Bringing wine on board in luggage

[Beachnut53]

I understand we are allowed to bring one bottle of wine on board, free of charge.  I have a special bottle for a special day that I wish to bring, but as we are flying in same day to Ft. Lauderdale it will have to be in my suitcase and I may not have time to retrieve it before boarding ship.  Since I will only be bringing one bottle will this create a problem for security being in my suitcase?  Any suggestions?

[FOPMan]

HAL requires that it be carried by you onto the ship and not placed in luggage.

 

You need to take it out at some point before checking your bag at the port.

 

happy sailing!

[Beachnut53]

What happens if I am unable to?  I don’t have a problem paying the $18 charge.

[DaveOKC]

Very likely you will be called to the "naughty room" - the security office - and asked about the bottle.  Hard to say what they will do though.

[FlorenceItaly]

With the way the airlines toss the bags around there is no way I would pack a bottle of wine in my luggage.

[freestyling]

Wrap the bottle in bubble wrap or purchase a wine bag for travel. You should however remove before you give your suitcase to the porters ship side. You may not receive your luggage until late the day you leave port or even the next day. I’ve packed 2 bottles before with no breakage BUT retrieved them both port side. My friend left his in suitcase and was not able to retrieve his bag until the following morning. Since he and his wife was wearing shorts and T-shirt’s for the flight they ate at the Lido the 1st night.

[cowmilker]

I packed a bottle of liquor in our checked luggage after a cruise for the trip home. I put it in bubble wrap, taped it securely, put it in a ziplock bag, and then in a second ziplock bag and then wrapped it with clothing and positioned it right in the middle of the suitcase with packing cubes all around it.  It was fine.

[57redbird]

We packed our wine in our checked luggage in wine sacks purchased at Total Wine for the flight - had a small nylon backpack packed in the top of our suitcase....at the airport, after retrieving our luggage & before getting a cab to the pier, transferred the wine into the backpack -  easy peasy.

[sevenseasnomad]

Bags, even those left with stevedores, go through security, don't they?  I wouldn't want to risk having my wine confiscated or my person being called on the carpet for attempting to bring wine onboard in luggage.  Ship security personnel may interpret this action as breaking one of their stipulated rules.

 

Why can't you retrieve the bottle from your suitcase at baggage claim?  Have you signed up for transfers from airport to pier?  If so, could you explain that you must get into your luggage prior to leaving it with the stevedore?  If this is the case, make certain you have marked/tagged your suitcase with something distinctive, such as brightly-colored ribbon, which makes it easier to identify.  

 

Hope you find a solution.

[Beachnut53]

Thank you everyone for your responses.  It is a vintage bottle and a special surprise for DH so the real issue is “retrieving” it without him knowing.   I was not sure if it was a “big deal” if the security folks can see it is only one bottle and wine which was allowed.  I 

have a special carrying bag so breakage was not a big concern.  I may have to come up with a different surprise.  Once again...thanks for the comments.

[TAD2005]

If you have your wine inside your checked luggage, HAL security may get the impression that you are trying to sneak a bottle onboard and beat the $18 corkage charge.   They will not know your intentions.   It will be caught, and you will be called to open your luggage and show the contents.   In most cases, they will allow you to pay the corkage fee.  But I have heard reports here on CC where the wine was confiscated and held until you disembark the ship.   

[terrydtx]

6 minutes ago, TAD2005 said:

But I have heard reports here on CC where the wine was confiscated and held until you disembark the ship.   

I have heard the same thing.

[Beachnut53]

Well that would be worse case scenario.  Sounds like best plan is to give bottle to DH prior to departure and then retrieve from luggage on arrival and carry on board.  Thanks again for the advice.

[kazu]

1 hour ago, Beachnut53 said:

What happens if I am unable to?  I don’t have a problem paying the $18 charge.

 

Of course you are able to.  You’ll collect your luggage at the airport so even if you are doing a HAL transfer, it just takes a minute to unzip, retrieve it and close up your luggage.

 

I do it all the time in reverse.  If we leave the ship and have a bottle of duty free liquor, whatever (I do have the protection for it), then I carry it off and then insert it in the luggage after I collect it before we get our cabs or private transfer.

 

The stevedores are NOT kind to luggage.  I’d never risk a bottle in it with the luggage handling.

 

Just send your DH off for a coffee or something else or wrap a bathing suit or something else around the bubble wrap and tell him you forgot to put it in your carry on and you just HAVE to have it 😉 

[VennDiagram]

Tell your DH you need to get your makeup bag out of the checked luggage  😉 and you want to use the change table in the ladies room to do that, so your stuff doesn't touch the floor

Edited October 5, 2019 by VennDiagram

[DeeniEncinitas]

This "capsule" Scotch whisky doesn't require a glass
https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/05/world/glenlivet-scotch-whisky-capsule-glassless-trnd/index.html

I just read this on CNN app!

What next LOL😉

I just can’t imagine having a pod? 

My husband laughed and said it would not be enjoyable with my cigar!

Denise😊

[Beachnut53]

@VennDiagram.....sneaky...I like it!  Thanks🤔

[kazu]

19 minutes ago, VennDiagram said:

Tell your DH you need to get your makeup bag out of the checked luggage  😉 and you want to use the change table in the ladies room to do that, so your stuff doesn't touch the floor

 

BRILLIANT 😄 🤙🥰

[jb008]

If you're talking about a special wine then I wouldn't want to risk it getting cooked in my checked bags between the airport and my cruise cabin.  If you get there early stuff can sit outside baking for hours on the pier before it gets loaded onto the ship. 

 

You could pack it in checked baggage inside a towel or backpack and then just pull that bag out at the airport (keeping items concealed) and blame it on trying to avoid the extra bag fee flying perhaps?  They may require you to pull the wine out at the port security/wine table... but I didn't have to show my bottles last time so ymmv. 

[Beachnut53]

@jb008  thank you, I had not even considered the heat and luggage exposure.  Good points!

[knittinggirl]

Put the wine in a separate bag, and just grab it at baggage claim and take it with you.   You really don't want the bottle to break and mess up your luggage.  We use wine diapers, but they still can leak.

[TiogaCruiser]

1 hour ago, jb008 said:

You could pack it in checked baggage inside a towel or backpack and then just pull that bag out at the airport (keeping items concealed) and blame it on trying to avoid the extra bag fee flying perhaps?  They may require you to pull the wine out at the port security/wine table... but I didn't have to show my bottles last time so ymmv. 

As you say, YMMV. Each time I have taken a bottle onboard they have inspected it and written down what it is (including the vineyard) along with my information.

[woody14h]

Naughty room visit can happen to anyone. Had to go one time as the liquor police thought they had a suspect. Had to open suitcase, lo and behold it was a jar of queen sized olives which I always bring for my martinis. A real pain as we thought my luggage was lost.

Another incident (rather comical) by accident I had forgotten a small airline bottle in my carryon.  Confiscated by security (should have polished it off then and there), It was returned on last night totally wrapped in tape with ID tags etc.

These security people are rabid about liquor brought on board. 

Risky to try to fool them. But there a number of ways that are tried.  Caveat Emptor..

[terrydtx]

Years ago we did our first and only RCCL cruise and one of our friends with us tried to smuggle his favorite Tequila in his luggage. The port luggage handlers broke the bottle in the suitcase. For a week he smelled like stale tequila. 😝I know another who did the same with a bottle of red wine that also broke in the suitcase and she had a nice red stain on all of her clothes. 😳

[DaveOKC]

13 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

Years ago we did our first and only RCCL cruise and one of our friends with us tried to smuggle his favorite Tequila in his luggage. The port luggage handlers broke the bottle in the suitcase. For a week he smelled like stale tequila. 😝I know another who did the same with a bottle of red wine that also broke in the suitcase and she had a nice red stain on all of her clothes. 😳

One time we got our luggage and it smelled of a cheap brand of mens aftershave,  evidently from another suitcase (ours was a soft side).  Luckily it was on the way home.  Another time my sister had some diet coke in her suitcase - what a mess when it exploded - had to wash almost everything.  Stuff happens....