Avoiding Corkage Fee

[ktmac]

I read a while ago that if you bring wine on board with you that Princess has on their wine list, they don't charge a corkage fee because you might have ordered it or received it as a gift.

Can anyone confirm/deny that claim?

Thanks!

[jbrambach]

I guess it depends on the waiter. Having said that, if you did get it as a gift I would tell the waitstaff that it was a gift so you are not charged the corkage fee. But if you bring your own wine I would expect to pay the corkage fee and just be grateful if they don't charge you.

[Toto2Kansas]

I guess it depends on the waiter. Having said that, if you did get it as a gift I would tell the waitstaff that it was a gift so you are not charged the corkage fee. But if you bring your own wine I would expect to pay the corkage fee and just be grateful if they don't charge you.

 

I totally agree with this.

And I might add, if you consume the wine in your stateroom, there is no worry about corkage fees. That is what I would suggest to someone not wanting to pay the fee in the diningroom.

[hotmike98]

I believe that is correct, but why bother with the hassle of transporting it? If you are going to drink wine that's on their list, I would pay the markup, rather than run the risk it will break and ruin everything in my suitcase. Of course you'll have that much less weight to carry home (or it can be replaced with souvenirs.

[NeurosurgeryNP]

I believe that is correct, but why bother with the hassle of transporting it? If you are going to drink wine that's on their list, I would pay the markup, rather than run the risk it will break and ruin everything in my suitcase. Of course you'll have that much less weight to carry home (or it can be replaced with souvenirs.

The OP may mean that they received it in their stateroom as an onboard gift that they brought into the dining room to have at dinner.

[CStorm]

How much is the corkage fee?

[hotmike98]

The OP may mean that they received it in their stateroom as an onboard gift that they brought into the dining room to have at dinner.

 

 

That's not the way I read it "bring wine on board" and then try to pass it off as being an on board gift.

[Colo Cruiser]

How much is the corkage fee?

 

 

Now it is $15. :)

[Toto2Kansas]

That's not the way I read it "bring wine on board" and then try to pass it off as being an on board gift.

 

I am in total agreement. The OP is asking to bring wine onboard that IS on the winelist to avoid paying the corkage fee. If I am reading the question incorrectly, my apology, but I think I am reading it correctly.

 

I might add that if wine is brought to the diningroom each night that you try to act as if it was a gift to avoid the fee, some may get just a bit suspicious.

[jerryr]

We purchased a heavily promoted 3 pack of International Wines from our regular dining room waiter on Emerald Princess and we took one of the bottles to the Crown Grill (the package is delivered to your stateroom). These are pretty unique wines and I "assumed" the Crown Grill waiter would recognize it as a wine from thier special package but he didn't and when we got our statement on the final day we had been charged a corkage fee.

 

Do not "assume" they will recognize the wine as one of thiers. Be sure to tell the waiter when you hand it to him.

[NanD]

The wine ordered from Princess cellars is no longer waiting in the stateroom, rather a card announcing the gift and givers will be. You then "redeem" it with your room steward, or take to the dining room when you choose consumption. I think this lessens the opportunity to bring a like bottle to the dining room in hopes of passing it off as a gift.

Nan

[the_dylaness]

Although I don't have a problem with people bringing wine for consumption in their stateroom (or even a little bit of something harder just for a pre-dinner) as long as you're still buying from Princess, the idea of purposefully going out and purchasing what is on the Princess list and then trying to pass it off as a stateroom gift in the dining room sounds 1) complicated 2) a bit dishonest.

 

Not sure this is what the OP is asking about or if they just want to know about gift bottles actually given to them, but it's my two cents. :rolleyes:

[Toto2Kansas]

The wine ordered from Princess cellars is no longer waiting in the stateroom, rather a card announcing the gift and givers will be. You then "redeem" it with your room steward, or take to the dining room when you choose consumption. I think this lessens the opportunity to bring a like bottle to the dining room in hopes of passing it off as a gift.

Nan

 

Nan, Yep, that started a couple of years ago if I remember correctly, where it was no longer waiting in the stateroom. I wonder if this isn't part of the reason for the little vouchers now instead of having it there waiting for you. Very good point to make!

[winecountry]

Several weeks before our cruise last week we purchased two bottles of wine through the Princess 800 number. They e-mailed a statement of this purchase which I carried with me to the dining room the two nights we consumed the wine. We were never charged a corkage fee.

[sonomaphil]

One way to do this is simply open the bottle else where and carry it into the dining room. We've purchased bottles of wine at Princess bars before dinner and opened our own in our stateroom to take to the dining room. Since we usually have anytime dining and we are prepared if we have a short wait. No one bats an eye.

[2Oregonians]

Would this work? Not that I've done it, I just had a thought...

 

Somehow get a hold of a wine glass, pour each of you a full glass in your room then take it to the dining room. They'll just assume you ordered it in the bar and carried it in. Just a thought.:confused:

[LARGIN]

One way to do this is simply open the bottle else where and carry it into the dining room. We've purchased bottles of wine at Princess bars before dinner and opened our own in our stateroom to take to the dining room. Since we usually have anytime dining and we are prepared if we have a short wait. No one bats an eye.

 

No problem as you are buying the wine from Princess..

 

Would this work? Not that I've done it, I just had a thought...

 

Somehow get a hold of a wine glass, pour each of you a full glass in your room then take it to the dining room. They'll just assume you ordered it in the bar and carried it in. Just a thought.:confused: :

 

Tacky don't you think :rolleyes:

[Toto2Kansas]

Well to heck with the wine glass, let's just bring on one of those big insulated mugs and fill it with wine and carry it into the diningroom. Need to make sure we have enough to last so we don't need to make a trip back to the cabin, right? Largin, Yes, I agree, a bit tacky!

[janetz]

Well to heck with the wine glass, let's just bring on one of those big insulated mugs and fill it with wine and carry it into the diningroom. Need to make sure we have enough to last so we don't need to make a trip back to the cabin, right? Largin, Yes, I agree, a bit tacky!

 

 

:p Well how about one of those boxes of wine we can slip it under the table??

 

 

Really, we have only been 4 cruises to date. We have always brought a special wine from home to the dining room and for some reason have never been charged a corkage fee on any of the ships. Go figure. ;)

[Toto2Kansas]

:p Well how about one of those boxes of wine we can slip it under the table??

 

 

 

We could always bring along a wagon if it was too heavy to carry, just roll the box into the diningroom and fill 'er up as we need it. ;)

[Ethel5]

We could always bring along a wagon if it was too heavy to carry, just roll the box into the diningroom and fill 'er up as we need it. ;)

 

LOL!!!

 

Actually, if you put a piece of flexible hose into the box, you could leave it under the table and just sip away as needed!

[Toto2Kansas]

LOL!!!

 

Actually, if you put a piece of flexible hose into the box, you could leave it under the table and just sip away as needed!

 

Donna, now you did it. But it's OK, my monitor needed cleaned anyway. :D :D

[janetz]

LOL!!!

 

Actually, if you put a piece of flexible hose into the box, you could leave it under the table and just sip away as needed!

 

 

:p

 

Don't give anyone any ideas. :p

[vickie_bernie]

funny thread,

 

we usually bring two or three bottles of wine per cruise to be consumed in our cabin prior to dinner.

 

Last cruise we still had a bottle unopened so we brought it to the dining room where they opened it and charged the corkage fee, which we were more that happy to pay for.

 

On one occassion we had dinner with six others, whom we met at the table as we have anytime dining. The male had a bottle under his arm that had been opened and cork shoved back in. He didn't seem to be too embarressed about this as he poured wine into his glass. But I was embarressed. And we laughed about it later.

[Toto2Kansas]

Some think the corkage fee is actually for 'opening' the wine. ;) All jokes aside!