Alcohol Confiscated - Caught !!

[GweninTX]

Just out of curiosity, do they tag the bottles that you paid corkage on somehow ? How do they differentiate between the two bottles for consumption in your cabin or the others you paid and can drink anywhere ?

 

They put stickers on them and then you can even take them to the dining room if you like

[English Tim]

My wife and I refuse to pay the high prices that most cruise-lines charge for wine and so decide to drink water at dinner. If the prices were more reasonable, then we would drink wine. Maybe our waistlines will benefit!

 

Our forthcoming cruise will be a change from our last three, which were inclusive, but that didn't necessarily mean that we liked all the provided wine, but we drank lots because it was included.

 

I believe that ships should allow one bottle of liquor per cabin, which shows goodwill and this might encourage guests to drink more.

 

I'm cheap and will order a coffee card and Ultimate Soda card and drink what they include.

 

At included cocktail parties we'll make up for lost time.

 

It's quite strange but we have spent wisely for years when our incomes were much lower, but are still cheap even now when we can afford not to be. Quite what we'll spend our $800 OBC on, I've no idea.

[anmajojo]

You know what you are going to be paying for when you cruise. Why brag about how much money you can save? Lighten up and enjoy!!! Life is too short. He who dies with the most toys DOESN'T win.

 

Sent from my SGP311 using Forums mobile app

[English Tim]

You know what you are going to be paying for when you cruise. Why brag about how much money you can save? Lighten up and enjoy!!! Life is too short. He who dies with the most toys DOESN'T win.

 

Sent from my SGP311 using Forums mobile app

 

There you go, each to his own. I'm not telling you how to run your life, just putting a different perspective. If we all behaved the same, the world would be boring.

[Iamcruzin]

At included cocktail parties we'll make up for lost time.

 

Good luck with that. Those Captain Circle parties have become so over crowed that you're lucky if you get one drink let alone two or three. I usually order a martini and even those have more olive juice than Vodka or Gin.

[English Tim]

Good luck with that. Those Captain Circle parties have become so over crowed that you're lucky if you get one drink let alone two or three. I usually order a martini and even those have more olive juice than Vodka or Gin.

 

Best stick to the 'pop' then :)

[cruizecrazygramma]

Glad to see they are enforcing policies although I think it should include all alcohol. As for going through your bags without you present, i would assume its the same as at the airport. They are scanning for prohibited items.

[JimmyVWine]

Glad to see they are enforcing policies although I think it should include all alcohol.

Do you mean that they should allow all forms of alcohol on the ship upon payment of a fee? It would be very hard to price that out, and once they did, you would find that you would be better off ordering a bottle(s) from the ship through Gifts and Services unless there was a particular brand that you could not get on board.

 

The $15 per bottle corkage fee for wine breaks down as follows:

 

Assume a couple on a 10 day cruise brings on board 10 bottles of wine, intending to drink one bottle per day. Each bottle is poured out into, on average, 5 glasses of wine. The 10 bottles equate to 50 total "drinks". The price paid for these drinks is $120 (Two bottles come on for free and 8 bottles get charged $15 per bottle.) That comes out to an average of $2.40 per glass of wine.

 

Now, let's apply that to a 750ml bottle of alcohol such as vodka or rum. A typical cocktail has 1.5 ounces of liquor in it. There are roughly 25 ounces in a 750ml bottle. So each 750ml bottle will make around 16 drinks. If Princess tried to price out the "corkage" (or "screwage") fee for this bottle to be on an even playing field with wine, they would charge roughly $2.40 per drink, or roughly $38 dollars for the bottle. So the question becomes, would you pay a $38 "screwage" fee to bring on your own bottle of vodka, or would you be better off buying bottles from Princess? Two 375ml bottles of Absolute vodka from Princess is $40 based on the price list in "Gifts and Services". A 750ml bottle of Absolute at Total in Ft. Lauderdale is $15. After tacking on a $2.40 per drink fee of $38, your vodka purchased at Total will now cost $53.

 

If there is a particular spirit that you want, then perhaps this is a fair price. But people should not fall into the trap of thinking that just because the corkage fee on a bottle of wine is $15 that the fee assessed for a bottle of liquor would be the same.

Edited October 25, 2013 by JimmyVWine

[rwep]

Not on Princess' bandwagon but the $15 corking fee is very fair. I have paid much higher at many restaurants. The up-charge on wine when dinning out is crazy. The lower the SRP is, the higher the upcharge...sometimes as high as 60% on a restaurant label for a $15 to $20 bottle...we believe the key is to bring your own. Look for sales on $50 to $60 bottles, split a case with a friend and you can save close to $15 a bottle... We have a wine suitcase that holds 8 bottles...pay $90 to bring it on board...it's wine from our cellar that has been purchased at a discount...plus it's wine that very few have maybe tried...small allocation wines...when we head home, the suitcase is filled with spirits to drink later..sometimes some local stuff that can't be found stateside...so drink up, cheers and always enjoy good friends, good food and good booze...life is too short to compromise:cool::cool::cool::cool:

[VOR]

What it boils down to is that no one can provide you with what princess provides to for 100 bucks a day. They cannot pay the bills at that price point.

 

Their marketing strategy is to let us on the ship at that price, and then pay their bills through selling to a captive audience. In order to do that they needs to take steps to prevent having to compete with shore based suppliers.

 

If that costs them some customers that they would not have made any money on anyway, I suspect they chose to live with that when they set the policy and the price of the voyage.

[JimmyVWine]

What it boils down to is that no one can provide you with what princess provides to for 100 bucks a day. They cannot pay the bills at that price point.

 

Their marketing strategy is to let us on the ship at that price, and then pay their bills through selling to a captive audience. In order to do that they needs to take steps to prevent having to compete with shore based suppliers.

 

If that costs them some customers that they would not have made any money on anyway, I suspect they chose to live with that when they set the policy and the price of the voyage.

 

BINGO!!

Some people seem to want low fares to start, and then re-faring at even lower prices, and then the ability to avoid any and all on board expenditures such as bar bills. That is not a sustainable business model. There are cruise lines that will allow you to bring on as much wine and liquor as you want. But go price out those cruises and report back! You will always do better paying Princess' prices and following Princess' rules.

[Iamcruzin]

Corkage on Celebrity and Royal Caribbean is $25/bottle! :(

Celebrity offers a drink package. If you drink 2 bottles a day of two buck chuck you are better off purchasing the Classic package for $44 dollars a day and as you probably know already you have a choice of everything from water to Martini's so you are not limited to cheap wine.

[rdsqrl]

I'm wondering if any of you people complaining about Princess's "greedy" mark-up on wines in the dining room ever even go out to a restaurant when you're at home.

 

Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio:

local Italian restaurant of mid-range quality/ambiance: $57

Princess: $41

 

 

 

 

[English Tim]

I'm wondering if any of you people complaining about Princess's "greedy" mark-up on wines in the dining room ever even go out to a restaurant when you're at home.

 

Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio:

local Italian restaurant of mid-range quality/ambiance: $57

Princess: $41

 

 

 

 

 

We usually get a take-away and drink our own good wine, at home, for a fraction of the price.

[muffyn]

No, not really. Princess allows unlimited 750ml bottles of wine and Champagne. The first bottle per adult is free to bring on board, and free to be consumed in your cabin. All additional bottles are subject to a $15 per bottle corkage fee at the time of boarding, and once that is paid, the bottles can be consumed anywhere on the ship at no additional cost. The "free bottles" will be subject to the $15 corkage fee at the time of consumption if consumed in a public area such as a dining room or lounge.

 

.

 

 

I have not read the whole thread.. so if you answered this, excuse me:p

 

IF you are to pay the $15 on boarding of all in excess of your FREE bottle, & you then take one of those bottles to the dining room how do they know you paid for them? do you have to carry your receipt with you? & if you don't have a receipt?

:confused:

[English Tim]

I have not read the whole thread.. so if you answered this, excuse me:p

 

IF you are to pay the $15 on boarding of all in excess of your FREE bottle, & you then take one of those bottles to the dining room how do they know you paid for them? do you have to carry your receipt with you? & if you don't have a receipt?

:confused:

 

If you've paid your dues on all but one, what does it matter where you drink them?

[robtulipe]

I have not read the whole thread.. so if you answered this, excuse me:p

 

IF you are to pay the $15 on boarding of all in excess of your FREE bottle, & you then take one of those bottles to the dining room how do they know you paid for them? do you have to carry your receipt with you? & if you don't have a receipt?

:confused:

They put a sticker or stamp the label of the wine you've paid the corkage for at embarkation. These can be taken to the dining venues. The free bottle without this indicater can not unless you are willing to pay the corkage also for it. You are better off drinking it in your stateroom and simply bring on any extra wine you want to drink else where onboard in a public venue..

Edited October 26, 2013 by robtulipe

[Mapu]

I'm wondering if any of you people complaining about Princess's "greedy" mark-up on wines in the dining room ever even go out to a restaurant when you're at home.

 

Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio:

local Italian restaurant of mid-range quality/ambiance: $57

Princess: $41

 

 

 

 

The Princess pricing on wine is very reasonable. There are many wines under $30. If you have a favorite wine that you like to drink and it is not offered that is a different story. If you like picking up an interesting wine while in port that is also a different case.

[$hip$hape]

On the Golden in March, the staff would only open luggage in front of the passenger.

On the Ocean Princess in September, DW and I walked on (Dover embarkation) with two bottles of wine.

Security did not even check to see what was in the bag.

[English Tim]

On the Ocean Princess in September, DW and I walked on (Dover embarkation) with two bottles of wine.

Security did not even check to see what was in the bag.

 

In the UK we're more sensible! ;)

[pablo222]

Some people seem to want low fares to start, and then re-faring at even lower prices, and then the ability to avoid any and all on board expenditures such as bar bills.

 

The funniest is the people who are miffed when the corkage

is five-times the cost of their three-dollar wine at walmart.

 

I somehow doubt these people are a demographic that princess

hopes to attract.

[Iamcruzin]

I'm wondering if any of you people complaining about Princess's "greedy" mark-up on wines in the dining room ever even go out to a restaurant when you're at home.

 

Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio:

local Italian restaurant of mid-range quality/ambiance: $57

Princess: $41

 

My guess is that the folks who are drinking the two buck chuck at home (which would include me) don't even look at the wine list in a restaurant. We just order a carafe of the house red or white. I'm sure there is a large markup on that as well but it doesn't hurt as much if you don't know what you are drinking. It just leaves a bad taste in my mouth when I see an $8 bottle of wine priced at $25 on the menu. The other issue I have is why would you pay a $15 to $25 corkage fee (depending on the cruise line) for a two dollar bottle of wine?

[Roses2]

It appears some folks just don't get out much.

 

Princess wine and corkage fees are in the very reasonable range when compared to most run-of the-mill restaurants.

 

Their alcoholic drink prices are dirt cheap when compared to virtually any city bar or hotel. It is difficult to find any bar in any city with prices under $10-$12 for a mixed drink with bar pour brands - much more for special brands.

 

Certainly you and I can go to our local wine store and buy wine at much less than it is sold on Princess or in a restaurant. We do it for the wine we drink at home. But it is senseless not to recognize that all food and beverage operations must sell at a decent profit.

 

Oh yes, it may be well to remember the investment and on going costs of running a cruise line. It now costs $750,000,000 to build a new ship and hundreds of thousands more each day to keep it running. It is difficult to see how they can do it profitably.

 

Just my opinion as I embark on another cruise today..

[Cruiseagain2012]

Wow...what a thread! I just wanted to say that I spoke with a Princess rep today who told me only 1 bottle of wine per adult allowed at embarkation...NO MORE...even with the $15 fee attached. I am hoping she was wrong because I have read on multiple postings about people paying the corkage fee, the bottles being stamped and whatever and carrying on as many as you want to at embarkation. She said that you could only carry on wine in ports...and then pay the $15 per bottle.

 

On a side note...I do realize the cruise company makes $ on the fee of alcohol...but it also trickles down to the staff with the tips. I am guessing the employees don't make much $ and rely on the tips generated with purchasing alcohol onboard...if we all smuggle in booze that is less purchased onboard and much less tips for them. I know my DH and I probably drink $50/day (combined...:)) on board and that is AT LEAST (we usually uptip) $7.50/day in tips...that can really add up for the staff.

 

I also love ordering a drink, being served it and all that is involved with that process....versus sneaking something into my soda poolside.

 

My biggest complaint for Princess is the small winelist. I wish that the cruise lines would realize that many people enjoy a wine selection and if the wine is reasonably priced...that maybe they would actually sell more. I have heard as well that the wine package on Princess is only on 10 day minimum cruises. Which is a bummer because we enjoyed it on RCCL (but I guess that was a 10day) in Alaska in 2012.

 

Oh well...I will enjoy my drinks being served to me in 4 weeks.

 

Happy Imbibing...no matter how you choose to do it! Just remember to tip well for good service!;)

[JimmyVWine]

Wow...what a thread! I just wanted to say that I spoke with a Princess rep today who told me only 1 bottle of wine per adult allowed at embarkation...NO MORE...even with the $15 fee attached. I am hoping she was wrong because I have read on multiple postings about people paying the corkage fee, the bottles being stamped and whatever and carrying on as many as you want to at embarkation.

 

Yes, she is wrong. It is astonishing how much they get wrong. The current policy is found on your luggage tag.