Bringing Wine on Board at Embarcation

[tobytyke]

I know this has been discussed often but is the one bottle per passesnger rule at embarcation at each port of call or just the once when you get on ? I ask this because on FB PRINCESS CRUISERS GROUP it mentions the rule applies at each port? Anyone know the answer please??:confused:

[aquilegia]

It's only free at the port of embarkation. If you bring wine onboard at another port, it will be stored till the end of your cruise.

[JF - retired RRT]

It's only free at the port of embarkation. If you bring wine onboard at another port, it will be stored till the end of your cruise.

I thought the "store till the end" was for liquor, not wine.

From what I've read, you can bring wine and pay corkage.

[IECalCruiser]

I know this has been discussed often but is the one bottle per passesnger rule at embarcation at each port of call or just the once when you get on ? I ask this because on FB PRINCESS CRUISERS GROUP it mentions the rule applies at each port? Anyone know the answer please??:confused:

The "official" answer is that you are only allowed to bring one bottle of wine corkage free per passenger of drinking age. You can bring the bottle on at embarkation or later at a port. You can bring as much additional wine as you wish but you will pay a $15 corkage fee. If you bring the first bottle of wine to a dining room you will be required to pay the $15 corkage. What "actually" happens on board will depend up the ship and itinerary. On west coast cruises there is typically a "PVSA stop" at Ensenada. The Princess winery tour there includes a complementary bottle of wine and that is allowed back on board. On our Med cruise sometimes there was an alcohol check in table when reboarding at a port and sometime there wasn't. Even if they don't collect corkage on wine at a port, if you bring it to a dining room you will need to pay the $15 corkage.

 

 

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[beg3yrs]

I thought the "store till the end" was for liquor, not wine.

From what I've read, you can bring wine and pay corkage.

 

Yes, you can bring wine and pay corkage. However, "store till the end" is for all alcohol.

 

Here's a cut-and-paste from the US version of the contract (I added the bold emphasis):

 

"Guests agree not to bring alcoholic beverages of any kind on board for consumption except one bottle of wine or champagne per person of drinking age (no larger than 750 ml) per voyage only in his/her carry-on luggage. A corkage fee of $15.00 U.S.D. per bottle (which is subject to change without notice) will be applied to wine and champagne brought aboard by You and consumed in the ship's public areas. Any wine(s) or champagne(s) supplied by the Carrier to You as a gift are not subject to a corkage fee. At embarkation, all luggage is subject to scanning and any contraband, including alcohol in excess of the allowed amount, will be removed and discarded. You may be required to attend an inspection if your luggage is locked. Carrier shall not be responsible for any loss, cost, disappointment or damage of any kind as a result of any contraband or alcoholic beverages removed in violation of the one bottle policy. You agree to surrender alcoholic beverages that are purchased duty free from the ship's gift shop, or at ports of call, to Carrier, which will be delivered to Your stateroom on the last night of the voyage."

 

Now, all that said, posters have reported their experiences of enforcement to be different from that stated in the contract. That's likely to be due to us humans, with all our imperfections, operating inspection stations.

[tobytyke]

Hi so what's a PVSA stop? Sounds interesting!

[Sunchaser46]

What about B2B cruises? Can you bring a free bottle on for your turnaround day - does that day count as an embarkation day?

[Thrak]

Hi so what's a PVSA stop? Sounds interesting!

 

PVSA = Passenger Vessel Services Act of 1886.

 

In theory it protects American shipping interests in relation to passenger vessels. Often confused with the Jones Act which relates to cargo.

 

If one sails from a US port and returns to that same port it is a "closed loop" type of cruise and requires - per the PVSA - to hit port in a non-US "near" foreign port such as one in Mexico or Canada. Non-US North American continent ports satisfy this requirement.

 

If one sails from a US port and completes the cruise at a different US port - for instance sailing from San Francisco through the Panama Canal and ending up in Ft. Lauderdale - then one must stop at a "far" foreign port. That is a port that is not on the North American continent - such as stopping in Cartagena, Colombia.

Edited February 6, 2017 by Thrak

[wheezedr]

Hi so what's a PVSA stop? Sounds interesting!

 

The PVSA is the act which requires any ship not registered in the US, essentially all ships except the POA, to stop in a foriegn port even on closed loop cruises. As such Ensenada often becomes the foriegn port for California coastals as well as RT's to Hawaii from LA or SF. Often it can be a very brief stop to essentially satisfy the rule.

[Astro Flyer]

The wine policy was tightened with the new rules posted by 'beg3yrs' a couple of years ago. At that time questions about bringing wine from ports were asked on the Princess Facebook site. Princess acknowledged that passengers desire to enjoy local regional wines that are not available on the ship. Thus they said it was okay to bring additional wine from ports by paying the $15 fee. If wanting to take the wine home they'd hold the wine without any fee until the final night of the cruise.

 

Unfortunately Princess has never changed their written policy to reflect their actual way the policy is being implemented. Princess needs to adjust their policy statement to accurately reflect how they're enforcing their wine policy.

 

I openly carry on additional wine from ports that's subject to the fee & have never had wine seized & held until the end of the cruise. I've never read posts of anyone having wine seized & I'm very doubtful if this situation is a failure of staff to follow policy. Instead it's based on what was said on the Princess FB website that we can bring wine from ports by paying corkage.

 

Even if the fee isn't charged when bringing it onboard from ports, we enjoy our wine with dinner so we either pay the $15 fee sooner or later. ;)

[Rosest]

With regards to the Princess Ruby cruise to the Mexican Riviera, my travel agent just told me that you are allowed to take 2 bottles of wine per cabin at embarkation.

 

I will validate with the Princess Cruise officials, however. It should be in writing!:

[Astro Flyer]

With regards to the Princess Ruby cruise to the Mexican Riviera, my travel agent just told me that you are allowed to take 2 bottles of wine per cabin at embarkation.

 

I will validate with the Princess Cruise officials, however. It should be in writing!:

You're TA isn't completely accurate...it's one 750ml bottle per adult passenger. One adult passenger = one bottle and not 2 bottles per cabin. Obviously if there are 2 adults in a cabin then it's 2 bottles fee free to drink in your cabin.

 

Their actual policy needs to be in writing & lacking that Princess creates a lot of confusion. :confused:

[pablo222]

It should be in writing!:

 

Did you check your boarding pass, or luggage tag?

 

Or, on the princess web site...

 

http://www.princess.com/learn/faq_answer/onboard/experience.jsp

(under alcohol policy)

[daka]

Just off Royal in Ft Lauderdale.

No problem with carrying on one bottle of wine each IN CARRY ON, it seems they will open your luggage if you have bottles in checked bags we've had that happen

I carried 6 bottles of Cayman Islands beer on board from Grand Cayman, and we carried 2 bottles of Almond flavored Tequila on board from Cozumel...no problem...then again...who really knows.

[tv24]

Cheap and penalizing official policy. Confusing actual practice. Not happy.

[floridalover5623]

Just off Royal in Ft Lauderdale.

No problem with carrying on one bottle of wine each IN CARRY ON, it seems they will open your luggage if you have bottles in checked bags we've had that happen

I carried 6 bottles of Cayman Islands beer on board from Grand Cayman, and we carried 2 bottles of Almond flavored Tequila on board from Cozumel...no problem...then again...who really knows.

 

That's only because of lax enforcement. We often carry back alcohol, beer or wine to our room at distant ports & haven't had a problem.

[upwarduk]

----If one sails from a US port and completes the cruise at a different US port - for instance sailing from San Francisco through the Panama Canal and ending up in Ft. Lauderdale - then one must stop at a "far" foreign port. That is a port that is not on the North American continent -

Tobytyke

Don't go down that route!

We booked a cruise from Honolulu to San Diego, both US ports.

However, we had to disembark in Ensenada, fill in Mexican immigration cards, be bussed through the Mexican border and collect our cases which had been taken out of the boot and re- load them. Fortunately our bus was not impounded as being considered unfit to travel, but some were, which meant that passengers missed their flights. A replacement bus took 3 hrs to take some passengers to a hotel in San Diego, after the border check( 30 minute journey)

All this due to the antiquated PVSA law.

When we eventually took off from the airport for LA, our ship (Celebrity Century) which we had left in Ensenada was already in San Diego.