buying wine on shore excursions

[OC SeaPA]

We took a X pacific coastal wine cruise a few years ago, and had no trouble bringing cases! of wine back on board. Back then we just drove home from ship. Now doing winery shore excursions in Europe (not a wine cruise) and it looks like we may have trouble bringing bottles from wineries back on board. Don't mind paying corkage. But if they hold them till end of cruise it just won't work. Has the policy changed, or were they just lax on our cruise? Is it any different if the winery shore excursion is through the cruise line?

[kitty9]

It seems to be hit or miss on whether they take the wine, but on our Europe cruises they always took it.

[2theship]

They never took our wine while we were in the Mediterranean prior to our transatlantic crossing. We were, however, buying bottles, not cases.

[MicCanberra]

I agree with the hit and miss approach the security/ X staff take to confiscating bottles when returning from ports.

Some people hid them and had the wine taken while others were not checked. Yet other people did not hide them, some had the wine taken while others kept the wine. From what I saw and was told they always took spirits. :D

[Chunky2219]

We did a wine cruise in Europe in October. At one point we brought a box of half a dozen bottles back on board and told them what it was. If anyone is going to be drinking it on the ship instead of racking up a bar bill, chances are it will be the folks on a wine cruise. And yet, no problem when we passed security. It was the same when we bought port and there was even a little kiosk selling the stuff at the bus drop off by the ship in Porto.

 

Maybe it's a volume thing. A few bottles and they have space to take off you and store it. Half a ship clanking their way up the gangplank becomes more of a hassle. Maybe also on a wine cruise, there's the risk that they will be confiscating and storing someone's 2005 Chateau Petrus at $4000 a bottle - a bit risky.

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[MicCanberra]

Maybe it's a volume thing. A few bottles and they have space to take off you and store it. Half a ship clanking their way up the gangplank becomes more of a hassle. Maybe also on a wine cruise, there's the risk that they will be confiscating and storing someone's 2005 Chateau Petrus at $4000 a bottle - a bit risky..

Good point, although I don't think they would care about the cost as the rule is a rule and the passenger is the one taking the risk of getting the wine through or not. I suppose they may look the other way for wine cruises.:D