Bringing Own Wine On Board

[halifaxcruising]

On Holland America's website, it said you could bring a bottle of wine in your carry-on suitcase to drink in your cabin but it will be subjected to a $20 corkage fee.  However, somewhere on Cruise Critic, it said you could bring a bottle of wine in your carry-on (per adult) and they would not charge you.  Can someone please clarify?  

Thank you.

[jenp123]

New HAL policy is that any wine brought onboard pays the corkage fee.  No more free bottle allowed....whether or not it is enforced on your cruise is another thing.  Security will scan your bags and tell you to go to the wine table to pay corkage, or maybe they won't....depends on the day and sailing.

[kazu]

6 minutes ago, halifaxcruising said:

On Holland America's website, it said you could bring a bottle of wine in your carry-on suitcase to drink in your cabin but it will be subjected to a $20 corkage fee.  However, somewhere on Cruise Critic, it said you could bring a bottle of wine in your carry-on (per adult) and they would not charge you.  Can someone please clarify?  

Thank you.

 

It USED to be that you were permitted one free bottle of wine - that was B.C. (Before covid).

Corkage charges now apply to all bottles of wine of $20 per bottle - whether it is one or 3.

[REOVA]

10 minutes ago, halifaxcruising said:

On Holland America's website, it said you could bring a bottle of wine in your carry-on suitcase to drink in your cabin but it will be subjected to a $20 corkage fee.  However, somewhere on Cruise Critic, it said you could bring a bottle of wine in your carry-on (per adult) and they would not charge you.  Can someone please clarify?  

Thank you.

Whether you bring 1 bottle or 12, you pay $20 per bottle. I used to bring a case on longer cruises since I have so much wine in storage (per DW)  but decided to just experience what they have on ship instead. 

[euro cruiser]

Well, reality is somewhat different than the website.

 

I checked with our HAL cruise consultant a week before boarding our cruise three weeks ago and she told me that decisions about corking fees are made on the spot, by folks on the ship.   She said that there was no hard and fast rule and that they seemed to target "egregious" behavior.

 

My roommate and I each packed three bottles of wine in our checked luggage for a two-week cruise.  No comment and no corkage fees.  We consumed the wine on our verandah.

[REOVA]

53 minutes ago, euro cruiser said:

Well, reality is somewhat different than the website.

 

I checked with our HAL cruise consultant a week before boarding our cruise three weeks ago and she told me that decisions about corking fees are made on the spot, by folks on the ship.   She said that there was no hard and fast rule and that they seemed to target "egregious" behavior.

 

My roommate and I each packed three bottles of wine in our checked luggage for a two-week cruise.  No comment and no corkage fees.  We consumed the wine on our verandah.

As someone posted above, depends on how staff is feeling each time but it is a posted HAL policy. They probably expect an honor policy and if scanner doesn't catch you then you are expected to walk over to desk and "check in" with the corkage person. If you don't they follow up on CC posts and send you an invoice. 🤣

[euro cruiser]

We would have paid the corkage fees if they had been assessed, we understood the risk but decided that being able to have the wine we preferred while enjoying our balcony was worth the extra $20 per bottle.  I don't think it has anything to do with honor, it was in checked luggage that they have the full legal authority to search.  No one ever asked me if I carried something on, if they had I would have been truthful.  Life is too short to risk ruining a good time over $20 here or there, nor is it worth the guilt that accompanies lying (for me, anyway).

[curmudgeon98]

Just don't bring the little individual serving bottles... On a recent HAL cruise I noticed about a dozen little prosecco bottles abandoned at the corkage table by someone who realized that adding $20 per 187ml bottle was a bit over the top.  I have thought about bringing a jereboam and seeing if they would do the same $20, but it would take us a while to get through that much wine.