Wine or Beverage Packages

[LindaM]

We were on Ocean Princess a year ago, when we were able to bring wine onboard, without a corkage fee. I didn't notice if Princess has a package we can purchase before embarkation, like HAL. DH was able to purchase a bottle of scotch, and we purchased a wine package, that can be consumed anywhere.

 

The reason I am asking is that HAL is instituting a 1 bottle pp rule starting in Jan. They are not allowing any more brought on. I was thinking that is because they offer packages, whereas Princess does not. Many are thinking of switching to Princess, because even with the corkage, being able to bring the wine of your choosing onboard is a better deal. On HAL, an $8 bottle is $35, and an $11 is $48!!

[Pam in CA]

Princess has had the "one bottle per person" rule for a while and started enforcing it earlier this year. Enforcement appears to be spotty and inconsistent but more and more people are experiencing it. There is a wine package but availability also seems to be inconsistent. I don't know the details of the package as I'm not a big wine drinker. My last 16-day cruise, one bottle lasted me almost the entire cruise. :)

 

Here's a link to the beverage prices, including wine, on Princess: http://www.princess.com/learn/onboard/gifts_services/cellars_culinarydelights/princess_cellars/index.jsp

Edited August 10, 2013 by Pam in CA

[AZbeachboy]

I went to Total Wines and More here in Tucson and compared the wines on the gift packages that you can order before hand. Even if you buy Brands of wine iw would have been cheaper to buy the wine and take it on board and pay the corkage fee.

 

I considered that because Princess does not carry the types of wine I like. I prefer German wines and some Spanish wines that they do not carry.

 

To give a example, A Chardonnay that princess offered for $28 was only $8.95 at Total Wines. With the $15.00 corkage fee and tax would not make that much difference, just a few dollars.

 

The 350 ml bottles of various spirits were generally less, with some exceptions less than $5.00 difference.

 

The exception is that US brands were generally much more. Jack Daniels for instance was about twice as much.

[caribill]

You can carry on as many wine bottles as you want on at embarkation.

 

One 750ml bottle per person will be allowed without having to pay a corkage fee at that time, but you may have to pay that fee if you bring the bottle to the dining room.

 

All 750ml bottles past that first one will be subject to a $15 corkage fee payable when boarding, even if you do not intend to enjoy that wine in a dining room.

[Avalon35]

Quick question. If I bring the extra wine on board and pay the corkage fee, what exactly do they do? Can I bring any of the bottles I have brought on board to the dining room and have them store it? Does it have to be the bottle that I paid a corkage fee on? Do they somehow mark the bottles? Or do they not store it if it is my bottle and I have to carry it back to my room. My DH is not a drinker so it is not like I would finish a bottle at one sitting. Not that I wouldn't try :)

[caribill]

Quick question. If I bring the extra wine on board and pay the corkage fee, what exactly do they do? Can I bring any of the bottles I have brought on board to the dining room and have them store it? Does it have to be the bottle that I paid a corkage fee on? Do they somehow mark the bottles? Or do they not store it if it is my bottle and I have to carry it back to my room. My DH is not a drinker so it is not like I would finish a bottle at one sitting. Not that I wouldn't try :)

 

If you bring a bottle to the dining room, they will store an unfinished bottle for you. It will be under your cabin number, so it can be retrieved at any dining room or reastaurant.

 

It does not have to be a bottle you paid corkage fee on, but if so, they are supposed to charge a corkage fee when you do bring it to the dining room.

 

Bottles that you did pay a corkage fee for at ermbarkation will have been stamped (image of the sea witch?) so dining room staff will know not to charge you a second time.

[Avalon35]

Thanks for the info about bringing the wine aboard.

[LindaM]

You are able to bring wine on at any port, not just your embarkation port, correct?

[caribill]

You are able to bring wine on at any port, not just your embarkation port, correct?

 

Per the contract:

 

You agree to surrender alcoholic beverages that are purchased duty free from the ship’s gift shop, or at ports of call, to Carrier, which will be delivered to Your stateroom on the last night of the voyage.

[Esprit]

A "heads up" on the wine package

 

Just off Emerald yesterday and I bought the silver package for 12 bottles. It cost $276 including gratuities. The silver package meant I could choose any bottle costing less than $29. From my initial review of the wine menu there was a Ruffino Orvieto that I liked. However this was unavailable for the whole two week cruise.

 

I therefore sometimes chose the $32 Pinot Grigio and was simply charged the $3 difference (no further grat's added). However on three occasions when I chose wines under $29 my on board account was charged with them. The package I had bought being ignored despite my wine package card being hole punched each time.

 

It was really frustrating having to go to the passenger services desk to get it sorted each time.

[fayemachine]

Hi

 

Was the wine package worth the money?

[Esprit]

Hi

 

Was the wine package worth the money?

 

It was, but my choice was limited as I don't drink red wine or Chardonnays. I would recommend it but keep a check on your account!

[Astro Flyer]

Hi

 

Was the wine package worth the money?

For me the Gold 12 bottle package was worthwhile & got to try new wines. Here are the details of the wine package & thankfully I didn't have the accounting problem..

 

Note: A 15% gratuity is added to all package prices (like any other bar purchase) & is available in dining venues.

 

Silver Package (wines up to $29 per bottle list price)

7 bottles -- $161 (average of $23 per bottle)

10 bottles -- $210 (average of $21 per bottle)

12 bottles -- $240 (average of $20 per bottle)

 

Gold Package (wines up to $45 per bottle list price)

7 bottles -- $217 (average of $31 per bottle)

10 bottles -- $290 (average of $29 per bottle)

12 bottles -- $336 (average of $28 per bottle)

 

You get a punch card which can be used at any of the dining locations.

 

You may choose any wine on on the regular wine menu. If you want to buy a wine that costs more than what the package covers, you just pay the difference. For example, if you have a Gold package and buy a wine that costs $46, the charge for $46 will appear on your stateroom account, followed by a $45 credit.

 

Here's a link to the dining room wine list including a PDF version that you could print out if you desire to decide if they have wine you enjoy.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1939814

Edited August 10, 2014 by Astro Flyer

[Working 2 Cruise]

You are able to bring wine on at any port, not just your embarkation port, correct?

 

No... if you bring wine onboard, it will be stored for you and given to you at the end of the cruise. However, enforcement of this policy is inconsistent.

 

Also, your husband will not be able to bring scotch onboard. If he does, it will be confiscated and destroyed.

 

There is an all inclusive beverage package that Princess has started offering a few months ago. That may be the way to go for your husband.

[Astro Flyer]

No... if you bring wine onboard, it will be stored for you and given to you at the end of the cruise. However, enforcement of this policy is inconsistent.

 

As you said enforcement varies & when the question was asked on the Princess FB site they said wine may be brought on from ports of call to be stored until the end of the cruise with no charge or to pay the $15 corkage to drink anywhere onboard. My experience has been that they did neither of these things however I'm prepared whenever they enforce their procedure.

Edited August 10, 2014 by Astro Flyer

[greenbank1958]

For me the Gold 12 bottle package was worthwhile & got to try new wines. Here are the details of the wine package & thankfully I didn't have the accounting problem..

 

Note: A 15% gratuity is added to all package prices (like any other bar purchase) & is available in dining venues.

 

Silver Package (wines up to $29 per bottle list price)

7 bottles -- $161 (average of $23 per bottle)

10 bottles -- $210 (average of $21 per bottle)

12 bottles -- $240 (average of $20 per bottle)

 

Gold Package (wines up to $45 per bottle list price)

7 bottles -- $217 (average of $31 per bottle)

10 bottles -- $290 (average of $29 per bottle)

12 bottles -- $336 (average of $28 per bottle)

 

You get a punch card which can be used at any of the dining locations.

 

You may choose any wine on on the regular wine menu. If you want to buy a wine that costs more than what the package covers, you just pay the difference. For example, if you have a Gold package and buy a wine that costs $46, the charge for $46 will appear on your stateroom account, followed by a $45 credit.

 

Here's a link to the dining room wine list including a PDF version that you could print out if you desire to decide if they have wine you enjoy.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1939814

Hiya is this package only available on board?

as i can't see it on the princess website.

We are sailing on the RUBY BtB CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR.

[Astro Flyer]

Hiya is this package only available on board?

as i can't see it on the princess website.

We are sailing on the RUBY BtB CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR.

 

It is only available on the ship & generally only on cruises of 10 or more days but even then it may not be available due to lack of inventory. I purchase the package from my dining room waiter and I have also seen it available just outside of the Horizon Court buffet area adjacent to the aft elevators and stairway.

[2pbears]

We experienced the Wine Package for the first time last month and have mixed feelings about its value. On previous cruises we have ordered wine by the glass at dinner since I drink Chardonnay and DH prefers red and we have always in the past brought wine on board to enjoy on our balcony. This was our first cruise since the change in wine policy has been put in force so we decided to buy the package so that we could have wine for our room as well as in the dining room.

 

On the Plus Side:

We did enjoy a nicer selection and better quality wines than we have had when ordering by the glass.

 

On the Minus Side:

Some of the higher end wines offered on the gold package were not available on the ship.

We found that getting wine to have in our room was difficult and a bit of an inconvenience. Since the wine can only be purchased in the dining rooms and the dining rooms are only open during dining hours we had to purchase our wine at dinner and then take the remainder of the bottle back up to our room before going on to a show or to the casino--a bit of a hassle. Princess if you are listening, it would be helpful to allow the wines to be purchased either at Vines or through Room Service.

 

We will probably buy the package again but hopefully Princess will "fine tune" the program to make it a little easier to purchase wines for the room.

 

As far as the comment about having the wine charged to the stateroom account and having to go to the Passenger Services Desk to rectify the situation, we also experienced this when we ordered a bottle of wine that exceeded the amount allowed by the package. Princess' procedure in this case is to charge the amount of the wine and then issue a credit to offset the maximum package allowance. This credit can take up to two days to process so don't waste your time at Passenger Services unless more than two days has lapsed since the charge was issued (in most cases the credit appeared at the end of the following day).

[suzyed]

Per the contract:

 

You agree to surrender alcoholic beverages that are purchased duty free from the ship’s gift shop, or at ports of call, to Carrier, which will be delivered to Your stateroom on the last night of the voyage.

 

That is just alcohol beverage=liquor not wine, right?

 

Unless it has changed since spring of 2012. We brought on a case of wine at embarkation. On a previous cruise two years before, we brought on wine at each port of call.

[Astro Flyer]

That is just alcohol beverage=liquor not wine, right?

 

 

 

Unless it has changed since spring of 2012. We brought on a case of wine at embarkation. On a previous cruise two years before, we brought on wine at each port of call.

 

You can bring wine on during embarkation or from ports & pay the $15 corkage fee in excess of 1) 750ml bottle of wine per adult passenger per cruise. If they are going to charge the corkage fee on a bottle of wine you want to take home, according to a FB post they will hold your wine until the final night without any fee.

Edited August 15, 2014 by Astro Flyer

[Colo Cruiser]

That is just alcohol beverage=liquor not wine, right?

 

Unless it has changed since spring of 2012. We brought on a case of wine at embarkation. On a previous cruise two years before, we brought on wine at each port of call.

 

It has changed, as stated be prepared to pay corkage.

[suzyed]

It has changed, as stated be prepared to pay corkage.

 

Of course...but someone was saying they will take it from you and store until the end of the cruise....I was just clarifying that is just liquor not wine.

Edited August 15, 2014 by suzyed

[Working 2 Cruise]

Of course...but someone was saying they will take it from you and store until the end of the cruise....I was just clarifying that is just liquor not wine.

 

Liquor will be confiscated and destroyed. You will have to pay the corkage fee on any bottles above your allowances...

[Esprit]

 

As far as the comment about having the wine charged to the stateroom account and having to go to the Passenger Services Desk to rectify the situation, we also experienced this when we ordered a bottle of wine that exceeded the amount allowed by the package. Princess' procedure in this case is to charge the amount of the wine and then issue a credit to offset the maximum package allowance. This credit can take up to two days to process so don't waste your time at Passenger Services unless more than two days has lapsed since the charge was issued (in most cases the credit appeared at the end of the following day).

 

If you re read my comment I was not querying the wines exceeding $29. They were indeed credited back to my account 24/48 hours later. It was those bottles UNDER $29 that were wrongly entered onto my account on three occasions.

[suzyed]

You can bring wine on during embarkation or from ports & pay the $15 corkage fee in excess of 1) 750ml bottle of wine per adult passenger per cruise. If they are going to charge the corkage fee on a bottle of wine you want to take home, according to a FB post they will hold your wine until the final night without any fee.

 

Ok, that answers one of my questions...we like to buy wine and bring it on in the ports and have no problem paying the corkage.

 

My other question was: if we pre-purchase wine through "Princess gifts", and ask that it be delivered to our cabin on such and such a day, will it already be tagged so we can take it to the dining room without paying a corkage fee?