Corkage Fee

[Iamcruzin]

10 hours ago, Kordy said:

 

Is it really OK to take a plastic water bottle filled with wine out at a table and pour it into your glass at your table?   Do people feel comfortable doing that?

 

PS. I know that, in a restaurant in New York City, if you did this this to save on drinks, they would almost walk you out lol

I have never seen anyone do this. However, I don't drink wine at dinner but my wife does.  Back in the day before alcohol drink packages We each walked in with a glass of wine she drank both. 

[rustycruzr]

Just now, drakes2 said:

No charge for anything bought on their website or any shoreside gifts

Fabulous...thanks!

[Iamcruzin]

4 hours ago, NMTraveller said:

Here is what I think is going on.  They have raised the price of the drink package so high, people are bringing their own wine onboard.  They are trying to recoup these losses through raising the corkage fees.  🤣  Does anyone think that this will work out for them?

No, it didn't before and it won't now.  If they stop allowing it altogether people will just go back to bringing wine and other liquor on board in Shampoo bottles. I don't know what they are trying to prove with a corkage fee at any price.

Edited Saturday at 09:55 PM by Iamcruzin

[rustycruzr]

8 minutes ago, canderson said:

Even a 'Classic' member gets the same 10% discount buying aboard, and 'Select' and above can all do better than this aboard (15 or 20%).

Thanks for this...I didn't know.

[rustycruzr]

3 minutes ago, Iamcruzin said:

bringing wine and other liquor on board in Shampoo bottles.

Shampoo bottles? Really?

[TraderSam]

8 minutes ago, rustycruzr said:

Shampoo bottles? Really?

 

12 minutes ago, Iamcruzin said:

 bringing wine and other liquor on board in Shampoo bottles. 

Gives new meaning to the phrase "a bottle of bubbly" 😉🍾 🫧

[cruisestitch]

4 hours ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

We went depart from Libson in November, how much will they charge to open a 5l box of wine 🤔😉🤣

That would not be allowed—-too large

[Trevor Fountain]

I would like to wholeheartedly thank Celebrity. Since recently jumping from NCL & P&O (UK), I find the cost of beverage packages and alcohol per se, so ridiculous that my alcoholism has been cured. All they need to do now is start charging for the MDR, and Buffet, and I will be able to cancel my Weight Watchers subscription.

[cruisestitch]

3 hours ago, NMTraveller said:

The AMA Waterways cruises that I am pricing out are definitely lower priced than when I compare pricing to an inside cabin on Celebrity with drink packages,  excursions,  room service, and chefs table.  Plus you know that you are going to run into other fees on Celebrity such as additional fees for wine with the drink package, etc., etc.

 

AMA Waterways does not have any inside cabins to compare with.  I had zero additional charges on AMA Waterways.

 

This kind of reminds me of the discount airlines.  Celebrity's prices are low,  but when you add in everything they can be more expensive.

 

Trying to get around the high drink prices, corkage fees by pouring in the room is probably not the way to go...

 

Skip drinks on Celebrity,  excursions,  and chefs table and Celebrity would be less expensive.

There is no equivalence….river cruise and ocean cruise are different products…..

[Iamcruzin]

5 hours ago, NMTraveller said:

 Perhaps they should send their management to Econ 101 and not Nickel and Dime 101.  The more that they raise prices, the less corkage fees that they will collect.  I doubt that they collect many at this price.

They graduated from Nickel and Dime 101 a long time ago and now they are working on their MBA in Price Gouging.

Edited Saturday at 10:27 PM by Iamcruzin

[drakes2]

2 minutes ago, Iamcruzin said:

They graduated from Nickel and Dime 101 and long time ago and now working on their MBA in Price Gouging.

Why would there be a 20% gratuity on the corkage fee? They don't charge gratuities if you purchase in on-board shops. $42 seems way over the top. 

[Iamcruzin]

29 minutes ago, rustycruzr said:

Shampoo bottles? Really?

They actually sell fake Shampoo bottles on Amazon. It comes up when you search rum runner. 

[Iamcruzin]

1 minute ago, drakes2 said:

Why would there be a 20% gratuity on the corkage fee? They don't charge gratuities if you purchase in on-board shops. $42 seems way over the top. 

At that price they should add free corkage to the elite benefits.

[Cruise Junky]

3 hours ago, jelayne said:

When we go out at home we can’t bring our own wine, so charging a corkage doesn’t seem unreasonable to me.  As for meh wine, not usually our choice.   
 

Of course you can.  Corkage is a very common practice around the world at land based restaurants. Cruise ships didn’t invent it. 

[NMTraveller]

30 minutes ago, cruisestitch said:

There is no equivalence….river cruise and ocean cruise are different products…..

True.  One is a more luxury experience and the other is more mass market ...

[NMTraveller]

31 minutes ago, Trevor Fountain said:

I would like to wholeheartedly thank Celebrity. Since recently jumping from NCL & P&O (UK), I find the cost of beverage packages and alcohol per se, so ridiculous that my alcoholism has been cured. All they need to do now is start charging for the MDR, and Buffet, and I will be able to cancel my Weight Watchers subscription.

Ah yes.  They are doing this for the cruiser's health 😁

[zitsky]

23 minutes ago, Iamcruzin said:

They actually sell fake Shampoo bottles on Amazon. It comes up when you search rum runner. 

I can’t even find good leak proof bottles for mouthwash on Amazon.  I went to Walmart and bought some travel sizes.  

[justcrusn]

7 hours ago, rustycruzr said:

Is the wine that you purchased on the Celebrity website subject to a corkage fee if you bring the bottle to dinner?

 

If it is, I'll certainly be filling up a glass with the wine and bringing it. I have steady hands...won't spill a drop 🙂

It is not. But it’s awkward. I have done that and explaining it to the staff made me wish i had just purchased it in the dining room.

[Iamcruzin]

12 hours ago, zitsky said:

I can’t even find good leak proof bottles for mouthwash on Amazon.  I went to Walmart and bought some travel sizes.  

People were known to use mouth wash bottles for liquor too. By the way all of these tips have been posted on Cruise Critic over the years. Mostly on the Royal Caribbean, NCL and Carnival pages. I remember someone asking about storing weed in a fake shaving cream can that twisted open at the bottom. If Celebrity is going to gouge the few people who actually are willing to pay the corkage fee they will become bootleggers as well. 

Edited yesterday at 11:41 AM by Iamcruzin

[Kordy]

1 hour ago, Iamcruzin said:

People were known to use mouth wash bottles for liquor too. By the way all of these tips have been posted on Cruise Critic over the years. Mostly on the Royal Caribbean, NCL and Carnival pages. I remember someone asking about storing weed in a fake shaving cream can that twisted open at the bottom. If Celebrity is going to gouge the few people who actually are willing to pay the corkage fee they will become bootleggers as well. 

 

Agreed.  I can tell you this much ... It doesn't feel good to pay $42 / bottle corkage fee !  It just doesn't feel right.  I would rather take that $42 and use it towards something else that I would enjoy and work around this high charge.

[drakes2]

9 hours ago, justcrusn said:

It is not. But it’s awkward. I have done that and explaining it to the staff made me wish i had just purchased it in the dining room.

Take your proof that you purchased from onboard gifts. Whenever I get wine gifted to me I bring the card they've attached to MDR showing what they gave me. I leave it on the table for the sommelier to see. 

[jelayne]

15 hours ago, Cruise Junky said:

Of course you can.  Corkage is a very common practice around the world at land based restaurants. Cruise ships didn’t invent it. 

I guess I didn’t make my point.  
 

I wasn’t suggesting that corkage fees didn’t exist.  If we go to dinner in most restaurants we can not bring our own beverages ( wine, alcohol, etc) as selling those is how restaurants make money.   At the few  where we can bring our own there is a corkage fee, glass charge, etc.  

I’m surprised that so many are upset over a fee ( not the amount which I agree is high).  The ship is a profit center and revenue from sales of beverages is large.  It has always surprised me that Celebrity allows carrying on of water, soda or any amount of wine.  

[drakes2]

4 minutes ago, jelayne said:

I guess I didn’t make my point.  
 

I wasn’t suggesting that corkage fees didn’t exist.  If we go to dinner in most restaurants we can not bring our own beverages ( wine, alcohol, etc) as selling those is how restaurants make money.   At the few  where we can bring our own there is a corkage fee, glass charge, etc.  

I’m surprised that so many are upset over a fee ( not the amount which I agree is high).  The ship is a profit center and revenue from sales of beverages is large.  It has always surprised me that Celebrity allows carrying on of water, soda or any amount of wine.  

Thanks for pointing that out. You are right they're a business like any other and will charge what they feel the guest will bear. If enough squawk about the charge or they don't generate much revenue from it we will see changes. 

[publicpersona]

16 hours ago, Trevor Fountain said:

All they need to do now is start charging for the MDR

 

No! Don't give them any ideas!

 

"We have some exciting changes coming to your onboard dining experience! Meals consumed in the main dining room will continue to be complimentary. For your convenience, a table delivery fee of $39 (plus 20% gratuity) will be automatically charged to your onboard account for each item ordered."

[toras]

I'm thinking of getting a carafe, and use it to carry wine from cabin to dining room. But then I'll have to take it back to the cabin first before doing anything else.