Don't Feel The New $25 Corkage Fee Is Reasonable? (3 threads combined)

[tinabc]

The old original rule is no different than the new rule - no alcohol is permitted to be brought on board. The only thing different is that they are enforcing it now for both liquor and wine as opposed to overlooking it as they did in the past.

 

The precedent set by Celebrity in previously allowing wine and liquor in your carry-on bags does not translate itself into being the now accepted rule.

 

The corkage fee referred to within your cruise documents applies to those bottles supplied by that elusive "approved vendor". Any other bottle brought on board would be contrabond according to Celebrity and would be subject to confiscation.

 

Wine bought from the approved vendor or given as a gift from any of the Celebrity packages was never charged us a corkage fee. Only wine brought from home or at various ports was. At least this was always the case for us, as told to us by our somliers and butlers.

[LX 470]

I am fairly new to these boards, but I can’t believe the whining about an increase in the corkage fee for wine. If cruisers go on a cruise with that kind of an attitude they will probably wind up nitpicking and complaining the whole cruise. A cruise is what you make it.

 

Hmmmmmmmmm - where have I heard this before!!! For some of you it must be like listening to the reflection in the mirror.

[caviargal]

I am not positive - but I could have sworn that, back in July when this first became an issue, it was clear that the only words that actually changed in the Celebrity policy were those that pertained to drinking on board by 18 thru 21 year olds with their parents permission.

 

.

 

I am a TA and do groups. I had one on RCI three weeks after the rules changed. I was notified in advance so I could advise the 136 people who had booked under the previous rules that the rules had indeed changed.

 

What you are referring to is just one of them (18-21), and one I agree with as I am tired of loud drunks and obnoxious youths on RCI. The two 19 year olds with me were not as happy.

 

The other had to do with wine no longer being allowed to be brought aboard and a corkage paid. This was most definitely NOT part of the previous policy. It was updated on RCI's and X's webiste soon thereafter.

 

It was the first time I did not bring my own wine aboard and my wine tab alone was $200 for 3 nights. For this I was served in dimestore glasses and they were unable to decant a very special Cab because they do not have decanters aboard. While I hope that X does not sink to that level, it seems likely that this is the first of many cost cutting measures that are making their way to X.

[caviargal]

Wine bought from the approved vendor or given as a gift from any of the Celebrity packages was never charged us a corkage fee. Only wine brought from home or at various ports was. At least this was always the case for us, as told to us by our somliers and butlers.

 

Last week RCI announced that all wines purchased via "approved vendors" or their very own Gifts and Gear will now be subject to the normal corkage in brought to the dining room. How long before this also makes its way to X?

[tuggers]

Just asking. Is everyone using ALL the names? Hanrahan, Fain, Leon and Rice? Especially Rice, he's the revenue guy.

And response only from Fain so far?

So glad we can have a nice thread discussing nothing but the corkage fee and not dissolve into dealing with pro X and anti X posts made on this board through the years.:rolleyes: :rolleyes:

[caviargal]

Just asking. Is everyone using ALL the names? Hanrahan, Fain, Leon and Rice? Especially Rice, he's the revenue guy.

 

And response only from Fain so far?

 

So glad we can have a nice thread discussing nothing but the corkage fee and not dissolve into dealing with pro X and anti X posts made on this board through the years.:rolleyes: :rolleyes:

 

I sent mine to all four of them.

[Char]

Just asking. Is everyone using ALL the names? Hanrahan, Fain, Leon and Rice? Especially Rice, he's the revenue guy.

 

And response only from Fain so far?

 

:rolleyes: :rolleyes:

I sent mine to all 4 and only Fain has responded.

[PAISANO]

Last week RCI announced that all wines purchased via "approved vendors" or their very own Gifts and Gear will now be subject to the normal corkage in brought to the dining room. How long before this also makes its way to X?

 

 

According to their website, corkage fee is waived.

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/giftcatalog/category/home.do;jsessionid=0000YyL2x36XXjlApssyMY6Qo7r:10ktmer4a?catCode=WINE

[caviargal]

According to their website, corkage fee is waived.

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/giftcatalog/category/home.do;jsessionid=0000YyL2x36XXjlApssyMY6Qo7r:10ktmer4a?catCode=WINE

 

My only comment is that their website often takes time to catch up with policy.

[tuggers]

Last week RCI announced that all wines purchased via "approved vendors" or their very own Gifts and Gear will now be subject to the normal corkage in brought to the dining room. How long before this also makes its way to X?

 

Like I said, I fear this is only the tip of the iceberg and more and more unwise decisions are going to be made in the name of the almighty dollar until they force a good percentage of us 'regulars' to look elsewhere.

 

And that is such a shame. I have been an X fan since my first cruise on Horizon! I was just bowled over by the service, the food, the crew, how much everyone cared that things were right for me. To see that slowly slipping away is so very, very sad.

My concern is that, with the exception of Fain, we do not have executives making these decisions who are even remotely aware of the wants and needs of their customer base and show no desire to know anything about their passengers. They seem content to sit in their offices, totally insulated from anyone who could give them input. Just the way of corporate America these days I guess but I do long for the days when company presidents stood at the gangway and asked how things were on your cruise.

[caviargal]

Like I said, I fear this is only the tip of the iceberg and more and more unwise decisions are going to be made in the name of the almighty dollar until they force a good percentage of us 'regulars' to look elsewhere.

 

And that is such a shame. I have been an X fan since my first cruise on Horizon! I was just bowled over by the service, the food, the crew, how much everyone cared that things were right for me. To see that slowly slipping away is so very, very sad.

 

My concern is that, with the exception of Fain, we do not have executives making these decisions who are even remotely aware of the wants and needs of their customer base and show no desire to know anything about their passengers. They seem content to sit in their offices, totally insulated from anyone who could give them input. Just the way of corporate America these days I guess but I do long for the days when company presidents stood at the gangway and asked how things were on your cruise.

 

I agree that it is sad and also that I will be looking and booking elsewhere and not necessarily cruises as so many of the changes are a turn off to me personally and not reflective of what I want on a vacation.

 

Re executives, I had drinks with Adam Goldstein on Voyager over the Millenium sailing. Nothing formal, just happened to be chatting at the bar with a delightful older gent who turned out to be his dad (the whole family was aboard for the occasion). Anyway, we chatted over a glass of wine and he asked my opinon on this latest, biggest ship and I told him honestly that I was very disappointed with the direction RCI was taking with the new ships and that I did not care for the mega ship experience.

 

He listened politely but told me that the direction was increased revenues that would be generated by more ala carte venues, extra charges onboard (he painted it as more options for passengers) and bigger and bigger ships to maximize return on investment.

 

And that is exactly what is happening.:(

[Captain Cosmo]

I'm not even a wine drinker but I can certainly understand the outrage at X's attempt to manage every last aspect of the cruise experience in a way that makes X money at the expense of the passenger's enjoyment. The increase in the corkage fee is outrageous, but certainly not unpredictable. They're eliminating bridge, dance hosts, cracking down on liquor brought on board, and based on the posts from some longtime X cruisers they've steadily cut the quality of the food. They've continued to sail ships that are unreliable with no long-term fix even considered. They've held "surprise" drydocks, missed ports and altered itineraries - all without any consideration for their passengers and not for reasons that were beyond their control, like the weather. There's a trend here, folks, and its not looking good. Remember, the accountants who run the line still have several more tricks up their sleeves. How about dropping free room service? Charging for ice cream? Adding extra charges for all dining outside the main dining room? And let's get rid of those iced wash cloths. Its obvious that X couldn't care less about its loyal passengers. I have a cruise in Dec on Infinity - less than two months away, and I still can't purchase a disembarkation day tour/transfer because X hasn't listed it yet. We're locked into our December cruise, but my next cruise through the Panama Canal in Sept. 2007 is beginning to look like "iffy". Oceania is beginning to sound better and better all the time.

[Sky Sweet]

Our wine steward on the Millennium never charged us corkage because we gave him a taste of all our wines. On the last day we gave him an envelop with a very nice tip!

 

We had wines we brought and champagnes as part of Bon Voyage gifts!

 

Hi Dileep :)

 

Thank you for responding to my question. We also give the sommelier an envelope with a tip on the last night of a cruise to show our appreciation for serving wines that were gifts and not subject to a corkage fee.

[FAB1]

Last week RCI announced that all wines purchased via "approved vendors" or their very own Gifts and Gear will now be subject to the normal corkage in brought to the dining room. How long before this also makes its way to X?

 

I have just checked a couple of wines on the Bon Voyage list against a Dining Room Wine List (from December 2005) the price is the same. If they were to charge corkage on the Bon Voyage wine there would be no point in ordering it, just order in the Dining Room. You don't suppose they intend to increase the cost of the wines in the Dining Room do you ?

[caviargal]

I have just checked a couple of wines on the Bon Voyage list against a Dining Room Wine List (from December 2005) the price is the same. If they were to charge corkage on the Bon Voyage wine there would be no point in ordering it, just order in the Dining Room. You don't suppose they intend to increase the cost of the wines in the Dining Room do you ?

 

I really don't know but the RCI boards were abuzz with this latest change early this week. It seems the only benefit to ordering this way is that one can drink in the cabin without confiscation, should it come to that.

 

I personally find their markups excessive as is. We have a much better selection at fairer prices at our local bistros.

[oceanbear]

I just checked some of my old Celebrity travel docs. In 2004 there was no mention of personal wine or liquor. In Jan 2006 there was a paragraph added that stated Celebrity reserved the right to limit guests bringing wine or other alcoholic beverages aboard. My Sep 2006 documents had the new restrictive policy statement. I will add that is a separate Celebrity "policy statement", and not part of the legal cruise contract.

While I am one of those that believe Celebrity is taking advantage of recent events to introduce a policy which will also increase their income, I do see the legal necessity for having a stated policy. The cruise company needs a policy to point to if it needs to hold a passenger's liquor/wine; however, increasing an already generous corkage fee by 75% is nothing more than a balant attempt to increase revenues at the expense it's wine-loving passengers. This and other changes have me looking for alternative cruise lines too.

[m steve]

saying that you could be thrown off the ship is another!

[CGTNORMANDIE]

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!! No more emails to corporate officers. I am going to vote with my feet. There are plenty of other cruise companies that would love to have my business. I remember the last time that they tried to kick up the corkage fee...now this is ridiculous. Where is this heading??? If you bring a bottle of wine with you X can confiscate it and then sell it back to you for $25...OUTRAGEOUS!!! These new booze rules are as phoney as the day is long...this is all about $$$ and liability and it should have been handled differently!!!

 

How long has it been since RCI took over Celebrity??? When I think of what Chandris/Celebrity was and what big corporate cruising has become...it makes me sick. It is time to look elsewhere.:mad:

[seattlelover]

I agree a $25 corkage fee is a little excessive. But at the end of the day what companies aren't out to make more $$$s as time passes. Yes, Celebrity is a 'nice' cruiseline but if you want a truly 'wonderful' cruiseline then go and pay that price. For all those who say they are going to opt out of Celebrity, you can bet they'll be as many passengers taking their place.

 

Happy cruising to all ... and worry about things REALLY worth worrying about.

 

Bev

[caviargal]

I agree a $25 corkage fee is a little excessive. But at the end of the day what companies aren't out to make more $$$s as time passes. Yes, Celebrity is a 'nice' cruiseline but if you want a truly 'wonderful' cruiseline then go and pay that price. For all those who say they are going to opt out of Celebrity, you can bet they'll be as many passengers taking their place.

 

 

And as they build bigger and bigger ships holding more people and having more ala carte and extra charge options, X will go the way of RCI and attract folks that could care less about dressing for dinner and other shipboard traditions. They will look and feel just like all the rest of the mass market lines, with nothing to set them apart. Sad....

[dmk]

To me, it's not all that different than going to my favorite restaurant and not being allowed to bring my own bottle of wine. Some restaurants in our city allow it (with a corkage fee) and others don't, but I don't choose the restaurant based on that policy.

 

I enjoy wine with dinner, so it won't turn me into a cabin-drinker either pre or post dinner. It will probably mean that all of the wine that we drink at dinner will now be ordered from Celebrity's wine list.

 

Very well put, Susan. These are my exact thoughts.

 

In Montreal, the restaurants that I'd be allowed to bring my own bottle of wine to are a different caliber than those high quality restaurants that don't allow you to bring your wine.

 

Whenever I hear about bringing your own wine to dinner, I think of brown bagging it. I just don't think of going to dinner on a cruise that way. But then I'm from Montreal:rolleyes:

[babylene]

I love BYOB restaurants. I buy the wine at IGA when they give bonus airmiles!! What can I lose???? Some of their wines are actually quite good.

 

There are a few BYOBs in the Montreal area that are upscale. I haven't been to any yet, but they are often written up in the Gazette on the weekend.

 

Most of the time we order house wine. We are not exactly connoisseurs!

 

We have never brought wine or liquer on board because the lower end Rose or Chilean wines are fine for us. I wouldn't want to pay a corkage fee of $25 for ANY wine. I don't think I would even want to pay $15 after shlepping it in my luggage!!!!!

 

Just for the record. At our local BYOB restaurants there is no corkage fee.

[greygypsy]

Susan and I are also dismayed by the increase in corkage fee and the new policy, that, if enforced, will mean we will not be able to enjoy a couple bottles of wine in our room on our vacation. For a typical 10 day cruise we have usually brought 6 bottles on board with us, usually 3 really nice ones to take to dinner (and pay the corkage) and 3 for our room. Depending on the stops, it's not uncommon for us to pick up more wine along the way. On longer European cruises, we have spent hours wine shopping, enjoying it, and then enjoying some of our wine later in the cruise.

-

Don't forget, when you buy that overpriced $50 bottle from Celebrity it actually costs you $57.50 because they automatically add their 15% tip to wine purchases. I don't know where the corkage fee goes, but if it is to substitute for tips, then I would think the wine stewards would prefer people bringing their own wine on board. Now, if the stewards don't get anything out of the corkage fee, then that is ludicrous.

-

We're sailing on one of the all inclusives, Silverseas, this December and are booked on Celebrity next March ---- we'll see.

[Host Walt]

... I don't know where the corkage fee goes, but if it is to substitute for tips, then I would think the wine stewards would prefer people bringing their own wine on board. Now, if the stewards don't get anything out of the corkage fee, then that is ludicrous.

 

Corkage fees in restaurants have two objectives. The first is to reimburse the restaurant for their costs (the time of a waiter, the cost of stemware and the cost of dishwashing). The second is to replace the lost markup because the customer is not buying the restaurant's wine.

 

In addition, normal protocol requires that the customer not bring in a wine that is on the restaurant's wine list; the point being that a customer will bring in only a very special wine of some kind that is not otherwise available.

 

The corkage charge in some restaurants is as high as the price of the lowest cost bottle in the restaurant's list to a low of just a few dollars.

[Susan-M]

With the new policy of not being allowed to bring alcohol on board, where do you obtain the wine that the $25. corkage fee applies to?

 

From Celebrity's FAQ:

Gifts of wine not purchased through Celebrity's Bon Voyage Gift program, or not selected from Celebrity's onboard wine list will be subject to a corkage fee of $25 per bottle, effective November 1, 2006.

 

Please note in accordance with our Guest Alcohol Policy Policy our guests may not purchase liquor ashore for consumption on board. Beer, Wine or Spirits brought onboard by our guests will be placed in storage and returned on the last day of the voyage. Alcohol purchased in our onboard shops will be delivered to the guest stateroom on the final day of the cruise.