3 wine questions

[Thrak]

Totally agree! One of my favorite things about cruising out of Florida is going to Total Wine BEFORE we get onboard. The "sticker shock" is actually a positive thing for us Canadians! :D

 

I had a clerk in a Vancouver liquor store tell me, "I love visiting the US. It's like an entire country that's half off!" :) I picked up a bottle of Jim Beam the other day for $10.99. The same bottle cost me $28 in Canada.I'm really glad I don't smoke. That is also very expensive in Canada. Now I know how you pay for your health care.

 

It sure was nice visiting though. Everybody we meet during our 7 week land trip was great. It's really cool how traffic just stops if they see someone wanting to cross the road. In LA they would just take aim and try to run you down. In Canada all traffic halts for the pedestrian to cross. It was kind of funny though when so many people were complaining about how HOT it was. We just smiled. It was 74 F and they were hot. It was 109 F at home. We enjoyed the "heat" in Canada. We managed to miss the longest sustained heat wave in California in the last 100 years or so. :D

[Cruisen Elf]

That's super helpful! Thanks very much!

 

 

 

Thank you! I hadn't even thought about Sabatini's having a different wine list. Great idea!

 

Thank you to everyone who suggested bringing our own wine on; I hadn't really considered it as we would have to check it in our luggage and fly across the country with it. We likely won't have time to stop on our way to the ship to buy any (we're stuck flying in the day we sail due to a work commitment that my husband couldn't get out of so we booked through e-z air). We are sailing out of Vancouver so perhaps I'll do some Googling tonight and see if there are any liquor stores within a quick walk from Canada Place (the only one I've been to in Vancouver is definitely not walking distance).

 

Here is a link with information about liquor/wine stores near the port of Vancouver. As I recall, the store mentioned on the lower level of Harbor Centre. is where we purchased our wine for a cruise departing form Vancouver several years ago. I believe it is within a a block or 2 of the cruise terminal.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1835000

[canadarocks]

Now I know how you pay for your health care. :D

 

And believe me, we wouldn't change a thing! :)

[Wishing on a star]

So, just to be sure... The AIBP does NOT cover corkage if we were to bring some of our personal favorites (local, not higher end... we are def not wine aficionados!) We like refreshing somewhat sweet and/or fruity white wines from our area wineries.

[canadarocks]

So, just to be sure... The AIBP does NOT cover corkage if we were to bring some of our personal favorites (local, not higher end... we are def not wine aficionados!) We like refreshing somewhat sweet and/or fruity white wines from our area wineries.

 

It does NOT.

[Thrak]

So, just to be sure... The AIBP does NOT cover corkage if we were to bring some of our personal favorites (local, not higher end... we are def not wine aficionados!) We like refreshing somewhat sweet and/or fruity white wines from our area wineries.

 

Nope but the 40% discount makes it cheaper to buy wine than it is to bring it onboard and pay corkage. Of course you can't get the same wines as you get ashore.

[Ginnyfyr]

It's nice to read that you feel there is still some relevance to the list I researched and prepared in November 2015. Unfortunately, I have not had the opportunity to update it since then and no new Princess data to work with. My wife and daughter are doing a 5-nighter on CROWN in November (8-13) and I will ask them to get copies or photos of full wine list and then I will post up a new one. The mistakes you refer to are no doubt due to passage of time and changing wine selections. Wife and I will be on a 60-day next January, so I can work on any updates then as well. If anyone can send me a CURRENT full wine menu, then I can update. November might be better as the fall season is like a new year and perhaps it will be more up-to-date by then.

 

I will try to snap some pics of the wine lists for you when we sail on Sept 16th! Your efforts in compiling the list are much appreciated :D

[Ginnyfyr]

There's a BC liquor store at Alberni and Bute (786 Bute), which is walking distance from Canada Place. There is also the Sutton Place Wine Merchant at 855 Burrard. It's perhaps a 20 minute walk from Canada Place.

 

We have visited the one at Alberni & Bute when we stayed at the Blue Horizon - it's a great store! Google tells me there is a BC liquor store even closer to CP more toward Gastown; I think it said it's a 7 minute walk. When I have time to do a little research (says she who is in the midst of the busiest time of year at work), I'm going to see if it's possible to track inventory online and perhaps call the store to see if they're able to put a few bottles aside for us to just run in and pick up at the front desk. AKA totally ambitious wishes that will likely not see the light of day, lol.

[Ginnyfyr]

Totally agree! One of my favorite things about cruising out of Florida is going to Total Wine BEFORE we get onboard. The "sticker shock" is actually a positive thing for us Canadians! :D

 

We are doing a New Year's cruise on Crown out of Ft. Lauderdale and we always stay at the Embassy Suites right around the corner from Total Wine - that store is the best! Even the prices in the grocery store next door are nuts - the last time we sailed out of there, I had to run in last minute for an extra bottle of sunscreen and they had a sale on Little Penguin wine, 2/$5. I have no idea if it's tasty or not (I suspect at $2.50 a bottle on sale, it's not great) but I was SO tempted to buy some just so I could say I'd bought wine for that cheap, lol.

 

Here is a link with information about liquor/wine stores near the port of Vancouver. As I recall, the store mentioned on the lower level of Harbor Centre. is where we purchased our wine for a cruise departing form Vancouver several years ago. I believe it is within a a block or 2 of the cruise terminal.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1835000

 

Thanks so much for that link! Wine shopping time....er, I mean, cruise time, will be here before I know it! Less than a month now!

[canadarocks]

We are doing a New Year's cruise on Crown out of Ft. Lauderdale and we always stay at the Embassy Suites right around the corner from Total Wine - that store is the best! Even the prices in the grocery store next door are nuts - the last time we sailed out of there, I had to run in last minute for an extra bottle of sunscreen and they had a sale on Little Penguin wine, 2/$5. I have no idea if it's tasty or not (I suspect at $2.50 a bottle on sale, it's not great) but I was SO tempted to buy some just so I could say I'd bought wine for that cheap, lol.

 

LOL... not sure about Little Penguin. :) But with Total Wine a little online research can really pay off. We found a Mirrasou Pinot Noir for $6.97 that we loved. After we finished our cruise we stayed at the Hyatt Regency Pier 66, and they were charging $30+ for it. (y)

Edited August 24, 2017 by canadarocks

[Steelers36]

Canadian wine prices really freak me out! I can get a nice bottle of wine in the US and then pay the $15 corkage fee on Princess and still come out cheaper than buying wine in Vancouver! (Just spent 7 weeks on the road and 6 of those were in Canada. The prices freaked me out but they didn't stop me from buying a lot of beer, wine, and liquor. ;p)

 

Edit: To be fair the prices in Alaska were just as high. :eek:

 

Governments up here love to sock it to us with the so-called sin taxes. :evilsmile:

[Steelers36]

The effort you put into the spreadsheet comparisons have helped many passengers...thanks!

 

We sailed the Star in January & for the most part the wine list hasn't changed.

 

During a discussion about Super Tuscan wines someone noticed the Tignanello prices were incorrect: onboard it's $115 & not $42; TW it's $90-$100 and not $18.

 

If you get a chance to update your list, I'll watch for it in the future.

 

YIKES!! I am wondering how I did that. I don't have an editor, unfortunately. Let's just say if I saw Tig for $42 on board, I think I would have bought at least a case to take home.

 

Either I had the wine name wrong or (more likely), I had copied the row down from above and never went back to update the numbers.

 

Just for you - see the attached. ;)

Princess Wine List - 2015-Fall.xls

[Astro Flyer]

YIKES!! I am wondering how I did that. I don't have an editor, unfortunately. Let's just say if I saw Tig for $42 on board, I think I would have bought at least a case to take home.

 

Either I had the wine name wrong or (more likely), I had copied the row down from above and never went back to update the numbers.

 

Just for you - see the attached. ;)

Thanks...will share your updated list & give you credit for your very useful wine list comparison. :D