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Wine at Southampton embarkation

fizzy1

By fizzy1,
in Cunard Line

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fizzy1

fizzy1

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Hi , wine limits at Southampton embarkation . Cruised on Queen Mary just before lockdown and bought onboard in hand luggage 2 bottles of wine each and plenty of soda and were never questioned . Were we just lucky with the wine amount?

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exlondoner

exlondoner

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14 minutes ago, Host Hattie said:

No luck,  I've never heard of anyone having anything confiscated. 

And in my new paper brochure which arrived yesterday, it no longer mentions amounts, just says for special occasions, which on a cruise is just about every minute, wouldn’t you think?

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fizzy1

fizzy1

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Just now, fizzy1 said:

That’s fine th

7 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

And in my new paper brochure which arrived yesterday, it no longer mentions amounts, just says for special occasions, which on a cruise is just about every minute, wouldn’t you think?

What about bringing wine etc back on board from your cruise ports visited?

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Wombat706

Wombat706

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11 hours ago, exlondoner said:

And in my new paper brochure which arrived yesterday, it no longer mentions amounts, just says for special occasions, which on a cruise is just about every minute, wouldn’t you think?

I know the original question was about Southampton, but look what I found today at:

https://www.cunard.com/en-au/the-cunard-experience/what-to-pack

 "You may bring one bottle of wine or champagne on board to enjoy within your stateroom. You are welcome to buy alcohol ashore as a gift or souvenir, which will be held for the duration of your cruise, and returned to you when you disembark."  - this is new as far as I know and I'm not happy about it either.

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Wombat706

Wombat706

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I delved a bit deeper and in the  "Legal information - Booking Conditions- Australia and New Zealand"

at:

https://www.cunard.com/en-au/advice-and-policies/booking-conditions-insurance-crime

 

The section on Alcohol does not mention a limit, so I will be carrying a copy of this with me when I board this Friday.

 

"23. Alcohol & gambling
We are committed to the responsible service of alcohol. There may be times when We consider it appropriate to refuse the service of alcohol to a guest for any reason. To consume alcohol or gamble on board, guests must be 18 years of age or older. However, whilst in U.S. waters, Cunard enforces and abides by the U.S. legal drinking age of 21 years. Photo identification may be requested.Alcohol or casino credits cannot be added to a booking as a gift for guests under 21 years of age.

On the day of embarkation, guests over the above minimum ages may bring on board wine or champagne to celebrate special occasions. If consumed in the dining rooms, alternative restaurants or bars, each bottle will be subject to a corkage fee of US$20 (fee subject to change). Any other alcohol purchased ashore will be collected at the gangway for safe keeping and will be returned to You on the last day of Your voyage."

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tv24

tv24

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On 1/14/2023 at 6:19 PM, Wombat706 said:

I delved a bit deeper and in the  "Legal information - Booking Conditions- Australia and New Zealand"

at:

https://www.cunard.com/en-au/advice-and-policies/booking-conditions-insurance-crime

 

The section on Alcohol does not mention a limit, so I will be carrying a copy of this with me when I board this Friday.

 

"23. Alcohol & gambling
We are committed to the responsible service of alcohol. There may be times when We consider it appropriate to refuse the service of alcohol to a guest for any reason. To consume alcohol or gamble on board, guests must be 18 years of age or older. However, whilst in U.S. waters, Cunard enforces and abides by the U.S. legal drinking age of 21 years. Photo identification may be requested.Alcohol or casino credits cannot be added to a booking as a gift for guests under 21 years of age.

On the day of embarkation, guests over the above minimum ages may bring on board wine or champagne to celebrate special occasions. If consumed in the dining rooms, alternative restaurants or bars, each bottle will be subject to a corkage fee of US$20 (fee subject to change). Any other alcohol purchased ashore will be collected at the gangway for safe keeping and will be returned to You on the last day of Your voyage."

I love wombats.  We keep a stuffed one in our living room for protection.

 

Lots of Cunarders will tell you that there is no problem taking wine and spirits on board.  We've done it many times at embarkation and in ports.  Bottoms up!

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exlondoner

exlondoner

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1 hour ago, tv24 said:

I love wombats.  We keep a stuffed one in our living room for protection.

 

Lots of Cunarders will tell you that there is no problem taking wine and spirits on board.  We've done it many times at embarkation and in ports.  Bottoms up!

And I e never seen anyone have their wine removed at the gangway. What a to-do that would cause. They have their time cut out reminding men to remove the coins from their trousers.

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IB2

IB2

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On 1/15/2023 at 12:57 AM, Wombat706 said:

I know the original question was about Southampton, but look what I found today at:

https://www.cunard.com/en-au/the-cunard-experience/what-to-pack

 "You may bring one bottle of wine or champagne on board to enjoy within your stateroom. You are welcome to buy alcohol ashore as a gift or souvenir, which will be held for the duration of your cruise, and returned to you when you disembark."  - this is new as far as I know and I'm not happy about it either.

The one bottle rule has been around for some time, I think, but I've never known it policed.  Particularly if you put one bottle in each case, they'd never bother to dig any further!

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Se1lad Great Review Rare

Se1lad

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The UK website still says this:

You may bring one bottle of wine or champagne on board to enjoy within your stateroom. You are welcome to buy alcohol ashore as a gift or souvenir, which will be held for the duration of your cruise, and returned to you when you disembark.

 

I imagine Cunard say this so that they can refuse someone who has caused an alcohol related issue on board for buying more en-route for consumption, or for limiting it on future cruises (if they are even allowed to cruise again!)

 

However it's a bit unfortunate as it doesn't reflect what actually happens.  If you were a first time cruiser on Cunard (but had cruised with other lines that do enforce this) you would probably not question this and potentially miss out on saving a bit of money.

 

If you search a bit more on the FAQ page there is a reference to the corkage fee but this isn't clear either - you could interpret this meaning

(i) you can bring on one bottle of wine/champagne for a special occasion and it's subject to a corkage fee if consumed in one of the ships restaurants/bars/lounges

(ii) you can bring on an unspecified amount of wine/champagne which is subject to a corkage fee if consumed in one of the ships restaurants/bars/lounges, plus one bottle for special occasions which is not subject to a corkage fee

when in fact the answer is (iii) You can bring on as much wine/champagne as you like, regardless of the occasion, and it subject to a corkage fee if consumed in one of the ships restaurants/bars/lounges

 

All bottles of wine or champagne brought on board by guests for consumption in any of the ship's restaurants, bars or lounges, are subject to a corkage fee.

Please be advised that guests are allowed to bring on board one bottle per person for special occasions.

Groups who want to supply their own wine for wine tasting seminars or for consumption in any of the restaurants, bars or lounges will be charged a corkage fee.

If a bottle of wine/champagne has been bought for you (on board) as a gift, please ensure you carry the gift card with you to avoid having the corkage charge applied to your on board account.

The corkage fee is $25.00 per bottle and will be charged to your on-board account. (Corkage fee is subject to change).

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bluemarble

bluemarble

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1 hour ago, Se1lad said:

The UK website still says this:

You may bring one bottle of wine or champagne on board to enjoy within your stateroom. You are welcome to buy alcohol ashore as a gift or souvenir, which will be held for the duration of your cruise, and returned to you when you disembark.

 

Just to muddle things further, the Cunard FAQ continues to be ambiguous about alcohol limits.

 

There is the place you quoted later in your post above that mentions limits (for wine/champagne).

 

(Q) Can I take a bottle of wine/champagne on board to drink in a restaurant and would a corkage fee apply?

 

(A) ... Please be advised that guests are allowed to bring on board one bottle per person for special occasions. ...

 

Then there is this second place that mentions beer, wine and spirits with no limits.

 

(Q) Can I bring alcohol on board to consume in my stateroom or in restaurants?

 

(A) You may bring beer, wine or spirits on board (subject to the age limit law of the port of departure) to celebrate special occasions. ...

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