mjobtx

Contrary to another comment, Nexus and Global Entry are not the same program. They are separate programs all together but they do offer some mutual accommodations.

Get a passport. You shouldn't consider traveling outside the U.S. without one.

I don't know why you wouldn't want to carry your prescriptions in their original containers. Surely they won't take up that much extra room and you will certainly not have any problem with the laws of states and countries if you do so. However, if you are disembarking somewhere with your medication you should check the laws of that country. There are several countries, especially in the Middle East where prescriptions of medicines that are controlled substances in the U.S. can be banned or require prior permission and documentation. Don't take anything for granted. It is your responsibility to know the laws of the country you are entering.

I just can't sleep without showering first. Something about going to bed sweaty and dirty from the day's activities. My wife on the other hand showers in the morning. Works out well for us. No competition for the shower.

Savings on wine in Australia and NZ are not great, but prices one can purchase incredible wines for in Europe is often half to a third of US prices. We often purchase wine pre cruise in Europe to take aboard to enjoy with the great meals in the Specialties. If one is going to enjoy a great wine they paid $60 for locally, that may cost $130 in the States (retail) and $250 for similar quality on board, paying the corkage fee is cheap. Also we have set up, via the roll calls, wine dinners for 8-10 in the Privee where we were not charged corkage, it was part of the room fee. Some spectacular wines have been shared there with new found fellow wine lovers!

Thanks for the idea pinotlover. I may need to repack my wine suitcase with a "special" wine or two instead of my standard fare. Who knows? We might find another wine lover or two on our cruise.

We had a great time in Buenos Aires picking up some local Malbecs. Didn't spend a lot but even moderately priced wine plus corkage was cheaper and more interesting than the standard offerings on the ships wine list. I have also brought cognac in plastic (?) bottles from REI with no problem, also good for leftover wine.

We plan to buy a couple of cases of wine in Argentina when we take a side trip to Mendoza after the cruise. There is a lot of excellent wine produced there that doesn't make it to the U.S. mostly because not enough of it is made. Cognac you say. Maybe I will pack a bottle of Tesseron for the trip too. You are giving me ideas.

Thanks for the information on the wine suitcase. I did not know about it and will be ordering one as it will be put to good use! We bring back a lot of wine when we travel from CA and have always used a box with styrofoam inserts that holds 12 bottles. We also put a few bottles in our checked luggage wrapped in bubble wrap. We've never had any bottles break doing this but the box is a hassle. We tie rope around it to make it easier to carry but TSA always opens the box and does not re-tie it. The wine suitcase will eliminate the hassle of rope and packing tape.

 

A couple posters mentioned that they wouldn't trust a box with styrofoam inserts. I disagree with that - we have checked as luggage with the airlines MANY boxes of wine and nothing has broken. We've even used the same boxes over and over. These boxes are very secure and you do not have to worry about anything breaking. However, the wine suitcase makes it easier to carry.

sunlover12, your profile says Madison, WI. Is that where you live? Just a couple of months ago, several of my wine collector friends were in Madison opening and tasting some amazing wines. Maybe you participated. In any case, if you feel comfortable doing so, send me your contact information at my personal email: mjobtx@gmail.com I try to have contact information for fellow wine lovers and collectors. I just never know when I will be in their neighborhood.

The same goes for the other wine lovers and collectors on this forum. We can exchange contact information. We all travel and there is nothing more fun that meeting up with people who share your interests in wine and travel.

Michael

Basically, as long as you can take it aboard the ship with you, you're fine. You just can't give it to the porters for delivery to your room. It also has to fit through the security x-ray scanner, but even a 12 bottle shipping box, which is quite a bit thicker because of the extra padding, fits. You should be fine.

At long last, I've got it. Just a little slow on the uptake I guess. My wine suitcase is a spinner so I suspect it will get through the scanner just fine http://www.vingardevalise.com

It's not as hard as you'd think. A good shipping box with a handle strap balances on top of a rollaboard suitcase, a Wine Tote of Awesomeness in each hand, or a dedicated wine suitcase. It gets tricky when you try to exceed 18 bottles per person, but up until that point it's pretty doable.

I misinterpreted your comment. I was thinking carry on like something you can put overhead on an airplane. My wine is in a 4 wheel spinner, polycarbonate wine suitcase. If carry on means I keep it with me that is doable.

It must be in your carry-on when you board the ship. If you choose to fly with wine in your checked luggage, then go for it, but to board the ship, you should be placing it in your carry-on.

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

Not sure how I would get a case of wine in a carry-on. We are carrying wine for an extended trip. The cruise is only part of it.

I always offer thes sommelier a glass IfI am bringing a special vintage....That's just manners... not to get the corkage fee removed....its a business.. Like bring abox ofcandy to the hotel manager and get a penthouse upgrade.... No O deserves the right to profit...O'snot a charity. On my last cruise I noted wine prices/ lists for by the bottle were very reasonable even more so than by the glass

 

I cant help being amused reading about people eagerly la thebetter part of

=8000 to10,000 for a cruise and feel threatened by silly little 60 bucks a day pp.....That aint high >>>> try going to any restaurants and bars and O'prices are very reasonable for the market.....Its just so funny to read a person bragging on their penthouse while trying to squeeze their nickel has the indian riding on the buffalo......amazing

 

And to the folks with a large wine cellar...and they have stuff they think is going bad.. well when youship that level of age, the shipping vibration and sloshing is going to pretty much screw it up for months.... I have a large celler with stuff back to the70's from Calif and the 80's from France... No way amI going to ship a 82 Pomerol or a 74 Heitz marthas to my cruise... to much bouncing and destructive things happen For your Malbeck try the Chicago Wine company Too if your,,wine is so old 30 + years... sell the stuff via a wine broker....I sold several cases when I moved to Hawaii what I bought for 80 a case I sold for $2499.... No way would take good stuff on a cruise

Hawaiidan, it isn't about the $60 per day or $120 per day for two people. We aren't taking a really long cruise but even it would cost $2,880 for the booze package. We don't drink liquor, only wine. $2,880 will buy quite a bit of decent wine. It is about what is available for the money.

You are right that vibration is the enemy of wine but that is long term sustained vibration in storage not the short term kind you get moving or carrying wine for a few weeks. All wine is vibrated. It was bottled, packed, and shipped to you by all means of transportation. It was handled many times by many people in the process. Short term vibration causes no perceptible change in the wine. When you reach your destination, simply stand the bottles up and let them rest.

Some of us collect because of our love of wine and not as a business. I would never think of selling my wine. I regularly share it with fellow wine lovers who generously share their wine with me. My wife and I have traveled all over the U.S and to other countries to meet and taste fine wines with wine lovers and collectors. I can assure you that not one of us is concerned about ruining our wine by traveling with it. If shipping wine was a serious problem, there would be no Wine Spectator or Decanter tastings. No tasting events. No trade shows. And yet there are thousands of these events all over the world with some of the world's best wines represented.

Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences with Oceania. This is my first cruise with them and I wasn't expecting anything like this. One of my wine suitcases will be full and we will hope that there is no surprise at embarkation. If the worse that happens is they sequester the wine until the end of the trip, we are okay. We are spending 3 weeks in Argentina at the end of the cruise so we can drink it there.

We four have shared some wonderful wines and would be happy to expand the tasting panel to six should the opportunity present. If you search the CC threads on this topic the consensus will be yes, the contract states something about three bottles. The consensus will further reduce to it's there should O need to enforce non-adult behavior occassioned by excess consumption. per earlier post we have never seen nor heard of anytime there was any such action. Our experience: adults acting as such results in a non event.

 

Jihn

Hope we cross paths then. Happy to contribute to the cause. I didn't see your name on the roll call for our up coming cruise so I guess it won't happen this time. Maybe next. This time Cape Town to Buenos Aires with a side trip to Mendoza. Plan to take back a couple of cases of stuff I can't get in Texas or for that matter anywhere in the U.S. I love my wine suitcases. They have made travel with wine so much easier.

HAL allows 1 - 750ml bottle per person on embarkation. If you bring more than 1 per person, you are charged corkage of $18 per bottle. You are no longer able to bring it on from every port; should you decide to purchase wine in port, either forfeit it until it is returned the last night, or pay the $18 corkage per bottle. Wine must be in your carry-on; if it is discovered in your checked luggage, you will be called to the "naughty" room to have a little talk about it. :D

 

The 2 Litre bottles are not allowed, just as the boxes of wine are not allowed, as they are over the 750ml limit.

 

Smooth Sailing ! :) :) :)

Not sure what you mean by the wine must be in your carry on and not in checked luggage. You can't carry wine on an airplane so it has to be in your checked luggage.

We have completed 12 O cruises...we regularly bring case(s) of wine on each trip. We have never had any issue nor have we ever heard of anyone being barred from bringing the same aboard. We have never pre notified. We have had asst. cruise directors carry our case to our room. A search will reveal frequent CC discussion on this topic. Equally we have never read of any lost bottles. You will read lots of interpretations of the three bottle contract clause. Newbie 60 will offer the same re their experience. They bring a hell of a lot more than do we. Hi Jan.

 

John

That's comforting. I always travel with a case, sometimes two. Newbie 60 and you sound like my kind of people.

This isn't the Oceania thread....this is carnival. They allow one bottle per person 21 and over. I don't think they ID though as much as they make sure the wine is sealed and not full of hard liquor

My apologies. My point was poorly made but is one that I have experienced on other lines.

You can't trust the published policy as evidenced by my recent experience with Oceania. You may think you know the policy but if there is an unpublished one it can be costly.

I understand your concerns but I will reiterate that if you were to have problems in this connection, you'd be the first. Plus the customer service reps are often not as aware of real life on the ships ...

 

In addition, I just noted the "please advise the ship" that you are bringing on alcohol. I've never done so, that's for sure, and I haven't needed to. If you are bringing on a case, it might be a good idea to do so however.

 

I'm sure that some of the people who have brought on a case or two will chime in here.

 

Mura

I do hope someone with experience bringing on more than 3 bottles chimes in. You can't imagine how angry I would be if I had to discard several hundred dollars worth of wine at the port. I do not see the wisdom nor the value in the policy. Surely Oceania isn't that greedy. At the very least, I would like to have a waiver. I am going to try to speak to a supervisor on Monday but often they don't really know anything either.

It's been our experience, if you purchase wine from a winery (in sufficient quantity), they will box it up ready for shipping & on a plane, it can go either as checked luggage or as a carry-on. We've never had a broken bottle in a packed by seller container.

Works pretty well in the U.S. if you are buying all of your wine at one place. If not, a whole other logistical nightmare. In other parts of the world, many wineries do not provide this service. Wine cannot be carried on a plane so it must be checked. I check mine but I use my wine suitcase. It is much easier to maneuver and the foam inserts and foam padding are far superior to Styrofoam or a cardboard box. And I can use it on every trip. Cost more to start; less in the long run. There was a time when I didn't have a choice. Now I do.

Technically that IS the policy but it's never been enforced that I know of. While I haven't brought on more than a few bottles myself, plenty of people have posted here that they did so without any problems at all. (And you aren't the first to ask this question by any means.)

 

I think this is just a "self-protective" measure in case they have difficulties with a passenger. You really should not worry.

 

While I don't normally bring on a case of wine, I did bring 4-5 bottles of wine and a magnum of vodka on to the ship on our last cruise (boarded last April in Lima, Peru) without any problems at all.

 

Mura

I am troubled by the fact that they have an unpublished policy that could force someone to discard several hundred dollars worth of wine. Below is the policy as published in the FAQs on the website and below that, the policy as sent to me by the agent. The differences are significant.

In FAQs on the website: What is your alcohol policy?

The sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages will be limited to guests aged 21 years or older. Oceania Cruises will refuse and prohibit the sale of alcoholic beverages to guests under the age of 21 years. Guests are kindly reminded to consume alcohol in moderation. Oceania Cruises reserves the right to prohibit and retain all alcohol bought ashore for consumption on board the vessel.

Policy sent by the agent but nowhere to be found on the website: Alcohol Policy

The sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages will be limited to guests aged 21 years or older. Oceania Cruises will refuse and prohibits the sale or service of alcoholic beverages to guests under the age of 21 years. Guests are kindly reminded to consume alcohol in moderation. Oceania Cruises reserves the right to prohibit and retain all alcohol bought ashore for consumption onboard the vessel. Beer and liquor cannot be brought on-board by guests.

The maximum of 3 bottles of independent wine (per stateroom, per cruise) can be brought on-board for the duration of the cruise. This includes guests flying with their own wine, or purchasing it on shore. We ask that guests let us know they are bringing wine on-board so the ship can be advised. Guests are welcome to enjoy their wine in the comfort and privacy of their stateroom or suite, or, if they prefer, may enjoy their wine in one of the ship’s dining rooms. Any wine consumed in the dining room or a public area will be subject to a corkage fee of $25.00 per bottle. There is no corkage fee for wine purchased onboard or as part of our Bon Voyage Gift Program.

If an Oceania customer service rep I spoke to this afternoon is correct, Oceania has an unpublished policy that limits the amount of wine you can bring on board to 3 bottles no matter the length of the cruise. Below is the policy statement he sent me and below that is the policy statement as it appears on Oceania's website: Unfortunately I can't change fonts or colors to highlight the policies.

Unpublished Alcohol Policy

The sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages will be limited to guests aged 21 years or older. Oceania Cruises will refuse and prohibits the sale or service of alcoholic beverages to guests under the age of 21 years. Guests are kindly reminded to consume alcohol in moderation. Oceania Cruises reserves the right to prohibit and retain all alcohol bought ashore for consumption onboard the vessel. Beer and liquor cannot be brought on-board by guests.

The maximum of 3 bottles of independent wine (per stateroom, per cruise) can be brought on-board for the duration of the cruise. This includes guests flying with their own wine, or purchasing it on shore. We ask that guests let us know they are bringing wine on-board so the ship can be advised. Guests are welcome to enjoy their wine in the comfort and privacy of their stateroom or suite, or, if they prefer, may enjoy their wine in one of the ship’s dining rooms. Any wine consumed in the dining room or a public area will be subject to a corkage fee of $25.00 per bottle. There is no corkage fee for wine purchased onboard or as part of our Bon Voyage Gift Program.

Alcohol policy on the Oceania website found in the FAQs:

What is your alcohol policy?

The sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages will be limited to guests aged 21 years or older. Oceania Cruises will refuse and prohibit the sale of alcoholic beverages to guests under the age of 21 years. Guests are kindly reminded to consume alcohol in moderation. Oceania Cruises reserves the right to prohibit and retain all alcohol bought ashore for consumption on board the vessel.

Given that we visit wineries on the itinerary, this policy makes no sense. Even if we didn't visit wineries I am not accustomed to be told how much of my own wine I can carry. I suppose it is a matter of money to Oceania but I think that is short-sighted.

I just spoke to a customer service rep at Oceania and asked him about the limits of bringing wine on board. He told me that I was limited to 3 bottles. However that information is not present anywhere that I can find on the Oceania website and it isn't in the Oci terms and conditions document I received. Apparently the policy is a well hidden one which had I arrived with my usual case of wine would have cost me dearly and it would certainly have made me extremely angry at Oceania for enforcing a policy no one knows about.

The agent said he would send me a copy of the policy. We shall see. It seems quite unusual to limit us to bringing on 3 bottles of wine at the same time we are visiting wineries on some of our excursions. If ever a policy needed to be changed and certainly published in plain sight, this is one of them.

I always carry wine with me when I travel. I use one of these http://www.vingardevalise.com While they have been scanned, I have never been asked about the contents. Maybe it just depends on who is scanning or policies are ever changing. My wine suitcase looks like any other suitcase on the outside so at least it is discrete. I don't see how cruise lines can dictate that a passenger doesn't have the right to bring or purchase wine and bring it on board. Nowadays many ports are built around visiting wine regions.

This thread is 3 years old now but I thought I would add my solution to the mix. Admittedly this built for purpose wine suitcase wasn't on the market when this thread was alive but it is now. It was the perfect solution for me because it was designed and built to be a wine suitcase. It is more expensive than a Wine Check or Bellini Bottle Limo but it is far stronger and far more protective of your bottles. Mine goes everywhere with me and I have never had a broken bottle. http://www.vingardevalise.com

A lot has changed since the posts in this thread. You can no longer carry wine on board. About a year ago I solved my problem when I found this built for purpose wine suitcase. It has only been on the market since 2014 but it is the answer for those of us who travel to and from our destinations with wine. http://www.vingardevalise.com

The little research I just did on "wine shipper" cases -- and I emphasize it was little -- showed that most of them are styrofoam containers inside boxes. I wouldn't want to use them shipping to Europe from the U.S.! One source asked me where I was shipping to/from but only considered shipments between U.S. states (which probably would be okay).

 

I wouldn't want to trust those styrofoam cases -- I've been ordering wine from a couple of internet sources which ship in those cases, and everything has been received in perfect condition. But I wouldn't want to trust an airline with such packaging material. So if I were going to ship enough bottles to make it worth it, something like the VinGuard would be the way I would go.

 

Speaking of shipping, and somewhat off-topic, a few weeks ago I ordered a glass beer mug which was based one a series of wine glasses which had etchings based on water colors that our guide on an African safari had made from EBay. Our trip was back in 1987. I ordered a number of the wine glasses at the time of our trip but have been trying to restock thanks to my husband's vision problems leading to his breaking number of them! (These are no longer available.) I was delighted with the beer mug even though it was only one.

 

The seller shipped it meticulously wrapped ... but somehow USPS managed to deliver it to me totally shattered. At least insurance came through ...

 

Of course, this glass (while a pretty heavy glass, much heavier than the wine glasses in the series) was in its turn much lighter than a typical wine bottle.

 

Even so ... I wouldn't trust one of those styrofoam-cardboard box combos for shipping wine on an airline!

 

Mura

I wouldn't and don't use a wine shipper. If you search for wine suitcase, you will get different responses. Our cases are suitcases specifically designed to carry wine safely and securely. Anyone that has received a shipment of wine and I receive many over the course of the year, see that the Styrofoam is usually cracked or partially broken by the time the wine arrives. While you might use them more than once, the integrity is not there. You might find a video on the http://www.vingardevalise.com website amusing. It shows a fully loaded case being rolled down a flight of stairs.

Er, maybe it's because I'm buying my wine in NYC but where do you get a $9 bottle of wine that isn't Ripple?

 

My usual wines for daily drinking (usually cabernet sauvignon or sauvignon blanc) run $15-30 in NY. Even then I wouldn't want to pay double, although I well know that in restaurants and on cruise ships there is a whopping markup and what it would cost at home.

 

But $9? It's many years since my modest wines cost that little ...

 

Michael, Thanks also for the link to VinGarde Valise ... looks great! I would never need to bring so much wine along (since my husband is as close to being a teetotaler as one can be) but it's nice to know that something like this is available. If we were going on a 40 day or more trip, I'd rethink my position! But for 14-21 days, especially if we're in a suite that gets the liquor set-up, bringing 3-4 bottles is sufficient for me.

 

There are all great suggestions.

 

 

 

Mura

Mura, might have been a bad example but when I looked at the "Wine by the Bottle" package, 22 of the wines can be purchased for $12 a bottle or less, 13 of them for $9 or less. At $42.50 per bottle on the "Wine by the Bottle" list, you can see what I meant about the multiples.There are also well priced wines on the Connoisseurs List and the regular wine list as well. Those lists are not necessarily what will be available but for people like me that buy a lot of wine, high multiples are discouraging.

Like I said earlier, the wine suitcase isn't for everyone. I was only letting those like me that do carry and bring home wine know that it exists. The company that designed and manufactures the case is small but growing and the first version of the case only went on the market about 16 months ago. I have a version 1 and a version 2 myself.

Michael