Bringing Wine Onboard at Embarkation

[Robkat]

We are boarding in Civitavecchia, if that's a factor.

 

We have a port stop in Malaga, where we will be picked up at the port by DH's sister and husband, who live there.  We wanted to have a couple of bottles of wine for them, as they'll be entertaining us for the day.

 

We are aware that we can embark with 2 bottles of wine for ourselves for the cabin, without being charged a corkage fee.   However, we're wondering how strictly they enforce the "only 2 wine bottles per cabin" policy going through security.  

 

If I were to have 2 bottles in my backpack, and DH had 2 bottles in his backpack, will we be obliged to pay corkage charge for 2 of them? 

Or, since 2 of those bottles would be gifts, that we'd be taking off the ship within a couple of days, is that a consideration that would allow us to bring the 4 on without having to be charged corkage?

 

In addition, how about in the other European ports ... can we buy and bring onboard a couple of bottles from each port of call that we'd bring up to our cabin for drinking in there, without incurring a corkage fee?  

 

Thanks for any info and experience.

[Thrak]

The correct answer is: It depends. Sometimes the wine check-in table isn't even manned. When it is manned (personed?) sometimes people just walk right past it anyway. Wine purchased in ports is often ignored when reboarding the ship. Thus the "it depends" answer.

Edited Saturday at 07:53 PM by Thrak

[ghgeckos]

We have brought wine aboard in many different ports and agree with Thrak. sometimes they charge corking fees and sometimes they don’t.

[memoak]

The embarkation port is really the only one that might be an issue and enforcement will be stricter at some than others 

[SiliconCruiser]

I don't remember how many times we've sailed since Covid, but it is more commonplace to not even see an alcohol table.  There have been a couple of times that we've seen a table, but there was no one there, and no materials to check anything in. Our last two embarkations have been in Barcelona and Southampton on the Sun; no alcohol tables were seen.

[memoak]

Just now, SiliconCruiser said:

I don't remember how many times we've sailed since Covid, but it is more commonplace to not even see an alcohol table.  There have been a couple of times that we've seen a table, but there was no one there, and no materials to check anything in. Our last two embarkations have been in Barcelona and Southampton on the Sun; no alcohol tables were seen.

Sailing from Honolulu they will confiscate almost anything. We had a wooden letter opener taken and not given back till disembarking 

[Thrak]

3 minutes ago, SiliconCruiser said:

I don't remember how many times we've sailed since Covid, but it is more commonplace to not even see an alcohol table.  There have been a couple of times that we've seen a table, but there was no one there, and no materials to check anything in. Our last two embarkations have been in Barcelona and Southampton on the Sun; no alcohol tables were seen.

 

If I remember correctly there was alcohol for sale in Barcelona after going through the port inspection.

[SiliconCruiser]

1 minute ago, memoak said:

Sailing from Honolulu they will confiscate almost anything. We had a wooden letter opener taken and not given back till disembarking 

Have never sailed from Honolulu, but a lot of it depends upon the ship's security (I think they're contacted from agencies in the Philippines) and whether they are using a local/port agency for initial screening.

 

[SiliconCruiser]

5 minutes ago, Thrak said:

 

If I remember correctly there was alcohol for sale in Barcelona after going through the port inspection.

Oh yeah, the "duty free" shop(s).  Now it is coming back to me albeit slowly.

I picked up my stuff in bodegas in Barcelona.  It costs less that the "duty-free" stuff.  Unfortunately, unlike the duty-free stores, liter bottles generally aren't available.

 

Edited Saturday at 09:40 PM by SiliconCruiser

[MaksPewPew]

When we boarded for our Alaska cruise, I did not even see anyone checking for it.  Went right through the security with wine.  The security folks having you go through metal detectors are pretty much unconcerned with it I believe, nor would wine set them off.  In checked baggage? Perhaps.

[Robkat]

Thanks to all for your replies.  It's very helpful hearing other people's accounts of how it was for them.

 

I was hoping to also hear from anyone who has had a recent experience boarding in Civitavecchia.  However, based on what you've all said, we'll just give it a go boarding with the 4 bottles between us.

 

We're also hoping to be able to bring a couple of other bottles onboard, when docked in the other port stops, so hoping there isn't an issue of having to pay corkage in those cases.

[trvlwrld]

Had no problems in Civitavecchia bringing wine on…but Honolulu is another story…they took our snack sized bag of potato chips and tic-tacs out of my purse!

[suzyed]

18 hours ago, Thrak said:

 

If I remember correctly there was alcohol for sale in Barcelona after going through the port inspection.

Yup!

 

[memoak]

1 hour ago, trvlwrld said:

Had no problems in Civitavecchia bringing wine on…but Honolulu is another story…they took our snack sized bag of potato chips and tic-tacs out of my purse!

Been there done that