Wine question, buy my own or go for the package?

I like my wine and I know that I couldnt do 14 nights without any (it is my honeymoon too :)). So I have three choices

1. All Inclusive Package. this is far too expensive at £625 for the whole cruise and even I cant drink that much wine!

2. Buy the wine package, at a fraction of the AIP around £200-300 for 12 bottles which has the corkage and gratuities included (still a bit pricey for me)

3. Buy my wine at the supermarket (where I normally get it from at £6 - £7 per bottle) and pay $15 corkage per bottle.

If I go for option three, is there a specific way I must pack the bottles and arrange the fee, how do they know the corkage is paid etc has anyone done this before?

If you are going to buy 6BP-7BP wines and then pay corkage, you are better off getting the wine package. After converting pounds to dollars, your sunk cost per bottle will be around $24 per bottle. After getting two bottles on for free, an additional 12 bottles will cost you $288. If you drink your free bottles in a dining room, a corkage fee will be added to each bottle and your cost will now climb to $318. For that amount of money you can get the wine package and the quality of the wines will be at least as good as what you are buying at a supermarket for 6BP. Plus, it is much easier than lugging 12-14 of your own bottles onto the ship. Taking that many bottles of your own wine only really makes sense if your goal it to have access to wine that is of higher quality than what can be sourced on the ship. As a general rule...if you are happy with the quality of the wines on board, drink the wines on board. If you want aged wines or high end wines, bring your own.

We have tried the wine package several times; unfortunately, we were very disappointed. I checked the wine list before I got them; however, when I tried to order something we liked I was told it was out of stock! The drink package does not include the better wines.

If you are going to buy 6BP-7BP wines and then pay corkage, you are better off getting the wine package. After converting pounds to dollars, your sunk cost per bottle will be around $24 per bottle. After getting two bottles on for free, an additional 12 bottles will cost you $288. If you drink your free bottles in a dining room, a corkage fee will be added to each bottle and your cost will now climb to $318. For that amount of money you can get the wine package and the quality of the wines will be at least as good as what you are buying at a supermarket for 6BP. Plus, it is much easier than lugging 12-14 of your own bottles onto the ship. Taking that many bottles of your own wine only really makes sense if your goal it to have access to wine that is of higher quality than what can be sourced on the ship. As a general rule...if you are happy with the quality of the wines on board, drink the wines on board. If you want aged wines or high end wines, bring your own.

Aha that makes sense, If the package is available....should be as its a 14 night cruise I think I will just go with the package and bring my two free on for in my room....I am assuming any that I dont consume on board I can take home with me? Blimey! Im gonna be swaying without the motion from the ocean :D

Buy your own.

If you are sailing from a port close to home and/or you are fussy about your wine - bringing your wine COULD make sense. But if you have to fly or aren't fussy - go for the wine package. It gives you an opportunity to try new wines, maybe find some new favorites (Wild Horse Pinot Noir - is now a favorite of mine) And yes you can bring home the extras :) I was quite pleased with the process on my last cruise.

We have tried the wine package several times; unfortunately, we were very disappointed. I checked the wine list before I got them; however, when I tried to order something we liked I was told it was out of stock! The drink package does not include the better wines.

I have never had this experience. In 13 Princess cruises I can't remember ever being told a wine on the list was not available. We get a bottle every night. I have read other posts complaining about out of stock issues, but they seem to be on cruises that had specific situations (e.g. heading to dry dock or repositioning). Regardless of the reason, being out of stock is not the norm.

I have purchased the wine package at least 4 times and have never been disappointed. I think JimmyV provided good analysis and advice.

Enjoy your cruise and Cheers!! :D

Buy your own.

Why? If you are going to buy $8-$9 bottles of grocery store wine, you can just as easily drink what the ship sells. The hassle of buying and transporting two cases of low end wine isn't worth it. Plenty of that available on the ship.

Why? If you are going to buy $8-$9 bottles of grocery store wine, you can just as easily drink what the ship sells. The hassle of buying and transporting two cases of low end wine isn't worth it. Plenty of that available on the ship.

While I agree with you in principle, my own assessment goes with the cruise itineraries. For Mexico, Hawaii and the Caribbean we go as you describe, bringing our own and getting a package on the ship. When we travel to or from Europe, the values change. We want to try the local wines and it is worth it to us to be prepared to pay the corkage fee for the privilege.

Life is too short to drink cheap wine.

I always bring my own, and it no hassle to carry on a case or less.

Your rooms are ready when you board, so just drop it off and begin enjoying the ship.

While I agree with you in principle, my own assessment goes with the cruise itineraries. For Mexico, Hawaii and the Caribbean we go as you describe, bringing our own and getting a package on the ship. When we travel to or from Europe, the values change. We want to try the local wines and it is worth it to us to be prepared to pay the corkage fee for the privilege.

And I agree with you in principle...to a point. Trying the local wines and paying corkage is a fine strategy when you are swimming in the $20+ pool. But if you are buying $8-$10 bottles on shore and paying corkage, you still aren't getting the quality or typicity that provides a local education. European countries make cheap, bulk wines too. More than the U.S. in fact.

Maybe you can bring your favorite bottle of wine onboard. Then buy the wine bottle onboard so less trouble in transporting them.

The ship selection is terrible, very limited and (naturally) way way overpriced. So bring your own aboard - after all, why go cheap when you are on a cruise? Bring your favorite good wines and enjoy!

And I agree with you in principle...to a point. Trying the local wines and paying corkage is a fine strategy when you are swimming in the $20+ pool. But if you are buying $8-$10 bottles on shore and paying corkage, you still aren't getting the quality or typicity that provides a local education. European countries make cheap, bulk wines too. More than the U.S. in fact.

Several times when buying unfamiliar wines in that price range in port I've been very disappointed in them; wines that cost that amount & are sold in the $25-$30 range on the ship have generally been good. If wine purchased onboard isn't good for me then I have some recourse unlike wine that's purchased in port. Thus I'm less likely to gamble on purchasing wines in that price range to bring on the ship to pay corkage.

For me there are enough new types of wine that the package works like a cruise long wine tasting. I've discovered a couple of new types of wine that I now enjoy at home. The wine list has enough choices for me to find 7-12 bottles that we want to enjoy. And I've never experienced a shortage of inventory when purchasing the wine package several times.

When driving to the port I'm more likely to take my favorites from home; when flying to unfamiliar wine regions I primarily use the wine package & get a few bottles in port. I'm familiar with Italian wines & will purchase many bottles from stores to enjoy during the cruise.

These are some of the factors I consider when deciding which is my best way to enjoy wine daily on a cruise. It's good to have options so each of us can determine which is our best one.

We brought 2 bottles on board for drinking in the cabin. And for dinner we bought bottles off the wine list and found them good enough and very reasonably-priced, better prices than we have found on other lines.

Buy and bring your own. I was very disappointed with their white wine selections!!

We brought 2 bottles on board for drinking in the cabin. And for dinner we bought bottles off the wine list and found them good enough and very reasonably-priced, better prices than we have found on other lines.

I've had the same experiences & on RCI had to get a wine package to reduce the price to the Princess per bottle prices. And when purchasing a Princess wine package it's even less expensive on Princess.

Several times when buying unfamiliar wines in that price range in port I've been very disappointed in them;

It's surprising how many people don't get this. Imagine that you are from Iceland taking a West Coast Wine Country Cruise and you are anxious to try California wine for the first time. So when you get to a port stop in San Francisco or Santa Barbara you pick up a few bottles of Woodbridge or Fetzer wine for $6 a bottle. Do you really think that you are getting wine that is representative of what California can provide, and are you getting wine that is going to provide you an education in California wine? Buying cheap local wine in Europe or South America is no different than buying cheap, bulk wine in California. Cheap, mass-produced wine is cheap, mass-produced wine. The ship's inventory is almost always a better option than $7 bottles of shore-bought wine that then get assessed another $15 surcharge. Sure, your sunk cost is only $22 instead of $35. But in most instances, the $35 wine on the ship will be better and more interesting.

The ship's inventory is almost always a better option than $7 bottles of shore-bought wine that then get assessed another $15 surcharge. Sure, your sunk cost is only $22 instead of $35. But in most instances, the $35 wine on the ship will be better and more interesting.

I concur & that's been my experience.