Wine By The Glass -Limited choices, even with Premium Package

[Cruise Junky]

This is just incredible to me ...they have a sommelier, which is no longer even a position on some cruise lines, yet, they can only pour a very limited selection of wines in the MDR?? Isn't the MDR where you would like to use the expertise of a well trained sommelier??

I am just a bit in shock over 'they are not allowed to serve decent wines in the MDR'. Was there a particular bar we can go to order and carry a glass of wine with us? I just don't know why they have to make this so difficult.

I am with you ... questioning whether or not upgrading will be worth it.

 

They're not particularly well trained sommeliers. I knew more than ours but I would never embarrass him and call him on his mistakes.

Edited February 1, 2017 by Cruise Junky

[Straughn]

They're not particularly well trained sommeliers. I knew more than ours but I would never embarrass him and call him on his mistakes.

 

Other than the somelier we had in Aqua a couple of years ago, I would agree. This somelier really knew his stuff and produced a number of excellent wines that were priced in the premium package.

[Softball20]

We thought that it was just our group who thought this. We are just back from 14 nights on the Eclipse. We upgraded to the premium package and could not have been more disappointed with the red wine selection in the MDR.

 

There were several different varieties of wines by the glass available in the MDR - 1 cab, 1 merlot, 1 chianti, etc. However, most of them were low quality. One tasted so bad it was almost like it was within hours of turning to vinegar. They were also the same wines that were available on the classic package. Two of our family members had the classic package and there wasn't a single red that wasn't part of their package or at least they were never told that a glass they wanted wasn't included. There was ZERO benefit to paying for the upgrade.

 

We mentioned the quality to our sommelier and he had the head sommelier stop by. He started with there were no other options available in the MDR. However, he finally admitted that there were other red wines available by the glass on the ship in several of the bars that were only on the premium package, by they were not "allowed" to serve them in the MDR. We were welcome to carry them in with us or we could buy wine by the bottle. :mad:

 

It really makes us question the benefit of paying for the premium upgrade, especially on a 14 night trip.

 

We were on the Silhouette earlier this month, and there were definite differences in the wines served to those in our group with the classic package and those with the premium. Not saying that the premium wines were that great - they weren't - but the sommelier definitely differentiated the wines that were available (not many). Despite the wines, there are still benefits for me for the premium package as the scotch I like isn't available on the classic package.

[12marshall]

Most restaurants have a limited number of wines they will poor by the glass. It is rare that they will be pouring premium wines by the glass. I suggest to anyone who wants to drink good wine to order a bottle off the wine list. I guarantee they have at least a few good bottles. They will cork what you don't drink and bring it back the next night.

FYI, a master sommelier is a true wine expert and becoming one requires classwork, difficult exams, and blind tastings with effort equivalent to getting a Ph.D. I hope that is what they are on the S class otherwise it's just a charade.

 

 

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[Softball20]

Most restaurants have a limited number of wines they will poor by the glass. It is rare that they will be pouring premium wines by the glass. I suggest to anyone who wants to drink good wine to order a bottle off the wine list. I guarantee they have at least a few good bottles. They will cork what you don't drink and bring it back the next night.

FYI, a master sommelier is a true wine expert and becoming one requires classwork, difficult exams, and blind tastings with effort equivalent to getting a Ph.D. I hope that is what they are on the S class otherwise it's just a charade.

 

 

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True that a lot of restaurants don't pour the very high end stuff by the glass, but one can usually go to a nice restaurant and get a good glass within that $13 range - the range Celebrity uses for their premium package.

[Cruise Junky]

FYI, a master sommelier is a true wine expert and becoming one requires classwork, difficult exams, and blind tastings with effort equivalent to getting a Ph.D. I hope that is what they are on the S class otherwise it's just a charade.

 

 

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hmmmm there's only about 230 in the world, do you seriously think they're pitching wine on a cruise ship? not a chance in hell you're getting a MS on a ship.

[chamima]

hmmmm there's only about 230 in the world, do you seriously think they're pitching wine on a cruise ship? not a chance in hell you're getting a MS on a ship.

 

You are correct.

However, our "sommelier" on last year's Eclipse cruise (in Blu) said he was studying to take tests and hopefully work up to that.

[Hlitner]

This is just incredible to me ...they have a sommelier, which is no longer even a position on some cruise lines, yet, they can only pour a very limited selection of wines in the MDR?? Isn't the MDR where you would like to use the expertise of a well trained sommelier??

I am just a bit in shock over 'they are not allowed to serve decent wines in the MDR'. Was there a particular bar we can go to order and carry a glass of wine with us? I just don't know why they have to make this so difficult.

I am with you ... questioning whether or not upgrading will be worth it.

 

Incredible...but all too true. And not just in the MDR as it also happens in Blu! The knowledge of the sommeilers does vary....but is not relevant when their hands are completely tied by corporate policy. While Celebrity does carry some fine wines on their wine list, they will not normally open any of those decent wines to sell by the glass. The one exception seems to be in Murano...where the wine sommelier seems to have more authority. In that venue we have had some success getting decent wines by the glass....some of which are priced (per glass) over the maximum Premium limit...which means paying the small additional supplement. Personally, we would prefer to pay a few extra dollars for a decent wine...then drink the generally mediocre offerings that fit within the package.

 

Hank

[Cruise Junky]

You are correct.

However, our "sommelier" on last year's Eclipse cruise (in Blu) said he was studying to take tests and hopefully work up to that.

 

Oh yeah, don't get me wrong they definitely have some training and there's many levels of sommelier but they're a long way from attaining their MS

[chamima]

Oh yeah, don't get me wrong they definitely have some training and there's many levels of sommelier but they're a long way from attaining their MS

 

 

The level of training REALLY varies!

My husband is really "into" wine and it's pretty obvious which "sommeliers" have some knowledge and which are just flying by the seat of their pants.

We had one a couple of years ago that was very authoritative and TOTALLY wrong. We starting eating in the section of Blu that she wasn't in just to avoid her. She really ruined our meals with her know it all (but really know nothing) attitude.

So when we get one who really is also "into" it we really appreciate it.

[Bo1953]

We hear you! On the other hand, some folks figure if they are paying over $60 per person/day for "premium" beverages by the glass...they should not have to pay even more to buy a bottle....because there are few to no premium wines available by the glass. By using your logic, those that are not happy with the quality of food in the MDR...could simply pay $100 a day (per couple) to dine in Murano. And then they could pay another $100 per day...for a really good wine in Murano.

 

Hank

 

That is always an option one can consider, if they are not happy with the offerings.

 

bon voyage

[tnfcruise]

They're not particularly well trained sommeliers. I knew more than ours but I would never embarrass him and call him on his mistakes.

 

 

I wasn't going to say this, but since you brought it up, I found the same thing on our last Solstice sailing (and it was the sweet, but uninformed, way-over-his-head, sommelier in Cellar Masters!) A "premium (red) wine tasting" $$ was offered on a sea day. The wines were okay, but the few things the young man said were read from a short script and even some of that info was incorrect.

 

 

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[CRZR58]

Celebrity should just rename the Sommeliers to 'Wine Stewards' as it more accurately reflects the level of education and knowledge.

[SusieV]

I used to stop in Cellar Masters and bring a decent glass of wine to the MDR since there wasn't anything I liked. I guess I won't be able to do that on Equinox in May.

[Jumpingjack64]

Totally agree we had the Celebrity premium package on our recent Far East cruise 9/12/16 to 21/12/16 and it was a total ripe off especially when when it came to wines by the glass and premium cocktails. First of all try finding a premium cocktail or wines by the glass menu. Watched bar staff make the few premium cocktails with the cheaper spirits finally after complaining got wine list in blu restaurant had numerous wines by glass upto $9 and only three over $9.

Very much felt waiters and sommelier pushing towards cheaper wines. After complaining I was directed to sommelier in the wine bar. Was given four premium wines to taste and then was told three of them I could get in any of the restaurants or other bars and the sommelier openly admitted they were trying to encourage passengers to buy bottles of wine. On at least three occasions wines recommended on the menu to drink with my meal were unavailable. What Celebrity class as premium wines cheap plunk

[Jumpingjack64]

From my experience Celebrity's prices are significantly higher. I did not find that Princess had more selections of wines by the glass. I did find that since Princess only has one alcohol drink package that Princess has more wine selections in their base package. In other words, more wines for $10 or less a glass. Celebrity has many wines by the glass about the $10 price and $13 a glass range. Therefore you do not need to buy a bottle to get to get a wider selection, but you do need to have more than the Classic package.

 

Celebrity premium package a total ripe off try finding premium wine . Was given a a menu of wines by glass in the blu restaurant only three above $9 and certainly I'm no wine expert but even they were not that premium. Little choice

[Mynki]

Celebrity should just rename the Sommeliers to 'Wine Stewards' as it more accurately reflects the level of education and knowledge.

 

The first time I visited Qsine the young Phillipine sommelier introduced herself as 'the grape advisor'. I knew immediately to make my own choices from that moment.

[Mynki]

Just out of interest, has anyone ever fed back to Celebrity that they feel the wine by the glass selections are lacking? If so how did you do it and what was the outcome?

[Cruise Raider]

Incredible...but all too true. And not just in the MDR as it also happens in Blu! The knowledge of the sommeilers does vary....but is not relevant when their hands are completely tied by corporate policy. While Celebrity does carry some fine wines on their wine list, they will not normally open any of those decent wines to sell by the glass. The one exception seems to be in Murano...where the wine sommelier seems to have more authority. In that venue we have had some success getting decent wines by the glass....some of which are priced (per glass) over the maximum Premium limit...which means paying the small additional supplement. Personally, we would prefer to pay a few extra dollars for a decent wine...then drink the generally mediocre offerings that fit within the package.

 

Hank

 

 

Hank, at the risk of sounding like a broken record, but I think you are right. I think their hands are tied by corporate. I think the post that mentioned that they were trying to encourage people to first, upgrade to the premium package and next, to buy a bottle of wine was probably spot on. I don't even mind paying an extra $5-$7 for a glass of wine over the premium package limit if it is decent... but not for something I can get at the local grocery store for $7 a bottle. I'll give up if they start serving two buck chuck!

BTW, we've had a couple of excellent sommeliers on previous cruises, in Blu, the MDR and Cellar Masters. We've had awful ones in the MDR and even in Murano. We've been fortunate enough to be invited to the captain's table a couple of times on Celebrity ... now, that was some nice wine!!

[81Zoomie]

On one cruise I brought my own small aerator to "upgrade" the wines being poured. It sat on top of my glass. I had a small waterproof bag and carried it in my purse. It won't turn Ripple into Opus, but it helped a little.

Edited February 2, 2017 by 81Zoomie

[padgman1]

More musings on this subject.......

 

(1) Just came back from Reflection Eastern Caribbean cruise in Sky Suite ( aft cabin - wonderful). Did not eat in MDR, only Luminae (and Qsine once). Sorry, white wine drinkers, I can only comment on reds as that's all I usually drink. The wines by the glass there off the menu were fine, not spectacular, but drinkable....as long as one gets out of the mindset of " must have Cab/Merlot/Pinot." I agree, the selection of these wines is poor and I personally did not try them ( wouldn't drink Kendall-Jackson anything, La Crema Pinot is only OK, don't prefer Merlot or Cab ). I DID have a Cotes-du Rhone that was OK, a Malbec that was weak but went with the meal OK, a Carmenere (Montgras) that was good, and a Zinfandel ( Quivera) that was fine ( I remember the Shiraz from a previous cruise and it was OK). My point....the wines I had were fine with the meals I had ( mostly had beef/pork/chicken)...they would be only OK at best if drinking them without food, but they went well ( enough) with what I had to eat and that's why I like drinking wine...to have with meals.

 

(2) Have I had better wines in the price ranges these wines retail for? Yes indeedy. Did I enjoy these wines with what I had? Yes, indeedy.

 

(3) I strongly believe my experience in Luminae would be hard to replicate in the MDR. The sommelier there ( Gabriel) was more willing to get the listed wines by the glass from wherever if they were not handy ( the Zinfandel took several minutes to procure - I guess not many people like it - I love it!). He also took more liberties with wine service to people - left the bottle of Zin on the table without charging me for the bottle ( again, it was on the wine by glass list), brought me a half bottle of Michael Chiaro Barolo to have several days in to try based on what I had previously requested...and DIDN'T charge me for it. I don't think this would occur in the MDR regardless of one's social skills or ordering habits ( well, maybe if you ordered that Screaming Eagle bottle).

 

(4) I attended only one wine tasting this cruise - a world wine tasting in Cellar Masters involving 12 wines, 7 white and 5 red, from around the world. ALL of them available at Cellar Masters, NONE off the wines by glass list. One red ( Pascual Toro Malbec) was excellent and several were good ( for the white wine folks, the Argentine Chardonnay was very good, I thought). When I told the sommelier about my experiences that night in Luminae, he brought me a bottle...free of charge to enjoy in my cabin ( I later brought it back to Luminae on the last night and told him to open it and share with other patrons). They had wine tastings in Cellar Masters EVERY NIGHT of this cruise, so if one wanted to try more wine ( yes, for $20 or so a pop), one could taste many wines and find a favorite....to not have in the MDR :(

 

In a few days, when I have time, I will post a sample wine list and see what people think of it ( too long to type it all in now with my hunt and peck style)......

[tnfcruise]

We hear you! On the other hand, some folks figure if they are paying over $60 per person/day for "premium" beverages by the glass...they should not have to pay even more to buy a bottle....because there are few to no premium wines available by the glass. By using your logic, those that are not happy with the quality of food in the MDR...could simply pay $100 a day (per couple) to dine in Murano. And then they could pay another $100 per day...for a really good wine in Murano.

 

Hank

 

 

 

That is always an option one can consider, if they are not happy with the offerings.

 

bon voyage

 

Uh, Hlitner was being a tad sarcastic. This time your comment didn't bring the topic to a grinding halt.

 

BTW, Hlitner, your post was a great way to highlight the frustration that had me start the forum in the first place.

 

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Edited February 2, 2017 by tnfcruise

[tnfcruise]

The first time I visited Qsine the young Phillipine sommelier introduced herself as 'the grape advisor'. I knew immediately to make my own choices from that moment.

 

 

[emoji3]I like her honesty!

 

 

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[tnfcruise]

More musings on this subject.......

 

 

 

(1) Just came back from Reflection Eastern Caribbean cruise in Sky Suite ( aft cabin - wonderful). Did not eat in MDR, only Luminae (and Qsine once). Sorry, white wine drinkers, I can only comment on reds as that's all I usually drink. The wines by the glass there off the menu were fine, not spectacular, but drinkable....as long as one gets out of the mindset of " must have Cab/Merlot/Pinot." I agree, the selection of these wines is poor and I personally did not try them ( wouldn't drink Kendall-Jackson anything, La Crema Pinot is only OK, don't prefer Merlot or Cab ). I DID have a Cotes-du Rhone that was OK, a Malbec that was weak but went with the meal OK, a Carmenere (Montgras) that was good, and a Zinfandel ( Quivera) that was fine ( I remember the Shiraz from a previous cruise and it was OK). My point....the wines I had were fine with the meals I had ( mostly had beef/pork/chicken)...they would be only OK at best if drinking them without food, but they went well ( enough) with what I had to eat and that's why I like drinking wine...to have with meals.

 

 

 

(2) Have I had better wines in the price ranges these wines retail for? Yes indeedy. Did I enjoy these wines with what I had? Yes, indeedy.

 

 

 

(3) I strongly believe my experience in Luminae would be hard to replicate in the MDR. The sommelier there ( Gabriel) was more willing to get the listed wines by the glass from wherever if they were not handy ( the Zinfandel took several minutes to procure - I guess not many people like it - I love it!). He also took more liberties with wine service to people - left the bottle of Zin on the table without charging me for the bottle ( again, it was on the wine by glass list), brought me a half bottle of Michael Chiaro Barolo to have several days in to try based on what I had previously requested...and DIDN'T charge me for it. I don't think this would occur in the MDR regardless of one's social skills or ordering habits ( well, maybe if you ordered that Screaming Eagle bottle).

 

 

 

(4) I attended only one wine tasting this cruise - a world wine tasting in Cellar Masters involving 12 wines, 7 white and 5 red, from around the world. ALL of them available at Cellar Masters, NONE off the wines by glass list. One red ( Pascual Toro Malbec) was excellent and several were good ( for the white wine folks, the Argentine Chardonnay was very good, I thought). When I told the sommelier about my experiences that night in Luminae, he brought me a bottle...free of charge to enjoy in my cabin ( I later brought it back to Luminae on the last night and told him to open it and share with other patrons). They had wine tastings in Cellar Masters EVERY NIGHT of this cruise, so if one wanted to try more wine ( yes, for $20 or so a pop), one could taste many wines and find a favorite....to not have in the MDR :(

 

 

 

I'm In a few days, when I have time, I will post a sample wine list and see what people think of it ( too long to type it all in now with my hunt and peck style)......

 

 

I must have a similar palate to yours..."wouldn't drink Kendall-Jackson anything, La Crema Pinot is only okay, don't prefer Merlot or Cab" is how I feel/taste!

 

Thanks for your "musings"...my upcoming Eclipse cruise expectations are now more realistic. I may go to a few wine tastings and then see if if I can cajole them into pouring me a glass of something I like, as I'm on my way to the MDR.

 

 

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Edited February 2, 2017 by tnfcruise

[tnfcruise]

Just out of interest, has anyone ever fed back to Celebrity that they feel the wine by the glass selections are lacking? If so how did you do it and what was the outcome?

 

 

I haven't, but I'm thinking I'll ask the sommeliers on my upcoming sailing how I might do just that. I was also thinking I'd write something up in advance (so I don't use up precious cruise time), reference this forum, and drop it at Guest Relations.

 

 

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