Princess liquor/wine policies?

[j3000]

Can someone steer me in the right direction to find out what Princess' on-board liquor polices are? (Booked on Regal Princess in April) Are there wine package deals you can buy? Can you bring on your own booze? etc. Any advice /tips/ tricks from the experts for someone who might want to 'tipple a little' at sea?:D

[CruiserBruce]

If you do a little reading around the board, you will find dozens of threads on Princess' beverage plans. Look for "AIBP"...

 

You are allowed to bring on one 750ml bottle of wine or champagne, per person. No hard booze.

Edited January 21, 2016 by CruiserBruce

[chrysalis]

.....or buy their overpriced drinks....

 

I guess Princess could lower the price of drinks and raise the price of cruises.

[floridalover5623]

I guess Princess could lower the price of drinks and raise the price of cruises.

They could but it's more of a benefit to have them keep the price lower initially & sell drinks later where you won't notice the total price till the end of the cruise.

I don't feel the Princess drink prices are high. They are lower than at a nice bar or restaurant at home.

 

They very well might be. We don't order drinks in bars hardly ever so I don't notice things like that. In the restaurants we go to they're about the same here in Florida.

[skynight]

Can someone steer me in the right direction to find out what Princess' on-board liquor polices are? (Booked on Regal Princess in April) See the Princess policy below.

Are there wine package deals you can buy? Princess does have wine packages, but believe they are only sold on cruises longer than 7 days. Princess does sell the All Inclusive Beverage Package for $56.35/per person/day, must be purchased for all days of the cruise, including boarding day. Check out your Cruise Personalizer for details. Can you bring on your own booze? etc. No, you can not bring on any spirits or beer, see below. You are allowed to bring on any non-alcoholic beverages that you want like soda, water, juice. Any advice /tips/ tricks from the experts for someone who might want to 'tipple a little' at sea? Purchase the ALL Inclusive Beverage Package which for 7 days will cost $394.45/per person. Unlimited alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks that are priced $10 or under which is most drinks. :D

Here you go

"Bringing Alcohol Onboard? Please remember our

carry-on alcohol policy:

•

One 750ml bottle of wine or champagne per adult per voyage, which will not be subject to a corkage fee if consumed in the stateroom.

•

Additional wine or champagne bottles are welcome, but will incur a $15 corkage fee per bottle, irrespective of where they are intended to be consumed.

•

Other liquors, spirits or beers are prohibited. Luggage is subject to search."

[Astro Flyer]

Are there wine package deals you can buy?

Here's a link to a wine package discussion which is not available on 7 day or shorter cruises (and sometimes not on longer cruises if there's insufficient inventory):

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2303152

 

The details on the wine packages are:

 

Note: A 15% gratuity is added to all package prices (like any other bar purchase).

 

Silver Package (wines up to $29 per bottle list price)

7 bottles -- $161 (average of $23 per bottle)

10 bottles -- $210 (average of $21 per bottle)

12 bottles -- $240 (average of $20 per bottle)

 

Gold Package (wines up to $45 per bottle list price)

7 bottles -- $217 (average of $31 per bottle)

10 bottles -- $290 (average of $29 per bottle)

12 bottles -- $336 (average of $28 per bottle)

 

You get a punch card which can be used at any of the dining locations.

 

You may choose any wine on on the regular wine menu. If you want to buy a wine that costs more than what the package covers, you just pay the difference. For example, if you have a Gold package and buy a wine that costs $46, the charge for $46 will appear on your stateroom account, followed by a $45 credit.

 

All of my cruises in the past year had twice daily (3:00-4:00 and 11:00-midnight) buy 1, get 1 for $1 happy hours at one bar.

Edited January 21, 2016 by Astro Flyer

[Highwaydude]

I caved in and just purchased the All Inclusive Drink package for my upcoming Royal Princess Cruise. At first I purchased the Soda and More package, but since the All Inclusive package includes soda and water as well as drinks I figured what the heck. If I was to deduct the cost for the Soda Package from the All Inclusive package it comes down to about 5 drinks a day to break even. Estimating drinks are $10/drink. On sea days I don't see any problem having 5 drinks. But days at Port and your time on ship is less you might have to make sure you meet your goal of 5 drinks a day :p Does that make me an alcoholic? LOL Those Pina Coloda's are very tasty

[jennybenny]

I caved in and just purchased the All Inclusive Drink package for my upcoming Royal Princess Cruise. At first I purchased the Soda and More package, but since the All Inclusive package includes soda and water as well as drinks I figured what the heck. If I was to deduct the cost for the Soda Package from the All Inclusive package it comes down to about 5 drinks a day to break even. Estimating drinks are $10/drink. On sea days I don't see any problem having 5 drinks. But days at Port and your time on ship is less you might have to make sure you meet your goal of 5 drinks a day :p Does that make me an alcoholic? LOL Those Pina Coloda's are very tasty

 

I agree, sea days you will for sure get your money's worth, port days maybe... All that being said we prefer to purchase the AIBP so that we don't think about what we are drinking. We can order whatever we want without concern. It takes the stress of "the costs/expenses" out of it for me. We also prepay it to deceive ourselves about what our on board cruise costs are, but we've done it the last two cruises and are happy with it.

[j3000]

Ok. I get the idea, thanks. we're not BIG drinkers or soda drinkers, so the AIBP is not for us. da wife must have her water though. what's the deal on bottled water on board? I suppose they ding you for that too.? are there water fountains around? or do i have to buy a big jug at kwik-e-mart before we go & lug it on board?

now, about wine - how successful / imaginative has anyone been at smuggling a couple extra bottles on board? hard to do? just askin'....;)

[mncruizr]

We just came back from a cruise aboard the CB out of houston and there are ways to keep your booze costs relatively cheap. We brought on one bottle of wine each of us for no cost, attended the daily happy hours from 3-4 in Club Fusion and got buy one get one for $1 - basically $5 per drink, then we purchased some bourbon 375's through room service so we could pour a drink in our own room and that keeps the price per drink low. Doing it this way kept us way under the total for AIBP for both of us and we drank as much as we wanted. We did purchase 3 bottles of wine in the dining room and I got a few specialty shots in the MDR as well.

[grouchomarx]

I don't feel the Princess drink prices are high. They are lower than at a nice bar or restaurant at home.

 

I totally agree! I was astonished at how cheap they were on my first Princess cruise. And they continue to be way cheaper than in NYC area for sure.

[reedprincess]

Ok. I get the idea, thanks. we're not BIG drinkers or soda drinkers, so the AIBP is not for us. da wife must have her water though. what's the deal on bottled water on board? I suppose they ding you for that too.? are there water fountains around? or do i have to buy a big jug at kwik-e-mart before we go & lug it on board?

now, about wine - how successful / imaginative has anyone been at smuggling a couple extra bottles on board? hard to do? just askin'....;)

 

Water onboard is perfect try clean and tasty for drinking. You can bring a reusable water bottle onboard and refill as needed. Or buy bottles of water. Or bring on some bottled water. Or buy the bottled water package, $6.90 or so for 12 bottles, bought in advance through cruise personalizer.

As for smuggling on more wine. No need. You can each bring one 750ml bottle onboard free of charge to enjoy in your cabin and as many more as you like at embarkation for $15 per bottle. Those extra bottles can be consumed anywhere around the ship...

[skynight]

Ok. I get the idea, thanks. we're not BIG drinkers or soda drinkers, so the AIBP is not for us. da wife must have her water though. what's the deal on bottled water on board? I suppose they ding you for that too.? are there water fountains around? or do i have to buy a big jug at kwik-e-mart before we go & lug it on board?

now, about wine - how successful / imaginative has anyone been at smuggling a couple extra bottles on board? hard to do? just askin'....;)

Water on board is fine to drink and is as pure or purer than bottled water. The room steward places ice in your cabin twice a day. Every cabin has a fridge. There are no water fountains that I remember on board, but you can get glasses of water at any bar or in the buffet, no charge, no problem. If you really feel more comfortable with bottled water you can carry on as many bottles of water as you like. There is also a water package Princess sells. Check it out in the cruise personalizer.

 

All bottles of wine beyond the one per person allowed are subject to the $15/750ml bottle corkage charged to your on board account when you board. All carry on is x-rayed and all checked luggage is subject to x-ray scanning. If anything shows up on the x-ray you will be called down to open the luggage. You will be charged the $15 for any wine found in the checked in luggage. Any spirits or beer found will be taken without any compensation and will be destroyed.

Edited January 21, 2016 by sknight

[j3000]

Thanks guys. appreciate the info. One more question: Does the 1 bottle per person also apply at each port of call - or just on the initial embarkation? In other words, if we make 3 stops say, can we bring on a bottle each at EACH of these stops?

Edited January 21, 2016 by jargey3000

[sunsetbeachgal]

Thanks guys. appreciate the info. One more question: Does the 1 bottle per person also apply at each port of call - or just on the initial embarkation? In other words, if we make 3 stops say, can we bring on a bottle each at EACH of these stops?

 

 

Just at initial embarkation.

[Astro Flyer]

Thanks guys. appreciate the info. One more question: Does the 1 bottle per person also apply at each port of call - or just on the initial embarkation? In other words, if we make 3 stops say, can we bring on a bottle each at EACH of these stops?

 

Just at initial embarkation.

In addition to the fee free bottle at embarkation we've also brought additional bottles from ports which are subject to the $15/bottle fee & could be enjoyed in a dining room without any additional fee.

Edited January 22, 2016 by Astro Flyer

[kennicott]

I guess Princess could lower the price of drinks and raise the price of cruises.

 

But if they raise the price of the cruise and drop the price of booze, then we get into the endless debates with those that don't suck down the fine wines, like I do, who say they don't want to subsidize us drinkers. LOL

 

We do quite a bit of cruising on Regent as well, that is one of these so called all-inclusive lines, free booze, where you continually hear the argument from those that don't consume as to why they should support the "alcoholics".

[kennicott]

In addition to the optional liquor packages, you can preorder liquor, wine and beer on your cruise personalizer to be waiting for you in your cabin upon arrival. There is no discount, however, chances are they won't have what you want if you wait to order after boarding, and don't count on them getting it to your cabin very soon on embarkation day.

 

A bottle of red wine that costs around $10.00 at COSTCO, I get for $36.65 on the ship. A bottle of Jack Daniels whiskey, delivered on the ship for $27.60, 375 ml bottle, is exactly four times the price at COSTCO. These prices include the automatic gratuity for room service charges.

[floridalover5623]

I totally agree! I was astonished at how cheap they were on my first Princess cruise. And they continue to be way cheaper than in NYC area for sure.

 

Anywhere seems cheaper when compared to NYC prices. :D

[satxdiver]

We always bring our own wine and pay the $15/bottle (750 ml only) fee. That allows us to take the extra bottles to the MDR which we never have done. So far it has been a hit or miss charge but they seem to be getting more consistent. We drink our wine on the balcony in the late afternoon watching the sunset before dinner usually with some munchies brought from the HC.

 

Last cruise partner forgot and put one of our bottles in checked luggage. My bag came early per usual but hers did not show up until well after sail away. It had been opened but allowed since it was wine. Princess did not charge us for the bottle. She did not have to go down and open the bag.

[chrysalis]

But if they raise the price of the cruise and drop the price of booze, then we get into the endless debates with those that don't suck down the fine wines, like I do, who say they don't want to subsidize us drinkers. LOL

 

We do quite a bit of cruising on Regent as well, that is one of these so called all-inclusive lines, free booze, where you continually hear the argument from those that don't consume as to why they should support the "alcoholics".

 

I hear ya....and there is a train of thought that says the policy abiding folks are subsidizing the smuggling folks.

[kennicott]

We always bring our own wine and pay the $15/bottle (750 ml only) fee. That allows us to take the extra bottles to the MDR which we never have done. So far it has been a hit or miss charge but they seem to be getting more consistent. We drink our wine on the balcony in the late afternoon watching the sunset before dinner usually with some munchies brought from the HC.

 

Last cruise partner forgot and put one of our bottles in checked luggage. My bag came early per usual but hers did not show up until well after sail away. It had been opened but allowed since it was wine. Princess did not charge us for the bottle. She did not have to go down and open the bag.

 

We do the same. I also pre-order wine from them so it is waiting in the cabin. For our two free bottles we have special water proof bubble wrap containers, which I much prefer to put in the checked luggage because I like to keep the carry-ons as small as possible so I can put them in the coach overheads. No doubt Princess would prefer all alcohol to be hand carried during embarkation, but they are a little vague on the subject. They do have a reference in the cruise contract language stipulating that but don't mention it otherwise, like on the check in luggage tags nor in the Cruise Answer book bringing alcohol on board section. It would be best if they would just say no alcohol in check in luggage, however, on disembarkation they dearly love for you to put a lot of booze in your check in luggage that you have purchased from their $$$ duty free shops to take home on your airline flight.

 

On our last Princess voyage embarkation we put our free bottles in the check in luggage, they opened them and left a note saying we were in compliance with Princess policy, no mention that the bottles in the check- ins were a no-no. You might have a point that it delays luggage delivery, but they seem to open them anyway.

[Astro Flyer]

On our last Princess voyage embarkation we put our free bottles in the check in luggage, they opened them and left a note saying we were in compliance with Princess policy, no mention that the bottles in the check- ins were a no-no. You might have a point that it delays luggage delivery, but they seem to open them anyway.

When our checked luggage had wine in it with our TSA approved locks they notified us to go to the naughty room to open our bag to prove it was wine without cutting our locks.

 

We flew to Vancouver on the day of a cruise & packed our wine in our 2 checked bags (1 bottle per bag). Arriving the morning of our cruise we put our Princess tags on in case they got misplaced on our n/s flight from LAX. Neither bag arrived on the carousel & the Princess airport rep said they "probably" were transferred to the ship. We didn't use a Princess transfer however with the tags they still sent them directly to the ship. That made it impossible for us to put them in our carry on bags or our 2 bottle wine bag.

 

Thankfully one bag was delivered to our cabin & the other we claimed at the naughty room.

 

I agree it'd be good for Princess to more clearly state how to carry on wine to eliminate any confusion. Most passengers will only read the procedure on the luggage tags & boarding passes and do not read the fine print in the cruise contract.

Edited January 22, 2016 by Astro Flyer

[CU64]

When our checked luggage had wine in it with our TSA approved locks they notified us to go to the naughty room to open our bag to prove it was wine without cutting our locks.

 

We flew to Vancouver on the day of a cruise & packed our wine in our 2 checked bags (1 bottle per bag). Arriving the morning of our cruise we put our Princess tags on in case they got misplaced on our n/s flight from LAX. Neither bag arrived on the carousel & the Princess airport rep said they "probably" were transferred to the ship. We didn't use a Princess transfer however with the tags they still sent them directly to the ship. That made it impossible for us to put them in our carry on bags or our 2 bottle wine bag.

 

Thankfully one bag was delivered to our cabin & the other we claimed at the naughty room.

 

I agree it'd be good for Princess to more clearly state how to carry on wine to eliminate any confusion. Most passengers will only read the procedure on the luggage tags & boarding passes and do not read the fine print in the cruise contract.

 

I would never take the chance of flying in the departure day. Best of luck.

Barbara

[Astro Flyer]

I would never take the chance of flying in the departure day. Best of luck.

 

Barbara

 

I wouldn't recommend it either & we usually arrive a day or more early but didn't mention arriving early because this thread was about bringing wine onboard.

 

As I posted it worked for us & our gamble paid off...a great price for a short-noticed 14 day (b2b 7 day cruises) Alaskan cruise & a great Princess eZAir price with next port transportation included. For us it worked & we had time to catch up with the ship & still see everything during the cruise.

 

So we had "best of luck" but I'm definitely not recommending it for anyone else and was merely sharing our wine experience.