Can I bring wine or champagne in carry-on?

[Mary Jane 711]

I am confused, as I have cruised on a few different lines. Does RCCL allow us to bring our own wine or champagne? As I remember it, Princess doesn't have a problem with it. But my memory is cloudy on the subject. I also wonder if they are as stringent as they sound on the website about bringing liquor in one's luggage. Not that I am, but someone close to me has and I just wonder if anyone has brought anything in their checked luggage without a problem recently. Not that I am going to. Let's not get started on morality or anything. These are all hypothetical questions, I swear.

[Hlitner]

The current policy is that you can not bring any alcohol (including wine) on-board. Of course there are still passengers that ignore the rules and many have no problem with booze in their checked luggage. On our recent Brilliance cruise some even were able to get some carry-on booze past security. However, the line reserves the right to discipline passengers who violate the rules, and we did see a big wood paddle on the bridge.

 

Hank

[steve20832]

As of early this year, both Princess and Royal Caribbean do not allow beer/wine to be carried on the ship.

[mommabean]

They don't allow it. But I've done both carry on and checked luggage. Right or wrong, I do it because they have no red wine on board that I can drink. Once they carry sulfite free wine, I'll save myself the trouble and buy it on board from them. In the meantime I want to enjoy a couple of glasses on wine each evening and still be able to sleep at night.

 

My bottle went right through the x-ray machine and no one searched my bag. One bottle.

[critterchick]

As of early this year, both Princess and Royal Caribbean do not allow beer/wine to be carried on the ship.

 

Princess still allows you to bring wine onboard. I've read that they restrict you to one bottle per person, but their contract says only wine & champagne, without specifying how much.

[SuMac]

Just got off the Crown Princess two weeks ago, and their attitude seems to be "what we don't see won't hurt us". Not only was wine & beer ignored in luggage, but even what you bought in port was checked by the honor system. And we had no honor. ;)

[HitMan37]

Princess Cruiseline has a $15 corckage fee if you bring your own wine bottle to the dinning room (which we did every night); although our waiter stopped charging us after the 3rd day!

[CruiseAddict74]

They don't allow it. But I've done both carry on and checked luggage. Right or wrong, I do it because they have no red wine on board that I can drink. Once they carry sulfite free wine, I'll save myself the trouble and buy it on board from them. In the meantime I want to enjoy a couple of glasses on wine each evening and still be able to sleep at night.

 

My bottle went right through the x-ray machine and no one searched my bag. One bottle.

 

 

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A SULFITE-FREE WINE.

Totally sulfite-free wines are an accident of nature; but wines low in sulfites or free of added sulfites do exist. Let us explain. Sulfites are a natural byproduct of the fermentation process. Fermenting yeasts present on all grape skins generate naturally occurring sulfites in amounts ranging from 6 to 40 parts per million (ppm.).

According to Professor Roger Boulton, Ph.D., University of California at Davis, Department of Viticulture and Enology, even if no sulfur dioxide is added to wine, fermenting yeasts will produce SO2 from the naturally occurring inorganic sulfates in all grape juices. Thus, says Boulton, it is impossible for any wine to be completely free of sulfur dioxide.

[mommabean]

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A SULFITE-FREE WINE.

Totally sulfite-free wines are an accident of nature; but wines low in sulfites or free of added sulfites do exist. Let us explain. Sulfites are a natural byproduct of the fermentation process. Fermenting yeasts present on all grape skins generate naturally occurring sulfites in amounts ranging from 6 to 40 parts per million (ppm.).

According to Professor Roger Boulton, Ph.D., University of California at Davis, Department of Viticulture and Enology, even if no sulfur dioxide is added to wine, fermenting yeasts will produce SO2 from the naturally occurring inorganic sulfates in all grape juices. Thus, says Boulton, it is impossible for any wine to be completely free of sulfur dioxide.

 

They are legally considered no sulfites detected - to me that means sulfite free - if they are under 5ppm detected. That is less than the sulfites detected in one egg. That isn't enough to cause a reaction in most people. Sorry if I didn't word it the way you understand it.

 

http://www.freywine.com/freywine/no-sulfites-added.html

 

I know how I'm affected by wine with sulfites added so I carry on frey brand red wine and then I can sleep straight through the night.

 

Gina

[CruiseAddict74]

I just thought I'd post that because my friend and I just had this conversation the other day. She thought because she was buying organic wine that it had not sulfites.

[Tra4]

Gina;

 

I'm curious, does the sulfites make you unable to sleep, or restless sleep. I've never heard of frey wine.

 

RCI doesn't carry red wine that I really like either, but will settle for a couple they have. I have brought a bottle or two in checked luggage without a problem and taken it to dinner also without a corkage. I don't bring a case, and their policy is not to bring it, however, much like a hotel, if its in your room, they aren't going to come and take it. I also don't think it is fair that they can remove anything from your luggage without you there. They have never taken anything from my luggage.

 

Good luck.

[mommabean]

I just thought I'd post that because my friend and I just had this conversation the other day. She thought because she was buying organic wine that it had not sulfites.

 

You are right. The two are not the same although many people seem to think organic means no sulfites have been added. I've looked at all the organic wines in natural food markets and most are clearly labeled, "sulfites added". Even the Sierra Club brand of wine has added sulfites.

 

Gina

[mommabean]

Gina;

 

I'm curious, does the sulfites make you unable to sleep, or restless sleep. I've never heard of frey wine.

 

RCI doesn't carry red wine that I really like either, but will settle for a couple they have. I have brought a bottle or two in checked luggage without a problem and taken it to dinner also without a corkage. I don't bring a case, and their policy is not to bring it, however, much like a hotel, if its in your room, they aren't going to come and take it. I also don't think it is fair that they can remove anything from your luggage without you there. They have never taken anything from my luggage.

 

Good luck.

 

I started drinking wine with DH each night several years ago. This pattern of waking up at approximately 2 or so each night went on for years. DH had me convinced I was getting old and menopausal since when I woke up the back of my head would be drenched in sweat. It would be an hour or two before I could finally fall back to sleep.

 

I don't remember now what the reason was but I DC'd the wine for a while and noticed I began to sleep again and stopped sweating at night, too. I began to experiment with drinking wine some nights...even white wine...and the night sweats and wakefulness only happened on nights when I drank wine - about 2 glasses.

 

I talked to a man in a wine store about getting wine with no sulfites added. He was misinformed believing that organic wine is what I wanted and tried to convince me that there is no such thing as wine with no sulfites "detected".

 

I did my own research mostly by looking. I found the frey brand for the first time in Baton Rouge, LA in the Natural Food Market. I came home and looked in Wild Oats and found they also carried it. I've never had a problem when I drink any of the Frey reds and they have quite a selection. Their whites, which I haven't tried are labeled as a trace of sulfites detected but none are added.

 

I have actually wondered if women who think they are having symptoms of menopause actually drink wine and then break out in a sweat at night and can't sleep.

 

I think there is one white wine on the RCI wine list that claims to have no sulfites added. But red is what I want. It would be nice if they allowed the preordering of no sulfites added reds prior to the cruise. But I realize that would be a problem if everyone made little demands like this.

 

That's another reason they should go back to their previous policy of allowing 2 bottles of wine per passenger on board. Really, there's no reason they shouldn't allow a bottle a night per couple to be carried on and just let us pay the corkage fee as before.

 

By the way, Frey does ship wine to individuals and has a quantity discount - to states which allow it. Most states do. FL didn't for many years but now allows it. But since I can get it locally, I haven't ordered direct. Our local Wild Oats also has a quantity discount and the bottles run mostly between $10 and $20 a bottle and is surprisingly good.

 

Gina

[clararats]

I have been packing wine in my checked luggage for over 10 years now without any problems. I have hard shell samsonite luggage that protects the bottles.

Once the Cabin Stewart notices the wine, he normally leaves me a corkscrew.

[mommabean]

I have been packing wine in my checked luggage for over 10 years now without any problems. I have hard shell samsonite luggage that protects the bottles.

Once the Cabin Stewart notices the wine, he normally leaves me a corkscrew.

 

:) Of course it only became forbidden a little less than 2 years ago. And it seems that during Spring break is the only time they've really cracked down so far.

 

Gina

[Douglase]

We were on the SOS in October and we took 2 bottles of wine without any problem on board. The room steward brought us a wine bucket and brought wine glasses each evening to our cabin.

[cruzinnh]

 

I have actually wondered if women who think they are having symptoms of menopause actually drink wine and then break out in a sweat at night and can't sleep.

 

Gina

 

Wow, Gina. I experience the same problem but never put two & two together. I thought it was me!

 

Kathy

[katiel53]

Wow, Gina. I experience the same problem but never put two & two together. I thought it was me!

 

Kathy

 

I have the same problem and I drink red wine. I wonder if I changed to the low sulfite wine things would be better. I wake up many times during the night, am hot, have trouble getting back to sleep and have trouble breathing.

 

I don't have this problem on a cruise, but I usually drink Scotch and soda. I never made the connection.

 

Thank you so much Gina and thanks to the OP for this thread. Usually, I don't read these threads. I don't know what made me do so this time, weird huh?