Wine

[lindylooellalouise]

1 minute ago, wowzz said:

I would just add one caveat! I have never purchased a wine package!  My answers have all been based on my readings, and seeing what those that have purchased the package have done, when we have dined with them.

If I have given out any false information,  hopefully someone will correct me. 

Ha ha appreciated anyway 👍

[Denarius]

3 hours ago, majortom10 said:

I do not think that is relevant as I spent 34yrs of all my working life wearing a uniform in a emergency service and love the formal side of cruising and always wear a dinner suit on formal nights and dont mind wearing a normal suit on other nights on Cunard but do admit on P&O on casual nights wear a shirt and trousers. I just think it is nice that people should adhere to the dress code of the evening and of the ship in general.

I do. Which is why I own a dinner suit.

[terrierjohn]

2 hours ago, Denarius said:

I do. Which is why I own a dinner suit.

Who do I apply to for compensation after lockdown shrank my DJ Trousers?

[DamianG]

Speaking as someone who likes to buy a bottle of wine at dinner most evenings on board our experience of the wine packages is that we tried them twice but couldn’t really make them work for us. 
There is a good discount but to some extent, for us anyway, that is somewhat negated by there always being one or two selections in the package which we wouldn’t usually choose and isn’t really to our taste.

That said, I always keep an open mind and always take a look at what’s on offer as the selections do change and one day we may see something that suits us perfectly. 
From memory, the last time we had a package they gave us a book of tickets with one for each wine so at dinner we just handed the appropriate ticket for our choice to the wine waiter. That was a long time ago though so it could have been replaced by some kind of electronic record.

[wowzz]

1 hour ago, DamianG said:

That was a long time ago though so it could have been replaced by some kind of electronic record.

They were still issuing tickets in February 2020, on the last cruise we were on, just before lockdown.

I must admit, it did seem a rather archaic system in this electronic age.

[mercury7289]

5 hours ago, DamianG said:

Speaking as someone who likes to buy a bottle of wine at dinner most evenings on board our experience of the wine packages is that we tried them twice but couldn’t really make them work for us. 
There is a good discount but to some extent, for us anyway, that is somewhat negated by there always being one or two selections in the package which we wouldn’t usually choose and isn’t really to our taste.

That said, I always keep an open mind and always take a look at what’s on offer as the selections do change and one day we may see something that suits us perfectly. 
From memory, the last time we had a package they gave us a book of tickets with one for each wine so at dinner we just handed the appropriate ticket for our choice to the wine waiter. That was a long time ago though so it could have been replaced by some kind of electronic record.

 

3 hours ago, wowzz said:

They were still issuing tickets in February 2020, on the last cruise we were on, just before lockdown.

I must admit, it did seem a rather archaic system in this electronic age.

The package selection and choice is shown under a tab in your cruise personaliser, and also the Wine Waiter has a package wine list for you to choose against, that's if you have not pre- selected. The tickets are not coloured, and you have a full choice of every wine listed within your package each evening to select against.There are two packages on offer The Captains and the Commodores. The tickets are in a book form, you need sign the ticket each evening and hand your ticket to the Wine Waiter. I leave my book with him,so each evening he brings one to the table with a pen and I sign it. The whole thing is a doddle. This is how it has been, every time that we have availed ourselves of it

[mrbluesea]

On the last P&O cruise I was on, just before the first lockdown l was advised by my winewaiter that the role of winewater was to be discontinued on the new larger ships. The role was going to be picked up by the general waiters.  The wine waiter we had was not too impressed with the proposed change. If it did go ahead it looks to be a very retrograde step.  Has anyone else heard this possible change.

[terrierjohn]

16 minutes ago, mrbluesea said:

On the last P&O cruise I was on, just before the first lockdown l was advised by my winewaiter that the role of winewater was to be discontinued on the new larger ships. The role was going to be picked up by the general waiters.  The wine waiter we had was not too impressed with the proposed change. If it did go ahead it looks to be a very retrograde step.  Has anyone else heard this possible change.

It was already operating on Ventura when we were last on board in 2019, although it seemed the table waiters were taking the orders, but the wine waiter was still bringing it to the table.  It worked quite well though, and Royal Caribbean have been doing this for some time, and it worked well on both cruises we have done with them.

Of course if you want a good quality sommelier to advise you on the best wine pairing with each meal, then it's best not to expect that from any of the large main stream cruise lines.

[wowzz]

1 hour ago, terrierjohn said:

It was already operating on Ventura when we were last on board in 2019, although it seemed the table waiters were taking the orders, but the wine waiter was still bringing it to the table.  It worked quite well though, and Royal Caribbean have been doing this for some time, and it worked well on both cruises we have done with them.

Of course if you want a good quality sommelier to advise you on the best wine pairing with each meal, then it's best not to expect that from any of the large main stream cruise lines.

The same on Oceana in 2020. The wine waiters have disappeared. 

Obviously from P&O's point of view,  an easy way to improve the bottom line, but I wonder how much the wine revenue will have reduced as a result. I'm a sucker for spending a little more if the wine waiter points out a better wine for a few quid more. 

[terrierjohn]

24 minutes ago, wowzz said:

The same on Oceana in 2020. The wine waiters have disappeared. 

Obviously from P&O's point of view,  an easy way to improve the bottom line, but I wonder how much the wine revenue will have reduced as a result. I'm a sucker for spending a little more if the wine waiter points out a better wine for a few quid more. 

But you have to remember these guys were on commission, and I probably know as much about wine as they do, which is very little.

[wowzz]

1 minute ago, terrierjohn said:

But you have to remember these guys were on commission, and I probably know as much about wine as they do, which is very little.

I think that you and I are equally qualified on that score! 

Did have a nice Chilean Malbec tonight to celebrate my wife's birthday,  with a sumptuous repast cooked by yours truly!

The wine was £8 from Lidl - probably £30 on P&O! 

[mercury7289]

54 minutes ago, wowzz said:

The same on Oceana in 2020. The wine waiters have disappeared. 

Obviously from P&O's point of view,  an easy way to improve the bottom line, but I wonder how much the wine revenue will have reduced as a result. I'm a sucker for spending a little more if the wine waiter points out a better wine for a few quid more. 

wowzz,

Sorry do you think that these very professional seeming, but still very young ,wine waiters, on a cruise ship have the experienced pallet, sufficient for you to trust them to point out a wine to suit your pallet? Sommeliers they are not. On our 11 Cruises with P&O, 169 nights from memory, taking in 158 bottles of wine,  in the evening, we do not drink a bottle on the last evening, due to driving in the morning, we have had 3 corked bottles. When asking the Waiter to try It for assurance for them, they are totally bemused and refer to those above them,who also will not to try it. I therefore go on what, I myself, trust, from my life time experience on drinking wine. A lot of them do not drink!

Edited March 26, 2021 by mercury7289

[terrierjohn]

13 hours ago, mercury7289 said:

wowzz,

Sorry do you think that these very professional seeming, but still very young ,wine waiters, on a cruise ship have the experienced pallet, sufficient for you to trust them to point out a wine to suit your pallet? Sommeliers they are not. On our 11 Cruises with P&O, 169 nights from memory, taking in 158 bottles of wine,  in the evening, we do not drink a bottle on the last evening, due to driving in the morning, we have had 3 corked bottles. When asking the Waiter to try It for assurance for them, they are totally bemused and refer to those above them,who also will not to try it. I therefore go on what, I myself, trust, from my life time experience on drinking wine. A lot of them do not drink!

Which is why it does not matter if P&O do away with wine waiters, just as long as we all receive prompt attention from the table waiters.

[Adawn47]

14 hours ago, terrierjohn said:

But you have to remember these guys were on commission, and I probably know as much about wine as they do, which is very little.

We have never asked a wine waiter's opinion on any wine, as we know what we like. We don't like a dry wine, we had decided one evening on a white moscato when the waiter pointed out it was a dry wine!!  I rest my case🙄

Avril

Edited March 26, 2021 by Adawn47
spelling

[Host Sharon]

On 3/20/2021 at 10:12 AM, Lily lady said:

Thank you for your replies,has made me think and consider the pros and cons more. I also prefer new world wines though i am open to all tastes. The restrictions on choice is now my main concern,  and yes all overpriced . Also i find the rules on taking a litre on first boarding to be very restrictive, wine doesnt normally come in litre bottles boxed wine is , in my view, not as good. Also same restrictions  for a week or a world cruise

But on a world cruise it applies to each sector. It's fun finding a supermarket somewhere and trying new wines that way.

[Britboys]

On 3/24/2021 at 8:35 AM, wowzz said:

They were still issuing tickets in February 2020, on the last cruise we were on, just before lockdown.

I must admit, it did seem a rather archaic system in this electronic age.

Some of us are still quite happy with these antiquated, luddite ways...😄