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Should I bother to bring my two bottles of wine?

JandKMom

By JandKMom,
in Celebrity Cruises

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CHEZMARYLOU

CHEZMARYLOU

Posted
Posted
I've been wondering about this too. How do people get two glasses of wine back without spilling them :eek:

 

I mastered the art of carrying 2 glasses in one hand so that I could hold onto the railing going down the 1 flight of steps to our cabin.

 

Mary Lou

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PSCruiser

PSCruiser

Posted
Posted

I think we have only an average interest in wine, and in alcohol in general. We don't buy a package, just Elite / Diamond lounge access.

Last two 14 day cruises we bothered to bring a bottle of wine, and never opened either - left them for the steward. We had balconies, but never seem to have time to drink in the room, as we like to dance and usually close venues every night.

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blubelle57

blubelle57

Posted
Posted
Well maybe not Ian! If they are your 3rd, 4th, or 5th glass of the evening one could get kinda wobbly walkin dont ya know!:D

 

But that is why we try and book our cabin close to the lifts:rolleyes:

 

We're sorted then - luckily we are close to the lifts! ;)

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blubelle57

blubelle57

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Posted
True enough brother, true enough. :D

 

BTW, if one is really concerned about this, I'd suggest asking for the wine in a to-go cup with a lid then pouring it into a proper glass back in the room. ;)

Sounds like a good idea :)

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Eiansmomma

Eiansmomma

Posted
Posted

I'm glad I brought bottles with me. Yes it's convenient to bring a glass of wine back to the room but my own bottles really came in handy when the kids were sleeping and I couldn't get to a bar. Also came in handy when I was in my "comfy clothes" and wanted a night cap on the balcony.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

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  • 3 months later...
oregon50

oregon50

Posted
Posted
We were on a cruise in March and had the beverage package plus several wine tasting events. While the wine included in the classic package lack a lot of variety, they aren't swill but the lower end wines you would can find in Costco or your grocery store. So, figure anywhere from $6 - $11 retail for the bottle on what you will be served. They get the job done...:D

 

If you do have a couple of bottles of something you really like, consider that it will weigh down your luggage and there is always the chance they can break. On our March cruise, guess they assumed it might be a spring break crowd (not even) and they were confiscating everyone's wine at check in and you were allowed to go pick it up later than evening. Guess this is how they are enforcing the 2 bottle rule. The cruise director was asked about this at one of our cruise critic gatherings and he said, "we read cruise critic, too, guys ... we know how you all manage to sneak on more than your allotted amount"....made me laugh. Anyhow, along with the carting them around, you may have the hassle of picking them up later on embarkation day.

 

After I finish laughing about the lower end wines you can find at Costco, I would like to ask a question.

 

Do they really take wine out of luggage? Is luggage passed to a porter, or do you go through security with your baggage? We will board in Honolulu.

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Sloop-JohnB

Sloop-JohnB

Posted
Posted (edited)
After I finish laughing about the lower end wines you can find at Costco, I would like to ask a question.

 

Do they really take wine out of luggage? Is luggage passed to a porter, or do you go through security with your baggage? We will board in Honolulu.

 

I think most people bring their wine aboard in their hand luggage / carry on. Safer that way... Afterall checked bags can get handled roughly by the Porters... And broken bottles of wine when combined with clothes would be a horrible beginning to one's vacation.

 

We've boarded in Fort Lauderdale & San Juan... Both places the routine was identical. Our carry on bags were hand inspected and then returned to us. They were also scanned when we went onto the ship.

 

Like the airport... Celebrity does scan checked bags for safety reasons / contraband (including smuggled booze onboard)

 

If Celebrity has any Questions they pull the Check Bag and put it aside in the "Naughty Room"... Then owners are informed, and they have to report to the "Naughty Room" to open bags for Celebrity Staff.

 

This all takes time... And one's bags are delayed, which makes fr a more stressful E-Day.

 

Another reason that most just put their wine in their Carry On Bags... Soooooo much easier

 

Plus if you flew in, buying a bottle or two before the cruise is easy enough to do and then add to your hand luggage

 

Hope this helps,

 

Cheers!

Edited by Sloop-JohnB
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Sloop-JohnB

Sloop-JohnB

Posted
Posted (edited)
I'm wondering about this too. We will be in the Solstice, cabin 8251, so fairly near an elevator. I can't really work out from the deck plans where the closest bar would be.

Anyone know?

 

Check out The Solstice's Deck Plans to become more familiar with this great ship

 

http://www.celebritycruises.com/ships/celebrity-solstice#Deck_Plans/ships/celebrity-solstice/deck-plans

 

Cabin # 8251 on the Solstice is midship, near the central elevator bank... So an excellent location (we were similarly located on the 10th Deck when we sailed on her)

 

Closest spot to get a drink is to hop on the elevator and ride down to the 5th Deck to Cafe al Bacio, which in addition to serving excellent Coffees & Teas (think Starbucks) also has a full bar... But it can be very very busy cause it is the main Coffee Stop on the ship (again think how popular Starbucks is)

 

On Deck 4 Midship is the Martini / Crush Bar and across the Foyer CellarMasters... So good for people who are in search of more specialized items. There is also a full bar in Fortunes Casino.

 

Deck 3 Midship is home to the Passport Bar... Another Bar that has a full selection. This is a fairly quiet bar, and not usually super busy. It quickly became one of our faves on The Solstice.

 

Going up... There are also lots of great Bars (Deck 12 - 14 - and 15)... But they'll all require a bit further to walk heading fore or aft from the Central Elevator Bank.

 

Lol, then there is always nothing closer than your own cabin.

 

Each room has a mini bar, or you can order from room service (both being chargeable... And Bevvy Pkgs don't apply)

 

Or of course... There is always the Free option, where you can bring aboard 2 Bottles (750 ml each) of wine to open in your cabin... Your Steward will provide the necessary items... Corkscrew - Wine Glasses - and Ice Bucket (there are BTW no rules regarding taking your drink elsewhere on the ship... By the glass. Just that you open the bottle in your cabin, or pay a corkage charge if you have the bottled opened in a venue)

 

Hope this helps,

 

Cheers!

Edited by Sloop-JohnB
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Ethel6666

Ethel6666

Posted
Posted

Thanks Sloop, for your comprehensive reply. I will direct husband to the Passport bar in the first instance then ;)

I'm certainly planning on the odd glass (or two or three) on the balcony, so we might bring the two bottles, just for convenience, if we can manage to carry them! We have the classic package (free) but might upgrade to sample some nicer wines. I have seen quite a few posts of wine lists on cruise critic, but they mostly aren't wines we are familiar with, since we mainly have Aust & New Zealand wines available here, and the Celebrity wine list looks quite a bit more international.

We'll just have to work our way through sampling them to see which ones we like....

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HAM

HAM

Posted
Posted
We signed up for the Classic Beverage. Package. Is it easy enough just to go get drinks and bring them back to the room, or is it good to have the wine for drinking in the room?

 

Bring the two bottles and drop them off at my room!

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MOcruiserman

MOcruiserman

Posted
Posted

I was wondering whether to bring wine with me on my upcoming cruise in August. Right now I'm not inclined to do it. We have an inside cabin and don't expect to be spending much time there. Also, I find it much more satisfying to have a drink while in one of the lounges, looking at the ocean, rather than sitting in my cabin.

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Lsimon

Lsimon

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Posted

We always bring a couple of bottles of wine with us. We'll enjoy them in the cabin - usually if we have cruise friend over for a drink on the veranda or we'll bring it along if invited to a friend's cabin for drinks. If we don't use them up this way then on one of the last few days of the cruise we'll take them to the dining room and pay the corkage fee of $25. The wines we bring on are usually nice wines and even with the corkage fee the total cost is lower than equivalent wines in the dining room.

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7leagueboots

7leagueboots

Posted
Posted
If it's convenient, then there's no reason not to bring a couple of bottles on board. They will likely be better quality than the wine in the classic package and the cost will be far far less than buying an equivalent bottle on the ship. If it's inconvenient to bring bottles on board, then yes, you can bring a glass of wine back to your room from most of the bars on the ship.

 

I agree about the quality of the wine. Also if you are a white wine drinker you can ice down the bottle in your room. If you bring back one from a bar it will warm up.

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Sloop-JohnB

Sloop-JohnB

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Posted (edited)
The last time I brought wine on board was the first cruise with a drink package. Wine sat in my room, and came off the ship at the end. I love the drink packages, they have changed cruising for us.

 

Mr Sloop & I see this as a "possibility" on our upcoming Celebrity Cruise...

 

But we don't really care very much... As essentially we will be out naught cause of it.

 

Even with a Bevvy Pkg it is still worth it for us to bring our 2 Wine Bottle Limit aboard (more so cause we always opt for Sparkling or Champagne for which there are limited offerings on the Bevvy Pkgs... Or we look at a big upcharge).

 

We enjoy having Bubbly to drink in our cabin... And it truly is the ideal Bevvy cause there is no bad time to drink it, morning - noon - or night (leftovers properly corked... With a bubble stopper... Make for excellent Morning After Mimosas ;) :D )

 

Even if we end up bringing a bottle to the MDR to share with our Tablemates, the $ 25 corkage is still a bargain vs buying the same bottle of wine off the MDR List ... ( Saving the Over 2x mark up)

 

Worse case scenario we lug it off the ship, and drink it another time (lol, still serves as a reminder of the great cruise we took)

 

Cheers!

Edited by Sloop-JohnB
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galavant3

galavant3

Posted
Posted
I am the OP of this post. Funny that it has been revived after 3 months! I ended up bringing my 2 bottles of wine. Found they were not necessary. Drank one and brought the other home!

 

Thanks for reporting in! We have been on the fence and based on your experience, I think we won't bother with the wine. It will be one less thing to pack.

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hulamoon

hulamoon

Posted
Posted (edited)

I love these revived threads! Last time we ordered juice from the butler and had a sangria party after mixing up left overs in the ice bucket, also used the sparking wine from embarkation.

 

It was a lot of fun.

 

Usually I seek out b2bers for my left over wine or on other lines booze. We almost never finish it.

Edited by hulamoon
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