Wine policy

[pasc]

We will cruise on the Serenade in december and just be informed that is not possible to bring wine or WATER on board.

 

Did you ever try to bring some drink on board ? What is the charge for a bottle of water on board any bar menu available ?

 

Thank you

[critterchick]

We've never had a problem bringing water or sodas on board. The cost for a small bottle (500 ml) is $1.99 plus 15% gratuity. Larger bottles are available, but I don't know what they cost.

 

The tap water on the ship is distilled and perfectly safe to drink. We usually bring a couple of bottles onboard because it's handy to have them by the pool, in the gym, etc. We then just refill them from the tap or in the gym.

 

Wine is another story - RCI changed its alcohol policy last year (or was it 2005?) to prohibit ANY alcoholic beverages being brought on board. You used to be able to bring wine and then pay corkage, but now if it's detected in your baggage it will be taken from you and returned on the last night of the cruise (if it's in the original bottle; if you've stashed it in something else they'll just dump it out).

[marci22]

I think the policy varies. In our room last cruise (a week ago) there was a passenger info sheet that said, 'corkage if you bring your own wine to the dining room is $12'. So what does that mean?

 

I'm sure its easy enough to change those sheets if their policy had really changed.

[39august]

Marci22- What ship were you on? RCI has stated no alcohol of any kind, including wine, to be brought on board for almost a year. Many people are willing to pay a corkage fee, but it has been reported that RCI has done away with this since supposedly, no one is allowed to bring wine on board. We bring stuff anyway in checked luggage. But I've never taken a bottle of wine to the dining room. If RCI is going back to offereing a corkage fee, that is going to make a lot of peole happy. As for water, many people report taking on water with no problem.

[Sugar13]

We were on the Empress of the Seas last month and took several water bottles on board with no problem. When we were in Bermuda, my sister bought a six-pack of Dark 'n Stormys. As we boarded the ship, she told security what she had, fully expecting it to be stored for her until we arrived back in the US. But she was just waved through, six-pack and all!

:D

[BigRich]

I just got off a 3day on the monarch and we asked about the policy and the waiter told us that if we would have brought on a bottle of wine he would of charged us a corkage fee of 12. I think it is a loose policy and if you do bring a bottle of wine to the table most likely they will open it for you. I brought a bottle of wine on a cruise last april and they did open it for us. Decieded agianst bringing wine this cruise because it was so short, but my experience has been that the dinning room staff will do anything to make you happy ecspecialy if you are diamond or platinum memembers. Just as a side note i have brought some form of alcohol on every cruise mostly wine, but none have ever been taken away from me. (8 Cruises)