Bringing your own wine

[lagrutke]

I am going on the Sapphire on 12/17 for 7 days with my extended family of 15. There will be 10 adults and we are big wine drinkers and like quality wine. We want to bring our own wine on board and pay the corkage fee. Has anyone else done this? We are flying to LA, how did you check your wine on the airline?

 

Thanks much,

Kathy

[LARGIN]

yes you can bring as much wine on board as you can drink..

[caviargal]

ANd what is the corkage fee please?

[chrysalis]

$10 per bottle....sometimes they charge it, and sometimes not.....

 

I would say that we have been charged 50% of the time.

[spongerob]

In the dining room, corkage is $10/bottle. It isn't charged all the time, the waiters have some discretion there. I find that if you order some wine from the Princess list, they are more likely to forgo the corkage fees. There is a Maitre d's wine list that has some good selections. I suggest taking a look at it. The regular wine list is less inspiring.

[caviargal]

In the dining room, corkage is $10/bottle. It isn't charged all the time, the waiters have some discretion there. I find that if you order some wine from the Princess list, they are more likely to forgo the corkage fees. There is a Maitre d's wine list that has some good selections. I suggest taking a look at it. The regular wine list is less inspiring.

 

Why in the world would they charge a corkage fee if the wine is purchased on board, from whichever list?

 

Now I am really confused.

 

I have a nice collection and always bring a few bottles of my own. Paying a fee is not an issue.

[chrysalis]

I think you misunderstood......if you bring your own wine to the dining room, they sometimes charge the $10 corkage fee.....that fee is not charged if you order from the wine list.

 

We have also been charged the corkage if we have the wine opened in one of the bars (which we have done while waiting for our table on busy nights such as formal night).....

 

Our wines of choice are South African and we have never found them on the menus.

[caviargal]

I think you misunderstood......if you bring your own wine to the dining room, they sometimes charge the $10 corkage fee.....that fee is not charged if you order from the wine list.

 

We have also been charged the corkage if we have the wine opened in one of the bars (which we have done while waiting for our table on busy nights such as formal night).....

 

Our wines of choice are South African and we have never found them on the menus.

 

I was responding to the post that I quoted which said that sometimes the corkage fee is waived if you order wine from the "Princess list".

 

I am used to paying corkage but that statement threw me!

[spongerob]

Sorry, I hadn't had my 8 cups of coffee needed to get my brain in gear...:)

 

There is no corkage fee for wine purchased on board, since you are already paying a hefty mark-up. There is a fee for wine you bring to the dining room. Sometimes, if you have purchased wine from the Princess wine list, your waiter will not charge the corkage fee for your own wine, or won't charge it all the time.

 

I think the waiters in traditional dining are much more forgiving in this regard.

[caviargal]

Sorry, I hadn't had my 8 cups of coffee needed to get my brain in gear...:)

 

There is no corkage fee for wine purchased on board, since you are already paying a hefty mark-up. There is a fee for wine you bring to the dining room. Sometimes, if you have purchased wine from the Princess wine list, your waiter will not charge the corkage fee for your own wine, or won't charge it all the time.

 

I think the waiters in traditional dining are much more forgiving in this regard.

 

Thanks! It is pretty much the same on all lines, IME.

[lagrutke]

Thanks for the replys.

 

How have you gotten a case of wine to the ship? We are flying in; are the airlines good about transporting this?

[jennew]

why can't we just bring our own cork screw and open it ourselves?

[spongerob]

You can, in your own cabin. You pay a fee if you want your wine served in a dining room. It's the same in those few states and provinces where you are permitted to bring you own wine to a restaurant. It's not just a fee for pulling the cork.

[LARGIN]

Definition of corkage.. a charge added at a restaurant for every bottle of wine served that was not bought on the premises

 

As you can see uncorking the bottle is not in the definition so bringing an uncorked bottle into the dining area will not stop the waiter from charging corkage if he/she desires.

 

Also, it is tacky to bring in an unopened bottle of wine into the dining room to avoid corkage.

[jennew]

I was actually thinking of bringing the cork screw with us to the dining room. is that tacky?

 

Maybe my cheapness has caught up with me...

[docandbird]

How have you gotten a case of wine to the ship? We are flying in; are the airlines good about transporting this?

 

I've done it many times, in one of two ways:

 

1. One of those cardboard shipping boxes with the 2-piece styrofoam insert that holds 12 bottles. It goes as airline checked baggage, then you turn it in with your bags at the embarkation facility and it is delivered to your room. I have never had a problem with breakage, airline security, or cruise line transfer. It does use up one of your baggage allowances, though.

 

2. Twelve bottles wrapped in bubble wrap in my rolling carry-on. Never any problems going through airline security, although a once or twice they did open the bag to insure all the bottles were sealed. Again, no hassle getting it on the ship. This method is more work on your part, but has greater peace of mind as you are not trusting the airline/cruiseline with your wine.

[docandbird]

I was actually thinking of bringing the cork screw with us to the dining room. is that tacky?

 

Yes, but if you do take one, put it in your checked bags or you will end up losing it to TSA if you are flying...

[LARGIN]

I was actually thinking of bringing the cork screw with us to the dining room. is that tacky?

 

 

Yes.. Very.... :rolleyes:

[lagrutke]

Thank you docandbird. That was exactly the kind of information I was looking for!:)

[caviargal]

why can't we just bring our own cork screw and open it ourselves?

 

It is VERY tacky and you would be charged anyway. This is a common practice in land based restaurants as well as cruise ships.

 

IMO, it is worth it if you are drinking nice wines but not if you drink the inexpensive stuff.

[caviargal]

why can't we just bring our own cork screw and open it ourselves?

 

It is VERY tacky and you would be charged anyway. This is a common practice in land based restaurants as well as cruise ships.

 

IMO, it is worth it if you are drinking nice wines but not if you drink the inexpensive stuff.

[caviargal]

sorry for the double posts. with all the "white screen" problems these days, it is hard to tell if a message has posted!

[bicycledude]

So it sounds as if there would be no problem or extra charges with bringing aboard wine and my own corkscrew if I want to enjoy it in my room. Would I be allowed to bring it to a public deck area other than the dining room ?

 

Also do the same rules apply for soda, beer and hard liquor (say Vodka or Rum) ? Would it matter if I chose a microbrew that the ship wouldn't have available ?

 

Alan

[lagrutke]

Bicycledude, from what I understand, you can bring wine, beer, and soda on board, no hard alcohol. They will take the hard alcohol and return it to you when you leave.

[RBCal]

FYI

According to Cruise Critic, following are the alcohol policies on Princess. This makes it sound like they confiscate wine and champagne if you attempt to bring it on at embarkation. However, this is different from everyone's postings. Which is correct?

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/features/articles.cfm?ID=40

 

BYOB?

Bringing liquor onboard at embarkation: Not allowed. Confiscated; returned at the end of the cruise.

Bringing wine or Champagne onboard: Allowed if purchased during a port visit; not allowed at embarkation. May be consumed in restaurants or in staterooms. When brought to restaurants, a $10 corkage fee applies.

Purchasing liquor in port: Retained until the end of the cruise.

Purchasing liquor in ships' duty-free shop: Retained until the end of the cruise.