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

[oceanbear]

Here is my 2 cents. I am not bothered by the selective enforcement mentioned by some. I never have been a fan of zero-tolerance. That takes thinking and common sense out of the equation. The current policy allows Celebrity to use some judgement. If someone shows up with a couple of bottles of Ch. Latour - no problem. If someone shows up with a case of Gallo Red - Sorry we hav a policy! BTW, has anyone actually observered the no wine policy being enforced? The rise in the corkage fee is something else. IMHO, that is just greed.

[tuggers]

oceanbear, I have not seen it enforced on X but on RCI last month two couples at our dinner table had brought two bottles for each couple in checked luggage. They were summoned to the security office and in their words, made to feel like criminals, had the wine taken and then left to get their own luggage to their cabin.

Also on Grandeur that sailing was a friend of mine. She had brought one nice bottle of champagne for a celebration. It was taken from her carry-on and she also got to visit with security.

I found this to be very heavy handed and not to my liking. As both lines made the rules I have no doubt that, eventually, they will enforce it the same. Too bad.

As for the example you stated, I foresee a lawsuit by the guy who had the Gallo because he was not treated the same as his higher class neighbor!

[CGTNORMANDIE]

oceanbear, I have not seen it enforced on X but on RCI last month two couples at our dinner table had brought two bottles for each couple in checked luggage. They were summoned to the security office and in their words, made to feel like criminals, had the wine taken and then left to get their own luggage to their cabin

LOOKS LIKE...RCI is selectively chosing the 3 and 4 day ships to strong arm the pax and confiscate at embarkation. This does not seem to be happening with the longer cruises...at embarkation anyways.

[anniecat]

for our upcoming cruise, we had planned to purchase a couple (like two) bottles of local Argentine wines to consume in our cabin as late afternoon 'sippings'. So, do we expect to be able to do so? Will X ignore the 'rules' for the longer and non-party atmosphere of a SA cruise. will we be jailed, tossed off the ship, or treated like criminals?

BTW, to those at X who are listening....$25 for corkage is crazy. If you have such a problem with overindulgers..look at those who bring vodka in water bottles, rum in coke bottles. We'll likely not expect to be able to enjoy OUR wine in our room, and will have them save our wine for our post cruise time. (They better not park it next to the engine and boil it)......next time, back to HAL.

[Sky Sweet]

Are most of the posters who have a problem with the lack of selection on Celebrity red wine drinkers? This is why I am curious. My husband and most of our friends prefer red wine, while I would rather have Pinot Grigio or Verdicchio. In my opinion, when red wine is not good, it is undrinkable, but that rarely happens with white wine. I have also found that every glass of red wine I have had tastes dramatically different while the differences in white wine are much more subtle. Keep in mind that my knowledge of wine is very limited, so this opinion is based solely on what I like and don't like.

[caviargal]

I am a red wine drinker, almost exclusively. I am a big fans of meritages as there are truly some spectacular options out there. I prefer big, bold wines so have a preference for Petite Sirahs, Zins, Brunellos.

[Drew B]

I am a red wine drinker, almost exclusively. I am a big fans of meritages as there are truly some spectacular options out there. I prefer big, bold wines so have a preference for Petite Sirahs, Zins, Brunellos.

 

Oooh, CG, I picked up a fantastic Turley Zin in Napa when we stopped in San Francisco on my last cruise on the Summit. We enjoyed it in the Normandie a few nights later. It was delicious! For a bottle like that, the additional $10 corkage wouldn't have bothered me too much. However, if the wine itself cost less than $25 (as most wines I drink do), I am not happy with that number. Of course, that is moot now anyway, as I am not allowed to bring my own wine aboard..

[CGTNORMANDIE]

ANNIE...THE ANSWER IS SIMPLE...just don't bring your wine to the dining room...LOL.

 

DREW...Mr. Hahnrahan says YOU CAN BRING WINE ONBOARD!!!:D

[caviargal]

Oooh, CG, I picked up a fantastic Turley Zin in Napa when we stopped in San Francisco on my last cruise on the Summit. We enjoyed it in the Normandie a few nights later. It was delicious!.

 

A friend turned me on to Turley Zin last month...yumm:). My wine guy does not carry it currently but I have a request in.

 

Have you tried Karly Warrior's Fire? The soil where the grapes are grown causes it to have a fairly unique texture, and the story behind it is pretty cool as well.

[Drew B]

A friend turned me on to Turley Zin last month...yumm:). My wine guy does not carry it currently but I have a request in.

 

Have you tried Karly Warrior's Fire? The soil where the grapes are grown causes it to have a fairly unique texture, and the story behind it is pretty cool as well.

 

No. I've never heard of it. I'm far from a connoisseur. I was with my dad, who is a big collector, and he knew what to buy.

[Compass Rose Monica]

I returned from Bermuda (Oct 7, 2006 - Zenith) which sailed out of Bayonne/Cape Liberty. I know several people brought wine on board, some for just in-cabin consumption and others who brought their wine to the table and paid the $15 corkage fee. No problems in any of these cases. Didn't hear a peep of anyone's wine being taken away.

 

Monica

[Drew B]

ANNIE...THE ANSWER IS SIMPLE...just don't bring your wine to the dining room...LOL.

 

DREW...Mr. Hahnrahan says YOU CAN BRING WINE ONBOARD!!!:D

 

No, he doesn't. If the sentence starts with "While our alcohol policy does not technically allow guests to bring alcohol onboard", that means that bringing it aboard violates their policy. Enforcement or "looking the other way" is irrelevent to me. If the rule says you can't bring it, I'm not bringing it...

[Karynanne]

A friend turned me on to Turley Zin last month...yumm:). My wine guy does not carry it currently but I have a request in.

 

Have you tried Karly Warrior's Fire? The soil where the grapes are grown causes it to have a fairly unique texture, and the story behind it is pretty cool as well.

 

Caviargal, Turley is sometimes hard to find...but if you do, it's a great Zin. I have some friends that live close to this winery. It's not an open tasting winery, so most of their wines are by allocation.

 

Karly's is out of the Shenandoah Valley...absolutely beautiful, this time of year.

 

Living in No. Calif. has given us a chance to visit quite a few, out of the way wineries, and sample some wonderful wines.

 

Karyn

[FAB1]

SORRY DREW...Mr. H is saying in specific terms what constitutes an allowance by Celebrity...right there in black and white. You should also take a very close look at your cruise contract...I do believe there is wording in there that discuses alcohol brought onboard...just for the edification of those who are addicted to rules and regs.:D

 

I have just received my cruise docs for 3rd November 2006. There is a page added re their Alcohol Policy. It starts with the line

 

"The information below supercedes all other written policy on this subject"

 

It then goes on to say that guests are not allowed to bring alcoholic beverages onboard for consumption or any other use(not sure what the any other use refers to).It also says any alcoholic beverages purchased in ports of call will be stored until the until the last day of sailing.

 

They really need to make their minds up which it is and include their stance in writing with the Cruise Docs.

[m steve]

When we went to Italy a few years ago we had some fabulous Brunellos at very reasonable prices in restaurants and were sold in wine stores fo about the same prices. Planning a Med trip for next year I planned to buy some for the cruise so I guess X will not be my line of choice.

[dkjretired]

I have just received my cruise docs for 3rd November 2006. There is a page added re their Alcohol Policy. It starts with the line

 

"The information below supercedes all other written policy on this subject"

 

It then goes on to say that guests are not allowed to bring alcoholic beverages onboard for consumption or any other use(not sure what the any other use refers to).It also says any alcoholic beverages purchased in ports of call will be stored until the until the last day of sailing.

 

They really need to make their minds up which it is and include their stance in writing with the Cruise Docs.

 

You are really looking at two different things here. They don't want people to bring alcohol on board for consumption but realize that people wish to buy duty free alcohol while in various ports. The bottles are taken for a reason when you get back on the ship, they are duty free. There is a reason they are duty free and if you read the documents that come with the liquor you will understand why they take the bottles. It is the law..

[SheilaNC]

Guess I need to know how you are defining duty free...for example, if I buy wine in an American port, is it duty free? And are all foreign ports considered duty-free? If I bring from my home collection, it's not duty free, is it? There is either a NO alcohol policy, a NO duty-free alcohol policy, or an ambivalent alcohol policy (enforcement determined by individual security personnel or type of port). This confusion is just one part of the problem. The other, and more important to me, is the rationale for the policy. If I wish to bring a few bottles onboard (or purchase wine in a port that I couldn't get onboard or at home) to drink in my cabin or on my balcony, what is the rationale for not allowing me to do so? If I find a special wine in port (therefore couldn't get special permission to bring it prior to sailing), why can't I bring it onboard and choose to pay the corkage fee? It's a puzzlement.

[dkjretired]

Guess I need to know how you are defining duty free...for example, if I buy wine in an American port, is it duty free? And are all foreign ports considered duty-free? If I bring from my home collection, it's not duty free, is it? There is either a NO alcohol policy, a NO duty-free alcohol policy, or an ambivalent alcohol policy (enforcement determined by individual security personnel or type of port). This confusion is just one part of the problem. The other, and more important to me, is the rationale for the policy. If I wish to bring a few bottles onboard (or purchase wine in a port that I couldn't get onboard or at home) to drink in my cabin or on my balcony, what is the rationale for not allowing me to do so? If I find a special wine in port (therefore couldn't get special permission to bring it prior to sailing), why can't I bring it onboard and choose to pay the corkage fee? It's a puzzlement.

 

I think the rationale for the policy is local laws in combination with what you are allowed to bring back into the US. What I am speaking of in my first post was going into one of the local duty free shops on one of the islands and making a purchase for a much reduced price from home. You then try to bring it on the ship and they either take it from you or the liquor shop will deliver it directly to the ship. It is then given to you on the last day. People don't understand why this is done and should understand that there is a reason you are getting it so cheap. If you find that special wine for a cheap price you MAY not be able to bring it aboard and receive it before the last day because of the laws involving duty free liquors. Celebrity's policy on bringing liquor on board is something totally different..

[SheilaNC]

OK, I'm with you now. I do know the meaning of duty-free (particularly in Caribbean ports and in airports), but thought you were using it to explain confiscation of all purchases in ports. Mixing up two different topics, I guess...sorry

[m steve]

why should the ship allow you to bring on a bottle of liquor you paid $7 for at the port when they can charge you $7 for a single drink? I have been able to take bottles to the cabin from various ports and on different cruise lines in the past. Nothing was stated about the laws of that juristiction. I have also bought and drunk duty free in my hotel rooms on several islands as well. Only time there was a difference was Barbados with dual pricing and they have you pick up the liquor at the airport and I guess at the dock. I found Mt. Gay cheaper in St. Thomas. When buying a lot and I do, I am happy to let them store it until the last night so I don't trip over it in my cabin.

[Host Anne]

This is a reminder that the discussion should remain within our community guidelines and not turn into personal comments directed at specific members. Thanks for your cooperation.

[maillady73]

I personally do not drink wine! However, I do not agree with this new fee. I have sailed with rc 2/14/2005 we were allowed to buy our liquor at the onboard store and have it delivered to our room the next night for us to sip on our balcony. (we did pay the $8 corkage fee per bottle (no cork!)) We then booked another cruise with rc for 8/2005. We intended to do the same thing. Unfortunatley, they had changed the rules (because of the groom in the med.) We did not know of this until we were onboard. We felt that this was unfair to us since this still could be done with wine & champagne. We were not getting "drunk" and we were not filling our glasses and then walking about the ship! With this new revision we cannot cancel our upcoming cruise but I doubt we will do another. Who knows what they will charge for next! Guess I will do All-inclusive resorts from now on! Spend my money elsewhere!

[Superman of Inaction]

I also don't drink wine, but would agree that the corkage fee is not reasonable and is obviously about increasing revenue for Celebrity.

While I do think this increase is excessive, in reading different threads it is hard for me to understand why there is such an uproar about a $10 increase and so little uproar about much more serious maintenance problems. I do have to take my hat off to dogsrule for standing up to this issue on principal and taking action.

[Lil Dutch Girl]

I called Celebrity's Captains' Club last week to ask about the corkage fee policy posted on their web site. They said that starting November 1, there will be a $25 per bottle corkage fee for wine sent to the ship by groups that book through a travel agency for events such as weddings, reunions, clubs etc (8 or more cabins). The operator made it very clear that individuals will no longer be able to bring wine for consumption onboard. It must be purchased through their Bon Voyage Gift program. It would be interesting to hear from anyone who sails after the Nov. 1 date regarding the cruise line's enforcement of this rule.