Corkage fees

[jwh]

I understand that we can only bring 1 bottle of wine per person on board without corkage but wanted to bring more and pay the corkage fee to drink the wine in the dining room.    How does this work?  Say I bring 6 bottles on in my hand luggage or suitcase, (probably suitcase), how and when do I pay the corkage?  Is there a limit to how many bottles can be brought on this way?  Are the suitcases and hand luggage  x-rayed and pulled aside for alcoholic contraband? Thank you in advance for your responses.

[kazu]

1 hour ago, jwh said:

I understand that we can only bring 1 bottle of wine per person on board without corkage but wanted to bring more and pay the corkage fee to drink the wine in the dining room.    How does this work?  Say I bring 6 bottles on in my hand luggage or suitcase, (probably suitcase), how and when do I pay the corkage?

 

Not in your suitcase - you carry it on.  HAL asks that all wine be in your carry on luggage when you board.   You’ll pay corkage after X-ray.  There’s a desk and they will charge the corkage on the 4 bottles of wine and give you stickers (or put them on the bottles) so you can take them on the ship without being charged again.

 

Quote

 

 

  Is there a limit to how many bottles can be brought on this way?  Are the suitcases and hand luggage  x-rayed and pulled aside for alcoholic contraband? Thank you in advance for your responses.

 

No limit as long as you CARRY IT ON.  Hand luggage (carry on) you are just directed to the wine desk.

 

Suitcases with alcohol in them are indeed pulled aside and you will be called to the ‘naughty’ room later.  I have no idea if they will let you pay corkage at that stage or if they just seize it and keep it until you get off the ship.

 

Suitcases can take a beating getting to the ship so I wouldn’t recommend putting wine in them in any case.  Your clothes will thank you for it.

[MobyandDick]

Hi jwh, when you board, please always bring the bottles as hand luggage and all bags are scanned. If you put bottles in your larger bags, which you check in seperately to be brought to your cabin, these bags are put aside after scanning and you will need to claim these later on board as these bags are not brought to your room (scan will show that bottles are inside). We have brought bottles before on board and there is actually someone after security to label/sticker the bottles and who receive payment, which is charged on your stateroom. With the sticker on your bottle, you will bring it to any bar or dining room and you will receive the full service from the wine steward, such as bottled properly opened/presented, wine cooler, glasses etc. Many times our bottle travels from the bar to the dining room or we ask staff to keep a certain bottle in their 'bottle bank". Our motivation to bring wine with us is not to save money, but to enjoy regional wines we purchase before or during the cruise when we hold our own excursions. If you return from your visit in port the same procedure is arranged. I do not recall that there is limit to bring bottles as long as you pay the corkage. Enjoy!

[Krazy Kruizers]

There is no limit as to how many bottles of wine you bring onto the ship.  If you bring a dozen bottles, then you will pay corkage fee on 10 bottles.

 

Bottles in suitcases -- you will be called to the naughty room -- you will open the suitcase(s) and they will keep the bottles until the last day of the cruise.

[cookingmom]

On our last cruise in March, when we boarded in Fl Lauderdale, HAL employees were not yet at their table set up to collect the corkage fees. We were instructed to just proceed to check in (along with our 6 bottles!). We did opt to bring 2 bottles to the MDR so we were charged accordingly for them there. 

[ricko999]

Question. does the corkage fees apply to bringing on bottles for "in room/suite" usage?

RO

[woody14h]

17 minutes ago, ricko999 said:

Question. does the corkage fees apply to bringing on bottles for "in room/suite" usage?

RO

Corkage applies to each bottle over limit (2 per room) regardless of where it may be consumed.

[TiogaCruiser]

19 minutes ago, ricko999 said:

Question. does the corkage fees apply to bringing on bottles for "in room/suite" usage?

RO

The one bottle per adult that is not subject to corkage is for in cabin consumption. If it is taken to a dining room or venue it is subject to corkage. All bottles beyond the one per adult are subject to corkage no matter where they are drunk.

 

Bottles cannot be larger than 750 ml.

Edited May 28, 2019 by TiogaCruiser

[RuthC]

1 hour ago, woody14h said:

Corkage applies to each bottle over limit (2 per room) regardless of where it may be consumed.

To say the corkage free limit is "two per room" is misleading. It is NOT "two per room"; it is "one per adult over age 18".
If there is one adult in the cabin, then one bottle is allowed. If there are three, or four, adults in the cabin, then three or four bottles are allowed (this isn't Noah's Ark, after all).

[woody14h]

5 minutes ago, RuthC said:

To say the corkage free limit is "two per room" is misleading. It is NOT "two per room"; it is "one per adult over age 18".
If there is one adult in the cabin, then one bottle is allowed. If there are three, or four, adults in the cabin, then three or four bottles are allowed (this isn't Noah's Ark, after all).

Well, bless your heart. Do I detect a snide remark for stating an obvious generalization.? My assumption was that the 1 pp was a known.  Should have known.  My bad!!!

[Poppetsmum]

How much is the corkage?

[kazu]

5 minutes ago, Poppetsmum said:

How much is the corkage?

 

$18 USD per bottle.

[LuAnn]

I would just like to clarify...if we embark and then leave the ship that same day and then re-board before sailing we can carry wine on board at that time? LuAnn

[freestyling]

You can bring wine aboard at any port and pay a corkage. We had boarded a HAL cruise in San Diego last year...then disembarked to purchase various items including some wine. We were not allowed any non-corkage wine. We had to pay corkage on all 4 bottles. No Biggs but was surprised. We were told by front desk and Neptune Lounge that the 1 bottle per adult over 18 per stateroom is only on initial embarkation. 

Edited June 1, 2019 by freestyling

[LuAnn]

22 hours ago, freestyling said:

You can bring wine aboard at any port and pay a corkage. We had boarded a HAL cruise in San Diego last year...then disembarked to purchase various items including some wine. We were not allowed any non-corkage wine. We had to pay corkage on all 4 bottles. No Biggs but was surprised. We were told by front desk and Neptune Lounge that the 1 bottle per adult over 18 per stateroom is only on initial embarkation. 

 

Thank you! Just the info I needed!! LuAnn

[TAD2005]

That was my question.  We will board the Rotterdam in Rotterdam, and then sail south to French ports like Bordeaux.

If we do not bring any wine onboard in Rotterdam, but choose to buy some bottles in Bordeaux,  must we pay corkage on all of them, even if we did not take advantage of our 2 free bottles on embarkation day ?   Is the one bottle per person free of corkage apply only to the port of embarkation, and not any subsequent ports ?

[RuthC]

1 hour ago, TAD2005 said:

Is the one bottle per person free of corkage apply only to the port of embarkation, and not any subsequent ports ?

Yes, initial embarkation only. However, if you take a HAL tour to a winery, you are allowed to bring a bottle back from the tour corkage free.

[TAD2005]

22 hours ago, RuthC said:

Yes, initial embarkation only. However, if you take a HAL tour to a winery, you are allowed to bring a bottle back from the tour corkage free.

Thanks Ruth.   So a $80 winery tour, booked on my own,  will cost me the $18 corkage fee for any wines I bring back.  But If I pay $139 to HAL for the same tour, my bottle of wine is corkage fee free.   Wow !!  Such a deal !!!