Question about wine

[dudesoup]

I want to bring a few bottles of wine on board. I know about the corkage fee. My question is when do you pay the fee. Say I bring 6 bottles. Do I have to pay $15 a bottle at the dock? What happens if I do not open the bottle ever? did I pay $15 just to bring it on or will I be reimbursed. Or am I charged when I take the bottle to be opened the first time at dinner? I would like to take a few bottles in case our group makes friends and we want to share but I do not feel like being charged for something I might not drink. Thank you very much.

I am not smuggling these so no need to start down that road. I am a newbie but on a NCL so thats why I didnt go to first timers forum. Want NCL's way.

[jannandjohn]

I want to bring a few bottles of wine on board. I know about the corkage fee. My question is when do you pay the fee. Say I bring 6 bottles. Do I have to pay $15 a bottle at the dock? What happens if I do not open the bottle ever? did I pay $15 just to bring it on or will I be reimbursed. Or am I charged when I take the bottle to be opened the first time at dinner? .

 

great question!!:)

I too would like an answer to that one.."do you pay corkage, even if you don't drink it?"

this is our 3rd ncl, have taken bottles of wine on board..openly..never been charged or stopped..and butler brought corkscrew , etc.

so when do you get charged??

[erdoran]

Great question--me too! Do you have to bring the bottles in your carry-on because of course you can't carry them on your flight! How and when do you declare them to NCL?

[VonChap]

We have brought wine on several times. You are charged on your ship account at embarkation. They put a sticker on the wine. You can then take the wine to any restaurant and they will see the sticker. The fee for a standard size bottle of wine is $15 each. If you bring a larger bottle, the fee is higher.

 

Unfortunately, I did have a bottle of wine that I did not drink and I had no luck getting the fee off of my ship account at the end of the cruise. I have heard that some have had luck with getting a credit.

 

Have a great cruise!

[AtMaui]

I too would like an answer. I'll be going on my first NCL cruise on the Dawn to Bermuda in June. I would like to bring a couple of bottles of wine to enjoy in my room and I definitely will plan on spending lots of money at the bars too! Since I'm flying in the morning of the cruise, the wine will have to be in my checked luggage. I have no problem with paying the $15 corkage fee. If the luggage is taken by the porters when you get to the pier, when do you have to go to the "naughty" to get your wine? And how and when are you notified that you have to report there? And does this delay your luggage being delivered to your cabin?

[swedish weave]

I too would like an answer. I'll be going on my first NCL cruise on the Dawn to Bermuda in June. I would like to bring a couple of bottles of wine to enjoy in my room and I definitely will plan on spending lots of money at the bars too! Since I'm flying in the morning of the cruise, the wine will have to be in my checked luggage. I have no problem with paying the $15 corkage fee. If the luggage is taken by the porters when you get to the pier, when do you have to go to the "naughty" to get your wine? And how and when are you notified that you have to report there? And does this delay your luggage being delivered to your cabin?

 

If they see it on the X-ray, you will receive a notice in your mail slot that your luggage is at the "naughty room" and you will need to go there to open it for inspection. You can then take the luggage to your cabin. If the luggage is in front of your door, that means they didn't see the wine, and you can then let your conscience be your guide. It tastes the same with or without the sticker.

[erdoran]

If they see it on the X-ray, you will receive a notice in your mail slot that your luggage is at the "naughty room" and you will need to go there to open it for inspection. You can then take the luggage to your cabin. If the luggage is in front of your door, that means they didn't see the wine, and you can then let your conscience be your guide. It tastes the same with or without the sticker.

 

This gets more & more complicated....so those of us with the misfortune to have to pack our wine in our suitcases because of TSA regulations get the same treatment as the people who are flamed on this board for "smuggling" booze onboard? Even if there is every intent to "declare" the wine and pay the corkage, there is no opportunity to do so until the summons arrives and we get to stand in line with the "smugglers"?

[saleandsail]

If you don't mind paying the corkage fee, why not just remove the wine before you give your luggage to the porters and carry it on?

[mpk218]

And if they do see it in your checked bag and you go to the naughty room , you will have the opportunity to pay the corkage there as well..;)

[erdoran]

If you don't mind paying the corkage fee, why not just remove the wine before you give your luggage to the porters and carry it on?

Because IF I even bring wine it will be buried in the middle of my suitcase and probably carefully wrapped, and I don't particularly care to dig thru my suitcase in front of everyone if I can avoid it....I don't know if I am even going to bring wine, it may not be worth the hassle.

[mpk218]

This gets more & more complicated....so those of us with the misfortune to have to pack our wine in our suitcases because of TSA regulations get the same treatment as the people who are flamed on this board for "smuggling" booze onboard? Even if there is every intent to "declare" the wine and pay the corkage, there is no opportunity to do so until the summons arrives and we get to stand in line with the "smugglers"?

 

 

yes I suppose thats true , IF that kind of thing bothers you. The Naughty room scare tactic is all nonsense. If the idea of some crew member asking you to open your bag to check for booze scares you , dont do it . But remember one thing , there are dozens of people that are not even aware there is such a policy and make an honest mistake . The days of keel hauling have long passed . Sooo pack you wines in which ever fashion suites you and dont worry about any of the nonsense you read on here..;)

[*Wink*]

To those who want to know if they can get their corkage back, I think the best answer is, some do, some don't.

 

I would have been able to get money back for one of ours, but we were too late in asking. The books had been closed for the cruise. If you're going to try, do it early on disembarkation day.

[swedish weave]

yes I suppose thats true , IF that kind of thing bothers you. The Naughty room scare tactic is all nonsense. If the idea of some crew member asking you to open your bag to check for booze scares you , dont do it . But remember one thing , there are dozens of people that are not even aware there is such a policy and make an honest mistake . The days of keel hauling have long passed . Sooo pack you wines in which ever fashion suites you and dont worry about any of the nonsense you read on here..;)

 

Good advice. One advantage of the "Naughty room" is that you can watch the reactions of people and determine very quickly which of those you want to avoid during your cruise. Grouchy ones-- Stay away. Funny ones - Enjoy !!

 

As far as feeling ashamed or guilty -- Forget it !! Make a game out of it and joke with the guys checking your bags.

[mpk218]

Good advice. One advantage of the "Naughty room" is that you can watch the reactions of people and determine very quickly which of those you want to avoid during your cruise. Grouchy ones-- Stay away. Funny ones - Enjoy !!

 

As far as feeling ashamed or guilty -- Forget it !! Make a game out of it and joke with the guys checking your bags.

 

 

:p Hey did you drop this twenty ??

[mmejj]

Because IF I even bring wine it will be buried in the middle of my suitcase and probably carefully wrapped, and I don't particularly care to dig thru my suitcase in front of everyone if I can avoid it....I don't know if I am even going to bring wine, it may not be worth the hassle.

 

Pack a separate bag for the wine. Why is this such a difficult concept to grasp?:eek:

[swedish weave]

:p Hey did you drop this twenty ??

 

Or --- Take a handful of pennies with you, and when they pull something out of the bag, discreetly toss the pennies on the floor under them and watch the fun !!!

[garycarla]

Take the 3 minutes to pull the wine out of your checked bag and carry it on. (only applies to those that fly). By the way, for quite a few years after 9/11 it was perfectly okay to take bottles onboard. One group threatens something, and away we go!

 

If you do not drink it all and want a "refund", send it to my cabin. Honestly, I would lean towards taking less bottles if that is a concern. Just buy it on the ship vs wasting brain cells worried about finishing all your bottles.

 

To confirm, they really don't care when or if you drink it. Give us $15 a bottle and move on.

[karent12]

This information is only for reference purposes.

Okay we have brought wine with us on every NCL cruise. Some we packed in checked luggage. Some we brought in carryon. We are now bringing our wine in a separate container, a box that is made to actually ship wine. The wine is completely surrounded by Styrofoam, six bottles of wine.

Whether in the Naughty room or at check in, NCL only charges you for the wine that you present to them. It is totally up to you, if you present them your bottles.

Your bottles of wine will be caught whether checked luggage or carry on. You will be sent to a table to present your wine. At the table they have no idea how many bottles you have. If you only present them one bottle, they will be fine with that.

[jaja]

must be something wrong with me--I never have wine "left over" at end of cruise:D

[swedish weave]

must be something wrong with me--I never have wine "left over" at end of cruise:D

 

When you get the results of the diagnosis, please let me know. I have the same problem !!!:D

[erdoran]

Pack a separate bag for the wine. Why is this such a difficult concept to grasp?:eek:

 

Sure--I can't carry it on because of TSA and it now costs $25/bag to check it. I'll just bypass the whole thing and buy wine on board! or bubblewrap it in a gettable-at place:eek:

[JColquhoun]

Hi there

 

I am going to Alaska in September. I live in N. Cal where wine is like water. I have to options

 

1. Buy the wine at a wine store in Seattle or

2. or buy the wine here and I would ship it to my friend that lives in Seattle, the cost we be around 20 for shipping three bottles. This way I do not worry about if the wine breaks in the suite case with my clothing.

[mmejj]

Sure--I can't carry it on because of TSA and it now costs $25/bag to check it. I'll just bypass the whole thing and buy wine on board! or bubblewrap it in a gettable-at place:eek:

 

I just found out there is a marketplace where you can purchase wine it is between the marriott and the doubletree hilton. I'll attempt a shopping excursion before goinng onboard. good luck:)

[kgm0612]

When I sailed on the Pearl 3 years ago to Alaska, I carried on a large bottle of Beringer White Zin. I told them at check-in it was for consumption in my cabin only and was not charged the $15 corking fee.

 

We are sailing on the Dawn the end of March and I plan on doing the same thing. If they charge the $15 corking fee, it's still cheaper than pre-ordering a bottle from the ship.

 

Karen