Survey Wine: what brands/types do you like to bring on board?

[OlsSalt]

Survey:

 

1. What are the brands/types of wine passengers brought on board as their unlimited carry-on that were not provided by the present HAL offerings?

 

2. What brands/types should HAL now include in their on-board offerings after the new carry-on restrictions go into place Jan 2014?

 

3. What wines from which port stops should also be considered?

[LindaM]

Survey:

 

1. What are the brands/types of wine passengers brought on board as their unlimited carry-on that were not provided by the present HAL offerings?

 

2. What brands/types should HAL now include in their on-board offerings after the new carry-on restrictions go into place Jan 2014?

 

3. What wines from which port stops should also be considered?

 

I am not one to spend a lot on wine. At ports, I would tell the clerk what type of wine I like. And, ask which ones are the most popular/sell the most of. So far, it has worked.

[Not-My-Real-Name]

They already carry my favorite wine, I just refuse to pay more than 5 times over retail to purchase it.

[kazu]

Survey:

 

1. What are the brands/types of wine passengers brought on board as their unlimited carry-on that were not provided by the present HAL offerings?

 

 

If we were getting on in Fort Lauderdale we normally would pick up some wines at Total Wine from different countries.

 

If we were getting on in Europe, Australia or South America, then we bought locally - usually sought advice as most of these wines are not available here.

 

 

 

2. What brands/types should HAL now include in their on-board offerings after the new carry-on restrictions go into place Jan 2014?

 

here are some easy ones for them - just suggestions:

 

Trapiche (Argentian) both red and white

 

Rioja from Spain (white and red - yes there are some nice white vintages)

 

more New Zealand and Australian offerings

 

France, Spain & Italy have some nice offerings.

 

Get the American stuff out of the Pinnacle and bring on better wines. A $70 bottle of wine there is terrible (yes we have bought it)

 

just a few suggestions - I'll let others add to it.

 

 

 

 

3. What wines from which port stops should also be considered?

 

all ports in the Med, most in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, South America for sure.

[Mitwif]

These are wines I have either brought on in the past or would love to see on a HAL wine list:

 

Tesoro Della Regina Prosecco

Fantinel Borgo Prosecco

Franciscan Magnificat 2006 (Last year HAL only carried later vintages, which were not nearly as good- but 2006 is still easily available at my local stores)

Tres Picos Granacha

J. Bookwalter "Subplot No. 26" Blend

Hess Seclect Cabernet Sauvignon

Gaga Rouge

Michael David "Freakshow" Cabernet

Mohua Savignon Blanc

Phantom Bogle

 

Thanks to Sail, I did find a few I like on the wine list. I have done the wine packages in the past, and did not find the selections to my liking- not really a bargain for us. If we can only carry on 1 bottle per person, I will choose a wine from the menu. Like many, I would love to see a better selection and improved package.

[Windsailer]

If I'm sailing from FLL I go to Total Wine and buy:

 

Educated Guess 2010 or 2011 - a CA cab (if they had it on the ship I would pay $33 for it.)

 

Vieuve Clicquot Brut - French champagne. HAL carries it on the ship but I refuse to pay 3 times the retain (not wholesale) cost.

 

Chalone Cabernet Monterey - I'd pay $25 for it on the ship.

 

Columbia Crest H3 Merlot - $9.47 retail. I'd pay $30 for it on the ship.

 

My son likes Rex Goliath Malbec. $5.99 retail. He would pay $18.00 for it on the ship. (this wine tastes as good as most wines 2/3 times the price)

 

While it's hard to find Educated Guess, all the others are readily available and would not be a problem for HAL to buy in large quantiies.

 

Re European ports. I do some research before the cruise and have a fairly good idea what I would like to buy and try. Don't have that list, tho.

[arewethereyet]

You should ask what wines are currently over-priced on the HAL wine list that I would purchase if they were priced like other cruise lines. At the upper end of their wine list, they are no worse than anyone else. At the lower end, the prices are out of line with competing cruise lines. Overall, their wine list is weak. HAL should work on their list and pricing, then post this survey. So, it's not just a matter of availability, but also of ridiculous pricing.

 

Example; I bought a chardonnay, for consumption in my cabin, at the bar on RCI for $39. That same exact bottle is $54 on HAL. That's not competitive IMO. The $39 is already well above restaurant pricing, and I expect that a cruise ship will be higher. But, $54 raises the question of "where do I draw the line?".

[VMax1700]

I bring on Campo Viejo Reserva Rioja and maybe a Ribera del Duero Reserva.

 

IIRC it was $12 + tax in Total wines for the Campo Viejo. I would be quite prepared to buy it onboard if it was priced at $45 - $49 in MDR.

[JimmyVWine]

 

1. What are the brands/types of wine passengers brought on board as their unlimited carry-on that were not provided by the present HAL offerings?

We usually bring one bottle per day (and usually sail on 7-10 day itineraries). We buy our Champagne and White wines on board and carry on our Reds. On our last several cruises, we brought along Cabernet and Pinot Noir from:

Harlan

Scarecrow

Screaming Eagle

Maybach

Kosta Browne

Rochioli

Rhys

Sea Smoke

Cruise lines don't and can't carry these wines as they simply aren't produced in great enough quantity to make it worthwhile for the buying agent to worry about. Cruise lines deal in wines from productions in the tens of thousands (or hundreds of thousands) of cases. Not from productions of 400 cases. I don't fault the cruise lines for not carrying this level of wine. But they shouldn't prevent me from bringing my own if I already have it in my cellar and want to use their cruise as my special occasion for opening them.

 

2. What brands/types should HAL now include in their on-board offerings after the new carry-on restrictions go into place Jan 2014?

This is a tough one. As noted above, really great wines are made in miniscule quantity, and even very good wines are rarely made in huge volume, which is what the buyng agent is looking for. Take Pinot Noir for example, (and we've probably all seen "Sideways" and chuckled as Miles waxed poetic about the finicky nature of the grape...but he wasn't wrong). Pinot does best when hand cultivated, vine by vine in closely cropped vineyards. The concept of "micro-climate" applies to that grape like no other. The best versions worldwide, whether that be France, California, Oregon, New Zealand or elsewhere, are made in quantities that rarely exceed 2,000 cases. In some instances, you are looking at 250 cases. A cruise line would have to buy out an entire vintage to make it worth their while, and that won't happen. So cruise lines will continue to stock Mark West Pinot or its $12 equivalent and you will be drinking something that is hard to choke down. There simply isn't a mass-produced Pinot Noir that a cruise line can start to buy that will up the game. Instead, they would have to buy small batches of many, many wines and I don't see that happening. Even the Celebrity wine list that is printed on the other thread is sorely lacking in quality Pinot. Too hard to stock in large volume. So it is hard to suggest certain wines or producers for many types of wine.

 

As for Cabernet, I see Franciscan "Magnificat" on many lists. It is a perfectly fine wine, and there are many wines like it that are similarly priced (retail). Larger producers such as Phelps, Silverado, Beringer and Mondavi should be found on every single wine list on cruises that see a large percentage of U.S. passengers. Familiar names and decent wine.

 

3. What wines from which port stops should also be considered?

I think that this is impossible to answer. The whole concept of buying wines in port is to seek out something new and/or unique. What is new/unique to you may not (and likely will not) be new and unique to the person in the next cabin. It certainly wouldn't make much sense to go to Croatia and have the cruise line tell you which Croatian wine you can buy to bring on board from amongst the thousands that you haven't yet tried.

[Windsailer]

The following are wines currently on HAL's wine list that I like but won't buy because of the price:

Nine Hats Syrah. Retail is $21.99, HAL price is $86.25. I would pay $55. Standard retaurant mark-up is 3x wholesale. Retail is 1.5x wholesale.

 

Mondavi Private Select Merlot (bottle of the barrel - pun intended - to me) Retail is $6.47 HAL is $ 52.50. I'd drink this if I were desperate, but only at $21.00.

Nicolas Feuillatte Brut - Retail is $29.99; HAL is $80.96. Price is close to OK but it's not worth $80.96.

[OlsSalt]

You should ask what wines are currently over-priced on the HAL wine list that I would purchase if they were priced like other cruise lines. At the upper end of their wine list, they are no worse than anyone else. At the lower end, the prices are out of line with competing cruise lines. Overall, their wine list is weak. HAL should work on their list and pricing, then post this survey. So, it's not just a matter of availability, but also of ridiculous pricing.

 

Example; I bought a chardonnay, for consumption in my cabin, at the bar on RCI for $39. That same exact bottle is $54 on HAL. That's not competitive IMO. The $39 is already well above restaurant pricing, and I expect that a cruise ship will be higher. But, $54 raises the question of "where do I draw the line?".

 

How much impact do you think the numbers of 3-4 star Mariner discounts due to high numbers of repeat passengers have on HAL wine pricing? Should that change so there is more even pricing for all passengers?

[arewethereyet]

I bring on Campo Viejo Reserva Rioja and maybe a Ribera del Duero Reserva.

 

IIRC it was $12 + tax in Total wines for the Campo Viejo. I would be quite prepared to buy it onboard if it was priced at $45 - $49 in MDR.

 

I bought Torres "Celeste" (Ribera Del Duero) from wine.com for $23. I bought the same wine on RCI a month ago for $39. that's the kind of pricing that HAL can't come close to.

 

I'm also a fan of Campo Viejo Reserva. I would pay $40-45 aboard a ship.

[kazu]

I bought Torres "Celeste" (Ribera Del Duero) from wine.com for $23. I bought the same wine on RCI a month ago for $39. that's the kind of pricing that HAL can't come close to.

 

I'm also a fan of Campo Viejo Reserva. I would pay $40-45 aboard a ship.

 

Nice to see the votes for Rioja:D Spain has some great wines.

[Windsailer]

OlsSalt - that's a very interesting question. A number of people who say they are 3 and 4* Mariners buy the packages. As a result of this proposed wine policy change I looked at - and priced out -the Navigator's 5 wine package "list of wines you might be able to select from". HAL package is $186.25. Retail prices add up to only $60.00 at most. 4* Mariners would have to pay around $93.00 for that package. That's a much better deal than full price, IF I liked the wines in the package.

[OlsSalt]

OlsSalt - that's a very interesting question. A number of people who say they are 3 and 4* Mariners buy the packages. As a result of this proposed wine policy change I looked at - and priced out -the Navigator's 5 wine package "list of wines you might be able to select from". HAL package is $186.25. Retail prices add up to only $60.00 at most. 4* Mariners would have to pay around $93.00 for that package. That's a much better deal than full price, IF I liked the wines in the package.

 

Hope some new brand/type suggestion emerge from this thread as HAL has a splendid opportunity to rethink their entire wine offerings.

 

They have great little ships (a bit balky at times, granted), incomparable itineraries for the price overall, and an obviously large numbers of passengers who are more discriminating about their own wine choices than maybe management previously suspected.

 

This would be missing information under their current unlimited carry-on wine policies as HAL had no way of knowing which wines passengers preferred to bring on board themselves -- maybe they should have been surveying the waste bins from the cabins? :cool:

[arewethereyet]

How much impact do you think the numbers of 3-4 star Mariner discounts due to high numbers of repeat passengers have on HAL wine pricing? Should that change so there is more even pricing for all passengers?

Probably.

Frankly, even with the discounts, I wouldn't buy those wines. To me, the Navigator package is not acceptable (that's not intended to offend anyone). the Admiral package is not much better.

 

Again, referring to RCI, as that is my most recent cruise so it's fresh in my mind, I paid $179 for a 5 bottle package with some really nice wines. I don't have any status on RCI - everyone gets that pricing. It's very attractive if you like the wines on the list. I studied the rather limited list, and found very good wines. I was thrilled with the package.

 

Here are the 5 wines I selected

 

Chardonnay, Glen Cariou

Chardonnay, Mer Soleil, Santa Lucia Highlands

Merlot, Charles Krug

Tempranillo, Torres, Ribera Del Duero, "Celeste"

Cabernet Sauvignon, Penley Estate, "Phoenix"

 

If you price those wines in a retail store, you will see that the package is a fantastic value.

 

I'm not posting that to boost RCI - they are not my favorite line. But, this is something that HAL should be striving for. The point is that they didn't just choose a bunch of cheap wines and make them a package. If RCI can do it, I can't believe HAL can't do it too.

[arewethereyet]

Nice to see the votes for Rioja:D Spain has some great wines.

My first Campo Viejo was a 1985 Reserva. DW and I were hooked. To this day, those 3 particular bottles, are some of the very best we have ever tasted. We still buy it, but it has never approached that '85 for some reason. In any case, I love Tempranillo.

[kazu]

My first Campo Viejo was a 1985 Reserva. DW and I were hooked. To this day, those 3 particular bottles, are some of the very best we have ever tasted. We still buy it, but it has never approached that '85 for some reason. In any case, I love Tempranillo.

 

I can't drink many reds (tannins I think) but that is one I can drink and we both enjoy it very much:D

[Windsailer]

One suggestion I might make to HAL is lower the prices on a couple of decent reds and whites in the wine list for the MDR and for online purchases before the cruise. I've been looking online at their wine list for my upcoming cruise on the Prinsedam - and the only wine I could find that I liked and wanted to pay HAL's listed price for was the Zonin Moscato. Retail $9.99 - HAL $36.25.

 

I found several others I liked but am not willing to pay their mark-up.

[OlsSalt]

Probably.

Frankly, even with the discounts, I wouldn't buy those wines. To me, the Navigator package is not acceptable (that's not intended to offend anyone). the Admiral package is not much better.

 

Again, referring to RCI, as that is my most recent cruise so it's fresh in my mind, I paid $179 for a 5 bottle package with some really nice wines. I don't have any status on RCI - everyone gets that pricing. It's very attractive if you like the wines on the list. I studied the rather limited list, and found very good wines. I was thrilled with the package.

 

Here are the 5 wines I selected

 

Chardonnay, Glen Cariou

Chardonnay, Mer Soleil, Santa Lucia Highlands

Merlot, Charles Krug

Tempranillo, Torres, Ribera Del Duero, "Celeste"

Cabernet Sauvignon, Penley Estate, "Phoenix"

 

If you price those wines in a retail store, you will see that the package is a fantastic value.

 

I'm not posting that to boost RCI - they are not my favorite line. But, this is something that HAL should be striving for. The point is that they didn't just choose a bunch of cheap wines and make them a package. If RCI can do it, I can't believe HAL can't do it too.

 

Is RCCL the one that makes most of its money off its gambling casinos? There is always a link between free flowing alcohol and gambling, at least that was the connection seen in land-based casinos. So the breakdown between other on board revenue generators each ship has and encourages has to be part of every ships bottom line analyses.

[arewethereyet]

Is RCCL the one that makes most of its money off its gambling casinos? There is always a link between free flowing alcohol and gambling, at least that was the connection seen in land-based casinos. So the breakdown between other on board revenue generators each ship has and encourages has to be part of every ships bottom line analyses.

The last time I checked HAL has casinos.

[OlsSalt]

The last time I checked HAL has casinos.

 

The interesting question is how much revenue does each cruise line make off its casinos, since all of these activities play a role in the bottom line. Either NCL or RCCL is known as a "gambling" ship - couldn't remember which ones and they apparently go out of their way to attract and keep the high stakes gamblers with their high amenities plans for just that targeted clientele.

 

I don't think this is a big part of HAL ship emphasis when you look at the few people one sees in their casino spaces typically, and other ships we have used have taken out their casinos all together ... and put in bridge-playing rooms which their subset of passengers found far more appealing.

[lovetocruise2020]

We prefer:

 

Sparkling Shiraz

(Like Paringa Sparkling Shiraz) or Southcoast Winery Ruby Cuvee

 

Sparkling Rose/Moscato/Rose-Moscato

 

Ports

Quady Ports, Decandencia Chocolate Port, Wilson Creek Winery

 

Sangria (not the kind made at the bar with vodka and flavored syrups)

Homeade, Quint Sangria or Big Kahuna Sangria

 

Flavored Sparkling Wines:

Wilson Creek Almond Champagne

 

Chianti

 

Shiraz (we like alot of them)

[arewethereyet]

The interesting question is how much revenue does each cruise line make off its casinos, since all of these activities play a role in the bottom line. Either NCL or RCCL is known as a "gambling" ship - couldn't remember which ones and they apparently go out of their way to attract and keep the high stakes gamblers with their high amenities plans for just that targeted clientele.

 

I don't think this is a big part of HAL ship emphasis when you look at the few people one sees in their casino spaces typically, and other ships we have used have taken out their casinos all together ... and put in bridge-playing rooms which their subset of passengers found far more appealing.

I didn't notice any emphasis on gambling on RCI. In fact I neither saw, nor heard anything promoting gambling. They are much more family friendly oriented than HAL, as evidenced by the incredible number of young families on the ship. They have all kinds of stuff for kids all over the place. It's certainly not a gambling cruise line.

 

BTW, RCI (Royal Caribbean International) is the cruise line. RCCL (Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.) is the parent company of RCI, Celebrity, Azamara, etc.

[OlsSalt]

I didn't notice any emphasis on gambling on RCI. In fact I neither saw, nor heard anything promoting gambling. They are much more family friendly oriented than HAL, as evidenced by the incredible number of young families on the ship. They have all kinds of stuff for kids all over the place. It's certainly not a gambling cruise line.

 

BTW, RCI (Royal Caribbean International) is the cruise line. RCCL (Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.) is the parent company of RCI, Celebrity, Azamara, etc.

 

My error - must have been NCL instead. Thank you for the correction.