Corkage Fees

[Jensten]

Does anyone know what the corkage charge is on the ms Ryndam (or HAL generally)? Thanks.

[koolforkatz]

When we sailed on the Oosterdam last year it was $15. One night they didn't charge us at all.

[sail7seas]

I think it has been raised to $18 as bottle now. No corkage fee if you have your wine in your cabin. The fee is charged if you bring the wine to the dining room.

[tomc]

A sommelier who collected the corkage

Said, "Please, sir, don't use the forkage."

He whipped out the screw,

Away the cork flew,

And made the guy look like a dorkage.

[Himself]

Tom: You have not lost your sense of humor! (Deo Gratias!)

[Jensten]

Thanks for the information, and the laugh! Cheers,

 

Jennifer

[L. A. McDaniel]

What is HAL's policy about taking your own wine aboard in your suitcase? Someone told me that they would not allow this. True or untrue?

[Modern_Viking]

What is HAL's policy about taking your own wine aboard in your suitcase? Someone told me that they would not allow this. True or untrue?

 

Untrue

 

HAL allows passengers to bring as much wine as they can drink on-board in their suitcases or at ports of call. The same is true of bottled water and sodas (pop, Coke, etc.).

 

HAL (with a possible exception here or there) does not allow passengers to bring beer or hard liquor in to your cabin for consumption. You can bring these items on board, but they will be collected at security, held in the hold, and returned to you the last full day of your cruise.

 

The rules for wine do vary between cruise lines. In general, HAL is a bit more lenient than other lines (even other Carnival owned lines).

[Krazy Kruizers]

You can bring as much wine, champagne, bottled water and sodas on board as you want -- no limit.

The corkage was changed to $18 several months ago.

[sail7seas]

The wine you bring aboard can be in your carryon. You do not have to put it in your checked luggage and risk the red wine breaking, wrecking your clothes and possibly those of other guests in suitcases that might be beneath your leaking bag. :eek: :D

 

[ekkc10753]

We were on the Ryndam in June. I bought wine in Vancouver and brought it on board in a box from the wine shop, tied shut with clothes line that I'd brought from home for that express purpose, and tagged with one of my official HAL luggage tags and then let the porters and stewards deal with it. It was delivered to my room unscathed! That's the good news.

 

The bad news is that the corkage fee is $18 for any bottle opened in the dining room. We had open seating and so we rotated around the room, having a different wine steward many nights and didn't ever get a break on the corkage fee.

 

There seems to be some difficulty in locating wines that have been saved for the second night; based on the long time one couple spent waiting for their left-over wine to be located and delivered, we decided to take an unfinished bottle back to our room, rather than wait for it to be located the following night. The following night I was presented with an $18 corkage fee (for the opened wine that we'd already paid to have opened the night before)...that one I protested and the charge was removed

 

It is nice to have wine in your room, and I'll always bring some along on HAL but that $18 corkage fee seems excessive to me frankly and I'm rethinking bringing enough wine for the dinners on our next cruise

[MightyQuinn]

It is nice to have wine in your room, and I'll always bring some along on HAL but that $18 corkage fee seems excessive to me frankly and I'm rethinking bringing enough wine for the dinners on our next cruise

I agree. So on our last cruise on the Amsterdam, we got around this by bringing on-board enough wine to enjoy in our cabin for pre-dinner & sailways AND we purchased wine card(s) for dinner. That way we could enjoy own own selections sans corkage & still have an acceptable glass with our meal. The only exception was we brought a nice bottle of our own wine to the Pinnacle & paid corkage. But that was still a great deal compared to purchasing any of the Pinnacle wines. Doing a combo worked very well for us. :D:D

[Boytjie]

Hey, you don't have to pay a corkage fee in the dining room - just buy the ship's wine! :rolleyes:

[ekkc10753]

I agree. So on our last cruise on the Amsterdam, we got around this by bringing on-board enough wine to enjoy in our cabin for pre-dinner & sailways AND we purchased wine card(s) for dinner. That way we could enjoy own own selections sans corkage & still have an acceptable glass with our meal. The only exception was we brought a nice bottle of our own wine to the Pinnacle & paid corkage. But that was still a great deal compared to purchasing any of the Pinnacle wines. Doing a combo worked very well for us. :D:D

 

that seems like a perfect compromise! (and not as heavy as carrying that case of wine from the Vancouver wine store back to the hotel; I was having some sort of cheap attack and decided the excercise would be good for me too!) will be rethinking that plan too:o

[innlady1]

We paid an $18 corkage fee on the Noordam this winter and I think that is more than fair. The only wine I enjoy is an oaky chardonnay...so it's worth it to me to bring my wine of preference on board. I don't enjoy the house wine available with the wine cards.

 

We went to Total Wine in Fort Lauderdale and they packaged a case in two six-bottle carriers. It was perfect...even after our 20 day cruise, we were left with just two bottles.

 

FYI.....a while ago, I bought two six-bottle carriers at Trader Joe's that I'll put in the bottom of my luggage for our next cruise...these are less cumbersome than the boxes from Total Wine.

[sail7seas]

We paid an $18 corkage fee on the Noordam this winter and I think that is more than fair. The only wine I enjoy is an oaky chardonnay...so it's worth it to me to bring my wine of preference on board. I don't enjoy the house wine available with the wine cards.

 

Sheila.... May I suggest, if you feel like it, try Cloudy Bay next time you are on board. You might like it. We tried it for the first time on Maasdam two weeks ago and really, really took to it immediately.

 

We went to Total Wine in Fort Lauderdale and they packaged a case in two six-bottle carriers. It was perfect...even after our 20 day cruise, we were left with just two bottles.

 

FYI.....a while ago, I bought two six-bottle carriers at Trader Joe's that I'll put in the bottom of my luggage for our next cruise...these are less cumbersome than the boxes from Total Wine.

[sail7seas]

We look at a cruise as a wonderful time to sample some new wines. There is always something different for us to try and then some old favorites. We don't run out of wines to order from either Pinnacle or Dining Room wine menu.

[papadave]

If you are buying a wine that retails for $50 then the $18 corkage fee is much less than the ship's mark up on a similar bottle.

 

If you bring on a $12 bottle you might wind up paying more for your wine then if you just ordered off the wine list.

 

Please don't focus on this too much. It makes you seem cheap and petty. If you can handle the cost of a cruise, you should be able to handle the cost of a few bottles of wine.

 

Beer is reasonably priced and makes a nice alternative to wine.

[Old As Dirt Mom]

Does anyone here have a recent HAL wine list, or can tell us something about the onboard wine selection? What are the house wines that are available by the glass? You'd think I would know some of this by now, but I don't. :o Thank you for any information!

[lauramiddl]

We will be getting a bottle of wine delivered to our room as a gift -- a.k.a. purchased from HAL. Can we bring this bottle to the dinning room to enjoy with dinner (and NOT pay a corkage fee)? Just wondering.

[woody73]

In May, we were charged $15 plus $3 gratuity = $18.

 

Woody

[sail7seas]

We will be getting a bottle of wine delivered to our room as a gift -- a.k.a. purchased from HAL. Can we bring this bottle to the dinning room to enjoy with dinner (and NOT pay a corkage fee)? Just wondering.

 

 

You can enjoy any wine you purchased through HAL anywhere on the ship without corkage fee. They know the wines which have been delivered by them to your cabin (either ordered by you or sent to you as a gift) and you are welcome to drink it in the dining room if you wish.

[david,Mississauga]

You can enjoy any wine you purchased through HAL anywhere on the ship without corkage fee. They know the wines which have been delivered by them to your cabin (either ordered by you or sent to you as a gift) and you are welcome to drink it in the dining room if you wish.

 

This is good news for Holland America passengers. Another line in the family appears to have changed their policy: Cunard. On our crossing on the Queen Elizabeth 2 last year we were able to have our bon voyage Champagne served in the dining room without a corkage charge. But on this year's Queen Mary 2 crossing, there was a note in the stateroom that all wine brought into a dining room or bar, even if purchased through Cunard, was subject to the corkage fee of $15.

[celem]

I first tried Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc at the winery in New Zealand in the early 1990s when the winery was new. It was fantastic. Subsequently, I used to be able to buy it in the USA but then it disappeared because restaurants were purchasing all of the supply. Lately I occasionally find it at a better wine store. It is a great wine!