Logistics of wine policy

[can786]

I understand the policy of being able to bring 1 bottle of wine per adult and paying the corkage fee for any additional bottles but I was wondering exactly how Princess enforces this. For example, if each person in the cabin had two bottles with them in their carryon and claimed it was for both passengers, do the people scanning the luggage know that you are together in the cabin? In other words, what is to stop passengers from bringing double their allowance onboard without paying the corkage fee? The same thing goes for packing wine in both checked and carryon luggage to bring twice the "free" allowance onboard? Do they log it into a computer when wine is detected?

 

I'm not looking to violate the policy but I was wondering if others get away with this when honest people follow the rules.

[sminfiddle]

When it's enforced:

The first free bottle is noted against your account/card. Thereafter, it is $15 a bottle (be it at embarkation, Naughty room* or port-of-call).

 

*some undeclared luggage wine may be discarded

 

 

~sent using Cruise Critic app~

[satxdiver]

We boarded the Island in San Francisco last month. Security saw our 6 bottles of wine (15 day cruise) as they were in a special 6 bottle wine carrier and directed us to the alcohol table. They looked at our six bottles and charged us 4 x $15 which was added to our shipboard bill. They wrote on the bottle labels in ink that the corking charge had been paid - we drank the wine in our cabin so don't know about taking it to the MDR etc.

 

I have heard that if you put it in your checked luggage, they will take it. That is hearsay though.

[can786]

Thanks for the answers. I'm glad they have a way to circumvent those who feel the policy is for everyone but them.

[GweninTX]

When we sailed on the Golden out of San Pedro to Hawaii it was strictly enforced ! They tracked what you declared at checkin on a computer spreadsheet and if you had any in your checked luggage you had to go get it in the naughty room and they compared to spreadsheet to keep you from double dipping!

[chamima]

When it's enforced:

The first free bottle is noted against your account/card. Thereafter, it is $15 a bottle (be it at embarkation, Naughty room* or port-of-call).

 

*some undeclared luggage wine may be discarded

 

 

~sent using Cruise Critic app~

 

 

Everyone keeps saying this but I really think the actual policy is that liquor will be destroyed, NOT wine.

 

I will quote our current boarding pass:

(Emphasis is mine)

 

Thank you for observing our carry-on alcohol policy.

As a reminder, adult passengers are permitted to bring one 750 ml bottle of wine or champagne onboard per voyage, which will not be subject to a corkage fee if consumed in the stateroom.

Additional wine or champagne bottles are welcome, but will incur a $15 corkage fee each, irrespective of where they are intended to be consumed.

Liquor, spirits or beers are not permitted.

Please remember that luggage will be scanned and alcohol outside of our policy will be removed and discarded.

 

It seems pretty clear to me that "liquor outside of our policy" has nothing to do with wine. There is a clear policy for wine - 2 bottles gratis, everything else $15/bottle.

It says NOTHING about destroying wine after 2 bottles!

[sminfiddle]

Everyone keeps saying this but I really think the actual policy is that liquor will be destroyed, NOT wine.

 

I will quote our current boarding pass:

(Emphasis is mine)

 

Thank you for observing our carry-on alcohol policy.

As a reminder, adult passengers are permitted to bring one 750 ml bottle of wine or champagne onboard per voyage, which will not be subject to a corkage fee if consumed in the stateroom.

Additional wine or champagne bottles are welcome, but will incur a $15 corkage fee each, irrespective of where they are intended to be consumed.

Liquor, spirits or beers are not permitted.

Please remember that luggage will be scanned and alcohol outside of our policy will be removed and discarded.

 

It seems pretty clear to me that "liquor outside of our policy" has nothing to do with wine. There is a clear policy for wine - 2 bottles gratis, everything else $15/bottle.

It says NOTHING about destroying wine after 2 bottles!

 

Thank you for adding the "carry-on alcohol policy" text in its entirety from the boarding pass and saving me the typing I was about to do! It reads exactly like mine.

 

We see that the "carry-on alcohol policy" first discusses wine, free and for fee. The carry-on alcohol policy then prohibits liquor/spirits/beer in one concise clear sentence. Then it mentions alcohol in luggage.

I am at a loss to find the "liquor outside of our policy" phrase you mention.

 

The Passage Contract does not use the word liquor at all. Here is the first sentence.

 

"Passengers agree not to bring alcoholic beverages of any kind on board for consumption except one bottle of wine or champagne per person of drinking age (no larger than 750 ml) per voyage only in his/her carry-on luggage."

 

Rick

[Loonbeam]

As far as logistics its simple. Everyone in a room is tied to a master account for that room. You just assign at certain number of 'credits' to that room based on number of adults, then anyone in the room can use them, when the credits are gone, you pay for the additional..

[Cruiseagain2012]

On this note...how much is an average bottle of wine on Princess? I love my wine...but usually only drink $15 or less bottles of wine...so would it be worth dragging them onboard for $30/bottle (including corkage fee)? Or just pay the price onboard??

 

Any advice for this "wino" would be appreciated...we drink a bottle with dinner every night.

 

Cheers!

[Cruiseagain2012]

http://www.princess.com/learn/onboard/gifts_services/cellars_culinarydelights/princess_cellars/index.jsp

 

Found this link for any other "winos" out there! :) I guess it is worth bringing a "special" bottle or two along...otherwise I'll just buy what they have onboard.

 

Happy Sailing.

[eandj]

Too, the gratuity is added on the price if you order online. Giving you a "true" cost of the bottle.

So for exmple, the Reisling usually runs around $12 in a store. Add the $15 corkage and you are basically the same if you buy it onboard. So if carrying "extras", you aren't really saving anything unless you can avoid the scan onboard.

[JimmyVWine]

http://www.princess.com/learn/onboard/gifts_services/cellars_culinarydelights/princess_cellars/index.jsp

 

Found this link for any other "winos" out there! :) I guess it is worth bringing a "special" bottle or two along...otherwise I'll just buy what they have onboard.

 

Happy Sailing.

 

This is the best approach. If you are an: "I'll have whatever is open" or a: "$40 for a bottle of wine?? Are you kidding me?" type of drinker, then it makes no sense to take along low priced wines only to have Princess tack $15 on to the cost of your bottle. There will be plenty of low priced wines to keep you satisfied, provided that you are not demanding in terms of overall quality. On the other hand, if you are an: "I only drink micro-production, hand de-stemmed Pinot Noir grown in the "true" Sonoma Coast on South facing hillsides at an an elevation of 1,100 feet and barrel fermented in Medium Toast+ barrels made by Francois Frere Tonnellier", then you best bring on some bottles, because there won't be anything on the ship that will please you.

[Thrak]

This is the best approach. If you are an: "I'll have whatever is open" or a: "$40 for a bottle of wine?? Are you kidding me?" type of drinker, then it makes no sense to take along low priced wines only to have Princess tack $15 on to the cost of your bottle. There will be plenty of low priced wines to keep you satisfied, provided that you are not demanding in terms of overall quality. On the other hand, if you are an: "I only drink micro-production, hand de-stemmed Pinot Noir grown in the "true" Sonoma Coast on South facing hillsides at an an elevation of 1,100 feet and barrel fermented in Medium Toast+ barrels made by Francois Frere Tonnellier", then you best bring on some bottles, because there won't be anything on the ship that will please you.

 

 

Sadly this is why I'm unhappy with the BEER policy. Princess doesn't carry any beer that is acceptable. My wife and I enjoy beer (as well as wine) but we don't drink swill beer and that's all Princess carries. We ought to be able to bring quality beer onboard but Princess has now banned bringing your own beer.

[JimmyVWine]

Sadly this is why I'm unhappy with the BEER policy. Princess doesn't carry any beer that is acceptable. My wife and I enjoy beer (as well as wine) but we don't drink swill beer and that's all Princess carries. We ought to be able to bring quality beer onboard but Princess has now banned bringing your own beer.

 

I understand completely. I'm not at all sure why it is that Princess does not recognize the qualitative and regional differences in beers. When passengers travel to a region reknown for its wine, they are allowed to bring back bottles that they cannot get back home. There really is no good reason why the same cannot be done for beer. I suspect that they are afraid that people will bring on case after case of Bud Lite instead of bringing on high quality craft beers that are unique and not available on board. There would have to be some form of "cappage" fee, akin to a corkage fee that would discourage bringing run-of-the-mill beers on board. If you assume that one bottle of wine equals 4 bottles of beer, would you be willing to pay $15 for every 4 bottles above an original free allotment of 4 bottles? If so, perhaps you can start a campaign!

[Beachdude]

This is the best approach. On the other hand, if you are an: "I only drink micro-production, hand de-stemmed Pinot Noir grown in the "true" Sonoma Coast on South facing hillsides at an an elevation of 1,100 feet and barrel fermented in Medium Toast+ barrels made by Francois Frere Tonnellier", then you best bring on some bottles, because there won't be anything on the ship that will please you.

 

The $15 fee is small compared to the cost of these wines and is not a problem for the conoisseurs who enjoy them.

 

Burt

[Loonbeam]

Beer doesn't have the same markup per ounce that wine does and requires quite a bit of knowledge from the bar staff. Add in the challenges of procuring consistent quantities and I can see why they don't bother. Also, unlike wine, beer distributors (like soda) often include exclusivity clauses for lower pricing, so they cannot use other sources...

 

We were just off the Disney Dream, which has its own house beer. Talking to the bartender he said it was a huge issue to get clearance to sell it under Disney's contract, the final solution was they had to use a brewer contracted with their wholesaler or they couldn't.

 

 

 

Sadly this is why I'm unhappy with the BEER policy. Princess doesn't carry any beer that is acceptable. My wife and I enjoy beer (as well as wine) but we don't drink swill beer and that's all Princess carries. We ought to be able to bring quality beer onboard but Princess has now banned bringing your own beer.

[JimmyVWine]

The $15 fee is small compared to the cost of these wines and is not a problem for the conoisseurs who enjoy them.

 

Burt

 

Of course. That is why it makes sense to bring on board higher end wines. I wasn't suggesting otherwise. I do it myself, every time. But there is an awful lot of hand wringing over this issue by people who want to bring on board $7 bottles of wine and skirt the fee. If you are going to drink $7 bottles that then become $22 bottles after the fee is applied, it is best to buy them on board.

[Thrak]

Sadly this is why I'm unhappy with the BEER policy. Princess doesn't carry any beer that is acceptable. My wife and I enjoy beer (as well as wine) but we don't drink swill beer and that's all Princess carries. We ought to be able to bring quality beer onboard but Princess has now banned bringing your own beer.

 

Beer doesn't have the same markup per ounce that wine does and requires quite a bit of knowledge from the bar staff. Add in the challenges of procuring consistent quantities and I can see why they don't bother. Also, unlike wine, beer distributors (like soda) often include exclusivity clauses for lower pricing, so they cannot use other sources...

 

We were just off the Disney Dream, which has its own house beer. Talking to the bartender he said it was a huge issue to get clearance to sell it under Disney's contract, the final solution was they had to use a brewer contracted with their wholesaler or they couldn't.

 

A good reason why they should allow passengers to bring on their own beer...

[curiouscat]

Does anyone have a copy of the current wine list ?

 

CC

[sminfiddle]

Beer doesn't have the same markup per ounce that wine does and requires quite a bit of knowledge from the bar staff. Add in the challenges of procuring consistent quantities and I can see why they don't bother.

 

I hear they do bother to stock local craft beers for Alaska runs.

 

I'd love to see Princess adopt this strategy in Houston and sell Saint Arnold and/or Karbach brews. No of course I'm not going to hold my breath waiting for it. :(

[critterchick]

http://www.princess.com/learn/onboard/gifts_services/cellars_culinarydelights/princess_cellars/index.jsp

 

Found this link for any other "winos" out there! :) I guess it is worth bringing a "special" bottle or two along...otherwise I'll just buy what they have onboard.

 

Happy Sailing.

 

Those are just the tip of the wine list iceberg. If you do a search, I believe that Largin posted the full current list not too long ago. I have to say that Princess has a nice selection of middle-range wines (that would cost $10-20 in the LA area), so for us it's not worth schlepping more than one bottle each.

[geoherb]

If you are going to drink $7 bottles that then become $22 bottles after the fee is applied, it is best to buy them on board.

I sort of agree, but realize that some folks are pinching every penny to go on a cruise. So that $7 bottle that ends up costing them $22 with corkage would cost them $32 from the wine list after the gratuity is added. Saving $10 a bottle during the course of a week-long cruise adds up.

 

When we took a Carnival cruise, I carried all of the wine for us (one bottle allowed per adult). We went through the security screening together, and I had to identify my husband and mother-in-law as traveling with me so that the security folks knew that we had one bottle per adult. I had prepurchased a three-bottle wine package as well then we ended up buying another three-bottle package.

[JimmyVWine]

I sort of agree, but realize that some folks are pinching every penny to go on a cruise. So that $7 bottle that ends up costing them $22 with corkage would cost them $32 from the wine list after the gratuity is added.

 

The gratuity is only 15%, not 100%. A $7 bottle that gets marked up 200% is $21. Add 15% and the total price comes to $24 which is very much in line with the price of the carried on bottle plus corkage. If you look at the wine list, you will find sufficient bottles in the $22-$25 range, though they are mostly white. The low end reds run $24-$28. So perhaps carrying on low end wines might save $5 per bottle. But it is hard to make the argument that savings in that neighborhood could be material over the length of a cruise.

 

Beer doesn't have the same markup per ounce that wine does ...

 

I missed this earlier. I am certain that the ship pays less than $1 per bottle/can of beer. Even if you assume that the cost to the ship is $1.00, selling that bottle for $3.00 is a 200% markup which is as much as the markup of the wines on the low end of the wine list, and much more than wines on the high end of the wine list, many of which are marked up less than 100%. Are there any beers on board that are marked up less than 100%? The wine list that Largin posted from March, 2013 has plenty of such wines, including Ornellaia listed at $140. Good luck finding it for that price in a store. The most recent vintage is selling for $165+ at retail.

[pablo222]

I sort of agree, but realize that some folks are pinching every penny to go on a cruise.

 

Those people need to realize that princess doesn't want them

as customers.

[chamima]

The gratuity is only 15%, not 100%. A $7 bottle that gets marked up 200% is $21. Add 15% and the total price comes to $24 which is very much in line with the price of the carried on bottle plus corkage. If you look at the wine list, you will find sufficient bottles in the $22-$25 range, though they are mostly white. The low end reds run $24-$28. So perhaps carrying on low end wines might save $5 per bottle. But it is hard to make the argument that savings in that neighborhood could be material over the length of a cruise.

 

 

 

I missed this earlier. I am certain that the ship pays less than $1 per bottle/can of beer. Even if you assume that the cost to the ship is $1.00, selling that bottle for $3.00 is a 200% markup which is as much as the markup of the wines on the low end of the wine list, and much more than wines on the high end of the wine list, many of which are marked up less than 100%. Are there any beers on board that are marked up less than 100%? The wine list that Largin posted from March, 2013 has plenty of such wines, including Ornellaia listed at $140. Good luck finding it for that price in a store. The most recent vintage is selling for $165+ at retail.

 

Except that every time we've looked into ordering a really nice bottle on a cruise it's always a from a really bad year. Either Princess gets those at a discounted price or they hope people won't notice.