Questions about alcohol onboard (merged)

[Don Pedro]

Simple question, so many answers. I don't want to smuggle wine in. I do, however, want to be able to partake in a glass or two on my balcony. Can I order wine from NOS and have it delivered to my cabin? Will the wine package enable me to bring a bottle to my cabin?

 

Many thanks for replies.

 

Yes, our travel agent always sents us a bottle of wine. Usually, when we board the ship, it is already in our room along with wine glasses and a cork screw.

[castle701]

I am sending wine gift baskets to some people who are traveling with us. Can they bring their wine to dinner????

[goldmom]

We received a bottle of wine onboard from our travel agent. Took it to dinner and told waiter it was a gift from travel agent and they served it, no problem and no corkage fee. I would think that your situation would be the same.

 

Enjoy!

[wrp96]

Somebody who was on the Radiance a few weeks ago reported that they were charged a corkage fee in the dining room when they took a bottle of wine that was purchased through RCCL by their TA with them to the dining room. This was a bottle of wine purchased from the cruiseline. Unless you get lucky, you will most likely be charged a corkage fee if you bring it to the dining room.

[medfordgirl]

I agree it all depends on the waiter. We brought a bottle to dinner (that we had brought on board ourselves) and were not charged. I think we just got lucky. Just go in expecting to pay the "fee" and if they don't charge you then just :D and maybe give the waiter a little extra tip.

[wrp96]

I agree it all depends on the waiter. We brought a bottle to dinner (that we had brought on board ourselves) and were not charged. I think we just got lucky. Just go in expecting to pay the "fee" and if they don't charge you then just :D and maybe give the waiter a little extra tip.

 

When was your last cruise? Was it before or after the alcohol policy changed this summer?

[medfordgirl]

When was your last cruise? Was it before or after the alcohol policy changed this summer?

 

It was before....but we brought on a nice chianti that they actually carry on board. Maybe they thought we purchased it on board? We will try it again next month. Will let you know what happens.

[wrp96]

It was before....but we brought on a nice chianti that they actually carry on board. Maybe they thought we purchased it on board? We will try it again next month. Will let you know what happens.

 

Since they changed the alcohol policy this summer you are no longer allowed to carry any wine onboard at all. AND if you have wine delivered to your stateroom and then bring it to the dining room you are charged a corkage fee. This was from somebody who cruised the Radiance a few weeks ago. A lot of the stuff they used to do and allow regarding alcohol is quickly changing.

[Don Pedro]

Since they changed the alcohol policy this summer you are no longer allowed to carry any wine onboard at all. AND if you have wine delivered to your stateroom and then bring it to the dining room you are charged a corkage fee. This was from somebody who cruised the Radiance a few weeks ago. A lot of the stuff they used to do and allow regarding alcohol is quickly changing.

 

We also read where this happened, but it seems rather bizzare to be charged a corkage fee for the wine you purchased from RCCL.

[first timer with teens]

Yes, our travel agent always sents us a bottle of wine. Usually, when we board the ship, it is already in our room along with wine glasses and a cork screw.

But I think that the relevant point is, "What is happening NOW?"

 

RC has a "new policy" - how is that affecting these things, NOT what has happened in the past.

 

We await every returning cruiser with anticipation.

[first timer with teens]

We also read where this happened, but it seems rather bizzare to be charged a corkage fee for the wine you purchased from RCCL.

It certainly does. And I was charged the 15% gratuity on the corkage fee in Portofino's on the Explorer. A service charge on a service charge??????????

[critterchick]

We also read where this happened, but it seems rather bizzare to be charged a corkage fee for the wine you purchased from RCCL.

 

It is bizarre, but it's also their policy. From the Royal Caribbean Gifts & Gear section of their website:

 

"Our extensive Wine Cellar Collection rivals those of the finest restaurants (:rolleyes: ), offering more than 50 bottles of wine and champagne from around the world . Order from the list below and have your favorite bottle delivered to your stateroom or to your table at dinner. Please choose Dining Room delivery if you wish to drink your wine in the dining room (corkage fee is waived). Stateroom delivery indicates you will drink your wine in your stateroom only."

 

Although it's not clearly stated, I infer that if you bring it from your stateroom the corkage fee will be applied even though you bought it from the ship. The policy may not actually be applied on all ships, but that appears to be what it is.

[goldmom]

We just came off the Explorer this past Sunday. I asked at the Guest Relations Desk about the corkage fee before I took the wine from our TA to dinner. They told me there would be no corkage fee if we received the wine as a gift onboard and to just tell the waiter that it was a TA gift.

 

We were not charged a corkage fee in the dining room.

[rolloman]

My TA always gives us a bottle of wine, I have never been charged a corkage fee from my waiter, I usually ask the night before just to make sure but is always " no problem". If you are really worried about it, walk by any bar and get ask for a couple wine glasses, fill them up with your wine and then take them to dinner.

[Brendad777]

I know that bringing "smuggled" alcohol is not allowed (I also know that this is a popular topic on this board). I would just like to know if anyone has recently smuggled alcohol (or tried to) on the Navigator. We are going on our first cruise (our honeymoon:D ) on January 27th, 2007 and we would like to take our favorite bottle of wine with us.

[njoyndride]

Brought my favorite wine in my checked luggage no problemo...congrats on your marriage!!!

[KK_Cruisin]

Yup, I brought 2 bottles of wine and a 12 pack of mountain dew. In my checked bags. No problems.

[katiel53]

A few weeks ago, I sent an email to Richard Fain regarding the wine policies on RCCL. An assistant from his office called me and gave me the following information.

 

No wine of any kind can be brought onboard. (That's what I wrote the email to complain of their new policy.) If a TA sends wine, even wine purchased from Gifts N Gear (RCCL) and it is sent to the cabin, it may be consumed there. If it is taken to the dining room from the cabin, a corkage fee will apply. If it is sent to the dining room instead, no corkage fee applies, but it can not be taken to the cabin. I find this policy incredulous.

 

This info is supposedly on their website, but I haven't looked as I was/still am angry about their new policy. I don't know anything about the wine package, so I am sorry I can't comment on it.

 

Katie

[Alexis]

I know that bringing "smuggled" alcohol is not allowed (I also know that this is a popular topic on this board). I would just like to know if anyone has recently smuggled alcohol (or tried to) on the Navigator. We are going on our first cruise (our honeymoon ) on January 27th, 2007 and we would like to take our favorite bottle of wine with us.

 

I was on the same 2 cruises as the CC's above, Sept. 16 and Sept. 23. (Hi KK_Cruisin & njoyndride) I brought on two good size bottles of Kahlua in my checked luggage and did not have a problem. ;)

[aliana]

We returned last week from the New England Cruise on the Jewel. I had a small bottle of vodka and a 16 oz bottle of bourbon in my checked luggage. No problem getting that through. I drank very little of it since we were not in our room that much and brought most of it home. We had a bottle of wine sent to our room on arrival through the Gifts program and ordered the wine package once we were on board. ( you can have the wine sent to your room or to the dining room) If we didn't finish a bottle at dinner, we could take it with us for our stateroom or to drink anywhere else on the ship. Our traveling companions brought on a bottle of wine in their checked luggage and drank it in the stateroom and other places on the ship.

 

You should not be charged a corkage fee at dinner for a bottle you bought through the ship. Just tell the waiter the wine was purchased through the ship and they will not charge you a corkage fee. We did that.

 

The stateroom attendant and waiters aren't concerned with where the booze comes from.

[Snobunnie]

We jsut returned from The Adventure 10/22-29 sailing. Here is was we did. I packed a full plastic bottle of Capt Morgans, and 4 small plastic Baleys in our checked luggage. Arrived no problems. We also purchased a basket from, "Just for you" with a bottle of Vodka, 2 bottles of Red and a bottle of Reisling. That was in our room also, no problem. We also purchased a wine package with dinner. It was gone and we still bad wine in our room. We asked our Head waiter if we could bring our wine to the dinning room from our cabin that was in our Welcome Basket from "Just for you". Also no problem and no corkage. They were taking all alcohol purchased on the islands and storing it until the last evening. One set friends did however just walk on with a bottle from Curacao. But the other set of friends in front of them had thiers taken. They were busy with the 1st couples bottles...

 

When you purchase on the Islands, some alcohol places (Bacardi specifically) have these nifty bottle bags with a Zip tie "like" seals on the bag fasteners. The airlines were allowing these on board.

[Kenny1118]

Any ideas for sneaking a Keg of Heineken onto the boat? :D

[monakayk]

My TA always gives us a bottle of wine, I have never been charged a corkage fee from my waiter, I usually ask the night before just to make sure but is always " no problem". If you are really worried about it, walk by any bar and get ask for a couple wine glasses, fill them up with your wine and then take them to dinner.

 

That is what I sort of did.

I am a slow drinker and I just took my unfinished drink/wine from the bar into the dinning room..no one said a word to me! If I had..had some wine in my cabin that I had purchased on board I know I could've taken my wine glass back to the cabin and filled it up there with wine I had purchase through the ship and have taken it to the dinning room.

These so call 'rules' of RCCL are not consistent and ridiculous! They say you can purchase wine from their wine packages to ONLY consume it in the dinning room, and you can purchase wine through room/gift service and can only consume it in your cabin. Sounds like they could care less how much you drink and are not concerned with your so called safety (over drinking and such)...just so long as you purchase THEIR wine/liquor at various places and then are ONLY allowed to consume those drinks at certain places they designate. Thus having you purchase more wine/liquor in different areas/places on the ship....to make more of a profit for themselves!

Reminds me of a dictatorship!:mad:

[Time To Travel]

Does anyone know whether Royal Caribbean sells a bar setup whereas one can order a bottle of spirits prior to the cruise and have it delivered to their cabin.

 

I will be on the Empress of Seas 12/18/06 and this will be my first Royal Caribbean cruise. I know NCL has a bar setup option.

 

Thanks in advance for reponses.

[IMNiles]

In a word, no. The only alchohol you can order ahead to be delivered to your room would be a bottle of champagne, or wine. They used to allow you to buy liquor in the duty free shop and pay a small fee to take it back to your cabin immediately. They no longer offer that option, so now the only way to get a drink in your room "legally" is to buy it in a bar or have room service deliver it.

 

There are those who smuggle a bottle on in their luggage, but that's an issue that's been hashed over here a million times. It's against rccl policy, but many do it - you can use the forum search function to find one of the many arguments on this topic.

 

Also, there are companies like "especially for you" that will deliver a gift basket to your room prior to embarkation, and some have said they've ordered liquor. Not sure how this works with the new stricter alchohol rules.

 

Good luck, and if you ask about smuggling, be sure to put your flame-retardant suit on, because those threads can get hot! ;)