Princess New Wine Policy
 

Not sure if anyone has been following this but in the recent week Princess started printing new wine policy on it's luggage tags and cruise documents...here's a bit of an explanation:

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The policy remains the same in terms of passengers being permitted to bring one bottle of wine or champagne onboard per adult per voyage. If this bottle is opened in a public area (such as the dining room) a $15 corkage fee will apply, however if the bottle is consumed in the privacy of the passenger's stateroom, no corkage will apply.

What has changed is that we recognize some of our passengers have preferences for particular wines or champagnes and we will now be allowing passengers to bring additional bottles of wine or champagne onboard our vessels during the cruise and at embarkation. Each bottle in excess of the one bottle per voyage per adult will receive a $15 corkage fee irrespective of where this will be consumed. Princess will begin monitoring and enforcing the above policy in the coming weeks and months as we introduce this new policy."

Is this optional?

Say I buy bottles in port to take home(not use on ship) can I check it and not pay?

I'm sure you could. They'll probably just store them for you.

I'm sure they have some changes planned but it will be interesting to see just how strict they'll be about charging their passengers. I can see lots of folks just getting irritated about the charge & not buying their overpriced wines on board at all.
I also can't possibly see how they intent to enforce the total count since people will be packing a few bottles in their checked luggage & also carrying additional bottles in their carry on bags. If they are serious about the two bottle limit they have to keep records on each & every bag and somehow that doesn't seem feasible.
Does anyone know how NCL keeps track of wine carried on board?

Any ideas on how they will inforce this new policy? We leave in 2 weeks and was planning on taking 3 bottles onboard. Last year we took 3 in our carry on and no one said anything.

If you bring any bottles in your check-in luggage, they will find it when it goes through x-ray. And the same thing holds true when you go through security and have to put your carry-on luggage through the x-ray machines. That's when they'll probably check your onboard account to see if you've already got your two bottles claimed or not. And if you have, then that's when they'll ask you if you want to drink it onboard and have the corkage fee applied to your onboard account, or if you want to bring it home with you, then they'll take it from to reclaim when you get off the ship and not charge your onboard account.

Sounds like a lot of extra work to me, but this is basically what NCL is doing, except they're charging the corkage fee on ANY bottle of wine or champagne you're bringing onboard.

Gotta love the hunt for the extra buck!

Pete

If you leave in two weeks I think you'll be fine. They only started printing this on luggage tags and cruise documents last week so you're sailing under the old cruise contract, I don't think they're going to be enforcing it this quickly. People aren't reporting having any issues boarding this week.

It sounds like an enormous amount of bookkeeping having the port security checking & keeping tabs on the number of bottles being carried in. At the point of them seeing the bottles they then have to log it in & the ships crew now has to single out the checked bags for bottles also and then compare records from the port security whereas NCL charges for any bottle no matter where it's found.
I'm not saying it's impossible, but the amount of effort put in to catch a limited number of people does sound like a lot for what they'll be getting back.
Either way it time to invest in a few Rum Runners for the next cruise need them or not. :p

Margaret - are you sailing with us on Caribbean Princess?

Under the "old" contract you are only allowed 2 bottles.

I have had security question me at embarkation when I am carrying two bottles - they want to know the DW is carrying none.

Yes we will be on the Caribbean Princess and I can't wait! We cruised Princess out of FLL last year and had no trouble taking 3 bottles on board. Since I have to have a pat down ( medical reasons) to get thro secruity my husband had them in our 1 carry on. No one said anything to him. Since we have 3 glorious days at sea we wanted to take 3 again. Since we don't spend a huge amount on a bottle if they want they can take the 3rd one, not sure I want to pay as much or more than I pay for the wine for a corkage fee. LOL

Not 100% accurate. The current cruise contract was revised in September, 2012 the contract prior to that had no limit. Only Princess's marketing materials referenced the 2 bottle, cruise contract didn't.

The current cruise contract now needs to be revised again bringing in this new $15 charge.

We r waiting to board the Caribbean Princess. We brought 3 bottles of wine in our carry on and not even 1 question about them. Walked right through. I don't know if it matters but we r platinum n have preferred check in.

We sail on April the 25th for Hawaii, and my wife always brings her 2 bottles of wine, guess we will find out?????

So far there have been no reports of it being enforced

I think their new way of posting the limits is to intimidate people into not bringing so much wine with them as had been posted in the past. I'm sure they wouldn't want to have to begin checking each & every bag as some other cruise lines do and just the threat of the rule being enforced will deter many people form even thinking about it.
Only time will tell. :-?
I've never had problems taking two small bottles of alcohol (not wine) on board during embarkation but I intend to be a little more cautious on our next trip in April & conceal it from sight. :roll:
I did notice that on our last trip to Aruba they were extra vigilant about checking the returning passengers looking for any bottles & escorting them to the check in desk but at the other ports they went back to the regular routine. Perhaps this was practice for the new regulations? If so, be prepared for long lines while boarding at distant ports while they check each package & pull packages aside for closer inspection. :cry: