Wine drinkers on Celebrity

[goldenshore]

We have booked a cruise on the Summit and got the Classic drink package as a perk. I know everyone has different tastes but I wondered what the general consensus is about the wine selection offered with that package. Does everyone think I will definitely want to upgrade to Premium or will the wines in the Classic package be decent?

[TFLG]

Unless you are very picky about your wine I think you will be fine. You can upgrade onboard if you can't find anything to your liking on the classic package. We drink a lot of wine (usually reds) and have had no issues with the wine on the classic package. it's not great wine but it's horrible either. You can also just pay the difference if you want a more expensive wine occasionally.

Edited February 7, 2018 by TFLG

[sykimball1498]

I found the wines to be okay on the Classic package. None of it was horrible but none was great either. I am not picky. You can always upgrade. Don;t forget that you also only pay the difference so if a wine is $12 then you pay $3.54 for it even if you don't do an entire upgrade of your package.

[kenevenpar]

For me, I always upgrade. Not just for the wine, but I would find it tough to be happy with those priced at the Classic level. As I understand, you can now pay the difference in price between your selected wine by the glass and the plan allowance.

 

To be fair, I like good, not necessarily expensive wine. On our last HAL cruise we brought 12 bottles on board, paid the corkage, and still bought a few more.

[Tiggertastic]

Wait until you board and check out what they have. You can pay the difference per glass or choose to upgrade. You don’t need to upgrade day 1 either.

 

 

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[GerScot]

I am quite fussy about wine and always upgrade, my wife on the other hand is more than happy with choice on Classic. Each to their own. Added bonus is the alcohol coffees in Cafe Al Bachio and the fact that I can get a can of Guinness!

[Lsimon]

If at restaurants you like very basic house wine type of wines then you'll be fine. If you're a bit picky, but would still order wines by the glass at a restaurant rather than a slightly more expensive wine that comes by the bottle only then you'll be fine with the premium. If you really enjoy variety in wines and pay attention to the label, type of wine and the vinyard or bottler then you'll do best by forgoing the package wines and buying wine by the bottle from the wine list on the ship. Packages generally offer a discount on wines by the bottle but they are not usually included at no extra charge.

[Texed]

If at restaurants you like very basic house wine type of wines then you'll be fine.

 

Off Topic:

So nice to see you posting. Have not "seen" you in a while. :)

[goldenshore]

Thank you all for your responses. I think I will wait until we're onboard as suggested. I will definitely consider both the suggestion about buying bottles onboard as well as the upgrade option. I wish all problems were as fun to have as this one! Thank you again everyone! :D:wine-glass:

[CRZR58]

Can't say that there is much in the classic package that's any better than a mid-level restaurant's 'house' wine. Still, we don't go 'premium' we just pay the extra to get better wines. Would also bring a couple of nice wines on board if you have enough time to pick them up before boarding.

 

Cheers!

[Marelaine]

You can try the classic package for a few days before you decide if you'd like to upgrade to premium.

[bessinfl]

I’ll add that I find the classic red wine much better than most house wine I’ve had. But try for yourself.

 

 

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[NantahalaCruiser]

Thank you all for your responses. I think I will wait until we're onboard as suggested. I will definitely consider both the suggestion about buying bottles onboard as well as the upgrade option. I wish all problems were as fun to have as this one! Thank you again everyone! :D:wine-glass:

There are many possible reasons to upgrade to premium (e,g,GerScot's Guiness) but if your only reason is for better, more-expensive wines, then check out the prices of wines you would like on board and note that the upgrade breakeven average glasses per day per person is:

10 for a $10 glass

5 for a $11 glass

3.33 for a $12 glass

2.5 for a $13 or higher glass

 

Enjoy!

[contessaMD]

I wasn't wild about the wines available on the Classic package. By no means am I a wine snob, but the wine always tasted corked to me.

[NantahalaCruiser]

I wasn't wild about the wines available on the Classic package. By no means am I a wine snob, but the wine always tasted corked to me.

Then try the ones with screw-on tops :evilsmile:

[Alsmez]

A word of warning - I noticed many times on our cruise last week that bartenders and waiters would sub wines without telling me if they didn't happen to have the wine listed on the menu. They are very good at keeping the label turned away from you so you can't see exactly what they're pouring. We had the premium package so I wasn't paying upcharges, but if I had been paying upcharges on each glass I would have been pretty irritated if they subbed a cheaper wine for the more expensive one I was charged for. It irritated me with the premium package only because it seems like a sneaky way for them to save money, but as long as I liked the wine I didn't make a fuss.

[eileenover]

A word of warning - I noticed many times on our cruise last week that bartenders and waiters would sub wines without telling me if they didn't happen to have the wine listed on the menu. They are very good at keeping the label turned away from you so you can't see exactly what they're pouring. We had the premium package so I wasn't paying upcharges, but if I had been paying upcharges on each glass I would have been pretty irritated if they subbed a cheaper wine for the more expensive one I was charged for. It irritated me with the premium package only because it seems like a sneaky way for them to save money, but as long as I liked the wine I didn't make a fuss.

 

 

Sorry, what does 'upcharge' mean? I'm guessing that it is an American expression...

[rsquirrel]

Sorry, what does 'upcharge' mean? I'm guessing that it is an American expression...

 

Because he/she had the premium drink package they weren't charged the difference in price from a cheaper wine to one that was more expensive (and not covered by the classic drink package).

 

Upcharge is the difference in the price of the wine. As in would have to pay extra for the more expensive wine.

[aquidneck1]

The wine service is rushed and the wine lists are not readily available so it is true that you often do not know what you are getting unless you stop them and take control of the situation. It is difficult to make a decision based on the first day or two. You will find that they do not have access to all of the wines in the beginning and they don't have time to go find what you want. You will not know exactly what is on board for a few days. The wine service is not as pleasant as it should be and we were in Luminae. We found ourselves paying a few dollars extra to go above the premium package on some evenings.

[TMLAalum]

Don't forget that you may each bring a bottle of wine aboard with you, so you can take your favorite with you to enjoy in your cabin. Much easier to pour as desired than to schlep a glass of wine from the nearest bar. Corkage fee only applies if you bring your bottle to the dining venue.

[tsklag]

A word of warning - I noticed many times on our cruise last week that bartenders and waiters would sub wines without telling me if they didn't happen to have the wine listed on the menu. They are very good at keeping the label turned away from you so you can't see exactly what they're pouring. We had the premium package so I wasn't paying upcharges, but if I had been paying upcharges on each glass I would have been pretty irritated if they subbed a cheaper wine for the more expensive one I was charged for. It irritated me with the premium package only because it seems like a sneaky way for them to save money, but as long as I liked the wine I didn't make a fuss.

I just returned from a cruise on the Eclipse where I had the premium package. There were 4 or 5 wines on the premium list that I normally get that were not available. I was usually offered a substitute that was 2 or 3 dollars less per glass. Never was I offered an equally priced or more expensive wine. In Cellar Masters, the wine steward was substituting a $2 a glass cheaper wine until I caught her in the act. In the future I will probably stay with the classic package and pay the upcharge per glass. Staff blamed the lack of wines on a failure to load them in Miami. Very disappointed with the premium package on this cruise.

 

 

 

 

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[waterbug123]

I know everyone has different tastes but I wondered what the general consensus is about the wine selection offered with that package.

 

The first part of your sentence says it all- everyone has different tastes. Thus, by definition there really can't be a "consensus." Some will be happy with the classic package, some will not. Of those that aren't, some will be happy with the premium selections, some will not. Of those that aren't, their best option will be ordering wines by the bottle.

 

 

If at restaurants you like very basic house wine type of wines then you'll be fine. If you're a bit picky, but would still order wines by the glass at a restaurant rather than a slightly more expensive wine that comes by the bottle only then you'll be fine with the premium. If you really enjoy variety in wines and pay attention to the label, type of wine and the vinyard or bottler then you'll do best by forgoing the package wines and buying wine by the bottle from the wine list on the ship.

 

Good summary!

 

Alternatively, If you routinely order house red or white, or house cab/house chardonnay for instance, you'll likely be perfectly happy with the classic package. If you routinely look at a restaurant wine list and find yourself asking if they have a reserve list, you'll likely prefer ordering by the bottle rather than by the glass from either the classic or premium list. If you're somewhere in between, perhaps the premium package wines by the glass will suit you just fine. :)

[DENIE]

On the Infinity in September, we were quite happy with our Classic package. I certainly appreciate a very fine wine, but the cost differential just didn't make sense. While the Classic package won't have "top flight" wines, it satisfied us for the cruise. As a side note....I really believe some of the wine we were served in the MDR was not off the Classic package. We had fun selecting our dinner choice and asking the wine steward to pair the wine with the food choice. I really think some of the wine they poured was from the Premium package.

[whatyouknowsays]

Originally posted by Alsmez A word of warning - I noticed many times on our cruise last week that bartenders and waiters would sub wines without telling me if they didn't happen to have the wine listed on the menu. They are very good at keeping the label turned away from you so you can't see exactly what they're pouring. We had the premium package so I wasn't paying upcharges, but if I had been paying upcharges on each glass I would have been pretty irritated if they subbed a cheaper wine for the more expensive one I was charged for. It irritated me with the premium package only because it seems like a sneaky way for them to save money, but as long as I liked the wine I didn't make a fuss.

This is very accurate on our last 2 sailings... Do not bother upgrading. I called the bartenders out numerous times and ultimately had to go to guest services for this issue. We ultimately asked to see the label and a taste. They DO not want to give you the premium priced wines unless you call them out on it. I had to go the the Food and beverage director and have a "talk". Miraculously the wines we were told they were out of had magically appeared the next day.

Edited February 12, 2018 by whatyouknowsays

[GerScot]

Originally posted by Alsmez A word of warning - I noticed many times on our cruise last week that bartenders and waiters would sub wines without telling me if they didn't happen to have the wine listed on the menu. They are very good at keeping the label turned away from you so you can't see exactly what they're pouring. We had the premium package so I wasn't paying upcharges, but if I had been paying upcharges on each glass I would have been pretty irritated if they subbed a cheaper wine for the more expensive one I was charged for. It irritated me with the premium package only because it seems like a sneaky way for them to save money, but as long as I liked the wine I didn't make a fuss.

This is very accurate on our last 2 sailings... Do not bother upgrading. I called the bartenders out numerous times and ultimately had to go to guest services for this issue. We ultimately asked to see the label and a taste. They DO not want to give you the premium priced wines unless you call them out on it. I had to go the the Food and beverage director and have a "talk". Miraculously the wines we were told they were out of had magically appeared the next day.

 

I would be livid if that happened to me, apart from the sneakiness I am sure it is illegal!:evilsmile: