Sydney wine stores

[OzKiwiJJ]

1 hour ago, Aus Traveller said:

I will be interested to see how the corkage fee is charged on future cruises. There was usually a wine table set up either in the cruise terminal, or (at a port stop), just inside the ship. However on our 26th June cruise there was no wine table. We expected to be charged the $15 corkage on the bottles we took to the dining room, but it didn't happen. 🙂

At the OPT it was situated just after the security screening. I'll check if it's still there on the 3rd Sept.

[Aus Traveller]

1 hour ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

At the OPT it was situated just after the security screening. I'll check if it's still there on the 3rd Sept.

That's how it was at Portside also.

[lyndarra]

On 8/1/2022 at 10:10 PM, kernow said:

Do supermarkets sell wine or do we have to go to a special shop? Not looking for anything fancy, just a couple of reasonable bottles to drink on the balcony.

Aldi do, just like in UK.

[MicCanberra]

If it is just a few bottles, the bottle shop at Circular quay under the station is good, a reasonable selection  at decent pricing 

[Porky55]

Considering a case of wine (12 bottles) can weigh anywhere between 15 and 19kgs I wouldn’t want to be carrying it to the Hilton, and then to the ship with luggage. 😳 😆

 

“How Much Does a Case of Wine Weigh? The average case of wine weighs between 30 and 40 lbs or 14.25 to 19 kg. Since there are 12 bottles of wine in a case, we can estimate the total weight based off of a single bottle's weight. The standard 750 ml bottle of wine weighs an average of 2.65 pounds (1.2 kg).”

 

 

Edited August 3, 2022 by Porky55

[Mrs f.]

Small rolling case. Sleeves to protect bottles. No problem. 

We shall replenish at various wineries we visit along the way.

[Hernextdoor]

On 8/4/2022 at 7:38 AM, Mrs f. said:

Small rolling case. Sleeves to protect bottles. No problem. 

We shall replenish at various wineries we visit along the way.

Are you allowed to do that - replenish along the way. Everything I have read says you can only take wine onboard at embarkation, and anything you buy along the way will be impounded and returned at the end of the cruise?

[Aus Traveller]

55 minutes ago, Hernextdoor said:

Are you allowed to do that - replenish along the way. Everything I have read says you can only take wine onboard at embarkation, and anything you buy along the way will be impounded and returned at the end of the cruise?

Enquire on board.

[arxcards]

1 hour ago, Hernextdoor said:

Are you allowed to do that - replenish along the way. Everything I have read says you can only take wine onboard at embarkation, and anything you buy along the way will be impounded and returned at the end of the cruise?

Depends on who you are cruising with. P&O won't even let you take a bottle of water back onboard. At the other end of the scale, some lines will let you take as much wine aboard as you like in each port, mostly dependent on a corkage fee.

[cruiser3775]

I have only checked for HAL and Princess. Both allow unlimited bottles of wine to be taken on board at embarkation. You get the first bottle free per person, but you have to pay a fee on the rest. Princess is $A15 per bottle on sailings from Australia.  That's still a better deal than the ridiculous prices they charge on board for a poor selection of mediocre wines.

I don't think either of those lines allow you to bring more bottles on board at port stops, except to hold it for you until the end of the voyage. The exception is a small allowance (2 bottles, I think) if you go on a winery tour organised by the ship.

Edited August 12, 2022 by cruiser3775

[Aus Traveller]

23 minutes ago, cruiser3775 said:

I have only checked for HAL and Princess. Both allow unlimited bottles of wine to be taken on board at embarkation. You get the first bottle free per person, but you have to pay a fee on the rest. Princess is $A15 per bottle on sailings from Australia.  That's still a better deal than the ridiculous prices they charge on board for a poor selection of mediocre wines.

I don't think either of those lines allow you to bring more bottles on board at port stops, except to hold it for you until the end of the voyage. The exception is a small allowance (2 bottles, I think) if you go on a winery tour organised by the ship.

Sometimes the staff on Princess allow bottles of wine to be brought on at intermediate ports of call, and other times they don't. That's why I suggested that the person should ask on board.

[Mrs f.]

Oceania lets you bring on as much as you want. No fee if you drink in cabin. $25 corkage if you drink in dining room.   We have a 35 day cruise. Plan on getting some wine in Sydney and more as we tour around Australia. 

 

No problem bringing more wine onboard at different ports. We do it all the time. Goes though the  scanner. Nothing hidden.

Edited August 12, 2022 by Mrs f.
Additional info

[NeilonBoard]

On 8/12/2022 at 5:40 PM, Aus Traveller said:

Sometimes the staff on Princess allow bottles of wine to be brought on at intermediate ports of call, and other times they don't. That's why I suggested that the person should ask on board.

At Australian ports we have always found Princess allow us to bring bottles on board and pay the corkage fee. We prefer to buy 2/3 bottles each port rather than bring on a large quantity at embarkation. Always happy to pay the corkage price and consider ourselves miles in front compared to buying in the dining room at Princess prices. Hopefully we can do the same for our upcoming NZ cruise. 

[cruiser3775]

That's good to know, Neilonboard.  I read their t & c's to say that they would only allow it at the embarkation port. It would be much easier to bring a couple of bottles on each time. Could you please confirm that it works that way once you are on the NZ cruise, or can someone else confirm? 

Edited August 15, 2022 by cruiser3775

[MicCanberra]

Corkage may be asked for bottles brought on in ports other than embarkation, however if you have bought wine on a winery tour that you want to take home, they may store it for you until the last night.

[john2003]

On 8/12/2022 at 12:15 AM, cruiser3775 said:

I have only checked for HAL and Princess. Both allow unlimited bottles of wine to be taken on board at embarkation. You get the first bottle free per person, but you have to pay a fee on the rest. 

If you just checked HAL they must have different policies for Australian ports. They no longer allow the free bottle as far as I know.

[Aus Traveller]

31 minutes ago, john2003 said:

If you just checked HAL they must have different policies for Australian ports. They no longer allow the free bottle as far as I know.

On looking at HAL's policies on the internet it appears to be similar to Princess' except the corkage charge is $18 not $15. The site I looked at also said that wine taken on at ports of call will incur the corkage charge. Here is part of the info:

 

Bringing alcohol onboard at embarkation: Passengers of legal drinking age may bring one bottle of wine or Champagne (no larger than 750ml) onboard in their carry-on luggage at the beginning of a sailing. This bottle is not subject to a corkage fee if it is consumed in the cabin. Additional wine or Champagne bottles brought on in carry-on luggage will incur a corkage fee of $18 a bottle, regardless of where they will be consumed. No beer or liquor may be brought onboard; any such bottles or other containers found will be collected for safekeeping and delivered to passengers' staterooms on the last day of the voyage.

[cruiser3775]

15 hours ago, Aus Traveller said:

Passengers of legal drinking age may bring one bottle of wine or Champagne (no larger than 750ml) onboard in their carry-on luggage at the beginning of a sailing.

 "At the beginning of the sailing" is the part that I took to mean it is the only time you can bring wine onboard.  So I thought it meant buying more at ports en route is not allowed. Looks like you can do it with Princess, but maybe not with HAL?

[Aus Traveller]

32 minutes ago, cruiser3775 said:

 "At the beginning of the sailing" is the part that I took to mean it is the only time you can bring wine onboard.  So I thought it meant buying more at ports en route is not allowed. Looks like you can do it with Princess, but maybe not with HAL?

Princess' official T&C also don't allow wine to be brought on at intermediate ports, but in practice it has usually been allowed. On one cruise beer was allowed, but a couple of weeks later at the same port, it wasn't allowed. A new Hotel Manager had taken over the job in the meantime. Because it doesn't say in the T&C that you can being wine on board at intermediate ports, I suggest that people check on board. In my experience, Princess is consistent in its inconsistency!!😁

[buchhalm]

2 comments: 🙂

1: When you purchase wines at wineries in Australia (ships tour or not) they will send it to your home in Australia for a minimal fee or even for free if you spend a bit more. Most will also organise international shipping for you. That is if you don't plan to enjoy the wine on the ship.

2: the good thing with many wines now is that they have twist tops/ screw caps. One might pour out a cheap wine and replace it with nice whisky/gin/tequila.... 😎

 

[cruiser3775]

12 hours ago, buchhalm said:

One might pour out a cheap wine and replace it with nice whisky/gin/tequila.... 😎

You think the ship's security haven't thought of that?  It is easy to check if the screw cap has been opened.