Wine on Solstice

We have the Classic Beverage Package as a perk with our booking for a South Pacific Cruise from Sydney in March next year.

I like my white wine/champagne as does the wife in the other couple we are travelling with - I drink mainly Chardonnay whereas our friend likes Reisling (or something else a bit sweeter) - would like to know, if possible, what the wines included in the Classic Package are like - are there any reasonable ones in the "up to $9" range?

Don't want to have to upgrade to the Premium if we don't have to as everything else seems to be fine - the spirits we all drink (except Wild Turkey for hubby) are included as are cocktails and Frozen Cocktails.

Thanks, Karen :)

Wine availability can vary from month to month, so what is a choice now may be gone when you cruise. There is no need to make a decision about a possible upgrade now. Wait until you are on the ship, check out the current offerings, and you can always upgrade then if you feel you need to.

When you get on board head for a quiet bar.....ask to sample a few of their wines in the classic package and see what you think. Once you try one you like you can then ask for it at other venues. Availability does vary from bar to bar but having one or two names of wines you like is an investment.

We had a complementary premium package on our last cruise and found a couple of wines we really liked and others we did not like. One of the Reds we really liked was on the classic list.

The big difference between the packages is if you want to have a slightly more expensive wine on premium you only pay the extra, on classic you pay the full amount.

I really suggest you do some sampling early so that you know if you need to upgrade or if you can find a few favourites.

Have a great cruise, we may be on the same one!

I believe they still have some of the wines we had last year on the Solstice, including a nice Benziger chardonnay and a German riesling (forgot the name) which were/are covered under the Classic package.

We just got off the solstice. The reislings in cellarmasters were not covered under the classic package. I can't remember if the o e in the dining room was or not. Wine selection is why we always upgrade.

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Thanks for the replies. That sounds like a great idea chemo, will try that.

We cruised on solstice earlier this year and are also cruising next March. Maybe same sailing?

We had the premium package however overheard from other guests on classic package that wine variety seemed fairly limited. One or two wine options for your main sauv blanks, one or two for Shiraz etc.

For us we found the small cost of $11 per day worth it to upgrade as it really opened up the variety of wines available throughout the ship with many more varieties to select from. The premium package also included molecular bar drinks and most premium drinks, sparkling water and also bottles water for port days.

We tasted endless variety of wines in Cellarmasters included in our package. It was also great in the MDR to ask the sommelier to wine match your meal as per your premium package and made dinner that extra bit more special.

Overall if say that if you are not fussed on what type of wine you drink and are for example happy with any glass of white wine, then the classic package will do the job, however if you do like variety and tasting new/different varieties, then upgrading would make the difference for you.

We really developed a taste for new wine blends on our solstice cruise and learnt so much from our experiences in Cellarmasters both at the wine events (at an extra cost) and also sitting and chatting with the sommelier while enjoying a pre dinner drink. As our main aim for the cruise was to relax, eat and drink well, this really helped make the cruise for us.

I've listed my review below if it helps answer any questions for you:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2192604

A great discussion everyone. My husband and I had the Preiun package on our last cruise and it was fantastic, you were teared like royalty at the bars with your gold card and the selections were superb. We have the classic package ( Free perk also ) this time and it seems good in relation to whats available, I guess we'll see the difference and decide which best suits on future cruises:)

Also remember you can carry on two bottles of your favorite! Cruisestitch is correct. Availability is certainly different in OZ compared to the US and will be different there in March of next year compared to today. Decide what you want then.

Also remember you can carry on two bottles of your favorite! Cruisestitch is correct. Availability is certainly different in OZ compared to the US and will be different there in March of next year compared to today. Decide what you want then.

If I was on the classic package I would be sure to BYOW to the max.

Wine availability can vary from month to month, so what is a choice now may be gone when you cruise. There is no need to make a decision about a possible upgrade now. Wait until you are on the ship, check out the current offerings, and you can always upgrade then if you feel you need to.

chemmo: Wine choices When you get on board head for a quiet bar.....ask to sample a few of their wines in the classic package and see what you think. Once you try one you like you can then ask for it at other venues. Availability does vary from bar to bar but having one or two names of wines you like is an investment. We had a complementary premium package on our last cruise and found a couple of wines we really liked and others we did not like. One of the Reds we really liked was on the classic list. The big difference between the packages is if you want to have a slightly more expensive wine on premium you only pay the extra' date=' on classic you pay the full amount. I really suggest you do some sampling early so that you know if you need to upgrade or if you can find a few favourites. [/quote']

 

Appreciate these two above excellent suggestions/comments. Both very smart!! Our experience was that certain of the "basic" wines were somewhat so-so and/or average. Much depends on what you expect, seek, want . . . and . . . can afford! My sense is that classic wines are kept at that "OK level" in order to get more people to spend added money for the higher-level drinks and/or packages.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Enjoyed a 14-day, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure, getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for more info and many pictures of these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 119,853 views for this posting.

I don't know how many loyalty points you have, but if you're elite, elite plus or zenith, you may not need a beverage package as the ship offers happy hours and several 20% off wine coupons. Since you're not going until next March, I'd keep an eye on prices and offers, you may be able to rebook and get a beverage package included. We just booked on our last cruise and got a premium beverage package included.