Free wine on RCCL NOT FREE

[Hypo]

RCL's house brand wines (The LaTerre varieties) are only suitable for watering the plastic plants on the pool deck.

 

That stuff is undrinkable, and would ruin a really good meal in the MDR.

[pxy cda]

OMG this thread is about to drive me to drink...

 

What is the difference between me calling your favorite Canadian restaurant and saying, "Please present pxy cda with a bottle of wine when they arrive, and send me the bill," and a TA calling RCCL and saying, "Please leave pxy cda a bottle of wine in their cabin and send me the bill?"

 

Why is it okay for the restaurant to not charge the corkage fee but you and DetroitMark think RCCL should?

 

:confused:

 

You took my quote out of context and missed some qualifying language: RCCL is operating their dining room as a separate business for better or for worse.

 

My OP went on to provide two suitable alternative solutions to try.

 

I will try again:

 

What RCCL (NOT ME) is saying is that if your wine is delivered to your cabin(i.e. home) regardless of source and you bring it to the DR (i.e. restaurant) corkage will apply. If you order it through the DR (i.e. restaurant) no corkage applies. This aligns with restaurants up here in the GWN.

 

Not that hard to figure out but in RCL's case there is a grey area to this policy. RCL charging a corkage for wine sourced through them for "dining room" consumption feels a lot like extortion. I still wonder if you called guest services to have the wine transferred by the ship from your cabin to the DR if a corkage would apply. Or you could ask your server the night before to get the "all clear" prior to bringing it along. Sometimes setting an expectation and giving them the opportunity to do the right thing might circumvent policy.

 

I can also understand where it may be hard to determine if a wine is truly a personal bottle brought in from shore (per their corkage policy) or otherwise (unless there was a way to flag the gifts) and those waiters have a lot to deal with without confrontations over a $12 corkage. I can see where a blanket policy of outside=corkage inside=no fee would be easiest to administer. There should be a better way to flag it as RCL sourced wine so that you could drink your bottle wherever alcohol is served on the ship.

[katiel53]

Correct. The Travel Agent La Terre is discounted and does not include corkage and may only be delivered to the cabin. If taken to the dining room it does have a corkage fee. Agents pay regular rates for every other wine.

 

I have had my TA send me "good" wine and I have been told that there would be a corkage fee to open it in the dining room. I think it is totally wrong to charge the fee when it was purchased onboard.

 

I have also been told by C&A that if my Diamond Plus wine is ordered for the cabin, I would have to pay a corkage fee. If I wanted to drink it in the dining room, I could have it delivered there with no fee. The same applies to wines ordered from Gifts & Gear.

 

This, to me, is absolutely ridiculous. I do like to have a glass of wine in my cabin, but also enjoy wine with dinner. If a TA sends a gift of wine, how does he/she know which place is the one for the customer. (I know the agent could ask, but some do it as a surprise thank you gift.) It just goes to show that RCCL is more interested in getting the almighty dollar than having people enjoy their cruise. I know this leaves a bad taste in many mouths.

 

I guess though, this is another one of the changes RCI expects everyone to "suck it up ". Flame away!

[NordicPrince]

Imagine our shock and dismay to find a note along with the four bottles of wine I had pre-purchased from RCCL's own Gifts and Gear site a few months ago.......Something to the effect of: "Please enjoy this wine in your stateroom. If you choose to take it into the Dining Room you will be charged a $12 corkage fee."

What complete and utter rubbish that is!!

Lynda

 

Shock and dismay over 4 bottles of wine ???

 

Shock and dismay is reserved for getting dismissed without cause from your job after 25 years of service to a company by a kid old enough to be your son or daughter.

 

Or finding out your best friend and business partner of 28 years has been secretly stealing from the company for years forcing the business into bankruptcy.

 

Or finding out your husband who is a role model for young kids, a spokesperson for multinational companies and who has just recently fathered your 2 young children has had a string of affairs with over 12 women in the brief time you have been married.

 

Or worst yet,coming home and finding out that your son or daughter in the miltary isn't coming home again.

 

Now that's shock and dismay.

 

In the meanwhile enjoy sitting on your balcony watching the sunset sipping on your Chardonney and get some perspective.

[RetireeWannabee]

Imagine our shock and dismay to find a note along with the four bottles of wine I had pre-purchased from RCCL's own Gifts and Gear site a few months ago.......Something to the effect of: "Please enjoy this wine in your stateroom. If you choose to take it into the Dining Room you will be charged a $12 corkage fee."

What complete and utter rubbish that is!!

Lynda

But it is nice that they warned you.

[pxy cda]

 

In the meanwhile enjoy sitting on your balcony watching the sunset sipping on your Chardonney and get some perspective.

 

Chin Chin!:D

[RetireeWannabee]

Recently on our Oasis cruise we were charged corkage when we brought a bottle of wine sent by our TA. We brought it to Giovanni's table. After the manager made an appearance at our table and asked how I brought that bottle onboard and told me I was not supposed to do that ...I told him I knew that and I do not smuggle wine onboard...I should have just opened it in the cabin and brought a glass with us..I just totally forgot about doing that.:(

 

Anyone walked into a specialty dining restaurant with an glass of wine?

?!? WOW, so he assumed you smuggled and called you on it right then and there without being politely inquiring how you came to be in possession of it? that's kinda nasty of him.

[Tranquil Waters]

Shock and dismay over 4 bottles of wine ???

 

Shock and dismay is reserved for getting dismissed without cause from your job after 25 years of service to a company by a kid old enough to be your son or daughter.

 

Or finding out your best friend and business partner of 28 years has been secretly stealing from the company for years forcing the business into bankruptcy.

 

Or finding out your husband who is a role model for young kids, a spokesperson for multinational companies and who has just recently fathered your 2 young children has had a string of affairs with over 12 women in the brief time you have been married.

 

Or worst yet,coming home and finding out that your son or daughter in the miltary isn't coming home again.

 

Now that's shock and dismay.

 

In the meanwhile enjoy sitting on your balcony watching the sunset sipping on your Chardonney and get some perspective.

 

Not wanting to get into this particular debate - it is something easy to get around as far as I am concerned.

 

But to say that because there are worse problems in the world that people can have no opinion on this issue isn't realistic either.

 

I am sure that there are some that would say who cares about losing your job if your spouse and children are safe and well. Or who cares about finding out your best friend is a loser when people have children dying of cancer.

 

It is just apples and oranges and I think everyone is well aware of that fact......

[Guest maddycat]

Another way to look at it is that your travel agency sent you a six dollar bottle of wine and you're having a fit because you couldn't open it where finer wines are being sold.

 

I really don't see what the fuss is.

 

They're trying to discourage people from bringing their own cheap booze. Restaurants have the full force of the law behind them to do the exact same thing.

 

The travel agent sent a bottle of RCCL's house wine which is also sold in the MDR.

 

We've had this same problem with RCCL on our last two Explorer cruises (May and Oct. '09). Before that we had no problem bringing a bottle from our cabin to the MDR. No corkage fee was ever charged. We could even exchange a red wine for a white. Then RCCL changed it's policy. No exchanges. Our TA always sends us a gift bottle of wine. He sends it to our cabin because RCCL does not allow him to send it to the MDR. If we bring it to the MDR RCCL will charge us $12 corkage fee to open a bottle of wine that was purchased from them. Outrageous.

[pxy cda]

Cheers ;)

[NordicPrince]

 

Why not simply decide to choose not open the wine and select something from their list and enjoy the wine at home or in your cabin?

 

 

Thank you, right on.

[critterchick]

Anyone walked into a specialty dining restaurant with an glass of wine?

 

All the time. :)

 

You took my quote out of context and missed some qualifying language: RCCL is operating their dining room as a separate business for better or for worse.

 

My OP went on to provide two suitable alternative solutions to try.

 

I will try again:

 

What RCCL (NOT ME) is saying is that if your wine is delivered to your cabin(i.e. home) regardless of source and you bring it to the DR (i.e. restaurant) corkage will apply. If you order it through the DR (i.e. restaurant) no corkage applies. This aligns with restaurants up here in the GWN.

 

Not that hard to figure out but in RCL's case there is a grey area to this policy. RCL charging a corkage for wine sourced through them for "dining room" consumption feels a lot like extortion. I still wonder if you called guest services to have the wine transferred by the ship from your cabin to the DR if a corkage would apply. Or you could ask your server the night before to get the "all clear" prior to bringing it along. Sometimes setting an expectation and giving them the opportunity to do the right thing might circumvent policy.

 

I can also understand where it may be hard to determine if a wine is truly a personal bottle brought in from shore (per their corkage policy) or otherwise (unless there was a way to flag the gifts) and those waiters have a lot to deal with without confrontations over a $12 corkage. I can see where a blanket policy of outside=corkage inside=no fee would be easiest to administer. There should be a better way to flag it as RCL sourced wine so that you could drink your bottle wherever alcohol is served on the ship.

 

We know what RCI is saying. We don't like it.

 

And it would be easy to determine where the wine is from - whenever it's delivered to the cabin there's a note saying where it came from (your TA, Gifts & Gear, C&A, your friend). So you bring the note with you to prove that you purchased it onboard.

 

Now, what if you bought a bottle of wine in Vintages to consume in the dining room? Ya think they'd charge corkage on that, too?:rolleyes::p

[aurelius180]

It seems a little odd that RCI would impose a surcharge on the wine that is bought from them (granted, at a discount) to help increase bookings. Both generate revenue for the company on their own, but together potentially generate more. A TA purchases a bottle of wine for a customer who books a cruise to either entice or reward the customer. RCI earns income from the sale of the wine and the booking and hopefully an increased number of future bookings due to goodwill/good experience on board. Charging the unexpected corkage fee would seem to be a detriment to the experience. Most times fees are chalked up on here to a buyer not reading the fine print of their purchase (rightfully so). In this instance the individual is the recipient of a gift/good gesture and not the purchaser.

[NordicPrince]

Not wanting to get into this particular debate - it is something easy to get around as far as I am concerned.

 

But to say that because there are worse problems in the world that people can have no opinion on this issue isn't realistic either.

 

 

Good try but off target. IMHO, again I say why let this stuff get you in a twist in the first place. Save your opinions for things that matter.

[Tranquil Waters]

.....

[ninapeter]

Then RCCL changed it's policy. No exchanges. Our TA always sends us a gift bottle of wine. He sends it to our cabin because RCCL does not allow him to send it to the MDR. If we bring it to the MDR RCCL will charge us $12 corkage fee to open a bottle of wine that was purchased from them. Outrageous.

__________________

Wow! We started this this thread because we feel that we were subject to a very, very poor corporate decision by RCCL to implement this policy. What good is to be gained by RCCL by this policy? This policy will deter wine sales not increase them. We are new platinum members on RCCL and platinum on another line. This policy will have deleterious effect on our returning to RCCL, not because of twelve dollars, but offensive policies toward guests.

[amybeth4]

I agree with you, Tranquil. No matter what's going on in the world, when something negative affects you, in that moment you will be annoyed, no matter how it pales in comparison to cancer, starving children and our troops. If that wasn't human nature, there'd be no such thing as, for example, road rage. Why get so upset because that guy cut you off? Someone in the world just had a heart attack. Much as we LIKE to say, "don't let it bother you in the grand scheme of life," and we TRY to live that way (weren't we all angels for about a week after 9/11?), it's not realistic.

 

Bluegirlum just posted her Majesty review and felt bad complaining about little minor things when there were troops sitting next to her in the airport (or something like that). One has nothing to do with the other.

[emmy]

?!? WOW, so he assumed you smuggled and called you on it right then and there without being politely inquiring how you came to be in possession of it? that's kinda nasty of him.

 

Exactly right..he assumed I smuggled..I noted his attitude on the comment card. I was well aware I might be charged and I was okay with that..

 

Funny thing in the dining room the next day we were not charged a corkage for bringing a TA gift with us.

[pxy cda]

Thank you, right on.

 

Nordic, I will see you in my virtual cabin Royal Suite in 5 minutes for a swig of RCCL swill La Terre on the balcony. ;) Then we will head to the Dining Room and enjoy a lovely meal with couth company (and no doubt enlightened positive conversation) and maybe even share another bottle of wine - cost be damned! :D

 

I am befuddled by some of the replies I've received especially since I am in agreement in principle to the underlying complaint of the thread. Amazing how objectivity can incense the irrational.

 

This entire thread reminds me of scene I came upon on a recent cruise whilst I was queued up for a morning espresso. The lady in front of me demanded that the manager be brought from off duty so that she could be sure to be comp'd the $1 off coupon for her special coffee (seems she hadnt produced it prior to her receipt being printed). She was absolutely livid over $1. I felt so sorry for the poor clerk behind the counter - she was almost in tears. Dont get me wrong - I understand the principle and I like to stretch my pennies too but let's get some perspective there's always a compromise. If you are gentle, polite and give the service provider an opportunity to right the issue before turning it into a major drama good things can happen.

 

OK Flame away now - I'll pour my complimentary wine all over it and make a lovely flambe!

[NordicPrince]

If some nice person or travel agency sends you a bottle of wine on any RCCL ship your must drink it in your room (pull down the shades and drink by yourself!!) OR YOU PAY to drink in the dining room. Correct, you MUST pay a $12.00 corkage fee to open your FREE wine in the dining room. OUTRAGEOUS.

 

See what you've started now ? If only you had stayed on your balcony and mellowed out with your chardonney all the knicker-twisters would be gone by now !

 

Fight fight fight fight fight. Everybody just mellow out and enjoy your wine in the privacy of your own cabin. Now is that SO HARD ?

[NordicPrince]

Nordic, I will see you in my virtual cabin Royal Suite in 5 minutes for a swig of RCCL swill La Terre on the balcony. ;) Then we will head to the Dining Room and enjoy a lovely meal with couth company (and no doubt enlightened positive conversation) and maybe even share another bottle of wine - cost be damned! :D

 

 

Right on McKenzie !!

[TXHappyCruiser]

Okay I'm in... I was on the dreaded 12/13/09 Voyager. My travel agent sent me 6 bottles of wine for our group. I ordered a 10 bottle package myself. We could not get any of the wine until after we sailed on Tuesday. The wine wasn't purchased in Texas, so we couldn't consume it until we left. Yes, 16 bottles for 5 days. We lost 6 in our group and only 15 people left. They tried to charge me a corkage fee... let's just say, I got it waived. ;o)

[pxy cda]

Hey Nordic,

 

Off topic but I notice you are from Jersey. We are thinking of the EOS out of NJ in April 2010 Bermuda/Bahamas combo. Any tips on Jersey? Not sure best place to stay in port - country inn and suites? Restaurants? Thinking of driving down a couple days early staying at a park and cruise hotel (with shuttle to port) and doing a bit of NY pre-cruise. We are very good walkers and love to explore - i.e.: good with directions/local transport. We have never been to NJ or NY.

[KarinaGW]

otoh, if you order the wine pkg, you can pick it up in any of the dining venues (except JR's) and bring the bottle wherever the heck you want.

[pcur]

We had a garden variety of experiences on this subject on our just finished (yesterday) Indy cruise:

 

Son #1 bought a wine package from the dining staff; no corkage fee

 

Son #2 brought a TA gift bottle of champagne into the dining room on his birthday; no corkage fee

 

Son #2's fiancee brought a TA gift bottle of wine into the dining room; corkage fee charged

 

I would just buy all your wine in the dining room, then take the remainder back to your cabin. They asked if my son wanted to do that on any night we had white wine left over. We just had them keep it until the next night. Red wine they all just drank the rest before leaving, since there was never much left over, anyway.