RCI not allowing passengers to bring wine onboard?

[xpcdoojk]

I am still trying to figure out what rule I am breaking when I bring my own libations. Let see...

 

1 Liquor, wine, and beer are all legal products, and I am old enough to possess them. So this means that I am not violating any laws. That is good!

 

2 The cruiseline says that I am allowed to bring special occassion wines and specifically wines not on their list. This one is problematic due to the use of words like special occassion wines. What defines a special occassion would a 1995 Opus qualify? How about 2003 Beringer White Zin? Toughie, let's agree that special occassion means something different to each of us and therefore this is rather an open ended statement, which basically means nothing. Wines not on their list. How do we know what their wine list is? The lists that I have found here in this forum have never exactly matched what was offered on the ship. Even the wine and dine program offerings have varied greatly. This too appears to be a very vague guideline, and open to interpretation by all.

 

3 The cruiseline reserves the right to limit the alcohol brought on board the ship. This is the essential rule. The second point provided some broad guidelines, but not much clarity. This rule appears to be the point where the rubber meets the road so to speak. Every bag is scanned before it reaches your cabin. Therefore, we are not sneaking anything on the ship without their knowledge. We know that we are legally allowed to possess alcohol, and if I want to put it in my luggage I am completely allowed by law and by RCI to do so. Therefore, the cruiseline has the right to exercise or not exercise their right to limit the alcohol brought on board. If they exercise this option, then they will hold the liquor, wine or beer until departure for me. If they choose to not exercise this option, what rule have I broken. Simple answer NONE!

 

Next case, please.

 

jc

[Rose4hall]

Very well put. I will be bringing wine on the AOS in July. I look forward to drinking what I want.:)

[sea-jay]

I was on the cruise with Moofus (she posted above) and brought wine and champagne on board. The wine was German Auslese which is a sweet wine that RCI does not carry on their wine list. Additionally, the bottle of champagne is not carried on RCI's list. We took the wine (previously chilled in our room) into the dining room, set it on the table, and requested the waiter to serve it. The head waiter even opened the bottle for us and we were not charged a corkage fee. At no time did I try and 'smuggle' anything aboard. It was clearly packed in my luggage which was scanned.

 

I agree with JC's (and other') statements that we are not breaking any rules. As for Morganboys comparison to children running amuck or bringing guns aboard, one must wonder what they teach kids out in the hinterlands. Children running amuck infringes on the peace and quiet and rights of others. Guns are dangerous because everyone knows 'unloaded' guns manage to kill or injure countless children (and adults) every year. Thus, they too, infringe on the rights of others. Additionally, unless you have permits to carry weapons, you are breaking the law, not just RCI's rules.

 

Bringing wine aboard with the intent of paying any corkage fee charged by RCI is neither against the law or breaking rules.

[mcaron]

Brought six bottles on board the April 23 sailing of Navigator as a carry on. No Problem.

[island lady]

Will be looking through my wine cabinet to decide which of my "treasures" to bring aboard in a couple of weeks! :)

 

Cheers!

[RSS from SF]

Since we are not wine makers using local grapes from the buffet bar to bottle our own, I would assume they know we are bringing aboard our own.

ROTFL

 

Thank you for the picture (as I wipe my eyes from crying laughing!)

[sniff blowing my nose] okay I better get back to work.

 

 

Have fun deciding what wonderful wines you'll be bringing and have an absolutely wonderful cruise!

 

Salud!

[worldsbestcandles]

I thought I would post this question on here since it has to do with wine, although taking it to a new thread may work better...

 

I have heard some people say that the "nicer" wines that RCCL has listed ontheir website from their wine list are often not even available. Has anyone had experience with this?

 

For example, my BF and I are planning to go to Chateauneuf-de-Pape for part our honeymoon so we thought since this is a "pre-trip" we would enjoy a bottle on the ship one night. It is listed on the ship's wine list, so I technically wouldn't be able to bring it on board, however, to get on board and have them not have it would be disappointing (since we could have then brought our own!)

 

Anyone find that the lists are not repesentative of what is actually offered?

[island lady]

ROTFL

 

Thank you for the picture (as I wipe my eyes from crying laughing!)

[sniff blowing my nose] okay I better get back to work.

 

 

Have fun deciding what wonderful wines you'll be bringing and have an absolutely wonderful cruise!

 

Salud!

 

Thanks!! I am indeed looking forward to the cruise!

 

I was also wondering if I needed to pack a nice oak barrel for my wine making, after I stomp those buffet grapes in my cabin! :D

 

Cheers!

[nowheretorun]

From their website -

 

Can I bring my own liquor onboard?

We apologize for any inconvenience but due to our regulatory and licensing requirements guests are not allowed to bring alcoholic beverages of any kind onboard for consumption or any other use.

 

Alcoholic beverages that are purchased duty-free from the Shops On Board or at ports of call will be stored by us and delivered to your stateroom on the last day of your voyage. A member of our staff will be at the gangway to assist with the storage of your purchases. Should you choose to consume alcoholic beverages purchased from the Shops On Board, a consumption fee will apply at the time of purchase. Note that no open liquor bottles will be permitted to be brought into dining areas or public areas.

 

This policy may not apply to every ship or itinerary depending on local laws, customs, or license requirements. Royal Caribbean is not responsible for fines imposed or items confiscated by local authorities.

 

HTH,

Steve

[xpcdoojk]

From their website -

 

 

This policy may not apply to every ship or itinerary depending on local laws, customs, or license requirements. Royal Caribbean is not responsible for fines imposed or items confiscated by local authorities.

 

HTH,

Steve

 

Again, they make a rule in paragraph one, then they throw the rule away in paragraph 3.

 

Since it is legal for me to possess alcohol, and let's say that the ship is sailing from San Francisco or Seattle both very close to major wine growing districts. The cruise is going to not allow me to do a precruise vacation and collect a couple of bottles of wine, then transport them back to my home after the cruise? Sorry not buying it. Or a cruise stopping in France, Italy, Chile, Australia or New Zealand which offers excursions to vineyards is not going to let me take a bottle home with me. I think this is another case of them trying to discourage people, but without substance. These kinds of things are published so the Dudley Doorights of the world can feel self-righteous about their own rule following superiority. When we re-enact the 18th amendment to the constitution, I will agree that these arguements against carrying my own alcohol makes sense. Until then,:p

 

jc

[james j feller]

WAL-MART announced that they will soon be offering customers a new discount item: WAL- MARTS own brand of wine. The world's largest retail chain is teaming up with E&J GALLO WINERY of CALIFORNIA, to produce the spirits at an affordable price, in the $2-$5 range.

 

Wine connoisseurs may not be inclined to throw a bottle of WAL-MART brand into their shopping carts, but "there is a market for cheap wine", said KATHY MICKEN, professor of marketing. She said: "But the right name is important." Customer surveys were conducted to determine the most attractive name for the WAL-MART brand.

 

The top surveyed names in order of popularity are :

 

10. CHATEAU TRAILEUR PARC

9. WHITE TRASHFINDEL

8. BIG RED GULP

7. WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP RIESLING

6. NASCARBERNET

5. CHEF BOYARDEAUX

4. PEANUT NOIR

3. I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S NOT VINEGAR!

2. GRAPE EXPECTATIONS

And the number 1 name for WAL-MART WINE:

 

1. NASTI SPUMANTE

 

The beauty of WAL-MART wine is that it can be served with either white meat (possum) or red meat (squirrel).

 

JIM

[island lady]

WAL-MART announced that they will soon be offering customers a new discount item: WAL- MARTS own brand of wine. The world's largest retail chain is teaming up with E&J GALLO WINERY of CALIFORNIA, to produce the spirits at an affordable price, in the $2-$5 range.

 

Wine connoisseurs may not be inclined to throw a bottle of WAL-MART brand into their shopping carts, but "there is a market for cheap wine", said KATHY MICKEN, professor of marketing. She said: "But the right name is important." Customer surveys were conducted to determine the most attractive name for the WAL-MART brand.

 

The top surveyed names in order of popularity are :

 

10. CHATEAU TRAILEUR PARC

9. WHITE TRASHFINDEL

8. BIG RED GULP

7. WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP RIESLING

6. NASCARBERNET

5. CHEF BOYARDEAUX

4. PEANUT NOIR

3. I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S NOT VINEGAR!

2. GRAPE EXPECTATIONS

And the number 1 name for WAL-MART WINE:

 

1. NASTI SPUMANTE

 

The beauty of WAL-MART wine is that it can be served with either white meat (possum) or red meat (squirrel).

 

JIM

 

Yeah, I saw that joke going around the internet about 2 years ago. Still funny even as a re-run. :D Thanks for the laugh!

 

Cheers!

[debbie1008]

Just got off the Serenade/Hawaii cruise. I personally carried on the ship 3 bottles of wine purchased at the Maui Winery and 3 more bottles (purchased the next day) from the Volcanoe winery. My wine carriers had the name of the wineries on them, I placed them on the conveyor belt to be x-rayed and they graciously handed me back the carrier (with the wine in them) after inspection. Each night before dinner, we would enjoy a glass of wine on our balcony...

 

Ahhhhh cruising.....

 

Aloha!

[skandls]

worldsbestcandles: Why not choose a different wine maker or vintage of the Chat-Neuf. What you get at the wine store will probably be better than what the cruise line serves.

 

to the rest of the winos: I am glad to see this thread still going. Food and wine are part of a great vacation.

[Pradagal]

We bring Rum, mixer, Champagne(for our send off celebration) and a blender(a balcony must). No one checked our luggage and our stateroom attendant made sure we had a large bucket of ice everyday to blend our drinks. We were not hurting anyone by doing this. We still purchased our bottle of wine with dinner every night for our table and still had after dinner drinks in the lounges. Everyone was a winner! The only thing I would never think of bringing on board a cruise would be FOOD!:)

[island lady]

[quote name='Pradagal'][color=blue]We bring Rum, mixer, Champagne(for our send off celebration) and a blender(a balcony must). No one checked our luggage and our stateroom attendant made sure we had a large bucket of ice everyday to blend our drinks. We were not hurting anyone by doing this. We still purchased our bottle of wine with dinner every night for our table and still had after dinner drinks in the lounges. Everyone was a winner! The only thing I would never think of bringing on board a cruise would be FOOD!:) [/color][/QUOTE]

Yup, me too. We do a similar situation of you, however we buy all our drinks on board. The ship makes lots of money on us as evidenced by our ship's acount for our liquor tab for before and after dinner drinks.
The dinner wine:... I prefer to bring on our special bottles and pay the corkage in the dining room. This time we are also bringing on a bottle of champagne for sailaway on our balcony, as the day we embark is my "big 5-0" yikes!!
What a way to celebrate the half century mark! :)

Cheers!

[ricsue]

Just back from the Mariner. Packed 7 bottles of wine/champagne that were purchased from ABC in Cocoa Beach, put them in a wheel on airline size case and went right thru security with not a 2nd glance. Others were carrying on cases of wine, no one was stopped that we could see. Brought the wine to dinner, our waiter charged us for 4 corkage of the 6 bottles consumed at dinner. No one ever said a single word of you not being able to bring wine on board.

[wwinfl91]

Well we are finally back from our Transatlantic on the Jewel and our week in London. We boarded the Jewel in Ft Lauderdale on May 1 with 2 3 liter boxes of wine in one of our carry-on's and 2 bottles of wine in another carry-on. We had no problems getting any of it on the ship. We purchased some rum in Bermuda and brought it back on the ship and to our cabin in a backpack with no problems.

In Portugal and Spain we also purchased wine and brought the bottles back on the ship in our backpack.

Our room steward had brought us some wine glasses the second day on the cruise and we used them throughout the cruise to enjoy the wine we brought on board on our balcony or in the cabin.

We also tried several of the wines the ship sells in the dining room with dinner. We tried several of the Reislings and a couple of the white zinfandels they offered. One of the Reislings we enjoyed while the other was a little less sweet than we like.

All in all the "fears" that RCI was imposing rules on bringing wine abroad their ships seems to have been greatly exagerated. Now we did not openly bring any of the wine "openly" on the ship, which we have done before on both HAL and Princess. I did see people bring back on board wine and no one at the dock seemed to mind.

I was glad to see that this thread has survived my absence and is still active and that we are approaching 81% against the RCI stated policy.

Keep voting and keep talking about wine.

Have a great next cruise.

[xpcdoojk]

The last two posts have reconfirmed my belief that if you are 22 and it is a 3 day cruise, and you have 4 cases of beer, two cases of wine, and 3 1.75 liter bottles of Tequila they will confiscate your hoard.:D Otherwise, don't worry be happy.

jc

[worldsbestcandles]

[quote name='xpcdoojk']The last two posts have reconfirmed my belief that if you are 22 and it is a 3 day cruise, and you have 4 cases of beer, two cases of wine, and 3 1.75 liter bottles of Tequila they will confiscate your hoard.:D Otherwise, don't worry be happy.

jc[/QUOTE]

jc,

OK, OK, we'll leave the beer at home this time... and the absolut, the oj, the bacardi, the diet coke, the vermouth, the martini glasses, the olives, the apple pucker, even the boones farm, and (twist my arm...) the blender too... we'll do all that as long as we can bring on our measly case of wine :rolleyes:

WBC... (aka: the 26 year old with 12 bottles of wine in her carry on :D )

[xpcdoojk]

That is one heavy carry-on.... get a porter!

jc

[worldsbestcandles]

JC,

That's what my almost 30 BF is for! :) He is stressing about turning 30 on our cruise and becoming "old" so much that I am going to let him have that carry on... being strong and lifting all that weight will make him feel young at heart! Plus, I won't have to tip him ;)

j/k, we will be putting it in our various pieces of luggage before we arrive at the pier....

WBC

[xpcdoojk]

O you are one of those. I am a Sherpa too. I remember when I turned 30, and that seemed like I was old suddenly. 30 isn't old, but time flies after that.

jc

[worldsbestcandles]

We have yet to hear of anybody (if anyone- too many pages to remeber back to) having alcohol taken from them at embarkation... I will keep watching this post to hear what happens as my cruise draws closer...

My friends and I were joking last night about a wine themed cruise... do they have those? Probably a 3 or 4 day leaving from CA with different vineyards represented on there? That would be great.... you could even have them scetioned into themes by red, white, the sideways cruise (no merlot served aboard...;) ), etc...

They have these international events at hotels for wine tastings, why not on a cruise... you could taste and then drink what you like and not have to drive anywhere... order wine onboard and have it shipped home direct... it would be great...:D any takers?

[Babs66]

[quote name='worldsbestcandles']We have yet to hear of anybody (if anyone- too many pages to remeber back to) having alcohol taken from them at embarkation... I will keep watching this post to hear what happens as my cruise draws closer...

My friends and I were joking last night about a wine themed cruise... do they have those? Probably a 3 or 4 day leaving from CA with different vineyards represented on there? That would be great.... you could even have them scetioned into themes by red, white, the sideways cruise (no merlot served aboard...;) ), etc...

They have these international events at hotels for wine tastings, why not on a cruise... you could taste and then drink what you like and not have to drive anywhere... order wine onboard and have it shipped home direct... it would be great...:D any takers?[/QUOTE]

They actually do have cruises kinda like this...Im not sure about buying wine, but my sister went on a Food and Wine cruise, I think it was from Bon Appetite magazine but Im not sure..but they drank and ate gourmet wine and food for a week for one price--she actually won it from a silent auction at some charity event she's always going to.