Wine Package on Caribbean Princess?

A while ago I read that there were 7, 10, and 14 bottle wine packages available. However, I do not see anything listed on the Princess website except for the regular beverage packages. Could someone who has recently been on the Caribbean Princess let me know if they saw wine packages for purchase on board? Thanks.

Princess has never promoted their wine packages on their website & have limited promotion on cruises I've sailed. While a few have posted purchasing on 7-day cruises, generally it's only available on 10 day or longer cruises. Not being available on every cruise is the reason they've told me why it's not on their website. Although there are other things that are not available on every cruise that are promoted on their website so I don't understand why they don't promote their wine packages. :confused:

Here are the details of the wine packages which have been available on all of our longer cruises & the length of your cruise would determine whether it'll be available on the Caribbean or not.

The details on the wine packages are:

 

Note: A 15% gratuity is added to all package prices (like any other bar purchase).

 

Silver Package (wines up to $29 per bottle list price)

7 bottles -- $161 (average of $23 per bottle)

10 bottles -- $210 (average of $21 per bottle)

12 bottles -- $240 (average of $20 per bottle)

 

Gold Package (wines up to $45 per bottle list price)

7 bottles -- $217 (average of $31 per bottle)

10 bottles -- $290 (average of $29 per bottle)

12 bottles -- $336 (average of $28 per bottle)

 

You get a punch card which can be used at any of the dining locations.

 

You may choose any wine on on the regular wine menu. If you want to buy a wine that costs more than what the package covers, you just pay the difference. For example, if you have a Gold package and buy a wine that costs $46, the charge for $46 will appear on your stateroom account, followed by a $45 credit

AstroFlyer: Thanks for the great information. Our cruise is a 10 day Panama Canal cruise, so hopefully a wine package will be available. I'm sure it's probably too early to call Princess and inquire, but I will definitely check with them a couple months before sail date. Again, thanks for taking the time to respond.

AstroFlyer: Thanks for the great information. Our cruise is a 10 day Panama Canal cruise, so hopefully a wine package will be available. I'm sure it's probably too early to call Princess and inquire, but I will definitely check with them a couple months before sail date. Again, thanks for taking the time to respond.

You're welcome & the wine packages are great for us. Calling Princess won't help & even onboard I've been told it wasn't available. That headwaiter was eager to instead sell us the expensive (nearly $60/day) AIBP.

Our dining room staff gladly sold us the wine package so that's where I'd recommend purchasing it on the first evening. They provide our wine & have been told that there's some benefit for the seller such as extra time off in port.

Great advice....thanks! I will wait until we are on the ship and get with my dining room servers.

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Other cruise lines offer the wine package to be pre-purchased online. With Princess (out of Florida especially) the fact that there is no guarantee that it will be offered, even on a longer cruise, is what will stop me from ever getting it. :mad: Why risk it with Total Wine available?

Other cruise lines offer the wine package to be pre-purchased online. With Princess (out of Florida especially) the fact that there is no guarantee that it will be offered, even on a longer cruise, is what will stop me from ever getting it. :mad: Why risk it with Total Wine available?

If, like RCCL, Princess allows only 2 bottles per stateroom to be brought on board and charges a $15 to $20 corkage fee Total Wine won't work for us. Two bottles will get us through two nights, then we would have to purchase for the other 8 nights. Wine packages have worked for us in the past.

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If, like RCCL, Princess allows only 2 bottles per stateroom to be brought on board and charges a $15 to $20 corkage fee Total Wine won't work for us. Two bottles will get us through two nights, then we would have to purchase for the other 8 nights. Wine packages have worked for us in the past.

 

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Each adult passenger can bring one 750ml bottle without any fee to be consumed in the cabin & if taking it to a dining room there's a $15 corkage fee added. You're not limited to 2 bottles of wine & can bring as many other bottles of wine as you want to carry onboard which are subject to a $15/bottle fee that can be consumed anywhere on the ship. That generous policy is one of the many reasons that Princess provides us with our best cruise experience.

The procedure is frequently discussed on this forum about how it's enforced which can vary. I plan to pay corkage on additional bottles & even when it's not charged then it usually will be charged when we take it to a dining room. We've also openly brought on a couple of bottles from ports & haven't been charged a fee which we usually pay in the dining room...so they either get it sooner or later from us. :wine-glass:

We enjoy the wine packages & for us it's like a cruise long wine tasting to discover some new types of wine. And for several years the wine package has been available on every Princess cruise of 10 days or longer that we've sailed. Based on my experiences, it's highly unlikely that the wine package will be unavailable for your cruise. But that's merely my comfort zone & yours might be different. ;)

If, like RCCL, Princess allows only 2 bottles per stateroom to be brought on board and charges a $15 to $20 corkage fee Total Wine won't work for us. Two bottles will get us through two nights, then we would have to purchase for the other 8 nights. Wine packages have worked for us in the past.

 

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I agree that the wine package works.... my frustration is not knowing for sure that it's an option.

With a reasonable $15 corkage on Princess and a bit of research, Total Wine works quite well for us (often with better wine for the same price point). But I would certainly prefer the option of a guaranteed wine package.

If the wine package was offered on our 12-day British isles cruise last month on the Caribbean Princess, it was not well publicized.

If the wine package was offered on our 12-day British isles cruise last month on the Caribbean Princess, it was not well publicized.

Unfortunately the lack of promotion has been common on most of my cruises but they have been available on our longer cruises.

Astro Flyer,

Thanks for sharing.

Tony

Each adult passenger can bring one 750ml bottle without any fee to be consumed in the cabin & if taking it to a dining room there's a $15 corkage fee added. You're not limited to 2 bottles of wine & can bring as many other bottles of wine as you want to carry onboard which are subject to a $15/bottle fee that can be consumed anywhere on the ship. That generous policy is one of the many reasons that Princess provides us with our best cruise experience.

 

The procedure is frequently discussed on this forum about how it's enforced which can vary. I plan to pay corkage on additional bottles & even when it's not charged then it usually will be charged when we take it to a dining room. We've also openly brought on a couple of bottles from ports & haven't been charged a fee which we usually pay in the dining room...so they either get it sooner or later from us. :wine-glass:

 

We enjoy the wine packages & for us it's like a cruise long wine tasting to discover some new types of wine. And for several years the wine package has been available on every Princess cruise of 10 days or longer that we've sailed. Based on my experiences, it's highly unlikely that the wine package will be unavailable for your cruise. But that's merely my comfort zone & yours might be different. ;)

Having not sailed Princess before, I was unaware that we could bring more than 2 bottles on board and pay for corkage for the bottles over the 2 allowed. Thanks for that info!

Agreed with the lack of promotion of wine package on Princess. On RCL, there was a table set up by stairs in common areas selling their wine package...easy peasy.

On our 17 day TA this year, we had to purchase from our very busy server during dinner. Not the best for him or us as he was rushed, I was rushed trying to decide which package although I had searched first here on CC so had the main idea.

Problems were several tho

--you always needed the punch card with you. (I forgot one nite..had to go to customer service the next day with said card, they had to look on my folio to see I purchased a bottle, then find a punch to punch card, refund, etc etc) To me it should somehow be linked to your card.

--Sabitini had different wine list but could use the card there which was ok

--we do anytime timing and while we tried to stick to the same dining room, sometimes we were moved to the other room by the staff. We often had a bottle open from the nite before. First question would be where did you dine last nite and then the servers would have to go find our bottle. One nite they said we 'must have finished it'...and I knew we had not. I think it was 'resolved' by them giving us a glass of wine. Not cool.

--hubby drank white and I drank red so we usually had TWO bottles on the go which was very confusing for the staff....after them 'losing' the bottle that nite, I started to keep track on paper what bottles were left open and where.

--we used some of our wine package bottles and took unopened to Vines and they were happy to store them there so we could enjoy 'our' wine with their tapas appies and the quiet atmosphere Vines offer each evening pre dinner. Problem would be if EVERYONE did that as they don't have that much space to store....Vines cannot 'sell' you your package wine which is unfortunate as that would be a better solution but I'm sure there is a good reason why not.

We always bought a better wine that the silver package roughly an additional $5 per bottle so in the end I think we saved $50 total. Not sure it was worth all the hassle and I doubt we will do again.