Bringing wine on board

[Amagamma]

Have recently been sailing RCCL, where the policy is very definite about bringing on wine. Ready to book the Century and wondered if you can still bring on a couple bottles of wine to drink in your cabin.

[psblin99]

Have recently been sailing RCCL, where the policy is very definite about bringing on wine. Ready to book the Century and wondered if you can still bring on a couple bottles of wine to drink in your cabin.

 

2 per stateroom is the rule. Hope my case makes it!:eek:

[Desertbelle]

We brought wine and some port in our luggage on the Galaxy last week, no problems.

[jerseygirl3]

We were just onboard Westerdam last week, and HAL has a very liberal wine policy. You are allowed to bring on as much wine as you like (we brought 2 cases), so long as you are willing to pay a $15/bottle corkage fee in the dining room. We were more than happy to pay the fee, and actually, when we got our final bill, we were charged the fee only once all week. Not only was it more economical bringing our own wine onboard, but we were able to bring along our favorites, which is primarily why we did it. Saving some $$$ was just an extra bonus.

[JanineM]

Yes, you can bring on 2 bottles at initial embarkation.

 

You can also "gift" yourself wine thru the X website and have it delivered to your room. You pay their higher prices, but there is no gratuity charged.

[terrydtx]

We were just onboard Westerdam last week, and HAL has a very liberal wine policy. You are allowed to bring on as much wine as you like (we brought 2 cases), so long as you are willing to pay a $15/bottle corkage fee in the dining room. We were more than happy to pay the fee, and actually, when we got our final bill, we were charged the fee only once all week. Not only was it more economical bringing our own wine onboard, but we were able to bring along our favorites, which is primarily why we did it. Saving some $$$ was just an extra bonus.

 

HAL has the best wine policy of any mass marketed cruise line, always take at least a case aboard at embakation. Celebrety has the next best policy but not even close to HAL, you can take only 2 bottles aboard at the embarkation port and they charge a $25 corkage fee for the DR if you bring your own non Celebrity wine. $25 :eek: :eek: is an outrage so we drink our wine in our cabin and balcony.:p :p

[MoreCruisesNow]

I'm just never, ever going to understand how $15 can be a perfectly reasonable charge and $25 be outrageous.

 

$20 (based on two bottles) on a $5000 cruise. I figure I can get through that $20 in about 5 minutes on the Wheel of Fortune machine.

 

Outrageous? 4000 soldiers dead in Iraq is outrageous. $20 to drink your own wine is mildly irritating at best.

[terrydtx]

I'm just never, ever going to understand how $15 can be a perfectly reasonable charge and $25 be outrageous.

 

$20 (based on two bottles) on a $5000 cruise. I figure I can get through that $20 in about 5 minutes on the Wheel of Fortune machine.

 

Outrageous? 4000 soldiers dead in Iraq is outrageous. $20 to drink your own wine is mildly irritating at best.

 

I don't gamble, don't like throwing my money down the drain, like some do. Yes $25 is outrageous (compared to HAL) and just another example of how Celebrity will nickel and dime you death with added fess, gratuities, up charges and surcharges for everything. That’s how the $5000 cruise becomes a $7000 cruise when you get your final bill. Its attitudes like this that allows Celebrity and other cruise lines to continue to nickel and dime us on everything.

[MoreCruisesNow]

In all honesty, we've sailed Celebrity about 10 times now and I have never felt nickle and dimed to death.

 

When we cruise, we do as we please and never have any problem declining offers of things we don't want.

 

Sometimes, when we feel like gambling, our onboard account is a little high, but normally it's just pocket change.

 

Even with gambling, our $5000 cruises have not become $7000 cruises.

 

And I still think "outrageous" is a little overblown.

[denims]

I'm just never, ever going to understand how $15 can be a perfectly reasonable charge and $25 be outrageous.

 

$20 (based on two bottles) on a $5000 cruise. I figure I can get through that $20 in about 5 minutes on the Wheel of Fortune machine.

 

Outrageous? 4000 soldiers dead in Iraq is outrageous. $20 to drink your own wine is mildly irritating at best.

 

Let's see....A $40 bottle of wine purchased from Celebrity is actually a $20 wine bought at a liquor store at a supermarket on land.

So you are paying a $25 corkage/opening fee on a $20 bottle of wine!!!:eek: :eek:

[terrydtx]

Let's see....A $40 bottle of wine purchased from Celebrity is actually a $20 wine bought at a liquor store at a supermarket on land.

So you are paying a $25 corkage/opening fee on a $20 bottle of wine!!!:eek: :eek:

 

You have the mark up % incorrect on the wine, Beranger White Zin on Celebrity $26 a bottle at any wine store under $5 a bottle, now that’s outrageous:eek: :eek: :eek:

[jerseygirl3]

Let's see....A $40 bottle of wine purchased from Celebrity is actually a $20 wine bought at a liquor store at a supermarket on land.

So you are paying a $25 corkage/opening fee on a $20 bottle of wine!!!:eek: :eek:

 

It's more like a bottle that costs $8.99 on land is marked up to $42 PLUS 15% gratuity, which comes to $46. As opposed to $8.99 plus $15 corkage fee, totals $23.99. That's almost half price. But saving a few bucks wasn't our main consideration. My sister is very finicky about her wine (me not so much), and likes to bring her own. It wouldn't have mattered how much the corkage fee was (on HAL it was $15), she wanted to be sure she had the obscure wines that she prefers and doesn't find on a cruiseship winelist.

 

As it turned out, we brought 2-3 bottles of wine to dinner each night, and at the end of the week (with the exception of the night we ate at the specialty restaurant) the wine sommolier charged us only twice (once for us and once for my sister and BIL) for the corkage fee.

[pipedreams62]

You have the mark up % incorrect on the wine, Beranger White Zin on Celebrity $26 a bottle at any wine store under $5 a bottle, now that’s outrageous:eek: :eek: :eek:

 

 

[MoreCruisesNow]

Of course, I still think none of this rises to outrageous, but that's just a matter of opinion.

 

What is NOT a matter of opinion is the wisdom of repeating stories of how you were not charged the corkage fee (no doubt to earn a larger gratuity).

 

Just a few restaurant managers reading these threads (and they do) and they'll be watching the corkage fees a whole lot more carefully.

 

Cruising is a business and not charging corkage fees is not much different than the cashier at WalMart letting you have the second bag of chips free!

 

(Not that ANY Celebrity cruisers would be caught DEAD in Walmart! Ok, it's like Saks letting you have that second little black dress for free!)

[terrydtx]

Of course, I still think none of this rises to outrageous, but that's just a matter of opinion.

 

What is NOT a matter of opinion is the wisdom of repeating stories of how you were not charged the corkage fee (no doubt to earn a larger gratuity).

 

Just a few restaurant managers reading these threads (and they do) and they'll be watching the corkage fees a whole lot more carefully.

 

Cruising is a business and not charging corkage fees is not much different than the cashier at WalMart letting you have the second bag of chips free!

 

(Not that ANY Celebrity cruisers would be caught DEAD in Walmart! Ok, it's like Saks letting you have that second little black dress for free!)

 

On The HAL Volendam last November we took our private wine to the DR every night and gladly paid the $15 corkage fee because the $15 included the 15% gratuity to the wine steward who opened and poured our wine and made sure our glasses never were empty. I also gave him a little extra tip at the end of the cruise as well.:D HAL has no limits on wine brought aboard the ship, so we took a case for the 10 night cruise that we bought at the FLL port. Oh yes we did run out and had to buy more in Costa Rica.:p

[psblin99]

Of course, I still think none of this rises to outrageous, but that's just a matter of opinion.

 

What is NOT a matter of opinion is the wisdom of repeating stories of how you were not charged the corkage fee (no doubt to earn a larger gratuity).

 

Just a few restaurant managers reading these threads (and they do) and they'll be watching the corkage fees a whole lot more carefully.

 

Cruising is a business and not charging corkage fees is not much different than the cashier at WalMart letting you have the second bag of chips free!

 

(Not that ANY Celebrity cruisers would be caught DEAD in Walmart! Ok, it's like Saks letting you have that second little black dress for free!)

 

 

As you can see I will be on my 1st Celebrity cruise next week. Does that mean I will never be allowed in Wal Mart again?

[MoreCruisesNow]

Actually, you may HAVE to shop at Walmart to afford the corkage fee!

 

:)

[psblin99]

If you carry the wine on board they sell and take it to the dining room they will assume it is a gift and there will be no fee.

 

Don't tell everyone!

[pipedreams62]

God I wish I was that lucky!

 

[arlenefrances]

When people speak of bringing a case or two of wine on board, does that mean they are buying it at the Port and the store is delivering it?....thank you

[denims]

If you carry the wine on board they sell and take it to the dining room they will assume it is a gift and there will be no fee.

 

Don't tell everyone!

 

You just told 200,000 people!!!!:eek: (That's about how members there are in Cruise Critic....plus all the Celebrity personal who belong!)

[jerseygirl3]

When people speak of bringing a case or two of wine on board, does that mean they are buying it at the Port and the store is delivering it?....thank you

 

We pre-ordered ours from Total Wine in Ft. Lauderdale. If you purchase over $200 worth of wine, they will deliver it to your hotel. But they cannot deliver it to the port. We opted to pick it up since we met friends who had a car and they drove us over to get it. Otherwise, we would have had to wait around the hotel, as the person whose credit card was charged has to sign for the wine when it is delivered to the hotel.

 

BTW, they have a fabulous wine selection.

[terrydtx]

We pre-ordered ours from Total Wine in Ft. Lauderdale. If you purchase over $200 worth of wine, they will deliver it to your hotel. But they cannot deliver it to the port. We opted to pick it up since we met friends who had a car and they drove us over to get it. Otherwise, we would have had to wait around the hotel, as the person whose credit card was charged has to sign for the wine when it is delivered to the hotel.

 

BTW, they have a fabulous wine selection.

 

In FLL I usually stay the night before very near the port and there is a Total wine store less than 5 mins from the port. They open at nine so I just take a short cab ride to the store and pickup my online order go back to the holel and take the shuttle to the cruise terminal.:D

[jackjoyus]

So you don"t have any trouble getting the wine on board, we like to have it in the room!! Also always buy at dinner!!:confused:

[terrydtx]

So you don"t have any trouble getting the wine on board, we like to have it in the room!! Also always buy at dinner!!:confused:

 

I am sorry, I should have said in my post that I buy the case of wine to take aboard only when I cruise with HAL, their policy has no limits on the amount of wine and champagne that can be brought aboard at any port. :D Celelbrity allows 2 bottles per cabin brought aboard only at the embarkation port.:( I have seen posts in this forum of instances where X passengers have reported being allowed to bring wine back to the ship for on board consumption at some Europe ports:confused: