Corkage Fee

If I bring my bottle of wine to the dining room and open it myself will I still be charged the corkage fee? Carnival Fascination

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Depends on the waiter

A corkage fee is not for actually removing the cork, but for having a bottle that was not bought from them (wherever you are dining). But truly, we've never been charged the corkage fee - but know people that have been charged. So I guess it's up to whoever does the actual charging - your waiter I guess. Our friends who were charged had a fairly new waiter, so maybe that's why.

Though called a corkage fee it is really a penalty fee for not buying from the establishment's (in this case the cruise line's) wine list.

The easiest way around this is to not bring the bottle out to public areas of the ship. Just open it in cabin and pour a generous glass and proceed to wherever on the ship.

Technically it's Carnival's rule that you will be charged $15 for consuming it in their restaurant, but the enforcement varies just like a lot of their rules. Best bet is to go to any bar and ask for wine glasses, open the bottle in your room pour a big glass and then head to dinner.

Another workaround for the corkage fee is to bring wine on board that is also sold on board.

It actually depends on the Maitre D. I had a waiter explain that if the Maitr D sees a wine bottle on the table that is not sold on board, they ask the waiter if the corkage fee was added.

Or as someone else posted just bring your already filled glass to dinner.

They won't know where it was poured or by whom since people bring drinks in and out of every venue on the cruise ship-I've never been charged when bringing a glass from my room. Remember to bring your own bottle opener.:cool:

We bring corkscrew with us or just buy wine with twist off cap.

Ask waiter if he will charge corkage. If not just pour off glasses in cabin and bring to DR.

You can ask your steward for a corkscrew and he will give you a complementary Carnival one.

Easy to do, just open it before you head to dinner. When at the table, just stick it on the floor when not pouring a glass. They will never charge you.

I wish Carnival would do like Holland America: the first two bottles are free, then $18 corkage fee for as many as you want to bring on board.

We order room service to bring some of our bottles purchased thru cruisin the vineyards wine program. We bring a bottle to MDR...have never been chgd...this program does not have a corkage fee attached to it...they open bottle no problem...we always make sure that our 2 bottles coming on board at embarkation are same wine from the wine program list...

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We order room service to bring some of our bottles purchased thru cruisin the vineyards wine program. We bring a bottle to MDR...have never been chgd...this program does not have a corkage fee attached to it...they open bottle no problem...we always make sure that our 2 bottles coming on board at embarkation are same wine from the wine program list...

 

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A corkage fee is only assessed on the carry-on allowance bottle brought on board on embarkation day only. In generally these were not purchased on board.

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Though called a corkage fee it is really a penalty fee for not buying from the establishment's (in this case the cruise line's) wine list.

The easiest way around this is to not bring the bottle out to public areas of the ship. Just open it in cabin and pour a generous glass and proceed to wherever on the ship.

That is what I do. You can ask for wine glasses at any bar and take them with you to your cabin. Bring them back to any bar for fresh ones.

You can ask your steward for a corkscrew and he will give you a complementary Carnival one.

Last cruise they did not do this. They send someone form room service to open it (and of course I had to tip for that, Next time I will NOT forget the corkscrew.

Of course there's no corkage fee because the bottles were purchased through the cruise line. Just like there is no corkage fee on bottles ordered as cabin gifts pre-cruise through the online FunShops.

A corkage fee is only assessed on the carry-on allowance bottle brought on board on embarkation day only. In generally these were not purchased on board.

 

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Thanks for your info.

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Last cruise they did not do this. They send someone form room service to open it (and of course I had to tip for that, Next time I will NOT forget the corkscrew.

Lol

Thanks for the info. Will get my own corkscrew and open in my room.

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