Taking wine onboard RCL

[Siobhanl]

Hi,

 

We're going on the Anthem of the seas from Southampton and see that you are allowed to bring two bottles of wine on board when embarking.

 

Do you have to carry this in your hand luggage and have to carry it around until you can get to your cabin or can you pack it in your suitcase with your clothes etc.

 

Do I have to inform anyone that I have the wine when I check in?

 

Is it correct that we don't have to pay corkage if it's just for use in our cabin?

 

Also can we lock our cases of do they have to remain unlocked for security.

 

Thanks.

[John Bull]

It's two bottles of wine per cabin.

 

People usually carry aboard in their hand luggage, tho I don't know if that's a ruling.

More importantly, Southampton's baggage handlers aren't known for their gentle touch - so best do the same ;).

 

No need to inform anyone about your wine - they'll see it on their scanners (airport-style).

 

And a Royal Caribbean rule change just a short while ago, you can now drink that wine anywhere aboard - including the dining rooms - with no charge. :)

 

I don't think a locked case is a problem.

If they want to see inside a case you'll get a message to go to the naughty room to open it - they'll not open it without you present, whether it's locked or not.

 

JB :)

[Grandma Dazzles]

It is best to put in your hand luggage. Otherwise you run the risk of being sent to the "naughty room" and having to confirm that it is indeed wine and not smuggled liquor.

 

You can drink the wine in your stateroom or take it to dinner, or pour a glass and carry around. There is no corkage fee anywhere including dining room. If you want your wine just for dinner and don't drink the bottle the waiter will hold for the following night.

 

Cabins are usually open at 1:00 so you really don't have to carry for too long.

[Velvetwater]

Also, it may be worth trying to see if you can bring on more wine on in different ports to enjoy on board...

 

On both our Celebrity Med cruise (RCL's sister line) and Carnival Baltic we boarded the ship with various bottles of alcohol and were not given a second look...I think we actually brought on a total of 13 bottles of wine on our Celebrity cruise at different ports. My experience seems to tell me that European cruising is more relaxed with alcohol as even my teeny bottle of rum was taken from me in the Caribbean.

[Langley Cruisers]

Also, it may be worth trying to see if you can bring on more wine on in different ports to enjoy on board...

 

Definitely not permitted on RCI. All alcohol being brought on at ports is held until the cruise is over.

[cookienadal]

If I have two in my carry on and husband has two will they let that pass

[Grandma Dazzles]

If I have two in my carry on and husband has two will they let that pass

 

 

I don't think anyone can give you a definite answer. It is against the rules. It probably depends on the staff and how much they check, how busy they are, etc.

 

Many people will say they did that, but it is against the rules and your cruise contract, as is smuggling liquor. It would be confiscated if you were caught.

 

Personally wouldn't put myself in that position for a couple of bottles of wine.

[John Bull]

If I have two in my carry on and husband has two will they let that pass

 

That's a mistake we keep making ;)

 

Not so much a question of whether they let it pass - more a question of whether they notice.

 

To err is human :D

 

JB :)

[Shak]

All bags are put through a scanner upon returning to the ship at all ports of call. Your alcohol purchases will be returned the last day.

 

The RCi policy is 2 bottles per stateroom at embarkation.

 

You may or may not be take 2 bottles in each carry on at embarkation. Do you really want to take that chance because extra bottles will not be returned if caught?

 

If put in your check luggage at embarkation in all likelihood your luggage will be delayed.

 

Shak

[leaveitallbehind]

To add, the two bottles allowed are of 750ml max size and confirmed at original embarkation only.

 

Also it is not RCI that determines whether or not additional bottles in a separate carry on will get on board - it is with the security staff (who are not RCI employees) that will let it go or not. They very well may ask if you are traveling together and ask to see your boarding paperwork to confirm same stateroom. At that point they may have two bottles of wine to drink after work. It's a roll of the dice.

Edited August 28, 2015 by leaveitallbehind

[cantwaitt]

Every cruise line except NCL permits one bottle of wine or champagne per person.

 

NCL is the only one that imposes a corkage fee on the first two bottles. But then again they are the only ones to charge for things that other cruise lines include.

 

They should change their motto to "Fee Style."

[leaveitallbehind]

Every cruise line except NCL permits one bottle of wine or champagne per person.

 

NCL is the only one that imposes a corkage fee on the first two bottles. But then again they are the only ones to charge for things that other cruise lines include.

 

They should change their motto to "Fee Style."

 

Not every - RCI is two bottles per stateroom, not one per person. It does not matter how many passengers are in a given stateroom, two bottles are allowed.

Edited August 29, 2015 by leaveitallbehind

[Velvetwater]

Definitely not permitted on RCI. All alcohol being brought on at ports is held until the cruise is over.

 

Thats what Celebrity and Carnival told us too in documentation on the website but in Europe we really had no problems whatsoever....we werent even hiding it.

 

The Caribbean was a different story...

Edited August 29, 2015 by Velvetwater

[wassup4565]

Yeah, the RCI policy is two bottles of wine (not hard liquor) per cabin, which you must bring onto the ship at the point of embarkation. They don't say what luggage you have to put it in. I've brought my two bottles on in my big suitcase, and never been called to the naughty room (7 cruises.) This leads me to wonder whether, while boarding some 2000 passengers' checked-in luggage, and also boarding some 2,000 passengers with hand luggage, RCI can possibly keep track of what bottles are where, in what cabins, in what luggage.

 

Also it does depend on the land staff at the port of departure. The woman looking at our carry-on at Civitavecchia (Rome) couldn't have cared less how many bottles we had. We had one extra, and were fully prepared to surrender it until the end of the cruise. She just nodded us forward.

Edited August 31, 2015 by wassup4565