Buying wine on a HAL Excursion

[azcruise]

I think I read somewhere that if you take a HAL excursion to a winery and buy a bottle of wine, you do not have to pay the corkage fee when you reboard. Does anyone know if that is true? I can no longer find the thread in which I read that.

 

Trying to decide between the HAL Excursion to Mercouri or go with another company while at Katakolon, Greece

 

Thanks!

[dakrewser]

That's my understanding as reported by many people who've experienced it.

[azcruise]

Don't you hate it when you find the answer your own question just after you post the question?.... I just found this on the HAL site for this excursion:

 

Corkage policy: Onboard corkage fee is waived for one bottle of wine per person per tour for wine purchased during this Holland America Line shore excursion.

[TiogaCruiser]

So does anyone know if it is waived only for in cabin drinking, or can it go to the MDR without corkage?

[catl331]

So does anyone know if it is waived only for in cabin drinking, or can it go to the MDR without corkage?

Only for in-cabin, just like your initial free bottle.

[FRANKIEDNYC]

:):) It is also waived for dining room consumption.

[fire eater]

Hullo azcruise,

 

Clip from my diary regarding our excursion in Katakolon Greece.

 

Ancient Olympia and Mercouri's Vineyards

We had breakfast on our verandah this morning watching the sea. Hard life...

Docked at 10am, digging up a bit of sand in this pretty little port. It is nice to be in a small place for a change. We just wandered around for a while before we set off for ancient Olympia. It was a half hour drive, passing so-o many olive trees, melon fields and half-finished houses.

The ancient site of the first Olympics turned out to be quite a surprise. It is huge with the ruins of temples, treasury houses and hotels and a gymnasium as well as the original stadium. The marble starting line (about 60cm wide) for the races looks like it was made yesterday.

Archaeologists are still excavating and were there today, in two places. Today, it looked as if the first group had found a continuation of a huge wall of the gymnasium. And the other lot were digging up really high on a slope, because the whole plot was buried under about 15 metres of soil and rubbish after the big earthquake.

The only new thing in the whole site is a large Doric column built on the Temple of Zeus for the lighting of the flame for the most recent Olympics in Greece in 2004 and is beautifully done. It felt good standing on the place where the flame is lit every four years; even being a poor sports fan.

Excavation on this site did not begin until the late 19C.

The guide trained for seven years to become a registered guide in museums and archaeological digs in Greece.

Enough of the history, let's head for the Mercouri vineyard!

It is only a small winery, bottling about 160,000 bottles a year and 60% of it is exported.

The fourth generation owner took us on a tour, which was very interesting, through old tunnels and into very cold cellars. He was lovely and proud to point out a family photo of the previous three generations.

Then out into the beautiful grounds to sit under the huge canopied pine trees and have mezze and wine tasting. People were seated at tables of six and a bottle of red and one of white were placed on the table and we were told to help ourselves. There were peacocks walking around and cats coming for a pat and bougainvillea and red geraniums and I knew I wasn't in New South Wales anymore, Toto.

 

Wonderful day! Back to Katakolon for All Aboard at 4.30.

[jtl513]

:):) It is also waived for dining room consumption.

How does the MDR know you bought it on an excursion? Is it stickered, like you paid corkage?

[take us away]

So does anyone know if it is waived only for in cabin drinking, or can it go to the MDR without corkage?

 

Brought my bottle of wine from an excursion to dinner and had no problems earlier this year; was not asked for the corkage fee. Even talked with the wine steward about the wine and it was obvious it was not a HAL-provided wine selection.

[SLOTheta]

We didn't get stickers for any of our wine that we paid a corkage fee for. We told our steward and he looked up that we had paid corkage. For people in our group that went on HAL excursions, they were allowed to bring on board and into the MDR. They just told the wine steward and he was good with it. We tipped at the end of the cruise for every bottle we brought and paid for.

 

 

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