If you buy wine on a Med. cruise can you drink it onboard?

[Hflors]

We are planning on taking a med cruise next year. It goes to several ports in Italy and we would like to try some wine from that region. (Actually on one of the tours you can do a wine tasting and buy some local wine.) Can you bring it back on board and drink it or will HAL take it from you when you board. We aren't going to buy it if we can't drink it because when we leave the ship we are planning to do some touring of Europe after the cruise.

 

Anyone know if we will be allowed to drink it while on board?

[RuthC]

Passengers are always free to bring wine aboard at any port, and pay the corkage fee. That's been true since the change in policy.

 

My understanding is that if you are taking a HAL tour that goes to a winery, you are allowed to bring one bottle per adult (over 21) back on board, corkage free. The corkage would be charged if you bring the bottle to a public area, just as that free bottle at initial embarkation would be.

[Hflors]

Passengers are always free to bring wine aboard at any port, and pay the corkage fee. That's been true since the change in policy.

 

My understanding is that if you are taking a HAL tour that goes to a winery, you are allowed to bring one bottle per adult (over 21) back on board, corkage free. The corkage would be charged if you bring the bottle to a public area, just as that free bottle at initial embarkation would be.

 

Thanks Ruth for your quick response. I thought it was kind of strange to have a tour to wine tasting and then not allow you to bring on a bottle of wine. I am happy as I think it would be kind of neat to be able to buy a bottle of wine from the actual winery that your toured and bring it back to the ship to drink.

[tjcox9]

Thanks Ruth for your quick response. I thought it was kind of strange to have a tour to wine tasting and then not allow you to bring on a bottle of wine. I am happy as I think it would be kind of neat to be able to buy a bottle of wine from the actual winery that your toured and bring it back to the ship to drink.

 

We did a tour which involved wine tastings as we each brought a bottle back to the ship. At the gangway, they will have a list of everyone on the tours involving wine and will check that list for your name. You're on the list, you're free to go on with your wine! A bit of a cumbersome process, but that's the way it was in the Med last year.

[Av8tor]

We did a tour which involved wine tastings as we each brought a bottle back to the ship. At the gangway, they will have a list of everyone on the tours involving wine and will check that list for your name. You're on the list, you're free to go on with your wine! A bit of a cumbersome process, but that's the way it was in the Med last year.

 

Does the wine you're bringing onboard have to be from the winery you visited on the HAL tour or can it be a bottle from another winery (or store) if you didn't really care for any of the wines available on the tour?

[dakrewser]

Does the wine you're bringing onboard have to be from the winery you visited on the HAL tour or can it be a bottle from another winery (or store) if you didn't really care for any of the wines available on the tour?

 

 

It has to be one you buy on the tour.

[Lizzie68]

Much seems to depend on who is manning the table where you check your alcohol. After a shore excursion last year, I went to the table with two bottles of tequila and two bottles of wine purchased ashore. He took my tequila to return to me on our last night onboard, and gave me back my bag with the two bottles of wine still in, no corkage charge. I wasn't about to argue.:D

[New Jersey Pat]

We recently cruised with ports in the Med and always bought wine in port and brought it back to the ship. At some ports we were able to bring the wine on board without paying the corkage at the gangway. Other times, we were told to stop at the table and have the corkage charged to our room. We were given a pink slip to take to the dining room to show that the corkage had been paid.

 

Being able to buy some good wines (usually at a supermarket) that are not available in our area for around 10euros was a treat. Even with paying the $18 corkage fee we were able to enjoy some better wines at a reasonable price. A much better option than the wine list. If you are not familiar with the wines of the particular country you are visiting, do a little research on the internet and you will be able to try something new. If you stop in Spain or Portugal, try their sparking wines (they do have some very dry ones). They are a great value