Bringing Wine on Board

[marchanxiety]

I know that in the past guests have been able to bring wine from ashore to enjoy on the ship.  We were planning to buy some nice Chilean cabs in Santiago as we were very disappointed with the complimentary selections on our October cruise on the Ovation, and many of the wines for purchase were very costly.  But the General Information section of the 20190-2020 brochure states on page 126 that "Any alcohol purchased ashore will be collected at the gangway for safe keeping and will be returned to you on the last day of your voyage."  Is this now the rule?  I may have to purchase a wine package or pick the 20% wine discount as one of my Platinum benefits!

[2SailingNomads]

I think that is some common Carnival verbiage.  We have brought multiple wines and other spirits on in multiple ports and never had an issue.  Friends who are on now shared a picture of a wine they brought a couple of days ago.   

[rols]

3 hours ago, 2SailingNomads said:

I think that is some common Carnival verbiage.  We have brought multiple wines and other spirits on in multiple ports and never had an issue.  Friends who are on now shared a picture of a wine they brought a couple of days ago.   

 

Similar story on our last cruise. We bought a bottle or two at several ports and brought them on board. We dined one evening with a family who had brought quite a collection with them and the waiters opened it and served it for us. 

I haven't seen that language before, but I'm not sure I've read the Seabourn T&C in detail since our first cruise with them long ago so it's possible it changed. 

[marchanxiety]

Thanks, everyone.  We may chance it with a few bottles, but it's a risk since nwe nreally can't bring it home with us!

[CLOU]

We just returned from the Odyssey and brought two bottles on board that we purchased from a lovely wine shop in St. Barts.  They were happy to serve it to us in the dining room.

[marazul]

No problem bringing wine on board.  And there is never a corkage fee.

[DC Traveler244]

We’ve brought wine aboard many times without any issue. The sommeliers generally are interested to see what we’ve brought from ashore. 

 

We do have a cautionary tale, however:  after bringing several bottles of a  high-end Chilean wine aboard the Quest several years ago, we discovered that the same wine was on the MDR’s premium wine list for about 70% of what we’d paid for it at the winery!  

 

So, be aware that the prices on the premium wine list are often very good values, especially if you get a SB Club discount. 

 

 

[rols]

4 hours ago, DC Traveler244 said:

So, be aware that the prices on the premium wine list are often very good values, especially if you get a SB Club discount. 

That certainly used to be the case, both on Seabourn and Silversea, and we used to pick a couple of bottles a cruise at prices below what we'd pay in say the UK or US and far below what it costs in Singapore.

On the last cruise, summer 2018, I found the wines closer to restaurant prices, with an accompanying lowering of quality at the lower priced end. A couple of wines we occasionally buy for special occasions were on the list and they were at or very close to retail price in Singapore. 

[DC Traveler244]

 rols, I think I might have been unclear in  my comment about the premium-list wines often being a “good value.”  My observation is based on retail wine prices in Wasington DC, where it is customary for restaurants to price wines at 3X retail. 

 

I cannot comment on how Singapore retail/restaurant  prices compare to those in DC. 

 

We’re currently on the Ovation, and we continue to find that the premium wine list prices  are a great value compared to  the DC restaurant prices to which we’re accustomed. 

 

For what it’s worth, we have not observed any reduction in the quality of the premium-list offerings on this holiday cruise.  

 

 

[socalguy2010]

we are winos. we generally bring aboard a "wine suitcase" with 6-8 bottles of our choosing - never had a problem; a sommelier is always glad to open and pour the wine for us. In addition, we have occasionally bought wine in a local wine shop while in port and brought it aboard for drinking in the next couple of days - never a problem with that, either. (I will admit that the last time we bought wine locally and brought it aboard was 2 years ago, but from what the others are saying, it sounds like it's still not a problem.)

[marchanxiety]

I recently read the results of a tasting in the Wall Street Journal.  They found.some excellent cabs in the $25-30 range.
That's what we were thinking of.  We don't have the knowledge to choose high end wines in a Chilean store.  I think we'll use our club discount.  I'll study the wine list closely to see if it has some of the ridiculous mark-ups I see at DC steakhouses.  I too am used to DC prices!

[raphael360]

Two separate comments to add to the conversaton"

1.  SB offers Piper and Dom Champagne at 25% less than I can get  anywhere in Florida.  With that said, I can speak to the price of their wines.

2.  I can't imagine them not allowing one to bring his or her favorite wine on board.  I personally picked up some local Vodka at a port in the UK and they didn't even open the bag when I boarded.

 

Don't try carrying liquor on board Oceania or RCC.

[Mahogany]

 I just returned from 38 days on Oceania's Riviera. I brought a suitcase of 8 1/2 (Sauterne) bottles and a large bottle of Mt. Gay Rum. No problem. Corkage fee of $25 in dining rooms a bargain if you bring a good bottle (compared to Oceania's offerings), and no charge if you consume in your stateroom. I believe the official policy is 6 bottles, but as I said, I encountered no problem.

[CLOU]

We have never been charged corkage fee in the dining room.  Is this a new policy?  I would think Sebourn would be happy not to have you consume its complimentary wine.

[dalliowner]

I think they were saying they were charged on Oceania not on Seabourn

[CLOU]

That makes sense.  Just got off Seabourn in December and there was no corkage fee.

[Roxburgh]

We bought two bottles in Margaret River on our recent Sojourn cruise. 

 

Enjoyed both of them, one night in Keller and the other in the MDR. The sommeliers were very happy to serve it and there was no corkage fee.

[Mark56]

Can someone give me a general idea of the what the complementary wines are like? 

[marazul]

3 hours ago, Mark56 said:

Can someone give me a general idea of the what the complementary wines are like? 

Quite decent, with some awful cheap exceptions (e.g., I have seen Beringer blush white zinfandel 😝).  Usually, all very drinkable.  Some are very good.  Look through these board.

Always ask what else they have if you don't like the evening's offering.  Make friends with the wine steward/waiter and ask to see the list.  Once they know that you prefer a given wine, they will always have it available for you.

[dalliowner]

If you go to the square and ask for  a list of the complementary wines they will print a lis

t for you . There are usually 15 -20 to choose from