New Luggage Tag Wording re: Wine

[Astro Flyer]

I think some people aren't understanding this is a move toward leniency from Princess.

 

Instead of allowing ONLY ONE bottle per passenger, they are now not only still allowing your ONE bottle, but are also allowing you to bring on MORE than ONE, for a fee of course.

 

There also seems to be a misunderstanding what a corkage fee is. It's not a fee for the server to bring over a cork puller...it's a charge to allow you to bring in your own wine to consume, which began because many wine connoisseurs have a certain vintage they believe pairs perfectly with the restaurants meal, and if they don't allow this, the patrons meal would not be as perfect as he/she would like.

 

"

That's true about the corkage fee but not an accurate assessment of their wine policy to say it's becoming more lenient. I've never been limited in the amount of wine to enjoy in my cabin or to pay corkage in the MDR. I've read about those who bring wine onboard by the case and I have brought on several bottles at a time without a problems.

 

To go from this to only 1 bottle per person before charging corkage certainly isn't a more lenient policy.

[pcur]

I have purchased six 4-packs of champagne splits, each 187ml. They have twist caps, so no corks. If my husband and I are allowed a total of 1500ml for the two of us, that's 8 bottles. Since the rest of them don't have corks, and they are for consumption in our cabin only, should I pack them all? I mean will they charge me a $15 "corkage fee" for each of the remaining 4-packs?

[sminfiddle]

... we may have to rethink now.

 

Of course, I have to wonder how quickly they will adapt to this new policy. In other words, will they be lenient for the next few cruises? :confused: ...

 

My guess? Since the change to the Printable Boarding Documents probably occurred two days ago, look for a change in policy or in enforcement no sooner than 73 days from now.

 

My 2 cents, worth price charged ;)

 

Rick

[Amuse Bouche]

That's true about the corkage fee but not an accurate assessment of their wine policy to say it's becoming more lenient. I've never been limited in the amount of wine to enjoy in my cabin or to pay corkage in the MDR. I've read about those who bring wine onboard by the case and I have brought on several bottles at a time without a problems.

 

To go from this to only 1 bottle per person before charging corkage certainly isn't a more lenient policy.

 

It's my understanding that it has always, at least in the last 13 yrs that I know of, been policy to allow 1 bottle per person. Apparantly, Princess has been known to "look the other way" at multiple bottles being brought on. And that is dependent on your luck.

This horrid economy is affecting every business. I'm sure Princess is feeling it pretty good as well, not in being able to fill a ship, but the price of consumables. If charging a corkage fee keeps them from having to buy cheaper food, or changing their menu, then it's a GOOD thing. I'll pay it. Just keep my steak quality, don't skimp on the butter, and get me good fresh fish.

I had intended to bring only two bottles on my upcoming cruise, because if I carried on two, and stowed two in my luggage, it would be horrid to have my beautiful wine tossed out on the pier. Now, I can bring the 5 I'd like to bring, pay $45 corkage fee, and not have to stress on having my expensive wine confiscated and tossed out. I'm OK with that. ;) And, the $45 for my extra 3 bottles is way less than I would pay to buy something comparable from the Princess cellars.

[AKman2495]

Not being a drinker it really doesn't affect me, but I have read here on this board people bragging about brings cases of wine aboard ships.

 

Seems to me that sooner or later, when that much wine is coming aboard somebody in charge is going to take notice......

[remydiva]

With the stronger wording & more notification of the policy it appears that things will change. Other cruise lines such as RCI also have very restrictive policies for bringing wine onboard but at least they consistently offer a wine package which has not been my experience on Princess.

 

 

My experience has been that's impossible to tell. :(. Princess HQ says they're available on ten-day or longer cruises however I took several 10+ day cruises last year and not one of them offered the wine package. :mad:

 

My personal opinion is that RCI started a policy and enforced their very restrictive policy a few years ago after the death of the new husband following alleged consumption of excess amounts of alcohol by the couple.

 

it was a story that got a lot of press ( i even saw ? The RCI captain and widow being interviewed on Oprah) and i suspect RCI wanted to come out with an almost iron clad policy. ALL bags are xrayed and any bottles ie mouthwash can cause your bags to be held in the " room of shame" where the onus is on you to prove it is NOT alcohol as people go to great lengths to hide it.

 

Having said that, RCI has a decent wine package so it doesnt bother me. The wine prices on Princess I find are not unreasonable and the selection suits my needs.

 

However, i still will bring on wine on Princess until i hear otherwise on CC.

[Amuse Bouche]

By the way-

 

Does Princess employ trained sommeliers? Keyword-trained?? Are they available at dinner? Or just wine tasting events?

[jagoffee]

Below is the Princess response to my following question on Facebook.

My question:

"Princess has been offering a Wine Bottle Package on at least some ships for most of this year but the implementation of the Package appears to be inconsistent. It has been stated that the Package is only offered on cruises longer than ten days, but some posters on CC have stated that on some ships it was offered on seven day sailings. In addition, some posters on CC have stated that on longer cruises the Package was not offered because there was no Sommelier on board or that the Sommelier consider the wine selection on board too small. Initially there were Silver and Gold packages of 5/7/10/12 bottles but some have stated only 7/10/12 bottle packages were offered. Also, it appears that bottles in the package can only be obtained in the dining rooms and not at bars or Vines. Can someone at Princess please provide the accurate details of the Princess Wine Package?"

Princess answer:

"I am so sorry I am just now getting back to you! The Wine Bottle program can be purchased onboard at the beverage tables set up on embarkation day where they're selling all the packages (Ultimate Soda Packages, Coffee Cards, etc) or from any waiter in the main dining rooms, Horizon Court, alternative restaurants and during events such as the Pub Lunch.(The bar staff is unable to sell this program)

The program is offered on voyages that are 10 days or longer (with the exception of our ships based in Australia), however during our initial trial period we tried this concept on all itineraries and not just voyages 10 days or longer. There are odd occasions when the package has not been offered, such as when there is a logistical challenge and a beverage container is not delivered on time in a port.

Currently there are two different packages. (Prices are subject to change)

1.) Silver Tier (any bottle of wine up to and including $29 in retail value)

2.) Gold Tier (any bottle of wine up to and including $45 in retail value)

Silver Tier:

7 Pack - $161

10 Pack - $210

12 Pack - $240

Gold Tier:

7 Pack - $217

10 Pack - $290

12 Pack - $336"

Packages were not available on our 7 day Alaskan cruises in September but the Maitre d' said that they would be on the 14 day Hawaii cruises. They were available on the 14 day Panama Canal cruise this month. One feature is that you get more expensive bottles by just paying the difference.

 

Thank you for reporting what was posted on Facebook. The comment about the feature for purchasing more expensive bottles is yours I assume. Did you personally do this? Was it true on both the Silver and Gold Tier packages? When I cruised on the Island Princess early last year I was told that I would not be able to pay the difference therefore I did not purchase the package.

[Astro Flyer]

By the way-

 

Does Princess employ trained sommeliers? Keyword-trained?? Are they available at dinner? Or just wine tasting events?

As I recall the sommeliers on Princess are trained & are available in the dining room by asking your waiter to request the sommelier. They wander through all of the dining rooms but they can be paged to go to your table to help you.

 

Concerning the 1 bottle limit it's been that way in their brochures for decades however the old passage contract didn't have any limit. That's all history now & they're very clear on their policy & only time will tell how it will be enforced. In the past nearly everyone was as you said 'lucky' however I don't think there was much luck involved. I've never seen it enforced & have read of very few who had any problems so I'd say there were a few who were "unlucky". ;)

 

On our last cruise corkage was charged for each bottle which is a change & it's not a problem for me. If they'd implement a consistent wine package policy I'd purchase it but I have never had one available despite what Princess HQ says about being available on 10+ day cruises. :(

[bhopal21]

By the way-

 

Does Princess employ trained sommeliers? Keyword-trained?? Are they available at dinner? Or just wine tasting events?

 

We had a very nice sommelier on The Golden named Christopher.

 

Unfortunately I don't know about his training.

 

Mike:)

[toberman]

Concerning the 1 bottle limit it's been that way in their brochures for decades however the old passage contract didn't have any limit. That's all history now & they're very clear on their policy & only time will tell how it will be enforced. In the past nearly everyone was as you said 'lucky' however I don't think there was much luck involved. I've never seen it enforced & have read of very few who had any problems so I'd say there were a few who were "unlucky". ;)

 

 

Finally someone mentions that they've read the "Fine Print". The one bottle 'policy' was stated in the brochures, and FAQs, but there was never a limit in the "Passage Contract" !! They changed that sometime last year. Now the "Contract" limits us to 1 bottle/per person/per voyage.

 

Hasn't been enforced yet (that I know of), but now Princess is throwing in our faces by putting it on the luggage tags and Boarding Pass.... Nobody can claim ignorance once Princess starts to enforce the regulation -which they will!

 

Good on Princess for giving us a 'lead-in' time to adjust, but, really... they're just doing what almost (if not all) the other lines are doing.

 

Plus - I don't find Princess's prices unreasonable when you pre-order liquor, or purchase the wine package once on board as compared to other Lines.

[Pmorton3360]

Our tags just became available for printing today for April 14 and the new wording is there. We are not wine drinkers, but had planned on bringing champagne on for the first night for our group of 9. I will pay a corkage fee and hopefully make it a fun night for all. Some in our group will take wine and we will split the bottles up. As long as I can take a few Pepsis and water, I'll be fine. I just hope that everyone will know ahead of time. Nothing worse than a bunch of surly passengers. Whatever they do, do it always so no surprises.

[IECalCruiser]

Thank you for reporting what was posted on Facebook. The comment about the feature for purchasing more expensive bottles is yours I assume. Did you personally do this? Was it true on both the Silver and Gold Tier packages? When I cruised on the Island Princess early last year I was told that I would not be able to pay the difference therefore I did not purchase the package.

This was my actual experience this month on the Island. Four or five of the ten bottles we purchased with our Silver package were more than $29 and we just paid the difference in cost. (We were actually charged for the full cost and credited $29.)

[toberman]

. As long as I can take a few Pepsis and water, I'll be fine.

 

Saginaw... Just south of Bay City - Yee Haw, almost neighbours !!

 

I'm with you on the Pepsi - Princess only has Coke products... they suck.

[Grammyluvs]

Well all I can say is what party poopers! I usually take a box wine that doesn't cost but around $15 to start with. If they charge me $15 per so many liters, I am going to have to start drinking the good stuff;)

[5326jan]

Well all I can say is what party poopers! I usually take a box wine that doesn't cost but around $15 to start with. If they charge me $15 per so many liters, I am going to have to start drinking the good stuff;)

 

 

LOL!!! Love it!:)

[Luvmyrotti]

The dollars and cents reason behind this decision is likely due to the fact that Princess has seen lost revenue going through check-in in the form of cases of wine with a luggage tag slapped on. It really had to happen at some point and I'm frankly surprised that anyone is surprised by this. This in no way ill impact my decision to sail Princess.

[greenie082756]

I was planning on purchasing two bottles @ our first stop as I did not want to pack it in my suitcase. Do you think this would qualify for the one bottle per person? We aren't big wine drinkers so two bottles would do well.

[billco]

• One 750 ml bottle of wine or

Champagne per adult.

• Additional wine & Champagne

bottles are welcome for a $15

corkage fee each, per voyage.

• Other liquors, spirits or beers

are prohibited. Luggage is

subject to search

Not a problem for me. My wine comes in a box.

[IECalCruiser]

Not a problem for me. My wine comes in a box.

Since your box presumably holds more than 750ml, it would not be allowed :(

[billco]

Since your box presumably holds more than 750ml, it would not be allowed :(

I wonder how their scanners would detect a box of wine in my suitcase. Wouldn't it be pretty much the same as a rum runner?

[smithmlmx]

Below is a copy of the "new" contract:

Passengers agree not to bring alcoholic beverages of any kind on board for consumption except one bottle of wine or champagne per person of drinking age (no larger than 750 ml) per voyage only in his/her carry-on luggage. A corkage fee of $15.00 U.S.D. per bottle (which is subject to change without notice) will be applied to wine and champagne brought aboard by You and consumed in the ship’s public areas. Any wine(s) or champagne(s) supplied by the Carrier to You as a gift are not subject to a corkage fee. At embarkation, all luggage will be scanned for suspected alcohol in excess of the one bottle policy as provided herein. Your luggage will undergo a secondary inspection by a security team operating under CCTV (closed circuit surveillance) or in the event Your luggage is locked, You will be notified and are required to attend the secondary inspection where any alcohol found in violation of the one bottle policy will be removed and discarded. Carrier shall not be responsible for any loss, cost, disappointment or damage of any kind as a result of any alcoholic beverages removed in violation of the one bottle policy.

[IECalCruiser]

Below is a copy of the "new" contract:

Passengers agree not to bring alcoholic beverages of any kind on board for consumption except one bottle of wine or champagne per person of drinking age (no larger than 750 ml) per voyage only in his/her carry-on luggage. A corkage fee of $15.00 U.S.D. per bottle (which is subject to change without notice) will be applied to wine and champagne brought aboard by You and consumed in the ship’s public areas. Any wine(s) or champagne(s) supplied by the Carrier to You as a gift are not subject to a corkage fee. At embarkation, all luggage will be scanned for suspected alcohol in excess of the one bottle policy as provided herein. Your luggage will undergo a secondary inspection by a security team operating under CCTV (closed circuit surveillance) or in the event Your luggage is locked, You will be notified and are required to attend the secondary inspection where any alcohol found in violation of the one bottle policy will be removed and discarded. Carrier shall not be responsible for any loss, cost, disappointment or damage of any kind as a result of any alcoholic beverages removed in violation of the one bottle policy.

The new passage contract had been around for over four months. Princess could change their enforcement at any time if they wished. The luggage tags are just stating what has been in the Passage Contract since September except for the ability to pay corkage rather than have the excess wine discarded. I, for one, hope that Princess does not change their enforcement policy or, at least, allows amounts that vary with cruise length.

[drevil0208]

I wonder if you were to pack 2 bottles in your checked bags and bring 2 bottles in your carry-on, how would they know that you had 4 bottles ( assuming 2 adults)?

[Ontario Cruiser]

We had brought liquor & beer in our checked luggage last on January cruise, no problem. Also on Celebrity in November.