wine question

[ncamy]

Can anyone confirm if Beringer and Woodbridge are the only two Cabs on the wine package? If so where can I get a price list of other Cabernets that are available to purchase. Looks like I might need to budget this one fully!! We'll be on the Serenade to Alaska.

[Pattis61]

I got a wine list of Royal Caribbean's Web Site. It was under Gifts to Purchase.

[ncamy]

I did check out that link, but boy oh boy...was I ever disappointed!!! So where are the $60-$80 bottles of special occasion wines? Yes, we're quite partial to Cabernets, and I still didn't see much of a selection. Is that truly all there is? I'm not disappointed in the price, there's always a huge markup with wines in restaurants and that's what we've come to expect, but where is the variety? Most of the wines listed were between $22 and $35. What am I to do? What do the rest of you serious wine drinkers out there do? We nearly always have a good bottle of wine with dinner and I was expecting that since we'll be with friends, we'll go through several per night (shared among five red wine drinkers.) Maybe I should wean myself gradually over the next few months and grow acclimated to the more common grocery store varieties...

[bobbie0253]

Have you thought about bringing your own? We usually bring 2-4 Magnum bottles per cruise. I would much rather pay the $12 corkage fee and have the wine I enjoy. It is sometimes hard not to exceed weight limits when flying though.

 

Bobbie

[ncamy]

I wasn't sure I was allowed to. On this board the opinion seems to differ on that. I've heard that each person is allowed 2 bottles (so long as RCI doesn't sell it) and I've heard that the new policy states that absolutely no alcohol of any kind can be brought on board now. Apparently when you call customer service you get different answers, too!

 

PS I would love it if this was acceptable. We are flying in four days early so we would have plenty of time to select some nice wines as we visit the Seattle/ Vancouver area. It would be the perfect solution.

[bobbie0253]

Worst case? They hold the wine and give it to you at the end of the cruise. I have never had that happen though and we bring it every cruise. I am not a fan of Berringer....BLAH combined with heartburn and headache if you drink too much....LOL

 

I like sweet red wine and bring Red Cat with me. It's a fun wine and we usually talk our waiters into trying a glass. (Hint if you say there is lipstick on the glass and it isn't clean, they will remove the glass and then they can sneak a sip or two.)

 

I was told by our last waiter that if the head waiter doesn't see you come in with it, they can usually bypass the corkage fee. Our head waiter saw our wine, but felt bad for not remembering us from a cruise a couple of months before and we never got charged the corkage fee for both bottles we brought into the dining room.

 

I have and will continue to bring my favorite wines with me. If they someday forbid them from the dining room, I will just have a pre and post dinner glass instead.

 

Happy wine sipping.....

 

Bobbie <--- who is blessed to live less than an hour from the Finger Lakes. We do have some awesome wines!

[perkythedog]

Just give your waiter $20 at your first dinner and tell him or her you will bringing your own wine to dinner each night. No corkage fee!

[mocruiseguy]

I was on Explorer for the 1/15/06 Western Carib. cruise. From the daily planner, "Corkage Fee - an amount of $12 per bottle opened is charged to guests brining their own wine and champagne into any of our dining areas to be consumed at meal times. Please note: no open liquor bottles will be permitted to be brought into the dining areas or any public spaces."

 

This language appeared in each day's Daily Planner. On port days, the "no liquor on board" language that has been the subject of much debate also appeared.

 

I was traveling with a group of family and friends. I personally brought on 12 bottles of expensive ($75 - $125) red wines in my traveling wine carrier (purchased through IWA). The wine was not "hidden." There was no attempt by security or cruiseline personnel to question or confiscate it.

 

We purchased white wine from the line's list for those who preferred it and enjoyed my collection of reds each night at dinner. Since we purchased an equal number of whites for the reds I brought on board, the maitre'd graciously waived charging the corkage fee. I would have been more than willing to pay the fee, but the maitre'd does have the authority to waive it.

 

The maitre'd explained that RC's "no liquor on board policy" is interpreted by him and other ship personnel to apply only to liquor purchased at ports during the cruise and not to wine and champagne brought on board at the originating port of departure. That's why the corkage fee language appears in the daily planner throughout the cruise. He genuinely appeared puzzled by my remarks about the confusion RC's "no liquor on board" policy (as stated on their website and in cruise documents) has created among the cruising public.

 

I would suggest taking your favorite "expensive" bottles of wine on your upcoming cruise and enjoy.

 

Bon Voyage!