wine in checked luggage

[nana51]

I've checked and seem to get two answers. We are leaving out of San Diego. My friend doesn't want to carry around her bottle of champagne in her carry-on luggage in case our room isn't ready. Is this allowed? I know it can be brought in the carry on but if just one bottle is in her checked luggage is that permissible?

[Crew News]

I've checked and seem to get two answers. We are leaving out of San Diego. My friend doesn't want to carry around her bottle of champagne in her carry-on luggage in case our room isn't ready. Is this allowed? I know it can be brought in the carry on but if just one bottle is in her checked luggage is that permissible?

 

No wine/champagne is allowed in checked luggage. If discovered during routine x-ray, it will be confiscated and returned just before disembarkation.

 

All rooms should be ready when your board the ship.

[POA1]

I've checked and seem to get two answers. We are leaving out of San Diego. My friend doesn't want to carry around her bottle of champagne in her carry-on luggage in case our room isn't ready. Is this allowed? I know it can be brought in the carry on but if just one bottle is in her checked luggage is that permissible?

Her Champagne needs to be carried on, per the Holland America policy. Print a copy of the "Know Before You Go."

[cruisevers]

Even IF the rules allowed, which they don't, champagne is under pressure and if jostled about would explode in her suitcase!! Would be a big mess!!

Edited April 24, 2015 by cruisevers

[nana51]

Thank you all. We won't be flying as it leaves out of our home port but her suitcase is pretty big, not a carry on. I told her the rooms would be ready but she says "what if they aren't" whadda ya gonna do?:rolleyes:

[CowPrincess]

I sometimes travel with one of those "what if...." people. Tell her there are plenty of places you can be comfortable, even if the rooms aren't ready. The Lower Promenade deck, the area around the Lido pool, even some of the interior spaces where you can sit quietly and relax. In my friend's case, she really does need the reassurance. Hopefully that'll work for your friend. Enjoy your cruise! :)

[OVgirl]

On our last cruise, someone from CC put a few of those small champagne bottles in her checked suitcase. They were taken to be held until the end of the cruise. It took her a number of days of begging and explaining before they gave them back to her.

 

The instructions do say that all wine should be in your carry on. If you put it in checked luggage you might not be able to get it back until you disembark.

[POA1]

Even IF the rules allowed, which they don't, champagne is under pressure and if jostled about would explode in her suitcase!! Would be a big mess!!

It really doesn't. :) We've done a bit of testing.

 

However, you still need to carry on your wine. Rules are rules.

[gam888]

If you have very small bottles of wine, like the tiny bottles they offer you on your flight, and you put them in your luggage, I wonder if they would show up on the x-ray? How do they know if it's wine or a bottle of shampoo?

[coolbluegreenseas]

They open the bag and look?:p

[TiogaCruiser]

Assuming she is planning on taking the champagne to the dining room, could she pay corkage and "check it through" with the steward in the check in line?

 

(Then again, if it's for your cabin, that would not work.)

[POA1]

Assuming she is planning on taking the champagne to the dining room, could she pay corkage and "check it through" with the steward in the check in line?

 

(Then again, if it's for your cabin, that would not work.)

You still have to hand carry it.

[cruz chic]

If you have very small bottles of wine, like the tiny bottles they offer you on your flight, and you put them in your luggage, I wonder if they would show up on the x-ray? How do they know if it's wine or a bottle of shampoo?

 

They would likely call you to the naughty room if in doubt. I'm sorry but I just don't understand why people smuggle booze on. I do drink but I find it pretty reasonable to drink on board.

[nana51]

She'll be fine. I'm carrying a bottle on also and had no intention of putting it anywhere but my carry on.

[USN59-79]

I am not so sure that they x-ray all the luggage. Last month we boarded the Volendam in Singapore. I had our two allowed bottles of wine in our checked luggage as it is impossible to fly with it in your carry-on bag. We went directly from the airport to the ship and my bags were delivered to our stateroom without a problem.

[Krazy Kruizers]

On one of our cruises, we needed to stop by the front desk as we had problems with our Beverage cards and the concierges couldn't resolve it -- on embarkation day.

There is a "naughty room" right by the front desk and the line was quite long for people who had smuggled wine and alcohol on board.

[DaveOKC]

They would likely call you to the naughty room if in doubt. I'm sorry but I just don't understand why people smuggle booze on. I do drink but I find it pretty reasonable to drink on board.

 

I have been called to the naughty room (not for booze), so they do scan your luggage carefully. Not a big deal, but it does delay you getting your luggage for quite awhile.

 

Also - since HAL improved their cabin ready program a few years ago, our cabin has always been ready for us when we board (and we are usually one of the first ones on).

[USN59-79]

They would likely call you to the naughty room if in doubt. I'm sorry but I just don't understand why people smuggle booze on. I do drink but I find it pretty reasonable to drink on board.

I am not sure what this "naughty room" is, but I expect to be treated like an adult and a guest when I board a HAL ship. If I am flying across the Pacific Ocean with my and my DW's two bottles of wine in our checked baggage: 1. I shouldn't have to open my suitcase between the airport and the ship and transfer the wine to my already heavy hand carry bag. 2. If security wants to x-ray my baggage to see if I brought my AK-47 or my machete, that is fine; they are looking out for the security of the ship. But if their only purpose is support the wine sales then maybe I should check into a hotel rather than a cruise ship as that sort of BS would never happen there.

[Riversedge]

They don't scan all luggage, or if they do they don't spend a lot of time looking. My husband and I both had a bottle of wine in each of our checked bags and they confiscated his but not mine. There was no naughty room involved. He just had a note in his suitcase saying it would be delivered to the room on the last night and it was.

[cruz chic]

I am not sure what this "naughty room" is, but I expect to be treated like an adult and a guest when I board a HAL ship. If I am flying across the Pacific Ocean with my and my DW's two bottles of wine in our checked baggage: 1. I shouldn't have to open my suitcase between the airport and the ship and transfer the wine to my already heavy hand carry bag. 2. If security wants to x-ray my baggage to see if I brought my AK-47 or my machete, that is fine; they are looking out for the security of the ship. But if their only purpose is support the wine sales then maybe I should check into a hotel rather than a cruise ship as that sort of BS would never happen there.

 

That is certainly your choice. I'm quite fine with them xraying my luggage. Do you object to X-rays or your luggage at the airport? How is a ship different? There was a poster a while back that had soda in his luggage and only soda. He was called to the naughty room because I guess they couldn't identify it. Will it happen to you? Who knows.

[cruz chic]

They don't scan all luggage, or if they do they don't spend a lot of time looking. My husband and I both had a bottle of wine in each of our checked bags and they confiscated his but not mine. There was no naughty room involved. He just had a note in his suitcase saying it would be delivered to the room on the last night and it was.

 

Of course they scan it all. If not, how do they decide which ones to xray?

[Riversedge]

Of course they scan it all. If not, how do they decide which ones to xray?

 

I guess you need to clarify for me. I thought a scan and an X-ray were the same thing. Is there a difference?

[cruz chic]

I guess you need to clarify for me. I thought a scan and an X-ray were the same thing. Is there a difference?

 

You used the word scan so I did as well. I meant xray. Not sure if that's what you meant. In other words I meant they xray all luggage.

Edited April 25, 2015 by cruz chic

[USN59-79]

That is certainly your choice. I'm quite fine with them xraying my luggage. Do you object to X-rays or your luggage at the airport? How is a ship different? There was a poster a while back that had soda in his luggage and only soda. He was called to the naughty room because I guess they couldn't identify it. Will it happen to you? Who knows.

I don't object to x-rays for security purposes at the airport or on the ship. When the main focus of security screenings is not for the security of the ship but harass passengers who would prefer to bring a couple of higher quality wine bottles from home and not carry them in their hand luggage when they board the ship, then I object to that. If they are not clever enough to tell the difference from a bottle of soda and a security threat, then they should seek employment elsewhere. At least, that is my humble opinion.

[POA1]

I don't object to x-rays for security purposes at the airport or on the ship. When the main focus of security screenings is not for the security of the ship but harass passengers who would prefer to bring a couple of higher quality wine bottles from home and not carry them in their hand luggage when they board the ship, then I object to that. If they are not clever enough to tell the difference from a bottle of soda and a security threat, then they should seek employment elsewhere. At least, that is my humble opinion.

 

The wine carry on policy, in place since early February 2014, states that you have to carry your wine on and that it's not allowed in checked baggage. Enforcement of the policy is hardly harassment. If your wines are very good, particularly if they're a few years old, you'll want them to rest a while to get over the shock of travel. (DW and I allow at least a month for air shipped wines. If you haven't spent much on the wine, or if you don't really care, you can drink them sooner.)

 

http://www.winespectator.com/drvinny/show/id/42454

 

We carry a lot of wine on from our home port, but buy only a few bottles when we have to fly in for a cruise.

Edited April 25, 2015 by POA1