Bringing Wine Onboard

[trekygirl26]

We are doing the PC cruise in January and are thinking about bringing our own wine onboard instead of buying the wine package. Is this possible? Has anyone else done it? What was your experience? If we bring a few bottles, will they charge us a corking fee each night, or just one per bottle? Any information you can give me would be great! Thanks!!

 

[TDC Nala]

Yes, you can carry wine onboard. You can't send it aboard in checked luggage, but you can carry it.

 

[jilljill]

DCL allows you to bring on any and all beverages that you want. They do want you to carry them on with you.
If you take a bottle of wine to dinner the corking fee/bottle has been reported as now being $18 + 15% auto gratuity. If you carry in a glass of wine to dinner, or any other drink, there is no corking fee involved.

 

[Mojodisney]

I've heard that if you bring the bottle to dinner, there is a corking fee, but if you bring a glass of wine that you poured in your stateroom, then they leave you alone. We brought drinnks in with us nightly to dinner. Also, read on another thread that you can ask your stateroom host for a wine bottle opener and glasses. Bring as many on board that you can carry and think you will drink. Our last night on a 7 day was finishing up the bottles that were left from the week. Good night

 

[papertraveller]

Yes, it's very simple and very civilized. We had late dining, so we would take a glass with us to the shows (they sell drinks right outside the theatre too). Then we'd head back to the room and enjoy another before heading to our meal.

We bought some bottles in Port Canaveral, but also picked up another in St. Maarten. Again, very easy.

 

[pluto1979]

We are doing the PC cruise in January and are thinking about bringing our own wine onboard instead of buying the wine package. Is this possible?

Yes you can definately bring on your own liquer without any problems. I believe you have to carry it on in your carry-in luggage.

Has anyone else done it?

I have done it with both wine, hard liquer and with champaigne

What was your experience?

Never had any problems or questions! Was told to enjoy my cruise!

If we bring a few bottles, will they charge us a corking fee each night, or just one per bottle?

They will charge a corking few just one time for each bottle.
However, I am not sure if they will chagre if you bring a boxed wine on board. I actually like some type of boxed wines and have not done it before but am thinking of doing this. I am not trying to get around the corking fee but am wonering if they will charge if I want to bring it to dinner.

I must say that i enjoy buying the package on board as I find it fun to get serviced like onyl Disney can do! The packages are not that much more expensive plus they follow you from restaurant to restaurant. You can also have it in your stateroom which they will bring the corking impliment, a wine bucket (that you can take as it has the DCL logo!) I love mine as well as glasses to enjoy the wine instead of drinking out of regular glasses.

Any information you can give me would be great! Thanks!!

I hope this info helps. At last the basic info.
Have a wonderful cruise!

 

[dsneygirl]

I brought a glass from my room with me most nights. We only had white so DH often ordered a glass or red. I also always bought the drink of the day.

I saw many, many people bringing their wine, beer etc into the dining room or the theatre every night.

 

[moet7]

You can also have it in your stateroom which they will bring the corking impliment, a wine bucket (that you can take as it has the DCL logo!)


Wow, really?? You are aloud to take the ice bucket they leave in your room that has the DCL logo on it? I know it's just plastic, but didn't know I was aloud to take it. Anyone else hear this? I guess I can just ask the Stateroom host when I cruise in June.

 

[Presentation]

You can also have it in your stateroom which they will bring the corking impliment, a wine bucket (that you can take as it has the DCL logo!)


Wow, really?? You are aloud to take the ice bucket they leave in your room that has the DCL logo on it? I know it's just plastic, but didn't know I was aloud to take it. Anyone else hear this? I guess I can just ask the Stateroom host when I cruise in June.

"Take" as in you can take it home after your vacation with out paying for it? This is not correct. It can't be.

Can a mod please confirm?

 

[moet7]

"Take" as in you can take it home after your vacation with out paying for it? This is not correct. It can't be.

Can a mod please confirm?

The post was written by a Castmember, unless I miss read it, but it sounded like they took the ice bucket home. I am sorry if I miss read the post and you just took the ice bucket with you just around the ship.

 

[trekygirl26]

I hope this info helps. At last the basic info.
Have a wonderful cruise!

Thank you so much! That was great information! I personally like the Disney experience too and we might find that it's too much of a hassle to bring our own onboard, but i wanted to get some info first before we decided.

 

[trekygirl26]

I brought a glass from my room with me most nights. We only had white so DH often ordered a glass or red. I also always bought the drink of the day.

I saw many, many people bringing their wine, beer etc into the dining room or the theatre every night.

I never thought about bringing it to the theater...great idea!

 

[nifferearly]

We were on the Wonder in Nov. I packed a corkscrew and brought an open bottle of wine to dinner each night and was not charged a corking fee. I asked my server if this was okay and he said "no problem". Yet another thing that makes DCL worth the extra money!

 

[Cheltenham]

Yes, you can carry wine onboard. You can't send it aboard in checked luggage, but you can carry it.

Is the restriction just on having wine bottles in checked luggage or is it any kind of wine container? In particular, could you put a small boxed wine in your checked luggage? (I have seen wine in fairly small wax-type containers -- like kids' juice boxes -- and which hold the equivalent of either three or six glasses of wine.) I would like to have some wine in my cabin but I am flying in that day and using Disney transportation to the dock, so I don't think I would be able (or want to bother) to buy wine in FL to carry on before boarding the ship.

 

[mmouse37]

Ok...you should not "take" anything home just because it has the DCL logo on it. I don't believe DCL intends the ice buckets as free gifts to take home so please don't do that. I believe he meant you can take the bucket around the ship with you.

The corking fee is not really imposed to "uncork" the bottle....it is more of a surcharge for allowing you to bring in your own booze. So, a boxed wine would more than likely also be charged as it is not the actual act of opening the wine, but drinking it in the dining room.

Anyone who was not charged the corking fee for bringing in their own bottle to the dining room was lucky and it was most likely due to your servers not wanting to upset you by telling you than there was a fee (which could equate into a lower tip)....but I am sure it did not go unnoticed by their superiors. Our head server knew immediately that there was a "non DCL" bottle on our table and we saw them speak to the servers to make sure the fee was charged.

DCL requests that all beverages be put in your CARRY ONS, not checked luggage. There have been reports that people who had beverages in their checked luggage were told that the product was confiscated and would be returned at the end of the cruise. It can really be a huge issue if something happened to a beverage in a suitcase....it would not only ruin that persons stuff but also anyones luggage and stuff around it. I am sure it is still being done but you run the risk of it being confiscated if found and returned at the end of the cruise...so you would not be able to enjoy it.

MJ

 

[brucechase]

deleted

 

[Cheltenham]

Ok...you should not "take" anything home just because it has the DCL logo on it. I don't believe DCL intends the ice buckets as free gifts to take home so please don't do that. I believe he meant you can take the bucket around the ship with you.

The corking fee is not really imposed to "uncork" the bottle....it is more of a surcharge for allowing you to bring in your own booze. So, a boxed wine would more than likely also be charged as it is not the actual act of opening the wine, but drinking it in the dining room.

Anyone who was not charged the corking fee for bringing in their own bottle to the dining room was lucky and it was most likely due to your servers not wanting to upset you by telling you than there was a fee (which could equate into a lower tip)....but I am sure it did not go unnoticed by their superiors. Our head server knew immediately that there was a "non DCL" bottle on our table and we saw them speak to the servers to make sure the fee was charged.

DCL requests that all beverages be put in your CARRY ONS, not checked luggage. There have been reports that people who had beverages in their checked luggage were told that the product was confiscated and would be returned at the end of the cruise. It can really be a huge issue if something happened to a beverage in a suitcase....it would not only ruin that persons stuff but also anyones luggage and stuff around it. I am sure it is still being done but you run the risk of it being confiscated if found and returned at the end of the cruise...so you would not be able to enjoy it.

MJ

Thanks for the info. To be clear, however, I did not ask about bringing the boxed wine to the dining room. As I had mentioned in my post, I was interested in having it for my cabin.

Also since my initial post I found that the FAQ on "Prohibited Items" on the DCL site says "any fragile items (including bottled alcohol) must be hand-carried on board..." A box is not "bottled" and the small box of the type I described in my earlier post is not particularly fragile, so I would tend to think it would not violate either the letter or spirit of the DCL regulations. The focus of the rule appears to be the fragile nature of bottles. (However it is true that as with any liquid placed in luggage, such as a large container of shampoo, or aftershave/perfume, or suntan lotion, the danger of leakage is a risk that has to be considered.)

 

[mmouse37]

Thanks for the info. To be clear, however, I did not ask about bringing the boxed wine to the dining room. As I had mentioned in my post, I was interested in having it for my cabin.

Also since my initial post I found that the FAQ on "Prohibited Items" on the DCL site says "any fragile items (including bottled alcohol) must be hand-carried on board..." A box is not "bottled" and the small box of the type I described in my earlier post is not particularly fragile, so I would tend to think it would not violate either the letter or spirit of the DCL regulations. The focus of the rule appears to be the fragile nature of bottles. (However it is true that as with any liquid placed in luggage, such as a large container of shampoo, or aftershave/perfume, or suntan lotion, the danger of leakage is a risk that has to be considered.)

Oh...I was not singling you out...someone else in the thread wondered if a boxed wine brought to dinner would be charged the corkage fee.....I responded to that, not to your post about the small box of wine.

I am sure there are gray areas as with anything in regards to the beverage thing....

MJ

 

[hconsidine]

So let's talk carry on, anyone use a rolling soft sided cooler without ice of course?

 

[brucechase]

So let's talk carry on, anyone use a rolling soft sided cooler without ice of course?

People do bring on a cooler, but if you follow the rules set forth by DCL, they are not supposed to. Here is the complete FAQ on prohibited items:

Prohibited Items
Question
What food or food storage containers are not permitted?
Answer
Food coolers containing personal snack foods and drinks may not be brought onboard. They are only permitted if needed for medications, baby food or items related to special dietary needs.

Homemade, pre-cooked or other perishable items plus any open snack containers cannot be brought on board. Limitations on permitted food items are directly related to concerns for food safety and contamination prevention.

Disney Cruise Line regrets that the crew members on board are unable to provide food preparation, refrigeration or storage for personal food or beverage items. Disney Cruise Line cannot verify the cleanliness of the environment in which pre-cooked or homemade food items were prepared, and so for the safety of all Guests and crew, these items are not permitted aboard the ship.

Personal bottle warmers are not permitted on board due to safety concerns. However, a limited number of approved bottle warmers and bottle sterilizers are available upon request through Guest Services. In addition, Guests can request hot water to be delivered to their stateroom at any time from Room Service.

Alcohol is permitted on board. However, be aware that any fragile items (including bottled alcohol) must be hand-carried on board in a day bag and/or carry-on bag, the dimensions of which cannot exceed 22" wide, 14" high and 9" deep. Guests who request a Wine Steward to open and serve a bottle of champagne, wine or liquor that has been brought onboard will be charged a corking fee of $15.00 per bottle.

Please be advised: Disney Cruise Line reserves the right to remove fragile items (including beverages) from luggage. In such cases, items will be stored and returned at the end of the voyage. Beverage containers are considered fragile and have previously caused damage in checked luggage. All fragile items must be transported inside carry-on luggage.