wine in luggage not carried on the ship

[lynnemac]

Just a quick question about bring wine onboard.

 

My wife and I are flying in the day of our cruise and our wine will be in our checked luggage. We do not have the chance to take the wine out of the luggage an carry it on the ship ourselves. Will our luggage go to the naughty room and we have to go down and claim it or can they tell through x-ray that these are only our two free bottles of wine for the cruise and deliver it straight to our cabin?

 

If you've had this experience please help.

 

Thanks.

[LHT28]

before you get a taxi at the airport take the wine out of your bag & put it in your carry on

[Clarea]

Just a quick question about bring wine onboard.

 

My wife and I are flying in the day of our cruise and our wine will be in our checked luggage. We do not have the chance to take the wine out of the luggage an carry it on the ship ourselves. Will our luggage go to the naughty room and we have to go down and claim it or can they tell through x-ray that these are only our two free bottles of wine for the cruise and deliver it straight to our cabin?

 

If you've had this experience please help.

 

Thanks.

When we've had wine in our checked bags, about half the time they keep the bags in security and we have to go fetch them.

[fishywood]

On some lines (Princess among others) it will likely be confiscated and not returned. I'm curious how you think they can "tell through the X-ray" that you haven't already brought your two "free" bottles on board in your carry-ons. And no, you can't offer to pay the corkage fee to get them returned: read your cruise contract, on virtually every line all alcohol found concealed in checked luggage--including wine and champagne--is subject to confiscation.

[Clarea]

On some lines (Princess among others) it will likely be confiscated and not returned. I'm curious how you think they can "tell through the X-ray" that you haven't already brought your two "free" bottles on board in your carry-ons. And no, you can't offer to pay the corkage fee to get them returned: read your cruise contract, on virtually every line all alcohol found concealed in checked luggage--including wine and champagne--is subject to confiscation.

On RC, the cruise line does not care if the allowed two bottles of wine are carried on or in checked bags.

[John Bull]

We've had wine taken aboard - including Princess - in our checked luggage, with no queries & no naughty room.

I don't know whether that's because they didn't scan the cases, or the scan didn't detect, or they were happy it was very probably wine.

When we've taken wine in hand-luggage we've never been asked our name or cabin number, nor was that info checked on labels - so they had no record of whether we'd taken bottles in both hand & checked luggage.

 

When we've inadvertently carried our allowance in both, it's never been queried.

We make that mistake quite often ;)

 

I'll respectfully disagree with fishywood on this point - carrying it in checked luggage, even safely wrapped in clothes to avoid breakage, isn't "concealing", and many cruise lines don't rule that wine should be in hand luggage so we would strongly fight our corner if anyone wanted to confiscate.

I've also known of passengers bringing liqor aboard (in original bottles) and having it quarantined & returned at the end of the cruise.

On the other hand, even Perry Mason couldn't make worthwhile defence if a passenger puts dark rum in coke bottles, vodka in water bottles, etc ;),and the least they can expect is confiscation.

 

We've never had a breakage when it's been in checked luggage, but that is a distinct risk.

 

JB :)

Edited December 25, 2016 by John Bull

[crystalspin]

lynnemac,

 

I am guessing that you are using some plan of Princess's to check your luggage through? Otherwise you could of course, open your checked bags to remove your wine before re-checking them at the port...

 

How about buying your wine at Duty-Free at one end or other of your flight? It will be more expensive than WinesRUs but probaby less than the ship's price.

 

What Princess says about Alcohol is:

Please remember that luggage will be scanned and alcohol outside of our policy will be removed and discarded.*....*Princess Cruises is not responsible for any alcoholic beverages removed and discarded by shoreside security staff. Such items are not eligible for monetary refund or replacement.

[grapau27]

For the price of a bottle of wine why put it in with all your cruise clothes.We have embarked out of many ports especially Barcelona where you can buy alcohol after your hand luggage is checked and walked on the ship with a dozen cans of San Miguel beer.

 

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[navybankerteacher]

lynnemac,

 

I am guessing that you are using some plan of Princess's to check your luggage through? Otherwise you could of course, open your checked bags to remove your wine before re-checking them at the port...

 

How about buying your wine at Duty-Free at one end or other of your flight? It will be more expensive than WinesRUs but probaby less than the ship's price.

 

What Princess says about Alcohol is:

 

There is no chance of buying DutyFree liquor after your flight. That only applies for liquor being taken out of country of purchase.

[crystalspin]

Oh, I didn't mean that it would BE duty-free, just that they could purchase the wine at the *shop* at the airport. Don't you come in to the same place (gate) you go out from, can't you go back to the DF shop?

 

I never did this, but thought I saw someone else's report of doing so on CC.

[LHT28]

Oh, I didn't mean that it would BE duty-free, just that they could purchase the wine at the *shop* at the airport. Don't you come in to the same place (gate) you go out from, can't you go back to the DF shop?

 

I never did this, but thought I saw someone else's report of doing so on CC.

I do not believe you can buy DF unless you are leaving the Country

at least that is how it works in Canada

Unless you are thinking they have a shop to purchase wine that is not Duty free ?

Edited December 26, 2016 by LHT28

[Shmoo here]

Oh, I didn't mean that it would BE duty-free, just that they could purchase the wine at the *shop* at the airport. Don't you come in to the same place (gate) you go out from, can't you go back to the DF shop?

 

I never did this, but thought I saw someone else's report of doing so on CC.

 

Duty-free shops (the only shops that sell alcohol in the airport) are typically located after security in the international departure area. There are no shops in the arrival areas.

[John Bull]

Duty-free shops (the only shops that sell alcohol in the airport) are typically located after security in the international departure area. There are no shops in the arrival areas.

 

Not always true, Schmoo.

 

In some airports - Bangkok is an example - airside isn't divided between arrivals & departures, they share common facilities including D/F shops.

So at those airports "duty-free on arrival" is available.

Then those arriving go thro customs and into the arrivals hall.

 

JB :)

[crystalspin]

Looks like the OP will be flying USA-USA and not be able to avail of DF shops.

 

And that I need to pay better attention to layout of airports!

[LHT28]

We have DF pre security but your purchases are delivered to the gate of departure so you do not get the items to take with you

 

Amsterdam have shops after baggage claim but not DF but you can buy wine/spirits to take with you

Edited December 26, 2016 by LHT28

[XBGuy]

There are airports that have shops that sell wines--not "Duty Free"--near the arrival/departure gates inside the TSA security check points. You can buy wine in one of these stores and carry it on to a departing flight. Alternatively, if there is such a store in the arrival airport, you can step off your flight, walk to one of these stores and, then, walk to baggage claim/ground transportation.

 

I know there is such a store in the San Francisco airport (United terminal). There is one in Portland. Not much help to most cruisers, but there is one in Sacramento.

 

Now, none of these stores is particulary inexpensive. On the other hand the quality of the offered wines is usually good.

 

To the OP. Just follow the policies and procedures outlined by your cruise line. You can't go wrong there. Yes, there are any number of Cruise Critic correspondents who will say that they ignored policies and did not suffer any consequence. Similarly, there are those who have reported that they have had their alcohol confiscated. The fact appears to be that enforcement of any company's policy varies from port to port. So, are you departing from a "strict enforcement" port, or are you departing from a "lax enforcement" port? My guess is that you don't know.