hondorner Posted December 27, 2014 #26 Share Posted December 27, 2014 (edited) Can you carry a glass of your own wine that you pour in your stateroom into the dining venues at night without paying the corkage fee since there is no bottle involved? (Of course that limits you to one glass for the meal...) There are nearly constant reminders in the daily Currents newsletter that personal alcohol is only for consumption in one's cabin. You're on the honor system. However, there is nothing wrong with scoring a full glass of wine at the Captain's Welcome party or the Past Guest party and carrying that to the dining room. If you're in Concierge category or above and you get a complimentary bottle of sparkling wine, you can also take that to the dining room and they'll switch it for a chilled one, or switch for a bottle of house red or white, which is not bad. Edited December 27, 2014 by hondorner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flatbush Flyer Posted December 27, 2014 #27 Share Posted December 27, 2014 Current FAQ on Oceania website says private alcohol will be confiscated, including purchases at ports. I'm not surprised at that being the official policy - the reports on this board may just indicate a general laxity of enforcement. Couple bottles of wine may be exception since they apparently do corkage fee in restaurants. We have booked our 1st O cruise (TransAtl May'16) after 25 Celebrity. I saw Preisman's recent Riviera dailies and glad to see, besides the daily 2-4-1 Happy Hour 5-6pm, that the rotating 3 drinks-of-day are $5.50 before gratuity. These provide a reasonable option versus the $60-a-day beverage package - may find other cocktails I enjoy. Happy Cruising For the top shelf brands (and not being tied to "drink(s) of the day which may include nothing you like), the "prestige package" makes sense to me. Including gratuity, double pours of "call" drinks, etc, the package price works out to no more than 4 drinks per day. Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beardedshark Posted December 27, 2014 #28 Share Posted December 27, 2014 Always purple when I have visited but perhaps the Picasso prints on the walls distracted you! :) Was in there on last cruise in April. The light colours change, I think controlled by the bar staff but may be on a timer. Options as I remember we're white, purple red and blue but I had had a few cocktails. Only 18 days to go Pam, hope our paths cross on board but perhaps not in the casino bar;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare kazu Posted December 27, 2014 #29 Share Posted December 27, 2014 Current FAQ on Oceania website says private alcohol will be confiscated, including purchases at ports. I'm not surprised at that being the official policy - the reports on this board may just indicate a general laxity of enforcement. Couple bottles of wine may be exception since they apparently do corkage fee in restaurants. We have booked our 1st O cruise (TransAtl May'16) after 25 Celebrity. I saw Preisman's recent Riviera dailies and glad to see, besides the daily 2-4-1 Happy Hour 5-6pm, that the rotating 3 drinks-of-day are $5.50 before gratuity. These provide a reasonable option versus the $60-a-day beverage package - may find other cocktails I enjoy. Happy Cruising They do have that in one of the faqs sections which I found a tad confusing as a newbie as under shipboard services they have this? Can I purchase bottles of wine at ports of call and bring them onboard? A: Guests wishing to purchase wine in a port of call and bring it onboard with them may do so, limited to three (3) bottles per stateroom. Guests are welcome to enjoy their wine in the comfort and privacy of their stateroom or suite, or, if they prefer, may enjoy their wine in one of the ship's dining rooms. Any wine consumed in the dining room or a public area will be subject to a corkage fee of $25.00 per bottle. So, I am assuming at the least, 3 bottles of wine are still permitted at ports of call? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hambagahle Posted December 27, 2014 #30 Share Posted December 27, 2014 Seems fair to me - I cannot imagine walking around the ship clutching a bottle of wine anyway. But I am glad to see the written policy because we plan to buy a couple of bottles of Goslings Black Seal rum in Bermuda to bring home with us! (Here that costs about $40/bottle and I have to get it from a distributor in Basel...so the Goslings BDA prices seem like a fire sale). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RetiredFL Posted December 27, 2014 #31 Share Posted December 27, 2014 I often buy the two for one wine at happy hour and take the second glass to the GDR. Never a problem and the waiter always takes the glass and carries it to the table for me on a tray. Same with the Club party. Others we know take their second happy hour drink to the GDR without problem. We have never brought wine or drinks from the cabin, but on one occasion saw a couple bring a glass of wine to the GDR and halfway through their meal the wife took the empty glasses, left the dining room and returned a short time later with two full glasses, presumably from their cabin. Now that was tacky! Considering the total cost of a cruise a $25 corkage fee in not that excessive especially since you can make the bottle last several nights (if you have will power). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hondorner Posted December 27, 2014 #32 Share Posted December 27, 2014 They do have that in one of the faqs sections which I found a tad confusing as a newbie as under shipboard services they have this? Can I purchase bottles of wine at ports of call and bring them onboard? A: Guests wishing to purchase wine in a port of call and bring it onboard with them may do so, limited to three (3) bottles per stateroom. Guests are welcome to enjoy their wine in the comfort and privacy of their stateroom or suite, or, if they prefer, may enjoy their wine in one of the ship's dining rooms. Any wine consumed in the dining room or a public area will be subject to a corkage fee of $25.00 per bottle. So, I am assuming at the least, 3 bottles of wine are still permitted at ports of call? Yes. The "rule" is confusing. We are telling you, on the one hand, to ignore the part of the rule about bringing alcohol on board (unless you are an obnoxious drunk). On the other hand, we're saying the rest of the rule, about consuming personal alcohol on board only in your cabin, and about the exception of wine in dining rooms with a corkage fee, is serious and not to be ignored. But, think about it. Would they have rules about personal wine on board if it were to be confiscated, like on NCL? By the way, one MAY bring personal wine aboard NCL; they just charge a flat $15 per bottle fee just to bring it aboard, regardless if it never leaves your cabin. The harder part to understand is regarding beer and hard liquor. In practice (again, the rule is there in case it is necessary to enforce), you may bring aboard, at any port, anything you like, but other than the exception for wine in the ding rooms, it must all stay in your cabin. Try it. It's easy to understand when you see it in action. Buy some vodka and wine (more than 3 bottles), leave it in the liquor store bag (plainly marked) and obvious what it is, and lay the bag on the Xray conveyor, perhaps with the necks if the bottles peeking out. Brag to the security officer about what a good deal you got. They'll look at the Xray screen to be sure you don't have any guns or knives (they may hold your Ulu knife in Alaska until you depart), bur pass you on through with a smile. Then, try weaving loudly and obnoxiously around the pool deck, obviously drunk and offending everyone, and see how fast the rules are enforced. I'm just guessing, because in all my time aboard Oceania, I've never seen such behavior. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare kazu Posted December 27, 2014 #33 Share Posted December 27, 2014 Yes. The "rule" is confusing. We are telling you, on the one hand, to ignore the part of the rule about bringing alcohol on board (unless you are an obnoxious drunk). On the other hand, we're saying the rest of the rule, about consuming personal alcohol on board only in your cabin, and about the exception of wine in dining rooms with a corkage fee, is serious and not to be ignored. But, think about it. Would they have rules about personal wine on board if it were to be confiscated, like on NCL? By the way, one MAY bring personal wine aboard NCL; they just charge a flat $15 per bottle fee just to bring it aboard, regardless if it never leaves your cabin. The harder part to understand is regarding beer and hard liquor. In practice (again, the rule is there in case it is necessary to enforce), you may bring aboard, at any port, anything you like, but other than the exception for wine in the ding rooms, it must all stay in your cabin. Try it. It's easy to understand when you see it in action. Buy some vodka and wine (more than 3 bottles), leave it in the liquor store bag (plainly marked) and obvious what it is, and lay the bag on the Xray conveyor, perhaps with the necks if the bottles peeking out. Brag to the security officer about what a good deal you got. They'll look at the Xray screen to be sure you don't have any guns or knives (they may hold your Ulu knife in Alaska until you depart), bur pass you on through with a smile. Then, try weaving loudly and obnoxiously around the pool deck, obviously drunk and offending everyone, and see how fast the rules are enforced. I'm just guessing, because in all my time aboard Oceania, I've never seen such behavior. thanks very much:D I was guessing the confiscation was in case of such behaviour as you outlined. I've never seen it on my cruises either ;) Appreciate the confirmation. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
critics0001 Posted December 27, 2014 #34 Share Posted December 27, 2014 Yes. The "rule" is confusing. We are telling you, on the one hand, to ignore the part of the rule about bringing alcohol on board (unless you are an obnoxious drunk). On the other hand, we're saying the rest of the rule, about consuming personal alcohol on board only in your cabin, and about the exception of wine in dining rooms with a corkage fee, is serious and not to be ignored. But, think about it. Would they have rules about personal wine on board if it were to be confiscated, like on NCL? By the way, one MAY bring personal wine aboard NCL; they just charge a flat $15 per bottle fee just to bring it aboard, regardless if it never leaves your cabin. The harder part to understand is regarding beer and hard liquor. In practice (again, the rule is there in case it is necessary to enforce), you may bring aboard, at any port, anything you like, but other than the exception for wine in the ding rooms, it must all stay in your cabin. Try it. It's easy to understand when you see it in action. Buy some vodka and wine (more than 3 bottles), leave it in the liquor store bag (plainly marked) and obvious what it is, and lay the bag on the Xray conveyor, perhaps with the necks if the bottles peeking out. Brag to the security officer about what a good deal you got. They'll look at the Xray screen to be sure you don't have any guns or knives (they may hold your Ulu knife in Alaska until you depart), bur pass you on through with a smile. Then, try weaving loudly and obnoxiously around the pool deck, obviously drunk and offending everyone, and see how fast the rules are enforced. I'm just guessing, because in all my time aboard Oceania, I've never seen such behavior. This is more likely to happen when you pay for an unlimited drink package. We experienced it on a O cruise at a deck party when they had an all you could drink deck party package. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted December 27, 2014 #35 Share Posted December 27, 2014 This is more likely to happen when you pay for an unlimited drink package. We experienced it on a O cruise at a deck party when they had an all you could drink deck party package. Is this a special package or are you referring to people with the Prestige Package just drinking to excess ? I can honestly say I have not seen any drunkenness on our O cruises like on some of the main stream lines Maybe we were just lucky Lyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travelcat2 Posted December 27, 2014 #36 Share Posted December 27, 2014 (edited) We have also not seen drunkenness on an Oceania cruise. We do buy the prestige package because we enjoy sitting in a lounge, sipping drinks and chatting with others instead of drinking inside the stateroom. If someone wanted to get drunk, having bottles in their room would make it pretty easy to do. Having measured pours (even a double is only 2 ounces -- not a huge amount by any means) in a lounge is fine for us. Edited December 27, 2014 by Travelcat2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChucktownSteve Posted December 27, 2014 #37 Share Posted December 27, 2014 The Casino bar had the purple lights on both ships when we were on but we usually sit in the Grand Bar hallway for the quartet Was that the same string quartet that played, "Stairway to Heaven" :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChucktownSteve Posted December 27, 2014 #38 Share Posted December 27, 2014 For the top shelf brands (and not being tied to "drink(s) of the day which may include nothing you like), the "prestige package" makes sense to me. Including gratuity, double pours of "call" drinks, etc, the package price works out to no more than 4 drinks per day. My Johnny Black doubles were $32 each. Since a single is a true measured one oz, a double equates to a regular rocks drink at home. The coffee liquor, Tia Maria, double up after dinner with a cup of coffee hit the spot and was included. At two drinks I was ahead. The package worked for me and I didn't have to carry on liquor. Thank you TA for the OBC. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stanjj111 Posted December 28, 2014 #39 Share Posted December 28, 2014 We are scheduled to go from Seattle on May 29th to Alaska. In lieu of carrying liquor on board is there a way to purchase liquor once we land either at a store, the airport or terminal. We will be taking the O shuttle from airport to dock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StanandJim Posted December 28, 2014 #40 Share Posted December 28, 2014 We are scheduled to go from Seattle on May 29th to Alaska. In lieu of carrying liquor on board is there a way to purchase liquor once we land either at a store, the airport or terminal. We will be taking the O shuttle from airport to dock. I'm not following your logic. If you buy liquor in a store, airport or terminal, you'd still have to carry it onto the ship.... What exactly are you tryng to be "in lieu" of? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wendy The Wanderer Posted December 28, 2014 #41 Share Posted December 28, 2014 I'm not following your logic. If you buy liquor in a store, airport or terminal, you'd still have to carry it onto the ship.... What exactly are you tryng to be "in lieu" of? I think he means the airplane? I.e., buying it on the way to the boat from the airport. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mura Posted December 28, 2014 #42 Share Posted December 28, 2014 (edited) Deleted Edited December 28, 2014 by Mura Redundant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare ORV Posted December 28, 2014 #43 Share Posted December 28, 2014 We are scheduled to go from Seattle on May 29th to Alaska. In lieu of carrying liquor on board is there a way to purchase liquor once we land either at a store, the airport or terminal. We will be taking the O shuttle from airport to dock. There are generally no places in airports in the U.S. to purchase liquor when you are arriving. Where are you arriving from? Odds are pretty good the transfer driver will not stop at a liquor store between the airport and cruise port. The one time I embarked at Seattle it seems like there wasn't a lot activity at the port. I really don't remember if there is a store there or not. I would study the North American Homeports boards section, the one you want is here. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=413 I'm sure you could pick some up at a port stop somewhere but it's probably not going to be cheap with the itinerary you're on. There's always the drink package. Enjoy your cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travelcat2 Posted December 28, 2014 #44 Share Posted December 28, 2014 Just want to mention that Washington state has one of the highest liquor taxes in the country. Not sure how prices compare to Alaska but many of us living in Washington purchase alcohol whenever we are out of state. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stanjj111 Posted December 28, 2014 #45 Share Posted December 28, 2014 I do not want to fly with in in my bags if possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iceberg 3 Posted December 28, 2014 #46 Share Posted December 28, 2014 Grand Bar also has HH on the O class ships & probably the casino bar ...I hate the purple lights so do not go there They can change the color of the lights...just ask the bar tender Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted December 28, 2014 #47 Share Posted December 28, 2014 They can change the color of the lights...just ask the bar tender Nice to know I do not really care as I do not go in there but good information for others that like to sit at the bar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flatbush Flyer Posted December 28, 2014 #48 Share Posted December 28, 2014 Do some research and find a Seattle liquor store that will deliver to the ship (meet them outside), Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stanjj111 Posted December 29, 2014 #49 Share Posted December 29, 2014 Do some research and find a Seattle liquor store that will deliver to the ship (meet them outside), Sent from my iPhone using Forums Thanks for the idea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flatbush Flyer Posted December 29, 2014 #50 Share Posted December 29, 2014 Thanks for the idea Also, if you're a higher level "frequent flyer" at Marriott, you might be able to talk the concierge at the waterfront marriott (across from the pier) to receive the package for you (though they might charge you or not be willing to do it if you're not staying there). Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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