Whining Wine Question Please

[marluvs2go]

hey there, I have read two different versions of carrying the bottles on board. Maybe you know the answer.

First I read where if you carry two bottles per couple they will tag them and charge you right then and there the $15.00 corkage fee at the boarding security line.

Second: I read where the bottles are tagged, however the corkage fee is NOT applied until it is opened in restaurant.

Does that mean that you could carry on two bottles that never leave the cabin? and never pay the fee?

Thanks again

[CruiseIreland]

hey there, I have read two different versions of carrying the bottles on board. Maybe you know the answer.

First I read where if you carry two bottles per couple they will tag them and charge you right then and there the $15.00 corkage fee at the boarding security line.

Second: I read where the bottles are tagged, however the corkage fee is NOT applied until it is opened in restaurant.

Does that mean that you could carry on two bottles that never leave the cabin? and never pay the fee?

Thanks again

You may carry on more than two bottles. If you want to have them onboard you will be charged $15 per 750ml bottle or they will hold the wine and return it to you on the last night of the cruise. We brought on 6 bottles @$15 each. Ken

[lidodeckfan]

There is a table set up to collect the fees once you go through security. If you don't stop & pay the corkage & drink the wine in your room you could avoid the fee provided you have a corkscrew. My wife & I bypassed the table on our last cruise. Line was too long. We just paid the corkage when we presented the bottle at dinner.

[Demonyte]

Yep, both versions are incorrect for NCL (and have been as long as we've sailed with them).

 

All bottles are charged corkage when brought onboard based on the size of the bottle ($15 for 0,75L - more for bigger bottles, no boxes allowed) and there are no limits on how many bottles to bring. If there are leftovers, one can get the corkage refunded on unopened bottles on the last night of the cruise.

[rvsullivan]

Most/many people stop at the desk and pay the corkage fee as required. Once the fee is paid, you can drink it anywhere on the ship including your room.

Some make an art of trying to "put one over" on NCL, the majority do the right thing and pay the fee when they board. The fee is charged when you board and will show up on your account the first or second day.

As an FYI, if you have an unopened bottle or two (I can't imagine that!!:D) NCL will refund the corkage on the last night if you take them to guest services and stand in line.

[cssc123]

We brought on 3 1.5L bottles last month on the 16 day Panama Canal cruise and in LA when security saw it in our bag they wouldn't let us touch our bags and one of the security officers carried it over to the corkage fee table where he made us open up the bag to tag the bottle.

 

The guy must not have seen too many 1.5L bottles because he charged us $30 for 2 of them and the 3rd was $15. He said "the first one is $15 and then after that I have to charge you $30 for the other 2 magnums" We graciously accepted the $15 discount on corkage fees.

 

Later that trip the sticker disappeared (it was on the bottle the one night and then disappeared when it was picked up the next night in the MDR) and we were asked if we paid the corkage fee on it.

 

I'm guessing one could easily say yes when the answer is no to that question, but who knows if they actually checked or account to ensure that we did.

[MeHeartCruising]

The table where you are SUPPOSED to stop and pay your corkage is fee is not intended to be optional. If you're carrying wine on the ship, you are supposed to stop and make payment arrangements. They charge it to your shipboard account -- you don't need cash. At some ports, security will escort you to the desk to make sure you are correctly paying your fee. However, in some cases, it seems they have to rely on people doing what they are supposed to do, by the NCL rules, when security is not able to contribute to enforcement. If you somehow successfully, intentionally skip the corkage fee table, you are choosing to bypass NCL's rules -- regardless of where you drink your wine once on board.