Wine Question

[Astro Flyer]

53 minutes ago, Shaver John said:

The only problem with the  wine package is that you can only use it when the dining room is open as the wine comes out of the dining room bar. If you want to have some wine in the morning at 11 you can not get a bottle. We tried this at Alfredos and even with wine on the table we could not have the wine, unless we purchased it for full price. I think the wine card is a great idea, but was very surprised that we could not use it before the dining room opened up.

I would have contested that decision that it wasn’t usuable at Alfredo’s because their flyer that I kept states “This package will be honored in the dining room, Horizon Court, and alternative restaurants”.

[Ombud]

On 10/25/2018 at 7:40 AM, tvlgoddess said:

What is the wine “etiquette” in bringing the wine that you have already paid corkage fee to the MDR, specialty restaurant or even to any bars?   Do you just carry the bottle from place to place or do you put it in a wine carrier?

I just pour myself a glass and take the glass in. I never drink more than one glass of wine with dinner anyway

 

Maybe I should trade the minibar for wine and have the waiter keep that one this cruise 

Edited October 27, 2018 by Ombud

[Thrak]

6 hours ago, Shaver John said:

The only problem with the  wine package is that you can only use it when the dining room is open as the wine comes out of the dining room bar. If you want to have some wine in the morning at 11 you can not get a bottle. We tried this at Alfredos and even with wine on the table we could not have the wine, unless we purchased it for full price. I think the wine card is a great idea, but was very surprised that we could not use it before the dining room opened up.

 

I think you should have asked to speak with a supervisor as this doesn't seem to comply with the stated terms of the package. We had a minor (very minor) issue with the Premium Beverage Package (originally it was supposed to be the All Inclusive Beverage Package but Princess changed it before we sailed...) where my wife ordered a pint of draft beer (Newcastle Ale). She was told that only the smaller beers were covered. I said that the package specifically stated "any" drink $12 and under. They said there was no "button" for the larger beer under the package. I didn't get angry or obnoxious. It wasn't their fault. I simply asked to speak with the beverage manager. As it happened he was passing by at the moment so I spoke with him. I very calmly and civilly pointed out the issue. He seemed surprised and said it was a miscommunication and would correct it. Within 20 minutes a memo was distributed to all venues correcting the issue and things were fine after that.

 

Rather than being peeved with me for going to "the boss" the bar staff made a point of snagging me and my wife the next day and thanking me for handling the issue in the manner I did. Apparently some folks get angry and abusive and make a big fuss about little things and cause issues for the staff. They were so very appreciative that I didn't do those things and that I didn't point fingers and complain about staff. While I was pleased that they made a point of letting my wife know how appreciative they were I was appalled at what that said about other passengers!

 

It doesn't hurt to be calm and civil if there is an issue. Being a butthead is another matter. I always treat the crew - whether a manager or a bartender, or a steward or a buffet server or... politely. They are just people trying to do their job. Courtesy is free and easy (at least to me) and, while it's never right to accept something that isn't right, it's also never right to indiscriminately "point the finger" at someone who is just trying to do their job as they understand it - even if they are wrong.

 

I would not have accepted the statement that my wine package wasn't "good" in a venue other than MDR. I would have simply taken it to a higher level with courtesy. I'm sorry you experienced poor service. It really isn't the norm on Princess ships.

 

Edit: Holy Cow! I just posted this and then saw how long and rambling it is. Sorry. It's late and I get "blather fingers" at times when it's late.

Edited October 27, 2018 by Thrak

[Papa Yoda]

 

Thrak,

 

I thought it was perfect.  Good on you and the crew for dealing with the consistently inconsistent situation/

[Papa Yoda]

PS: We have a friend who has a couple of times walked on with a whole case of wine since the alcohol desk wasn't staffed yet.  Pay corkage as you see fit once on board.  And I do bring or borrow a Riedel glass.

 

In MDR I tell them I need a "good" glass from Vines and then on it's always there.

 

[XBGuy]

Thrak,  thank you, very much, for sharing your experience.  It will help me in the future.

 

Also, thank you for taking the time to compose a very clear explanation of that experience.  For some reason or other, so many correspondents assume that I know what they are writing about and omit much.  Your explanation left no confusion in my mind.  You even wrote complete declarative sentences.

 

Something I learned 40 years ago in my first ever management class:

 

It is not the receiver's responsibility to get the message.  It is the sender's responsibility to verify that the receiver got the message.

[lhsail]

We had the wine package on our recent TA and thought it was great.  However, we first went to the dining room as soon as we got on board to purchase and were told we needed to go to a bar. We didn't think that sounded right, the bar only had the beverage package.  We went back to the restaurant and asked to speak to a manager and he knew what we wanted and it was handled. 

 

As we understood it, the wine generally had to be obtained from the dining room, but it can be consumed anywhere on the ship since you've purchased it from Princess. We tried going to the dining room one day at lunch to just get a bottle to sip on in the cabin. We got one, but found that to be a hassle. We learned to just get an extra bottle before we left dinner in the evening if we wanted some to consume elsewhere.  We did not try to use the package in Alfredo's, but would take a bottle with us. We had no problem using it in the Crown Grill. 

 

We felt the value of the wines in the Gold package to be very good and much easier than hauling our own wine on for a longer cruise. We intend to take the same approach in about a month.

[c-boy]

On 10/26/2018 at 1:54 PM, cruiser113 said:

can  the  wine  package  only  be  used  in  MDR?  what  about  Vines?

Yes to both.

[ladocevita]

Yes,, you can bring that paid corkage bottle anywhere onboard. 

[poinsettiaplate]

Sorry.  I am still confused by all this.  I will be on a b2b in January on the Crown for a total of 21 days.  On other cruise lines, I would buy a package including enough bottles of wine to allow for 2 to 3 glasses at dinner each night and they would move from venue to venue (MDR and all specialty restaurants) depending on where I dined.  The wine steward in the venue would go to the central storage area, find my bottle and bring it to wherever I was, return it to the central storage area at the end of the meal.  If I finished a bottle in any venue, the wine steward would get mea a bottle that was included in my package and return it to the central storage area at the end of the meal.  It was not a big deal and rarely took long to accomplish.  Is this not the case on Princess?

[Astro Flyer]

19 minutes ago, poinsettiaplate said:

Sorry.  I am still confused by all this.  I will be on a b2b in January on the Crown for a total of 21 days.  On other cruise lines, I would buy a package including enough bottles of wine to allow for 2 to 3 glasses at dinner each night and they would move from venue to venue (MDR and all specialty restaurants) depending on where I dined.  The wine steward in the venue would go to the central storage area, find my bottle and bring it to wherever I was, return it to the central storage area at the end of the meal.  If I finished a bottle in any venue, the wine steward would get mea a bottle that was included in my package and return it to the central storage area at the end of the meal.  It was not a big deal and rarely took long to accomplish.  Is this not the case on Princess?

You can order a bottle at any restaurant & they’ll store unused wine for another time even at a different restaurant.  If you can provide information about the previous restaurant that can expedite receiving it another time.

 

You can order another bottle in the restaurant if you empty a bottle.

 

When having traditional dining (same table & waitstaff) they automatically bring any partially consumed bottles.  We can also order a bottle from our servers the night before to have it delivered the next night.

 

On a 21 day B2B ensure the package is useable on both segments. If not, get all of your wine at the end of the first segment & carry it to the restaurant on the 2nd segment.

Edited October 29, 2018 by Astro Flyer

[tanyaewa]

On 10/25/2018 at 6:55 AM, Heyref said:

What would stop me from taking 2 bottles on board, and having my wife check in 10 min later, and her taking 2 bottles.  Do you think we would each be charged $15 for the extra bottle??

To answer your questions- 

Nothing is stopping you.

In my experience you would be unlikely to be charged for the extra.

Edited October 29, 2018 by tanyaewa

[paul929207]

11 hours ago, poinsettiaplate said:

Sorry.  I am still confused by all this.  I will be on a b2b in January on the Crown for a total of 21 days.  On other cruise lines, I would buy a package including enough bottles of wine to allow for 2 to 3 glasses at dinner each night and they would move from venue to venue (MDR and all specialty restaurants) depending on where I dined.  The wine steward in the venue would go to the central storage area, find my bottle and bring it to wherever I was, return it to the central storage area at the end of the meal.  If I finished a bottle in any venue, the wine steward would get mea a bottle that was included in my package and return it to the central storage area at the end of the meal.  It was not a big deal and rarely took long to accomplish.  Is this not the case on Princess?

Works the same on Princess. 

[casandbliz]

We will be taking 4 bottles with us on our next cruise- 2 free to have in our stateroom, and 2 to take to dinner. We will gladly pay the corkage fee of $15. It is a deal compared to restaurants near us that are charging $25 per bottle!!

[wave2me]

This has been a very enlightening discussion!  Thank you to everyone for the important information shared.

[happy cruzer]

So the wine package works in the Horizon court?  Even for breakfast if you wanted sparkling wine?

 

Is it always available on transatlantic cruises?

 

Thanks to all the frequent posters who help us out with the details!

[happy cruzer]

On 11/12/2018 at 6:50 AM, happy cruzer said:

So the wine package works in the Horizon court?  Even for breakfast if you wanted sparkling wine?

 

Is it always available on transatlantic cruises?

 

Thanks to all the frequent posters who help us out with the details!

any one have a answer?  guess?  Thanks.

[Ombud]

On 10/25/2018 at 6:55 AM, Heyref said:

What would stop me from taking 2 bottles on board, and having my wife check in 10 min later, and her taking 2 bottles.  Do you think we would each be charged $15 for the extra bottle??

Yes

[Astro Flyer]

On 11/12/2018 at 4:50 AM, happy cruzer said:

So the wine package works in the Horizon court?  Even for breakfast if you wanted sparkling wine?

 

Is it always available on transatlantic cruises?

 

Thanks to all the frequent posters who help us out with the details!

The flyer I kept with the details said the Wine Package was usable in the HC.  I’ve never tried it but have read posts from very experienced Princess cruises who got bottles in the HC.  As I recall, it will take longer for a staff member to get it for you.

 

I’ve always had it available on our longer cruises such as TAs & always had our choices in stock.

 

Haven’t read about any changes but as the new wine list is gradually implemented this Fall there might be changes to the wine packages.  Hopefully not but with some reporting higher prices that could negatively affect wine packages.

Edited November 13, 2018 by Astro Flyer

[SVBing]

What is the current pricing for the wine packages on Princess?