A few points and observations about HAL’s wine policy. Yes again!

[cruising cockroach]

The "free" bottle is at your embarkation.

 

Will you somehow be able to slip through the cracks at your in-transit port? Maybe. Maybe not. You are still allowed to bring the bottle aboard, just pay the corkage.

 

Since the San Diego stop is actually when a 4 day cruise ends and the next leg is an 18 day, doesn't one have to disembark anyway and re-ermbark?

[POA1]

Since the San Diego stop is actually when a 4 day cruise ends and the next leg is an 18 day, doesn't one have to disembark anyway and re-ermbark?

 

Does it have a separate booking number?

[RuthC]

Since the San Diego stop is actually when a 4 day cruise ends and the next leg is an 18 day, doesn't one have to disembark anyway and re-ermbark?

Nice try. It's a port stop for those who are in transit.

[Wakepatrol]

Back when the world was ending (with the original stricter policy)

People were screaming from mountain tops and signing Facebook petitions to

 

"Just Let Us Pay A Corkage Fee"

 

They granted your wish, but yet this still rolls on:confused:

Edited July 31, 2014 by Wakepatrol

[jtl513]

They granted your wish, but yet this still rolls on:confused:

Most people have accepted the new policy IMO. The OP wants us to agree with him that he's justified smuggling wine on board because he "can't afford" to pay the corkage! :eek: Edited July 31, 2014 by jtl513

[POA1]

Most people have accepted the new policy IMO. The OP wants us to agree with him that he's justified smuggling wine on board because he "can't afford" to pay the corkage! :eek:

I was tempted to recommend the "Grandpa Vinny" strategy, but the OP seemed kind of sensitive about boxed wine snobbery and I was afraid that "bulk, vacation quality, bag-in-box wine" would come across as too snooty. (That was not my intention. It's just a funny phrase.)

 

Read the Grandpa Vinny story:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=43344990

Edited July 31, 2014 by POA1

[Gerko]

I only drink my wine at dinner and have always been happy to pay the corkage. I applaud HAL for allowing unlimited bottles providing you pay corkage. $18 is not exactly cheap but it does allow me to bring along much better wine than I can purchase on board.

[Wakepatrol]

After reading 4.967 wine threads we've crunched all the numbers and our findings were

 

The so called Oenophile's who really enjoy wine,and want to drink their own and purchase wine in exotic ports only makes up 1% of the passengers.

 

They wanted a corkage fee and got it.

 

The masses went to Publix, Total Wine (called themselves Oenophile's) but bought $2-$7 bottles of wine.

 

Now they have to pay $22-$25 for the bottle of wine they bought and they don't like it.

Edited August 1, 2014 by Wakepatrol

[SeaBands]

in Publix or Total for $2. Even Trader Joes 2 buck chuck is $3 or more. I think the poster is mistaken as to why cruisers bring wine on board. It does save money but you also get to choose from a wider selection than HAL offers. I'll still buy my wine on land and pay the corkage. Paying $70 for a $15 bottle of wine is crazy.

[SeaBands]

[never won more than $50 on lottery and we've spent hundreds on losing tickets.QUOTE=RuthC;43573603]Then you ought to be buying Lottery tickets, as you have been incredibly lucky.

[ginger and professor]

How long are we going to continue to, "beat this dead Horse"........

[cruz chic]

How long are we going to continue to, "beat this dead Horse"........

 

Until people quit posting to it.

[jan can]

I do wish HAL would at least allow one bottle per week of your cruise.

 

I don't relish paying high prices for poor quality wines.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[jtl513]

I don't relish paying high prices for poor quality wines.

So buy what you want on shore and pay the corkage. ;)

[Dobermangal]

On a wonderful 18 day HAL Cruise last year before the policy was changed we brought on four bottles at embarkation and purchased six more at a highly recommended wine store in an early port. Eight bottles in total made it to the main dining room where we gladly incurred corkage fees.

 

Waiting outside the dining room with one of the earlier bottles in hand I overheard grumbling over the nerve I had bringing a bottle from my room from a clearly clueless fellow passenger :(. After that I slipped the bottles as needed down to the MDR with a note on them for my wine steward somewhere between breakfast and afternoon tea. Who needs that drama! The wine steward really enjoyed discussing the selections we brought on board and bought onshore.

 

I will continue to bring my own choices on board and pay the corkage and if I see something in port I want to try well then I guess I will be trying it on board lol!

 

As a totally hilarious aside, in a port that will remain unnamed, the initial security clearance to re board was done by port security. I had in my bag a bottle of vodka from Walmart that I fully expected to lose until cruise end. The screener saw it on the X-ray, looked at 41 year old me and said "crew?".

 

My mother was right behind me and the worst actor on the planet so I didn't say anything. Grabbed our purses and bags and headed for the gangway where we were greeted by the HAL security team to scan in. I was sure they'd been radioed with the news of the incoming contraband but onto the ship we went and it was vodka and seven for the rest of the cruise while we were getting ready for dinner with our corkage fee brought on wine :)

 

That was a laugh and then some.

 

It all just depends really!

C.

Edited August 3, 2014 by Dobermangal
Grammar

[corkpopr]

we drink 35-60 dollar bottles retail and I am more than willing to pay the corkage. of course that is on vacation or special events out. 300 days a year I have iced tea or a diet soda.

[ANSalberg]

Nice and lovely you enjoyed the wines. :)

 

What we are speculating about is whether there was enforcement of the corkage fee for the wines you brought back to the ship with you for consumption while on the ship? If you went on a ship sponsored winery tour, did they permit you to bring how ever many bottles you wanted back from your tour and drink them on the ship without paying corkage fee?

 

Thanks if you care to respond.

 

 

I honestly don't remember - it was several years [ and more cruises] ago.

The types we buy NOW/here are "Barefoot" and "Fisheye"[?] - under prices that are better HERE [ Colorado] than THERE. I'm a "rule-follower" so it wouldn't be a problem anyway -and HAL is my favorite line! Anne

[sail7seas]

I am so so so at the point I really don't care what people bring on board and what corkage they do or do not pay.

 

I am only curious if HAL has a more liberal policy for guests returning from ship sponsored tours to wineries where they certainly expect (and want) guests to buy wine during their tour. The wineries will not be happy if they have no cruisers purchasing their wine and could stop offering the tours.

 

I think HAL should expand the corkage policy by exempting wine brought back from winery tours or at least give a 4 bottle allowance. Their tour providers have a right to make some money and the guests should be permitted a liberal allotment to enjoy on the ship.

[ANSalberg]

I am so so so at the point I really don't care what people bring on board and what corkage they do or do not pay.

 

I am only curious if HAL has a more liberal policy for guests returning from ship sponsored tours to wineries where they certainly expect (and want) guests to buy wine during their tour. The wineries will not be happy if they have no cruisers purchasing their wine and could stop offering the tours.

 

I think HAL should expand the corkage policy by exempting wine brought back from winery tours or at least give a 4 bottle allowance. Their tour providers have a right to make some money and the guests should be permitted a liberal allotment to enjoy on the ship.

 

I think you have to understand the kind of cruise that Ausralia/Asia cruises are; they are around 70+ days each [ we've done 4] so you are comparing incredibly different cruises. One of the things I think are VERY different are # of sea days and flexability of that ship/captain. On a 7 day cruise-ten day cruise -the EARNING expectations are entirely different for a reason. That's like asking "ARE ALL Holland Am passengers old?" It depends on cruise length/time/$$$$.....MOST on the longer { Grand} voyages ARE older. They can afford both time AND $$$. Not a "good" or "bad" thing - it just 'is' .....

[Cruzin Terri]

I am so so so at the point I really don't care what people bring on board and what corkage they do or do not pay.

 

I am only curious if HAL has a more liberal policy for guests returning from ship sponsored tours to wineries where they certainly expect (and want) guests to buy wine during their tour. The wineries will not be happy if they have no cruisers purchasing their wine and could stop offering the tours.

 

I think HAL should expand the corkage policy by exempting wine brought back from winery tours or at least give a 4 bottle allowance. Their tour providers have a right to make some money and the guests should be permitted a liberal allotment to enjoy on the ship.

 

Sail,

Back in the beginning of January before they were even going to allow us to bring on wine with a corkage fee, the HAL blog was showing all the wine tours in the Mediterranean. I wrote on the blog that I saw no purpose in taking a wine tour if I could not purchase wine to enjoy on the ship. I was told I could buy it and have it shipped home or take it home in my luggage, and that if I did not like the policy to write to Guest Relations, which I did.

 

I received an answer stating they were sorry I was unhappy with the new wine policy but only one bottle per person would be allowed after January 31. This was in keeping with the industry standards. That was approximately one week before they again changed the policy to one free bottle and unlimited wine with payment of the corkage fee upon boarding.

Terri

[kazu]

Sail,

Back in the beginning of January before they were even going to allow us to bring on wine with a corkage fee, the HAL blog was showing all the wine tours in the Mediterranean. I wrote on the blog that I saw no purpose in taking a wine tour if I could not purchase wine to enjoy on the ship. I was told I could buy it and have it shipped home or take it home in my luggage, and that if I did not like the policy to write to Guest Relations, which I did.

 

I received an answer stating they were sorry I was unhappy with the new wine policy but only one bottle per person would be allowed after January 31. This was in keeping with the industry standards. That was approximately one week before they again changed the policy to one free bottle and unlimited wine with payment of the corkage fee upon boarding.

Terri

 

I did the same - said no point in wine tours if you can't bring it on board. I got the same answer.

 

Yet, there have been reports of people saying that they can have done it.

 

Here's the sad thing, if that is the case, HAL has not updated their shore excursions of wine tours to say you can bring x number of bottles on board without paying corkage.

 

There is little motivation to do it with the 'opportunity to taste and buy the wine' if you don't know what happens after that.

 

I know, I now. we're fussy. We're on the ship for 30 days - I will have enough stuff to lug home. I don't need to take wine when I could enjoy it on the ship;):p