Reverse Discussion - Does anyone like the wine

[shubsens]

I see several threads about all the wine people dislike and there seems to be a lot.

 

One persons great wine could be someone else worse wine but when there are so many comments of people disliking the wine that is not promising.

 

I have never cruised before so it would be helpful to know does anyone actually like the wine on board and if you do where can it be found. I will be sailing Equinox. We were planning on getting the premium beverage package.

[oneputt18]

My DW is the wine drinker, I will drink a nice Port to finish a meal. She got some excellent pours in both Tuscan Grill and Murano. They weren't on the wine list, she let the sommelier pick a few and they were very good. He knew we had the premium package. (Sorry, don't remember the names) I had a 30 year old port that was supposed to be $20 extra but wasn't charged for it.

[Bo1953]

I see several threads about all the wine people dislike and there seems to be a lot.

 

One persons great wine could be someone else worse wine but when there are so many comments of people disliking the wine that is not promising.

 

I have never cruised before so it would be helpful to know does anyone actually like the wine on board and if you do where can it be found. I will be sailing Equinox. We were planning on getting the premium beverage package.

 

s - Please do not worry about the wine. You will find something which appeals to you, more than likely.

 

You have to personally determine if the Classic or Premium package offers a range of wines you prefer and enjoy. Please note that not every wine may be available on your sailing which means that you will need to move on to the next vintage of choice or speak with the Sommelier or F&B Director about your likes/dislikes of availability.

 

There are hundreds of passengers on X's ships weekly, so to base your decisions and fears on what is considered 'bad or poor' read here, may prove to be a dis-service to your enjoyment of the sailing.

 

If you fear it that much, take some solace in the fact that you are permitted to bring two (2) bottles of choice aboard upon embarkation.

 

bon voyage

Edited February 1, 2017 by Bo1953

[jagoffee]

We are currently on the Eclipse. My wife and I have not had any issues finding wines that we like within the Premium package. This is in the Luminae, Tuscan, and Murano. Do not even need to look at the wine list we just go with the recommendations.

Spelt in the Tuscan was particularly good.

I understand the wine lists are changing on a regular basis and are changing again soon.

[jelayne]

Only had one cruise where the first 3 days the sommelier in Blu kept saying no Pinot noir in stock within limits of Premium pkg. Aft the 3rd day I wrote a attention to detail card-problem solved. Think the sommelier was new & screwed up; every evening after I wrote card the Sommlier was going out if his way to get us wine, refilling before it was needed, checking to see if it was to our liking.

 

Leaving today for a B2B and enjoying the wines.

[DaisyFire]

Only had one cruise where the first 3 days the sommelier in Blu kept saying no Pinot noir in stock within limits of Premium pkg. Aft the 3rd day I wrote a attention to detail card-problem solved. Think the sommelier was new & screwed up; every evening after I wrote card the Sommlier was going out if his way to get us wine, refilling before it was needed, checking to see if it was to our liking.

 

Leaving today for a B2B and enjoying the wines.

 

Jelayne - Enjoy your cruise and your wine!

 

My experience was as recent as March 2016 on the Eclipse. We loved our sommelier in the MDR and found his pairings to be spot on and his service to be excellent. It was the highlight of my trip. I will caveat this with the fact that I generally purchase wine in the $13-20 per bottle range for my 'at home' enjoyment - and have a couple of easy drinking favorites in the $10 range. I do have a couple of $30+ bottles in my wine frig - for special occasions.

 

I didn't think to write down or snap pics of the different wines that I was served - but will try to do so on my upcoming cruise.

 

In case it is helpful... here is a link to the Cellar Masters menu posted from a recent Eclipse review.

 

http://thepreismans.com/eclipse_so_car_menus.htm#cellar

[Cruise Junky]

I love wine, all kinds of wine and am also a wine student. I just don't get too bent out of shape if my preferred wines aren't available while on vacation. I always find something new and decent to drink

[RickT]

You'll definitely find some good wines with the Premium Package. Each bar/restaurant may have a slightly different selection as will the specialty restaurants.

 

A good idea is to also let your Sommelier (or Bartender) know what type of wines you like and that you have the premium package and go with what they recommend.

 

My issue has always been that by the bottle, there is a much bigger selection of wines available and on a 10-14 day cruise even a good wine can get repetitive.

[ClaudiaB]

We had no problem finding wines we liked, particularly when we talked to the sommelier. She found things all over the ship that she thought we'd like. On occasion it was something a dollar or two over the package but we just had to pay the difference, and was worth it for the better wine.

[Cruisy McGee]

You have all given me hope! The things I was reading were worrisome.

[killsport]

I'll be Debbie Downer.... The wines offered at the MDR and Blu, as suggested by the wine steward, were extremely disappointing. Even at Cellar Masters, the selection of reds in the premium package was poor. We settled on a Merlot that was a dollar above the package. Only available at CM. As with all taste related things, it depends on your preferences. If you are comfortable with wine selections similar to those at fast casual restaurants, you'll be fine. If you expect wines you could find by the glass at a mid to fine dining, you'll be very frustrated. This is based on the Silhouette six weeks ago.

If you look at a fine dining establishment, say Joe's Stone Crab in South Beach, you'll see 8 of 10 red wines under 13 (the other 2 under 14). A decent variety, very drinkable, and priced appropriately for the surroundings.

[cb at sea]

I drink Franzia boxed wine at home..it's cheap, tasty and does the trick. I think paying big bucks for fermented grape juice is ridiculous! You drink wine for the buzz....well, I do! (And, I bet most of you do, too, whether you admit it or not!) As long as it is not too dry or too sweet, I'm good with it! The problem with ship's wine...too much money for what you get! No way would I pay $9 for a GLASS of wine when an entire bottle costs $10! That's lunacy! Drink mixed drinks..more "bang" for the buck!

Edited February 2, 2017 by cb at sea

[Texed]

We had no problem finding wines we liked, particularly when we talked to the sommelier.

 

I agree with Claudia. We just asked the sommelier what he/she suggested. We were never disappointed. :)

Edited February 2, 2017 by Texed

[TFLG]

We've never had any issue finding a decent wine. On our last sailing we let the sommelier pick our wine at dinner and he served some really good wines from all over the globe. There was only one that we both didn't like out of about a dozen. I'm certainly no wine expert but we drink enough to know a good wine (about 150 bottles a year) from 2 buck chuck. I think the "house cab" is Wente from Northern Cal. and it's a decent wine.

[NantahalaCruiser]

On our most recent cruise eating in the Blu on the Millennium, our sommelier was very helpful and flexible. When we told him about a wine by the glass that we had enjoyed in the Tuscan Grill, but was not on the Blu's wine list, he was more than willing to get it for us to enjoy in the Blu.

[james'mommy]

DH was quite happy with the wine he was poured in the MDR on the Summit last year. He had the classic package. Not sure if the wine he was given was the classic package or not. He just told the wine steward what he liked and she found something and he liked it so she poured it every night. We asked about it because he really liked it and she said it wasn't something he would be able to find in the states.

[patned]

We have been on most Celebrity ships and would say that we have been very happy with the wines we have tried.

[wallie5446]

I see several threads about all the wine people dislike and there seems to be a lot.

 

One persons great wine could be someone else worse wine but when there are so many comments of people disliking the wine that is not promising.

 

I have never cruised before so it would be helpful to know does anyone actually like the wine on board and if you do where can it be found. I will be sailing Equinox. We were planning on getting the premium beverage package.

 

We have sailed on the Equinox our last 2 cruises, 2014 & 2015, and are booked again for 2017.

 

One thing you will find with the bars is each one will have a couple different wines from the other bars. The red my wife found to her liking in 2015 was not stocked at my hang out, the GastroBar. ( I like the craft beer options ) They told us they would get it that evening and did! We would make sure and go there to order from them for the 10 days.

 

It was $13.50 a glass, her cost with the Premium pkg was .59 cents. I would have it at dinner too.

[CRZR58]

We had the classic package on Equinox in Dec 2016 and the wine choices are extremely limited. The Prosecco was decent and the Carménère was the best red. The premium package will expand your choices.

[bigbenboys]

I have always found a wine to drink on both packages. Celebrity has 400 wine selections. If your not happy with the drink packages then don't buy them and spend the money on some great wines that you like.

 

Sent from my XT1635-01 using Forums mobile app

[Bo1953]

It is quite refreshing to read some great posts about wine available in the beverage packages aboard X, especially after reading posts on other threads about how 'dismal' and 'abysmal' the selections are and etc...

 

Personally, I have had no challenges getting the quality or type of wines desired aboard any of X's ships sailed with my premium package.

 

Thank you all for your input and examples of ability to get what you expect and like while aboard... not to discount others who believe that they have not.

They are unhappy about it, and they should talk about it, if it makes them happy. Then it is the degree which marks the spot, too...

 

bon voyage

[Bo1953]

I have always found a wine to drink on both packages. Celebrity has 400 wine selections. If your not happy with the drink packages then don't buy them and spend the money on some great wines that you like.

 

Sent from my XT1635-01 using Forums mobile app

 

Good point, as I have found threads where there is always the proverbial comparison to 'restaurants or liquor stores at home or land-side'. I say bring the two (2) bottles per cabin allotted and drink water, coffee or tea the rest of the time if nothing is to your liking, write X and let them know the issue.

 

Admittedly, while not being a professional oenophile myself, I like to think that

 

Maybe enough letters and emails will get through to those responsible for stocking and setting prices to effect desired change..

 

bon voyage

Edited February 6, 2017 by Bo1953

[Alsmez]

I agree with others that it's fairly easy to find a wine you will enjoy on the Premium package. The specialty restaurants, MDR and full-service bars will have the best selection, by far. In my experience, the outdoor bars have an extremely limited selection and most of their wines are not particularly good, so I tend to order wine only in restaurants or at the Ensemble Lounge or Cellar Masters, where a nicer selection is available.

 

One other thing to keep in mind with the package is that sommeliers can, at their discretion, offer glasses of wines that are normally only available by the bottle. We were in AQ for one of our recent cruises and the sommelier did this for us a number of times, after learning our tastes and that we had the Premium package. We never asked for a specific bottle, but if we requested a pairing, she would frequently bring us things that weren't on the list. She also subbed an unlisted wine a few times when I wanted something specific and had already tried the listed options and found them not to my liking.

[derekjp47]

We've been on Celebrity over a dozen times and never disappointed with the wine selection. One of the few lines that still has somiliers and they take great pride in serving you. We have had the Classic beverage package the past five cruises and have been real pleased with it.

[sassycruiser]

On the Reflection last week my husband had the premium package. He would just tell them he wanted Merlot and they would bring something. He said they were all fine. Funny enough every restaurant served him a different brand and none were above his package limit. That was in Lawn Club Grill, Tuscan, and the main dining room.