Bringing on Wine

[sarahc78]

Each person is allowed to bring on 2 bottles of wine, or is it each couple? Also does that include sparkling wine?

[Wine-O]

The rule is 2 bottles per stateroom, and champagne is a sparkling wine.

[JRT5000]

We brought 6 bottles with no problems on the Solstice last month.

[Dharma517]

How did you manage that?

 

Thanks,

 

Jenn

 

We brought 6 bottles with no problems on the Solstice last month.

[Wine-O]

We brought 6 bottles with no problems on the Solstice last month.

 

I've never been asked at the port of embarkation how many bottles of wine I had.

[sarahc78]

The rule is 2 bottles per stateroom, and champagne is a sparkling wine.

 

well if we want to get hyper technical champagne is not champagne unless it is made from grapes of the champagne region of France.... everything else is sparkling wine which is why I asked if it that was considered acceptable to bring aboard as the 2 bottles per stateroom.

[Durkman]

Think about it--you're allowed two bottles per stateroom. There's really no practical way for the staff to keep all of your bags and scan them together. How could the cruise line know if you're bringing those two bottles onboard or checking them in a bag? And how can they keep track of which of those checked bags has your two bottles in it? They can't. Obviously, if they scan and detect three bottles in a single bag you're busted, but if you only have two bottles in your bag they would realistically have to assume those are your two allowed bottles.

 

It's against the rules, but for all practical purposes you could put two bottles in each of your checked bags and personally carry two bottles onboard and you'd probably get away with it.

[JRT5000]

How did you manage that?

 

Thanks,

 

Jenn

 

They don't check your bag at embarkment. It goes through a scanner run by Port Authority personnel who probably don't care less about the booze.

[Wine-O]

well if we want to get hyper technical champagne is not champagne unless it is made from grapes of the champagne region of France.... everything else is sparkling wine which is why I asked if it that was considered acceptable to bring aboard as the 2 bottles per stateroom.

 

Oh, sorry for any confusion -- not trying to be hyper technical. Your initial post wanted to know if it was 2 bottles per person or per couple. It's actually 2 bottles per stateroom whether it be sparkling or still wine.

[Longboysfan]

Each person is allowed to bring on 2 bottles of wine, or is it each couple? Also does that include sparkling wine?

 

Two per person - they do not check that closely if you carry it on.

[Longboysfan]

They don't check your bag at embarkment. It goes through a scanner run by Port Authority personnel who probably don't care less about the booze.

 

B I N G O..... right answer.

 

Just pack it carefully - bubble wrap and in a plastic bag.

[ezet]

We just got off the Solstice 3/7/2010 and my wife had packed two bottles of wine in two suitcases. This is allowed but upon scanning durring boarding, security confiscated our luggage due to alcohol inside and wouldn't open the luggage until I was present. Suggestion, carry on the cottles in plain sight and you won't have the hassle later getting your luggage. They were Ok with it when it was determined they were 2 bottles of wine. Our cabin steward kept clean wine glasses available for us and we ordered a cheese and cracker platter for two each night. Great touches!

 

Ed ezet

[jlx2]

Are you allowed 2 bottles oven on a 4 night sailing? Asti Spumante should be OK as well then, right?

[sarahc78]

Are you allowed 2 bottles oven on a 4 night sailing? Asti Spumante should be OK as well then, right?

:eek:

[jerseygirl3]

Two per person - they do not check that closely if you carry it on.

 

Actually, it's not two per person, it's two per cabin.

 

And just for the record, we had extra wine with us and it was in our checked luggage. It was confiscated and we didn't find out until after we sailed, so there was nothing we could do about it to explain why we had extra as the wine was taken off and left in Miami (all the wine was put in one suitcase as our family had 5 Sky Suites booked and we put all the wine in one suitcase). If they had just asked, we could have explained, but it was too late as we found out after we sailed and it had already been confiscated.

 

BTW, they took one box of wine from me that we planned on keeping in our cabin for private consumption (they said it amounted to 3 bottles so that's why they took it). And going through Security, they watched very carefully and made us account for whose bottles belonged to whom on another occasion. The people in the security check-in couldn't seem to differentiate between wine and alcohol, and they thought we were bringing onboard alcohol (which we weren't, just our two bottles/cabin that was allowed). It became a big hassle and they were really giving us a hard time. But we stuck to our guns My sister and her DH had two bottles in their carry on and DH and I had two bottles. It was all legit, but they gave us a very hard time. I think it just depends on what personnel you encounter on any given day.

 

It was so much of a hassle. From now on, we'll just bring on the two bottles/cabin that's allowed and buy a bottle in the MDR for dinner each night. The corkage fee is $25, so unless you are bringing on a very expensive bottle of wine, it's just not worth the hassle. We'll keep a couple of bottles in our cabin for private consumption, though.

[iancal]

We just got off the Equinox. Walked on with three bottles in our carry on...never a comment. It was the absolute best embarkation and disembarkation that we have ever experienced. Was impressed with the Celebrity wine list and pricing. We had a glass of a featured Argentine red. Liked it so much we went thru two bottles @ 28. per bottle. We thought that this was a reasonable price. Steward provided ice bucket, corkscrew, and glasses for the grape that we carried on.

[jerseygirl3]

We just got off the Equinox. Walked on with three bottles in our carry on...never a comment. It was the absolute best embarkation and disembarkation that we have ever experienced. Was impressed with the Celebrity wine list and pricing. We had a glass of a featured Argentine red. Liked it so much we went thru two bottles @ 28. per bottle. We thought that this was a reasonable price. Steward provided ice bucket, corkscrew, and glasses for the grape that we carried on.

 

That confirms my feeling that it's hardly worth it to bring wine onboard (unless it's for in-cabin use) given that you can get a nice bottle of wine for little more than the $25 corkage fee.

[benjispice]

They don't check your bag at embarkment. It goes through a scanner run by Port Authority personnel who probably don't care less about the booze.

 

Not true. Someone about 7-8 people in front of me had a bottle of hard liquor...like a Bailey's shaped bottle... and they say the shape in the scanner, opened the bag and a discussion began - do they want the cruise line to hold on to it until disembarkation, do they want to throw it out, etc etc....Didn't hear the outcome, I boarded the ship!

[sarahc78]

Not true. Someone about 7-8 people in front of me had a bottle of hard liquor...like a Bailey's shaped bottle... and they say the shape in the scanner, opened the bag and a discussion began - do they want the cruise line to hold on to it until disembarkation, do they want to throw it out, etc etc....Didn't hear the outcome, I boarded the ship!

benjispice would you mind emailing me I have some questions about your recent cruise! Thanks

 

sarah

 

sarah102878@gmail.com

[coffeelovers]

Anyone bring a box of wine? We have done that on Costa...it's nice to have in the cabin. Worried it might not get through...thoughts?

[jt1120]

Even though most box wines suck, I try and take a decent one with me on every cruise. Take the bag out of the box, insert the bag into a ziplock bag (just in case, though I've never had one that leaked), pack it in between all of your clothes, cheers!

 

At least it's been that simple for me.

[mardon]

you carry on 2 bottles, let others walk on and then let spouse carry on 2 bottles.

 

NO PROBLEM. We always bring on 4 regular size bottles of white zinfindel

[eandj]

Actually, it's not two per person, it's two per cabin.

 

And just for the record, we had extra wine with us and it was in our checked luggage. It was confiscated and we didn't find out until after we sailed, so there was nothing we could do about it to explain why we had extra as the wine was taken off and left in Miami (all the wine was put in one suitcase as our family had 5 Sky Suites booked and we put all the wine in one suitcase). If they had just asked, we could have explained, but it was too late as we found out after we sailed and it had already been confiscated.

 

.

 

This seems very odd. :confused: I have never heard of anything taken out of the bags without the owner's knowledge. The staff always calls you to your bag and the owner opens the bag and the discussion begins. i would guess because you say the whole suitcase was filled with wine, (I'd bet money) it was emptied BEFORE it made security on the ship. You should have tracked it down. It was your property. At least find out who indeed stole your property. How do you know it stayed in Miami?

 

Sounds like something about your group and/or the bottle count in your carry ons drew attention. We haven't had any problems and anecdotes here say the same. If you were carrying a box of wine AND 2 bottles as you say, yes, you were going to lose some. Stick to the limit and you'll be fine.;)

[jerseygirl3]

This seems very odd. :confused: I have never heard of anything taken out of the bags without the owner's knowledge. The staff always calls you to your bag and the owner opens the bag and the discussion begins. i would guess because you say the whole suitcase was filled with wine, (I'd bet money) it was emptied BEFORE it made security on the ship. You should have tracked it down. It was your property. At least find out who indeed stole your property. How do you know it stayed in Miami?

 

Sounds like something about your group and/or the bottle count in your carry ons drew attention. We haven't had any problems and anecdotes here say the same. If you were carrying a box of wine AND 2 bottles as you say, yes, you were going to lose some. Stick to the limit and you'll be fine.;)

 

Totally happened. We had the wine in one checked suitcase, along with clothes. That one suitcase didn't arrive to our cabin when the other did, but we just assumed it would arrive later (occasionally we don't get all our suitcases at once). Anyway, shortly thereafter we were notified to call the Purser's Desk, and when we did, we were told that particular suitcase would arrive shortly, however, our wine had all been removed because we exceeded the limit of 2 bottles/cabin. I explained to the woman that we had 5 Sky Suites booked and we didn't exceed the per cabin allotment. She said it was too late, because the wine had been removed from our suitcase (without our witnessing it) in Miami before we sailed and there was nothing they could do about it now. She said our wine could be retrieved once we returned to Miami. After the cruise, we did get our wine, however, it had been removed from the protective bubble wine bags we had purchased (at a cost of $5/bottle) and we had no way of transporting the wine back home since we were flying and afraid to put it in suitcases with no protection. We were pretty upset that all the wine bags had been removed and (supposedly) thrown out. We wound up handing out wine to anybody in our vicinity that didn't have to fly.

 

The box of wine was another cruise.

 

We just haven't had much luck with wine, I guess.

 

Jo-Ann

[mdmourges]

I have had mixed results with this. Back in 2005 we brought 2 cases of champagne with us on RC Mariner. We were staying in the Royal Suite, so maybe that helped. We sailed out of Pt. Canaveral (sp?). In 2007 we sailed on Grandeur of the Seas out of Baltimore and brought a case of champagne with us. This time they "held" it for us during the cruise. I know this is RC but they basically follow the same rules as Celebrity. I guess what I am saying is that the policy seems to be handled differently based on port of embarkation, etc.

 

Mark