1st Time Cruiser is a "wino", considering my wine options.

[Hawaiino]

We embark Barcelona on the 29th May, the Equinox. Booked in 2148, a SS, so we plan to use Blu (when we can) and buy a 5nt Specialty package to try different cuisines. We're foodies, of sorts, and I'm a everday wino. At home I usually open 2 to 3 similar bottles simultaneously and spend 3-4 nights enjoying them evolve. Compare and contrast, making my imbibing educational!

 

When I booked there was no 1,2,3 available. I don't plan to buy a premium drinks package due to the fact we don't drink soda's, standard bottled water is fine, and my wife hardly drinks at all. I prefer black coffee thru the day, and wine all night.

 

I reviewed wine lists posted by other cruisers and saw very good bottles and sometimes at good to very good prices, given the captive market quality of a voyage. I plan to go over the list and vintages on board when I clear registration. I'm interested in the older/rarer list as well, but figure this is peculiar to the voyage and catch as catch can. I don't chase Parker 100's, I'm more of a Burghound / Tanzer guy, so I hope to find some mature red's that I haven't had a chance to enjoy before. I thought I'd pick a few bottles to get started, tip whoever helps me so as to have a good chance of everything working out, and figure out what else I want to drink as the cruise evolved. How feasible do you think this is?

 

Also, side note. If anyone has made this itinerary I'm on and had a particularly good wine tour at any of the ports I'm appreciative of any advice. Mahalo plenty.

[skandls]

I would not expect 'older' wines on the ship as I don't think the wine cellars are 'motion' controlled. You might want to find the most knowledgeable wine person in the wine bar and ask them about selections and vintages. Most of the wine lists do not have the vintages listed. The staff in the dining rooms are very busy - so do as many of your selections ahead of time as you can.

[SusieV]

Ask to speak to the Cellarmaster. They will always make time for wine enthusiasts who are going to spend a reasonable amount of money on wine. It also helps to get good service from your sommelier as they will know who you are if you purchase one of the expensive wine packages. I believe on the last cruise my husband bought the package of any five bottles over $75 and he received a 15% discount.

[Cruise Arizona]

The first place you should visit on the ship is the Cellarmaster Bar.

 

We too are wine enthusiasts, so the Cellarmaster Bar is one of our first stops on the ship. Usually to see who is in charge. (We've made great friends with some of the Sommeliers over the years.) The actual Cellar Master may not be around and you may just want to talk about wine and ask about how best to order it in the specialty restaurants, ect.

 

The Beverage Package is not particularly "wino" friendly, because it is just house wines by the glass, but you do get a discount on fine wine by the bottle.

 

I would purchase a Cellarmaster automated wine tasting card first thing. They have lots of wines in the automated machines. You can purchase them in quantities of $25 and up. For the $25 card, they charge you gratutity, but then they load $30 worth of tastes onto the card.

 

Have the sommelier on duty give you a tour of the machines and try some tasts with him present. Give him your thoughts as to what you like and don't like. From those comments he'll be able to help you with selections.

You might also want to try some of the wine flights in the Cellar master. Your get 4 2oz or so tastes for less than 2 glasses, so it is a good deal. That will also help the Sommelier make recommendations based in what you like.

 

Have a wonderful cruise, we think Celebrity does an excellent job with the wines.

[CHEZMARYLOU]

Do make friends with the Cellar Master. There is more than one wine list on the ship and he or she will be able to get you wines in the MDR or Blu that are not on the lists in those restaurants.

 

They offer a little know package called build your own. If you commit to purchasing at least 3 bottles over $75 you will get a 15% discount on your wine.

 

Cellar Masters has more wine available than is on the wine list. If the sommelier knows what you like she will be able to make recommendations off list.

 

If you don't finish a bottle they do a good job of storage for the next night and can have it delivered to any restaurant, or you can take it to your state room.

 

Mary Lou

[lucinjo]

Not a great selection of Burgundies on the ship. Most of them are too fragile to hold up to the constant vibrations of the ship. That said, there are some nice wines onboard, some at very fair prices. Make friends with the Cellar Master(head sommelier), we have been offered wines not on the list from time to time! Also, you can usually get a deal of 15% off all bottles over $75, if you purchase three or more bottles in this price range.

Celebrity generally has a number of good wine events offered during the cruise, take advantage of them.

Finally, research a good wine shop in Barcelona before you board. You can bring two bottles per stateroom on with you.

[royalcruz]

We love the wine card machines in the wine bar. This works out to be a better choice for us than the beverage packages.

[TMLAalum]

We love the wine card machines in the wine bar. This works out to be a better choice for us than the beverage packages.

 

I enjoy this too. If you purchase your card on boarding there is a nice bonus available, e.g. $100=$125 (estimate). Surprisingly, I had an unused balance on my card from our last cruise which will carry over to the next. The card needs to be kept, though.

 

Even though I use the card for pre-dinner wine, I usually order another glass from the sommelier at dinner.

[tunaman2011]

Greetings

 

Last year on Equinox we found the better bottles of wine were in Murano. If you are really looking for premium bottles, this is where I would look. You should be able to purchase one of the good bottles without having to dine there. As to older vintages, they had a 1997 bottle of Screaming Eagle. It was available for a mere $4,000 or so :eek:. There were other very fine bottles that were not on the published list. They may have been on a list at some point, but now they seem to be lone bottles.

 

If you have the budget, you can find rare wines.

 

Good Sailing

Tom

[Chicagocrooza]

screaming Eagle, wow!

 

I too thought all the wine prices on the cruise are very reasonable, the mark up isn't that much, may be something to do with duty and tax free?

On my last cruise on the Reflection, I found some solid red from from Napa, half bottle of Duckhorn Cab for $40

They really can ask for a lot more if they wanted to.

[Hawaiino]

Mahlao all,

 

One thing I won't do is spend my wine budget on a single bottle of Screaming Eagle, that's for sure. I'm like most of you (probably), I love finding the gems that others overlook 'cause they lack a "name". The hunt is a lot of the fun!

 

The cruvinet system seems a bit controversial, a number of posters (other threads) have opined that the wines disappointed. Now I have complete faith in the technology, used it often, so I will pony up and verify for myself, I'm an empiricist! I guess the wild card is vibration, as the first poster speculated as a possible reason older wines may not meet expectation, or even survive on board.

 

I'll buzz to Cellarmasters on arrival and introduce myself, I'll have one advantage in my favor, even as a newbie. I live in Hilo and the Solstice is scheduled for a port of call later this month. My TA is showing my wife and I around and I'll look at their lists, the layout, and be somewhat up to speed when we embark in Barca. Looking forward to it......

[Lsimon]

While I've never partaken of wines not on the main list, except a few included in the Muranos special wine dinners offered once per cruise, I am aware that there is both a rare wine list and a selection of rare wines which may not be on any list at all. You'll find out about this by discussing it with the Cellarmaster who is the head sommelier on the ship. The Cellermaster sommelier is not to be confused with the sommelier who will be the main waiter in the Cellarmaster lounge each night although he can arrange an introduction to the Cellarmaster as can your dining room sommelier.

 

We've had mixed experiences with the enomatic wine dispensers in Cellarmasters. I'm guessing it depends largely on the machines maintenance and turnover. While they are designed to keep wines fresh I think there are still limits.

[CaroleLee]

Not a great selection of Burgundies on the ship. Most of them are too fragile to hold up to the constant vibrations of the ship. That said, there are some nice wines onboard, some at very fair prices. Make friends with the Cellar Master(head sommelier), we have been offered wines not on the list from time to time! Also, you can usually get a deal of 15% off all bottles over $75, if you purchase three or more bottles in this price range.

Celebrity generally has a number of good wine events offered during the cruise, take advantage of them.

Finally, research a good wine shop in Barcelona before you board. You can bring two bottles per stateroom on with you.

 

Does anyone have an actual list of the wines available for the build your own? Will be on the Eclipse next June

Thanks

carole

[CHEZMARYLOU]

Does anyone have an actual list of the wines available for the build your own? Will be on the Eclipse next June

Thanks

carole

 

We were on Eclipse over New Years and the wine list in the MDR was still pretty close to the list in this thread.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1566983&highlight=wine+list

 

Enjoy

 

Mary Lou

[Lsimon]

Does anyone have an actual list of the wines available for the build your own? Will be on the Eclipse next June

Thanks

carole

 

Here is a copy of the MDR wine list from the Eclipse last month:

http://lfsimon.home.comcast.net/~lfsimon/Celebrity%20MDR%20Wine%20List%20-%20Eclipse%20March%202013.pdf

[Hawaiino]

Larry ( Lsimon )

 

Mahalo plenty for the lists you have posted.

 

Based on what I saw on the MDR list I've decided to dispense with any packages, buy from the list as I like, thereby with no restrictions or limitations.

Not to say I'm ordering the Screaming Eagle, which, by the way, is now not just a " cult wine" but also a caricature. No, I crunched the numbers and we're better off free wheeling it than locking in to any set of constraints.

 

At least that's what I think I've learned.

[Tiggertastic]

Hi, you can purchase the wine card that also goes in the machines and use it to try samples of all the different ones. Cellar masters is often empty or very quiet and the staff ill love to have you there and they will look after you

[Lsimon]

...Based on what I saw on the MDR list I've decided to dispense with any packages, buy from the list as I like, thereby with no restrictions or limitations...

A good decision. For those that enjoy a variety of wines, including some above the basics, the packages really are not great. The unlimited beverage packages only provide for wine by the glass and the selection by-the-glass wines pales in comparison to the wide variety of wines available by the bottle. The bottled wine packages are only for a limited selection of similarly priced wines which wouldn't be good for someone who likes a wide variety of wines either. If you do drink a lot of higher end wines then there is a "Build your own wine package" available on board only (talk to your sommelier) which basically provides a 15% discount on wines over $75/bottle if you commit to buying three or more.

 

Hi, you can purchase the wine card that also goes in the machines and use it to try samples of all the different ones. Cellar masters is often empty or very quiet and the staff ill love to have you there and they will look after you

For the benefit of the OP: The enomatic machines in Cellarmasters require a prepaid card on most of the Celebrity ships including the Equinox. A few of the other ships do accept your seapass card. We've not used the machines much but I understand there are some specials which provide extra credit when buying, or filling, the cards and also a tasting seminar on the machines which provides a card with a credit equal to the seminar price so ask the Cellermaster staff about these early in the cruise if you're interested in the vending machines.

[shoelover536]

You also get to bring two bottles of wine onboard in your luggage (see other threads on this topic for the merits of carry on vs. checked, other tips and tricks, etc. etc.)

 

What I did want to mention about this was since you are leaving from Barcelona, you have a great opportunity (assuming you are arriving at least a little in advance of your cruise) to buy some great wine in Barcelona for your trip. There are some very interesting wine stores just off of La Boqueria (an AMAZING food market - even if you don't buy anything, if you consider yourseelf a foodie, it is worth walking around in it). Head there prior to your cruise, find an interesting wine shop nearby, and make a few great picks!

 

Cheers! :D

 

PS: we are on this same cruise in October, so save a few bottles for me! ;)

[socreader]

Ask to speak to the Cellarmaster. They will always make time for wine enthusiasts who are going to spend a reasonable amount of money on wine. It also helps to get good service from your sommelier as they will know who you are if you purchase one of the expensive wine packages. I believe on the last cruise my husband bought the package of any five bottles over $75 and he received a 15% discount.

 

I, also, always ask for- and have been known to insist on- the Reidel Glasses to be placed at our seats in the MDR. We, too, spend a reasonable amount on wine for the cruise. We have received the discount on more than 3 bottles and other times on 5. The sommelier has been the most helpful to us. I have found it also depends on the ship when it comes to discount.

[ghstudio]

I have seen nasty public arguments about the Reidel glasses not being used. One passenger ordered a $40 bottle and insisted that they get Reidel glasses. They do use Reidel glasses but I think it's for bottles that cost over $80 or $85.

[Lsimon]

I have seen nasty public arguments about the Reidel glasses not being used. One passenger ordered a $40 bottle and insisted that they get Reidel glasses. They do use Reidel glasses but I think it's for bottles that cost over $80 or $85.

 

I can see the problem if someone's just paid to go to one of the on board seminars that extols the virtues of the Reidel glasses for any and all wines. At the extra-cost seminars I don't think they're telling people not to bother unless they are drinking a wine that costs over $80 and I suspect they aren't serving wines at that price level at the seminars either.

[Tudy]

 

Also, side note. If anyone has made this itinerary I'm on and had a particularly good wine tour at any of the ports I'm appreciative of any advice. Mahalo plenty.

 

As to your question about shore excursions: We did that itinerary 2 years ago. From Livorno, we joined a private tour organized by a CC person. It was with Rome in Limo. It was excellent! Our guide, Ricardo, took us to several wineries where we toured to facilities and tasted the wine. The person who organized it was able to give lots of input regarding where we went. Rome in Limo was very flexible and I would definitely recommend the experience.

[SusieV]

I, also, always ask for- and have been known to insist on- the Reidel Glasses to be placed at our seats in the MDR. We, too, spend a reasonable amount on wine for the cruise. We have received the discount on more than 3 bottles and other times on 5. The sommelier has been the most helpful to us. I have found it also depends on the ship when it comes to discount.

 

They do give them out when you are purchasing good wine, but it can be a problem. The table next to us was drinking house wine by the glass, but they got offended because we had "special" glasses and they didn't. For the rest of the cruise, I heard the sommelier asking if they would like red or white tonight, and serving it in Riedel glassware!

[Kevnzworld]

Select and Elite members get a bottled wine discount coupon.

I bought a great wine, Nicolas Catena 2008 Malbac blend the other night on Equinox. I paid $100 after a 20% discount, the same price as it sells for online.

A pretty good deal.