BYO wine - serving at dinner will a corking fee be charged ?

[BarbieGee]

I would like to BYO wine 🍾 and have it at dinner. Can I bring it with me into the MDR or must I turn it over to someone to have it served? And if so, will a corking fee be charged?

 

Sailing on Paradise - Feb 6-11 2023

Edited August 18, 2022 by BarbieGee
Added ship name

[BlerkOne]

You can bring it, but they should charge you the corkage fee, which has nothing to do with a cork, or who opens it. They don't always. Just depends.

 

https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/5125/~/corkage-fee

 

 

[DallasGuy75219]

7 minutes ago, BarbieGee said:

I would like to BYO wine 🍾 and have it at dinner. Can I bring it with me into the MDR or must I turn it over to someone to have it served? And if so, will a corking fee be charged?

 

Sailing on Paradise - Feb 6-11 2023

You don't have to turn it over.  You can serve it yourself but your waiter may or may not charge you corkage, whether they see you drinking from a bottle you brought yourself or they served you the bottle you brought yourself.

 

You can't get around corkage by serving it yourself because it's not really a fee for a service (oncorking and serving your wine) but rather a BYO fee for the profit Carnival didn't make from selling you the bottle of the heavily marked up wine you (theoretically) would have bought had you not brought your own.

[mondello]

I’ve never been charged the c fee on the few occasions I brought a bottle. On our recent B2B we just brought a big, full glass with us to the MDR.

[BlerkOne]

23 minutes ago, DallasGuy75219 said:

 

You can't get around corkage by serving it yourself because it's not really a fee for a service (oncorking and serving your wine) but rather a BYO fee for the profit Carnival didn't make from selling you the bottle of the heavily marked up wine you (theoretically) would have bought had you not brought your own.

It is inline with the other cruise lines and many other businesses.

Royal - $15 corkage fee

NCL - $15 corkage fee

Virgin Cruises - a whopping $25 corkage fee

MSC - $20 corkage fee

Disney - $25 corkage fee

etc. etc.

[woodey]

im not a wine drinker but my DW is... she brings a glass with from the room thats full and not had a problem... she does not  drink more then a glass  normally during dinner.

Edited August 18, 2022 by woodey

[BlerkOne]

There is no problem walking into dinner with a glass of wine.

 

[DallasGuy75219]

22 minutes ago, mondello said:

On our recent B2B we just brought a big, full glass with us to the MDR.

 

3 minutes ago, woodey said:

im not a wine drinker but my DW is... she brings a glass with from the room thats full and not had a problem... 

That's the workaround... fill your glass in your cabin and your waiter has no way of knowing if you stopped at a bar on the way to dinner or poured it in your cabin.

[ShakyBeef]

7 hours ago, DallasGuy75219 said:

 

That's the workaround... fill your glass in your cabin and your waiter has no way of knowing if you stopped at a bar on the way to dinner or poured it in your cabin.

They do if the glass you are using is a water goblet from your cabin. 

 

PSA for any who care:  Unless this has changed recently, only Suites are supplied with wine glasses as well as water goblets upon embarkation.  Non-Suite cabins have only water goblets.  The glasses are very recognizably different.  Wine glasses can be requested from your Room Steward or from a bar.

 

I am not implying that anyone will stop you from bringing a water goblet full of wine into the MDR.  (I've seen people do it on every Carnival cruise I have been on and never seen anyone get stopped).  I'm just letting you know that if you do, you're not fooling any Carnival employee.  They know their own wine glasses from their water goblets. 😉

Edited August 18, 2022 by ShakyBeef

[DallasGuy75219]

4 minutes ago, ShakyBeef said:

They do if the glass you are using is a water goblet from your cabin. 

 

PSA for any who care:  Unless this has changed recently, only Suites are supplied with wine glasses as well as water goblets upon embarkation.  Non-Suite cabins have only water goblets.  The glasses are very recognizably different.  Wine glasses can be requested from your Room Steward or from a bar.

 

I am not implying that anyone will stop you from bringing a water goblet full of wine into the MDR.  (I've seen people do it on every Carnival cruise I have been on and never seen anyone get stopped).  I'm just letting you know that if you do, you're not fooling any Carnival employee.  They know their own wine glasses from their water goblets. 😉

Yes, always people drinking wine from water goblets in the MDR.  And the water goblets in the cabins are different from those in the MDR so they know you're drinking the vodka and soda you mixed in your room, not ice water. 

 

I buy the wine packages anyway but I'm always sure to bring my wine glass back to my cabin after dinner.

[ShakyBeef]

1 minute ago, DallasGuy75219 said:

Yes, always people drinking wine from water goblets in the MDR.  And the water goblets in the cabins are different from those in the MDR so they know you're drinking the vodka and soda you mixed in your room, not ice water. 

 

I buy the wine packages anyway but I'm always sure to bring my wine glass back to my cabin after dinner.

 

Funny thing -  I actually bring my own wine glass from home.  I'm spoiled for a decent wine glass and HATE drinking out of the ones Carnival has.  I bring my own glass into the MDR the first night, empty.  I order a bottle of wine at dinner and then take my wine glass back out with me and refill as needed from my cabin wine (these days usually La Crema Pinot Noir), the same that I order at dinner.  This just happens to be my "everyday wine" at home and I'm glad they offer it onboard.

 

I know, I know. I might have a problem.🍷🤪 Or two.

[pcvtmom]

We always stop by one of the bars and request an empty wine glass for our carry on wine.  We've yet to be refused. We fill it up in the stateroom and carry it to dinner, or to the Lido to listen to music.

[bar1068]

9 hours ago, BarbieGee said:

I would like to BYO wine 🍾 and have it at dinner. Can I bring it with me into the MDR or must I turn it over to someone to have it served? And if so, will a corking fee be charged?

 

Sailing on Paradise - Feb 6-11 2023

We've only done 4 cruises since the restart and have brought wine onboard with us on all 4, and strangely, have not been charged the corkage fee on any of them, even in the steakhouse, where pre-covid almost always did. We brought the wine open with us, no glasses. The staff at the MDR brought us wine glasses, and even in the steakhouse brought the "appropriate" wine glass, poured the wine and still no charge.

[nwcruiselover]

On a recent Splendor cruise, we poured wine from the bottle into an empty water bottle and took it into the dining room, stopping along the way to ask a bar attendant for an empty wine glass.  We were discreet about pouring the wine from water bottle to glass, and nothing was said.

[BarbieGee]

2 hours ago, ShakyBeef said:

 

 

PSA for any who care:  Unless this has changed recently, only Suites are supplied with wine glasses as well as water goblets upon embarkation.  Non-Suite cabins have only water goblets.  The glasses are very recognizably different.  Wine glasses can be requested from your Room Steward or from a bar.

So, if I read this right, I can request wine glasses if I am in a suite? Or are these already in the cabin next to the water glasses? I will be staying in a JS.
I had thought to bring some 'elegant' plastic goblets but perhaps that is not necessary! Excellent!

2 hours ago, ShakyBeef said:

 

 

 

[BarbieGee]

2 minutes ago, nwcruiselover said:

On a recent Splendor cruise, we poured wine from the bottle into an empty water bottle and took it into the dining room, stopping along the way to ask a bar attendant for an empty wine glass.  We were discreet about pouring the wine from water bottle to glass, and nothing was said.

This is an idea I had not thought of. But if I were to bring the wine bottle with me then I may be charged that corkage fee?

[BarbieGee]

2 hours ago, ShakyBeef said:

 

Funny thing -  I actually bring my own wine glass from home.  I'm spoiled for a decent wine glass and HATE drinking out of the ones Carnival has.  I bring my own glass into the MDR the first night, empty.  I order a bottle of wine at dinner and then take my wine glass back out with me and refill as needed from my cabin wine (these days usually La Crema Pinot Noir), the same that I order at dinner.  This just happens to be my "everyday wine" at home and I'm glad they offer it onboard.

 

I know, I know. I might have a problem.🍷🤪 Or two.

You bring your own wine glass? How do you prevent breakage?? I too love a beautiful glass to accompany my wine but I would hate to have bits of broken glass in my luggage! 😛

[mondello]

5 minutes ago, BarbieGee said:

This is an idea I had not thought of. But if I were to bring the wine bottle with me then I may be charged that corkage fee?

I think the waitstaff does not charge the corkage fee because it could jeopardize their tips. If they charge me fine but, they haven’t on several different ships. I always tip extra every cruise because we request wine glasses or flutes and glasses of ice for soda.

[ShakyBeef]

17 minutes ago, BarbieGee said:

So, if I read this right, I can request wine glasses if I am in a suite? Or are these already in the cabin next to the water glasses? I will be staying in a JS.
I had thought to bring some 'elegant' plastic goblets but perhaps that is not necessary! Excellent!

 

 

Never stayed in a Junior Suite, but in all of our Vista Suites, Ocean Suites, and Grand Suites, wine glasses and water goblets were already present in our room at check-in.  No matter your cabin type, yes, you can request wine glasses.

[nwcruiselover]

20 minutes ago, BarbieGee said:

This is an idea I had not thought of. But if I were to bring the wine bottle with me then I may be charged that corkage fee?

Yes, technically if you bring the actual wine bottle into the MDR they’re supposed to charge the corkage fee.  

[BarbieGee]

[ShakyBeef]

28 minutes ago, BarbieGee said:

You bring your own wine glass? How do you prevent breakage?? I too love a beautiful glass to accompany my wine but I would hate to have bits of broken glass in my luggage! 😛

I pack it inside a plastic container that once-upon-a-time came with instant mashed potato flakes, with the glass (Riedel varietal-specific crystal glass) wrapped in paper towels and then bubble wrap.  It goes into my carry on.  I don't take one of my favourite, more expensive glasses.  This is one of the cheaper Riedel glasses, only $20 each.  If it breaks or gets lost onboard or in transit (never has, knock-on-wood), no great loss.  But sooo worth having it on my cruise.

 

ETA: Forgot to mention the plastic container has a very tight-fitting lid, so if my glass were to break inside it,  all broken glass would be safely contained.

Edited August 18, 2022 by ShakyBeef

[BarbieGee]

Well, I've gotten some good options and advice here and I thank you all! Knowing these things help make a cruise so much more relaxing.

LaffingLady.bmp LaffingMan.bmp

[BarbieGee]

17 minutes ago, ShakyBeef said:

I pack it inside a plastic container that once-upon-a-time came with instant mashed potato flakes, with the glass (Riedel varietal-specific crystal glass) wrapped in paper towels and then bubble wrap.  It goes into my carry on.  I don't take one of my favourite, more expensive glasses.  This is one of the cheaper Riedel glasses, only $20 each.  If it breaks or gets lost onboard or in transit (never has, knock-on-wood), no great loss.  But sooo worth having it on my cruise.

 

ETA: Forgot to mention the plastic container has a very tight-fitting lid, so if my glass were to break inside it,  all broken glass would be safely contained.

Soooo smart!

[BlerkOne]

3 hours ago, ShakyBeef said:

 

I am not implying that anyone will stop you from bringing a water goblet full of wine into the MDR.  (I've seen people do it on every Carnival cruise I have been on and never seen anyone get stopped).  I'm just letting you know that if you do, you're not fooling any Carnival employee.  They know their own wine glasses from their water goblets. 😉

Of course they know. Even if you smuggle wine in a water bottle.

 

On one Princess cruise they would take our beverages from us, put on a server tray, and carry to the table for us. They knew.