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