Wine lover

[appollo1]

I have just joined this great forum , and I am looking forward for my very first cruise, wich will take place on May /07, aboard the Legend.

My wife and I love our wine, but we don't wan't to be left with a huge wine bill at the end of the cruise.

I heard that some people buy coupons prior to departing that can be used on the ship??

I heard that some people hide some booze in their suitcases and consume tthem onboad?

We would apreciate any suggestions on how we can enjoy our wine-booze, and not have a huge bill at the end of the week.

Thanks in advance.:)

[spookwife]

for the most part, bringing a bottle or two of wine per person is allowed. Individual lines have their own policies, of course. The smuggling that you see mentioned here and elsewhere primarily concerns Liquor and mixers.

 

If you have a favorite that you cannot live without, consider bringing a bottle or two along for the ride. You may or may not be charged the corkage fee for opening it in the restaurant. We were, both times, but you will find numerous people who have never been charged, and others where it's split. for the most part, even with the fee it was still reasonable.

 

Of course, you could also do the coupon route, or funneling some money per pay period onto the ship board account so you have a nice credit on the day you embark so that the final bill doesn't shock you out of your tan that you worked on all week;)

 

We found a decent variety on our Carnival Pride cruise last June, both price wise and taste wise. we brought three bottles along, drank them all and we also had several glasses from the bar throughout the cruise. averaging 2 glasses per night for the two of us each for a 7 night cruise, our bar tab was under $200.

[kitty9]

One new challenge you will have is with the new no carry on liquids policy for the airlines, if you're flying into the port. It used to be that people would pack their carry ons with the wine, but now, you'll have to pack them in your checked luggage, and I'm not sure if that's a good idea, knowing how roughly they throw suitcases around. Don't want to have all your clothes ruined with a broken bottle of red wine in the suitcase.

[trish1c]

It depends on your cruise. There may be packages / coupons & you are usually allowed to bring wine on board for a corkage fee.

 

One of the great things about cruises is that the motion of the ship actually ages the wine. You should not buy a "great" bottle of wine on board because odds are it's been rolling around to long & is now spoiled. But if you know what you are doing & get a young well priced wine, it should taste like a beter more expensive bottle because of the movement. N.B. Not all the sommeliers on board know this.

 

Cheers.

[appollo1]

It depends on your cruise. There may be packages / coupons & you are usually allowed to bring wine on board for a corkage fee.

 

One of the great things about cruises is that the motion of the ship actually ages the wine. You should not buy a "great" bottle of wine on board because odds are it's been rolling around to long & is now spoiled. But if you know what you are doing & get a young well priced wine, it should taste like a beter more expensive bottle because of the movement. N.B. Not all the sommeliers on board know this.

 

Cheers.

 

Thanks for the tip. Very Interesting :)

[Host Walt]

Basic situation;

 

Most cruise lines carry a reasonable assortment of good wines at a reasonable price (when compared to land-side restaurants) but don't expect much in the way of a "private list" of well aged and cared for reds.

 

We have had good luck packing 4-6 bottles (depending on cruise length) of our favorite older reds and having the wine steward store them for us on board. That way we can enjoy a well aged wine with a good meal. (Always offer the wine steward a taste!) (BTW, sadly, the sommelier position has pretty much been eliminated on most lines.)

 

Packing wine is best done in soft wine bags double wrapped with sealed baggies. Never had any problems.

 

But for sure have your TA call the cruise line to confirm their current policies regarding bringing wine on board.

 

A friend of ours was travelling with his wife, son and daughter in law on a 14 day Princess trans-Canal this spring and carried aboard 2 cases of wine (12 whites and 12 reds) from his own cellar for on board consumption. I told him to make sure Princess would let him do it. They checked and got the OK from Princess.

 

They finished off all 24 bottles with a lot of help from others at their 8 person table and had a very happy (well tipped) wine steward at the end.

[Cotton]

Apollo, if you indicate which cruiseline, it's easier to answer questions.:)

 

Carnival, for instance, allows a coupla bottles per person to be brought on board at embarkation. You can enjoy them in your cabin - or take them to the dining room. If taking to the dining room, there's a corkage policy ($10); however, I have never been charged the corkage fee...seems to be at the discretion of your waiter.

 

I also buy a bottle or two of wine in the dining room each cruise. If not all consumed that evening, the waiter will re-cork and have it waiting for the next evening. Nice touch.

[Happy ks]

Go to the web site for your cruise line and look up the wine list. Sometimes it takes a bit of searching, but it is usually there somewhere. We'll print out the list and go over it before leaving home so we can get an idea of our choices.

 

Although the wines onboard are pricey for what you get, you can usually find a fairly decent bottle in the $25-35 range. Some ships have packages that you can buy the first day, I've seen them on the way into embarkation in the lobby, then again on the ship. We've had deals where you buy 4 bottles and get the fifth one free, within the range of your pricing.

 

We don't drink a lot at the pool, nor do we go to the bars after dinner, so our nightly bottle of wine at dinner is our bar tab for the week, it's usually in the $200-300 range.

 

Coupons (onboard credit) pre-purchased really don't give you any sort of discount, you are just pre-paid instead of paying for it at the end of the cruise.

[Happy ks]

Just to add, we will bring onboard a bottle or two for in-room consumption when we drive to port, or if we are at the origination port a day or two ahead of time. While I know this idea has some people getting their britches in a wad and they think of it as high crime at sea, it's not really a big deal to us. We simply wrap it in bubble wrap and put it into a large (2 and a half gallon) Ziploc baggie, then put it between clothing, to further cushion it from breakage.

 

I much preferred just taking in on in my carry on bag, when no questions were asked. It was much more civilised.

 

So, check with your cruise line, they all have different policies.

["Wandering Wino's&quo]

I have just joined this great forum , and I am looking forward for my very first cruise, wich will take place on May /07, aboard the Legend.

My wife and I love our wine, but we don't wan't to be left with a huge wine bill at the end of the cruise.

I heard that some people buy coupons prior to departing that can be used on the ship??

I heard that some people hide some booze in their suitcases and consume tthem onboad?

We would apreciate any suggestions on how we can enjoy our wine-booze, and not have a huge bill at the end of the week.

Thanks in advance.:)

 

:) When we have cruised with both Holland America

and Celebrity we have brought on at least a case of wine. Last year we were with 4 other couples and they all brought along wine and champagne for our week long cruise to the Mexican Riviera. There has never been any problem with doing this and it is so great to have a glass of wine or champagne while sitting watching the sunset from your veranda. Of course we always show our appreciation to the wine stewart at the end of the cruise. Hope this helps. Enjoy your first cruise, if you are anything like us you will be hooked on cruising!

** When we cruised out of Florida a few years ago we purchased our wines prior to arriving at the port, this way we didn't need to worry about putting them aboard the plane and today that makes even more sence.

[Happy ks]

:) When we have cruised with both Holland America

and Celebrity we have brought on at least a case of wine. Last year we were with 4 other couples and they all brought along wine and champagne for our week long cruise to the Mexican Riviera. There has never been any problem with doing this and it is so great to have a glass of wine or champagne while sitting watching the sunset from your veranda. Of course we always show our appreciation to the wine stewart at the end of the cruise. Hope this helps. Enjoy your first cruise' date=' if you are anything like us you will be hooked on cruising![/color']

** When we cruised out of Florida a few years ago we purchased our wines prior to arriving at the port, this way we didn't need to worry about putting them aboard the plane and today that makes even more sence.

 

 

The only problem is that some of the cruiselines are now changing their policies :(