How Long do you think it will be before HAL.....

[sail7seas]

...Before HAL says 'that's it'. No more lugging cases of wine, water and soda.

 

I can't imagine in this era of them trying to find every place to encourage on board spending, they won't decide a bottle or two of wine may be okay, but no more dragging case(s) onto the ship.

 

It's all the same to me as we never bring wine or water but each cruise I notice the excess some folks go to and I wonder if that might ruin it for everyone who is more moderate in what they bring.

[momatibm]

The last cruise we were on, I brought 2 bottles -- one Champagne, and another bottle I happened to find in the trunk of the car (must have fallen out of the bag when shopping) at the hotel.

 

My cruise in Jan 11 I only plan on bringing the Champagne. I do the Champagne to avoid stressing the Concierge or Wine Stewards during embarkation, and then we can have Champagne for sail away.

 

I don't have a problem with people bringing on a bottle or two -- what I really don't understand in the fascination with the 'rum runner'(liquor smuggling) mentality, since the charges for drinks seem very in line with what I pay on shore.

[jtl513]

I dunno ... "all the wine you want" has been a hallmark of HAL for so long that I think they'd be reluctant to change it. Besides, how many people actually bring more than a bottle or two? Yes, we hear many times here of people bringing on a case or more, but we all know that CC members are a very small percentage of HAL's total business, and I think most passengers don't know that there's no limit.

[sail7seas]

I know what you are saying but we've seen disappearance of many 'signature' facets of HAL.

 

Anyone want to make a list of "I remember When's? "

[CRUZBUDS]

Unlimited wine was also a Carnival thing when Bob Dickenson ran the company. He is a real oenophile. They have been down to two bottles upon boarding since he retired.

 

I hope HAL stays with the tradition -- After all it is a more traditional line.

[Bill B]

One way to guarantee it will happen is to post on Cruise Critic.

[CowPrincess]

...Before HAL says 'that's it'. No more lugging cases of wine, water and soda.

 

>SNIP<

 

It's all the same to me as we never bring wine or water but each cruise I notice the excess some folks go to and I wonder if that might ruin it for everyone who is more moderate in what they bring.

 

Your definition of "excess" may not be HAL's. Who decides what is excessive or moderate? Perhaps every one of those bottles of wine that you consider "excess" generated an $18 corkage fee. That's pretty darn good, for zero effort on HAL's part. Or perhaps the wine you consider "excess" was being brought onboard for a particular celebration. Maybe it was even a wine club that was sailing, and one of the reasons they chose HAL to sail was the wine policy.

 

We bring our own wine onboard, and don't consider what we bring excessive. We spend like crazy people on shorex (which many cruisers don't do). If we were limited in how much wine we could bring aboard, we'd be cutting back on shorex through the ship. We'd still do them, but would not feel the need to give HAL any of the business. As it is, we consider booking a couple of shorex thru the ship to be a way of helping HAL make some money off us.

[ariawoman]

Your definition of "excess" may not be HAL's. Who decides what is excessive or moderate? Perhaps every one of those bottles of wine that you consider "excess" generated an $18 corkage fee. That's pretty darn good, for zero effort on HAL's part. Or perhaps the wine you consider "excess" was being brought onboard for a particular celebration. Maybe it was even a wine club that was sailing, and one of the reasons they chose HAL to sail was the wine policy.

 

 

Interestingly, on the cruise I took on the Nieuw Amsterdam, "travel guide tom" in his shorex presentation that played in the cabins all throughout the trip, said to avoid th 18 cork fee by having it in your cabin! I couldn't believe someone employed by HAL was basically telling people to not spend their money on it.

 

I often wondered how many people actually paid the corkage fee, but I guess if you bring a 100 bottle of wine with you and pay 18 to have it served to you, it's not so bad. Silly if you bring a 10 dollar bottle of wine though ;-)

 

Just my opinion, of course.

[Bill B]

...but I guess if you bring a 100 bottle of wine with you and pay 18 to have it served to you, it's not so bad. Silly if you bring a 10 dollar bottle of wine though ;-)

It's not silly if the $10 bottle is $43 on the wine list.

[sail7seas]

Your definition of "excess" may not be HAL's. Who decides what is excessive or moderate? Perhaps every one of those bottles of wine that you consider "excess" generated an $18 corkage fee. That's pretty darn good, for zero effort on HAL's part. Or perhaps the wine you consider "excess" was being brought onboard for a particular celebration. Maybe it was even a wine club that was sailing, and one of the reasons they chose HAL to sail was the wine policy.

 

We bring our own wine onboard, and don't consider what we bring excessive. We spend like crazy people on shorex (which many cruisers don't do). If we were limited in how much wine we could bring aboard, we'd be cutting back on shorex through the ship. We'd still do them, but would not feel the need to give HAL any of the business. As it is, we consider booking a couple of shorex thru the ship to be a way of helping HAL make some money off us.

 

 

You make a few good points.

[PirateShark]

If HAL didn't mark up medicore wines 100's of percent (example: Mark West Pinot Noir can be had at BevMo for $7 per bottle yet they charge what, over $30 IIRC?) then those of us who want a good bottle of wine out of our cellar wouldn't have to lug a case or a little less of wine on board to enjoy with dinner. And no, I do not mind paying corkage to enjoy what I want to enjoy and no, if I do have a bottle of wine in my cabin, I can assure you that for each one drunk there (for free) myself and traveling companions are paying for corkage on 2 bottles minimum in the MDR. Plus we normally buy another bottle off the list if something looks appealing.

 

I think $18 for corkage is a bargin considering what Napa and SF corkage prices run (think $25 to $50 per bottle in finer restaurants). Plus, we do order either pre dinner or after dinner cocktails so I can pretty much guarantee that they do make $ off of the Shark's and friends when we sail. Not to mention shorex as others have mentioned.

 

Our wine club is trying to plan a cruise specifically on HAL because of the wine policy. So I hope that they will not restrict us as to how much we could bring on as we have chosen HAL specifically because of their generosity (and yes - they WILL spend money on lots of things).

[hensghan]

I've gotten to the point now where I bring a six-pack of wine aboard. One of our local stores (World Market) has neat little six-pack wine carriers. I take one of those, fill it up with some decent wines, clear tape all around it to prevent anything from falling out or coming apart, then put a luggage tag on it even though I hand carry it aboard. This seems to be a good amount of wine for us for a 7-10 day sailing. The wines get drunk on our balcony or with our nicer dinners, mostly at Pinnacle Grill, but -- trust me on this! -- HAL still makes out pretty good on a bar bill with us. There's just something about a cruise vacation that makes the imbibing go down so easily. It's very strange but we really do seem to drink so much more when cruising than we would ever consider doing at home. Wonder why that is.

[PirateShark]

Deleted (wonky laptop today)

[Vic The Parrot]

If HAL didn't mark up medicore wines 100's of percent (example: Mark West Pinot Noir can be had at BevMo for $7 per bottle yet they charge what, over $30 IIRC?) then those of us who want a good bottle of wine out of our cellar wouldn't have to lug a case or a little less of wine on board to enjoy with dinner.

 

 

 

Mediocre ??

 

You're being overly complimentary ... LOL

 

Tried that wine, so I know what you're referring to.

I'd rather drink vinegar; at least it goes down smoother. :D

[PirateShark]

Mediocre ??

 

You're being overly complimentary ... LOL

 

Tried that wine, so I know what you're referring to.

I'd rather drink vinegar; at least it goes down smoother. :D

 

I work in the industry Vic - I have to be "diplomatic" from time to time :p

[bepsf]

Do I think it will happen? Yes.

To what degree? That's to be determined - One could argue that one bottle/day/adult passenger is not an inappropriate amount...

...tho that would mean that a couple going on a 15-day Hawaii cruise would be allowed to bring 30 bottles of wine aboard, so effectively there would be no change and little benefit to the line.

Or the answer could be one bottle/stateroom/day - which would mean that a family traveling w/ kids and taking two staterooms on the 15-day cruise above could bring the same 30 bottles as above.

What I do know is that folks complaining about the markup of wine aboard vs prices in discount stores are comparing apples and oranges. If they were to compare prices aboard ship with the prices in restaurants, I believe one might find that they would be similar.

[Vic The Parrot]

I work in the industry Vic - I have to be "diplomatic" from time to time :p

 

 

 

Gotcha.

 

 

(But it doesn't hurt going against the grain every so often. ;) :D)

[PirateShark]

What I do know is that folks complaining about the markup of wine aboard vs prices in discount stores are comparing apples and oranges. If they were to compare prices aboard ship with the prices in restaurants, I believe one might find that they would be similar.

 

I totally agree with the premise above and do realize that mark ups are the norm. That does not mean however that a discerning consumer should enjoy paying those prices or tolerate them when they don't have to.

 

It also goes to figure that the more expensive wine (say a first growth Bordeaux) is normally marked up only 2-3 x "retail" vs. the Mark West which as you can see is more like 5-8 x "retail" depending on venue. Reason: They can move more of a $40 wine vs. a $400 bottle of wine which is good business sense.

 

When I did the scan of the HAL wine list, more wines fell into the what I would call "CostCo/Bev-Mo" high case volume range vs. what is considered "fine wine". Even some of the bigger names on the list featured their high case production wines vs. their estate or single vineyard selections which while they command a higher price are more delicious and for my pocket book may be the better bargin - YMMV.

 

I was really disappointed in the Pinnacle Grill list specifically but thats another story for another day. Very good points above Brian - thank you! And my apologies to the rest of you for being a geek about this (my education continues so please share your thoughts....fun thread!).

[amunhbuu]

A more positive question would be "When are they going to let us bring on liquor?"

 

:D

[Orlandocruiser]

Well if it comes to not being able to pay the corkage to drink the wine I like in the MDR I will not be paying $30++ for the swill that is "reasonably" priced. I can just drink water with my meals and they won't be getting ANY income from my dining room experience.

[sail7seas]

A more positive question would be "When are they going to let us bring on liquor?"

 

:D

 

 

You're some number of years too late. :D

HAL used to permit that but too many people abused the privilege and that ended.

[hensghan]

Well if it comes to not being able to pay the corkage to drink the wine I like in the MDR I will not be paying $30++ for the swill that is "reasonably" priced. I can just drink water with my meals and they won't be getting ANY income from my dining room experience.

 

I concur. While it's reasonable to pay an $18 corkage fee + initial cost for a wine you really like, it's not at all reasonable to pay $40 for one you will not particularly enjoy. Plus, the $18 corkage fee is pretty much pure profit to HAL -- perhaps a greater actual profit than is made on the $40 wine that has to be selected, purchased, brought aboard, stored, served, etc., etc.

[Bill B]

HAL used to permit that but too many people abused the privilege and that ended.

How is it "abuse" to do something there is no policy against?

 

The lines instituted policies against bringing on alcohol not because it was being abused, but because they knew the increase in onboard revenue would be more than that lost to 'smuggling'.

 

If they could stop pax from doing their own shore excursions, they'd do that as well!

[bepsf]

How is it "abuse" to do something there is no policy against?

 

So when you have a houseguest who borrows your car and backs into a tree with it, throws a party while you're at work & empties your fridge, leaves the door open and lets the dog run away, spills wine on your sofa, makes a pass at your wife, and runs up your phone bill - then complains that there isn't enough hot water to take a two-hour long shower with his "girlfriend" and that the mattress is uncomfortable after they broke your bed, you're not going to consider that abuse?

 

After all, you didn't have a written policy against those things when you invited him to stay...

;)

[sail7seas]

Yah, that..... :D

What Brian said. :)