Buying Liquor Onboard

[Morris4me]

I know the cruiseline prohibits bringing liquor onboard (except for wine), however, can you purchase a bottle of liquor onboard to keep (and drink) in your stateroom?

[Lsimon]

Yes, although it will be at bar type prices and not at liquor store type prices. Celebrity's web site has some for pre-order of gifts at $80 to $100/bottle. Prices on board are usually the same but will likely have a 15% service charge added as well.

http://www.celebritycruises.com/bonvoyage/category/viewCollection.do;jsessionid=0000q61h9e0HcpA7mEXYvLaRNuF:12hdbcuh7?cat=SPIRIT&coll=LIQUORPKG&showAll=true

[CathyCruises]

They have a liquor store with good prices, but you can't take it with you--they deliver to your stateroom the last day.

 

We wanted a bottle of wine for our cabin and had to buy it at the bar--with the 15% gratuity for ringing it up, I guess!

[LiLyjack]

can we order a bottle of wine in cabin???

 

i have seen some gifts with wine at 25$ deliever to the room

 

is that better to buy gifts or to order when on board?

[wildatheart]

We were on the Summit 11/1/08 sailing. The "rules" state you are allowed to bring two bottles of wine per cabin on board at embarkation. You can also pre-order a bottle of liquor to be delivered to your cabin, but it seems the rules have changed in that you can only pre-order the liquor now. Some people wanted to order a bottle of vodka for their cabin once on board, but Summit would not let them, and said it was only allowed as a pre-order. It is expensive though, about $80.00 for a bottle of vodka you would normally pay about $25 - $40 for depending on the brand. We embarked in Barcelona and once you are inside the terminal and go through security, there is a small store right there with wine, beer and liquor. A few of us got on board the Summit then later went back out to the store and bought wine and vodka, and the Summit personnel let us get on board with it no problem. But it was hit or miss when you got back on board after being in port. Some people had their alcohol confiscated and returned on the last night of the cruise, and others went right on through to their cabin with it. Just a tip - Rum Runners are awesome and get through the scanner no problem!

[Travelbug50]

Before we went on Infinity in 2007 we ordered a package that included a liter of Jamesons irish whiskey, a 6 pack of Coke and a box of mixed nuts for $60. Sounds like the prices have gone up since then. We also took a small box (3 liter) of red wine onboard with no problem.

 

Sonja

[FiggyWig]

A risky option I know, but what about packing a bottle of spirit inside your checked luggage - then when unpacked you can enjoy your 'wee nips' in the comfort of your balcony - just add ice !:D

 

Is your checked luggage scanned before being loaded onto ship ? Will they spot a bottle,

 

We've always packed (well cushioned) bottles inside our luggage when returning home from holidays on flights - never had any mis-haps yet (famous last words ;))

[J&B in GA]

A risky option I know, but what about packing a bottle of spirit inside your checked luggage - then when unpacked you can enjoy your 'wee nips' in the comfort of your balcony - just add ice !:D

 

Is your checked luggage scanned before being loaded onto ship ? Will they spot a bottle.

 

FiggyWig,

 

We've always taken a bottle of wiskey on board in our checked luggage by first transferring

it to a 1-liter plastic water bottle (the dock hands can be pretty rough with your luggage),

and then securring it in a ZIP lock freezer bag to protect against any possible leakage. :eek:

 

We have never had any problems with ship's security. However this was not on Celebrity,

but on two other cruise lines. ;)

[LiLyjack]

limited to two (2) bottles per stateroom, but when consumed in any shipboard restaurant, bar or dining venue, each bottle shall be subject to a corkage fee of $25.00. If a guest receives a bottle of wine (in their stateroom) from a family member of friend, and that bottle(s) was purchased from our Bon Voyage Gift selection, then no corkage fee will apply if they wish to consume the bottle in the dining room or any public area.

 

 

can someone explain to me what corkage fee of $25.00 means?

 

if I open myself the bottle of wine on my room--- No fees

 

it that right?

[robtulipe]

limited to two (2) bottles per stateroom, but when consumed in any shipboard restaurant, bar or dining venue, each bottle shall be subject to a corkage fee of $25.00. If a guest receives a bottle of wine (in their stateroom) from a family member of friend, and that bottle(s) was purchased from our Bon Voyage Gift selection, then no corkage fee will apply if they wish to consume the bottle in the dining room or any public area.

 

 

can someone explain to me what corkage fee of $25.00 means?

 

if I open myself the bottle of wine on my room--- No fees

 

it that right?

It only applies if you take your wine bottle to any restaurants or other public area like a bar to be consumed. If the wine is drunk in your cabin you get to pay yourself the corkage fee.

I've seen people bringing in glasses of wine into the MDR. It could be that they are coming from a bar or maybe from their cabin and avoiding the corkage by just bringing the wine and not the bottle.

[cunn9004]

Sneak it if you feel like taking the risk. I myself am not going to put my cruise on the line over an over priced bottle of vodka. On my N.Y. Solstice cruise I did pre order a bottle of vodka for the cabin - $80.00 - yikes but then I'm a rule follower, ha ha. I also was able to pre order a bottle of Asti - $27.00 - for our cabin on New Years Eve.

 

I have sneaked in the past and was not proud of it or the extra stress it caused.

[LiLyjack]

corkage fee of $25.00---

 

 

so corkage fee means for the service?

 

And for the two bottle of wine allowed, we have to bring them in our luggage, like back pack? and tell them that we have some?

 

see--- i don't drink a lot, i drink only wine, just a glass during ou before dinner, or before bedtime , when in vacation:)

 

So, 2 bottles will be ok for me, during the cruise , keeping it in my room.

 

I don't mine paying for a glass of wine in the dining room

Vacation means time to relax-- forget about money:)

 

How about beer?

 

 

 

My husband want to know is there is beer in the mini-frigidaire, or if we can have room service for beer?

[Lsimon]

... I also was able to pre order a bottle of Asti - $27.00 - for our cabin on New Years Eve.

 

I have sneaked in the past and was not proud of it or the extra stress it caused.

 

I presume your concerns about sneaking relate to the Vodka and not the Asti - you're clearly allowed to bring on two bottles of wine and we almost always bring on at least one, and usually two, bottles of Champagne (or Cava when we sailed from Barcelona).

[wildatheart]

Yes, on Celebrity there was a mini bar fridge in our cabin stocked with beer, wine, liquor, soft drinks, etc. We bought more than our fair share of martinis, beer, wine, etc., at the ship bars and in the dining room, but also filled up our rum runners (plastic flasks) with vodka and rum to keep in our cabin if we wanted to have a drink whenever we felt like it. We never hid our rum runner flasks, they were left out on the storage area in plain view and our room attendant never said anything. We also ordered cranberry juice and orange juice from room service to mix with the alcohol and never had any problem. The rum runners are awesome and we ran them through security and x-ray a few times (inside our back pack) and they were never seen or questioned. As I said, we do buy drinks from the ship bars, but I think it absolutely ridiculous to pay $80 for a bottle of vodka and a few sodas delivered to your cabin when I can buy my own for $25!

[CathyCruises]

corkage fee of $25.00---

 

 

so corkage fee means for the service?

 

And for the two bottle of wine allowed, we have to bring them in our luggage, like back pack? and tell them that we have some?

 

see--- i don't drink a lot, i drink only wine, just a glass during ou before dinner, or before bedtime , when in vacation:)

 

So, 2 bottles will be ok for me, during the cruise , keeping it in my room.

 

I don't mine paying for a glass of wine in the dining room

Vacation means time to relax-- forget about money:)

 

How about beer?

 

 

 

My husband want to know is there is beer in the mini-frigidaire, or if we can have room service for beer?

 

 

Yes, a 'corkage fee' refers to the charge to have the wine steward or bartender open the bottle for you, IF you do so in a public place. You are allowed to carry 2 bottles of wine onboard, either in your checked luggage or carry-on. You can drink those bottles in your room (there is a corkscrew) at no charge. But if you bring one of your bottles tom the dining room, for instance, you will be charged $25.

 

I believe there was beer in the fridge--or you can order from room service, but it is expensive at about $4-5 per bottle.

[Lsimon]

Yes, a 'corkage fee' refers to the charge to have the wine steward or bartender open the bottle for you, IF you do so in a public place. You are allowed to carry 2 bottles of wine onboard, either in your checked luggage or carry-on. You can drink those bottles in your room (there is a corkscrew) at no charge. But if you bring one of your bottles tom the dining room, for instance, you will be charged $25...

 

Just to make clarify this: Despite its name, the corkage fee is for the privilege of consuming wine brought on board in the dining room and not merely for having it opened there. I'm only adding this as I've seen postings in the past from some who thought there might be no charge if they opened the wine themselves or brought it to the dining room already opened. There also is no corkage fee if the wine is one purchased through the ship even if it was originally purchased for in-room consumption and then taken to the dining room.

[Leejnd4]

Sneak it if you feel like taking the risk. I myself am not going to put my cruise on the line over an over priced bottle of vodka. On my N.Y. Solstice cruise I did pre order a bottle of vodka for the cabin - $80.00 - yikes but then I'm a rule follower, ha ha. I also was able to pre order a bottle of Asti - $27.00 - for our cabin on New Years Eve.

 

I have sneaked in the past and was not proud of it or the extra stress it caused.

 

There is no real "risk", and no cause for stress, in bringing alcohol onboard the ship. The worst that will happen, IF they happen to find it, is that it will be confiscated and held for you until the end of the cruise. (Unless it's in some other container, such as a mouthwash container - in which case they will discard it). While there is language in the cruise contract that says that passengers caught sneaking alcohol onboard can be "denied boarding", there is not a single report of this ever happening, on any cruise line, in years upon years of reports here on Cruise Critic of passengers smuggling their booze onboard.

 

Many people carry alcohol onboard Celebrity cruise ships, on every single cruise. Sometimes security is strict, scanning checked bags and confiscating bottles that they find. Other times they are not. Historically they tend to be more rigid in the Caribbean than in the Mediterranean.

 

Corkage fees are only charged if you bring your bottle of wine to a restaurant. This is a standard practice in fine restaurants on land as well -- most fine restaurants allow guests to bring their own wine, and charge a corkage fee for the sommelier service of opening and pouring. However, $25 is rather steep, so I sure won't be bringing any of my own bottles to dinner at that rate.

 

If you wish to bring your own alcoholic beverages onboard for in-room consumption, you should have no trouble doing so. For wine, you are allowed two bottles per cabin, but they don't check every bag against each other - pack two bottles in each checked bag, and I guarantee they'll all make it to your cabin. You can also carry two bottles in your carry-on - they don't actually count up how many you brought in total. Don't worry about telling them - if they scan your bag and ask you to open it, you can simply tell them that these are your two allowable bottles. No need to mention the others.

 

For other alcoholic beverages, your best option is to use Rum Runner Flasks (http://www.rumrunnerflasks.com). These are sturdy, flexible plastic flasks specially designed for the purpose of transporting alcohol past security. You can pack a few of these in your checked luggage and they will make it to your cabin, as they are virtually undetectable by the scanners used by cruise ships. They are also better to use than bottles as they are unbreakable, and lightweight.