Wine question

[sue450]

I just completed a cruise out of Vancouver on the Island Princess. We bought our wine and champagne at the BC Liquor Store in Vancouver and had them put it in one of the empty cardboard boxes with the dividers.

 

I had brought along the type of packing tape that you can rip by hand. We taped the box and taped a Princess luggage tag to the box. We checked it at the port with our luggage. It was delivered to our room with our suitcases. I asked our room steward to bring us 2 wine glasses each day and he did so faithfully.

[LilCruiser82]

Ironically, I pack mine in my luggage or in my carryon, using a gadget I was introduced to in the Boutiques Onboard - the Wineskin - it's a bottle-shaped bubble-wrap-esque pouch with a liquid-tight seal - www.ftscontent.com has more details. They're $1.25 each onboard, a little more or a little less at retail, and hold glass shards and liquid in the event of bottle breakage. I haven't lost one yet. Before that, I just used large-bubble bubble wrap and a dot of tape, and usually put them in my hand-carry backpack.

 

Are these pouches re-usable?

[Alan64]

The seal part isn't re-usable. If you don't seal them, then you can re-use them just as padding, but the seal is a nice feature when packing them in luggage. There's also another brand called Wine Mummy that works the same way.

[woohooTOO]

Ironically, I pack mine in my luggage or in my carryon, using a gadget I was introduced to in the Boutiques Onboard - the Wineskin - it's a bottle-shaped bubble-wrap-esque pouch with a liquid-tight seal - www.ftscontent.com has more details. They're $1.25 each onboard, a little more or a little less at retail, and hold glass shards and liquid in the event of bottle breakage. I haven't lost one yet. Before that, I just used large-bubble bubble wrap and a dot of tape, and usually put them in my hand-carry backpack.

 

So, if you pack it in your luggage how do they know?

[watergal]

A wine group on our Island Princess 9 day coastal cruise brought 60 cases.

For nine days! OMG!:eek:

[Alan64]

Has anyone brought magnums of wine to the dining room? I'd assume that they'd just charge a double corkage fee, correct?

[GSD4ME]

When cruising, I pack a wheeled beverage cart with plastic lining. We pack it with coke, water bottles and 4-6 bottles of wine and champagne. Don't put ice in it until you get on the ship (frowned upon by the x-ray people on the dock). We also pack a few bottles of rum, tequila, etc. in our checked bags.....(always bubble wrap and put inside XL zip lock bags).

 

Last time, when in Puerto Villarta, I purchased 3 bottles of tequila at a local store. Customs had no probelm with it, but the ship's x-ray officer asked, "are those bottles in that bag"? To which I replied, "Yes".....He asked, "Are they liquor?". I said, "Yes, sir." He said, "well you will have to check them at that table over there." I said, "OK".....and proceeded to just walk past the line for the table checking in liquor. Got on the elevator to my floor and no one said anything to me.

[m steve]

also if you want to bring a bottle or 2 to cabin, just turn in a box at security with what you buy but don't plan on drinking on board.

[TMJBR]

We bring several bottles along with our own corkscrew. We open the wine in our cabin and bring our full glasses down to dinner.

[charleysmom]

I'm curious whether or not anyone has experienced only getting one corkage fee for multiple bottles... especially with traditional dining?

 

I've been doing some price checking and the corkage fee would put most of the moderately priced wines that we tend to buy at the same price as some of those we'd be likely to buy off the wine list. When I've compared same brand/vintage, it seems like the on board price is about $15 more than the store price for the lower end wines. We're not so wedded to a particular wine that we can't find one off the wine list that we'd be happy with, we'd be carrying on primarily for savings. I'm starting to think it's not worth the hassle of bringing our own.... especially at Vancouver prices.

 

On the other hand, if the waiters have been known to sometimes waive multiple corkage charges that changes everything.

 

Thanks.

 

Ann

[sultan_sfo]

We take wines that are around $20-$40 at Costco (say $26-$50 in a wine store). We take these to the dining room and even with the $15 corkage we find it good value because they would be $40 to $80 (100% mark-up on Costco Prices but Princess gets it cheaper). I also take cheaper wine to chuggle in the cabin before dinner.

[charleysmom]

Yes... cabin wines will be a must. I suspect we'll avoid a lot of the ship activities and just enjoy some wine on the balcony after dinner while watching the lovely scenery go by.

[nickels549]

If you open a bottle of wine in your cabin and bring the rest to the dining room, will you still be charged a corkage fee? They won't be opening the bottle for you.

[m steve]

Drink your open wine in the cabin or pay the corkage in the dining room. Do you want to look cheap for $15?

[sultan_sfo]

Just bring your open bottle and drink from the bottle. That way you will not need "any" wine service. The corkage is for wine service. I did confuse the waiter when we brought a good Australian wine with a screw top and told him -- no cork / no corkage! But we knew the waiter quite well by then because it was mid way on a 31-day cruise. He did charge corkage.

[VibeGuy]

The first time I brought a wine with a Stelvin closure (or, gauchely, a screwcap) on Island Princess, the Headwaiter looked like he was going to faint dead away from having his dining room defiled. This was well before it was commonplace, and the wine in question was a boutique bottling, so he had no idea if it was $2 plonk or $250 cultist juice.

 

The best part was when the server tried to cut the "capsule" with the blade on the wine key; I think I let him turn it a good five, six times before I explained that you just grab and turn. ;0)

 

I was still charged corkage, or, aptly, screwage.

[triple7tahoe]

When cruising, I pack a wheeled beverage cart with plastic lining. We pack it with coke, water bottles and 4-6 bottles of wine and champagne. Don't put ice in it until you get on the ship (frowned upon by the x-ray people on the dock). We also pack a few bottles of rum, tequila, etc. in our checked bags.....(always bubble wrap and put inside XL zip lock bags).

 

Last time, when in Puerto Villarta, I purchased 3 bottles of tequila at a local store. Customs had no probelm with it, but the ship's x-ray officer asked, "are those bottles in that bag"? To which I replied, "Yes".....He asked, "Are they liquor?". I said, "Yes, sir." He said, "well you will have to check them at that table over there." I said, "OK".....and proceeded to just walk past the line for the table checking in liquor. Got on the elevator to my floor and no one said anything to me.

Am I the only one that has a problem with the stated behavior?:confused:

[sbcoach]

Just off the Caribbean Princess and we carrierd 2 wine and packed(bubble wrapped) 1 vodka and 2 rum and cranberry juice and had no problems at all. Grace our steward kept our frig. supplied with a bucket of ice the whole trip.

[sultan_sfo]

The implied suggestion, that others could also adopt this strategy and be proud, was troubling when I first read it.

 

...

Last time, when in Puerto Villarta, I purchased 3 bottles of tequila at a local store. Customs had no probelm with it, but the ship's x-ray officer asked, "are those bottles in that bag"? To which I replied, "Yes".....He asked, "Are they liquor?". I said, "Yes, sir." He said, "well you will have to check them at that table over there." I said, "OK".....and proceeded to just walk past the line for the table checking in liquor. Got on the elevator to my floor and no one said anything to me.

 

Am I the only one that has a problem with the stated behavior?:confused:

[HDMike]

This is my first post, and of course it is about wine! We are taking our first Princess cruise from Alaska in August on the Diamond. The answer book gave a wine list and prices for the stateroom. Are those the same choices and prices as the Dining room? Is "by-the-glass" available?

 

Anywhere in Anchorage good to go to purchase wine before the cruise?

 

Thanks,

 

Mike

[sultan_sfo]

The wine list in bars and dining room is more extensive. I think largin has posted wine lists on this forum.

 

About 5 or 6 choices are available in the dining room by glass ranging from $6 for house wine to about $8 per glass. I am not sure about the availability of wines by glass in "Vines". One can buy there and take it to the dining room. We feel that $15 is reasonable corkage per bottle so bringing one's own wine to the dining room is a good option. One does not have to finish the bottle -- leftover is stored for you for the next dinner.

 

 

This is my first post, and of course it is about wine! We are taking our first Princess cruise from Alaska in August on the Diamond. The answer book gave a wine list and prices for the stateroom. Are those the same choices and prices as the Dining room? Is "by-the-glass" available?

 

Anywhere in Anchorage good to go to purchase wine before the cruise?

 

Thanks,

 

Mike

[m steve]

But you should drink it there and not around the ship!

[nickels549]

I guess I don't quite understand what they're charging you for in the dining rooms. If you open a bottle in your cabin for a pre dinner drink and bring the bottle with you to dinner, what service are they providing? I can pour my own wine and the bottle is already open. I don't really see where a $15 fee comes into play.

[sultan_sfo]

Wine Glasses. Imagine doing what you are suggesting at any decent restaurant that has a corkage charge (very common in SF).

 

The waiter may pretend not to notice what you are doing one or 2 times, eventually they will inform you politely next time you will be charged. Just like most issues about cruising, you may insist that you will not pay corkage and give all your explanations, and may be they will not charge you if you do it every evening.

 

I guess I don't quite understand what they're charging you for in the dining rooms. If you open a bottle in your cabin for a pre dinner drink and bring the bottle with you to dinner, what service are they providing? I can pour my own wine and the bottle is already open. I don't really see where a $15 fee comes into play.

[Alan64]

I guess I don't quite understand what they're charging you for in the dining rooms. If you open a bottle in your cabin for a pre dinner drink and bring the bottle with you to dinner, what service are they providing? I can pour my own wine and the bottle is already open. I don't really see where a $15 fee comes into play.

 

Why do some (land) restaurants not let me bring in my own birthday cake for an after dinner dessert? Because then I won't be buying dessert from them!

 

The fact is that Princess (and restaurants) charge a corkage because otherwise they wouldn't make money on that wine consumption. Princess could just state you can't bring in your own wine at all, so you're forced to buy their wine at their listed prices. At least a corkage fee gives one the option. I bet my $25 bottle + $15 will still be better than their $40 list bottles, so I'm glad to have the choice.

 

Sure, Princess & other restaurants may say they charge corkage fees because of glass use & breakage, etc, but ultimately it's because they want a cut of your alcohol purchases. As another poster mentioned, this is pretty standard in restaurants (at least around here). Some restaurants have a buy a bottle & we'll waive one bottle's corkage policy, others charge as much as $25, but only a few let you bring in your own wine for zero fee.