padgman1

Sorry, but I have to ask…. How long was your cruise? How many suitcases did YOU bring?

You must be Australian...

At the prices that suites are going for now, I would expect to get ANY alcoholic drink I wanted that the ship offered by the glass, wine or spirit, not just the ones under a certain price point....

I would LOVE to serve myself at bars, would ensure generous pours of what ever I wanted ! (Yes, I do understand this means no bar service, still...)

It seems by reading the entire thread here that bourbon selections have been mostly miss or nonexistent. Are other liquors ( scotch, gin, vodka, rum, etc.) been just as miss or nonexistent? And if not, why bourbons and not other liquors? I would think more vodka and rum is being consumed on cruises then bourbon.

In reading this thread, the best advise that comes to mind was written by Shakespeare 500+ years ago..."Much Ado About Nothing." I follow the policy suggestions for dress. If Celebrity does not care to enforce policies, I am NOT in a position to do it for them.( For that matter, neither is anyone else). Now, if you come into the MDR loud, obnoxious, and inebriated, I will approach staff to come talk to you. THAT does bother me.

Tignanello for ~ $80 ??? Wow...

Everything on the internet is partially true... BTW, how is the wine/liquor supply in your area? I live in a small town so wine is scarce but liquor choices are good...

15 year olds would not be drinking Maker’s Mark in the first place as it is 50-100% more expensive than the Jim Beam or Jack Daniel’s that they DO buy to mix with their Coke/Diet Coke/Red Bull to imbibe behind the bleachers. Trust me, no 15 year old drinks any spirit neat ( and they don’t drink coffee black either).

Now that you have identified yourself as someone with some wine knowledge, would be interested in: 1. Availability of listed wines - any trouble getting wines you order. 2. Impression of wine choices - representative from areas listed or are better choices around the same price level available ( if you were in charge of wine purchasing). 3. Condition of wine - you have stated that initial wine offerings were "off," would be interested if you continue to have such troubles going forward. Sounds promising for you that the sommelier at dinner was able to suggest wines with menu offerings.

I am not the most tech savvy, sorry.... let's try again...the wine list is on post #38 on this page

For comparison sake, here is a complimentary wine list from the Regent board from one of their newest ships ( Splendor): Regent wine list.htm

Such a package probably cost 2 arms and 3 legs...along with a couple of ponies...

There is not enough of those bourbons to have any cruise lines stock them regularly, if at all. Bourbons they could stock regularly (with multiple varieties) include Knob Creek , Four Roses, Elijah Craig, and 1792. Heck, even Wild Turkey 101 and Makers 46 would be nice. Then have one super premium bourbon like Col. Taylor, Bookers/Bakers, Blantons, or other and have a surcharge for it .

What would people be willing to pay for a drink package that contained $30-40/ bottle wines and $ 50-70/ bottle bourbons and scotches as “all you can drink” selections? The cost might be more per day than your room cost…in the Retreat. I do agree with Whinenowine, a third drink package level with more interesting and appealing bourbons/scotches/whiskeys would be welcome. Don’t knock Makers’ Mark too much or my father ( production manager in the 1990’s and early 2000’s) might haunt you from the grave…

Why didn’t ‘t you call ?… you do have my phone number, right ?😉

I agree with what you say...unfortunate ( ?pitiful) that they did not have any options by the glass above $15/glass available... When does your Labor Day 2000 Bordeaux wine party start ?

Good to know, as this has not always, or even as recent as 1 year ago, been the case...

In reading the responses in this thread, several things stand out... (1) Celebrity is having difficulty keeping stock of wines listed on menu, esp. in Premium range. This is probably both a supply chain issue for these wines along with a Celebrity procurement problem. It would be nice to know the REAL issue. Perhaps Celebrity needs to hire a negociant ( or several negociants) for the company to alleviate this problem. (2) Different ships have different stock available ( or not available). This sounds like a Celebrity supply side issue. Ships within Celebrity should be able to replenish their stocks relatively equally if managed appropriately. Anyone with said experience in such matters want to apply for this position? (3) Many people have the same preferred taste in wine - Cab Sauvignon for red, Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay for white, good French champagne. This greatly limits choices for said people as most gravitate to the same reds/whites which then leads to severe shortages or outages. (4) Many people who enjoy wine, esp. those posting on this thread, enjoy relatively expensive wines, listing for $40 and up for reds and $25 and up for whites. Cruise ships will NEVER stock (many/any) wines in this price range for general consumption on included wine lists. Please look on all the luxury line threads concerning this and they all " whine" about this as well. Suggestions.... (1) Bring your own. With the recent increase from 2 bottles per cabin to 2 bottles per person noted on the website by others, this will help individual situations. Of course, you still need to open the bottles in your room to avoid the corkage surcharge... (2) Pay the upcharge for wines offered that are in your preferred taste profile. Somewhat of a pain, but at least you get to enjoy what you WANT. (3) Branch out and try something new or different. What do you have to lose if it is on the included lists? Contrary to others' opinions, there are drinkable, even enjoyable wines on the included lists - they are just not "the usual suspects." (4) Retreat/suite cruisegoers, ask the Luminae sommelier what they can get for you by the glass in your taste profile. They have more leeway to offer wines "off the printed menu" that may be in limited stock for per glass consumption. (5) Get a bottle of "the good stuff" off the menu. It's vacation ! Maybe the Food and Beverage Manager on each ship could give a lecture on how food and beverages are currently procured so everyone interested would know a little more about the process ( and how difficult it may be to stock favorite wines).

So sorry for your loss. Don’s knowledge and insight will be missed on this forum.

I also have had the 1982 Cos d'Estournel (in 1994 at a dinner in Nashville) - exquisite. Also had the 1991 ( good, not great year for Bordeaux) at family function - good wine for under $50 at the time...

I was quoted a rate on an Aqua Sky Suite on the spring 2023 Apex TA to Amsterdam from a major online agency that did not include perks ( gratuities/premium wifi/premium drink package/$400 pp OBC)... these perks added over $2000 to the individual price...