Wine Preferences

[marne001]

I realize there are several threads with many experiences on bringing your own wine on board a Princess ship. Please do not flame me or blame me, I simply prefer my particular labels. If I take the wine to the restaurant, I am happy to pay the corkage fee.

 

What are recent experiences you have had bringing wine on to a Princess ship? I sail in two weeks on the Caribbean Princess and am looking for recent experiences, especially how you brought it aboard. For example, do the magnetometer operators really care if you have 2 or 3 bottles of wine in your carry on? Has anyone had a bottle break in checked luggage?

[geoherb]

We sailed last December and did not have any problems bringing six bottles and a box of wine (for in-cabin consumption) on board in our carryon luggage. Our waiters charged us the corkage for the first bottle but did not for the rest. We also bought a couple of bottles at dinner. I guess the waiters would rather have a bigger tip in the end than worry about fussing with the corkage fee.

[drakes2]

As we always fly from Canada, we pack wine in our checked luggage. Any liquids brought in a carry on will be confiscated. We've never encountered any breakage nor leakage of bottles, both to and from the cruise. I always pack in bubble wrap between layers of clothing with no problems whatsoever. I've now purchased some zippered insulated wine and alcohol bags for added protection.

I realize there are several threads with many experiences on bringing your own wine on board a Princess ship. Please do not flame me or blame me, I simply prefer my particular labels. If I take the wine to the restaurant, I am happy to pay the corkage fee.

 

What are recent experiences you have had bringing wine on to a Princess ship? I sail in two weeks on the Caribbean Princess and am looking for recent experiences, especially how you brought it aboard. For example, do the magnetometer operators really care if you have 2 or 3 bottles of wine in your carry on? Has anyone had a bottle break in checked luggage?

[CruiseLiz]

I would think the best way to carry it is in your checked luggage in a box or one of those new wine carriers made of wetsuit-type material. You can bring it in your carryon, but it seems that there's more of a risk for it being questioned that way.

Assuming that you buy wine often, you may be able to go into your local wine store and ask if they have any extra boxes that you could use.

We saved a box that we got when we purchased some rum and just recently got two boxes from Epcot for individual bottles, so we'll use those for our Dec cruise.

[m steve]

I save the 2, 4 and 6 pack boxes from previous cruise purchases and then bring them on board with a mix of wine, liquor and mixes and just check them thru w/ luggage. Be sure to seal them w/ a lot of tape so they don't think of looking to see if there is liquor mixed w/ the wine. I like those neoprene bags to take the wine to the dining room but occasionally have left them there. I've even tipped the waiter up front in hope of not paying corkage and even given them a nice unusual corkscrew.

[Twomalamutes]

We took a total of 8 bottles in our checked baggage on the Island Princess in August. No problem! We only got charged the fee twice!:p

[Mauizach]

I always zip the bottles up in large zip bags, then in a wine box, then check them in the checked bags. Never had a problem, do not forget the corkscrew like I did on one trip. But as always my steward was there to help..I really wish Princess would go back to more choices for wine and booze in the cabin. If they did I would not have to pack so many bottles..hint, hint if only princess would listen to us.:rolleyes:

[pris993]

We fly from California, so we buy wine in Florida and carry on in our carryon, generally 2-4 bottles. Then we buy wine in ports along the way.

 

Do the same when traveling to Europe. Buy some when we arrive and shop along the way.

 

Never had a problem on Princess, Celebrity, Holland America, NCL, RCCL, or other lines we have cruised on over the past 25+ years.

[sharpie13]

Last Princess Cruise in April we carried on 7 bottles of wine (11 day cruise) with no questions asked. We gladly pay the corkage to enjoy superior wines & we share them with our tablemates.

[mytime53]

We rarely return from trips without wine or other alcohol. It's always in our checked luggage, and nothing has ever broken.