Wine purchased in port for onboard consumption

[Aussiecruisers123]

We haven't cruised for a few years and will be travelling on Majestic Princess ex Auckland bound for Sydney on 27 December 2019. Although we understand that each passenger is permitted to take one bottle of wine on board at embarkation ( in our case from Auckland), we are a little confused about what we have read about the possibility of purchasing wine in other ports. Is it true that passengers are able to purchase wine enroute and bring it onboard after day trips if they pay a $15 corkage fee? We are not sure if we have misinterpreted what we have read, or whether this might be a slightly more affordable way to enjoy a pre-dinner vino on our balcony .

[By The Bay]

On our recent cruise on Sea Princess it was written in the Daily Patter that one bottle of wine could be brought onboard at each port we visited without the $15 corkage fee. You can bring as many bottles of wine you want at $15 per bottle after the first corkage free one.

[Bubbeh]

I agree with By the Bay, I believe that you can bring on board one bottle per adult passenger at every port without paying a fee.

[NSWP]

2 hours ago, By The Bay said:

On our recent cruise on Sea Princess it was written in the Daily Patter that one bottle of wine could be brought onboard at each port we visited without the $15 corkage fee. You can bring as many bottles of wine you want at $15 per bottle after the first corkage free one.

So on that cruise the ship was against Princess policy of one 750ml bottle of wine per person, corkage free for cabin consumption at embarkation only.

 

 

This is the trouble, no consistency of enforcement of policies, whether byo wine or on board attire.

Edited October 18, 2019 by NSWP

[NSWP]

1 hour ago, Bubbeh said:

I agree with By the Bay, I believe that you can bring on board one bottle per adult passenger at every port without paying a fee.

Incorrect, official Princess policy is 1 x 750ml bottle of wine/champagne per person at embarkation only. Any others you bring on incur the $15 corkage fee. But as I have said enforcement standards vary from ship to ship.

[Bubbeh]

48 minutes ago, NSWP said:

Incorrect, official Princess policy is 1 x 750ml bottle of wine/champagne per person at embarkation only. Any others you bring on incur the $15 corkage fee. But as I have said enforcement standards vary from ship to ship.

Ah, yet another school day for this little black duck.  Thank you for the clarification.

[Aus Traveller]

3 hours ago, NSWP said:

Incorrect, official Princess policy is 1 x 750ml bottle of wine/champagne per person at embarkation only. Any others you bring on incur the $15 corkage fee. But as I have said enforcement standards vary from ship to ship.

Agreed. If additional bottles are permitted to be taken on board without paying the corkage, it is a bonus. 😊

[NSWP]

3 hours ago, Bubbeh said:

Ah, yet another school day for this little black duck.  Thank you for the clarification.

No problem at all, only too pleased to help. That is what we are here for, to learn off each other.😁

Edited October 19, 2019 by NSWP

[NSWP]

42 minutes ago, Aus Traveller said:

Agreed. If additional bottles are permitted to be taken on board without paying the corkage, it is a bonus. 😊

Certainly is a bonus, having done about 20 Princess cruises and a few on other lines, I am very happy if we can bring on a couple of bottles at wine at ports without corkage.  We like to try local wines, which we bring on if possible. 

 

I have found on the Princess ships operating overseas, like on Sapphire Princess last year, Baltics/Scandinavia B2B, we brought a couple of bottles of local wines on at the ports along the way, no corkage charged, the pax were mainly American and British.

[Aus Traveller]

I know where I can get wine at a good price in Brisbane - Dan Murphy 😊, but can anyone point me in the right direction to buy some wine ashore in the NZ ports? We would like to try some of their wines and, by buying some in NZ it would mean we wouldn't have to take so many bottles on board with us at our original embarkation.

[By The Bay]

There is a New World supermarket I use in Devonport. They also have a store at 125 Queen St Auckland, just up from the wharf.

[Aus Traveller]

7 minutes ago, By The Bay said:

There is a New World supermarket I use in Devonport. They also have a store at 125 Queen St Auckland, just up from the wharf.

Thanks for that information.🙂

[MicCanberra]

It seems to be a ship by ship policy and/or enforcement of the main policy.

[Kiwi Kruzer]

On 10/19/2019 at 5:09 PM, Aus Traveller said:

I know where I can get wine at a good price in Brisbane - Dan Murphy 😊, but can anyone point me in the right direction to buy some wine ashore in the NZ ports? We would like to try some of their wines and, by buying some in NZ it would mean we wouldn't have to take so many bottles on board with us at our original embarkation.

 

Also 2 blocks along from Queens Wharf is a large Countdown Supermarket . The carry an extensive selection of wines .

[Aus Traveller]

Auckland is the last port on our cruise. Does anyone know of good wine shops in the other ports - Dunedin, Wellington or Tauranga?

[MicCanberra]

Dunedin, has speight's brewery for good beers.

[Aus Traveller]

1 minute ago, MicCanberra said:

Dunedin, has speight's brewery for good beers.

Yeah. But, passengers aren't permitted to take beer on board and, anyway, I am not a beer drinker.🙂

[MicCanberra]

I can always drink yours then.

[sweetp12]

In Wellington there is a New World supermarket in the train station, not far from where the bus drops you off.  In the CBD the most extensive wine store is most likely the Moore Wilson on the corner of Tory and College St.    

[GUT2407]

For the Aussies New World = Coles.

[NSWP]

15 minutes ago, GUT2407 said:

For the Aussies New World = Coles.

Beg to differ M'Lord, New World supermarkets in NZ are a different company, not part of ye olde Coles-Myer Group here.  New World is 100% NZ owned and operated by independent operators, bit like IGA Stores here.  They buy through the parent company.

Edited October 21, 2019 by NSWP

[GUT2407]

11 minutes ago, NSWP said:

Beg to differ M'Lord, New World supermarkets in NZ are a different company, not part of ye olde Coles-Myer Group here.  New World is 100% NZ owned and operated by independent operators, bit like IGA Stores here.  They buy through the parent company.

Yes and no, I wasn’t trying to say they were a part of the Coles chain today rather that they were effectively the other half of the Woolworths (Countdown in NZ) duopoly as Coles is here. But perhaps IGA was a better comparison.

[NSWP]

4 minutes ago, GUT2407 said:

Yes and no, I wasn’t trying to say they were a part of the Coles chain today rather that they were effectively the other half of the Woolworths (Countdown in NZ) duopoly as Coles is here. But perhaps IGA was a better comparison.

Coles here many years ago used the moniker 'Coles New World' but the New World was dropped, probably the Kiwis threatened to sue.

[Russell21]

20 hours ago, Aus Traveller said:

Yeah. But, passengers aren't permitted to take beer on board and, anyway, I am not a beer drinker.🙂

I am, and I usually manage to take a fair bit of beer on board from that nice little pub in Port Chalmers. 😂

[MicCanberra]

That is one way of getting it aboard.