Another "Bringing wine aboard" question

Particularly for those who say that your favorite vintage, or a rare old wine, isn't offered on the wine list.

HAL wants the wine in your carry-on.

TSA forbids a bottle of wine in your carry-on.

Do you switch the bottle(s) from checked baggage to carry-on in the airport? Outside the cruise terminal? Or just wait and go to the "naughty room" once aboard?

Particularly for those who say that your favorite vintage, or a rare old wine, isn't offered on the wine list.

 

HAL wants the wine in your carry-on.

TSA forbids a bottle of wine in your carry-on.

 

Do you switch the bottle(s) from checked baggage to carry-on in the airport? Outside the cruise terminal? Or just wait and go to the "naughty room" once aboard?

Remove it from your checked airline bag and transfer it to a wine tote or something similar. You can get 6 bottle totes for $2 or $3 at most wine shops and they (the totes, not the wine shops) fold flat and won't take up room in your bags.

You really don't want to have to jerk around with the naughty room.

I don't fly in the day of a cruise's departure. ;)

Do you pay corkage fee on one bottle in carry on or is it only more than that?

Do you pay corkage fee on one bottle in carry on or is it only more than that?

One bottle per adult is corkage free, assuming you drink it in your stateroom. If you take it to a dining venue, you will pay corkage.

I would take the wine out of the checked luggage at the airport.

It can be a zoo at the pier trying to do that while the porters are trying to grab your suitcases and get them on carts and moved into the terminal.

Remove it from your checked airline bag and transfer it to a wine tote or something similar. You can get 6 bottle totes for $2 or $3 at most wine shops and they (the totes, not the wine shops) fold flat and won't take up room in your bags.

 

You really don't want to have to jerk around with the naughty room.

I've got stacks of wine totes (they're free at Wegman's <4-btl> and Trader Joe's <6-btl>, just the thing for carrying a half case of Two-buck Chuck on board...

I've got stacks of wine totes (they're free at Wegman's <4-btl> and Trader Joe's <6-btl>, just the thing for carrying a half case of Two-buck Chuck on board...

Perfect. Sounds like you're all set. And, we really miss Wegmans.

The wine shops also sell a nice 2-bottle neoprene carrier...

What I hate most is the hypocrisy of the "corkage" fee to bring to meals our $$$ bottles of gorgeous Mollydooker screwtops. Our most recent--truly wonderful--HAL sommelier was so apologetic. We gave him tastings of the wines each night in recompense.

We always fly in the day before, so it's not an issue. If we did, however, we'd buy at the duty free and would have it in our carry-on already. Win-win! :)

I've got stacks of wine totes (they're free at Wegman's <4-btl> and Trader Joe's <6-btl>, just the thing for carrying a half case of Two-buck Chuck on board...

I am curious...why would you pay an $18 corkage fee on the super inexpensive 2-buck chuck?

The wine shops also sell a nice 2-bottle neoprene carrier...

 

What I hate most is the hypocrisy of the "corkage" fee to bring to meals our $$$ bottles of gorgeous Mollydooker screwtops. Our most recent--truly wonderful--HAL sommelier was so apologetic. We gave him tastings of the wines each night in recompense.

We've taken Velvet Glove on several cruises. (It's a $185+ bottle of wine from Mollydooker. Like all their wines, it's got a Stelvin enclosure.) I really have no objection to paying corkage on a screw top. It's a fee for service, glasses, etc. HAL's corkage is super reasonable, IMO. The only thing I find funny is when the wine steward offers a taste of our own wine. If it's corked, do I send it back to myself? ;)

We've paid corkage on wines that retailed between $12 and $850. For me, it's well worth the money to pay $18 and drink what we want. However, if we had to fly to catch a cruise, there's no way that I would bring cases of wine. We only bring a lot of wine when we cruise out of Port Everglades. Next year, we are doing Alaska out of Vancouver. I'm sure we'll pick up a couple bottles of Champagne, but we have the Explore 4 Signature Beverage Package. We'll manage just fine on the house wines. :D

I am curious...why would you pay an $18 corkage fee on the super inexpensive 2-buck chuck?

I don't but I'm sure there are some that do. And $2 + $18 is still cheaper than the least expensive wine on HAL's wine list ;)

The only thing I find funny is when the wine steward offers a taste of our own wine. If it's corked, do I send it back to myself? ;)

One time we took a very nice South African red wine to the Pinnacle Grill and it was a good thing I got to try it first. It had gone bad! Luckily the otter dinner guests did not get that blech first sip.

It wasn't worth keeping the opened bottle to take back to Total Wine in Ft. Lauderdale. ;)

Cest la vie.

Re corked wines that you have brought on board, although it never happened to me, I would have assumed and expected to be have been re-imbursed the corkage charge, if the wine was off.

>snip>

 

We've paid corkage on wines that retailed between $12 and $850. For me, it's well worth the money to pay $18 and drink what we want.. :D

exactly :)

Re corked wines that you have brought on board, although it never happened to me, I would have assumed and expected to be have been re-imbursed the corkage charge, if the wine was off.

I don't think so. You didn't buy your wine from HAL - the corkage fee was to bring your wine, not a guarantee that it is a good wine. You chose it so I suspect it is your liability if it is not satisfactory.

You may be right- and as I say, I didn't face the problem- but I would certainly argue the point with them. Corkage was introduced to compensate for their loss of mark up on wines they sell for consumption onboard. The key word here is 'consumption' and it is one usually used in the terms and conditions. But if the 'brought on' wine isn't consumed because it is off, I struggle to see how a corkage fee could be justified. The liability is for the cost of the wine itself (for either me or the cruise company depending on who provided it).

In reality, what would happen with a corked wine is that you would have to buy another bottle, probably from their list, so they would then make their mark up anyway. It would be very sharp practice to effectively charge two marks ups for one (drinkable) consumed bottle.

This is no different to getting a refund of corkage on any unopened bottles at the end of the cruise. I know other cruise lines do this and presume HAL also do.

This is no different to getting a refund of corkage on any unopened bottles at the end of the cruise. I know other cruise lines do this and presume HAL also do.

Unopened bottles??? Surely you jest. [emoji485] We've run out of wine and had to buy more, but unopened bottles? That's crazy talk.

One bottle per adult is corkage free, assuming you drink it in your stateroom. If you take it to a dining venue, you will pay corkage.

If you take more than 1 bottle/person the others will be charged $18/per bottle, this occurs immediately at boarding. They then put a sticker on the corkage paid bottle. You will be able to take the bottle with the "sticker" to any venue you like.

It certainly didn't apply to me!! I was in your position, not quite enough brought onboard….

If you take more than 1 bottle/person the others will be charged $18/per bottle, this occurs immediately at boarding. They then put a sticker on the corkage paid bottle. You will be able to take the bottle with the "sticker" to any venue you like.

Just be aware that the corkage charge will typically show up posted as a bar charge from the lounge that the check in person works at. So, if you're checked in by one of the bartenders from the Explorer's Lounge, your corkage fee shows up as Explorer's Lounge charge. We've also found that it's not usually and exact $18 per bottle. It's a tiny bit less, and actually fractional cents less. This might be a function taking a fair amount of wine, but our corkage wasn't divisible by 18 or the number of bottles.

As for corked wine, if I brought it, I own the problem. The server performed the services that we paid for - other than emptying the bottle. Luckily, we've never had a bad bottle on a cruise.

And to be clear, they ask you at embarkation which of the two bottles (assuming a couple) you want for the cabin and for the rest you pay corkage.

You can, of course, also drink the corkage paid stickered bottles in your cabin as well, if you wish.

My own stickers were so artfully attached that on a couple of my bottles, I had the wine steward claim they hadn't had corkage paid, until I pointed out the sticker which otherwise appeared to be part of the label design.

Also worth saying that the corkage fee is not subject to an extra service charge- it's included in the $18.

They tried to claim this was additional at embarkation until I put them right.

One final point; I had the impression that, although they have put this policy in place, they are not exactly thrilled by people bringing wine onboard. Might have been my imagination but that's how it felt.

Also worth saying that the corkage fee is not subject to an extra service charge- it's included in the $18.

 

They tried to claim this was additional at embarkation until I put them right.

 

One final point; I had the impression that, although they have put this policy in place, they are not exactly thrilled by people bringing wine onboard. Might have been my imagination but that's how it felt.

We didn’t find that to be the case. Many nights the wine director stopped by to see what we had. We also make it a point to tip the wine steward to make up for the service charge he or she isn't getting because we haven't ordered off the list - at least until we run out of our supply.

It was not so much onboard as at embarkation- and I might have been imagining it.

I thought the $18 included a service charge- or at least that was what I was told.

As it happens, I did tip the guys in the MDR some extra because they were so good.