Taking wine aboard.

[awboater]

We are going on our first Celebrity cruise soon. I understand that you can take 2 bottles of wine on board.

 

For any that have done this, do you recommend carry on or putting it in your checked luggage.

 

Also, have there been any problems in taking a corkscrew with you? Sometimes the cruise lines are pretty picky at what they might consider a weapon, etc. Is there one kind of corkscrew that might be allowed over another?

 

Many thanks.

[Sloop-JohnB]

We are going on our first Celebrity cruise soon. I understand that you can take 2 bottles of wine on board.

 

For any that have done this, do you recommend carry on or putting it in your checked luggage.

 

Also, have there been any problems in taking a corkscrew with you? Sometimes the cruise lines are pretty picky at what they might consider a weapon, etc. Is there one kind of corkscrew that might be allowed over another?

 

Many thanks.

 

Hi AWBoater,

 

Personally, I would never pack wine in checked baggage. Much safer to have it in one's carry-on... a broken bottle can happen very easily with the way that bags are handled nowadays (particularly so if one is flying)... and well Broken Wine Bottles and Clothes are never a good combo !!

 

In our case, we plan to pick up our wine the night before we cruise out of Fort Lauderdale... have found a great spot near the Cruise Port (Total Wine at The Harbor Shops Plaza). Day Of we will just carry the wine aboard in our day bag (knapsack) along with our other valuables until we can access our Stateroom... and stow it away properly.

 

As for a corkscrew... again if flying gotta remember that Airlines don't want to see these on your person, or in carry-on. They are however ok in checked baggage. We will bring one with us in our suitcase so that we have one for the cabin. Can't imagine that Celebrity would define this as a "weapon" as Airlines don't (although I do see your point / concern as the Sommelier versions do have a small perhaps 1/2 blade at one end for cutting the foil seal at the top of a wine bottle)

 

Hope this is helpful,

 

Cheers!

[cruisestitch]

If there isn't a corkscrew in your stateroom already, just ask your steward who will get one for you -- no need to bring your own.

[cmaygar]

It's the airlines that won't let you bring a corkscrew on board. I've never had an issue with a cruise line confiscating a corkscrew. If you're flying first before boarding, I would suggest putting the corkscrew in your checked luggage to avoid any airline security hassles. I've successfully carried wine in checked luggage every time that I've tried it (8 cruises and dozens of flights). I pack the bottles in a leak-proof bubble-wrap carrier and place the bottles in the middle of my large suitcases so that they are surrounded and protected on all sides and also are reinforced by the packaging. I think that the bubble-wrap carriers are called "Wine Skins" and you can find them on wine websites for sale. They are re-usable and work great. I successfully carried back some Super Tuscans from Italy this summer using them on a transatlantic flight and they arrived in one piece!

 

Celebrity's policy is 2 bottles per cabin, not per passenger. No bottle size limits are listed on the website so I plan on bringing on a couple of 1.75 liters of our favorite vintage from home to enjoy in our cabin.

[Hollywood Traveler]

I've always carried it in my carry-on. Never had a problem.

[rucrazy]

we too have always carried it (wine and cork screw) in our carry-on. Never had a problem.

[Denny01]

Yes, we carry ours on, and I take a corkscew with them - I find the ones on the ship a bit challenging (probably after I opened and drank the 1st bottle!) and I take one I like at home that handles difficult corks. So much for wrist strength!

 

Den

[hammo]

Quote "" Celebrity's policy is 2 bottles per cabin, not per passenger. No bottle size limits are listed on the website so I plan on bringing on a couple of 1.75 liters of our favorite vintage from home to enjoy in our cabin.

:confused::confused::confused:

 

Are you sure this is the case ? I have read on the CC boards that the bottle size is 750ml and that magnums count as 2 bottles ?

[Lsimon]

I'd recommend carrying your wine on. If it is in your luggage there is chance your luggage might be diverted to the naughty room which will mean you have to come down and open it for inspection so they can make sure the bottles are wine and not liquor. This will cause a delay in getting your luggage and a small hassle.

 

I'd recommend throwing a corkscrew into your luggage. The cabin steward will get you one on request but it sometimes takes them a while to find one and they ones they provide are pretty cheap plastic ones.

 

...No bottle size limits are listed on the website so I plan on bringing on a couple of 1.75 liters of our favorite vintage from home to enjoy in our cabin....

Are you sure this is the case ? I have read on the CC boards that the bottle size is 750ml and that magnums count as 2 bottles ?

I've read a lot of threads on this. Since it isn't specified in the written policy the enforcement is very inconsistent. In most cases large bottles and boxes of wine seem to get on, but there are some reports of them being disallowed. Bottom line is that while the odds of being OK with large bottles, or boxes, are in your favor you do run the risk of having them confiscated. If you want to play it safe just bring on standard size bottles.

[ghstudio]

Quote "" Celebrity's policy is 2 bottles per cabin, not per passenger. No bottle size limits are listed on the website so I plan on bringing on a couple of 1.75 liters of our favorite vintage from home to enjoy in our cabin.

 

 

You know, just to be safe and cover yourself, why don't you put one of those large bottles in your carry on and the other in your partners carry on...and then board a few minutes apart....

[Leeroy-Jenkins]

 

For any that have done this, do you recommend carry on or putting it in your checked luggage.

 

Carry.

[drd-aus]

In addition to the previous suggestions we also pack a bottle stopper so we can enjoy a glass now and save some for later.

[Wine-O]

In addition to the previous suggestions we also pack a bottle stopper so we can enjoy a glass now and save some for later.

 

I would think that with a 1.75 liter bottle of wine one would need a wine pump so it wouldn't oxidize, unless you were to drink it all at one seating. :D

[jackdiamond]

I have one, but I have never been sure if they are efficacios. In your opinion do they work; and, if so how long before the oxidation process begins.

[ghstudio]

I have one, but I have never been sure if they are efficacios. In your opinion do they work; and, if so how long before the oxidation process begins.

 

I'll turn myself in...I can not really taste a decline in quality in a bottle of "table" wine with a stopper over two or sometimes even three nights. We tried the wine pump and for our taste, it wasn't worth the effort. On the other hand, We have a Vinturi and I definitely taste an improvement when we use it.

[flahagan]

Pack a box of wine in your checked luggage and carry on 2 bottles. The steward will be able to provide you with a corkscrew, as well as keep you provided with 2 clean wine glasses each day. So nice to be able to relax with a glass of wine in your room!

[Pearl64]

We are contemplating b2b cruises to Australia. We certainly wanted to sample some local wines. I am so glad we are allowed two bottles. We usually sail Oceania which has no limit. I have Rick Steves's picnic set which comes with a corkscrew that I have carried in my checked luggage.

 

Another thought--many wines and some fairly good ones come with a screw cap. That would solve quite a few problems. When I was buying wine in Southampton last year most of the bottles I bought were screw cap.

 

Another question, are you permitted to pick up a bottle at the various ports or is it just two at the beginning of the cruise?

 

Pearl

[cruisestitch]

From the Celebrity website FAQ

 

 

 

Does Celebrity charge a corkage fee?

Subject: Food & Beverage

 

No beer or hard liquor may be brought onboard for consumption. Guests wishing to bring personal wine onboard with them at the beginning of the cruise may do so, limited to two (2) bottles per stateroom, but when consumed in any shipboard restaurant, bar or dining venue, each bottle shall be subject to a corkage fee of $25.00. If a guest receives a bottle of wine (in their stateroom) from a family member of friend, and that bottle(s) was purchased from our Bon Voyage Gift selection, then no corkage fee will apply if they wish to consume the bottle in the dining room or any public area. If a guest receives a bottle from an outside vendor and/or travel agent, and the bottle was not purchased through our Bon Voyage selection, then a $25.00 corkage fee per bottle will apply if they wish to consume the wine in the dining room or any other public area. The fee will be applied to the guest's onboard account. Alcoholic beverages purchased in ports of call or from onboard shops will be stored by the ship and delivered to guest staterooms on the last day of the sailing.

[sarafinadh]

This seems like a very elastic policy.

 

So you have two passengers coming onboard for a cabin.

 

Each of them could carry on one.

 

One of them could carry on two.

 

Each of them could check one.

 

One of them could check two.

 

What mechanism allows Celebrity to know who has transported the wine in what manner?

 

Looks like it would be easy for one person to carry on two and one person to check two.

 

How would they know?

[Wine-O]

I have one, but I have never been sure if they are efficacios. In your opinion do they work; and, if so how long before the oxidation process begins.

 

Oxidation starts right away. With a wine pump it will keep a bottle for a day or two, and it will turn just a tad or so. Stopping it with the cork alone, you can really tell the difference.

 

I was in to my local restaurant this evening, and the manager let me taste a new Zin he got in from Sonoma. It was opened the night before and just had the cork in it. I could tell the difference right away. It really turned.

[cruisestitch]

Quote:

 

 

How would they know?

__________________

Sara

 

...ain't what ya do, it's the way that ya do it...

Celebrity Millennium, 7/13/12

 

 

 

My auntie Matilda would say, they would know by the guilty look on your face!:)

[sarafinadh]

Quote:

 

My auntie Matilda would say, they would know by the guilty look on your face!:)

LOL!

 

Bet your Auntie Matilda didn't play poker!

[Retired civil servant]

Why not buy a box or wine in bottles with a screw cap then you don't have to worry about the wine going off quickly.

 

Wine bottles with screw caps are very common in Europe; is that not the case in the US / Florida???

[Burkyone]

sailed on the silohoutte this past month i brought 2 bottles of wine 1.75 liter bottles in my carry on small luggage suit case. had no problems.

[mahi mahi]

I have one, but I have never been sure if they are efficacios. In your opinion do they work; and, if so how long before the oxidation process begins.

 

Pack a box of wine in your checked luggage and carry on 2 bottles. The steward will be able to provide you with a corkscrew, as well as keep you provided with 2 clean wine glasses each day. So nice to be able to relax with a glass of wine in your room!

 

Thanks for the suggestion! We usually carry 2 bottles ;):Deach carry on and 2 bottles checked in Wine Skins no problem. That's 6 bottles. Box wines in Canada are the equivalent of 4 bottles. That's 8 bottles total and thoses boxes are basically indestructible. Great idea!