Wine package: Not a good deal !

[rubens]

Thanks to Sloop-John B I was able to find out the prices of the different wines in the "taste of the vineyards - classic package" and was not happy with what Celebrity is offering:

 

The best price is for 7 bottles: $ 251.86 which means an average of $ 35.98 each bottle

 

here are the prices for the wines in this package:

 

TASTE OF THE VINEYARDS

 

********************

CLASSIC PACKAGE

 

 

Sparkling Wine

$ ?? Bouvet Signature, France (price not found, but should be less than $ 30.-)

 

White Wines

$ 35.- Chardonnay, Penfolds, Koonunga Hill, Australia

$ 35.- Vouvray, Michel Picard,Loire, France

$ 24.- White Zinfandel, Beringer, California

$ 45.- Sauvignon Blanc, Villa Maria, Private Bin, New Zealand

$ 26.- Sauvignon Blanc, Murphy Goode, California

$ 35.- Chardonnay, Santa Ema, "Select Terroir", Chile

$ 29.- Riesling, S.A. Prum, "Essence", Germany

$ 30.- Pinot Grigio, Fantinel, Borgo Tesis, Italy

Rose Wines

$ 31.- Gaga Rose, by Kendall-Jackson, California

 

Red Wines

$ 35.- Malbec, Luigi Bosca, "La Linda", Argentina

$ 35.- Cabernet Sauvignon, Beringer, Founder's Estates, California

$ 35.- Pinot Noir, Matua, New Zealand

$ 35.- Garnacha, Altovinum, "Evodia", Spain

$ 35.- Zinfandel, Renwood, Sierra Foothills, California

$ 35.- Tempranillo, Condesa de Laganza, Spain

$ 35.- Syrah , Chateau Ste. Michelle, Washington

$ 35.- Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Crest "H3" Horse Heaven, Washington

$ 35.- Merlot, Sebastiani, California

 

so appart from the Sauvignon blanc Villa Maria all wines are 35.- or lesser

 

Can someone tell me what the profit is on this package where the price per bottle is $ 35.98 ?

 

Is Celebrity aware of this ?

[Karen@Steve]

I believe the wine package include the tip which is a 15% added to the cost of the bottle. So essentially you are saving 15% with the package, perhaps more if you order a few bottles of the most expensive wine ($45).

[rubens]

I believe the wine package include the tip which is a 15% added to the cost of the bottle. So essentially you are saving 15% with the package, perhaps more if you order a few bottles of the most expensive wine ($45).

 

 

sorry tips are not included. X website clearly says " A 15% service charge will be added to Soda, Wine, Water, Classic and Premium Package prices at checkout. "

 

also I am not going to order 7 bottles of the same wine in order to make some profit :-)

 

I could easily make a choice of 7 nice wines from the extensive wine list (not from the package) for less than $ 210.- in total (30.- on average)

[DonRobertoSanJuan]

Thanks to Sloop-John B I was able to find out the prices of the different wines in the "taste of the vineyards - classic package" and was not happy with what Celebrity is offering:

 

The best price is for 7 bottles: $ 251.86 which means an average of $ 35.98 each bottle

 

here are the prices for the wines in this package:

 

TASTE OF THE VINEYARDS

 

********************

CLASSIC PACKAGE

 

 

Sparkling Wine

$ ?? Bouvet Signature, France (price not found, but should be less than $ 30.-)

 

White Wines

$ 35.- Chardonnay, Penfolds, Koonunga Hill, Australia

$ 35.- Vouvray, Michel Picard,Loire, France

$ 24.- White Zinfandel, Beringer, California

$ 45.- Sauvignon Blanc, Villa Maria, Private Bin, New Zealand

$ 26.- Sauvignon Blanc, Murphy Goode, California

$ 35.- Chardonnay, Santa Ema, "Select Terroir", Chile

$ 29.- Riesling, S.A. Prum, "Essence", Germany

$ 30.- Pinot Grigio, Fantinel, Borgo Tesis, Italy

Rose Wines

$ 31.- Gaga Rose, by Kendall-Jackson, California

 

Red Wines

$ 35.- Malbec, Luigi Bosca, "La Linda", Argentina

$ 35.- Cabernet Sauvignon, Beringer, Founder's Estates, California

$ 35.- Pinot Noir, Matua, New Zealand

$ 35.- Garnacha, Altovinum, "Evodia", Spain

$ 35.- Zinfandel, Renwood, Sierra Foothills, California

$ 35.- Tempranillo, Condesa de Laganza, Spain

$ 35.- Syrah , Chateau Ste. Michelle, Washington

$ 35.- Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Crest "H3" Horse Heaven, Washington

$ 35.- Merlot, Sebastiani, California

 

so appart from the Sauvignon blanc Villa Maria all wines are 35.- or lesser

 

Can someone tell me what the profit is on this package where the price per bottle is $ 35.98 ?

 

Is Celebrity aware of this ?

 

The same goes for the red wines in the Premium Wine Package. All the reds available in the package cost $35 when purchased in the MDR, but cost at least $44 in the package. The whites in the Premium package are a better deal.:rolleyes:

[4774Papa]

Rubens, Where did you find the individual wine prices?

[Lsimon]

We've never considered the wine packages but for a different reason. We usually have a bottle of wine each night, or sometimes a bottle split over two nights. The wine packages only include a handful of wines and sometimes only include one wine of a given variety and because of the nature of the packages all the wines selected are in the same price range.

 

We like being able to order from the far greater selection available on Celebrity's general wine list. Also, some nights we'll enjoy some modestly priced wines and other nights we'll treat ourselves to something special at a higher price point - something that isn't an option if you are committing to a package price for all, or most, nights of your cruise.

 

It appears that something's gone amiss on Celebrity's updated wine list and pricing with the packages, but even in the past the small discount offered by the packages wasn't worth limiting ourselves to the wines on the package list in our opinion.

Edited February 17, 2012 by Lsimon

[happy cruzer]

We did the math too and agree with Rubens findings. Not a deal.

[ghstudio]

The current pricing reminds me of celebrity cruise fare specials...$1700 pp with a $300 OBC per cabin....or the next week $1850 pp...or "x day special" $1750pp including prepaid gratuities. Some of the offers from celebrity are just laughable when you figure out that the amount you pay is exactly the same.

 

I am sure that we will soon see a $35 bottle of wine sold as a BOGO for $70

[SusieV]

It seems this has changed. Last December the wine packages were build your own, and save 15% off any 3 or more bottles that cost $75 or more. I was trying to figure out how that could be a bad deal if you were already going to buy wine in that price range anyway until I saw your post.

[patty1955]

BevMo charges $3.99 for the White Zinfandel, Beringer, California

[CHEZMARYLOU]

It seems this has changed. Last December the wine packages were build your own, and save 15% off any 3 or more bottles that cost $75 or more. I was trying to figure out how that could be a bad deal if you were already going to buy wine in that price range anyway until I saw your post.

 

I think and hope the Build Your Own is still available, it is just not a "package", you can order any wine from any wine list. If you typically order wines priced above $75 and know you will be ordering at least 3 bottles then getting the 15% discount on each is a good deal. One bottle that we ordered was $175. We saved $26.25 on it with the Build Your Own. We saved $36.00 on a $240 bottle of wine and $45.00 on a $300 bottle. Even on the $75 wine you will save $11.25. In effect, the 15% discount paid the automatic tip.

 

Mary Lou

[Char]

Thanks to Sloop-John B I was able to find out the prices of the different wines in the "taste of the vineyards - classic package" and was not happy with what Celebrity is offering:

 

The best price is for 7 bottles: $ 251.86 which means an average of $ 35.98 each bottle

 

here are the prices for the wines in this package:

 

TASTE OF THE VINEYARDS

 

********************

CLASSIC PACKAGE

 

 

Sparkling Wine

$ ?? Bouvet Signature, France (price not found, but should be less than $ 30.-)

 

White Wines

$ 35.- Chardonnay, Penfolds, Koonunga Hill, Australia

$ 35.- Vouvray, Michel Picard,Loire, France

$ 24.- White Zinfandel, Beringer, California

$ 45.- Sauvignon Blanc, Villa Maria, Private Bin, New Zealand

$ 26.- Sauvignon Blanc, Murphy Goode, California

$ 35.- Chardonnay, Santa Ema, "Select Terroir", Chile

$ 29.- Riesling, S.A. Prum, "Essence", Germany

$ 30.- Pinot Grigio, Fantinel, Borgo Tesis, Italy

Rose Wines

$ 31.- Gaga Rose, by Kendall-Jackson, California

 

Red Wines

$ 35.- Malbec, Luigi Bosca, "La Linda", Argentina

$ 35.- Cabernet Sauvignon, Beringer, Founder's Estates, California

$ 35.- Pinot Noir, Matua, New Zealand

$ 35.- Garnacha, Altovinum, "Evodia", Spain

$ 35.- Zinfandel, Renwood, Sierra Foothills, California

$ 35.- Tempranillo, Condesa de Laganza, Spain

$ 35.- Syrah , Chateau Ste. Michelle, Washington

$ 35.- Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Crest "H3" Horse Heaven, Washington

$ 35.- Merlot, Sebastiani, California

 

so appart from the Sauvignon blanc Villa Maria all wines are 35.- or lesser

 

Can someone tell me what the profit is on this package where the price per bottle is $ 35.98 ?

 

Is Celebrity aware of this ?

That amount you posted... 7 bottles: $ 251.86 ... are you sure the tip is not included? That's an odd amount for a before tip total since the prices quoted have no "cents".

Edited February 17, 2012 by Char

[rubens]

Rubens, Where did you find the individual wine prices?

 

here's the full list with prices:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1566983

[rubens]

$ 251,86: For sure this is correct price from Celebrity website it also says:

" A 15% service charge will be added to Soda, Wine, Water, Classic and Premium Package prices at checkout. "

[trainnut]

I agree - tips are NOT included. I just ran a straw purchase - total cost is $284.70 for 7 bottles in the classic package, for an average of $40.67 per bottle. A $35 bottle of wine with 15% added is $40.25, so unless you want to drink Sauvignon Blanc every night, this is NOT a bargain!

[gskimmel]

We did the wine package where we chose 3 bottles of the "middle grade" wines for $130 (plus the 15% tip). The bottles in this package range from $30-45. As it turns out, the 3 bottles we chose were $45 a piece so we saved $5. I don't think we will do this again because I felt "obligated" to select the most expensive bottles in order to feel that I wasn't throwing money away.

[Sloop-JohnB]

BevMo charges $3.99 for the White Zinfandel, Beringer, California

 

TO PATTY1955,

 

Interesting...

 

BUT not truly relative to the conversation at hand IMO...

 

As the Cruiser cannot buy from BevMo when he is in MDR... :rolleyes:

 

And even if he had purchased from them, and had the bottle in hand... he'd still be faced with a $ 25 Corkage Fee... so that would bring the bottle of the White Zinfandel up to $ 29... which is certainly in line with the prices in this the Classic Package.

 

Cheers!

[Sloop-JohnB]

Hi Rubens,

 

I guess it comes down to the law of averages...

 

As you've determined...

 

7 Bottles = $ 251.85 US (and I did confirm this myself by looking at my own Reservation on the Celebrity Website, and doing a mock purchase)

 

That would average out to an payment price of $ 35.98 per bottle

 

(Do note that the majority of wines on the list are indeed $ 35 a bottle)

 

I also added up all the wines on this list (that you priced out) to determine their average price... that came out to $ 33.61

 

So one can assume that "on average", Celebrity is going to make $ 2.37 EXTRA per bottle... or $ 16.59 EXTRA per package

 

--- --- ---

 

That said, it can still be a good deal, if one sticks with the higher end wines... vs the lower end ones.

 

The 3 Bottle Package = $ 113.85 US

 

But if you purchase the $ 45 Sauvignon Blanc, plus 2 of $ 35 Wines, you've saved yourself $ 1.15 ;) :D :rolleyes:

 

--- --- ---

 

Although some would also argue that when it comes to Beverage Packages there is also an "element of convenience" as well...

 

Some buy these various Beverage Packages, because it is another element of their cruise that they can pay for in advance, and not have to worry about added expenses when aboard the ship (something to be said for that)

 

--- --- ---

 

Honestly, it is a good thing you've done the math*...

 

One of the best things about the CC Website is how this sort of info can be shared with others.

 

--- --- ---

 

*NOTE - I too am not 100% sure that the prices quoted are NOT INCLUDING TIPS... something tells me that that was something I have read previously from others in regards to advance wine purchases / packages from the Celebrity Website. Hopefully someone who has actually bought one of the Wine Packages will be able to confirm one way or the other.

 

On the otherhand, the Celebrity Website is NOTORIOUS for having errors on it... so truly the best point of reference is going to be someone who has done this recently (since the 2012 Wine List & Bevvy Packages were ammended)

 

Hope this is (somewhat) helpful,

 

Cheers!

 

*************************************

 

EDIT - HOT OFF THE PRESSES !!

 

I looked at the Website one more time...

 

They advertise the Wine Packages on their Beverage / Wine Page as follows...

 

Taste of the Vineyards FROM $ 99 US

 

http://www.celebritycruises.com/onboard/tabLanding.do?pagename=onboard_beverage_packages&cS=SIDENAV

 

And lo and behold...

 

If you take $ 99 US and add on 15%... then you get exactly $ 113.85

 

Which is the price for the 3 Bottle Classic Package... (the cheapest package in the Taste of the Vineyards)

 

So there you have it...

 

WINE PACKAGE PRICES LISTED ON THE WEBSITE DO INCLUDE THE 15% TIP

 

So now it makes a world of sense... the more bottles you buy within a package... the more you save.

 

Lol, I told you the Celebrity Website was a mess... and difficult to use / comprehend... no better example than this one.

 

Lol, and on that note, here is something else you should be aware of...

 

The Website also has a way of "doubling" the 15% Tip when one typically buys a Package... which is SUPER CONFUSING... so although your paperwork might look messed up when you order... infact one is billed correctly...

 

Worst thing is this "computer glitch" has been around a long long time... really poor customer service that Celebrity hasn't gotten around to fixing it !!!

 

*************************************

Edited February 18, 2012 by Sloop-JohnB
EDIT to add EDIT NOTE

[rubens]

:confused: Indeed, Sloop John-B this is very confusing

 

All depends if tips are included or not but you are right with calculation: 113,85 less tips is 99,- and also 251.85 less tips is 219,- which indeed would be a 1O % saving

 

"trainut" wrote this:

"I agree - tips are NOT included. I just ran a straw purchase - total cost is $284.70 for 7 bottles in the classic package, for an average of $40.67 per bottle. A $35 bottle of wine with 15% added is $40.25, so unless you want to drink Sauvignon Blanc every night, this is NOT a bargain!

 

the website always mention:

" A 15% service charge will be added to Soda, Wine, Water, Classic and Premium Package prices at checkout. "

 

so someone should clarify this.

 

Maybe Host Andy could call X to have the correct prices (included or not)

 

to be continued...

[Hlitner]

What we find even more interesting is the way that Celebrity (and some other cruise lines) mark-up wines. Most of the wines in the wine package are available for retail for about $10 per bottle. However, unlike restaurants who often get very little discount on wines and must also pay taxes, the cruise lines are able to negotiate very good volume discounts and buy all their wine tax free (this can be done through bonded warehouses). So the actual cost of a $10 bottle of wine (at retail) probably costs the cruise line around $6. That $6 wine is then marked-up to about $35 or nearly a 600% mark-up. Compare this to many restaurants where wine mark-ups are routinely in the 200 - 300% range. Yes, it is the way it is but those are just the facts.

 

Hank

[Lsimon]

What we find even more interesting is the way that Celebrity (and some other cruise lines) mark-up wines...

 

Frankly, I'm not at all surprised at pricing of wine, or other alcoholic beverages, on board. However I would be really shocked (like this :eek:), but in a good way, if they priced the wine at retail discount pricing on board rather than at prices typical of a higher end lounge or restaurant.

 

I'm also not surprised that they are taking advantage of their discounts to get huge mark-ups. They are in business for making a profit and I;ve never seen anything that would leave me to believe that their strategy is to use the leverage of their huge buying power to pass along discounts to their customers.

 

Personally, I've always found their prices on board to be comparable to bars and restaurants around the Chicago area and in fact favorable when compared to higher end places around town.

 

With that said I'm a bit disappointed at the price increases on the new wine lists for a lot of our favorite wines. Looks like we might have to cut back a little on those special bottles we sometimes splurge on during a cruise.

Edited February 18, 2012 by Lsimon

[FrankinPA]

First of all, the price of wine is whatever the buyer is willing to pay. With the economy causing many people to dine at home versus restaurants, there is and has been a glut of wine on the market for the last 3-4 years. So wines by the larger producers are going at lower prices than they were a few years ago even though their transportation cost had gone up dramatically.

 

So if you don't buy the wine, it will go down in price.

 

For Celebrity, they are going to sell for it for whatever they can get. But there are some good deals if you want to also dine in the speciality restaurants. The Savory Package includes three bottles of wine and three dinner reservations for two people. The reservations would normally cost $240 (2 people x 3 dinners x $40). The total cost (including gratuities) of the Savory package is $279. So you have paid $39 for three bottles of wine from a list that is much better than the one the OP posted. And the wines are served in Riedel glasses - not the generic glasses in the MD. On our last three cruises, we had this package twice and it was a very good deal, if you are going to eat in the speciality dining room.

[FrankinPA]

Here is the wine list offered as part of the wine and dine Savor package. I pulled this down from the Celebrity website and it is the list we had on our recent cruise. http://media.celebritycruises.com/celebrity/content/celebrity/en_US/cel_pdf/Wine_Dine_Final.pdf

 

As you can see, many of the wines are not on Sloops wine list but we did have them on Millennium. Maybe the new list given to Sloop is not complete as there are other wines on board as part of packages.

 

The prices for the ones on the Sloop list are shown to the right.

 

Pinot Noir La Crema ($45)

Sauvignon Blanc, Brancott, Marlborough, New Zealand (not on list)

Riesling, J&H Selbach, Fish Label, Mosel, Germany ($27)

Pinot Grigio, San’t Helena, Fantinel, Fruili ($38)

Barbera D’Alba, Alfredo Prunotto, Piedmont (not on list)

Valpolicella Classico, Allegrini, Veneto ($33)

Bodegas Espana Autentica, Zeta, Priorat, Spain ($37)

Pinot Blanc, Erath, Willamette Valley, Oregon ($35)

Riesling, Selbach-Oster, Mosel, Germany ($47)

Albarino, Paco and Lola, Rias Baxias, Spain ($41)

Renacer Malbec ($68)

Chardonnay, Tenuta di Nozzole, Le Bruniche, Tuscany (not on list)

Chianti Classico, Tenuta Nozzole, Tuscany ($39)

Super Tuscan, Tenuta di Argeno, Prima Voce, Tuscany ($43)

Chateau Castera, Haut-Medoc, Bordeaux, France ($41)

Sancerre, Michel Redde, Les Tuilieres, Loire, France ($45)

Pouilly-Fumé, Michel Redde, La Moynerie, Loire, France ($41)

Chardonnay, Sequoia Grove, Carneros, California (not on list)

Cabernet Sauvignon, Benziger, Sonoma, California (not on list)

Christian Moueix, St. Emillion, Bordeaux, France (not on list)

Chardonnay, Freemark Abbey, Napa Valley, California ($44)

Merlot, St. Francis, Sonoma, California (not on list)

Pinot Noir, Byron, Santa Maria Valley, California ($47)

Edited February 18, 2012 by FrankinPA

[scottbee]

What we find even more interesting is the way that Celebrity (and some other cruise lines) mark-up wines. Most of the wines in the wine package are available for retail for about $10 per bottle. However, unlike restaurants who often get very little discount on wines and must also pay taxes, the cruise lines are able to negotiate very good volume discounts and buy all their wine tax free (this can be done through bonded warehouses). So the actual cost of a $10 bottle of wine (at retail) probably costs the cruise line around $6. That $6 wine is then marked-up to about $35 or nearly a 600% mark-up. Compare this to many restaurants where wine mark-ups are routinely in the 200 - 300% range. Yes, it is the way it is but those are just the facts.

 

Hank

 

actually the cruiselines pay even less, as they're buying Duty-free

[Hlitner]

actually the cruiselines pay even less, as they're buying Duty-free

 

That is what is meant by a "bonded wharehouse" (see my post). Imported products are held in a special bonded wharehouse in order to avoid all taxes (including duty). This is actually the method used to bypass paying duty. If you are really interested in the topic (normally only lawyers and merchants care about this stuff) you can learn more at

http://www.medey.com/pdf/Bonded%20Warehousing.pdf

 

Hank