Cork Fee

[HALGAL]

At some point over the years I read a thread about bringing wine on board. Is that still allowed? If it is what is the corking fee?
First time driving to port, so it is a possibility.
Thanks for the help.

[johnthed0g]

Can't speak for the individual lines but if they allow you to bring it on there should be no charge unless you take the bottle to a restaurant.

[HALGAL]

I meant for the restaurant. I don't think they let you take it to your cabin.

[DeeDee]

"I don't think they let you take it to your cabin."

Certainly you can take it to your cabin.


You can take all the wine/champagne you want whether it's for use in your cabin or in the dining room.

There is no corkage fee if you drink it in your room, but there is either a $15.00 or $18.00 corkage fee if taken to the dining room.

If you take it to the dining room and don't finish the bottle, they will re-cork it for you, put your name on the bottle and bring it to you the next night - you will not be charged a fee again, but if you bring a new bottle another night, there will be another charge.

[johnthed0g]

The cabin is about the only place you can take it!! Where were you going to put it then?

[Trackypup]

HAL has the best policy on wine. You can take on as much as you like from any port. Corkage is $18 I think

[johnthed0g]

P&O too allow wine/drinks on but they reserve the right to refuse, in case of abuse I suppose.
I know of someone who says they take wine onboard for consumption at dinner, this person seems to know his wine & can buy expensive wines a lot cheaper than he can on the ship, so he says it is worth paying £10/bottle corkage. Only worth it if you want a particular wine not available on board or is very expensive onboard. They also sell spirits cheaply too 1 litre of Bacardi was about £12 I think

[Skipper's Mom]

We always bring our wine on with us and we're not the only ones that do. What we purchase is usually much better than what's offerred by HAL and their prices are crazy. Even with the $18 corkage fee, we're still ahead of the game and drink nicer wines. We even bring them into the Pinnacle Grill where the wine list is out of sight! The somaliers don't seem to mind. Check out their bottle prices at the web site.

[HALGAL]

Thank you all for the info.

[earl]

I always bring a few bottles of Wine on board!isave it for my stateroom, I like to have a glass or 2 on my balcony at Night

[Queen of Oakville]

For anyone who's as cheap as me .... you can bring your own corkscrew ... uncork the bottle yourself. If there are no wine glassses in your stateroom, ask your cabin steward. Pour your own wine, and bring the glass to the MDR. Yes, you enter the dining room with your wine glass in hand, but no one knows if you walked out of your cabin with it, or if you stopped for a glass of wine before dinner at one of the bars.

Still trying to figure out how we'll get a few bottles of wine on board for our HAL cruise. I'm contemplating, wrapping the bottles in towels and then placing in a large zippy bag and placing in our checked luggage. I wish we could still bring liquids on a plane.

The only other option is get the cab to stop at a liquor store on the way to Everglades - which seems kind of silly. Are there any wine stores near the port at T&C or San juan?

[DeeDee]

You don't have to bring your own corkscrew - ask your cabin steward to get one for you.

To me that's tacky, taking your wine in a glass to the dining room. HAL has been very lenient in allowing us to bring our own wine on board for consumpation in our cabin, but if everyone did what you suggest then there's a good chance that one day HAL will ban wine/champagne/soda like they do hard liquour and beer.

As for bringing it from home wrapped in towels, you are taking a chance - have you seen they way the baggage handlers handle the luggage at Pearson and on the ship. You may be lucky and nothing breaks but if it does, then you'll have to wash everything in your suitcase. Many years ago we were with a couple from Kitchener and they did this - oh, boy did their clothes reek until they could wash/get them cleaned !!

I'd get the cab to stop at a liquour store in FLL on the way to the ship. I believe there are a couple of big stores on the way to the ship. Either the cabbie will know where they are or someone on this board will know the name of them.

As far as I know no liquour stores in T&C but probably a few nearby in PC.

Good luck and have a GREAT CRUISE. We did this cruise on the EUDM in December and will probably do it again at Xmas.

[Queen of Oakville]

Originally Posted by DeeDee

You don't have to bring your own corkscrew - ask your cabin steward to get one for you.

To me that's tacky, taking your wine in a glass to the dining room. HAL has been very lenient in allowing us to bring our own wine on board for consumpation in our cabin, but if everyone did what you suggest then there's a good chance that one day HAL will ban wine/champagne/soda like they do hard liquour and beer.

As for bringing it from home wrapped in towels, you are taking a chance - have you seen they way the baggage handlers handle the luggage at Pearson and on the ship. You may be lucky and nothing breaks but if it does, then you'll have to wash everything in your suitcase. Many years ago we were with a couple from Kitchener and they did this - oh, boy did their clothes reek until they could wash/get them cleaned !!

I'd get the cab to stop at a liquour store in FLL on the way to the ship. I believe there are a couple of big stores on the way to the ship. Either the cabbie will know where they are or someone on this board will know the name of them.

As far as I know no liquour stores in T&C but probably a few nearby in PC.

Good luck and have a GREAT CRUISE. We did this cruise on the EUDM in December and will probably do it again at Xmas.

I see it as FRUGAL not TACKY . If I'm not going to buy a glass of wine in the MDR, then what does it matter where I drink it? To me, it's not much different then everyone with their rum runners, drinking by the pool and not buying from a poolside server.

We're actually flying out of Buffalo, but its not much different with respect to baggage handlers. The only thing that had be even considering it was ... I was talking to one of the gift shop workers on Grandeur who was trying to talk me into buying the special of the day. I told him that since I coudlnt' carry it on the plane, then ... I was out-of-luck. He said they package it so you put in your suitcase. Another passenger spoke up and said he did it all the time. That is the only reason I've even contemplate packing wine ... but I know I'd be far to skeeered that my clothes would get wrecked.

[johnthed0g]

Must say it has never occurred to me to take wine from the cabin to the MDR, but then I tend to have more than one glass!

[anniegb]

I will stick my hand up here.

I frequently pack wine and spirits in my hold luggage coming back from land vacations and in nearly 40 years of doing so - never suffered a breakage - touch wood. Why I pack them - easier than carrying them by hand.

Method - roll bottle in tshirts etc and wedge securely in the middle of the case.

I will not guarantee the method but it works for me.

Annie

PS i know a true story of how a French language teacher accompanying children on a school trip who used this method to smuggle champagne in the suitcases of the children for over 30 years.

[johnthed0g]

Tip ...in Barbados the do rum in plastic bottles...

[earl]

I would never bring a glass of wine to the dinner table. I usually order a bottle of Wine on the first night. it would almost last me the cruise.

[Skipper's Mom]

I believe that cabins are equipped with corkscrews, wine glasses and champagne glasses. That's been my experience with HAL for the past few years. With the money you're already spending for the cruise, what's the big deal of paying a corkage fee for a bottle you bring on? I wouldn't want to be carrying a glass of wine from my stateroom to the DR, along with a couple of kids in tow, and risk spilling it on me or others. If you don't finish the bottle the first night, they'll hold it for you and it will be sitting on your table the following evening. No muss, no fuss.

[Queen of Oakville]

To be clear - I've never cruised with HAL before, so I cannot comment on what is included in the cabin. The reason I bring a corksrew, is because years ago, we bought one in teh gift shop of Royal Carribean. We had a wine bottle gifted to us from our travel agent, but no way to open it, so DH picked up a small souvenir corkscrew. It lives in our suitcase, so we always have it with us when travel.


ETA: These days, even good wines have screw tops, and you no longer "need" a corkscrew. I wonder if the corkage fee still applies?

[johnthed0g]

Originally Posted by earl

I would never bring a glass of wine to the dinner table. I usually order a bottle of Wine on the first night. it would almost last me the cruise.

I too buy a bottle of wine on the first night....it sometimes lasts the meal...
Someone onces asked "what do you do with leftover wine?" Sorry don't understand the concept of "leftover wine"

[Trackypup]

leftover wine doesn't happen on our cruises either. I've never quite grasped this concept of them storing the bottle for you until the next night...it would be empty, why store an empty bottle

[Skipper's Mom]

Originally Posted by Queen of Oakville

To be clear - I've never cruised with HAL before, so I cannot comment on what is included in the cabin. The reason I bring a corksrew, is because years ago, we bought one in teh gift shop of Royal Carribean. We had a wine bottle gifted to us from our travel agent, but no way to open it, so DH picked up a small souvenir corkscrew. It lives in our suitcase, so we always have it with us when travel.


ETA: These days, even good wines have screw tops, and you no longer "need" a corkscrew. I wonder if the corkage fee still applies?

Queen:

I don't want you to think that I am picking on you, far from the truth.

When we cruised HAL from San Diego to Hawaii, we purchased a souvenir corkscrew in HI and I put in in one of our bags. Imagine my surprise when we returned to San Diego and went through the scanners at the airport and they "spied" the corkscrew in one of our carry-on bags. I never thought about it. But, the TSA would not let us take it on the plane!! They suggested I then go back out of security and arrange to mail the $2.50 screw back to my home. I told her (the TSA agent) to enjoy using my corkscrew! I'm sure that I could have brought a plane down with that device! ! So, make sure that you only bring the CS in your checked luggage. As for the screw-tops, I still am not ready for that and it makes me feel that like I'm drinking a bottle of Ripple.

We, too, never have a problem with left-over wine. Can anyone explain that phenomenon (sp?)?

[johnthed0g]

Originally Posted by Trackypup

leftover wine doesn't happen on our cruises either. I've never quite grasped this concept of them storing the bottle for you until the next night...it would be empty, why store an empty bottle

I know "a bottle" sounds a lot but three big glasses is a bottle 750ml

[anniegb]

1/4 litre of wine per glass - ok; that is very nearly 1/2 pint (UK) per glass - to me that is easily 2 glasses.

Doubles all round

[johnthed0g]

Pubs in Uk sell two sizes 125ml or 250ml, it's cheaper to buy a bottle than three large glasses.

[Skipper's Mom]

Between my DH and myself, a bottle lasts through dinner......

[anniegb]

Originally Posted by johnthed0g

Pubs in Uk sell two sizes 125ml or 250ml, it's cheaper to buy a bottle than three large glasses.

Absolutely, always cheaper to buy by the bottle!

In Scotland, I think pubs use 175ml size of glass? So there is always some left in the bottle - 5ml

Annie

[anniegb]

Originally Posted by anniegb

Absolutely, always cheaper to buy by the bottle!

In Scotland, I think pubs use 175ml size of glass? So there is always some left in the bottle - 5ml

Annie

Oops I meant of course 50 ml left over.:o

[Queen of Oakville]

Yes, you are right about the airport security. I keep my corkscrew in my checked luggage not my carry on. I once had to forfeit a very expense ($40) pair of tweezers for the same reason. I wasn't about to go back and stand in line again.