I'm taking a Mexican Riviera Cruise with Carnival next Sunday and want to know if anyone has had trouble packing alcohol in their checked luggage? I know you are allowed to bring wine in for send-off and I am only planning to bring 3 or 4 bottles for whole trip. Sorry I don't want to pay the $10 corking fee. This is my 1st cruise and I am excited! Would appreciate hearing your comments!

One time I was really sneaky and packed it in shampoo bottles. Seems no matter how much you wash them, your wine will taste like shampoo. Since then, we've cruised 12 times and each of us bubble wraps 2 bottles of wine and sends it on in checked luggage. Never had a problem.

You pay the corkage fee only if you drink the wine in the restaurant.
No matter how you bring it on board.
If you drink it in your cabin, no fee.

Have been on several cruises, usually they have a wine package. On Costa for $130.00 you get six bottles of wine and 10 bottles of mineral water. You give a ticket to your waiter and he serves the wine. You have your choice of red package or white package.
Not a bad deal.
Alberto

I've never been impressed with the wines in those package deals. Certainly not what I bring up from my cellar for special trips! That's why we buy it, after all. Costa's is probably a lot better than Carnival or Royal Caribbean, though.

Costa is owned by Carnival so don't bet on it!

I find the wine packages are good for those who are not wine afficiandos only. The selections are mundane and low in quality, even in the premim packages (RCI has three levels).

JMHO, but I enjoy a nice wine and am not willing to settle for the stuff they push in those packages.

Added note: I am very happy to pay a corkage fee and drink a wine from my collection. I find it a nice compromise though most lines no longer permit this.

I pack a box in our checeked luggage. Never had a problem. But on longer NCL cruise i also had a l.5 litre bottle in my casrryon. Whne they saw that they automatically charged me TWO corkage fees and I was still on the pier! Fighting this did no good. On board I went to to the bar manager and he took one charge off. I fill my glass and just take it to the dining room- I ask for a big wine glass at any bar but one on deck. (Their's are plastic!)

So you take your own wine into the dining room in their glass, and then it looks like you purchased it at the bar?

You're not embarrassed?

People who drink boxed wine should be most embarrassed just by admitting that, LOL! kfusto, I'm with you. I feel like I'm usually going to have rather mundane food, I am NOT going to pay markup for average wine!

I bring my own wine, and I don't mind paying the corkage fee either. I've never been stopped bring 10-14 bottles of my own brew on board either Celebrity or Royal Caribbean. Some I drink in my cabin, and others I bring to the dining room. The $12 corkage fee is a bargain when you compare what you would pay for "their" stuff.

RCI and Celebrity changed their policy on July 28, no more wine is allowed to be brought aboard, period. I have cruised since that date and watched bottles confiscated and thrown away.

I am very unhappy with this new policy as I am booked on X for my wedding and have been saving special bottles to bring with me. I would cancel if there were not so many of us going.

Bringing a glass of one's own wine into the dining room or elsewhere to avoid a corkage is beyond tacky, IMO.

The corkage fee was a a reasonable way to allow one to bring aboard their preferred wines, and HAL still allows that.

NCL has long been known for zero tolerance.

Welcome to the era of nickel and diming on cruise ships : (

And, boxed wine? I have only used it to cook with personally.

Linda: You say someone who drinks boxed wine should be embarassed for admitting it. And you're not embarrassed for admitting trying to sneak wine in in shampoo bottles? Hilarious.

I called Celebrity, and they said they will confiscate any alcohol/wine and give it back to you at the end of the cruise. They even scan all the luggage.

Their new policy sucks!!!

Oh I was definitely embarrassed. But that was over 10 years ago and my palate and experience has changed (first cruise)

kfusto, Do they actually search your luggage or just your carry-on for wine/alcohol?

How about water and coke bottles? Do they confiscate those as carry-ons, i.e. not allowed to bring any liquids on board, just like the airlines?

I was just wondering how they could search/x-ray all the luggage coming aboard in a 3 hour timeframe.

I generally carry on water as I drink a lot of it and do not care to pay three bucks a bottle (6 or so a day for me!).

I don't drink anything but water (and wine, of course) so cannot answer the coke question. They do sell soda cards on board.

The hand carried items go thru x ray just like at the airport so those bottles are caught. They were being discarded on RCI and I am told Celebrity returns them last night of sailing but I have read of some folks not getting their bottles.

Re checked luggage, I was told that they are randomly screening checked bags.

I will tell you that they are more serious about this than ever before. The staff has had special training and now gets zero tolerance if they serve minors. Not sure how it works if they find booze in the cabins.

We bring it in empty water bottles. Drink it in your room;suite;cabin.

It might work out better if people who drink a lot of wine, and especially good wines, book the premium cruise lines where everything is included in the price of the cruise.

If you have to smuggle your own wines aboard and then pay corkage fees; or drink shampoo flavored wine, it's something to think about.

I don't think there's any solution for the person who "borrows" a wineglass & fills it in their cabin. That's really hitting the bottom of the wine barrel!

You're on vacation - splurge a little!

If you "sneak" on a line that does not permit wine brought aboard, the issue of corkage is mute as some will confiscate or not allow it to be brought into the dining room.

The real issue is excessive markup for mediocre wine.

But, I agree that one must find a line that suits their needs.