RCL Wine and Liquor Policies and Prices (Merged)

[init4fun]

Yes there is a liquer store onboard, in fact on the EOS last year Grey Goose was cheaper on the ship then in Grand Cayman.

[dolphincruiser404]

There is a liquor store on board, but they have a limited supply and they will hold it until the end of your sailing. On my last cruise they had sold out of 75% of the stuff! That night we went in and there was no Absolut, no coconut rum......I was shocked! We ended up buying liquor in Jamaica and it was cheaper than on the ship. They had it sent back to the ship, so we didn't have to carry it around the port!

[pucrew]

Thanks - I have a thirsty (soon to be husband) and wasn't sure why people talk about brining liquor on board is there is a store on the ship. Can you buy bottles and bring them to your room, or do they hold them to the end of the cruise? I am confused????

 

Thanks Much:eek:

[Nurse Daybreak]

They hold them until the end of your cruise. Sorry.:(

[PhoenixCruiser]

Thanks - I have a thirsty (soon to be husband) and wasn't sure why people talk about brining liquor on board is there is a store on the ship. Can you buy bottles and bring them to your room, or do they hold them to the end of the cruise? I am confused????

 

Thanks Much:eek:

 

Yep, the previous poster is correct, they stopped allowing that on 8/5/2005 :( :mad:

 

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[pucrew]

Bummer.....Now I see why people talk of brining stuff on board. Any suggestions, or is it not worth the risk?????:rolleyes:

[PhoenixCruiser]

Bummer.....Now I see why people talk of brining stuff on board. Any suggestions, or is it not worth the risk?????:rolleyes:

 

They made additional changes to their policies on 7/28, including changing the drinking age to 21 and not allowing any beverage to be carried onboard. I think it's too early to see how strict they are/will be. Hopefully some current cruisers will share their experiences with us :D

 

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[dolphincruiser404]

I was wondering if they would ship. Does anyone know of any stores that do this in St. Martin, St. Thomas, Aruba, or Curacao?

[seamama1]

I was wondering if they would ship. Does anyone know of any stores that do this in St. Martin, St. Thomas, Aruba, or Curacao?

 

I believe any of the major stores will ship for you. I have no idea of the cost.

[silentbob007]

Can we still bring liquid on board (water, juice, etc.....) - in our checked bags? Not sure where to find the new policy....

 

Liquid in checked bags is OK for now because they go through heavier screening and cannot be manipulated mid-flight by passengers.

[Sky_Chief]

Thanks silentbob - if you are not utilizing flight to the dock, are the restrictions direct to the ship any different.......can we still bring liquids aboard the ship.

[premiumrican]

If these stores don't ship they better begin. If not they are going to loose alot of $$$$$$$$$$$.

[dolphincruiser404]

I believe any of the major stores will ship for you. I have no idea of the cost.

 

Okay - well for those of us who aren't experts (apparently you think you are from the threads of yours that I've read) would you mid elaborating what the "MAJOR" stores are?

[premiumrican]

Dolphin I assume you are going on the AOS. I am also sailing 8/27 when are you going?

[dolphincruiser404]

Dolphin I assume you are going on the AOS. I am also sailing 8/27 when are you going?

 

I am booked for 12/10. I am working toward a career change which will involve travelling to a 6-8 weeks training period. I hope it doesn't fall at the same time my cruise is! I really don't want to cancel it! But worst comes to worse, the new job will allow me to book plenty of cruises for once training is done!

[Bobblsc]

For goodness sake, can't some of you simply wait until those of us who have requested that RCCL give us answers about the existing wine rules receive those answers? We'll give you the responses when we receive them. Then we can all take it from there.

 

Bob :rolleyes:

[caviargal]

For goodness sake, can't some of you simply wait until those of us who have requested that RCCL give us answers about the existing wine rules receive those answers? We'll give you the responses when we receive them. Then we can all take it from there.

 

Bob :rolleyes:

 

Some of us already have. I requested "permission" in writing for a client to bring aboard two special bottle of wine.

 

The reply I received was a cut and pasted paragraph from their new policy.

[beachchick]

The problem with this is you're assuming that RCI has been consistant with changing all aspects of their web site to reflect the new wording in the alcohol policy which does clearly state no alcohol without listing wine as an exception.

 

RCI=Really Consistantly Inconsistant. You won't get the same answer from them twice. One portion of the web site will say no alcohol of any kind but I would almost bet somewhere you'll find something about corkage fee's for your own wine.

 

With the new TSA regulations, about the only way someone can bring a good wine onboard would be if they purchased in the port city before the cruise or if they didn't have to fly across country to get to the departure port. I'm reasonably certain this will diminish the amount of good wines brought onboard for now.

 

Actually, I'm not making that assumption. When I said "anywhere" that's what I meant. This would include the website, the brochures, the cruise docs--all the sources I mentioned before. In fact, I'd be interested to hear if there is anything mentioned on the Compass onboard. I never assume that RCI will be consistent with these policies. I am waiting to hear from posters who have cruised recently to get their actual experiences because an email from any source at RCI is not a real answer one way or the other. I still think the real question is whether RCI still has a corkage fee.

 

As for bringing wine, that airline-approved checked box works for flying as well. I've gotten kind of tired of schlepping wine though, and decided that on our next trip we would just stop at a wine shop before boarding for a few bottles of something we like.

 

beachchick

[happy cruzer]

I have seen numerous posts saying that most of the ships that did not search checked bags still don't search them after the policy that went into effect on 7/28. so getting wine onboard should not be a problem. some are still tight on carryons.

 

It's just if you want your special wine in the dining room with your dinner and pay the corkage fee that we are worried about. Well know more soon. and it may all change by the time I sail anyway.... ;)

[Need2Cruze]

Thanks - I have a thirsty (soon to be husband) and wasn't sure why people talk about brining liquor on board is there is a store on the ship. Can you buy bottles and bring them to your room, or do they hold them to the end of the cruise? I am confused????

 

Thanks Much:eek:

 

I was told by one of their reps over the phone that you can go to the website, pick from the (mediocre) wine list, call them up and place an order by paying with a credit card (the same way you would if, say, you were purchasing a gift for someone you knew was sailing with them), and chose the night(s) you wish your wine to be delivered to your cabin. Now, I have not done this, as I was granted permission to bring 2 bottles onboard. But that is what I was told. Good luck.

[NormBailey]

I was told by one of their reps over the phone that you can go to the website, pick from the (mediocre) wine list, call them up and place an order by paying with a credit card (the same way you would if, say, you were purchasing a gift for someone you knew was sailing with them), and chose the night(s) you wish your wine to be delivered to your cabin. Now, I have not done this, as I was granted permission to bring 2 bottles onboard. But that is what I was told. Good luck.

 

Liz,

 

I'm getting ready to contact the individual you recommended previously, but before I do I'm wondering which wine list you used for determining that the wine you wanted to bring on board isn't on it? In this thread I see one list of wines, as presented to one poster in a response from Maria Perez of RC. On another thread I found the list of the wines available for the 5-bottle, 7-bottle, etc. sign up on board, and on the RC website I've found yet a 3rd list of wines. The list that looks like PDF copies of the master wine lists one would find on a ship, separated into the domestic wine list and the international wine list.

 

One of the couples we're traveling with are the owners of a local wine shop, so we're very interested in knowing what wine list to use to determine what wines to seek permission for bringing on board.

 

Thanks for any help you can toss our way.

 

Norm

[Need2Cruze]

Norm,

I looked at the list on their website. I happen to really like Kendal-Jackson wines - some may argue that it's not so good, but I really like it. So I looked for it on their list, and when I called them, they looked on theirs which supposedly was a "more concise list". KJ wasn't on either. So when I wrote to Clay , he wrote back saying indeed they do not offer that particular label, so I would be authorized to bring 2 bottles. I also asked to bring grape juice for my kids, and he was quite funny in his response: "rccl is looking for weapons and moonshine, not wine and grape juice". Hope this helps :)

[caviargal]

Liz,

 

I'm getting ready to contact the individual you recommended previously, but before I do I'm wondering which wine list you used for determining that the wine you wanted to bring on board isn't on it? In this thread I see one list of wines, as presented to one poster in a response from Maria Perez of RC. On another thread I found the list of the wines available for the 5-bottle, 7-bottle, etc. sign up on board, and on the RC website I've found yet a 3rd list of wines. The list that looks like PDF copies of the master wine lists one would find on a ship, separated into the domestic wine list and the international wine list.

 

One of the couples we're traveling with are the owners of a local wine shop, so we're very interested in knowing what wine list to use to determine what wines to seek permission for bringing on board.

 

Thanks for any help you can toss our way.

 

Norm

 

Jsut FYI, we bring private label or second line wines as RCI has none of them on their list.

 

For example, McManis Cab is a downline of Gallo and sells wholesale for about 10 per bottle, Writers Block Pinot is a downline of Steele and sells for about $15 a bottle.

 

Meritages are rare on their list as well. Fife Redhead Red, Ladybug Red by Lolonis, Phantom by Bogle are all good choices. Stick to the smaller producers and mention these to your wine provider and they should be able to help.

[NormBailey]

Norm,

I looked at the list on their website. I happen to really like Kendal-Jackson wines - some may argue that it's not so good, but I really like it. So I looked for it on their list, and when I called them, they looked on theirs which supposedly was a "more concise list". KJ wasn't on either. So when I wrote to Clay , he wrote back saying indeed they do not offer that particular label, so I would be authorized to bring 2 bottles. I also asked to bring grape juice for my kids, and he was quite funny in his response: "rccl is looking for weapons and moonshine, not wine and grape juice". Hope this helps :)

 

Liz,

 

Thanks so much for the info. BTW, those that criticize other peoples' tastes in wine are just being snobs. The beautiful things about wine are its ability to develop so many different aromas, tastes and preferences, as well as its ability to appeal to so many differing palates.

 

Dang, guess we'll jus' haft leave our weapons an' moonshine at home, eh?

 

Thanks so much for the help.

[NormBailey]

Jsut FYI, we bring private label or second line wines as RCI has none of them on their list.

 

For example, McManis Cab is a downline of Gallo and sells wholesale for about 10 per bottle, Writers Block Pinot is a downline of Steele and sells for about $15 a bottle.

 

Meritages are rare on their list as well. Fife Redhead Red, Ladybug Red by Lolonis, Phantom by Bogle are all good choices. Stick to the smaller producers and mention these to your wine provider and they should be able to help.

 

Thanks for the info. I've printed off both your post and Liz's to take with me to the wine shop as we brainstorm which wines we'll be bringing on board.