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Wine Question/Strategy

USCcruisecrazy

By USCcruisecrazy,
in Princess Cruises

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USCcruisecrazy

USCcruisecrazy

Posted
Posted

We are leaving out of Ft Lauderdale on 9 Dec. Since we are driving to the Port, I figure carrying on wine is a great idea. I know they charge a corkage fee for more than 2 bottles (1 for my wife...1 for me). So, I was planning to carry on a wine bag with 4 bottles. However, I've seen posts where people have carried on entire cases. Do you have to hand carry the case or can you check it? Do I keep the bottles in my room and carry one or two to dinner each night? Any advice will be appreciated!!

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Steelers36

Steelers36

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Posted (edited)

I would carry the case on through the check-in area and on board. UNLESS, you have an extremely well packed box with very sturdy cardboard and strong dividers between each bottle. Thing is when you leave it to porters it is getting tossed around with luggage and then you are going to have to go somewhere on the ship after to pick it up as they will want to charge you and collect the corkage fees due.

 

Wine will be safer with you if you can manage it. You can keep the wine in your room. You can even put some in the fridge. Yes, you can take it with you to DR and you can bring it back to the room if unfinished. Just be sure to keep the cork or screw top.

At the check in building, there is a table for paying corkage after you go through security scanner. You pay there and they charge your cabin account. They give you stickers for each bottle. If your case is all sealed up, just ask for the stickers and put them on yourself in the cabin when you unpack.

 

I am going to do a case in January as we have a really long trip. I'd like to do two but it's too much to lug. My wish would be that we cruisers could select and pay for our wine at TOTAL WINE and they deliver a huge order of everyone's wine directly to the ship and it goes to our staterooms. They could create a partnership with Princess and even collect the corkage fee perhaps. Or even if the arrangement was to clearly mark each box with the number of bottles and then Princess could bill everyone without the boxes being torn open. I can dream, right??? :cool:

Edited by steelers36
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peety3

peety3

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Posted
We bring on wine by the case and check it with our bags. Never had a problem. If you bring a "free" bottle to the MD, they may charge you. You can bring it by the glass without a charge.

And there are lots of people who drive 75 in a 65 zone, and say they do it all the time without a ticket. Just because "that's how everyone else does it", doesn't make it right. Policy and bag tags clearly instruct that it's wrong.

 

The end result is that the rules say carry on. If you choose to check it in your bags, there are three possibilities: no one will notice, someone will notice and call you down to the naughty room, or you'll be kicked off the ship for violating the policies.

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Scotto97

Scotto97

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Posted

We purchased a wheeled wine carrier to make it easier to bring the bottles with us at embarkation.

 

It's carry-on size, holds 12 bottles and while flying, we place our electronics, binoculars and other items in it.

 

Once we land, we switch those items to our other luggage (Once the 50 lb limit is no longer an issue)

 

And head to a Total Wine or other similar store and fill it up prior to boarding

 

Works great

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elfinmagic

elfinmagic

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And there are lots of people who drive 75 in a 65 zone, and say they do it all the time without a ticket. Just because "that's how everyone else does it", doesn't make it right. Policy and bag tags clearly instruct that it's wrong.

 

The end result is that the rules say carry on. If you choose to check it in your bags, there are three possibilities: no one will notice, someone will notice and call you down to the naughty room, or you'll be kicked off the ship for violating the policies.

 

When going thru security if I am not directed to the pay table I do not go to the pay table

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satxdiver

satxdiver

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So you can bring a case of wine on board and pay the corkage fee on 10 bottles (I assume you have two "free" as allowed) and then take to your cabin as it does not matter where consumed as long as the corkage fee has been paid?

 

On all bottles of wine that has had the corkage fee paid ($15/bottle), the wine can be consumed anywhere on the ship. The answer is then "yes".

 

In the "old days" before the corkage fee being enforced on the pier before boarding the ship, I would go to Total Wines and purchase a case of selected wine. They would put the bottles in an old wine shipping box. I would then tape the box closed and put a luggage tag on the box and turn it in at the baggage area along with our luggage. It would always appear in our state room many times before the luggage arrived. This was at Port Everglades for 10+ day cruises. It was all so easy. Now we have to carry it on but have two 6 bottle carriers that fold flat very nicely in our luggage for the flight home.

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jennybenny

jennybenny

Posted
Posted
We are leaving out of Ft Lauderdale on 9 Dec. Since we are driving to the Port, I figure carrying on wine is a great idea. I know they charge a corkage fee for more than 2 bottles (1 for my wife...1 for me). So, I was planning to carry on a wine bag with 4 bottles. However, I've seen posts where people have carried on entire cases. Do you have to hand carry the case or can you check it? Do I keep the bottles in my room and carry one or two to dinner each night? Any advice will be appreciated!!

 

Any wine you bring needs to be carried on, and then you need to go to the wine table after security to let them know how many bottles you have. They will note your name, cabin and how many bottles you brought. I have not yet brought on more than 2, but I believe they charge you right away and put stickers on the ones you pay corkage on. We are bringing on a wine 6 pack on our next cruise. I'm worried about the bulkiness of the carry on, but that's the process.

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Steelers36

Steelers36

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On all bottles of wine that has had the corkage fee paid ($15/bottle), the wine can be consumed anywhere on the ship. The answer is then "yes".

 

In the "old days" before the corkage fee being enforced on the pier before boarding the ship, I would go to Total Wines and purchase a case of selected wine. They would put the bottles in an old wine shipping box. I would then tape the box closed and put a luggage tag on the box and turn it in at the baggage area along with our luggage. It would always appear in our state room many times before the luggage arrived. This was at Port Everglades for 10+ day cruises. It was all so easy. Now we have to carry it on but have two 6 bottle carriers that fold flat very nicely in our luggage for the flight home.

 

I have some of those too so I will probably bring a couple. I don't want to buy a wine carrier and I don't have a small roller dolly ("rollaboard").)

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jennybenny

jennybenny

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So you can bring a case of wine on board and pay the corkage fee on 10 bottles (I assume you have two "free" as allowed) and then take to your cabin as it does not matter where consumed as long as the corkage fee has been paid?

 

Yes, if you take one of the 2 free to a dining venue you they will charge you the corkage in the MDR or specialty dining, then and you can consume it at dinner.

Had you already paid the corkage, you could consume it at dinner. I know this because they asked us if we had paid, and looked for a sticker.

 

At least, that's been our experience.

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Steelers36

Steelers36

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When going thru security if I am not directed to the pay table I do not go to the pay table

 

When going into the DR if I am not directed to put on a tux or a dark suit I do not return to my cabin. ;p (I couldn't resist) :cool:

 

(If they don't collect it up front, they will collect in the DR).

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Steelers36

Steelers36

Posted
Posted
Any wine you bring needs to be carried on, and then you need to go to the wine table after security to let them know how many bottles you have. They will note your name, cabin and how many bottles you brought. I have not yet brought on more than 2, but I believe they charge you right away and put stickers on the ones you pay corkage on. We are bringing on a wine 6 pack on our next cruise. I'm worried about the bulkiness of the carry on, but that's the process.

 

The last time I had a sealed up box and I told them how many and they gave me the stickers as I was concerned about the integrity of the box I got from Total Wine. Going to use a couple of wine bags next time I think.

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Bustersmom

Bustersmom

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Posted
On all bottles of wine that has had the corkage fee paid ($15/bottle), the wine can be consumed anywhere on the ship. The answer is then "yes".

 

In the "old days" before the corkage fee being enforced on the pier before boarding the ship, I would go to Total Wines and purchase a case of selected wine. They would put the bottles in an old wine shipping box. I would then tape the box closed and put a luggage tag on the box and turn it in at the baggage area along with our luggage. It would always appear in our state room many times before the luggage arrived. This was at Port Everglades for 10+ day cruises. It was all so easy. Now we have to carry it on but have two 6 bottle carriers that fold flat very nicely in our luggage for the flight home.

 

I know! My last cruise was prob 5 yrs ago and based on CC Board-I purchased a case of wine at Total wine-slapped a tag on it and it appeared in my cabin! Thank you for the info-I have been reading for years all the threads of people trying to slip their wine in -I had NO IDEA that you could bring more than 2 bottles if you were willing to pay the $15 corkage on them! Seems alot easier than trying to smuggle in different ways!! I think I would just factor in the corkage as part of budget of vacation and/or compare to bev packages.

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Bustersmom

Bustersmom

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Posted
On all bottles of wine that has had the corkage fee paid ($15/bottle), the wine can be consumed anywhere on the ship. The answer is then "yes". In the "old days" before the corkage fee being enforced on the pier before boarding the ship, I would go to Total Wines and purchase a case of selected wine. They would put the bottles in an old wine shipping box. I would then tape the box closed and put a luggage tag on the box and turn it in at the baggage area along with our luggage. It would always appear in our state room many times before the luggage arrived. This was at Port Everglades for 10+ day cruises. It was all so easy. Now we have to carry it on but have two 6 bottle carriers that fold flat very nicely in our luggage for the flight home.[/quo
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elfinmagic

elfinmagic

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When going into the DR if I am not directed to put on a tux or a dark suit I do not return to my cabin. ;p (I couldn't resist) :cool:

 

(If they don't collect it up front, they will collect in the DR).

 

I don't carry the bottle I carry a wine glass from my cabin

 

Is this a subtle request for my IGNORE list?

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Scotto97

Scotto97

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When going thru security if I am not directed to the pay table I do not go to the pay table

 

There's been times that we've boarded and the wine table had not been setup yet so we continued to board in the order called.

 

Not our fault that Princess didn't have it setup at that time.

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KevintheIrishDJ

KevintheIrishDJ

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And there are lots of people who drive 75 in a 65 zone, and say they do it all the time without a ticket. Just because "that's how everyone else does it", doesn't make it right. Policy and bag tags clearly instruct that it's wrong.

 

The end result is that the rules say carry on. If you choose to check it in your bags, there are three possibilities: no one will notice, someone will notice and call you down to the naughty room, or you'll be kicked off the ship for violating the policies.

 

We always get called down to the "naughty room" and pay there.

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