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Purchasing bottles of wine on board


STXer
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I have purchased a wine package on each of my last several cruises, and usually have good luck with them not running out of my preferred choices. However, if they do run out, sometimes they will offer something a little pricier as a substitute for what I usually order, and at the same price as the one I wanted, which I consider more than fair.

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We have had our alcohol delivered on a back to back which was fun! Mistakes happen:cool:

 

We love our wine and usually do 10 day cruises, so get the wine package. We are not very discriminating and so are content with most dry reds. The decision on the wine card is a no brainer if you are not really fussy about types of wine. Those who are knowledgeable and have strong preferences often carry on and pay the corkage. We carry on one bottle each and then buy the card.

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it is a quality issue. wines sold on the ship are ok but usually not outstanding. you may find some very fine wines in port and it might be worth $15 to bring that wine to dinner to enjoy. you may find some very fine wines from the area you are visiting and from the geographical area - like Europe. you might have a chance to visit a winery or a wine shop/cellar that has tastings. we found some fantastic roses wines in Bratislava, for example, that were made from several varieties of grapes. around $13 euros. so delicious. nothing like this can be found on the ship.

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can you only purchase the 'wine package' onboard? - and what does it include?
They are only offered on board. You can buy 7, 10, or 12 bottle packages. The Silver Package is $161 for 7 ($23/bottle), 210 for 10 ($21/bottle), or $240 for 12 ($20/bottle) and you get any bottle of wine up to $29. If you purchase a bottle that is more than $29 then you just pay the difference between the bottle cost and $29. There is also a Gold Package. I don't remember all of the costs but I believe it is $336 for the 12 bottle package ($28/bottle) and you get any bottle of wine up to $45. There is a 15% gratuity added to the packages just as there is a 15% gratuity added to individual bottles. There is no gratuity added to the price difference of the bottle over $29 or $45. If you buy wines that are mostly less than $38 or $39 a bottle then the Silver Package is probably the better deal.

 

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I was on the Athens to Athens trip on the Royal last year and was able to purchase a bottle of wine in every port and bring it back without any fee. The problem is, you don't know what you are buying and it could be hit or miss. Just ask some locals where to get wine. It was never a far walk and sometimes in a small grocery type of store.

The previous year I did the Barcelona to Rome trip and also was able to buy a bottle in ports and bring it on without charge. Laughably, the 5 Euro bottle of white I bought at the Andalusian Horse tour was FANTASTIC while the 19 Euro bottle in France was not to my liking. They are great to try out but if you really don't want to be disappointed, stick to buying brands you know on the ship.

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The wine package is not necessarily available even on cruises of more than 10 days - it was not offered on our September Star 15 night cruise. First time we've had that happen, and it did make buying wine more expensive. We would have brought more onboard if we had known in advance.

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If it is available and you purchase a wine package and you do not use all your punches on the punch card, can the punches be used on a subsequent cruise??

 

Good question - I don't think I have read that one before. I bet the answer is no though, and it doesn't work like a coffee card. Otherwise, may as well buy the largest package all the time.

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If it is available and you purchase a wine package and you do not use all your punches on the punch card, can the punches be used on a subsequent cruise??
We have had the package a number of times and it was only good on that cruise. Once we had an unused punch and brought a bottle home. Another time we had an unused punch a got a bottle for our friends staying on the next cruise as a B2B.

 

 

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