Carrying Wine on board

[Working 2 Cruise]

If I am reading this thread correctly, Princess allows a bottle per person in carry-ons when embarking and allows the purchase of some in ports with a corkage fee, at least sometimes. We will be traveling to great wine countries (Italy, Spain, Portugal) and would like to buy a few bottles to bring home. Will Princess still charge us a corkage fee?

 

No, they'll hold it for you.

[PunkiC]

No, they'll hold it for you.

 

Have they ever taken wine from you?

 

We have taken a lot of cruises since they instituted the new rules, and eoften bring wine on board, both at embarkation and at ports. We have never had anyone take or hold wine, either from our carry-on luggage or checked bags. We have paid corkage fees when we checked full cases, but not always.

[Working 2 Cruise]

Have they ever taken wine from you?

 

We have taken a lot of cruises since they instituted the new rules, and eoften bring wine on board, both at embarkation and at ports. We have never had anyone take or hold wine, either from our carry-on luggage or checked bags. We have paid corkage fees when we checked full cases, but not always.

 

I think that, for a while, Princess had "implementation" problems... but I know this has improved dramatically during the past few months. Whether this is still the case, I don't know. As we're not planning on bringing wine on our upcoming cruise (my husband will get the all inclusive card), I'll try to check....

[JimmyVWine]

If I am reading this thread correctly, Princess allows a bottle per person in carry-ons when embarking and allows the purchase of some in ports with a corkage fee, at least sometimes.

Not really. Princess allows you to bring on as much as you want at embarkation, not just one bottle per person. The first bottle per person is free. All subsequent bottles will cost you $15 per bottle. Technically, bringing bottles on board at ports of call is not allowed and they are supposed to collect those bottles and hold them for you until departure day. But enforcement of this part of the policy is sketchy at best.

Edited November 3, 2014 by JimmyVWine

[PunkiC]

Not really. Princess allows you to bring on as much as you want at embarkation, not just one bottle per person. The first bottle per person is free. All subsequent bottles will cost you $15 per bottle. Technically, bringing bottles on board at ports of call is not allowed and they are supposed to collect those bottles and hold them for you until departure day. But enforcement of this part of the policy is sketchy at best.

 

Really? Where is that rule written. According to the people I have talked to and Princess, and born out by my experiences, you can always bring wine on board. Sometimes they will charge a corkage fee and sometimes they won't, but have you really ever seen them hold it?

[caribill]

Really? Where is that rule written. According to the people I have talked to and Princess, and born out by my experiences, you can always bring wine on board. Sometimes they will charge a corkage fee and sometimes they won't, but have you really ever seen them hold it?

 

Per the passage contract:

 

"Passengers agree not to bring alcoholic beverages of any kind on board for consumption except one bottle of wine or champagne per person of drinking age...." <----this indicates that wine is an alcoholic beverage

 

"You agree to surrender alcoholic beverages that are purchased duty free from the ship's gift shop, or at ports of call, to Carrier, which will be delivered to Your stateroom on the last night of the voyage." <----this says wine (an alcoholic beverage) will be collected if purchased in a port or call and brought on board.

 

 

Now, how well the above is enforced is the question.

[JimmyVWine]

Really? Where is that rule written. According to the people I have talked to and Princess, and born out by my experiences, you can always bring wine on board. Sometimes they will charge a corkage fee and sometimes they won't, but have you really ever seen them hold it?

caribill sets it out correctly. And the reasoning is sound. At ports of call, the security and screening is brief, quick and casual. They aren't really set up to charge people as they re-board with wine. Of course, this all cuts in favor of people being able to get wine on at ports scott free.

[PunkiC]

That doesn't jive with either the information I have received from Princess or my own actual experience. I have most definitely seen alcohol check tables at ports of call and been sent to them to have them record wine that was purchased in port, although I have never been charged.

 

Again, has anyone ever actually had wine taken away from them at a port? The only time I ever heard of that was during the first few days of implementation in Australia.

[caribill]

That doesn't jive with either the information I have received from Princess or my own actual experience.

 

Actual experiences often differ from what the cruise contract says.

[Wehwalt]

That doesn't jive with either the information I have received from Princess or my own actual experience. I have most definitely seen alcohol check tables at ports of call and been sent to them to have them record wine that was purchased in port, although I have never been charged.

 

Again, has anyone ever actually had wine taken away from them at a port? The only time I ever heard of that was during the first few days of implementation in Australia.

 

They are unlikely to. The key words are "for consumption". Alcohol brought on at embarkation is presumptively for consumption on board. Alcohol bought in California wine country may not be so, and they are not out to confiscate your souvenirs.

Edited November 3, 2014 by Wehwalt

[sunneesmile]

We have taken 1 or 2 boxes of wine on every Princess cruise we have ever been on, embarking in various ports, Whittier, Seattle, Ft. Lauderdale, Los Angeles, New York from 2003 to 2014. We usually put it our back pack and it gets scanned. We don't make a big deal out of it, nothing has ever been said to us about it and it is not because we are avoiding a bar tab. We still have a bar tab in the clubs, at dinner and around the ship. The thing for us is enjoying a glass of wine on our balcony whenever we want. Plain and simple.

[Wehwalt]

We have taken 1 or 2 boxes of wine on every Princess cruise we have ever been on, embarking in various ports, Whittier, Seattle, Ft. Lauderdale, Los Angeles, New York from 2003 to 2014. We usually put it our back pack and it gets scanned. We don't make a big deal out of it, nothing has ever been said to us about it and it is not because we are avoiding a bar tab. We still have a bar tab in the clubs, at dinner and around the ship. The thing for us is enjoying a glass of wine on our balcony whenever we want. Plain and simple.

 

How large a box? I see my boxed sangria in my frig is three litres. That would be too much for me on a short cruise, though.

[sunneesmile]

sorry duplicate

Edited March 23, 2015 by sunneesmile

[sunneesmile]

Wehwalt--We don't always consume it all. Sometimes we have taken one or two 3 liter boxes for a cruise longer than 7 days to share with friends we travel with. We usually have a mini suite and it is a nice place to hang out with them. At times we have offered the leftover wine to our steward. One steward told us they have a place where they hang out and they will bring things there and share them as well.

 

How large a box? I see my boxed sangria in my frig is three litres. That would be too much for me on a short cruise, though.

[LewesBeach]

We have taken 1 or 2 boxes of wine on every Princess cruise we have ever been on, embarking in various ports, Whittier, Seattle, Ft. Lauderdale, Los Angeles, New York from 2003 to 2014. We usually put it our back pack and it gets scanned. We don't make a big deal out of it, nothing has ever been said to us about it and it is not because we are avoiding a bar tab. We still have a bar tab in the clubs, at dinner and around the ship. The thing for us is enjoying a glass of wine on our balcony whenever we want. Plain and simple.[/quote

 

You certainly are avoiding a bar tab when you bring 2 boxes of wine on board. It was these kinds of posts in the first place where people told of bringing their own wine onboard that caused Princess to clamp down and institute their current policy. I'm a wine drinker & I don't like the policy, but I've signed the contract i will abide by the rules. Plain and simple.

[LARGIN]

This is written on my Boarding pass as of today..

 

Thank you for observing our carry-on alcohol policy. As a reminder,

adult passengers are permitted to bring one 750 ml bottle of wine or

champagne onboard per voyage, which will not be subject to a corkage

fee if consumed in the stateroom. Additional wine or champagne

bottles are welcome, but will incur a $15 corkage fee each, irrespective

of where they are intended to be consumed. Liquor, spirits or beers are

not permitted. Please remember that luggage will be scanned and

alcohol outside of our policy will be removed and discarded.

[andyc222]

We took on 2 bottles of wine and didn't drink any. Put bottles in my carry on and security did not ask or say anything about them. Did not have to take out of my bag. Who ever got our cabin after us enjoyed 2 unopened bottles of wine.

[Bogof1]

We took on 2 bottles of wine and didn't drink any. Put bottles in my carry on and security did not ask or say anything about them. Did not have to take out of my bag. Who ever got our cabin after us enjoyed 2 unopened bottles of wine.

 

I very much doubt they did. The cabin would have been emptied of anything like that you left. Stewards perk. Lol

[Wehwalt]

I very much doubt they did. The cabin would have been emptied of anything like that you left. Stewards perk. Lol

 

The only time I have ever seen anything from the prior occupant was on the Ocean, when I found the final statement they deliver the last morning on the top shelf of the closet. I disposed of it in one of the paper/plastic bins on the Lido deck so as not to embarrass the steward.

Edited March 23, 2015 by Wehwalt

[Lovetocruiseprincess]

 

You certainly are avoiding a bar tab when you bring 2 boxes of wine on board. It was these kinds of posts in the first place where people told of bringing their own wine onboard that caused Princess to clamp down and institute their current policy. I'm a wine drinker & I don't like the policy, but I've signed the contract i will abide by the rules. Plain and simple.

 

You don't know that for sure. First of all it might be a brand they don't carry on the ship. (I know they don't stock mine because it's one of the cheap ones). Second, How do you know they purchase wine from Princess anyway because of the cost.

Contract or not, people will bring as much as they think they'll be able to sneak on board.

[capriccio]

Contract or not, people will bring as much as they think they'll be able to sneak on board.

 

Not all people - in fact probably not even 'most' people, but those that do seem to enjoy boasting on this board.

[elliair]

We wrap ours in bubble wrap. Never have had a broken bottle yet.

[debuskjt]

You really don't need to pack anything all that special to protect a bottle of wine. That glass is very strong and it takes a large amount of force to break one. I've dropped one on cement and it simply cracked a bit and did not shatter. Whenever you see someone hit with a bottle on TV to great breaking effect, that is actually edible candy glass!

 

I've transported bottles around the world back to the US (from Portugal, Italy, Australia, etc.) in my checked luggage and never had one break and would not be nervous at all about having a bottle in my luggage as it heads onto the ship. I just pack it in the middle of my luggage where it isn't likely to take any direct hits.

Edited March 23, 2015 by debuskjt

[Colo Cruiser]

We took on 2 bottles of wine and didn't drink any. Put bottles in my carry on and security did not ask or say anything about them. Did not have to take out of my bag. Who ever got our cabin after us enjoyed 2 unopened bottles of wine.

 

 

It would have been removed from the cabin.

[Wehwalt]

You really don't need to pack anything all that special to protect a bottle of wine. That glass is very strong and it takes a large amount of force to break one. I've dropped one on cement and it simply cracked a bit and did not shatter. Whenever you see someone hit with a bottle on TV to great breaking effect, that is actually edible candy glass!

 

I've transported bottles around the world back to the US (from Portugal, Italy, Australia, etc.) in my checked luggage and never had one break and would not be nervous at all about having a bottle in my luggage as it heads onto the ship. I just pack it in the middle of my luggage where it isn't likely to take any direct hits.

 

Out of curiosity, how do they ensure the bottle to christen the ship breaks?