Cellarmasters

How does the self service wine by the glass work in Cellarmaster? I read something about it on here but can't find it. When I was on the Silhouette I never tried anything in Cellarmasters and didn't know about this option. Please enlighten me, I may want to partake on my upcoming Eclipse cruise.

You buy a separate wine card from the bartender in Cellar Masters. You put whatever dollar credit amount you want on it. You insert the card in the wine cooler, pick a wine and size of the pour. You can buy a partial glass or a full glass of wine, measured in ounces. I just got off the Equinox, they had multiple dispensers. There are about 8 bottles per dispenser.

You buy a separate wine card from the bartender in Cellar Masters. You put whatever dollar credit amount you want on it. You insert the card in the wine cooler, pick a wine and size of the pour. You can buy a partial glass or a full glass of wine, measured in ounces. I just got off the Equinox, they had multiple dispensers. There are about 8 bottles per dispenser.

DH and I also purchased the wine card when we sailed on the Solstice and topped up the dollar amount as needed.

We had a great time trying some fantastic wines that we would not normally be able to afford. Some of the wines in the dispenser were ones we had only read about - so it was great fun and well worth trying! Enjoy!

How much does a full pour cost? What amount should we plan to put on the card ?

Cellarmasters also offers wines by the glass (not from the machines). There were a number that were within the premium beverage package.

Can you use the selfserve wine dispencer if you have the Prem-Drink Package?

Can you use the selfserve wine dispencer if you have the Prem-Drink Package?

No, you cannot. BUT, you can get many different glasses of wines in Cellermasters that are at the limit for the premium package. It's a lovely place with a premium card.

On our recent trip on the Summit you don't even need to buy a wine card. You can just use your SeaPass. Although I think they give you a few bucks off if you use a wine card.

On the Eclipse 2 weeks ago, they offered a bonus of $10 if you purchased $50, and $20 if you purchased $100. I bought the $50 card (plus gratuities) and got a value of $60. I found it very convenient to go in for a glass before dinner while I was listening to music in the atrium, or after dinner. I did bring my glass of wine to the dining room for dinner as well. The sommelier in Cellarmasters was very helpful.

On our Constellation cruise last year you just used your sea pass card - you didn't have to purchase a prepaid card as you do on some of the other ships.

Prices varied a lot from wine to wine.

We noticed the machines were not very busy at all. We decided to try them one evening early in the cruise and got a small sample of a very nice chardonnay we'd had a bottle of at Tuscan Grille the night before - I think it was Far Niente chardonnay. The wine from the enomatic dispenser was terrible! It didn't taste anything like the delightful bottled wine we'd had the night before. I'm guessing the enomatic dispensers keep wine fresh for a few days, or a week or two, after opening but not forever. So if the wines are not being consumed and replaced frequently enough they'll still go stale.

On our Constellation cruise last year you just used your sea pass card - you didn't have to purchase a prepaid card as you do on some of the other ships.

 

Prices varied a lot from wine to wine.

 

We noticed the machines were not very busy at all. We decided to try them one evening early in the cruise and got a small sample of a very nice chardonnay we'd had a bottle of at Tuscan Grille the night before - I think it was Far Niente chardonnay. The wine from the enomatic dispenser was terrible! It didn't taste anything like the delightful bottled wine we'd had the night before. I'm guessing the enomatic dispensers keep wine fresh for a few days, or a week or two, after opening but not forever. So if the wines are not being consumed and replaced frequently enough they'll still go stale.

You made a very good point here. I would not recommend that anyone sample wines from those machines. They just do not keep the wines fresh enough. You're better off asking for a sample of a wine you're interested in at the bar and then paying for a full glass if it's to your liking. Especially important for a Far Niente Chardonnay (one of my favorites!) :D

Gail

I tried the wine dispensers last January on Equinox. I wasn't overly impressed, and thought most of the wines very overpriced. I'm glad I tried it, but I wouldn't do it again.

Does the wine card allow for wines by the glass at Cellarmasters as well as from the enomatic dispensers?

Can you get a 'sample' or half glass of a more expensive wine using the classic alcohol package?

you can get many different glasses of wines in Cellermasters that are at the limit for the premium package. It's a lovely place with a premium card.

Thanks for that comment. I was planning to get the premium package however was concerned when I read comments on these boards that Cellar Masters was not included in the package. That would be a beverage package deal-breaker for me as we mainly drink wine - rarely spirits or cocktails and never beer. It appears these comments were perhaps just referring to the enomatic system wines and not poured wines. Excellent! :D

I was confused regarding this as the Celebrity website did not mention that Cellar Masters was excluded form the package under the "Where can I use my beverage package?" FAQ but several posters were saying you can't use your package there.

Cheers

Ando

Thanks for that comment. I was planning to get the premium package however was concerned when I read comments on these boards that Cellar Masters was not included in the package. That would be a beverage package deal-breaker for me as we mainly drink wine - rarely spirits or cocktails and never beer. It appears these comments were perhaps just referring to the enomatic system wines and not poured wines. Excellent!...

Ando - you final conclusion is correct: That you can can get wines by the glass from Cellar Masters (up to the $12/glass premium package list) but not wine from the enomatic machines.

However, if you are primarily wine drinkers and do not drink spirits, cocktails or beer, and if a limited wine selection would be a "deal-breaker" for you, then I would suggest you might consider waiting until you are on board and have a day to check out the wine selections. You can always buy the package on board at any point up until the last 2 or 3 days of your cruise and pay a pro-rated price. A lot of this depends on how selective you are about your wines.

Even with the expansion of the wine by the glass list in the past year it still seems to us that the selections of wine by the glass pales in comparison to the much broader and varied wine by the bottle list. On our last cruise we did not go to Cellar Masters at all, other than to walk through, so I can't comment on the current state of the wine list there. But on cruises in prior years I'd characterize the wine by the glass list (excluding the enomatic machines) in Cellar Masters as nice but not very large.

With the high price of the alcoholic packages and the emphasis on beverages with spirits and beer I think you'd have nothing to lose by waiting until you get on board to see if the available wines by the glass meet your needs before buying the package. There is nothing to say that you couldn't pay as you go for a day (or more) and then buy the package if you find the selection fits you. I know cruisers who think the selection is great and others who think it is too narrow and prefer buying from the much larger bottle list. Keep in mind that any wines purchased by the bottle do not have to be completed in one sitting on the ship but can be stored for the next day and/or sent to another dining area, lounge or your stateroom.

I tried the wine dispensers last January on Equinox. I wasn't overly impressed, and thought most of the wines very overpriced. I'm glad I tried it, but I wouldn't do it again.

They're not the value wines in the MDR. However, I found the selections far superior to a typical land-based restaurant (and even a few wine bars). I just used my seapass to purchase a half a glass of a very tasty Pinot Noir last year on the Equinox.

The only thing that irritated me was paying the 15% gratuity for a self-service glass!

We were on Silhouette in March and purchased the card for Cellarmasters machines. The opportunity was great, but the machines were not. The wine guy had to keep adding money to our card because the machines would not pour right. One time, we put the card in and the machine spewed wine out before we made our selection! Wine was everywhere. He tried it and it did the same. There were a couple of times that the machines indicated that the pressure was not right.

Would we do that again? I doubt it. We'll purchase by the glass at a bar and a full bottle in the MDR. We can experiment at one venue and appreciate at the other.

Jim

Ando - you final conclusion is correct: That you can can get wines by the glass from Cellar Masters (up to the $12/glass premium package list) but not wine from the enomatic machines.

 

However, if you are primarily wine drinkers and do not drink spirits, cocktails or beer, and if a limited wine selection would be a "deal-breaker" for you, then I would suggest you might consider waiting until you are on board and have a day to check out the wine selections. You can always buy the package on board at any point up until the last 2 or 3 days of your cruise and pay a pro-rated price. A lot of this depends on how selective you are about your wines

Larry - thanks for your very detailed comments. I have looked through the 2012 wine-by-the-glass lists and have identified quite a few wines that we would try, and hopefully like, so I think the package will suit us. But I had thought to do as you suggested and wait until we are onboard to purchase the package.

Cheers

Ando

We just returned from the Constellation's 15 night TA from FLL to AMS. We bought two Classic Alcohol packages. In reviewing our beverage consumption on this cruise, we found that we probably lost about $10 to $20 per day per person compared to purchasing beverages individually.

We're now booked on the Solstice 18 night voyage from SYD to HNL in April, 2013. We just received an offer from Celebrity to purchase a drink package for this cruise. The Classic Alcohol package for two people would cost $1550, which works out to about $43 per person per day, but this number is deceptive as it includes the debarkation day, when you are off the ship sometime between 0630 and 0930 - hardly an opportunity to gulp down a few beers or glasses of wine available on the package deal, assuming you could find one of the ship's bars open at that time of the morning.

When we realized that soft drinks cost only $2.30 per can (including 15% gratuity) and most popular beers and wines were about $5.00 (+.75 gratuity), and a wide range of spirits were below the $8.00 limit, we saw that our Constellation package was not cost effective unless you were such a heavy drinker that you probably have a serious drinking problem. So, no thanks, Celebrity. We'll pay by the drink on our next cruise.

We just returned from the Constellation's 15 night TA from FLL to AMS. We bought two Classic Alcohol packages. In reviewing our beverage consumption on this cruise, we found that we probably lost about $10 to $20 per day per person compared to purchasing beverages individually.

 

We're now booked on the Solstice 18 night voyage from SYD to HNL in April, 2013. We just received an offer from Celebrity to purchase a drink package for this cruise. The Classic Alcohol package for two people would cost $1550, which works out to about $43 per person per day, but this number is deceptive as it includes the debarkation day, when you are off the ship sometime between 0630 and 0930 - hardly an opportunity to gulp down a few beers or glasses of wine available on the package deal, assuming you could find one of the ship's bars open at that time of the morning.

 

When we realized that soft drinks cost only $2.30 per can (including 15% gratuity) and most popular beers and wines were about $5.00 (+.75 gratuity), and a wide range of spirits were below the $8.00 limit, we saw that our Constellation package was not cost effective unless you were such a heavy drinker that you probably have a serious drinking problem. So, no thanks, Celebrity. We'll pay by the drink on our next cruise.

I purchased the Premium Alcohol package for our Eclipse cruise; though I'm not a very heavy drinker and certainly don't have a drinking problem, in fact when not on vacation I rarely drink at all. I just about broke even considering that the package also includes coffee drinks, premium bottled water (of which I drink a lot), smoothies and freshly squeezed juices, and that the Molecular bar drinks (my favorites) are $12 each. I also enjoyed not having to sign for every drink purchased, the convenience of this made it worth any small amount I may have lost by purchasing the package.

My wife and I had a great experience with the Enomatic machines in Cellar Masters on the Silhouette in May-June. We bought a card on embarkation day and got a great discount...I think about 20%. We loved being able to try different wines by the glass or half glass and not having to agree on one bottle to share. We got wine there nearly every day before going to the main dining room.

The prices were no more inflated than the wine-by-the-glass elsewhere on the ship. We had no bad experiences in terms of wine quality, though one day it did not dispense my full glass of wine even though there was some left. Fortunately this occurred when Cellar Masters was staffed, and he quickly filled my glass to more than a full serving.

If you go when it is staffed and think there is a stale wine, I'm confident (as a fellow passenger told me) that they will try it and confirm the "offness" and replace the bottle.

I believe I read that the Silhouette has more bottles in Enomatics than the other ships (though I expect Reflection will have at least as many), so this could improve utilization of the concept (since there is more variety) or could lead to more "staleness". I imagine that the type of cruise may affect the amount of wine vs beer vs cocktails, too, leading to more or less turnover. I know we drank more wine on our Mediterranean cruise than we expect to drink on our Caribbean cruise which seems to be more cocktail appropriate!

It would irritate me as well to have to pay 15% grat. from a self serve machine. I remember when I was on the Equinox a couple of years ago, I purchased a set of wine glasses from one of the boutiques and was charged the gratuity. When I asked why they said it was because the glasses belonged to a collection from one of the bars, not a good reason IMO, I ended up returning the glasses. They'll get you whichever way the can. :(

They're not the value wines in the MDR. However, I found the selections far superior to a typical land-based restaurant (and even a few wine bars). I just used my seapass to purchase a half a glass of a very tasty Pinot Noir last year on the Equinox.

 

The only thing that irritated me was paying the 15% gratuity for a self-service glass!

It would irritate me as well to have to pay 15% grat. from a self serve machine. I remember when I was on the Equinox a couple of years ago, I purchased a set of wine glasses from one of the boutiques and was charged the gratuity. When I asked why they said it was because the glasses belonged to a collection from one of the bars, not a good reason IMO, I ended up returning the glasses. They'll get you whichever way the can. :(

I'm not sure I get your argument regarding the gratuity for the self service machines. It's not like the machines maintain themselves or replace the bottles all by themselves, someone (bar staff) has to do that, so you are getting service.

I'm not sure I get your argument regarding the gratuity for the self service machines. It's not like the machines maintain themselves or replace the bottles all by themselves, someone (bar staff) has to do that, so you are getting service.

Would you pay gratuity to the guy that stocks your candy/soda machine???