Info please re corkage fee

[xjust4fun]

We decided to book a HAL cruise for November. It's our understanding that HAL allows us to bring bottles of wine onboard upon embarkation and that the first bottle is not subject to corkage fee. If we pay the $18.00 fee per bottle can we bring them to the MDR or specialty restaurant.?? Thanks

[sail7seas]

We decided to book a HAL cruise for November. It's our understanding that HAL allows us to bring bottles of wine onboard upon embarkation and that the first bottle is not subject to corkage fee. If we pay the $18.00 fee per bottle can we bring them to the MDR or specialty restaurant.?? Thanks

 

 

 

Yes. You may drink the wine on which you have paid the corkage fee anywhere on the ship.

 

[Vict0riann]

And the allowance is one bottle per person with no corkage fee.

[xjust4fun]

Thank you very much for your replies. Much appreciated.

[catl331]

And the allowance is one bottle per person with no corkage fee.

For in-cabin consumption only. Take it anywhere else and that too will be subject to corkage.

[Krazy Kruizers]

You are allowed 1 bottle -- 750 ml per adult person -- over the age of 21 -- to bring onto the ship.

All wine bottles must be in your carry-ons.

On our last cruise there was a table set up right behind the area where you go through security. They took your name and cabin number and put a sticker on all the extra bottles. That way they know that you have paid the corkage fee on those extra bottles. And you can take them anywhere on the ship.

As to the bottle that you didn't pay the corkage fee on when you got onto the ship, if you don't drink it in your cabin, wherever you take it on the ship, then you will pay the corkage fee.

[Jersey Girl 1]

We like the occasional glass of wine during our trip but we don't like to sit in our rooms and drink it. Can we ask for wine glasses from the room steward and take a glass of wine with us to dinner?

[RuthC]

We like the occasional glass of wine during our trip but we don't like to sit in our rooms and drink it. Can we ask for wine glasses from the room steward and take a glass of wine with us to dinner?

Depending on which ship, and on some ships which category, there may be wine glasses in the cabin already.

If you are pouring wine from a bottle on which you have paid corkage, you are welcome to bring it to any public area.

[CowPrincess]

Depending on which ship, and on some ships which category, there may be wine glasses in the cabin already.

If you are pouring wine from a bottle on which you have paid corkage, you are welcome to bring it to any public area.

 

I have no idea how this is monitored, and it seems that HAL needs to do some fine-tuning. On my last cruise, I had 3 bottles of wine in my carry-on. The fellow doing the scanning told me to go to the "alcohol table" or some similar name. I did. The steward there counted the bottles and told me I was being charged corkage for two of them (as expected). They didn't put stickers or anything on them, so I had 3 bottles, with corkage paid for 2.

 

If I had taken one to the MDR and another to a bar, how would they have known that I was drinking "non-corkage" wine someplace else?

 

I think we will see changes evolve over time as these kinds of "gaps" become apparent.

 

(BTW, I was apparently the only person of approximately 300 boarding at the time who had more than one bottle of wine, as I was the only person at the alcohol table -- it seemed to be a voluntary thing :D)

[eandj]

We like the occasional glass of wine during our trip but we don't like to sit in our rooms and drink it. Can we ask for wine glasses from the room steward and take a glass of wine with us to dinner?

 

 

Yes. Just ask the room steward to put 2 or 3 wine glasses in your room every morning. If you remove a couple to finish your wine on deck,mdr or wherever, you will have an extra for later.

Edited July 7, 2014 by eandj

[RuthC]

I have no idea how this is monitored,

I very much doubt that it is, or can be, monitored. Once the wine is poured from the bottle, who is to tell which bottle it came from.

Some people will follow the rule just because it's the rule, while others will do everything they can think of to get around it.

[CowPrincess]

I very much doubt that it is, or can be, monitored. Once the wine is poured from the bottle, who is to tell which bottle it came from.

Some people will follow the rule just because it's the rule, while others will do everything they can think of to get around it.

 

Our group had so much wine, we had to give some of it away before the cruise was even half-over. I gave away my non-corkage-paid bottle so I had no concerns about carrying a glass of corkage-paid wine with me. But you are correct, no doubt some will try to get around it. Like every other rule in every other place.

[jtl513]

They didn't put stickers or anything on them, so I had 3 bottles, with corkage paid for 2.

Hmmmm ... I thought when the new rules started I read that they were marking the paid and unpaid bottles differently. Maybe this is yet another thing that varies by ship. ;)

[eandj]

It makes no sense to me to walk away from that table without having the bottles I paid for marked in some way. Who wants to have to explain/argue the situation in the dining room.

Edited July 7, 2014 by eandj

[Lizzie68]

Just a FYI - on a recent cruise, on reboarding in ports I observed several people be directed to the alcohol table to have their bottles saved for them or corkage charged. Most headed up the stairway that is just ahead of the table, without stopping at the table. It was a longer cruise, so likely they drank the alcohol in their cabin and didn't try taking unmarked bottles to dinner.