New Luggage Tag Wording re: Wine

[Loonbeam]

Trust me, Princess knows and has known EXACTLY what people are bringing aboard, bragging or not. They've just apparently decided to do something about it now.

 

Did bragging on here cause this, probably not. Catalyst for some exec to make a change? Maybe.

 

This. This is a good idea.

 

Overall on the topic, I'm not overly concerned. If there is a will there is a way. I'll sneak something on for room consumption one way or another. Alcohol is part of our vacation and we enjoy some in our rooms before we go out. Princess makes plenty off of us so I'm not concerned about their bottom line. At some point if they make things more strict and raise the price too much I'll find a different type of vacation to have (they aren't just competing against other cruise lines for vacation dollars). So far my Princess cruises have gone well and we will be on the ruby in about 3 weeks so we'll see what gets reported between now and then.

 

My guess at this point is Princess is aiming to curb the people that don't know better or who just read the paperwork. That alone would add to their bottom line. If the enforcement is lax or spotty at best, the "usuals" will still enjoy themselves, the cruiseline doesn't really offend the old guard and things move forward.

 

BTW, I also don't think the "flaunting" on one small website is really the impetus for a cruise line to change. These ships leave every week with thousands of people on them. The membership here is a drop in the bucket.

[Loonbeam]

BTW, as far as wine purchased in ports, that's a very different issue from wine at embarkation as it involves taxation and duty issues involving transit between multiple countries.

 

If you buy a case at total wine, or whatever, you pay all appropriate taxes at point of purchase for general consumption. Alcohol purchased in shops onboard and at many ports is 'duty free', which basically means its intended for consumption back in the purchasers home country, after being taxed at inbound customs.

 

Purchasing duty free and consuming on boards is technically a huge no-no. Even if Princess chose not to enforce it, there is no way they could post a policy that allows it explicitly.

[Amuse Bouche]

This. This is a good idea.

 

Yes! It is! (reply to quote about using Captains Circle level to how many bottles come on gratis.)

 

BTW, I also don't think the "flaunting" on one small website is really the impetus for a cruise line to change. These ships leave every week with thousands of people on them. The membership here is a drop in the bucket.

 

Actually, when I was talking to the Princess rep, I mentioned that there was a lot of discussion and concern over this new policy. She immediately asked if I was referring to Cruise Critic. This site is the foremost cruise line message board, and was the only one she asked about. I'm quite sure people in the organizations read every single word on here. It's a free market analysis for them, they would be incredibly stupid not to.

 

That being said...I think someone should make a thread about not being able to bring on wine from ports. If it's a topic, they may read it and pay attention to it much more than a post buried in a thread. I think it's unreasonable, since they do have vineyard excursions, and travel to ports known for being a wine region. On my upcoming, I may buy a bottle of the Hawaiian wine, just on principal, and when and if I have a problem getting it on, I'll tell them to charge me the corkage fee according to their policy. The disclaimer on the boarding pass and luggage tag does not specify where you bring on the additional bottle.

[greenie082756]

My husband and I will be flying in and I really do not want to have to wrap and wrap two bottles of wine to make sure they don't break in my suitcase. I don't know if I can fly with them on my carry on either. From what I've read so far, it seems if we chose not to bring on the allowed two bottles (1 each passenger) at the time of embarkation that we will not be allowed at all.

I can live without the wine and I can't see spending $29 -$40 for a bottle, yes and includes gratuity? Gratuity for what? Is that another word for corkage fee?

We were hoping to get a bottle @ our first port to consume in our room however it seems that may not be allowed. Oh well..

[satxdiver]

My husband and I will be flying in and I really do not want to have to wrap and wrap two bottles of wine to make sure they don't break in my suitcase. I don't know if I can fly with them on my carry on either. From what I've read so far, it seems if we chose not to bring on the allowed two bottles (1 each passenger) at the time of embarkation that we will not be allowed at all.

I can live without the wine and I can't see spending $29 -$40 for a bottle, yes and includes gratuity? Gratuity for what? Is that another word for corkage fee?

We were hoping to get a bottle @ our first port to consume in our room however it seems that may not be allowed. Oh well..

 

You cannot carry any liquid over 3 ounces on the aircraft. All liquids over that amount has to be in your checked luggage. All bar charges will have a gratuity added for the server and that includes wine bottles. The best advice is to buy the wine at the port area before embarking if at all possible.

[wineglass]

If you check the wording of Princess' new wine policy in the website (not on the luggage tags) it says you may bring 1 bottle of wine per passenger & will be charged a $15 corkage fee if its consumed in the dinning room. Any additional bottles found will be charged $15 per bottle NO MATTER WHERE ITS CONSUMED on the ship (i.e.: your stateroom). It also says any excess bottles will be taken & discarded. Basically, they are pre-charging a corkage fee if you bring more than 1 bottle per passenger. Just have to wait and see if its enforced. I have 4 in my party and I'm the only wine drinker, so I'm OK...I think.

[OTR]

We are departing from Ft Lauderdale on Feb 6. Had been planning to bring on a couple bottles each. Hoping to hear from someone boarding this weekend how it goes.

[BarbaraP]

I buy wine that I really like for only $3.49 per bottle and don't mind at all paying the $15.00 corkage fee, assuring that I will have a wine I like for $18.49, rather than paying $39.00 (including tip) for a bottle of Princess wine that I don't like anywhere near as well. This will save me a good deal of money. In the past, I would never have thought of bringing my own wine to dinner, but, hey, if I have already paid the corkage fee, why not?

 

The agent with whom I spoke yesterday did speak with her superiors and was informed that we WOULD NOT be allowed to bring aboard wine at ports and that really is horrible. Buying wine in ports is part of the fun of travel.

 

If this policy bothers you as much as it bothers us, please write

 

customerrelations@princesscruises.com

 

Our email just sent to Princess via above customer service address:

:mad:Re: New Wine “Enforcement Policy”

To whom it may concern;

Our usual onboard account for a 10-14 day cruise is over $1,500, mostly from our bar bill. If bringing a few extra bottles of wine onboard at embarkation and a few bottles of specialty beer and/or wine in distant ports is too much for Princess’s budget………………………………..then see ya!!!

Hello, Cunard and HAL

 

[Loonbeam]

I made a few calls. If and when enforcement begins the process will be similar to as follows. As always, everything I get from sources is to be considered PURE RUMOR until confirmed officially.

 

You will be asked to 'declare' wine at embarkation. 1 bottle of wine per adult person will be free of charge (I raised the length of cruise question BTW and was told that was still being hashed out). Additional bottles will be charged $15. Each bottle, whether free or otherwise will get a sticker placed on it and will then be clear to consume anywhere on the ship without additional fees.

 

The ship management system will identify how many free bottles have been claimed on a cabin by cabin basis. This should mean that if there are 3 adults in a cabin, one of them can carry all 3 allowed bottles.

 

Checked bags determined by scanning to have wine will have the owners called down, if they have not claimed the allowance they can claim it then. As per current policy, alcohol other than wine or champagne will be confiscated. Scanned carryons will follow a similar procedure.

 

As to some of the reasons...

 

Obviously, economics are one. This is a revenue area for Princess in many ways, the corkage fee and possibly greater onboard sales.

Secondly, many passengers were flouting the intent of the original corkage fee by bringing glasses of wine to dinner from cabins. The other solution to this was to provide in-room different type/style of glasses, but that was considered not to be practical from a cost/execution standpoint.

Third, yes they have noticed people bringing cases of wine on. The new policy was designed to still permit this, while lessening the impact to Princess. The alternative was a strict one bottle enforcement with confiscation.

 

The following item is to be considered COMPLETELY AS RUMOR, this is one employee's educated GUESS

 

There is an expectation that if/when enforcement kicks in, there will be some enhancements to the wine packages to soften the impact, including ensuring availability across most if not all of the fleet in some form. They are still analysing the metrics of the current offering.

[sminfiddle]

As always, everything I get from sources is to be considered PURE RUMOR until confirmed officially.

 

...Each bottle, whether free or otherwise will get a sticker placed on it and will then be clear to consume anywhere on the ship without additional fees...

 

Checked bags determined by scanning to have wine will have the owners called down, if they have not claimed the allowance they can claim it then. ...

 

Speaking just for myself, the OP of this lively (!) thread, if this bears out to be true I find it satisfactory.

• I won't have to carry-on all the heavy bottles because of fear that Checked Baggage Bottles will just be tossed (in trash or the trunk of the inspector's car)
  
• As a shareholder of CCL, protecting revenue also makes me happy. Protects those dividends!
  
• Maybe the onboard Wine Package will finally be nailed down and offered on more cruises
  

Rick

[Astro Flyer]

I made a few calls. If and when enforcement begins the process will be similar to as follows. As always, everything I get from sources is to be considered PURE RUMOR until confirmed officially.

 

You will be asked to 'declare' wine at embarkation. 1 bottle of wine per adult person will be free of charge (I raised the length of cruise question BTW and was told that was still being hashed out). Additional bottles will be charged $15. Each bottle, whether free or otherwise will get a sticker placed on it and will then be clear to consume anywhere on the ship without additional fees.

 

The ship management system will identify how many free bottles have been claimed on a cabin by cabin basis. This should mean that if there are 3 adults in a cabin, one of them can carry all 3 allowed bottles.

 

Checked bags determined by scanning to have wine will have the owners called down, if they have not claimed the allowance they can claim it then. As per current policy, alcohol other than wine or champagne will be confiscated. Scanned carryons will follow a similar procedure.

 

As to some of the reasons...

 

Obviously, economics are one. This is a revenue area for Princess in many ways, the corkage fee and possibly greater onboard sales.

Secondly, many passengers were flouting the intent of the original corkage fee by bringing glasses of wine to dinner from cabins. The other solution to this was to provide in-room different type/style of glasses, but that was considered not to be practical from a cost/execution standpoint.

Third, yes they have noticed people bringing cases of wine on. The new policy was designed to still permit this, while lessening the impact to Princess. The alternative was a strict one bottle enforcement with confiscation.

 

The following item is to be considered COMPLETELY AS RUMOR, this is one employee's educated GUESS

 

There is an expectation that if/when enforcement kicks in, there will be some enhancements to the wine packages to soften the impact, including ensuring availability across most if not all of the fleet in some form. They are still analysing the metrics of the current offering.

Thanks for sharing the information you received from Princess which confirms my thoughts about this change & why things such as wine by the case & bringing wine by the glass into the MDR are the reasons why...things were bound to change. Hopefully they'll allow more wine to be brought onboard to drink in cabins without incurring a corkage fee on longer cruises. It's also good to know that they're aware of the problems with the wine package program.

 

The customer relations agent that I have been dealing with told me that the expert in the wine packages returns to work tomorrow so I should get some answers about why it's so rarely available despite what HQ tells us.

[Loonbeam]

What I personally might expect at some point is a check station, where wine could be dropped off, paid for and tagged to the cabin. Could be done fairly easy with carriers and add some value to the corkage fee.

 

Speaking just for myself, the OP of this lively (!) thread, if this bears out to be true I find it satisfactory.

• I won't have to carry-on all the heavy bottles because of fear that Checked Baggage Bottles will just be tossed (in trash or the trunk of the inspector's car)
  
• As a shareholder of CCL, protecting revenue also makes me happy. Protects those dividends!
  
• Maybe the onboard Wine Package will finally be nailed down and offered on more cruises
  

Rick

[whitecap]

I made a few calls. If and when enforcement begins the process will be similar to as follows. As always, everything I get from sources is to be considered PURE RUMOR until confirmed officially.

 

You will be asked to 'declare' wine at embarkation. 1 bottle of wine per adult person will be free of charge (I raised the length of cruise question BTW and was told that was still being hashed out). Additional bottles will be charged $15. Each bottle, whether free or otherwise will get a sticker placed on it and will then be clear to consume anywhere on the ship without additional fees.

 

The ship management system will identify how many free bottles have been claimed on a cabin by cabin basis. This should mean that if there are 3 adults in a cabin, one of them can carry all 3 allowed bottles.

 

Checked bags determined by scanning to have wine will have the owners called down, if they have not claimed the allowance they can claim it then. As per current policy, alcohol other than wine or champagne will be confiscated. Scanned carryons will follow a similar procedure.

 

As to some of the reasons...

 

Obviously, economics are one. This is a revenue area for Princess in many ways, the corkage fee and possibly greater onboard sales.

Secondly, many passengers were flouting the intent of the original corkage fee by bringing glasses of wine to dinner from cabins. The other solution to this was to provide in-room different type/style of glasses, but that was considered not to be practical from a cost/execution standpoint.

Third, yes they have noticed people bringing cases of wine on. The new policy was designed to still permit this, while lessening the impact to Princess. The alternative was a strict one bottle enforcement with confiscation.

 

The following item is to be considered COMPLETELY AS RUMOR, this is one employee's educated GUESS

 

There is an expectation that if/when enforcement kicks in, there will be some enhancements to the wine packages to soften the impact, including ensuring availability across most if not all of the fleet in some form. They are still analysing the metrics of the current offering.

 

I understand the situation from both side of the picture, revenue for the cruise line and convenience/savings for the passenger. I am a simple wine drinker, one bottle will last two or three days, so with the DW, two bottles would last for a 7 day cruise. My concern is embarkation delays: at what point will you declare your allotted two bottles, at security or at checkin counter?; will stickers be given to the passenger or will security/checkin personnel place the stickers on the bottles?; if either Security/or checkin personnel are to place the stickers, does that mean that you will have to stand in yet another line, open your carryon luggage, place the stickers and then board?; if I declare that I have three bottles, 2 in carryon and 1 in checked luggage, will I get three stickers at checkin and will I still be called down to security to open the checked luggage?. My point to all of this is that no one will know how this will work until Princess decides to give it a try. I just hope that what ever system they decide to employ, it won't delay all of us from boarding and beginning our cruise vacation.

[spyro1952]

I haven't been on the boards for a while but I've enjoyed reading this thread. I'm really not a big wine drinker but doing a number of cruises in 2013. My friend is coming with me on the TA on the CB 4/27. The two bottles of wine without corkage will probably suffice for us. But an $10 bottle of wine with a $15 fee is still cheaper that any bottle of wine on the Princess wine list.

Also given the fact that Princess has a documented history of hap-hazard policy enforcement, it may be quite a while before they have all the logistics of this in place. I do understand where they are coming from - they are trying to recoup every dollar to keep prices of the actual cruises as low as they can. Everyone on these boards who have cruised with Princess for many years know that returning cruisers spend very little on board as opposed to the newbies who buy everything. They are trying to get their loyal passengers to spend a little more on board.

[Loonbeam]

As I noted in another post, my expectation is you will either declare them at checkin-either at a dedicated station or when you present your docs, and then either carry on the bottles or drop something back out with the porters, or they will have a drop point. Details are still being worked out from what I can tell.

 

People who try to 'sneak' bottles on to avoid the charge would be pulled aside at the checked bag scanner to resolve the situation.

 

I understand the situation from both side of the picture, revenue for the cruise line and convenience/savings for the passenger. I am a simple wine drinker, one bottle will last two or three days, so with the DW, two bottles would last for a 7 day cruise. My concern is embarkation delays: at what point will you declare your allotted two bottles, at security or at checkin counter?; will stickers be given to the passenger or will security/checkin personnel place the stickers on the bottles?; if either Security/or checkin personnel are to place the stickers, does that mean that you will have to stand in yet another line, open your carryon luggage, place the stickers and then board?; if I declare that I have three bottles, 2 in carryon and 1 in checked luggage, will I get three stickers at checkin and will I still be called down to security to open the checked luggage?. My point to all of this is that no one will know how this will work until Princess decides to give it a try. I just hope that what ever system they decide to employ, it won't delay all of us from boarding and beginning our cruise vacation.

[bhopal21]

I am bringing 8 bottles of wine on our upcoming cruise and do not care if they send me to the naughty room and charge me $15 per bottle. The wine I am bringing is from our local winery and is on the Princess wine list. Princess charges $49 plus 15% gratuity or $56.35 per bottle.. I paid $20 per bottle at winery so with the $15 per bottle charge that is $35 per bottle.. Wine if bought on ship.. $450.80. My cost bringing bottles on board.. $280 or a savings of $170.80.. :):D

 

I am much more interested in your experience than all the discussion about calling the CSRs at Princess.

 

Please give us a first hand accounting after you board and have a great cruise.

 

Mike:)

[GHDPeter]

This new policy will save me between $8-$10 per bottle and it will never be "out of stock"

 

On our recent cruise to New Zealand, our wine was out of stock on the 2nd night, but back in stock on the 3rd day, both of which were sea days!

[Loonbeam]

Oddly enough, that one came up on a ship's tour on RCCL (I will assume Princess is similar).

 

Every so often, each set of non-perishables gets reorganized and inventoried. It's not uncommon for boxes/bottles etc to get mislaid or returned to stock and not credited, etc. The guy was telling us about an $1800 bottle that they thought went missing for 2 weeks until they found it in a box of vodka that had gotten other stuff placed on top.

 

This new policy will save me between $8-$10 per bottle and it will never be "out of stock"

 

On our recent cruise to New Zealand, our wine was out of stock on the 2nd night, but back in stock on the 3rd day, both of which were sea days!

[caribill]

People who try to 'sneak' bottles on to avoid the charge would be pulled aside at the checked bag scanner to resolve the situation.

 

Pulled aside where?

 

Your checked luggage is given to a porter who brings it to port security to be scanned. You are nowhere near this when it is being done and thus could not be pulled aside at that point.

[CQG67]

I was browsing through some roll calls and yours caught my eye. Princess, Holland and Celebrity still allow you to bring 2 bottles (double occupancy) when you board. Royal does not allow wine brought onboard and even has a "naughty room" if you get caught with alcohol in your checked in luggage - and they do enforce it. On Princess recently I had my 2 bottles of wine, a 12 pack of Pepsi in my carry-on and a couple of caffeine free Cokes. No problem. People bought wine in various ports and brought it back - again, no problem. They did enforce the corkage fee if you wanted to take your bottle to the dining room. I often carried a glass of wine to dinner with me. Princess is one of the nicer lines regarding this policy. I don't know if this is still going on, but after 8pm there were select drinks, wine, beers, liquor at $2 or $3 in any of the bars after 8pm. Good deal!

 

Just thought I'd add my two cents. Have a great weekend. Go Ravens! Barb

[Cruise Junky]

I was browsing through some roll calls and yours caught my eye. Princess, Holland and Celebrity still allow you to bring 2 bottles (double occupancy) when you board. Royal does not allow wine brought onboard and even has a "naughty room" if you get caught with alcohol in your checked in luggage - and they do enforce it. On Princess recently I had my 2 bottles of wine, a 12 pack of Pepsi in my carry-on and a couple of caffeine free Cokes. No problem. People bought wine in various ports and brought it back - again, no problem. They did enforce the corkage fee if you wanted to take your bottle to the dining room. I often carried a glass of wine to dinner with me. Princess is one of the nicer lines regarding this policy. I don't know if this is still going on, but after 8pm there were select drinks, wine, beers, liquor at $2 or $3 in any of the bars after 8pm. Good deal!

 

Just thought I'd add my two cents. Have a great weekend. Go Ravens! Barb

 

 

Old info. Royal changed its policy and does allow wine now and unless HAL has had a recent policy change, they have no limit

[Loonbeam]

Sorry, meant to say carry-on bag scanner. As to where they will pull you to during boarding? No clue.

 

 

 

 

Pulled aside where?

 

Your checked luggage is given to a porter who brings it to port security to be scanned. You are nowhere near this when it is being done and thus could not be pulled aside at that point.

[jk160]

I've only sailed Princess once and I didn't bring wine on then. Does this mean, for the first bottle of wine there is no corkage fee?

 

There is a corking fee only if you have a Princess wine guy open it. You open your own, and there is no corking fee.

 

A couple years ago, we took a bottle of wine that we received with a card from the captain. We took the wine to dining room, and they wanted to charge us a corking fee. I told the wine stewart, please charge the captain as he sent this to our state room. We were not charged.

[Texas Realtor]

I would pay $150 to bring a bottle of rum aboard. The 375ml bottles they sell are a joke. Also the variety is lacking terribly.

 

I would love not to have to smuggle my favorite spirits just so I can have a pre and post dinner cocktail on the balcony.

 

To me the variety is the biggest problem from the liquor side.

 

As for the wine policy, love it. My wife is a wine snob. So we will be going to the store before our next cruise.

[chrysalis]

There is a corking fee only if you have a Princess wine guy open it. You open your own, and there is no corking fee.

 

Sorry....but that is not the case. If you open a bottle in your room and carry to the dining room, you can be charged a corkage. It has nothing to do with who opened the bottle.