Bringing you own wine?

[Ninthroad]

Hi

 

I know it is possible to bring two bottles of wine per cabin at celebrity cruises.

But I wonder if anyone ever tried to bring any other size than the regular 0.75 lt.

Maybe two 1.5 lt ones...this still would meet the criterion of two bottles per cabin even though its double the amount of wine :-)

[cruisestitch]

In at least one section of the Celebrity documents, the bottle size of 750 ml is specified. Some posters on Cruise Critic have reported that they were not allowed to bring larger bottles, others have reported that the larger bottles were allowed. So, your question will be, what if you take the larger size and they are not allowed, will that be a problem for you? If the cruise line takes them, and returns them to you on the last night of the cruise, will it be a problem to travel with them back to your home? For some passengers who drive to the port, it isn't an issue. But for others, who then have to pack the bottles in suitcases and fly home, the wine becomes a liability.

[Ninthroad]

thank you for your answer!

 

so that is a clear "maybe".

in the end this is all just an attempt to somehow workaround rules that are there for the cruise line to protect the profits that they actually do deserve. Any time one passenger passes the security wih a larger bottle one employee probably bended the rules on his own responsibility, what one should not make him/her do.

so 750 ml it is, I guess. see you in cellar masters!

[RickT]

Ninthroad,

 

If you search this forum you'll find dozens (if not hundreds) of posts on this topic. Answers will range from you can't do it to anything goes to YMMV. We've been on a lot of X cruises and so far have not had problems bringing wine on board. What we usually do is put 2 bottles in each of our carry ons. If/when we get checked (which rarely happens on embarkation) if they see two bottles they either don't care or assume it's our two bottles per cabin.

 

So, if you want to try and bring more than the allowed, this is one way to try. My personal belief is that they won't lose sleep (or money) over a couple extra bottles of wine. What they are trying to look out for is people bringing a case on board and/or hard liquor. At the end of the day if you try to bring more on then allowed, worst case scenario is they take the extra bottles and give them back to you at the end of the cruise.

[spookwife]

Hi

 

I know it is possible to bring two bottles of wine per cabin at celebrity cruises.

But I wonder if anyone ever tried to bring any other size than the regular 0.75 lt.

Maybe two 1.5 lt ones...this still would meet the criterion of two bottles per cabin even though its double the amount of wine :-)

 

the size limit is specified so no a larger bottle will NOT be permitted.

[spookwife]

Ninthroad,

 

At the end of the day if you try to bring more on then allowed, worst case scenario is they take the extra bottles and give them back to you at the end of the cruise.

 

actually worse case scenario is they keep it altogether and you will NOT get it back at the end.

[Nopal 2+2]

Besides the 2 bottles per cabin at start of cruise... Some Cruise lines let you bring a bottle of wine back to ship from various Ports of call... Does any one have a comment re this on Celebrity???

[cruisestitch]

On the Wine Theme cruises where passengers take a Celebrity sponsored winery tour, the policy states that wine may be brought on board from those shore excursions.

 

On other itineraries, the policy states that wine may not be brought on board from the various ports visited after embarkation day.

 

The practice is that sometimes wine is taken, tagged and stored, and sometimes it's not. There's really no way to know definitively what will happen on your particular cruise.

[kitty9]

Besides the 2 bottles per cabin at start of cruise... Some Cruise lines let you bring a bottle of wine back to ship from various Ports of call... Does any one have a comment re this on Celebrity???

 

We've had wine that we purchased in port taken and kept until the last night of the cruise.

[RickT]

actually worse case scenario is they keep it altogether and you will NOT get it back at the end.

 

Sorry, but that is absolutely incorrect. Whatever they take from you (whether they find it or you declare it) will be given back to you on the last night of the cruise.

[Lsimon]

Sorry, but that is absolutely incorrect. Whatever they take from you (whether they find it or you declare it) will be given back to you on the last night of the cruise.

 

We took a cruise from Ft. Lauderdale two years ago, March 2011, where they expressly said that all alcoholic beverages confiscated at embarkation would be destroyed. There were signs to that effect and they used special scanners to detect fluids containing alcohol in checked luggage. There were a lot of unhappy people on board who had liquor confiscated and were upset they couldn't even get it back at the end of the cruise.

 

I don't know if they followed this on the two cruises we've taken since then nor if this has become policy or was just that one time, but it does happen.

[Honeybearhollow]

I guess it depends on the cruise. We boarded in Ensenada for a Hawaiian cruise and our bags were not even checked. Then, we decided to do a little shopping at the terminal, we found a Pina Colada mix. The clerk said Celebrity would let me take it on. Again, they did not check.

[CruisingGatorGirl]

We took a cruise from Ft. Lauderdale two years ago, March 2011, where they expressly said that all alcoholic beverages confiscated at embarkation would be destroyed. There were signs to that effect and they used special scanners to detect fluids containing alcohol in checked luggage. There were a lot of unhappy people on board who had liquor confiscated and were upset they couldn't even get it back at the end of the cruise.

 

I don't know if they followed this on the two cruises we've taken since then nor if this has become policy or was just that one time, but it does happen.

 

Were they also taking wine in checked luggage? I thought you could put your wine allotment in the checked luggage? I was planning on checking it so I don't have to carry it while waiting for our room to open.

[san diego spartan]

Were they also taking wine in checked luggage? I thought you could put your wine allotment in the checked luggage? I was planning on checking it so I don't have to carry it while waiting for our room to open.

 

That's a good question as i was also planning on putting our wine in our check in luggage.

 

 

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[cruisestitch]

Notice that the signs said "all alcoholic beverages confiscated at embarkation" not "all alcoholic beverages". And notice the timing -- spring break.

 

This has been the case on the last two march cruises. Those who brought liquor or beer or who exceeded their two bottles of wine were told that they would not get the confiscated wine back. I don't know how it worked in practice because my one bottle of wine passed through unchallenged each year.

[Ninthroad]

What we usually do is put 2 bottles in each of our carry ons. If/when we get checked if they see two bottles they either don't care or assume it's our two bottles per cabin.

thank you. I think this is a good idea, and a good way to try.

 

 

actually worse case scenario is they keep it altogether and you will NOT get it back at the end.

 

If they tell me they are planning to keep something, or destroy it, or whatever, me and 7 randomly choosen passengers in my close envoironment will immedeately enjoy some nice champagne right away and if need be directly out of the bottle. No way i am giving up my Moet :-)

I will have to have two of the bottles chilled then. just in case.

[Lsimon]

Were they also taking wine in checked luggage? I thought you could put your wine allotment in the checked luggage? I was planning on checking it so I don't have to carry it while waiting for our room to open.

 

I don't think there is any issue with wine in your luggage as long as you do not exceed the two bottle limit. But, if they detect the bottles in your checked bags there is a chance they will divert your luggage to a security holding area on board if they can not determine from the scan if it is spirits or wine. Then instead of getting the luggage delivered to your cabin you'd get a note to come down to claim the bags and open them for inspection. For this reason we've been carrying our wine on board ourselves - sometimes in a bag from the wine store!

[dkjretired]

Besides the 2 bottles per cabin at start of cruise... Some Cruise lines let you bring a bottle of wine back to ship from various Ports of call... Does any one have a comment re this on Celebrity???

 

The official policy on Celebrity is that you cannot bring wines on board from ports and use it in your cabin. The only exception is on the wine cruises.

 

No beer or hard liquor may be brought onboard for consumption. If you wish to bring personal wine onboard with you on the day you board your cruise, you may do so, limited to two (2) 750ml bottles per stateroom. When enjoyed in any shipboard restaurant, bar or dining venue, each bottle shall be subject to a corkage fee of $25. The only exception to this policy is on our "Wine Cruises," which depart on the following dates: • Celebrity Century: April 27, 2013, and Sept. 26, 2013

• Celebrity Infinity: Sept. 6, 2013 – Oct. 12, 2013

• Celebrity Millennium: Sept. 13, 2013

• Celebrity Solstice: Sept. 13, 2013

 

On the sail dates above, those who book a company-sponsored winery tour are permitted to bring two bottles of wine from the winery onboard per stateroom on the day of the tour. When enjoyed in any shipboard restaurant, bar or dining venue, each bottle will be subject to a $25 corkage fee.

 

If you receive a bottle of wine that was purchased from our Bon Voyage Gift selection, no corkage fee will apply if the bottle is enjoyed in the dining room or any public area. If you receive a bottle from an outside vendor and/or travel agent, and the bottle was not purchased through our Bon Voyage selection, then a $25 corkage fee per bottle will apply if you wish to enjoy the wine in the dining room or any other public area. The fee will be applied to your onboard account.

 

Alcoholic beverages purchased in ports of call or from onboard shops will be stored onboard and delivered to your stateroom on the last day of the sailing.

[gfkcruiser]

I have brought wine on from ports without anyone saying anything. I bring it in a bag and it goes through security.

Usually a bottle or two and we drink it in our cabin.

Gail

[cruisestitch]

Practice may differ from policy in various ports. Know the policy, and be ready for it to be enforced and if you are on a cruise where its enforcement is lax, you got a lucky break. But that doesn't mean it will happen again at the nex port or on your next cruise.

[Ninthroad]

Again, I think it is ok to bring in a few bottles of your favourite wine, but having that said, keep in mind that purchasing beverages (and especially alcoholic ones) on board is kind of part of the deal. If it was not, one would not be able to book a 7 night cruise for 400$, but 700$ instead.

[Blue Skies]

Out of interest, do elites still have a complimentary bottle of wine placed in the cabin at the start of the cruise?

[neverbeenhere]

no Elite wine.

[Lsimon]

Out of interest, do elites still have a complimentary bottle of wine placed in the cabin at the start of the cruise?

Never seen nor heard of anyone ever getting this as an Elite benefit.

 

Only wine in cabin to be expected from Celebrity is based on cabin level as CC, AQ and suites get a bottle of sparking wine or champagne. I've also heard of some travel agents giving wine as a gift to their customers but not as a Captain's Club perk.

[kayehall]

Curious question. Why is only wine allowed? What is the difference if you drink gin or wine?:confused: