FYI, For Those Of You Who Bring Your Own Wine

[FinelyCruising]

You know without warfare, IMHO...extremely HO, this is exactly why there is a fee.

 

I get the fee as a result of limited slections on the wine list, or in certain seas as a way to appreciate local offerings...but a double bottle?

 

While vinters create double bottles, they also are targeted to those who need to sustain offerings a larger group...like box wines offerings, which are more tailgate party oriented than fine dining atmosphere.

 

These two types are not usual selections for those who prefer a finer wine, and while the cruise ship wine lists do seem to accomodate the glass of wine drinkers or mass produced easily recognized house-hold names at a profit, a double bottle ought to have a double charge....IMHO of course, since no offering in any fine dining establishment offers a 'double' bottle, excluding magnums, which is certainly not what we are discussing here.

 

Anyone want to suggest otherwise, I am game. ;)

[cruisePRN]

It doesn't take more effort to uncork a bottle of one litter or two litters does it?

[FinelyCruising]

Not sure about the measurements you described, but we agree that the standard is a single bottle... and as such it stands to reason the doublope charge would have been the consequence of two bottles had it been a 'regular' size botttle of wine versus 'economy' size or two for one. Economy size should carry the double surcharge as a result since its the irregular size and used to simplify by volume, the need for multiple bottles.

[Andym]

We were on Celebrity in Alaska last summer. A friend brought one of those large bottles of wine to the table & the corkage fee was double - $30. We did not realize this until we got the bill after dinner. But I guess they charged double due to the quantity, as the large bottle held at least as much as 2 regular bottles. There were 6 of us drinking, so split between us we paid $5 per person to drink a reasonably priced bottle of wine.

 

We went on a Celebrity tour which included a wineary for lunch where we had some really nice wine. We purchased some to take back to dinner with our table mates. This was in the bigger double size bottles. No corkage charge at dinner ???? -

Standards, what standards.

[FinelyCruising]

Standard size bottle of wine does not = one liter. That standard.

[Yoopergirl]

:confused: Can someone set me straight? The corkage fee is in addition to the price paid for the bottle of wine?

 

:confused: We have cruised before on Celebrity and my husband has purchased a bottle of wine in the dining room to have with meals. Apparently he paid a corkage fee? Can one still do this?

 

Does one also pay an addiiton gratuity for this? If you buy a bottle in the gift shop, can you bring this to the dining room but a corkage fee will be charged?

 

Trying to get wine through the check-in is very chancy? We were thinking of trying this.

 

Kay and Ted

[Lois R]

:) Hi, there is NO corkage fee when you purchase the bottle

from Celebrity. Sometimes I buy a bottle and drink it as the evenings

go by. They will cork whatever is left after the first night and bring

it back each night for you.

 

The fees are pertaining to bottles people bring on their

own.

[dileep]

It doesn't take more effort to uncork a bottle of one litter or two litters does it?

 

You don't pay for the effort, but for the privilege and the lost opportunity to sell you wine off their list.

 

If you take a double magnum (3L) that's the equivalent of 4 bottles of the standard 750 ml size.

[dileep]

:confused: Can someone set me straight? The corkage fee is in addition to the price paid for the bottle of wine?

 

:confused: We have cruised before on Celebrity and my husband has purchased a bottle of wine in the dining room to have with meals. Apparently he paid a corkage fee? Can one still do this?

 

The wine you buy from the wine list is already marked up by a factor of 2 to 3, so there is no corkage fee. But they do tack on a 15% service charge.

 

Corkage fee applies to wine you bought elsewhere and brought into the dining room. Wine you buy from Celebrity from their Bon Voyage Gift selections does not incur a corkage fee.

[FinelyCruising]

Has anyone tried that? I saw it in the doc package and thought aninteresting idea, liked the bottle design...how does it actaully taste...the Chardonnay for example?

[newmexicoNita]

Not sure about the measurements you described, but we agree that the standard is a single bottle... and as such it stands to reason the doublope charge would have been the consequence of two bottles had it been a 'regular' size botttle of wine versus 'economy' size or two for one. Economy size should carry the double surcharge as a result since its the irregular size and used to simplify by volume, the need for multiple bottles.

that is still beyond my wildest imagination: double because it is a 1.50 liter or whatever. This indicates the cruise line is interested in seeing how many bucks they can make. I know all lines are after the almighty $ which, of course is understandable, but somethings are being carried a little too far. this is one of them; before you know it and I believe this is going to happen very soon all cruise lines will follow NCL and charge a corkage fee if you bring wine on period, whether to consume in your cabin or at dinner NMnita

[joelmarj]

We too always bring our own wine. Never liquor and never for consumption anywhere but in the dining room(s). On our Millennium cruise last April and Constellation cruise in October we had no problem boarding with a bottle for each night of the cruise. (Seven and ten respectively)

 

This thread indicates that something has recently changed so today I called the Captain's Club before we depart on Friday for our Saturday Constellation cruise. According to Shayla (sp), you may ONLY bring wines that Celebrity does NOT carry in it's cellars. This applies to both the regular and specialty wine lists. If you bring wines they sell, your wine will be confiscated and returned at the end of your cruise. According to her, this new 'policy' took effect in August of '05.

 

I asked who checks compliance and verifies that the wines are not on their list and thereby ok to board. Her response......well, I guess it's the security people.

 

Geez, can anyone get a definitive answer before we lug 8 bottles on a 4 hour plane ride only to have them cruise in the ship's hold? I can live with whatever their policy really is. I just want to get the same answer twice from Celebrity employees!

 

This sounds a bit odd to me. First, I sailed in August/Sept of 05 and this never occurred. I even bought some wine on from one of the port stops.

 

How on earth is the security guy going to know if my wine is on the "list" of their wines? Is he going to go item by item as he sorts through your bag? Plus, they don't publish their wine lists. How are we supposed to know beforehand what they do or don't have? Bringing my own ensures I get what I like and will happily pay the corkage.

[FinelyCruising]

that is still beyond my wildest imagination: double because it is a 1.50 liter or whatever. This indicates the cruise line is interested in seeing how many bucks they can make. I know all lines are after the almighty $ which, of course is understandable, but somethings are being carried a little too far. this is one of them; before you know it and I believe this is going to happen very soon all cruise lines will follow NCL and charge a corkage fee if you bring wine on period, whether to consume in your cabin or at dinner NMnita

 

Just for fun... Assume a bottle of Kendall Jackson Chardonnay is what we are drinking....

 

-4 glasses of wine to a single bottle.

-Cost of bottle at home $12.00

-Cost of wine if we price at a single glass, just for the cost of the wine.

-Assume $6.00 per glass or $24.00

-Assume an add of $3.60 for the gratuity.

 

Total of $27.60 on a glass by glass basis to purchase this particular item on board.

 

Total to purchase bottle from home and pay corkage is $27.00. You save $.60 to have this wine brought by you to the table. I'd call that even.

 

Now if they have this by the bottle on board, let's say it's $30.00 a bottle since you know the cost is going to be off the charts for simple wines...so $34.50 for the bottle to buy it with gratuity. The difference/savings in this scenario $2.40 in your favor to not have to drag the bottle with you from home. I'd call that a good thing.

 

When all is said and done this isn't so much 'savings' that I'd be taken aback by it for a wine selection in this price range.

[Mitzi_Muffin]

I am really baffled about all this talk of wine on board. I understood according to our travel agent you are not permitted to take any alcohol on board but it seems most of you do, we will be going on our first celebrity cruise next March and as we have just returned from Cape Town with some wonderful wines I would like to take a few bottles(presuming we have any left). For a good wine in a top restaraunt in Cape Town 5 dollars or £3 how about that. I would however like to have a glass of wine on the balcony before dinner and I think it is wrong for Celebrity to charge inflated prices on board ship to do so, we will be spending a lot of money in the bars so they should not lose out.

 

Mitzi

[Yoopergirl]

:confused: I just purchased two bottles of Bon Voyage wine -- was told there would be a corkage fee if we took it to the dining room (the person on the phone had to check with someone else to find out the policy). However, the Celebrity website says there is no corkage fee for Bon Voyage products in the dining room (as someone else has said here).

 

Who is right? Does one assume the Celebrity website is the final word?

 

Kay and Ted

[dileep]

:confused: I just purchased two bottles of Bon Voyage wine -- was told there would be a corkage fee if we took it to the dining room (the person on the phone had to check with someone else to find out the policy). However, the Celebrity website says there is no corkage fee for Bon Voyage products in the dining room (as someone else has said here).

Kay and Ted

 

I have bought both the Celebrity Chardonnay (made by Wente Vineyards) and the Traveller's Choice (Schramsberg Blanc de Blanc is a great value) as part of Bon Voyage and asked for them to be kept in the dining room on our last 2 cruises. There was no corkage fee.

 

The people on the phone do not know a lot of things. They often don't know how much Celebrity charges for corkage! The website is correct. Print the page and take it with you if you are concerned.

[geoherb]

We received a couple of bottles as a bon voyage present and did not pay a corkage fee in the dining room. I also brought my own wines and was glad to pay the corkage fee. Apparently Celebrity has changed its policy since we sailed in early 2005. We did not have any problems with bringing wine on our HAL cruise in December. And on our Princess cruises, we've been charged the corkage about half the time.

[CStorm]

Just for fun... Assume a bottle of Kendall Jackson Chardonnay is what we are drinking....

 

-4 glasses of wine to a single bottle.

-Cost of bottle at home $12.00

-Cost of wine if we price at a single glass, just for the cost of the wine.

-Assume $6.00 per glass or $24.00

-Assume an add of $3.60 for the gratuity.

 

Total of $27.60 on a glass by glass basis to purchase this particular item on board.

 

Total to purchase bottle from home and pay corkage is $27.00. You save $.60 to have this wine brought by you to the table. I'd call that even.

 

Now if they have this by the bottle on board, let's say it's $30.00 a bottle since you know the cost is going to be off the charts for simple wines...so $34.50 for the bottle to buy it with gratuity. The difference/savings in this scenario $2.40 in your favor to not have to drag the bottle with you from home. I'd call that a good thing.

 

When all is said and done this isn't so much 'savings' that I'd be taken aback by it for a wine selection in this price range.

 

What about my bottle that I spent $60 for that would easily cost $150 on the ship? We consider $75 per bottle a lot of money to save, maybe you don't, but we do.

[cirpi]

What about my bottle that I spent $60 for that would easily cost $150 on the ship? We consider $75 per bottle a lot of money to save, maybe you don't, but we do.

>>

 

I couldn't agree more. For last fall's Millie transatlantic, I raided my cellar of 10 bottles that, if they were available on the Millie, would cost at least $100 per bottle. Among them was a 1977 Sassicaia that now goes for at least $250 at auction. I picked it up two decades ago in Seattle for $13. At age 28, it was near the end of a long plateau, but still was drinking splendidly. Another was a Chateauneuf du Pape that several years ago was a Wine Spectator year's top wine. My cost: $25. I plan another cellar raid in November.

[cirpi]

Has anyone ever thought of paying the wine steward the $15 corkage in cash? I've been told that the wine steward gets $5 and the rest goes to X.

[FinelyCruising]

What about my bottle that I spent $60 for that would easily cost $150 on the ship? We consider $75 per bottle a lot of money to save, maybe you don't, but we do.

 

Hold on a minute...I think if you go back and read my post you will find the following: When all is said and done this isn't so much 'savings' that I'd be taken aback by it for a wine selection in this price range.

Hopefully now it is doubly understood that the example, clearly described with associated values, applies to a different type of wine than you describe.

 

To boot, I don't think for two minutes that those who spend the most on finer wines either on board or off are the ones who have the issue with the corkage fee.

 

(This is based solely upon my suppostion of peoples attitudes, money, and human behavior, not to mention wine afficianados. If I am wrong, heaven help me for what comes next!) :)

[CStorm]

Hold on a minute...I think if you go back and read my post you will find the following: When all is said and done this isn't so much 'savings' that I'd be taken aback by it for a wine selection in this price range.

 

Hopefully now it is doubly understood that the example, clearly described with associated values, applies to a different type of wine than you describe.

 

To boot, I don't think for two minutes that those who spend the most on finer wines either on board or off are the ones who have the issue with the corkage fee.

 

(This is based solely upon my suppostion of peoples attitudes, money, and human behavior, not to mention wine afficianados. If I am wrong, heaven help me for what comes next!) :)

 

You're right. I have NO issue with corkage fees, although double for the bigger bottle is something we've never had to pay in restaurants before, but whatever...

 

My only problem is trying to figure out how to get my wine across the Canadian border and on our ship!:rolleyes: Of course, it doesn't matter who I contact at Celebrity or on these boards, there are different answers. I have emailed Celebrity and hope that will be successful. At least I will have something in writing when I arrive.;) Now, if I could just convince the Canadian Border Patrol that my wine really needs to vacation with me...

[FinelyCruising]

You're right. I have NO issue with corkage fees, although double for the bigger bottle is something we've never had to pay in restaurants before, but whatever...

 

 

Here we don't pay fees for BYOB places...I assume you are not bringing a double Vendage (or equivalent) to a restaruant with a liquor license....I hope, I hope, I hope....:o

 

As for the CBP....maybe we could start a new thread with a list of no-fail ideas....;)

[Yoopergirl]

I have bought both the Celebrity Chardonnay (made by Wente Vineyards) and the Traveller's Choice (Schramsberg Blanc de Blanc is a great value) as part of Bon Voyage and asked for them to be kept in the dining room on our last 2 cruises. There was no corkage fee.

 

The people on the phone do not know a lot of things. They often don't know how much Celebrity charges for corkage! The website is correct. Print the page and take it with you if you are concerned.

 

I was hoping you would say this. :)

 

Kay

[BSeaBob]

 

My only problem is trying to figure out how to get my wine across the Canadian border and on our ship Now, if I could just convince the Canadian Border Patrol that my wine really needs to vacation with me...

 

:mad:Legally you can bring two 750 m bottles for each adult. That's more than several yrs. ago. however. :)

 

Ever think about shipping the rest to your next US port?