New Princess Wine Policy

[AlanE]

Not to get off topic, but since we are talking about wine...

 

This will be our first Princess cruise after a previous cruise on Royal Carribbean. RC has a wine package that you can buy for a modest price and get choices of wine every night at dinner. Does Princess have anything like that?

 

This would be tacky, but why couldn't you cork your own wine and bring it with you to dinner. I answered my own question....tacky, tacky, tacky.

[SingerEsq]

I posted this on a related topic website, so I thought I'd copy it here.

 

The Answer Book is not the contract. Check your Passenger Contract to find out the obligations and limitations on both the cruise line and passengers:

 

Our Passenger Contract -- the document that governs the obligations of both the cruise line and the passenger -- arrived this week and states that "Carrier kindly requests that You do not bring alcoholic beverages of any kind (except wine and champagne) on board for consumption." The "Cruise Answer Book" is not the contract, nor is it (from my reading) incorporated into the contract. In fact, the contract specifically states that it is the "entire understanding and agreement between You and Carrier."

 

A couple of things:

 

1. This is, by its own terms, a "request" not an edict or covenant. That probably explains why some people are not given any challenge when bringing hard liquor onboard when boarding. The contract does state that alcohol will be collected at the gangway until disembarkation. So there is an ambiguity.

 

2. There is no limit stated in the contract for wine or champagne.

 

BTW-- Our cruise answer book -- again, not the governing document - does not state a 1 bottle limit on wine or champagne.

 

This is not meant as legal advice, but if you read the contract, rather than other documents, you will find the actual obligations and limitations.

[Bax]

This may be a bit off subject, but just consider this little tip. The wife and I have been doing this for years, and it is a great way to meet our balcony neighbors: A couple of days before leaving home, I'll take two or more bottles of chilled champagne, wrap them in bubble wrap, seal them with packing tape, and chill again. On our departure day, we pack them in the middle of check-on bags. The steward brings the luggage to the cabin, we withdraw the bottles, chill again in the sink full of ice, and ask the neighbors, who invariably attend port departure on their balcony, if they would care to join us in a toast. Bon vayage and nice to meet you, all at the same time. Another tip: Bring some fig newtons, break them up in fourths, and throw them to the seagulls while leaving port. They fly right up to the balcony rail. What fun.

[SingerEsq]

Bax ... just a question, why do you chill the champagne before you travel? I always thought (I'm probably wrong), that you should not chill champagne until just before drinking.

 

By the way, nice gesture.

[Nliedel]

This may be a bit off subject, but just consider this little tip. The wife and I have been doing this for years, and it is a great way to meet our balcony neighbors: A couple of days before leaving home, I'll take two or more bottles of chilled champagne, wrap them in bubble wrap, seal them with packing tape, and chill again. On our departure day, we pack them in the middle of check-on bags. The steward brings the luggage to the cabin, we withdraw the bottles, chill again in the sink full of ice, and ask the neighbors, who invariably attend port departure on their balcony, if they would care to join us in a toast. Bon vayage and nice to meet you, all at the same time. .

 

What a lovely and thoughtful idea! I think I'll try this on our next cruise. We will have the older two with us and will need all the goodwill we can get! (seriously, they are good kids and would never cause a rucus in our room).

[Guest vitamarion]

This may be a bit off subject, but just consider this little tip. The wife and I have been doing this for years, and it is a great way to meet our balcony neighbors: A couple of days before leaving home, I'll take two or more bottles of chilled champagne, wrap them in bubble wrap, seal them with packing tape, and chill again. On our departure day, we pack them in the middle of check-on bags. The steward brings the luggage to the cabin, we withdraw the bottles, chill again in the sink full of ice, and ask the neighbors, who invariably attend port departure on their balcony, if they would care to join us in a toast. Bon vayage and nice to meet you, all at the same time. Another tip: Bring some fig newtons, break them up in fourths, and throw them to the seagulls while leaving port. They fly right up to the balcony rail. What fun.

 

I hope we are lucky and have you as our next door balcony neighbors on our next cruise.!

 

Marion

[winecountry]

This may be a bit off subject, but just consider this little tip. The wife and I have been doing this for years, and it is a great way to meet our balcony neighbors: A couple of days before leaving home, I'll take two or more bottles of chilled champagne, wrap them in bubble wrap, seal them with packing tape, and chill again. On our departure day, we pack them in the middle of check-on bags. The steward brings the luggage to the cabin, we withdraw the bottles, chill again in the sink full of ice, and ask the neighbors, who invariably attend port departure on their balcony, if they would care to join us in a toast. Bon vayage and nice to meet you, all at the same time. tip:Another Bring some fig newtons, break them up in fourths, and throw them to the seagulls while leaving port. They fly right up to the balcony rail. What fun.

 

Not everyone is fond of birds, I'm deathly afraid of them. Please be mindful of your neighbors. We once had a gentleman below our balcony on the open Dolphin deck who would feed the birds bread, they were all over our balcony, and the mess that was left on his balcony floor from the bread was shameful and I know he did not clean up the mess. In case your wondering, yes I have seen the movie The Birds.....but my fear comes from an incident when I was very young.

[seamama1]

It looks like many of the cruise lines are starting to crack down on this booze thing. RCCL just changed their policy, effective July 28 that NO alcohol of any kind can be brought aboard - it goes on to say that it will be confiscated. Also mentions disembarking passengers who, in their security's opinion, is drunk, disorderly. Also says it has the right to deny boarding to folks who try to smuggle booze on board and mention they will be checking shampoo bottle, mouthwash, etc.... They also raised the drinking age to 21. Seems 18-20 years used to be able to buy beer/wine with some sort of waiver signed by the parents.

 

Anyway, really causing a stir on their board.

 

Also on NCL, they have some new type x-ray machine and if they suspect there might be booze in someones case, that person is called out, required to open the luggage and remove the contraband.

 

I think it's sort of a shame, really. Those who have for years ignored the rules and smuggled on booze enough to hold a party for Jack Sparrow have ruined it for those of us who always brought a nice bottle of bubbly for sail-away or our favorite bottle of wine for that special occasion.

 

The cruise experience has sure changed over the last 10-20 years. Some of the "constants" are still there (thank goodness), the sea is always there, the lovely ship, good food, comfortable stateroom, mostly fun people to sail with. Hope that never disappears! :(

[robbie500]

Yep, I agree with Seamama1. We were just on RCCL and our waiter told us that all the cruise lines were starting to crack down on alcohol being brought onboard. RCCL has had too many "accidents" with people being drunk and going overboard.

RCCL has even brought the ships doctor to the gangway to examine passengers that were drunk, to determine if they would be allowed onboard. Our waiter said that more than once people had NOT been able to reboard the ship and had to find their own transportation home from a port.

It would not appear that Princess has gotten to that point yet, but is tightening up a little.

Ya'll be safe out there,

Rob

[Cruise Junky]

Boy I love spending $5,000 to be treated like a child while on vacation. With three upcoming cruises booked on Princess, it might be time to go back to land vacations.

[steve20832]

Yep, I agree with Seamama1. We were just on RCCL and our waiter told us that all the cruise lines were starting to crack down on alcohol being brought onboard. RCCL has had too many "accidents" with people being drunk and going overboard.

RCCL has even brought the ships doctor to the gangway to examine passengers that were drunk, to determine if they would be allowed onboard. Our waiter said that more than once people had NOT been able to reboard the ship and had to find their own transportation home from a port.

It would not appear that Princess has gotten to that point yet, but is tightening up a little.

Ya'll be safe out there,

Rob

 

If the cruise lines didn't rip you off on the price for drinks, people wouldn't bring thier own drinks onboard. The cheapest bottle of wine is around $30 on the ship and goes up over $100. Publix in Florida has 90% of thier wine under $20.

[KennyC]

If the cruise lines didn't rip you off on the price for drinks, people wouldn't bring thier own drinks onboard.

Well, that, and the fact that the ship's collection of wine is limited so some like bringing their own vintages aboard.

 

From what I've seen of Princess' wine list the pricing is on-par with restaurant pricing.

[yasto36]

ALCOHOL

To ensure the safety and comfort of all onboard, we wish to advise that passengers are not permitted to take on any alcohol for personal consumption. Duty-free and personal alcohol purchased shore side, must be surrendered by passengers at embarkation or prior to boarding in any port. All alcohol will be held under bond and returned at disembarkation in the final port of call. Please note that all luggage, both hand and check-in, will be x-rayed at embarkation. At disembarkation, individuals must declare to Customs all amounts of alcohol in excess of the local Customs limits. P&O Cruises reserves the right to refuse to serve alcohol to any passenger for any reason.:mad: :mad: :mad:

We are booked on the Pacific Princess Feb/March 2007 around Australia for 28 days, on a P & O cruise. Do I assume the P & O policy will prevail against the Princess policy??

Ray

[OuiOnboard]

....Those who have for years ignored the rules and smuggled on booze enough to hold a party for Jack Sparrow have ruined it for those of us who always brought a nice bottle of bubbly for sail-away or our favorite bottle of wine for that special occasion.

 

The cruise experience has sure changed over the last 10-20 years. Some of the "constants" are still there (thank goodness), the sea is always there, the lovely ship, good food, comfortable stateroom, mostly fun people to sail with. Hope that never disappears! :(

Ah come on now....no big deal...just buy your drinks on board or try some of the free lemonade and juices available all day.

[Cruise Junky]

 

I think it's sort of a shame, really. Those who have for years ignored the rules and smuggled on booze enough to hold a party for Jack Sparrow have ruined it for those of us who always brought a nice bottle of bubbly for sail-away or our favorite bottle of wine for that special occasion.

 

:(

 

I think it's much more the latest idiot who drank too much and feel overboard that's changing the rules, as well as Greed. Name me a hotel or resort that doesn't let you take a bottle or case of beer back to your room?

[cbpanda]

We always carry some wine onboard with us to enjoy on our balcony before dinner. However, we always order a bottle of the ship's wine with dinner. We wouldn't take a bottle of wine into a restaurant at home - we always order off the wine list, so why would we take a bottle of wine with us on the ship? I wonder if Princess is losing so much revenue from people taking wine with them to dinner that they are having to change the wine policy.

 

I agree. We never bring our wine to dinner. I just don't feel right about it. We only bring enough on board to drink in our cabin before dinner. As a matter of fact, on our last cruise, we brought 3 bottles on board and left with 1 still unopened. I don't have a problem with the change in policy.

[mr green]

ALCOHOL

To ensure the safety and comfort of all onboard, we wish to advise that passengers are not permitted to take on any alcohol for personal consumption. Duty-free and personal alcohol purchased shore side, must be surrendered by passengers at embarkation or prior to boarding in any port. All alcohol will be held under bond and returned at disembarkation in the final port of call. Please note that all luggage, both hand and check-in, will be x-rayed at embarkation. At disembarkation, individuals must declare to Customs all amounts of alcohol in excess of the local Customs limits. P&O Cruises reserves the right to refuse to serve alcohol to any passenger for any reason.:mad: :mad: :mad:

We are booked on the Pacific Princess Feb/March 2007 around Australia for 28 days, on a P & O cruise. Do I assume the P & O policy will prevail against the Princess policy??

Ray

 

Princess is not P.O.. Remember ifa passanmger were to order a large amount of alcohol on the first day from the ship, to be delivered to the cabin, I very much doubt if it would be refused. This 'Passanger Safety' is just a cop out. john

[corkpopr]

We have been on 20 cruises and 4 with princess. we always bring on a bottle of grey goose/vermouth/olives/brandy/champagne & port. we also bring 2-4 bottles from our collection. we have a martini before dinner and a brandy or port on the balcony for a nitecap. We pack it and never try to carry it on when we first board. we have never had a problem and leave any leftovers for the steward who usually shares or trades it with other staff.

[teachergal29]

Please, this is getting a bit silly. I have visions of inspectors going through our lugguage tasting shampoo bottles to find liquor(yuck!!). When will this invasion of privacy end? I think I am an adult and I should be able make the decision whether I want to bring alcohol on board or not to consume in the privacy of my stateroom. After reading all these threads, I feel now that I have to find ways to "smuggle" bottles of wine on board. Why should I feel I am doing something wrong if I want a glass of wine while I'm dressing for dinner?

[snowblower]

This thread is B.S. You can take wine on the ship and Princess isn't going to take it away from you. I called my T/A and Princess corporate today and they both said the same thing, no policy change about taking wine on-board and no future plan to change the policy. Keep taking your wine. The moderator should destroy this thread......

[OuiOnboard]

When the people who bring 5-10 or more bottles of wine complain about having their "bring aboard" wine confiscated, that will be the time to become concerned about having a problem bringing on a few bottles due to enforcement of Princess' alcohol policy. I suspect that will be about the time hell freezes over.

[Sandytoes]

This is what I asked LunaMoon (on her live Crown 7/22) I would like to know, on the wine list, what they offer and cost, don't know if I should bring my own or not....I usually drink Zinfandel.

Sandy, the Zinfandel aboard is $5 a glass, and $22 a bottle (for the Woodbridge not the Berringer, which is $25 a bottle)

 

Locally Berringer costs... $4.49($5tax) for a 750 ml bottle, or $8.49 ($9.tax)for a 1.5 liter bottle. ...

Tack on Corkage fee....$15.00

 

How tacky would it be if I brought the bigger bottle into dining room? (size of 2 btles)

Have it tagged & saved for other nights?

Or should I just buy at table and pay the few extra bucks?

[sultan_sfo]

My! My! What arrogance! Yes -- we have in the past taken a case on boarding. The latest Princess Answer Book does STATE a new policy with the revised corkage fee ($15 which is being actually charged on the Crown). Those who are regulars on this board know that the Princess "corporate" (whatever that is) never knows. And you expect your TA to know? You want me to fax the page from the Princess book. It is a CHANGE of policy. When and how they implement it is a different matter. But please dont mislead others. /Sultan

 

This thread is B.S. You can take wine on the ship and Princess isn't going to take it away from you. I called my T/A and Princess corporate today and they both said the same thing, no policy change about taking wine on-board and no future plan to change the policy. Keep taking your wine. The moderator should destroy this thread......

[DannyMac]

We have three cruises on the Grand and number four in March and always take our own wine and never had a problem. Sometimes we are charged a corkage fee, and somtimes not. We prefer to bring our own wine since it is not offered by Princess. When drinking high end wine, the corkage fee is not a big deal.

[julpet01]

I think I will try packing a box of wine in my carry-on. Just want to have it in my cabin to enjoy a glass while I sit on the balcony or dress for dinner. Oops....I almost forgot about the bottle of champagne for sail-away!