Wine Purchase in Italy

[stellaru]

Being our first time to Italy (and only our 2nd cruise), we, of course, want to sample and purchase some fine Italian wines. What is the policy for bringing wine onboard? Drinking it onboard in our room? And then bringing it into the States? Is it better/cheaper to mail it home?

[Friscorays]

From Azamaracruises.com FAQ:

 

"No beer or hard liquor may be brought onboard for consumption. Guests wishing to bring personal wine onboard with them at the beginning of the cruise may do so, 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. If a guest receives a bottle from an outside vendor and/or travel agent, and the bottle was not purchased through our Bon Voyage selection, then a $25.00 corkage fee per bottle will apply if they wish to consume the wine in the dining room or any other public area. The fee will be applied to the guest's onboard account. Alcoholic beverages purchased in ports of call or from onboard shops will be stored by the ship and delivered to guest staterooms on the last day of the sailing."

[Cruise Junky]

So Azamara's official policy is one bottle each and only at embarkation? do they follow that?

[greeneg]

That's correct, and by and large, they do follow the policy. Any number of people do smuggle "beverages" aboard in their luggage, and to my knowledge, once it's in your stateroom there isn't a fuss made about it, but you do have to run the gauntlet and if they find it, they certainly can and may take it.

 

Same policy as the other RCCL lines, I believe.

[Cruise Junky]

That's correct, and by and large, they do follow the policy. Any number of people do smuggle "beverages" aboard in their luggage, and to my knowledge, once it's in your stateroom there isn't a fuss made about it, but you do have to run the gauntlet and if they find it, they certainly can and may take it.

 

Same policy as the other RCCL lines, I believe.

 

It would be the same as Celebrity, not RCL. Sad that they stop in Bordeaux yet technically, you're not allowed to bring any one.

[Friscorays]

Sad that they stop in Bordeaux yet technically, you're not allowed to bring any one.

 

Not technically true. You can bring it on board, you just can't drink it until the end of your cruise. "Alcoholic beverages purchased in ports of call or from onboard shops will be stored by the ship and delivered to guest staterooms on the last day of the sailing."

[stellaru]

Hence, the second part of my question: Is it more feasible to ship it home from (hopefully) a reputable vendor in Italy? Any suggestions there?

[Friscorays]

Can't really help you specifically with the second part.

 

A google search along the lines of "shipping wine from italy" gave a lot of hits, this one included:

 

http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=364447

 

Hopefully, the merchant in question in Italy will be able to guide you through the process.

[Cruise Junky]

Not technically true. You can bring it on board, you just can't drink it until the end of your cruise. "Alcoholic beverages purchased in ports of call or from onboard shops will be stored by the ship and delivered to guest staterooms on the last day of the sailing."

 

Oh, how civil of them ;) I'll stick to Bordeaux by land.

[Friscorays]

I didn't write the policy, I just quoted it. Most cruise lines have similar rules, to the displeasure of many. Luckily (or arguably unluckily) for me, I don't have much of a taste for wine and don't mind laying out a few bucks for a nightly cocktail.:)

[Cruise Junky]

I didn't write the policy, I just quoted it. Most cruise lines have similar rules, to the displeasure of many. Luckily (or arguably unluckily) for me, I don't have much of a taste for wine and don't mind laying out a few bucks for a nightly cocktail.:)

 

I was definitely not blaming you, but I thought for a higher-end cruiseline they would have a more liberal policy with bringing wine onboard, especially when cruising world class wine areas.

[Friscorays]

My tongue was firmly in my cheek, I believe I understand where you are coming from. I guess one has to keep in mind the connection of Azamara with Celebrity, a cruise line I personally enjoy.

 

It does not do the original poster any good, but I understand that Oceania cruises is far more liberal in allowing alcoholic beverages to be brought on board.

[Friscorays]

Thought I would add a link on how Oceania handles things, although from what I gather their written policy is open to interpretation:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=946822&highlight=bringing+wine+board

[vintagebabe]

Do they check in all bags that you carry onto the ship after being in port? Just wondering how they would know that you have that wonderful bottle of Italian wine in the bottom of your tote bag?

[j!m]

last august we visited a winery during our quest trip. the winery would ship wine to your home if you wanted, i'm not sure what the additional cost was. we bought 6 bottles and took them with us back to the ship.they were in cardboard carrying boxes with the winery name on them and were clearly wine. no one at ship security said a thing or suggested they would keep them for us. there were no questions at all and we kept the wine in our room.

[JJPacer]

If you buy wine in a port, all of your belongsings are put through a security scanner. If they see the wine, they usually comficate it, and return it to your stateroom the last night. On rare occasions, the security people will let wine/liquor pass through and not take it away for safe keeping. You do receive the wine/liquor at the end of the voyage to take home with you. The ships make a lot of money selling their alcholic beverages with a hefty commission. This is their policy to ensure you drink more,:eek: providing money to their coffers.

[brian_uk]

Surely the policy is no different to going into a Restaurant. Would they be happy if I took a bottle in with me that I had purchased earlier in the day to consume on the premises.

 

They are all in business to make a profit and alcohol is one element of that profit.

 

Brian

[emcee207]

You cannot compare a ship to a restaurant. A ship is a floating hotel. Does a hotel prohibit you from bring a bottle to your room??

 

Last spring we took a 14 day Best of Italy tour on the Quest.

 

Yes, they scan all bags brought on board at every stop. I would estimate we brought at least one bottle back on board at almost every stop or let's say about 10 times.

Only once did the scanner call out our wine and it was confiscated. It turned up in our cabin later that day!

I beleive they just do spot checks to keep it from getting out of control.

 

One of the best investments I made this last cruise was several of the plastic travel containers by "Rumrunner" Check them out, very good. Better for hard liquor but also work on wine if you plan on consuming it soon after opening.

[Cruise Junky]

Surely the policy is no different to going into a Restaurant. Would they be happy if I took a bottle in with me that I had purchased earlier in the day to consume on the premises.

 

They are all in business to make a profit and alcohol is one element of that profit.

 

Brian

 

I don't live in a restaurant for 14 days. And some restaurants do allow corkage, it's quite common in some of the US states.