Corkage when you bring your own wine

[shepp]

I honestly could care less if Princess doesn't make an additional $60 from me. They're not a charity. So far I've read reviews that at least on the Sea Princess, the wait for anytime dining can take over an hour, followed by the need to get to a show 30 minutes early to get a seat. The Sea Princess doesn't have a covered deck for Alaska cruises, so I heard very few people attend MUTS, but it's factored into the cost of the cruise. I learned all this from CC and not Princess's brochure. So I don't care if Princess loses revenue from not charging me corkage.

 

 

AFAIK, MUTS screens are never at the covered Lotus pools; they're always on the outside area of the Lido deck.

 

More than once I enjoyed MUTS in Alaska, including the silent films they showed to minimize noise. But hey, I'm not complaining about Princess paying to license showings of junk like Transformers 2 and Puss In Boots. Guess I'm just a weak-willed sucker.

 

In fact, when I my partner said, "I really feel tacky toting a glass of our wine to dinner. From now on, let's just drink it in the cabin," I assented without an argument.

 

Oh, and having spent a few weeks on the Sea with late traditional seating, I never had a problem finding a seat at the theater at the last minute. Relax. You may even enjoy your cruise.

[wineforhealth]

While we don't use the term "experts", I do run in, and taste with a circle of "pros" , or, people in the business. Our general consensus is that "Two Buck Chuck" reds drink like wines twice their price. :eek: The whites generally find the drain.

 

 

Your right white wine in this catagory can vary from bottling to bottling.

 

 

Wine can be very subjective, red or white. Two Buck Chuck went through a period of time when inventories were flooded with very good wine because of slow sales in higher priced catagorys. Now the time has changed and the bulk market has dried up so you may not find as much complexity in the red or white you choose but still will be drinkable to someone. Price , ratings and reviews may determine quality but ultimately it's your own palate that determines how good the wine is.

[shepp]

IMO, rather than messing around with Two-Buck Chuck, if you're coming to San Francisco, check out BevMo when they're having their 5-cent sale (like now). They have some very drinkable reds for about five dollars, and you can order online, then quickly pick it up when you hit town.

[freetocruise]

I think bringing a glass of your own wine to the dining room is tacky. Everyone knows that it was brought from your stateroom in order to avoid buying a glass there or to avoid a corkage fee. I'm betting that Princess is aware and sooner or later, we'll not be allowed to bring our own aboard. Another loophole that will be closed.

[Pia1913]

I think bringing a glass of your own wine to the dining room is tacky. Everyone knows that it was brought from your stateroom in order to avoid buying a glass there or to avoid a corkage fee. I'm betting that Princess is aware and sooner or later, we'll not be allowed to bring our own aboard. Another loophole that will be closed.

 

How do you ascertain where that glass of wine came from? How do you know it didn't come from the bar right outside the MDR? Or from Crooners? Or from the casino bar? No, everyone does not know where that glass of wine originated.

[billco]

NCL also allows passengers to bring wine on board. You pay the corkage fee ($15 per bottle) on embarkation. They put a sticker on the bottle after the fee is paid' date=' and then you can bring it anywhere on the ship (dining room, lounges, theater, etc).

 

I appreciate the Princess policy and hope they don't end it due to abuse.[/quote']

 

We were checking into the Norwegian Sun in Dover. The security person at the scanner (who wasn't a NCL employee) noticed my wife had three bottles of wine in her backpack. She said she was prepared to pay the $45 corkage fee. He said the NCL monitor was on a break and that they didn't like them messing in their business, so they let as many people through as possible when they weren't around. We thought that was a nice way to start our cruise. BTW, NCL scans all luggage and if they see a bottle in it, you may get called to the "naughty" room to open it up.

[freetocruise]

How do you ascertain where that glass of wine came from? How do you know it didn't come from the bar right outside the MDR? Or from Crooners? Or from the casino bar? No, everyone does not know where that glass of wine originated.

 

Your earlier comments give credibility to my opinion.

[Pia1913]

Your earlier comments give credibility to my opinion.

 

My earlier comment gives credibility only to me; not to everyone else.

[1 HappyCruiser]

As I said in another context, if Ayn Rand had started a cruise line, I know who'd make a darn fine captain on the SS Atlas Shrugged.

 

Don't know or care who Ayn Rand is but I'd suspect she wold also carry her wine to the DR.

 

I think bringing a glass of your own wine to the dining room is tacky. Everyone knows that it was brought from your stateroom in order to avoid buying a glass there or to avoid a corkage fee. I'm betting that Princess is aware and sooner or later, we'll not be allowed to bring our own aboard. Another loophole that will be closed.

 

We often bring drinks to the dining room other than wine so they would have to stop all liquids from entering. LOL :D It ain't gonna happen.

[Pia1913]

 

 

 

We often bring drinks to the dining room other than wine so they would have to stop all liquids from entering. LOL :D It ain't gonna happen.

 

Right. Like a bottle of Dos Equi and a can of diet Coke. Both given to us by Princess.

[JimmyVWine]

It ain't gonna happen.

 

And to ensure that it doesn't happen insofar as wine is concerned, people should pay for the privilege, (and that is what it is, afterall), for being able to bring on their own wine instead of trying to sneak under the circus tent.

 

Scenario #1: On your way in to the Princess theater to see a movie, there is a table set up with candy bars and a glass jar. A sign says, "Candy Bars-$1-Serve Yourself and Put Money In Jar". No one is looking, so you take a bar and don't pay. Later, a crew member comes up to you and asks if that is one of the ship's candy bars, and if so, did you pay for it. You answer: "No. I brought this on board myself and brought it from my cabin." No one on this thread would contend that this is anything other than lying and stealing.

 

Scenario #2: On your way in to the MDR there is a sign that says, "You are welcome to bring your own wine into the Dining Room for a fee of $15. If you are carrying in only a single glass, we will charge you $15, and you may bring in one glass per day for the duration of the cruise. Please see the Maitre d' for payment before being seated." You walk up to the podium to be seated carrying a glass of your own wine and the Maitre d' notices your glass. He asks you if this is your own personal wine. You answer: "No. I bought this at Crooners." Why do so few people here view this as anything other than lying and stealing? Why is it universally recognized that it is stealing to take a candy bar without paying for it, but it is not stealing to lie and hide personal wine to avoid paying a stated fee? Especially when the ship gives you the free option of drinking the wine in your cabin? It's not like they have boxed you into a corner with no "out".

[sherryf]

We often bring drinks to the dining room other than wine so they would have to stop all liquids from entering. LOL :D It ain't gonna happen.

 

If the dining room is busy and you get a "buzzer", it's common to go to the bar right outside the dining room and order a drink (wine, beer, cocktail, etc.) while you wait. Inevitably, the buzzer goes off right after you get your drink, so you naturally just take it with you to the dining room. Heck, haven't we all done this in land-based restaurants too? So what's so tacky about that?! People carry drinks into the dining room all the time, and nobody knows where they came from. If it just happens to have come from a bottle in your room, nobody knows... or cares!

[1 HappyCruiser]

And to ensure that it doesn't happen insofar as wine is concerned, people should pay for the privilege, (and that is what it is, afterall), for being able to bring on their own wine instead of trying to sneak under the circus tent.

 

Scenario #1: On your way in to the Princess theater to see a movie, there is a table set up with candy bars and a glass jar. A sign says, "Candy Bars-$1-Serve Yourself and Put Money In Jar". No one is looking, so you take a bar and don't pay. Later, a crew member comes up to you and asks if that is one of the ship's candy bars, and if so, did you pay for it. You answer: "No. I brought this on board myself and brought it from my cabin." No one on this thread would contend that this is anything other than lying and stealing.

 

Scenario #2: On your way in to the MDR there is a sign that says, "You are welcome to bring your own wine into the Dining Room for a fee of $15. If you are carrying in only a single glass, we will charge you $15, and you may bring in one glass per day for the duration of the cruise. Please see the Maitre d' for payment before being seated." You walk up to the podium to be seated carrying a glass of your own wine and the Maitre d' notices your glass. He asks you if this is your own personal wine. You answer: "No. I bought this at Crooners." Why do so few people here view this as anything other than lying and stealing? Why is it universally recognized that it is stealing to take a candy bar without paying for it, but it is not stealing to lie and hide personal wine to avoid paying a stated fee? Especially when the ship gives you the free option of drinking the wine in your cabin? It's not like they have boxed you into a corner with no "out".

 

Aren't you over analyzing this wine thing a bit. :p

If the dining room is busy and you get a "buzzer", it's common to go to the bar right outside the dining room and order a drink (wine, beer, cocktail, etc.) while you wait. Inevitably, the buzzer goes off right after you get your drink, so you naturally just take it with you to the dining room. Heck, haven't we all done this in land-based restaurants too? So what's so tacky about that?! People carry drinks into the dining room all the time, and nobody knows where they came from. If it just happens to have come from a bottle in your room, nobody knows... or cares!

 

Maybe someone can shed some light on that. It seems perfectly natural to me.

 

Suppose I bought a glass of wine at the bar, brought it to my room & then decided to take it to dinner with me? Would that not be allowed since it came via my room in a way? :rolleyes:

[shepp]

If the dining room is busy and you get a "buzzer", it's common to go to the bar right outside the dining room and order a drink (wine, beer, cocktail, etc.) while you wait. Inevitably, the buzzer goes off right after you get your drink, so you naturally just take it with you to the dining room. Heck, haven't we all done this in land-based restaurants too? So what's so tacky about that?! People carry drinks into the dining room all the time, and nobody knows where they came from. If it just happens to have come from a bottle in your room, nobody knows... or cares!

 

Here's the deal. The difference is that - fairly or unfairly - Princess makes money on the wine it sells. Yes, that's the deal, folks: alcohol sales contribute to a cruiseline's bottom line. If you buy a glass of wine at the bar, the profit goes to Princess. Which is why if you buy a bottle of wine onboard, you won't have to pay a corkage fee. Which is also why there are lines that rigorously prevent pax bringing their own wine onboard. Princess doesn't...though the PCL folks do read CC, and if it appears abuse is rampant, that leniency might be axed at any time.

 

One may easily rationalize that it's just, in the grand scheme of things, a small amount of money, that it doesn't hurt anyone, really, because even if the costs of corkage-avoidance are made up for by increased fares, the difference per passenger is miniscule.

 

But there's an actual difference between carrying in a drink you just bought at a bar (for convenience) and kinda-smuggling in wine (which, as pointed out, actually goes against Princess rules) because you don't want to pay Princess a couple of extra bucks to drink wine with your meal. I'm really cheap, so I'm loathe to call that "cheap," but...

 

If you go to a land-based restaurant with your own bottle of wine, you're expected to pay corkage. You're not expected to pour yourself a glass in your car, then breeze in to your table hoping the waiter figures you bought it at the restaurant's bar. That would be, um, tacky.

[improvman]

Princess doesn't...though the PCL folks do read CC, and if it appears abuse is rampant, that leniency might be axed at any time.

 

If PCL folks read CC, why don't they ever answer questions?

[Astro Flyer]

If PCL folks read CC, why don't they ever answer questions?

They rarely reply to CC discussions however when they began adding the new balcony furniture & less chairs on the larger BA balconies with many upset CC members, Princess did reply directly saying they would correct the problems.

 

I think they use Facebook to reply to individual questions & read CC to get ideas on how some of their passengers feel about things. And their response without posting it can either be positive or negative when things change. Without going into specific incidents to avoid any sort of debate about the merits of those changes, I've seen several things change that were being discussed on CC with most of them being ways to circumvent something onboard & losing that privilege when it was abused.

 

I'm not saying that Princess or any other cruise line uses CC to make changes...it's just another tool to get feedback from a group of passengers while considering any changes.

[shepp]

If PCL folks read CC, why don't they ever answer questions?

 

As has been stated, it's really not their place to use this forum to discuss things. However, on more than one cruise M&G I've been to, senior staff has said they do in fact follow CC...though probably not as obsessively as some of us.

[SiBreeze]

I think bringing a glass of your own wine to the dining room is tacky. Everyone knows that it was brought from your stateroom in order to avoid buying a glass there or to avoid a corkage fee. I'm betting that Princess is aware and sooner or later, we'll not be allowed to bring our own aboard. Another loophole that will be closed.

 

Don't be ridiculous. No one knows where you brought the wine from unless you carry it in your bathroom tumbler. You could have easily been brought it from a bar. I have carried Martini's (made in my cabin) into the MDR, no question. All one needs to do is stop at any bar and ask for the glass of their choice. If Princess didn't want you drinking in your cabin they would not allow the bar staff to be handing out glasses.

[highheel girl]

If PCL folks read CC, why don't they ever answer questions?

 

 

Hostility. :(

[Astro Flyer]

As has been stated, it's really not their place to use this forum to discuss things. However, on more than one cruise M&G I've been to, senior staff has said they do in fact follow CC...although probably not as obsessively as some of us.

I've read posts from some of those who do the "Live" threads saying that after posting something they are contacted by someone on the ship with follow-up questions. So someone from Princess reads CC...although probably not as obsessively as some of us. :p

Hostility. :(

That would be sad indeed but probably true. :(

[shepp]

Don't be ridiculous. No one knows where you brought the wine from unless you carry it in your bathroom tumbler. You could have easily been brought it from a bar. I have carried Martini's (made in my cabin) into the MDR, no question. All one needs to do is stop at any bar and ask for the glass of their choice. If Princess didn't want you drinking in your cabin they would not allow the bar staff to be handing out glasses.

 

Back in post #32 it was made clear, via a quote from the Answer Book, what Princess wants. They want you to drink your personal wine in your cabin, but not in public areas. Need a refresher? Here 'tis:

 

"Consumption of personal wine or champagne is limited to your stateroom."

 

And, of course, your gin and vermouth is covered, too, assuming you brought them from shore: "We kindly request that you do not bring alcoholic beverages (other than wine and/or champagne) onboard for consumption."

 

I'm not sure how much more unambiguous things can get.

[rcacace]

We always carry our own wine to dinner and have never been challenged. There are so few people that do carry their own wine it's doubtful that their losses are a drop in the bucket compared to what they sell during a cruise.

[cellyml12]

I think it's pretty interesting that people feel that it's ok to do things on a cruise that they KNOW they couldn't get away with on land. I agree with some of the other posts about abuse. I guess it's ok to avoid the corkage fee now, because you'll need to save up for when they change the policies & you have no choice but to buy their wine.

[billco]

I think it's pretty interesting that people feel that it's ok to do things on a cruise that they KNOW they couldn't get away with on land. I agree with some of the other posts about abuse. I guess it's ok to avoid the corkage fee now, because you'll need to save up for when they change the policies & you have no choice but to buy their wine.

I think it's pretty interesting that there are a group of us who have nothing better to do than ramble on for days about minor issues. Last week it was internet for suite passengers, this week corkage fees.

[cellyml12]

I think it's pretty interesting that there are a group of us who have nothing better to do than ramble on for days about minor issues. Last week it was internet for suite passengers, this week corkage fees.

 

I guess that makes at least 2 of us with nothing better to do.