Buying wine onboard in duty free to take off when disembarking

[champagne lover]

We are going on Constellation next March and having a few days in Abu Dhabi at the end of the cruise. When staying in hotels we like to have a bottle of wine in our room but know we can't buy it in Abu Dhabi and is expensive in hotels. Can we buy in duty free shop onboard, perhaps on last day, and take it off with us? What are prices like for a regular bottle of wine?

[Algebralovr]

I’ve never actually seen wine in the duty free shops, only hard liquor.    Are you coming from somewhere you can simply bring it from?

[SoCalTraveler]

I also do not recall seeing wine in the store.  Moreover, I would never bring alcohol into Abu Dhabi.  It's liable to bring scrutiny.  Unless your hotel has a bar, pass on drinking for those few days.  

When in Rome ...

 

[bigbenboys]

It seems like you can bring wine, beer and alcohol into UAE. It is for consumption in a home or hotel. You can use some of your OBC to buy a bottle of wine on the cruise ship. You can buy a bottle of wine at one of your port stops. If the bottle of wine is taken when you board the ship, they will give it back to you near the end of the cruise. They might have wine in duty free when you get off the ship. I'm not sure what cruise you are doing? Seems like the March 4, 2019 cruise. The airport in Dubai has duty free available 24/7. 

The hotels that I have stayed in Dubai and Abu Dhabi did serve alcohol. The hotel in Abu Dhabi had 5 restaurants on the property. All serving alcohol. One friend bought a bottle of gin from the hotel bar. They held onto the bottle in a cabinet with his name on it. Mixers were free as the cost was included in the price of the bottle.

[WestLakeGirl]

The Constellation’s duty-free shop does not carry wine

[emmas gran]

Hi

Some days they have bottles of wine for same in the bar in Oceanview buffet area--I think they are $20-25 a bottle.

Not the best wine but --your other option is a bottle of gin-whisky-vodka whatever as they are usually cheaper to buy and a litre bottle, then just buy the mixer drinks from a shop or your hotel.

Liz

[cruisestitch]

 It’s quite easy to buy bottles of wine on board the ship. As stated, they often have bottles of wine on special in Oceanview Café at lunchtime. But basically you can buy bottles of wine at dinner and from most bars. What you can’t do is buy it at the duty-free store, because they don’t sell wine there. So unless you can find a special on a bottle of wine you’ll be paying the Celebrity retail price, not a duty free price.

[Jim_Iain]

Another option might be to buy your wine in any port prior to the end of the cruise.   When you return to the ship they will take it from you (but not always)  and you can pick it up on the last night of the cruise and pack in your suitcase.