Corkage Fee - Has it returned?

[Don Pedro]

Doesn't apply to your C&A gifted wine.

 

 

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Are you sure? How do they know if it is a C&A gifted wine or if you bought it on the ship or if you brought it onto the ship.

[Don Pedro]

Everyone just needs to be bringing in two full glasses of wine to the restaurants.

 

Sure and slop one of them while you are bringing it in..

[matj2000]

So you'd punish the staff because you don't like the policies their manager imposed on you. Uh huh.

 

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Management will not learn unless the employees are complaining.........

[little britain]

Everyone just needs to be bringing in two full glasses of wine to the restaurants.

 

 

 

Make that 3 [emoji6].

I think RCI need to buy more trays. There will be lots of spilt wine as people try to carry the glasses, and I bet the cost of new carpet isn't cheap......

 

 

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[BEENSAILING]

For our New Year's eve cruise we were planning to bring a great champagne. We still will - and get some cheese, crackers and fruit - and and with the new "corkage" fee we'll start it in our stateroom and then refill before heading to dinner (if there is anything left to refill..)

[widallas]

Anyone placing bets on them eliminating any wine being brought on? I give it a year.... Extra money to be made, and many cruisers won't care..

 

 

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[BEENSAILING]

Anyone placing bets on them eliminating any wine being brought on? I give it a year.... Extra money to be made, and many cruisers won't care..

 

 

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That would be too bad as the "free" wines in the DL and CL have gone down in quality.

[Merly]

Everyone just needs to be bringing in two full glasses of wine to the restaurants.

You can but when I am dressed nicely and in my heels, carrying my clutch bag, I can totter around with one full glass but not two. Also I think it looks a bit tacky, much nicer to be able to take a bottle into the speciality restaurant.

[bUU]

They really should honor the policy in place when you booked your cruise.

Well, they are. The policy in place when you booked your cruise was, "... may be changed from time to time with or without notice."

 

Also I think it looks a bit tacky, much nicer to be able to take a bottle into the speciality restaurant.

That's surely part of the calculation: How much are passengers willing to pay the corkage fee to avoid looking tacky?

[little britain]

Has anyone ACTUALLY reported being charged on a cruise starting since June 1??? I thought the boards would be alight with such a topic!

[Kite99]

Well, they are. The policy in place when you booked your cruise was, "... may be changed from time to time with or without notice."

And I am mildly curious to know where you read that...

 

That's surely part of the calculation: How much are passengers willing to pay the corkage fee to avoid looking tacky?

Well, from my perspective, I could care less about looking tacky. In fact, I'd be happy to happy to pay a corkage fee, if the cruise line would put down IN WRITING that 100% of the corkage fee is going to the dining room crew members. I suspect I am not the only one who feels that cruise lines seriously take advantage of their crew members.

 

And anyway, I think my feeling towards RCL at this point goes way beyond the corkage fee. I seldom buy much booze onboard anyway (mostly due to the highway robbery prices).

 

That's just a sign of the times, I guess. You have a cruise line making windfall profits, and still looking to gouge the loyal customers at every turn. Lots of folks have been griping about new room service fees too.

 

Well, if you read my sig, you can see I am not one of those folks who is loyal to any one cruise line. I like exploring new things, (including cruise lines), and if I feel like one is taking advantage, I will simply take my business elsewhere. And some of the practices (such as the nonsense of checking pool towels in and out with ID) don't exist on lines like HAL or Disney. They just treat you better.

 

So, I think it likely we will make this next RCL cruise our last (though I never say never...but that's the current feeling). Just feel like we have been treated better by HAL, all in all...

 

And I do feel like we have been incredibly tolerant with RCL, since yes, we were on that rather infamous Feb Anthem cruise when we got slammed with 30 foot seas and 130+ mph winds.

[thejewgernaut]

As always I am appreciative of this forum... we sail in two weeks and I was going to bring wine for dinner. I would have have likely been extremely irritated if I had not known about this ahead of time.

[Kite99]

As always I am appreciative of this forum... we sail in two weeks and I was going to bring wine for dinner. I would have have likely been extremely irritated if I had not known about this ahead of time.

I feel exactly the same way...and I think we will be on the same upcoming cruise, it seems.

[spookwife]

Are you sure? How do they know if it is a C&A gifted wine or if you bought it on the ship or if you brought it onto the ship.

 

 

it is an easy fix.

 

in Monterey, where wineries and fine restaurants abound with similar corkage fees( actually, not.. they can reach as high as $40 in some places) you mark the bottle.

 

there is a tasting room on Cannery Row that has an agreement with 4 or 5 local eateries. anything purchased from them is not charged the corkage fee. to that end, they have a sticker on the bottle that indicates that it is from the tasting room.

 

I have also seen wineries marking the bottle or table with marker/pen.

[LMaxwell]

If anyone ever tried to charge me a corkage fee.

I would mention the "gratuity recovery fee" of $15 I would implement ...

 

Not going to disagree here.

 

Royal seems very happy to not deliver the products they advertise to get you to pay for a cruise. Bait and switch.

[Jarmo]

You can but when I am dressed nicely and in my heels, carrying my clutch bag, I can totter around with one full glass but not two. Also I think it looks a bit tacky, much nicer to be able to take a bottle into the speciality restaurant.

One glass, no problem.

[ARCruisinNana]

Are you sure? How do they know if it is a C&A gifted wine or if you bought it on the ship or if you brought it onto the ship.

 

 

States the corkage fee is on the bottles brought onboard. I guess if the wine is on one of the lists there isn't a fee?!? Gonna cause some problems.

 

 

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[Ocean Boy]

Does it apply if I bring it on board and drink on my balcony? It says "public areas".

 

 

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Since you have control over who can access your balcony I don't think it would be considered a public area.

[LilBlackDress]

I have ignored most of the bitching and complaining about RC nickel and diming people. My thoughts have always been, don't buy into their BS charges such as the Room Service late night fee (now 7.95 regardless the time) The Puzzle Break on Harmony fee but free on Anthem, the fee for popcorn in the AquaTheater etc etc etc Ya either accept it and pay it or do without... Seemed pretty simple

 

But now it seems they are adding a lil here and a lil there in hopes no one will complain or forget what they added last month. Scared to see what they will add next month.... Pay Toilets or rent for the safe?

 

I think this clip says it all

MSZwTzNWjTE

[Ocean Boy]

If anyone ever tried to charge me a corkage fee.

I would mention the "gratuity recovery fee" of $15 I would implement ...

 

So you'd punish the staff because you don't like the policies their manager imposed on you. Uh huh.

 

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Sometimes Mat can be pretty funny.:D

[OTownNick]

As always I am appreciative of this forum... we sail in two weeks and I was going to bring wine for dinner. I would have have likely been extremely irritated if I had not known about this ahead of time.

So $15 would have influenced your cruise decision? I know it wouldn't

 

People don't get it that there is a reason for this. NOT to boost revenues I can assure you. The few People who were taking advantage of this situation in absurd ways have ruined it for the rest of us. That's just the way it is. I bet it's still cheaper to pay a $15 corkage fee then buy 2 glasses of wine anyway. It's unfortunate that now people who like to bring their own wine now have to pour it in their room and carry a glass of wine to dinner but that's life.

[Merly]

If you open your bottle on your cabin, pour a glass, and then take it and the open bottle into, say, a speciality restaurant, how do they know you did, or didn't, pay the corkage fee in another bar?

[Ocean Boy]

Well, they are. The policy in place when you booked your cruise was, "... may be changed from time to time with or without notice."

 

 

And I am mildly curious to know where you read that...

 

The cruise contract does pretty much say that the cruise line can do whatever it wants any time that it wants and the consumer can pretty much take it or leave it.... but after the final payment date your options are mostly limited to taking it.;)

[LMaxwell]

 

People don't get it that there is a reason for this. NOT to boost revenues I can assure you. The few People who were taking advantage of this situation in absurd ways have ruined it for the rest of us. .

 

The ONLY reason to do this is to boost revenues. What other logical explanation exists? And how exactly were people "taking advantage of the situation in absurd ways"? RCI's policy was 2 bottles per cabin allowed at embarkation, and no corkage charged onboard. Please explain your statement.

[Don Pedro]

it is an easy fix.

 

in Monterey, where wineries and fine restaurants abound with similar corkage fees( actually, not.. they can reach as high as $40 in some places) you mark the bottle.

 

there is a tasting room on Cannery Row that has an agreement with 4 or 5 local eateries. anything purchased from them is not charged the corkage fee. to that end, they have a sticker on the bottle that indicates that it is from the tasting room.

 

I have also seen wineries marking the bottle or table with marker/pen.

 

You certainly have expressed an easy way to remedy the problem. Unfortunately RCCL is not good at easy fixes.