Complimentary drinks

[Grandma Cruising]

17 minutes ago, uktog said:

No you cannot based on experience last week 

Thanks.

[Lindy028]

We board Pursuit in one weeks time, really looking forward to our first post pandemic cruise! My only concern is the included wines, which do not appear to be wonderful. We were prepared to upgrade to the Ultimate package but reading through this thread, that doesn’t seem to be the best idea given they seem to not have many of the advertised wines. I mainly drink wine with the odd G&T thrown in, DH will drink anything! 🤗

Oh for the days when it was just wine with lunch and dinner and the wines changed daily and you could request a previous days wine and they would move heaven and earth to find it for you. We will go with the flow and I’m sure I will find something which appeals.

[uktog]

The one advantage of the new included wines is that all wines are offered all the time so no hunting for the previous days bottle. 
The disadvantage is they are generic blends bottled for Azamara so todays wine might be a different batch and taste very different to yesterday 

[Lindy028]

12 minutes ago, uktog said:

The one advantage of the new included wines is that all wines are offered all the time so no hunting for the previous days bottle. 
The disadvantage is they are generic blends bottled for Azamara so todays wine might be a different batch and taste very different to yesterday 

I can see that would be an advantage if the wines were all acceptable. To be honest   we were usually very happy with the included wines and rarely asked for a previous days wine. Oh well, things change, no point in dwelling on how things were, as I say I’m sure we’ll make it work.

[lisiamc]

On 8/18/2022 at 8:58 AM, Lindy028 said:

We board Pursuit in one weeks time, really looking forward to our first post pandemic cruise! My only concern is the included wines, which do not appear to be wonderful. We were prepared to upgrade to the Ultimate package but reading through this thread, that doesn’t seem to be the best idea given they seem to not have many of the advertised wines. I mainly drink wine with the odd G&T thrown in, DH will drink anything! 🤗

Oh for the days when it was just wine with lunch and dinner and the wines changed daily and you could request a previous days wine and they would move heaven and earth to find it for you. We will go with the flow and I’m sure I will find something which appeals.

Some of the replacements for the Ultimate package wines are very good indeed - an improvement on the ones that ran out, and others, not so much. I thought the replacement Sauvignon Blanc was too sweet, and not nearly as good, but the Penley’s Cabernet Sauvignon was delightful. Sadly for those of you on Pursuit in the near future, everyone else seemed to like it as well, and they were running out by the end of the cruise.

[excitedofharpenden]

16 minutes ago, lisiamc said:

Some of the replacements for the Ultimate package wines are very good indeed - an improvement on the ones that ran out, and others, not so much. I thought the replacement Sauvignon Blanc was too sweet, and not nearly as good, but the Penley’s Cabernet Sauvignon was delightful. Sadly for those of you on Pursuit in the near future, everyone else seemed to like it as well, and they were running out by the end of the cruise.

I've learned over time that you cannot rely on a standard Azamara because they seem to change. Often because of where the ships are. At the moment they are all in the same continent. Just when you like some they change it for something else. Can be a good and bad thing!  Look at the continuing saga of the Royal Club soda mixer that keeps rearing its ugly head!

 

Phil 

[Lindy028]

2 hours ago, lisiamc said:

Some of the replacements for the Ultimate package wines are very good indeed - an improvement on the ones that ran out, and others, not so much. I thought the replacement Sauvignon Blanc was too sweet, and not nearly as good, but the Penley’s Cabernet Sauvignon was delightful. Sadly for those of you on Pursuit in the near future, everyone else seemed to like it as well, and they were running out by the end of the cruise.

We are planning on suck it and see, if we don’t enjoy the included wines after a few days we’ll think about upgrading to the Ultimate, but we won’t be happy bunnies if the included wines are replaced with inferior products. Our last Azamara cruise was the World Cup cruise to Russia, it was fantastic. Since then we have had 2 cruises cancelled, one just as we went into the pandemic and the last because I was having major surgery. I hope the Azamara we remember is still there, but I have to say I am slightly concerned!

[lisiamc]

1 hour ago, Lindy028 said:

We are planning on suck it and see, if we don’t enjoy the included wines after a few days we’ll think about upgrading to the Ultimate, but we won’t be happy bunnies if the included wines are replaced with inferior products. Our last Azamara cruise was the World Cup cruise to Russia, it was fantastic. Since then we have had 2 cruises cancelled, one just as we went into the pandemic and the last because I was having major surgery. I hope the Azamara we remember is still there, but I have to say I am slightly concerned!

I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. The great service is still there. In my view, the food has even improved. The wines will eventually steady out. White Nights are happening again, and some Azamazing Evenings are slowly getting underway again. We had a sort of fluke Azamazing Evening in Civitavecchia in May on the Onward Inaugural, and it was lovely. We had a Destination Immersion Evening on Pursuit in Iceland last week, and that was great too. 

[81Zoomie]

Currently on the Quest.  Everything is subjective, so others may or may not agree with our assessment. Our everyday go to wine at home is a Costco boxed cab.   However, we do like to splurge on some finer reds on the weekend, special occasions, and vacations.
 

We decided to try the included wines after reading this thread and before making a decision on an upgrade.  First was the AZ branded cab, followed by the merlot.  The cab had a decent nose, but a harsh sour finish.  One sip was enough of a taste.  Next up the merlot.  When drinking house wines, merlot is usually a safe bet.  It was safe, unremarkable, and lacked any distinct flavor.  It was bland red wine.  Those were the only two red wines offered.  Taste test complete.  We walked to the bar and upgraded to the Ultimate Package.  Actually, every glass of wine we had by the glass at the cafes in Southampton was far better than the AZ complimentary reds.  We drank the Phoenix cab in the Ultimate Package with dinner.  It is not representative of the wonderful wine regions we are visiting on this cruise, but at least it was drinkable and complimented our meals.  Planning to give the Malbec a whirl next.

 

It is possible that the AZ complimentary wines could get better, or worse.  Since they are hidden behind a generic label one has no way of knowing where the wine is sourced, or when it changes.  Give them a taste and see what you think.  If you like better wines you may wish to consider bringing some on, upgrading, or buying bottles.  Life is too short to drink bad wine!  Off to find some wonderful Bordeaux Grand Cru tomorrow 🍷🏆🍷

Edited August 31, 2022 by 81Zoomie

[GUSGB]

Am I correct to assume that all complimentary wines are served by the glass? Has anyone managed to get the waiters to leave a bottle on the table at Dinner?

 

Does anyone know the current Red & White offerings on Onward at the moment?

[uktog]

1 hour ago, GUSGB said:

Am I correct to assume that all complimentary wines are served by the glass? Has anyone managed to get the waiters to leave a bottle on the table at Dinner?

 

Does anyone know the current Red & White offerings on Onward at the moment?

Served by the glass. Personally never seen a bottle be left at the table but the top ups are so regular no real need.   The offerings are not brands they are Azamara branded. 

[Host Jazzbeau]

4 hours ago, GUSGB said:

Am I correct to assume that all complimentary wines are served by the glass? Has anyone managed to get the waiters to leave a bottle on the table at Dinner?

 

Does anyone know the current Red & White offerings on Onward at the moment?

 

2 hours ago, uktog said:

Served by the glass. Personally never seen a bottle be left at the table but the top ups are so regular no real need.   The offerings are not brands they are Azamara branded. 

Fine dining excludes the concept of pouring your own wine.  One time I couldn't find my waiter in a fancy restaurant so I grabbed the bottle – and he suddenly appeared, mortified [actually, since he was French, he was angry with me – but he should have been mortified!], and poured for me.