at52299 Posted January 3 Report Share Posted January 3 When bringing a bottle of your own wine to the dinner table and it's a screw top, do you need to ask for wine glasses or are they already there? I don't want to have to pay a corkage fee. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxrunner Posted January 3 Report Share Posted January 3 We have only been charged a corkage fee once and it was in Chops. We brought in a nice unopened bottle and the waiter blamed the manager for the fee. No big deal. Now we open all bottles before bringing them in, request a corkscrew from your cabin steward. Wine glass should be on the table or nearby. Each ship has it's own rules around these type of situations so it is consistently inconsistent. With the screw top, have a little wine out of the bottle so it looks like it was opened elsewhere. The MDR will also hold your bottle for you if you are returning and we have never been charged for that. Generally we eat in the MDR and bring on two bottles of wine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wordell1 Posted January 3 Report Share Posted January 3 Corkage fees are VERY rarely applied in any of the restaurants onboard. I typically bring 2 bottles of wine and bring the full corked bottle to dinner and the waiter handles it the same as if I had ordered it. I understand that I could be charged, and would not be upset if I were - but it has only happened once, and that was very shortly after they added the fee. CrimsonCruiser and PPPJJ-GCVAB 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaryCS62 Posted January 3 Report Share Posted January 3 you can also ask your cabin steward for a corkscrew, and uncork it yourself, prior to going to dinner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ampurp85 Posted January 3 Report Share Posted January 3 You can ask for wine glasses from your steward, to avoid any possible fees. Unlike in specialty restaurants, there aren't usually wine glasses on the table in the MDR. CruiseGus 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted January 3 Report Share Posted January 3 In actuality, the corkage fee has nothing to do with whether or not they actually have to uncork your bottle of wine. Though the corkage fee is very rarely assessed, it could be applicable to any wine that you bring to a dining table at any restaurant on board a ship. It’s their way of penalizing you for bringing your “free” wine onboard. As others have said, it’s pretty rare but it can happen and it has nothing to do with opening your bottle of wine, whether you have a cork or twist cap. calvink669, PPPJJ-GCVAB, TXcruzer and 2 others 3 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jolly Ogre Posted January 3 Report Share Posted January 3 I have brought a bottle of wine and a bottle of Champaign on every cruise and have never been charged a corkage fee. And what if they did?? Who cares. Don't worry about it and enjoy your cruise. PPPJJ-GCVAB and WAAAYTOOO 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug_Texas Posted January 3 Report Share Posted January 3 4 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said: In actuality, the corkage fee has nothing to do with whether or not they actually have to uncork your bottle of wine. Though the corkage fee is very rarely assessed, it could be applicable to any wine that you bring to a dining table at any restaurant on board a ship. It’s their way of penalizing you for bringing your “free” wine onboard. As others have said, it’s pretty rare but it can happen and it has nothing to do with opening your bottle of wine, whether you have a cork or twist cap. Nicely said. Enjoy your wine you bring aboard in your cabin and walking around the ship. If you want a bottle in any restaurant I would purchase it from Royal. WAAAYTOOO and PPPJJ-GCVAB 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxrunner Posted January 3 Report Share Posted January 3 Although the fee is minimal and rarely enforced, it is very inconsistent. Which puts the staff in a bind and that is unfair. They allow you to bring on two bottles per stateroom and therefore shouldn't charge you corkage or should always charge you the fee. These are the nickel and dime tactics that degrade the overall experience. On a land based vacation we tolerate these tactics as it is part of the adventure. With cruising starting to cost as much as land vacations this becomes irksome. The thing I love about cruising is going away and that is cost certainty. Yes I've only been on 5 RCC cruises but have had a corkage fee once. The thread question was how to avoid the fee. This is a site dedicated to cruise hacks and I wish Royal didn't make us play these games. WAAAYTOOO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jill Posted January 3 Report Share Posted January 3 What if the wine is your amenity gift? So far we’ve brought our gift wine to chops and haven’t been charged but wondering if that wine would be exempt since Royal gave it to us Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted January 3 Report Share Posted January 3 32 minutes ago, Jill said: What if the wine is your amenity gift? No issue. Anything “gifted” to you by Royal is exempt from any corkage fee. PPPJJ-GCVAB, YellowBrickRoad and Jill 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitsmom Posted January 4 Report Share Posted January 4 Our last two cruises were on the Jewel of the Seas. I purchased wine thru Royal ahead of time and all the wine ordered was in our cabin when we arrived. However, the cabin steward did not have cork screws and they called the dinning room/room service people and they would only come to our cabin and open the wine for us!!! I took it down to one of the bars and they opened it for me. After that we just took a bottle down unopened to the dining room and they opened it can kept it for us the next night. From now on, I will take my own cork screw. I actually have a Royal Caribbean one that they gave us years ago so I will just bring that one. I even went down to Guest Services where they told me to take it to a bar to get opened....This has August 2022 and October 2023. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TXcruzer Posted January 4 Report Share Posted January 4 5 hours ago, whitsmom said: Our last two cruises were on the Jewel of the Seas. I purchased wine thru Royal ahead of time and all the wine ordered was in our cabin when we arrived. However, the cabin steward did not have cork screws and they called the dinning room/room service people and they would only come to our cabin and open the wine for us!!! I took it down to one of the bars and they opened it for me. After that we just took a bottle down unopened to the dining room and they opened it can kept it for us the next night. From now on, I will take my own cork screw. I actually have a Royal Caribbean one that they gave us years ago so I will just bring that one. I even went down to Guest Services where they told me to take it to a bar to get opened....This has August 2022 and October 2023. I have a corkscrew in my Dop kit that is never ever removed for this very reason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wordell1 Posted January 4 Report Share Posted January 4 On 1/3/2024 at 4:13 PM, foxrunner said: Although the fee is minimal and rarely enforced, it is very inconsistent. Which puts the staff in a bind and that is unfair. They allow you to bring on two bottles per stateroom and therefore shouldn't charge you corkage or should always charge you the fee. These are the nickel and dime tactics that degrade the overall experience. On a land based vacation we tolerate these tactics as it is part of the adventure. With cruising starting to cost as much as land vacations this becomes irksome. The thing I love about cruising is going away and that is cost certainty. Yes I've only been on 5 RCC cruises but have had a corkage fee once. The thread question was how to avoid the fee. This is a site dedicated to cruise hacks and I wish Royal didn't make us play these games. Royal clearly states the policy on their website. Note that it is actually all public areas that are subject to the fee. As @WAAAYTOOOstated above, it is not really about the waiter opening the bottle. If you want cost certainty, just expect to be charged and be pleasantly surprised when you are not. Even with the charge, you will be saving alot vs purchasing a bottle on the ship. I don't think Royal is in any way obligated to allow us to bring wine aboard in the first place, so I see don't see any of this as nickel and diming. Q Does Royal Caribbean charge a corkage fee? A Yes. Guests who consume their personal wine and champagne in public areas, will incur a $15 corkage fee per bottle. For more information on our alcohol policy, click here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxrunner Posted January 5 Report Share Posted January 5 12 hours ago, wordell1 said: I don't think Royal is in any way obligated to allow us to bring wine aboard in the first place, so I see don't see any of this as nickel and diming. We are just going to disagree about this. They don't enforce the policy consistently on board and ship to ship. I stated that Royal should charge the fee or not, as is their right. Why give us a cost savings and try and take a piece of it back, because it is nickel and diming. We enjoy the ability to bring wine aboard and not all lines allow it. If Royal would up their wine game just a bit we wouldn't bother. Most of what they serve inside of the drink package is OK but not what we enjoy at home. Trust me we aren't drinking expensive wine but it is much better than what is on the ships. TXcruzer 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ditchdoc Posted January 5 Report Share Posted January 5 Simple things ... bring your wine and cork screw with you. Open the bottle in your room and pour. Carry your glass to dinner if you like. The only down side is when your glass is empty. Doug_Texas and Gilley 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gilley Posted January 5 Report Share Posted January 5 11 minutes ago, Ditchdoc said: Simple things ... bring your wine and cork screw with you. Open the bottle in your room and pour. Carry your glass to dinner if you like. The only down side is when your glass is empty. That’s exactly what or I sometimes pour it in a tall tumbler. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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