Wine of the Day

Having cruised a few times on Azamara it has always been the case that if you did not like the wine offering of the day, you could always ask for one of the wines from the other days.

According to friends currently on Quest, this is no longer the case.

If you do not like the wine of the day, you can not have any alternative pour.

The only option is to buy a bottle of wine.

I have not read any comments on this - is this a new policy?

I cannot see any logical reason why this should be the case - it doesn't save any money, although could cause people to buy wine.

I certainly haven't heard of this before. Are the people on the Quest sure this is happening or is it a misunderstanding?

If this is a new policy it would be very sad.

Having cruised a few times on Azamara it has always been the case that if you did not like the wine offering of the day, you could always ask for one of the wines from the other days.

 

According to friends currently on Quest, this is no longer the case.

 

If you do not like the wine of the day, you can not have any alternative pour.

 

The only option is to buy a bottle of wine.

 

 

 

I have not read any comments on this - is this a new policy?

I was on Quest in November and was in Windows one evening when I asked a waiter, on the off chance, for a previous day's wine. The sommelier came to see me, bringing a new bottle of the requested wine. He explained that they were happy to serve it as they had some left; he then opened the bottle for me and left it within view so that I could request top ups ( which I, of course, felt obliged to do!). Excellent service!

I was on Quest in November and was in Windows one evening when I asked a waiter, on the off chance, for a previous day's wine. The sommelier came to see me, bringing a new bottle of the requested wine. He explained that they were happy to serve it as they had some left; he then opened the bottle for me and left it within view so that I could request top ups ( which I, of course, felt obliged to do!). Excellent service!

Yes, that is how it used to be, but I believe as of this week's cruise this is no longer the case. They have been told by GR that this is new orders from 'head office'.

I have found Quest to be far more focused on pushing sales and touting for revenue than Journey. I commented on the excessive attempts to upsell after my August cruise. I board again tomorrow, it will be interesting to see if this policy applies still.

Maybe Bonnie could clarify for us all

Yes, it would be helpful if Bonnie could clarify the situation.

If this is a new policy, I fail to see the point of it. It can hardly be a cost-saving measure as the wines are already on board and have always been easily accessible.

If the purpose is to sell wine then not only does it go against the Azamara more-inclusive philosophy but it will be one of those creeping decisions that start to put people off as they start to see a move downmarket.

However, let's wait and see if we get clarification

It must be very new, it certainly wasn't the policy in Nov/Dec.

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Recently off a B2B on the Journey, and that was certainly not the case. Except for the first day of a cruise (due to customs laws, etc.) we had no trouble obtaining wines from previous days. Sometimes the waiters had to go to another venue to get a bottle, but it was never a problem.

As other recent cruisers have reported this was not the case on our November Journey voyage.

If true this would irritate me intensely because it is a petty penny pinching measure.

As other recent cruisers have reported this was not the case on our November Journey voyage.

 

If true this would irritate me intensely because it is a petty penny pinching measure.

Agree completely. Don't know if the reason for such a step would be penny pinching or avoiding having wait staff hunt down bottles served on prior days.

Will be very unhappy if this is the case. Does not make sense

As other recent cruisers have reported this was not the case on our November Journey voyage.

 

If true this would irritate me intensely because it is a petty penny pinching measure.

Also agree with you, this would be very irritating if it does turn out to be correct.

We were on the Journey leaving Nov. 25 from Barcelona. I remembered that it was possible to request previous wines, and did so frequently and was never refused. There were times when I could not be specific and just asked for a previous wine and the server was able to say what was available. As a result, we often had several reds, whites, and roses to choose from. We were very happy campers. One of my favorite things about this very recent Journey crossing.

Respectfully, this post was about changes on the Quest sailing from Singapore to Bali on Dec 12.

What happened on other cruises last month or last year is not in question.

It is the 'changes' that were made last week which are being questioned.

Now that UKTog is on board hopefully she can report back as to the situation; and if necessary take steps to make them see the negative feedback that this change is having already on the CC community (and other cruisers!)

Respectfully, this post was about changes on the Quest sailing from Singapore to Bali on Dec 12.

What happened on other cruises last month or last year is not in question.

It is the 'changes' that were made last week which are being questioned.

 

Now that UKTog is on board hopefully she can report back as to the situation; and if necessary take steps to make them see the negative feedback that this change is having already on the CC community (and other cruisers!)

Lesley,

You are right of course. This is obviously a very recent change and not for the better.

I hope someone currently on Journey lets us know if this has been implemented there too. Seems likely doesn't it?

Think this is a very short sighted move from Azamara. Why annoy cruisers over something so paltry?

Having cruised a few times on Azamara it has always been the case that if you did not like the wine offering of the day, you could always ask for one of the wines from the other days.

According to friends currently on Quest, this is no longer the case.

If you do not like the wine of the day, you can not have any alternative pour.

The only option is to buy a bottle of wine.

I have not read any comments on this - is this a new policy?

No, there is NO new policy! Here's what I received in response from our hotel management:

"There has been no change to policy. Our policy is, and has been, that we have one white and one red each day, and that is what we serve. If a guest asks for a wine from a previous day, wait staff will inform them that we will see if we have an open bottle available. If we have an open bottle we will serve it, but we are limited in how much stock we can keep in the bars each day, so if a requested wine is not open and available we can not serve it."

Thanks, Bonnie, that is very re-assuring - as ever you come up with the goods!

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No, there is NO new policy! Here's what I received in response from our hotel management:

"There has been no change to policy. Our policy is, and has been, that we have one white and one red each day, and that is what we serve. If a guest asks for a wine from a previous day, wait staff will inform them that we will see if we have an open bottle available. If we have an open bottle we will serve it, but we are limited in how much stock we can keep in the bars each day, so if a requested wine is not open and available we can not serve it."

If this has been the policy, we've been extraordinarily fortunate, as we have asked at least a hundred times for wine from a prior day and not once been refused. I could be wrong, but I'm pretty certain the bottles brought to the table were not always already opened.

Will be interesting to test this come February.

If this has been the policy, we've been extraordinarily fortunate, as we have asked at least a hundred times for wine from a prior day and not once been refused. I could be wrong, but I'm pretty certain the bottles brought to the table were not always already opened.

 

Will be interesting to test this come February.

Absolutely agree with this. We have often politely asked for a specific wine from the past few days choices and have always had an unopened bottle served to us. I would NOT enjoy the wine from a bottle that may have been opened several days previously! :(

The only difficulty has been if the wine we request has not yet been brought out of the storeroom, but even then we are offered other options. Personally I dislike the Portuguese wines so I often ask for a Shiraz or Merlot instead on their day.

I am glad that it isn't going to be a new policy Bonnie...because I would have to seriously reconsider my cruising options.

I would NOT enjoy the wine from a bottle that may have been opened several days previously! :(

As Lottie wrote, one can understand not digging into the stores for a wine that hasn't been served yet and only serving wines that have already been brought up to the dining rooms. But opened bottles from days gone by? Yuck. Any alleged sommelier should know better.

If this has been the policy, we've been extraordinarily fortunate, as we have asked at least a hundred times for wine from a prior day and not once been refused. I could be wrong, but I'm pretty certain the bottles brought to the table were not always already opened.

 

Will be interesting to test this come February.

Thank you Bonnie for your reply.

I too have always had new unopened bottles of wine bought to me :rolleyes:....therefore I do suspect that there has been a tweeking of the policy, but at least we now have this in writing.

I have let my friends from the 12/12 cruise know.

Absolutely agree with this. We have often politely asked for a specific wine from the past few days choices and have always had an unopened bottle served to us. I would NOT enjoy the wine from a bottle that may have been opened several days previously! :(

The only difficulty has been if the wine we request has not yet been brought out of the storeroom, but even then we are offered other options. Personally I dislike the Portuguese wines so I often ask for a Shiraz or Merlot instead on their day.

 

I am glad that it isn't going to be a new policy Bonnie...because I would have to seriously reconsider my cruising options.

Lottie,

Has any of the excellent wait staff ever said to us 'I'll just see if I can locate an open bottle' when we have nicely requested an alternative wine?

And as most of the time we drink red if this were the response from the wait staff I suspect one of us would politely suggest that we would prefer not to have it, although I find it hard to believe that the professional staff would ever suggest such a thing in the first place.

This is all very curious.

Lottie,

 

Has any of the excellent wait staff ever said to us 'I'll just see if I can locate an open bottle' when we have nicely requested an alternative wine?

 

And as most of the time we drink red if this were the response from the wait staff I suspect one of us would politely suggest that we would prefer not to have it, although I find it hard to believe that the professional staff would ever suggest such a thing in the first place.

 

This is all very curious.

Hazel....it is far more likely that the lovely crew would bring us TWO unopened bottles of our favoured red, as they know we could certainly manage to dispose of them! Well, we are on our holiday after all! :D

The policy has not changed. Perhaps the interpretation of the policy on-board the ships has been left to the individual waitstaff or bar managers.

Recognizing this is not what you want to hear, but I would venture a guess that with the 'airing' of this individual interpretation things will tighten up. After all, we are not an all-inclusive line.

Here's what the website says:

"Our inclusive amenities feature select standard spirits, international beers, and a changing selection of one red and one white wine by the glass each day throughout your voyage.

To take advantage of this incredible treat, simply visit one of our ship bars or dining rooms and we're sure you'll find something to quench your thirst. Please note, the complimentary beverages listed below are not available for room service."

https://www.azamaraclubcruises.com/booked-guests/onboard-packages/complimentary-beverages

And of course we do sell wine by the glass, bottle or by the Wine Packages:

https://www.azamaraclubcruises.com/booked-guests/onboard-packages/beverage-packages

I´ve also asked several times in the Dining Room or at the Pool Grill, which we prefer for lunch for a special wine.

Most of the times, I´ve got the wine, I asked for. But I was also told, that they have this special one only very limited for the rest of the cruise and that they could serve it only for a few days more and than I have to change ot another wine.

Never got an openend bottle, always new bottles. I like this kind of service and looking forward to it for march.