Case of wine on the Queen Mary

[deck chair]

Hello

 

I am booked for a 40 day voyage from New York to Singapore on the Queen Mary 2 departing January 3.

 

In the past I have routinely carried on 4 bottles of wine  and resupplied at various port calls.

 

More than happy to pay the corkage fees.

 

I am thinking this time of bringing on a case in New York and am wondering if anyone has had experience doing this and what the hassle factor is

transporting the case from the pier to my cabin.  Any danger of breakage?  Is it a hassle for the stevedores to handle a case?

 

Any help appreciated.   Take care and thank you.

Deck Chair.

 

 

[stevdeb52]

They are clear on the two bottle maximum. Some have said they had no problem with 3 or 4 but I think it’s highly unlikely they will allow anyone to bring a case of wine on board even if you swore to pay corkage fees on every bottle....

[Stella1250]

I have seen posts from people who have brought on a case. Just wait for them to chime in. I am sure they will have all the info you need. Cheery cruising!

[deck chair]

2 hours ago, stevdeb52 said:

They are clear on the two bottle maximum. Some have said they had no problem with 3 or 4 but I think it’s highly unlikely they will allow anyone to bring a case of wine on board even if you swore to pay corkage fees on every bottle....

HI   Thank you for your input. Concerned about the hassle factor.  Thank you.

Deck Chair

[dfwguy]

from the FAQ within the  Cunard.com website :

 

Can I bring alcohol on board?
You may bring wine or champagne on board to celebrate special occasions. However if it is consumed in any of the dining rooms, alternative restaurants or bars then each bottle will be subject to  a corkage fee. 

 

The Cunard accountants have raised the corkage fee -per bottle- from $20 to $25 USD .

Still a great deal and fair to  all concerned.

[Bigmike911]

The last time I traveled on Queen Mary 2, I believe that they actually had a wine list, and a pretty good one. Why would anyone put up with the hassle of hauling wine, champagne, or spirits on board when they are readily available? That is just one more item to be dealt with. Perhaps one of the folks who recommend this practice can explain why. 

[Underwatr]

No hassle boarding in New York. I regularly carry on about 10 bottles of wine & champagne at embarkation, plus some harder stuff.

 

I bring wine because what I bring on is highly rated (equal to the ship's best) and I can research it ahead of my purchase, which is difficult to do at the dinner table.

[Abril222]

14 minutes ago, Underwatr said:

No hassle boarding in New York. I regularly carry on about 10 bottles of wine & champagne at embarkation, plus some harder stuff.

 

I bring wine because what I bring on is highly rated (equal to the ship's best) and I can research it ahead of my purchase, which is difficult to do at the dinner table.

Good Morning,  Do you carry it on yourself or do you give it to the porters and find it safely awaiting you in your cabin?

[Underwatr]

I carry it to guard against breakage. I have a canvas carrier for six bottles and if more I have a sort of wheeled tote that accomodates ten wine bottles plus some small plastic bottles of Coca-Cola.

 

[Abril222]

32 minutes ago, Underwatr said:

I carry it to guard against breakage. I have a canvas carrier for six bottles and if more I have a sort of wheeled tote that accomodates ten wine bottles plus some small plastic bottles of Coca-Cola.

 

Thanks for the info. I usually carry on 4 but was hoping to check it thru if I had more. Looks like I will have a few to carry. Better safe than broken!! 

[TheOldBear]

56 minutes ago, Abril222 said:

Thanks for the info. I usually carry on 4 but was hoping to check it thru if I had more. Looks like I will have a few to carry. Better safe than broken!! 

Our last trip my carryon contained mostly wine, padded with socks and underwear [6 normal bottles of 'good' wine and a magnum for in room consumption] 

[Elephant1151]

We put wine into two carry on cases and pad each bottle with bubble wrap.  Having returned from QV yesterday we did not take wine this time only Dom Perignon and paid $20 corkage.

 

The wine list was good and there was a table of bin ends for sale as well.

 

 

 

[jeno]

On 12/13/2018 at 12:30 PM, Underwatr said:

I carry it to guard against breakage. I have a canvas carrier for six bottles and if more I have a sort of wheeled tote that accomodates ten wine bottles plus some small plastic bottles of Coca-Cola.

 

Do you think Cunard is more forgiving on the amount of wine if you carry it on? We are not trying to hide it, but would rather not carry it. We would also like to take about a case of wine with us for our 32 day cruise. We have had wine shipped home from Italy several times and the bottles arrive in a very sturdy styrofoam container that holds 6 bottles of wine.  We are driving to port so the only chance to get broken is from the porter to the cabin. It seems if it can travel from Italy to Florida, it should be able to make it from the pier to cabin. Any thoughts on if Cunard would rather if we have it in a carry on? 

We were on a World Cruise and people boarded with cases of wine on a dolly.  I tend to agree with the poster that said that Cunard only cares if your drinking becomes a problem onboard. 

Edited December 14, 2018 by jeno

[Underwatr]

I'm not aware of any restriction on checking wine, particularly if it's securely packed. You should be aware, though, that bags are packed into "cages" (cubes 2+ meters on a side) for loading onto a ship and are roughly handled on either end. Read about others who have had wheels broken off of rolling suitcases, for example. My wine carrier isn't as well protected as yours and I have had one bottle break when it was tossed into a shuttle van by a "helpful" driver (at least it was waterproof so the spillage was limited to the other bottles) so I'm wary about trusting my wines to the care of others.

[luckymal]

This drink problem does not affect me, But I can not understand how much drink people want to take on board. I think if people get carried away with the amount they want to take onboard it will backfire, with Cunard like other cruise lines banning  taking drink on board. Having said that, I do find the charges made in the bars and restaurants ridiculously high plus the service charge. Would it make more sense  in banning taking drink on board and reduce the prices and selling more?🥃🍷

[Underwatr]

Is there anything wrong with a couple sharing a bottle of wine at dinner every night (or in the privacy of their room)? The QM2 Caribbean cruises out of New York are 12 nights long - there's your case of wine.

 

If you think banning carry on would result in lower onboard prices, I have a bridge in New York I'd like to interest you in... 😉

[Underwatr]

On 12/14/2018 at 5:55 PM, jeno said:

Do you think Cunard is more forgiving on the amount of wine if you carry it on?

This was recently discussed in another Cunard thread. There are different versions of booking terms depending on where you look. One version says "At embarkation, all luggage is subject to scanning for suspected alcohol in excess of the one bottle policy as provided herein. Your luggage is subject to a secondary inspection by a security team operating under CCTV (closed circuit surveillance) or in the event Your luggage is locked, You may be notified and are required to attend the secondary inspection where any alcohol found in violation of the one bottle policy will be removed and discarded. Carrier shall not be responsible for any loss, cost, disappointment or damage of any kind as a result of any alcoholic beverages removed in violation of the one bottle policy. "

 

But also note that the Passage Contract attached to the ticket for me December 22 QM2 cruise doesn't include the above, not does it mention any limits on carrying on with or champagne.

[newjoisey]

does this mean the keg party is back on 

[bluemarble]

As the one who posted those contract terms from the Cunard passage contract found on the US voyage personaliser about luggage being subject to inspection for alcohol, I don't want to alarm anyone that this is a new policy about to be introduced by Cunard. Although Cunard could certainly institute such a policy at some point in the future, it is worth noting that the passage contract from the US voyage personaliser with that wording about inspecting luggage for alcohol is dated "March 2016".

[luckymal]

5 hours ago, Underwatr said:

Is there anything wrong with a couple sharing a bottle of wine at dinner every night (or in the privacy of their room)? The QM2 Caribbean cruises out of New York are 12 nights long - there's your case of wine.

 

If you think banning carry on would result in lower onboard prices, I have a bridge in New York I'd like to interest you in... 😉

I did not say they would they would reduce prices. I think you have translated the comment wrong.🥃🍷

[orvil]

I strongly suggest that you carry it on.  Don't feel bad about bringing a case.  If you ever do the below decks tour, you will see the area where the luggage cages are assembled and stored.  It's a rough area.  Very industrial.  They won't be looking to take care of your box.  They are working at break neck speed and there are more cages to unload.  It's quite the operation and very dangerous. 

 

My record was four bottles plus a twelve pack of Coca-Cola.  While it was heavy, I just rolled it aboard with a luggage carrier.  I'm a very moderate drinker.  If your bag gets lost, you won't care because you have your wine.  After all, it's all about priorities.  Carry it on board yourself.  Let them worry about your clothes.  

 

The dining room is more than happy to cork your selected wine.  I called my butler and asked him to deliver my night's selection to the sommelier.  Madam was going to be busy at a lecture.   How many times in your life can you say you did that?  It was worth the end of cruise tip to my butler for the service.

[Neuhoftraveler]

This thread may already have died of its own weight, but I'm pleased to report that on our 15-22 December QM2 westbound crossing, we had no difficulty carrying on 7 assorted wine bottles in an innocent-appearing carry-on shoulder tote bag.  At dinner on the first night we turned them all over to our wine steward.  Each night we "ordered" our chosen wine when giving our food order, except that on the nights we wanted one of our white wines we asked at lunch for the wine to be chilled before dinner.  All requests were cheerfully complied with.  Corkage was $20 per bottle.

 

To those who ask, "Why bother?" -- The quality of the wine we brought on board was far superior to anything on the wine list at the same price point (c. $50 including corkage), and would have cost hundreds of dollars each night for the Cunard-supplied equivalent.

[luckymal]

12 hours ago, Neuhoftraveler said:

This thread may already have died of its own weight, but I'm pleased to report that on our 15-22 December QM2 westbound crossing, we had no difficulty carrying on 7 assorted wine bottles in an innocent-appearing carry-on shoulder tote bag.  At dinner on the first night we turned them all over to our wine steward.  Each night we "ordered" our chosen wine when giving our food order, except that on the nights we wanted one of our white wines we asked at lunch for the wine to be chilled before dinner.  All requests were cheerfully complied with.  Corkage was $20 per bottle.

 

To those who ask, "Why bother?" -- The quality of the wine we brought on board was far superior to anything on the wine list at the same price point (c. $50 including corkage), and would have cost hundreds of dollars each night for the Cunard-supplied equivalent.

 

 

If Cunard management read these postings, I wonder if they think how much money they are missing out on, an  odd bottle

or two  yes, but surely there must be limits?

[Underwatr]

Maybe after transportation and storage their margin is better on the $20 corkage.

[Jack E Dawson]

Deck Chair, if you have internet access, wondering how the hassle factor was for your boarding on the 3rd with the wine?