Bringing own wine for dinner. How does this work?

[Champagne Cruiser]

I have been reading a lot of threads on the less than stellar wine selection on board. We mostly cruise Celebrity so are used to having a great wine menu. However, most of the posts on bringing your own wine predate the new policy. How does it work to bring your own wine on board to drink in the MDR, especially whites that need to be chilled. Do you chill them down in your cabin? Ask your room steward for an ice cooler, or just stick to red wines. Do you just hand your bottle to someone (who?) in the MDR, and if you don't finish it do they keep it for you for the next meal? We have chosen to have the flex dining. We both are wine drinkers with our meals, and really appreciate good wine. I have been on one HAL cruise with my sister and remember the selection was not great. This time I will be on the Westerdam with DH and he will not be happy with mediocre wine. I agree with one poster that it is probably worth the $18 corkage fee to at least have wine we know we will enjoy.

Thank you to all the experienced HAL cruisers who can answer my questions.

[MaxThrusters]

They charge you a corkage fee. The price varies among lines, as it does for restaurants. They will chill it for you in an ice bucket if need be. Just plunk it down on the table, and tell the waiter. I know they do save wines for you for future meals when you order from wine list, but I do not know about the procedure for that if you bring your own.

 

Note that if it is wine you bought on ship (i.e. delivered to stateroom from ship's services or room service) you have to tell them so there won't be a corkage fee.

Edited October 2, 2014 by MaxThrusters

[Krazy Kruizers]

Each person in the cabin over the age of 21 can bring 1 bottle of wine onto the ship without paying a corkage fee. Should you decide to take that bottle of wine to the dining room (or bar/lounge) you will be charged $18 per bottle for corkage fee.

If you bring more that 1 bottle per adult, after you go through security, there is a table set up where all the extra bottles will get a sticker on them and the person in charge will get your name and cabin number and charge the corkage fees to your cabin - again $18 per bottle.

All wine must be in your carry-ons - no wines in the checked luggage.

We do not bring wine onto the ships so I can not answer about how you will chill the white wine. I do know that if you don't finish a bottle at dinner, the wine steward will tag your bottle with your name and cabin number and store it for you for the next night.

[POA1]

Once you have paid your corkage, you can either give the wine to your wine steward, or you can chill it yourself. We go the latter route because we are picky about the wine temperatures. We use an Ice Bag Collapsible Wine Chiller, but you can also request a wine cooler full of ice from your room steward. The Ice Bag has the advantage of cooling further up the bottle neck, thus avoiding the dreaded warm first glass. The wine chiller bucket from the ship has the advantage of being free and one less thing to pack, although the Ice Bag does fold flat.

 

We usually pull our wine off the ice about, 30 minutes prior to dining time because we don't like our whites so cold that you can't taste the flavors. It takes a little trial and error to determine how much resting time is best for your desired temperature.

[sandthrush]

As far as the chilling of the white wine....I don't recall doing it on HAL, but on other cruise lines, DH takes the bottle down to the dining room mid afternoon and asks if they will chill it. He has never been refused.

[thetexasaggiecruiser]

Once you have paid your corkage, you can either give the wine to your wine steward, or you can chill it yourself. We go the latter route because we are picky about the wine temperatures. We use an Ice Bag Collapsible Wine Chiller, but you can also request a wine cooler full of ice from your room steward. The Ice Bag has the advantage of cooling further up the bottle neck, thus avoiding the dreaded warm first glass. The wine chiller bucket from the ship has the advantage of being free and one less thing to pack, although the Ice Bag does fold flat..

 

Those are awesome. Love the "dreaded warm first glass" comment! I see us purchasing several soon. Last time we had a great steward who kept our ice bucket filled, but it gets messy dealing with the condensation over and over.

[POA1]

Those are awesome. Love the "dreaded warm first glass" comment! I see us purchasing several soon. Last time we had a great steward who kept our ice bucket filled, but it gets messy dealing with the condensation over and over.

They are, indeed. My only regret is that we didn't find them until recently. They're good at home for cans of soda and bottles of water, too. If you use an ice and water mixture, you can quickly chill a bottle of wine in about 10-15 minutes.

 

There's a link to the bag in this post. Just scroll down to the section under Equipment.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=42091494

 

 

If you buy one of these bags, make sure you buy the Ice Bag brand ones. They're much sturdier. (Often imitated, never duplicated! Available in many fun colors! And all that... :))

Edited October 2, 2014 by POA1

[esimon]

Can't imagine paying 18$ for a bottle of wine - LOL -

[sail7seas]

Can't imagine paying 18$ for a bottle of wine - LOL -

 

The $18 is not for the bottle of wine. It is for the corkage fee for that bottle of wine. :)

 

[esimon]

yes I know but thanks -- I'm not paying 18 for someone to open a bottle of wine that didn't cost any where near that -- that's what I'm saying lOL

[thetexasaggiecruiser]

They are, indeed. My only regret is that we didn't find them until recently. They're good at home for cans of soda and bottles of water, too. If you use an ice and water mixture, you can quickly chill a bottle of wine in about 10-15 minutes.

 

There's a link to the bag in this post. Just scroll down to the section under Equipment.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=42091494

 

 

If you buy one of these bags, make sure you buy the Ice Bag brand ones. They're much sturdier. (Often imitated, never duplicated! Available in many fun colors! And all that... :))

 

Shoot - I read every word of that thread when you started it, and I had totally fotgotten you included that information. I did some Googling this morning and had figured name brand was the way to go. Last cruise I went WAAAY to DIY with bubble-wrap wine carriers and great big ziploc bags for chilling. Complete negative ROI. So thanks, twice over!

[POA1]

Shoot - I read every word of that thread when you started it, and I had totally fotgotten you included that information. I did some Googling this morning and had figured name brand was the way to go. Last cruise I went WAAAY to DIY with bubble-wrap wine carriers and great big ziploc bags for chilling. Complete negative ROI. So thanks, twice over!

I usually stick the Ice Bag or whatever we're using as a chiller in the sink while we're out and about in the afternoon. It gives the condensation a place to drain. The floor of the shower or the tub works, too. We have done a fair amount of trial and error testing over the years. The Nobel Committee's lack of recognition for this important area of research is a glaring oversight in my opinion. :D

 

In related news, a sink full of ice and water works pretty well in a pinch, as long as the sink has a stopper.

Edited October 2, 2014 by POA1

[Krazy Kruizers]

yes I know but thanks -- I'm not paying 18 for someone to open a bottle of wine that didn't cost any where near that -- that's what I'm saying lOL

 

HAL has to make money some where.

[Champagne Cruiser]

I usually stick the Ice Bag or whatever we're using as a chiller in the sink while we're out and about in the afternoon. It gives the condensation a place to drain. The floor of the shower or the tub works, too. We have done a fair amount of trial and error testing over the years. The Nobel Committee's lack of recognition for this important area of research is a glaring oversight in my opinion. :D

 

In related news, a sink full of ice and water works pretty well in a pinch, as long as the sink has a stopper.

 

WOW! I read your scientific research report in detail. Thank you so much. Your very scientific research is sure to benefit mankind in many ways still unknown to us mere mortal cruisers. Take heart! As word spreads perhaps the Nobel committee will consider you.

 

I have seen the ice bags in our wine store, but silly me, I never thought of them when I was trying to figure out our wine dilemma for our upcoming cruise.

[frankc98376]

We brought several bottles of our favorite Decoy. Even with the corkage fee it was a LOT less than the wine menu prices

[Boytjie]

The Ice Bag has the advantage of cooling further up the bottle neck, thus avoiding the dreaded warm first glass.

 

Wouldn't tilting to bottle over once or twice fix that problem? :)

[Boytjie]

yes I know but thanks -- I'm not paying 18 for someone to open a bottle of wine that didn't cost any where near that -- that's what I'm saying lOL

 

Well, your alternatives are to either pay even more for HAL's wine or go without wine. The latter is just not an option for us. :eek: :D

[POA1]

Wouldn't tilting to bottle over once or twice fix that problem? :)

Yes, but it's a bad idea with Champagne. You can also pour out a tiny bit in each person's glass to spread the warmth around. Please stop suggesting these common sense approaches. My wife reads this forum and I pretty much had her convinced that my wine gadgets were necessary. :D

[Boytjie]

Yes, but it's a bad idea with Champagne. You can also pour out a tiny bit in each person's glass to spread the warmth around. Please stop suggesting these common sense approaches. My wife reads this forum and I pretty much had her convinced that my wine gadgets were necessary. :D

 

What gadget do you take onboard to counteract the rolling seas in trying to keepy your champagne 100% upright? And isn't it really just sparkling wine? ;)

[cb at sea]

Open your wine in the cabin, and bring your BIG GLASS of wine to dinner with you...no corkage!

I, too, think $18 is too much to pay for a less expensive bottle of wine....and I know some of you like to do it, and I don't understand why, but paying big bucks for wine is insane, IMO!

Edited October 2, 2014 by cb at sea

[Boytjie]

Open your wine in the cabin, and bring your BIG GLASS of wine to dinner with you...no corkage!

I, too, think $18 is too much to pay for a less expensive bottle of wine....and I know some of you like to do it, and I don't understand why, but paying big bucks for wine is insane, IMO!

 

One can stay at home and save even more money that way! :D

[mudscraper]

Open your wine in the cabin, and bring your BIG GLASS of wine to dinner with you...no corkage!

I, too, think $18 is too much to pay for a less expensive bottle of wine....and I know some of you like to do it, and I don't understand why, but paying big bucks for wine is insane, IMO!

 

Just like actor John Belushi in the Blues Brothers, demanding that his huge water glass be filled with champagne. " Wrong glass sir ! " was the waiters response.

[Champagne Cruiser]

Actually, if you bring on a good $20 bottle of wine and pay the $18 corkage fee you are saving money. From the list of HAL wines I have been able to find on their website they are charging a minimum of $48 for a very cheap, not so good bottle of wine.

Thanks again to POA1 for all the scientifically proven suggestions. I think we will start out with 4 bottles of wine and then pick up more at the ports we visit since we are flying to Ft Lauderdale.

[cruz chic]

One can stay at home and save even more money that way! :D

 

No kidding:D!

[Lizzie68]

Actually, if you bring on a good $20 bottle of wine and pay the $18 corkage fee you are saving money. From the list of HAL wines I have been able to find on their website they are charging a minimum of $48 for a very cheap, not so good bottle of wine.

Thanks again to POA1 for all the scientifically proven suggestions. I think we will start out with 4 bottles of wine and then pick up more at the ports we visit since we are flying to Ft Lauderdale.

 

I agree. I've said it before - bringing my own wine and happily paying the $18 corkage is fine with me. I get a wine I know I like at a fairly reasonable price. The fact that it cost me an extra $18 is neither here nor there - I'm on vacation and I'm not going to fret over it. I will say, however, that HAL's house white - the Santa Carolina, I think it is - is not bad in a pinch. The red is awful though.