Bringing a bottle of wine on our Holland America Alaska cruise

Weekends until August will be quiet from me. We had our opening day at our Renaissance Festival today. It was good but I’m totally wiped out

OMG !!! It just did it again when I first replied to you. I was logged in, typed the reply, hit submit - then a blank screen. Guess what ? I had to log in again. Plus, first reply is in the cruiseline.com waste basket (or lost at sea). This is about the fifth post lost this past year. I do not recall being automatically logged off before.

Re: funnies. Please keep submitting. They usually make me smile. Best wishes.

Oh no! Sometimes I stay logged in all day. Other times I’m bumped after 3 hours. I’d be sad if you leave. No one else seems to share my funnies.

Here's is what is published at HAL's website FAQs:
"Alcoholic & Non-Alcoholic Beverages Brought Onboard
Revised Policy effective June 1st, 2021

Guests are not allowed to bring alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages on board for consumption or any other use except as follows:

Guests may bring Wine and Champagne onboard, however a corkage fee of USD $20.00 (which is subject to change without notice) will be applied to each bottle (max 750 ml in volume or less). Limitations apply. Wine brought in quantities deemed to be excessive by the vessel or security will be refused.

Wine purchased during company-sponsored shore excursions that visit local wineries are exempt from the on-board corkage fee (offer limited to one bottle of wine per person).

Items such as sodas, energy drinks or other non-alcoholic items are not allowed on board in any form. Plastic water bottles are not allowed. However, an allowance of six liters, twelve (12) cans or cartons (500 ml in volume or less) or six (6) cans or cartons (1 liter in volume or less) of water are allowed per stateroom. Any amount in excess of this allowance will be not be allowed onboard. Water in plastic bottles will not be allowed onboard in any quantity, including in ports of call. Guests will be asked to discard open beverages in plastic containers prior to boarding.

All checked and carry-on luggage will be scanned and any prohibited items, including alcoholic/nonalcoholic beverages will be removed, confiscated, and discarded. If Your luggage is locked, the lock may be removed by security or, alternatively, the luggage will be held by security until you can be present for an inspection and any items in question further identified and/or surrendered. Holland America Line shall not be responsible for any loss, cost, disappointment or damage of any kind as a result of any luggage lock removal, alcoholic/nonalcoholic items, or other prohibited items removed and discarded in violation of the policy. You agree to surrender alcoholic beverages that are purchased duty free from the ship's gift shop, or at ports of call, to Holland America Line, which will be delivered to your stateroom just prior to disembarking the voyage. Any wine or champagne supplied by the Holland America Line to you is not subject to a corkage fee. Purified or distilled water in factory-sealed containers (including plastic containers) for use in conjunction with medical device(s) are allowed in checked luggage and must be packed with the device(s). Distilled/purified water in factory-sealed containers (including plastic containers) for the reconstitution of infant formula is allowed in checked luggage for staterooms with infant bookings. Limitations apply. Allowances are subject to change without notice and remain subject to situational assessments by both security and the vessel.

An 18% Service Charge is automatically applied to all Beverage Purchases, Bar Retail Items, Specialty Restaurant Cover Charges and all For Purchase A La Carte Menu Items. Local Sales Taxes Applied where required."

As noted by you, they are not clear as to if the wine bottles need to be part of your carry-on bags or if they can be checked. But here is my interpretation: They allow either method but when in checked luggage the bottle(s) run the risk of triggering the scanner as possibly hard liquor container which will require a hand search of the bag to verify. In the case when a piece is flagged for additional search where the luggage is locked the Port Authorities doing the preboarding scans have the right to remove the lock by force (remember they are not the TSA and it's possible they will not have TSA keys for locks) and will not be held responsible for damage to the bag if that needs to be done. The alternative is they could send the bag to ship's security untouched and you spend time tracking down where it is being held that ship's security can do the hand inspection in front of you. Even if the checked bag is not locked it still could suffer an inconvenient delay on you receiving the bag because of the hand search.
So in my opinion carry-on is the better way to get your bottle(s) and bag(s) through security the fastest so not to impact your vacation time as much. That way as you pass through the terminal security you are right by the bag they may wish to hand inspect reducing any delay. But if physical unable to carry-on or don't have time between the airport and cruise terminal to transfer the bottle(s) from a checked bag to carry-on you are still allowed the option of leaving the wine in it's original checked bag, but to make minimize the delay on delivering that bag I would leave it unlocked.
As for the corkage fee (reality a surcharge for not purchasing one of the on board offerings) I have no direct experience with HAL, but NCL uses a similar policy of charging for personal wine as you board. Neither method of having the bottle(s) packed will save you from that charge, if the cruise line states could charge it when detected they will charge it to your on board account as soon as it shows on a scanner. But I will say, at least with NCL if they see just 1 bottle as part of your carry-ons for the entire cabin for a week long cruise sometimes, and only sometimes, you get somebody that is sympathetic and waives the fee.

From what I found, Holland will charge you a corkage fee ($20./) for a bottle brought aboard. I use Princess - one free bottle per person. I put it in my carry-on. Go thru the checks - all OK.

My recommendation. Carry-on means you pay a corkage fee. Packed baggage means you lose the bottle, or get a free bottle (after your cost). Try Rum Runners. I am 6 for 6.

Best wishes.

P.S. First time, I did not bring a corkscrew. The Cabin Steward brought me one. Now, I pack a cork screw. Also, now, I buy the drink package. Not that I use all the drinks, it is just I am worry free about drinks. Enjoy.,

I am starting to really HATE THIS SITE. I WAS LOGGED IN WHILE REPLYING. SENT, AND FOUND I WAS LOGGED OUT. FU CRUISELINE.COM !!!!!!

If it's like other Carnival Corporation lines, you want to bring it with your carryon luggage. If you put it in your checked luggage it mat be confiscated. We avoid corkage fees by opening it ourselves in our cabin, filling the "glasses "in our cabin then taking the "glasses" wherever we plan to go. Remember no glass "glasses" on the open decks (Lido, pool, etc,)