BYO wine (Princess) is there a limit?

[Brisbane41]

Goodness Brisbane41 you certainly have strong views on BYO wine on Princess and HAL. You made me think I was wearing my cargo pants and shoving rum runners in the pockets to smuggle in cheap booze to diddle the cruise lines out of their profits. Believe me I do not condone alcohol smuggling and pay my fair share for cocktails, etc on board. Neither am I being cheap.

 

Both Princess and HAL, you might say, have a certain clientele. It can be said that these cruise lines cater for their more mature (read discerning) cruisers by providing the option to bring on your own wines. Many Restaurants in Adelaide do this as well, coming from a wine culture it is something we are quite used to doing. The cruise lines are profiting quite well, all they have to do is charge $15 and $18USD, respectively, no negotiating, purchasing, storage, wine waiter finding it, delivering to our table - just my husband and I bringing it into a dining room and a waiter pouring it into a glass. A win win situation if you ask me.

 

While itinerary and who we are sailing with will always be our first choice in a cruise line, HAL and Princess will always factor highly in our choice due to their wine policy. A wise marketing move on their part.

 

Also on our (admittedly few compared to others) trips we have never noticed huge amounts of people bring large quantities of wine on board. Most people are like GUT and would prefer not to hassle and pay for whatever the cruise line has to offer.

 

Elise

 

The same could be said for steak. I could store steak in my cabin fridge and bring it to the dining room, present it to the waiter and get the chef to cook it. I would happily pay a cooking tax for it.

 

I also wonder if ashore I could purchase KFC and walk into a McDonalds restaurant and eat indoors there with KFC.

 

We all know the cruise lines frown upon it which is why threads pop up almost every week asking if taking wine on board is allowed. Deep down passengers know it is taboo and are seeking reassurance.

[Aus Traveller]

Earlier in this thread, the discussion was on people bringing their own choice of wine on board and paying the levy. They were not objecting to paying $30 for wine or talking about smuggling wine.

 

I can't see anything wrong with this and also feel it is totally different from bringing your own steak.:D

[NSWP]

I might take a 500 gram T bone to the Crown Grill on my next Princess cruise, get the Chef to bbq it medium-well. Maybe I will get a discount on the $25 cover charge.

 

Actually at Fort Lauderdale once I did take a 24 bottle carton of gluten free beer on board Coral Princess, explaining to the security guys I was a Coeliac and could not drink regular beer on board. No problems, they allowed it on, just put a couple of bottles in my cabin fridge each day.

[Wastegirl]

The same could be said for steak. I could store steak in my cabin fridge and bring it to the dining room, present it to the waiter and get the chef to cook it. I would happily pay a cooking tax for it.

 

I also wonder if ashore I could purchase KFC and walk into a McDonalds restaurant and eat indoors there with KFC.

 

We all know the cruise lines frown upon it which is why threads pop up almost every week asking if taking wine on board is allowed. Deep down passengers know it is taboo and are seeking reassurance.

 

But its not taboo on Princess and HAL and the OP is asking about Princess, what the guidelines are. I think a fair question. I am going on both P&O Australia and Celebrity and have not asked for either of those cruise lines what I can bring on board because I know it is not their policy. But someone may ask to clarify, again a reasonable question, especially for a newbie.

 

Also food is a necessity that in most cases needs to be cooked, it cannot be compared to a bottled end product that is a choice.

[clairebearinaus]

Deep down passengers know it is taboo and are seeking reassurance.

 

 

That's a pretty ridiculous statement. By charging a corkage fee and publishing that information on their website etc, Princess is sending a clear message that this practice is not taboo at all. I don't need your reassurance, because I know I'm allowed to bring wine on board, my question was simply how much? From Princess' perspective, not yours!

 

Thank you to those who have answered in a helpful and civil way.

[linanles]

Nearly wine'oclock, time to crack open the $4 bottle of De Bortoli Sacred Hill Sauv Blanc from Dan Murphys. No corkage or gratuity at my place. LOL.

 

And at $19 to drink it on board I bet it's better than the cheapest sauv blanc onboard and it's from Australia not Chile.

 

We sailed on Sea Princess last October and took a mixed dozen with us. It was not a problem. We put six bottles in each of two small wheeled cases (the type you use for airline carry on) and when they went through the scanner a lady took us over to the "corkage desk" to pay the corkage on 10 bottles and that was it. No hastles what so ever.

 

As for the cruise lines not liking it. If Princess and HAL didn't like it they would have the same policy as Carnival, P&O et al.

 

Now it's wine o'clock here and I'm going to have a Hunter Valley Shiraz that I bought for under $5 at auction on Grays Online. A nice drop even at $20 including corkage. ;)

Edited January 19, 2016 by linanles

[NSWP]

All about the cruise lines meeting alcohol sales targets and if you bring your own, making a quid out of it. The security guys on Princess don't give a stuff how much booze you bring it on, it is the food and beverage manager and his staff looking on at the gangway, who are under the microscope from Carnival Corp bean counters re alcohol sales targets on board.

 

Recently on Aurora/Oriana - P&O UK, no limits on any byo, corkage charge of £10 only if you took it to MDR. Beer, wine, spirits, bring it on. The Poms brought on heaps at Southampton and every port along the way. Lubbly Jubbly.

Edited January 19, 2016 by NSWP

[linanles]

It's the food and beverage staff that man the "Corkage Desk" after you've been through security and I'm sure the corkage goes toward their sales targets. I bet they don't make $15 per bottle on their bottom of the range wines so it would actually improve their bottom line.

[NSWP]

It's the food and beverage staff that man the "Corkage Desk" after you've been through security and I'm sure the corkage goes toward their sales targets. I bet they don't make $15 per bottle on their bottom of the range wines so it would actually improve their bottom line.

You are correct F&B man the corkage desk and oversee what is going through X ray, booze wise.

 

We normally go for the house wines or Chilean wines on the ships, I am reluctant to pay more than $30. Some of the Chilean wine I have seen on Princess for US$25 plus 15% gratuity is the $8 stuff I buy from Dan Murphys, so Carnival Corp is buying it for $5. big profit !!

[GUT2407]

The same could be said for steak. I could store steak in my cabin fridge and bring it to the dining room, present it to the waiter and get the chef to cook it. I would happily pay a cooking tax for it.

 

I also wonder if ashore I could purchase KFC and walk into a McDonalds restaurant and eat indoors there with KFC.

 

We all know the cruise lines frown upon it which is why threads pop up almost every week asking if taking wine on board is allowed. Deep down passengers know it is taboo and are seeking reassurance.

 

So by your reasoning on the above post and others I shouldn't buy anything on shore that they sell on the ship either.

 

Sheesh what great logic.

[Aus Traveller]

So by your reasoning on the above post and others I shouldn't buy anything on shore that they sell on the ship either.

 

Sheesh what great logic.

Yeah. :D Don't take any clothes or toiletries. After all, you can buy them on board. ;)

[Wastegirl]

Nor your camera either because by taking your own photos you are depriving the on board photographers of their cut :D

 

Nor munchies, you can get chips and nuts on board too. The list is endless, we should all embark as nature intended and purchase everything on board (though I must admit I have not seen undies).

[GUT2407]

Nor your camera either because by taking your own photos you are depriving the on board photographers of their cut :D

 

Nor munchies, you can get chips and nuts on board too. The list is endless, we should all embark as nature intended and purchase everything on board (though I must admit I have not seen undies).

 

Nor toothbrush, deodorant or other (non) essentials.

[MicCanberra]

You are allowed 2 bottles per stateroom, extra bottles may be taken on board for the fee of the $15 per bottle. I would think that one case would be the limit although as mentioned it is not clear on the website.

Some passengers in the past have posted they print labels and stick it to the case and then leave it with the bag drop but I would be wary of that and contact them first to clarify.

Edited January 20, 2016 by MicCanberra

[Brisbane41]

I think the whole topic makes interesting debate. Taking wine on board has been an issue for years.

 

Would drinks on board be cheaper overall if passengers did not bring their own?

 

The wine lover line does not work with me because if that was a good argument then surely it is just as good an argument for steak lovers to bring their own steaks on the ship.

[clairebearinaus]

Nope, no debate according to Princess' published alcohol policy: "Additional bottles of wine or champagne are welcome".

[MicCanberra]

If it is Corkage for Wine then surely it would be something like cuttage for steaks or even perhaps Carnage.:p

[MicCanberra]

Nope, no debate according to Princess' published alcohol policy: "Additional bottles of wine or champagne are welcome".

 

Yes, too true, but there is no fun in no debate.:D

[linanles]

Would drinks on board be cheaper overall if passengers did not bring their own?

 

Obviously from the prices of bottled wine on cruise lines with a non-liberal policy i.e. P&O, Carnival, RCL et al. the price of wine on board is not cheaper when passengers can't bring their own.

[MicCanberra]

Obviously from the prices of bottled wine on cruise lines with a non-liberal policy i.e. P&O, Carnival, RCL et al. the price of wine on board is not cheaper when passengers can't bring their own.

 

Good point.:D

[The_Big_M]

So by your reasoning on the above post and others I shouldn't buy anything on shore that they sell on the ship either.

 

Yes, don't you know that's why they remove those irons and powerboards from your luggage. It's so you buy the laundry and electrical supplies onboard.

 

Clearly they frown on you bringing your own so anyone bringing their own camera or ipad instead of buying it onboard, or even using the in-room drying line instead of paying for laundry is a bad person that the cruiselines want to get rid of.

[The_Big_M]

Nope, no debate according to Princess' published alcohol policy: "Additional bottles of wine or champagne are welcome".

 

Surely that's a mistake. It must be a case of political correctness and not wanting to offend the... miscreants.

[claudio]

Dont worry about the indian fillipino waiter seĺling drinks by the pool he gets nothing when you drink your 9wn wine

Iv seen it all vodka in water bottle whisky in iced tea they rock up around pool order a can of coke and plenty of ice

Stay home or go to caravan park

[Cruise Junky]

Dont worry about the indian fillipino waiter seĺling drinks by the pool he gets nothing when you drink your 9wn wine

Iv seen it all vodka in water bottle whisky in iced tea they rock up around pool order a can of coke and plenty of ice

Stay home or go to caravan park

 

Waiters get a percentage of the corkage collected.

 

I'm stunned by this thread. I thought corkage was pretty common in Australia? Bottom line, Princess allows it, Princess has no limit, Princess gets to collect $15 for no outlay.

 

Now back to the popcorn.

[GUT2407]

Dont worry about the indian fillipino waiter seĺling drinks by the pool he gets nothing when you drink your 9wn wine

Iv seen it all vodka in water bottle whisky in iced tea they rock up around pool order a can of coke and plenty of ice

Stay home or go to caravan park

 

Big difference between taking on your own wine and paying corkage (something Princess allow) and smuggling vodka and whisky (which the don't allow) is there not?