Newer Wine Package (Over) Analysis--aka Version 3

[LongTimeTvlr]

Just returned from an 11 night cruise on the Radiance.

Had the 5 bottle platinum package.

My wife and I only drink Red Wine.

We had the Kendall Jackson Cab and the Estancia Pinot Noir and they were excellent for the price.

I see they were also great bargains thanks to the great work on this thread.

I would warn you away from the Merlot as it was underwhelming in all regards.

The Malbec to our tastes was fine, which is to say I wouldn't take it over the Kendall or the Estancia.

We were very happy with the platinum package.

 

What I was not happy about was the "by the glass" pricing for Red Wines in the lounges. Best I could find was $9 a glass plus tip. Outrageous in my opinion. I actually specifically asked for the lowest priced glass of red wine they had several times over the 11 days and never had a glass less than the $9.

They had a Shiraz listed for $7 but they never had it.

 

I finally wend to the Windjammer, bought a couple bottles of Alice White Cab for $5.50 a bottle (mini bottle of couse), got a couple of wine glasses, took it back to the lounge (Colony Club usually as we are dancers) and poured my own. Saved $3 a glass.

They also have this available in the theatre and at the coffee shop on deck 5.

[galavant3]

There are three of us drinking wine and we usually have a bottle of red and a bottle of white open each night. What we don't finish, we'll save until the next night. One word of caution. It seems like the dining room staff likes you to finish your bottle and we have found that they fill the glasses too full and tend to try to keep topping off as you near the end of the meal. We didn't want to leave full glasses on the table nor did we feel like "chugging". Once we made it clear that our goal was not to finish two bottles each night, they took the hint and all was fine.

[navigator0709]

LongTimeTvl,

 

This is the first time I've heard of the mini-bottles of wine available. Thanks for the information. How mini are the mini's? :)

 

So, they are available in the Windjammer, Theater and Coffee Shop in Deck 5?

 

Good to know. $9 per glass plus tip is outrageous!

 

Can you only use your wine package in the dining room? We will be 4 adults, so would have no problem polishing off a bottle in the lounge (that's only 1 1/4 glasses each) if we could get it from the discounted wine package.

[navigator0709]

Is there a 16 bottle package? We are a group of 4 adults and could definitely drink that much wine with dinner in a week.

 

I know I can get a 12 bottle package then a 5 bottle, but that would mean that the per bottle price of the 5-bottle package would be $29 (Platinum) vs. $25 per bottle on the 12 bottle.

[critterchick]

There are three of us drinking wine and we usually have a bottle of red and a bottle of white open each night. What we don't finish, we'll save until the next night. One word of caution. It seems like the dining room staff likes you to finish your bottle and we have found that they fill the glasses too full and tend to try to keep topping off as you near the end of the meal. We didn't want to leave full glasses on the table nor did we feel like "chugging". Once we made it clear that our goal was not to finish two bottles each night, they took the hint and all was fine.

 

Their reviews are in part dependent upon how much wine they sell. We got to the point on Rhapsody where I wouldn't let the assistant waiter touch our wine - if I said, "just a little," he would dump in a good 6 ounces. And he'd pour out every last drop, including the sediment.:eek:

 

I remember reading something on the Oasis blog about training the waitstaff on wine pouring. I hope that's not what they did!

 

LongTimeTvl,

 

This is the first time I've heard of the mini-bottles of wine available. Thanks for the information. How mini are the mini's? :)

 

So, they are available in the Windjammer, Theater and Coffee Shop in Deck 5?

 

Good to know. $9 per glass plus tip is outrageous!

 

Can you only use your wine package in the dining room? We will be 4 adults, so would have no problem polishing off a bottle in the lounge (that's only 1 1/4 glasses each) if we could get it from the discounted wine package.

 

As I recall, the minis are 175ml bottles, so 1/4 bottle, good for a generous pour. The house wine in the bars (on Mariner, so I assume it's the same fleetwide) was Castle Rock at $6/glass for white or red, not sure of the type of red as I only had the Chardonnay (which was eminently swillable). I sailed Mariner when she first got the wine list and they hadn't stocked a lot of the wines yet. It's too bad they can't do it all at once - it can't be any fun for the crew to keep saying, "sorry, we don't have that one."

 

We've been able to get our wines in the Windjammer (Radiance class) as well. The bars have limited stock that doesn't include all of the wines in the package, so you might not be able to get your preferred wine in a lounge. But you can take a bottle anywhere, so you could take one to your cabin along with a few glass, pour it and then head to the lounge. Or, if you don't want to walk with full glasses, take the opened bottle and glasses to the lounge and pour it there.

[LongTimeTvlr]

Navigator,

 

Sorry for the slow response, still trying to catch up after two weeks on the Radiance.

 

I think Critterchick answered your questions. The Alice White bottles poured more than what I was getting by the glass at $9.

I never had a problem taking them anywhere on the ship.

 

I never tried it but I understand you can take bottles from the dining room to your room or other places if you want. They seemed to be very accomodating and flexible with where you could go.

[woof22]

I put in the new prices for the wine packages. Here's a new PDF.

RCI-WineDine-v4.pdf

[cruisingpluto]

woof22 - just wanted to say how awesome you are!!! i appreciate you taking out the time to do this =) thank you.

[Jolimont]

Thank you Woof22 for emailing me the files now let's see if I can make sense of them. Be patient, first time on RCCL and I'm bad with numbers.

 

So when I show up on the ship (or pre-booking on the web site) I get to make two choices:

 

1. Choose between Diamond, Platinum or Gold.

2. Choose how many bottles I want for the entire cruise.

 

Questions:

 

-Once I pick Gold I choose bottles from that list only or can I go down from Diamond for the same price (but not up from Gold for the same price)?

 

- If I picked 5 bottles but drink 7, do they just upgrade me to a 7 package or do I pay for a package of 5 and two more bottles at single list price?

 

-Can I have several bottles opened at the same time? Within the same meal, will they bring me a glass of white and a glass of red?

 

-If I'm having lunch in the dining room and want wine, can they bring me one of my bottles at lunch?

 

-I like to have a glass of wine in the dining room but before the meal arrives (it's called apéritif in France). On other cruises I had wine in my cabin (Carnival lets you bring 2 bottles) and I would arrive in the dining room with my glass and sip on it while waiting for menus and all the things that take place at the begining of a meal. I did this because finding a drink waiter and getting your wine takes a long time usually. What are the chances I can talk the drink waiter into having a glass of wine ready for me when I arrive? I'm thinking slim to none, but maybe I'm wrong.

 

-How much time does this wine service take? I think a nice amount of time for a sit-down meal is one hour, I'd rather skip dessert than sit around longer. So if I order a wine package will it force me to stay in the dining room longer?

 

-Is it possible to order a bottle of wine and have it delivered to my room so I can pour my own apéritif?

 

-Do lots of people drink wine on RCCL or is it mostly beer and cocktails?

 

Thanks!

[navigator0709]

woof22,

 

Thanks for posting the updated prices... I'm disappointed they went up so much!

 

Jolimont,

 

I can help with a couple of your questions.

 

I would suggest you bring one of your wine package bottles back to your cabin (allowed), and then just bring the full glass with you to the MDR while waiting for your table etc...

 

I think lots of people drink wine on RCL.

 

It wouldn't make sense to order Gold wines (cheaper) if you are buying the Diamond package. The analysis attachment shows that you will lose money (vs. the by the bottle prices) if you do this. Of course you CAN. You cannot order bottles from the Diamond package if you buy the Gold package.

 

Sally

[galavant3]

I put in the new prices for the wine packages. Here's a new PDF.

 

I am now confused. I just purchased a 7 bottle platinum and the price of 224.25 included the gratuity. Could it be that the Mariner is working off old price and wine lists?

 

New! Wine and Dine Platinum 7 Bottle *195.00 USDTotal Bottles: 7 Subtotal: *195.00 USDGratuity: *29.25 USDTotal: *224.25 USD

[critterchick]

Questions:

 

-Once I pick Gold I choose bottles from that list only or can I go down from Diamond for the same price (but not up from Gold for the same price)?

 

I don't understand this question...

- If I picked 5 bottles but drink 7, do they just upgrade me to a 7 package or do I pay for a package of 5 and two more bottles at single list price?

 

I have read where people who have purchased their packages onboard were able to upgrade to a larger number later. But if you pre-purchase it, then you can't do it because it's a separate bookkeeping system. Another reason not to do it in advance.

 

-Can I have several bottles opened at the same time? Within the same meal, will they bring me a glass of white and a glass of red?

 

Yes, you can, and yes they will.

 

-If I'm having lunch in the dining room and want wine, can they bring me one of my bottles at lunch?

 

Yes.

 

-I like to have a glass of wine in the dining room but before the meal arrives (it's called apéritif in France). On other cruises I had wine in my cabin (Carnival lets you bring 2 bottles) and I would arrive in the dining room with my glass and sip on it while waiting for menus and all the things that take place at the begining of a meal. I did this because finding a drink waiter and getting your wine takes a long time usually. What are the chances I can talk the drink waiter into having a glass of wine ready for me when I arrive? I'm thinking slim to none, but maybe I'm wrong.

 

Your assistant waiter is the one who will provide wine service, not the drink waiter. I would just bring a glass into the dining room with me as the other poster suggested.

 

-How much time does this wine service take? I think a nice amount of time for a sit-down meal is one hour, I'd rather skip dessert than sit around longer. So if I order a wine package will it force me to stay in the dining room longer?

 

Good luck with that. I've never gotten out of the dining room in less than 90 minutes. And yes, it will take them time to fetch a new bottle, which will likely add to the time.

The wine service in the MDR is horrible, IMHO. The waitstaff is evaluated in part on how much they sell, to they will pour your glass too full, keep topping it off and then dump the sediment into it in order to get you to order another bottle. Keep an eye on them.

 

-Is it possible to order a bottle of wine and have it delivered to my room so I can pour my own apéritif?

 

Some ships lets you order off the wine package through room service, but it was a pain when we did that a few years ago. I would just get an extra bottle at dinner (don't have it opened) and bring it back to my cabin. You can get wine glasses at any bar or room service will deliver them, along with a corkscrew and ice to chill down your wine.

 

-Do lots of people drink wine on RCCL or is it mostly beer and cocktails?

 

No idea. Do you really care?;)

 

Thanks!

 

You're welcome - hope that helps!:)

[Vercat067]

Woof 22! Thanks a lot for these sheets!!

[Jolimont]

Thank you for responding to my many questions!

[Dili33]

Wow! Thanks to all. If you wait till you are onboard to order wine package when and where do you do it?

[mpbmark]

Wow! Thanks to all. If you wait till you are onboard to order wine package when and where do you do it?

 

If memory serves, you won't be able to take more than 25 steps before the opportunity will present itself. Same with soda packages.

 

Also, I would wait to purchase on board to insure the wines you want are actually available in the package. Sometimes they run out, so it is best to check before purchasing a particular package. Can't do that if you purchase before boarding.

[LongTimeTvlr]

I just ordered the 5 bottle platinum package on Wednesday for our cruise in June on the EOS.

Price was $145 plus gratuity for a total of $166.75.

 

When do these new prices take effect?

 

We bought this same package in March on our ROS cruise and thought it was a great deal. But we drank the Estancia and the Kendall Jackson reds.

 

Our experience was that on nights that we had a bottle that was not finished the during the previous evening it was waiting for us on the table when we arrived, and there were glasses available so there was no wait.

 

You do have to manage the wait staff, they will pour at every opportunity.

 

They told us to put the cork in the bottle when we wanted them to stop pouring and this worked fine.

[Tricia1972]

Thank you so much for the list. I was seriously considering a wine package for our upcoming cruise, but as of right now it looks like the best we could hope for would be to break even. After reading this, I think we'll probably just order as we go. We like Riesling, and right now I am pretty happy that we like cheap wine. :D

[maweberpa]

I was thinking about the diamond package, because Condundrum is one of my favorite wines and it goes with everything. My fear though is there aren't many wines on the diamond list that actually save money. If they run out the next bottle I'd get is Ferrari-Carano Fume and that's only a $4/bottle savings. And there are certainly other cheaper wines I'd be fine drinking off the other lists (Chateau St. Michelle for example).

 

Is there anything to this deal that I'm missing? It seems, at least with the diamond level, most wines aren't cheaper and I'm not sure it's worth the risk if they run out of Conundrum. I should also say I'm not a fan of Charles Krug, so I doubt I would order that. The NZ pinot would probably be fine, but it's certainly not as versatile as Conundrum.

 

Am I over thinking this or is the diamond the riskiest of the choices?

 

Thanks for the input!

[AJD]

Someone was looking for this info.

 

John.

[mpbmark]

I was thinking about the diamond package, because Condundrum is one of my favorite wines and it goes with everything. My fear though is there aren't many wines on the diamond list that actually save money. If they run out the next bottle I'd get is Ferrari-Carano Fume and that's only a $4/bottle savings. And there are certainly other cheaper wines I'd be fine drinking off the other lists (Chateau St. Michelle for example).

 

Is there anything to this deal that I'm missing? It seems, at least with the diamond level, most wines aren't cheaper and I'm not sure it's worth the risk if they run out of Conundrum. I should also say I'm not a fan of Charles Krug, so I doubt I would order that. The NZ pinot would probably be fine, but it's certainly not as versatile as Conundrum.

 

Am I over thinking this or is the diamond the riskiest of the choices?

 

Thanks for the input!

 

IMHO, the Diamond package does not appear to be a good bargain. There are too many wines that cost more in the package. The Platinum package seems to be the best bargain, but the selection is mediocre at best.

 

This year, I'm buying by the bottle and avoiding the packages.

[foxesden1]

whoops wrong quote..

 

 

does this price include taxes/service?

[stainedglasslady]

Thanks for the info on the wine packages. I'm still undecided on whether to buy it by the package or by the bottle.

[Jax129]

Thanks for the wine list. I have spent wayyyyy too much time analyzing and thinking about it. I like really good wine and there are a few on the Platinum that I would enjoy but what if they are out?!! Plus, I think I would only end up saving about $30. So I think the safest bet would be to order by the bottle. I was planning on ordering a bottle one night not on the pkg deal anyway (for hubby's b-day....must have a great red) I think I am over thinking but it's nice to know I'm not the only one:D

[BlancaNoir]

Thank you!!!!! That is so awesome and very helpful! I love Conundrum! Also appreciate the advice re: waiting to order the package on the ship instead of before!

Blanca