Jump to content
Cruise Critic Community

Wine Permitted to Carry Onboard Now

gw2fll

By gw2fll,
in Royal Caribbean International

 Share

Recommended Posts

gw2fll

gw2fll

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Wow - lot's of activity on the thread. I thought I would take a stab at summarizing what we have so far for anyone new to the thread.

 

 

Effective 1 November 2012, Royal Caribbean Cruise Line changed its policy to allow passengers to bring two (2) bottles of wine onboard for personal consumption. If the wine is consumed in any bar, restaurant or dining venues, it is subject to a $25 corkage fee. The wine must be carried onboard at the start of the cruise. Wine purchased in a port of call will be held and returned the last night of the cruise.

  • To date, only the RCCL UK site FAQ has been updated to reflect the change in policy. It is unclear when the policy change will appear on the US RCCL site; however, the policy change applies system-wide.
  • Liquor and beer remain restricted and subject to seizure
  • From what is understood so far, a size limit has not been implemented
  • It is recommended to carry the wine on instead of packing due to the possibility of breakage. A recent communication with an RCCL agent confirmed the wine should be in the passengers carryon and not packed in luggage.
  • For Port Everglades: there are several stores enroute to the port that sell wine including Publix and Total Wine. It has been discussed that due to state regulations, the sale of wine is restricted on Sunday's until after 12:00 pm (noon)
  • Passengers have experienced mixed success in boarding with wine yesterday (02 Nov) and today (03 Nov).
  • In some instances, passengers were able to board without incident.
  • In other cases, the wine was seized. In these cases, the passenger went to Guest Services where the policy change was confirmed and advised the passengers the wine would be delivered to their stateroom later that evening.
  • The cabin steward should have a corkscrew. Several members have reported carrying a corkscrew onboard without incident.
  • There have been numerous posts regarding quantity of bottles permitted. The policy states 2 bottles; however, several posts have been made regarding methods to increase the count.

Since this is a major change for RCCL, it will take a while for the kinks to work out. So our experience from port-to-port and ship-to-ship might be different. Based on what I have read, we just need to be patient until things settle down.

 

Hope this helps. I'm sure I have missed a lot of what we have discussed, but I thought this would help anyone quickly catch-up on the happenings and policy change.

 

I guess it is back to our regular scheduling...:)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Starry Eyes

Starry Eyes

Posted
Posted
Hi there, on board the Oasis and no one informed Security. It was confiscated. so i stopped at Guest Relations. They apologized and advised wine will be delivered this evening. So we'll see. If time permits i will report in later.

 

Thanks for the report, ATLD. Please post if you do get it in time to enjoy it on the ship. Next week two bottles will be in our luggage as we board Oasis. maybe security will know the rule by then. If not, I too shall visit guest services.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
hawlcruiser

hawlcruiser

Posted
Posted

We will be driving so will be easy to buy a couple of bottles and carry on, of course will do that in the carry on bags. Us too, so looking forward to the cruise. Have picked out clothes and now I need to eliminate a few! That's always the way I pack. The wine surprise was a nice gift to all of us! Paula

Link to comment
Share on other sites
retiredgram

retiredgram

Posted
Posted
Hi there, on board the Oasis and no one informed Security. It was confiscated. so i stopped at Guest Relations. They apologized and advised wine will be delivered this evening. So we'll see. If time permits i will report in later.

Yes, please let us know what happens. Hope your wine shows up.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Maxiecat3

Maxiecat3

Posted
Posted
I just won't sail on a line that has restrictive wine policies. It makes me kind of crazy to be treated like a teenager or be forced to pay a corkage fee on wine I want to drink on my balcony. No RCL, NCL, or Carnival in my future.

 

Well that's good to know, but if I can't buy local wine when I visit ports, I still won't go.

 

 

Thank you, as I no longer need to read anymore of this thread. These have got to be the 2 most informative posts here in regards to the new wine policy on RCCL. Again, thank you, as I now know everything that I need to know about the new policy:p.

 

Gregg

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Ocean Air

Ocean Air

Posted
Posted
OK... I'll stick my neck out there....:eek:

It will be nice if they followed Celebrity's lead on the whole balcony smoking policy too.... It'd be nice to relax out there with a glass of wine smoke-free! ;)

 

I am glad you stuck your neck out there :). A couple we met two cruises ago had their curtains catch on fire thanks to a smoker not being careful.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
MrsPete

MrsPete

Posted
Posted (edited)

I can't say I'm excited about this. By the time I buy the wine AND pay the $25 corkage fee, I might as well have bought it onboard. Of course, I"m not a huge wine fan and don't really appreciate "the good stuff".

 

Updates: Okay, I see in later posts that they're only charging the fee if you bring it to dinner. That's better.

 

I also saw a couple posts about "is this per person or per stateroom?" I think the reality is going to be per person. Think this through: You arrive in the terminal. You go through security. They don't know who's traveling with whom. Unless we're holding hands, they don't know if my husband is the guy in front of me or the guy behind me -- and nothing stops us from going through separate lines. It's only when we arrive at the check-in counter that anyone pays attention to our room number, and those people aren't searching bags. So, realistically, I think each person could carry on two bottles.

Edited by MrsPete
Link to comment
Share on other sites
critterchick

critterchick

Posted
Posted (edited)
You could bring on one of these bottles of swill(no offense to those who like it);)

 

 

carlo.jpg

 

That's what my 91-year old father drinks. I figure the wines must be grown near the fountain of youth!:D

 

 

 

I just won't sail on a line that has restrictive wine policies. It makes me kind of crazy to be treated like a teenager or be forced to pay a corkage fee on wine I want to drink on my balcony. No RCL, NCL, or Carnival in my future.

 

Oops. Carnival doesn't charge corkage for drinking wine on your balcony. nor will RCI, as I understand it. I don't know how NCL handles it.

Edited by critterchick
Link to comment
Share on other sites
critterchick

critterchick

Posted
Posted
I can't say I'm excited about this. By the time I buy the wine AND pay the $25 corkage fee, I might as well have bought it onboard. Of course, I"m not a huge wine fan and don't really appreciate "the good stuff".

 

Updates: Okay, I see in later posts that they're only charging the fee if you bring it to dinner. That's better.

 

I also saw a couple posts about "is this per person or per stateroom?" I think the reality is going to be per person. Think this through: You arrive in the terminal. You go through security. They don't know who's traveling with whom. Unless we're holding hands, they don't know if my husband is the guy in front of me or the guy behind me -- and nothing stops us from going through separate lines. It's only when we arrive at the check-in counter that anyone pays attention to our room number, and those people aren't searching bags. So, realistically, I think each person could carry on two bottles.

 

But you might enjoy a modestly priced wine that RCI doesn't even carry. I love a good Australian Shiraz, and the ones RCI carry are either really expensive or not good. So I would happily bring a $20 bottle of DLO and pay the corkage - that $45 gets me a much better wine than anything I've tried at that price point. But odds are that it won't make it out of the room.

 

And if the policy says 2 bottles/stateroom, then I hope it also means that a solo traveller gets to bring 2 bottles. Will find out in December.:D

Link to comment
Share on other sites
janetz

janetz

Posted
Posted
I can't say I'm excited about this. By the time I buy the wine AND pay the $25 corkage fee, I might as well have bought it onboard. Of course, I"m not a huge wine fan and don't really appreciate "the good stuff".

 

Updates: Okay, I see in later posts that they're only charging the fee if you bring it to dinner. That's better.

 

I also saw a couple posts about "is this per person or per stateroom?" I think the reality is going to be per person. Think this through: You arrive in the terminal. You go through security. They don't know who's traveling with whom. Unless we're holding hands, they don't know if my husband is the guy in front of me or the guy behind me -- and nothing stops us from going through separate lines. It's only when we arrive at the check-in counter that anyone pays attention to our room number, and those people aren't searching bags. So, realistically, I think each person could carry on two bottles.

 

 

Very well thought out. :D I like the way you think.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
ilionite65

ilionite65

Posted
Posted
I can't say I'm excited about this. By the time I buy the wine AND pay the $25 corkage fee, I might as well have bought it onboard. Of course, I"m not a huge wine fan and don't really appreciate "the good stuff".

 

Updates: Okay, I see in later posts that they're only charging the fee if you bring it to dinner. That's better.

 

I also saw a couple posts about "is this per person or per stateroom?" I think the reality is going to be per person. Think this through: You arrive in the terminal. You go through security. They don't know who's traveling with whom. Unless we're holding hands, they don't know if my husband is the guy in front of me or the guy behind me -- and nothing stops us from going through separate lines. It's only when we arrive at the check-in counter that anyone pays attention to our room number, and those people aren't searching bags. So, realistically, I think each person could carry on two bottles.

 

If it's the same as on Celebrity, it's 2 bottles per stateroom, and they manage it just fine.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
mjldvlks

mjldvlks

Posted
Posted
If it's the same as on Celebrity, it's 2 bottles per stateroom, and they manage it just fine.

Out of curiosity, and if you know, how does it work on Celebrity? Does it end up being two per person? Do they restrict replenishment at ports of call?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
AkSusan

AkSusan

Posted
Posted (edited)
Out of curiosity, and if you know, how does it work on Celebrity? Does it end up being two per person? Do they restrict replenishment at ports of call?

For Celebrity, their policy is 2 per cabin and it's only upon embarkation. Though I do understand that on their wine cruises you are allowed to bring on at the other ports, but, just regular cruises, only on the day you embark!

 

Susan :)

Edited by AkSusan
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing
  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Cruise Critic News & Features
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...