bringing wine on board

[like friends]

I've been reading about people bringing wine on board. Do you carry it on in a tote with you, Can you bring in several bottles? Can you use the refrigerator in the room, is there a corkage fee if you drink it else where, where can you get glasses, if you would like to open in room & carry with you, is that done??? I have a small travel corkscrew opener, is that a problem to bring onboard?

[Gsel]

How you carry it on board depend on how much you plan to bring. You will usually have glasses in your stateroom, if not ask your steward. You can bring a corkscrew, just be sure and put it in your checked bags. If you plan to take it to the dining room they are supposed to charge you a corkage fee, sometimes they do and sometimes they don't, just depends on the wine steward. You will have to have the refrigerator in your cabin emptied before you will be able to put anything else in it, plus it really doesn't get very cold. Better to use the ice bucket. Good Luck and enjoy your cruise!

[jtl513]

I've been reading about people bringing wine on board. Do you carry it on in a tote with you, Yes Can you bring in several bottles? Yes, as much as you like Can you use the refrigerator in the room, Yes, and you can have the steward to remove the normal stock so they won't have to check it every day is there a corkage fee if you drink it else where, Yes, $18 per bottle where can you get glasses, there should be two in your room - possibly in a cabinet in the desk, but if you'd like more or replacements just ask your steward if you would like to open in room & carry with you, is that done??? only if you pay the corkage fee I have a small travel corkscrew opener, is that a problem to bring onboard? No, but if you're flying be sure to put in your checked bags. There may already be one in your cabin, or you may be able to get one from your steward if they haven't run out

Gsel: you typed faster ! :):)

[Boytjie]

I've been reading about people bringing wine on board. Do you carry it on in a tote with you, Can you bring in several bottles? Can you use the refrigerator in the room, is there a corkage fee if you drink it else where, where can you get glasses, if you would like to open in room & carry with you, is that done??? I have a small travel corkscrew opener, is that a problem to bring onboard?

 

You can bring as much as you like onboard. People cararry it on in bags or cases, some inside their checked lugagge (:eek:) On the last cruise we chekced a case and we found it in the bathtub because one bottle had broken. I won't do that again. :)

 

There should be wine glasses and a cork screw in your cabin, if not just ask your steward for it.

 

You will pay a corkage fee if you take a bottle to a dining area, lounge or bar (it is sometimes waived - I have always been charged). As to pouring a glass in your room and taking it with you; it should be OK but is not something I would do.

 

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Two faster than me! :eek: :D

[Gsel]

The "old broken bottles" thing is why we usually carry what we have ourselves. Usually no more than half a case and replenish at ports if necessary. It is just too much hassle to try to take a case. We take along the canvas wine bags available at most wine stores now, the kind that holds six bottles, they work great and easy to carry. DH hates the wines available on HAL and especially hates the prices they charge!

I don't type fast! Just get to it before you do, it is raining in Texas today and I can't get outside!

[AtMaui]

My friends and I bought a case of wine last year in Tampa and one of the porters actually carried it all the way on to the ship, even past security. As soon as he got past the check in, he had to leave it and someone from the ship took it to the cabin. But the porter was very excited that he got on the ship.

[crule]

I've done two HAL cruises -and I've brought a case (mixed bottles, not 12 of the same) onboard both times. Nobody questions it - in fact, you get a few jokes about it along the way.

[CowPrincess]

Like Gsel, we usually take 6 bottles in a canvas tote, and schlep them around with us till we can get to our cabin.

[Toots]

With wine prices being so high on board, we also bring a few bottles with us and replenish in ports - have found some wonderful new wines that way. We usually have a glass of wine before dinner in the cabin, then take a full glass with us to the dining room. The glasses in your room are the same ones used in the bars, and no one has to know you didn't just buy it at a bar. No one has ever said anything in the dining room, and on our last 28-day cruise it saved us a LOT of money. I'd rather spend the savings in the ports!

[Luke Warmwater]

Do you have wine boxes in the States? I took one on the Oosterdam last summer. Took the litre foil bag out of the box and put it into a plastic sleable container in my main luggage. Fitted in the fridge and worked a treat.

[delos456]

This would be great, but you ARE talking about HAL ships, right? I thought they prohibited passengers from bringing liquor or wine - any alcohol - on board and would hold it for you until the end of the cruise if you did?

[jtl513]

This would be great, but you ARE talking about HAL ships, right? I thought they prohibited passengers from bringing liquor or wine - any alcohol - on board and would hold it for you until the end of the cruise if you did?

Nope! You can bring as much as you like of any beverages except beer and hard liquor. :) And you can bring it on from every port. If you bring a bottle of such wine to the MDR or other public area there will be a $18 corkage charge.

[innlady1]

Last year, we brought a case on board for our 20 day b2b. We had two left over so I gave them to our steward.

 

We carried them on in cardboard carriers I bought at Total Wine in Fort Lauderdale. This year, I'm going to try some six bottle totes I bought at Trader Joe's...they're made of the same fabric as the grocery bags sold in grocery stores that are so prevalent now.

 

This was the first year we've been charged $18 for each bottle. On prior cruises, we were charged sometimes/not charged other times. But, I'll gladly pay it to enjoy my favorite wine!

[Andrew & Terri]

So you are saying that you can bring wine on from all the ports and they dont hold it from you till the end of the cruise? We are doing a 12 day Mediterranean cruise and are planning on bringing alot if wine on board, but if we can get it at different ports that would be so nice. Does anyone know what the average price is for a bottle in Italy?

Thanks,

Terri

[jtl513]

So you are saying that you can bring wine on from all the ports and they dont hold it from you till the end of the cruise? We are doing a 12 day Mediterranean cruise and are planning on bringing alot if wine on board, but if we can get it at different ports that would be so nice. Does anyone know what the average price is for a bottle in Italy?

Thanks,

Terri

I don't know what the prices are, but yes, you can bring aboard as much as you like from every port and nothing is taken.

 

In Naples we openly brought on a bottle of Limoncello and it wasn't taken. It might have been that security thought it was wine, but more likely they don't really care if someone brings on a small amount of more-than-wine. Or it may have been that since Naples was our last stop before debarkation the next day, they would have held it only a few hours anyway!

[taxmantoo]

Does anyone know what the average price is for a bottle in Italy?

Thanks,

Terri

 

On average, basically the same as you would pay in the U.S. but that depends on the wine and the region.

 

I have found that some wines I can get cheaper at home in Canada than what they were asking for in wine shops in Florence or Rome. In other cases, it was the contrary, i.e. more expensive at home... and this in the same wine shop.

[drhry]

So you are saying that you can bring wine on from all the ports and they dont hold it from you till the end of the cruise? We are doing a 12 day Mediterranean cruise and are planning on bringing alot if wine on board, but if we can get it at different ports that would be so nice. Does anyone know what the average price is for a bottle in Italy?

Thanks,

Terri

 

Andrew & Terry,Be sure to purchase several wines in Italy. They are very good and do not have the sulfites that our wines are required to have.Prices are comparable if not a bit less in some areas. Have a great cruise. JoAn

[Zappa Fan]

We usually have a glass of wine before dinner in the cabin, then take a full glass with us to the dining room. The glasses in your room are the same ones used in the bars, and no one has to know you didn't just buy it at a bar.

 

I've done the same thing a time or two myself :) Believe me... we spend plenty of money in the Crow's Nest. I wouldn't hesitate to pour and stroll!

[photomikey]

Do you have wine boxes in the States? I took one on the Oosterdam last summer. Took the litre foil bag out of the box and put it into a plastic sleable container in my main luggage. Fitted in the fridge and worked a treat.

IMHO, leaving it in the box is the best protection. A foil bag full of wine is disaster in the making! :-)

 

I don't know what part of the world you're from, but in the states we are slow to take on change regarding wine. It took us a long time to go from cork (a poor insulator) to faux-cork (a better insulator) and we are still moving that direction. Screw tops are just now catching on, and boxed wine is on the horizon. You can buy "budget" wine in a box, and now some California wineries are producing wine in a box. IMHO, the best deal around.

[GCurry]

This would be great, but you ARE talking about HAL ships, right? I thought they prohibited passengers from bringing liquor or wine - any alcohol - on board and would hold it for you until the end of the cruise if you did?

Norwegian is famous for doing this, searching your bags at every port. It's one of the reasons we won't cruise with them again.

 

HAL and Princess are pretty relaxed about bringing wine etc onboard. We carry a soft sided wheeled cooler, pick up wines at the home port and replenish along the way. They've never really checked to see if it is even wine.

[jtl513]

HAL and Princess are pretty relaxed about bringing wine etc onboard.

HAL is not just "relaxed" about it. They expressly permit it.

[pipedreams62]

[FoxyTerrier]

This was the first year we've been charged $18 for each bottle. On prior cruises, we were charged sometimes/not charged other times. But, I'll gladly pay it to enjoy my favorite wine!

 

Our last cruise (Oct 2008) we brought about a case of wine on board and brought wine to dinner each night. We had planned on paying the corkage fee ($15 per bottle at that time), and our wine steward said he would have to charge us the corkage fee but we let him know we would take care of him if he didn't ;). At the end of that cruise no corkage fees were charged so we gave our wine steward all that would have been paid in corkage fees.

 

We set said 2 weeks from today and are planning on taking wine again. If we get a wine steward that does charge us the corkage fees are we suppose to tip him on top that the $18 fee?

 

I don't mind tipping but just not sure if the corkage fee goes to HAL or the wine steward or both. Does anyone know?

[Boytjie]

Our last cruise (Oct 2008) we brought about a case of wine on board and brought wine to dinner each night. We had planned on paying the corkage fee ($15 per bottle at that time), and our wine steward said he would have to charge us the corkage fee but we let him know we would take care of him if he didn't ;). At the end of that cruise no corkage fees were charged so we gave our wine steward all that would have been paid in corkage fees.

 

We set said 2 weeks from today and are planning on taking wine again. If we get a wine steward that does charge us the corkage fees are we suppose to tip him on top that the $18 fee?

 

I don't mind tipping but just not sure if the corkage fee goes to HAL or the wine steward or both. Does anyone know?

 

Wow, I would say that is encouraging a HAL employee to be dishonest; to basically steal HAL's corkage fee for him/herself.

 

I would imagine that the corkage fee includs the 15% fee for drinks.

[FoxyTerrier]

Wow, I would say that is encouraging a HAL employee to be dishonest; to basically steal HAL's corkage fee for him/herself.

 

I would imagine that the corkage fee includs the 15% fee for drinks.

 

I'm not sure I discribed it correctly and we didn't encouranged him to do anything. He explained the corkage fees and winked and we got it and winked back. The entire cruise DH and I talked about it and didn't really know until the last night if we would be presented with a bill or not. We were prepared w/ a fat envelope if no bill arrived and it did not. I'm still happy the he got all the money as he was great.

 

But if the corkage fee include the tip I doubt it would be 15% since the we purchased the drinks privately. I guess you mean it would be 15% of $18.