Bin ends?

[LB_NJ]

Does Celebrity do wine bin ends at a reasonable discount?

[canderson]

Hope nobody on my next cruise is listening... 

 

Sign up for the World Wine Tour.  There's almost always a concurrent silent auction somewhere on the side that everyone ignores.  I've scored a few bottles at less than shoreside retail.  Think of it as a greatly reduced version of the original Odd Bins model ☺️

 

 

Edited October 9, 2022 by canderson

[upwarduk]

Never heard of that.

[canderson]

Last cruise I grabbed a bottle of Far Niente, decent year whatever it was, for $70.

[miched]

I bought a bottle of bourbon at a silent auction.  I placed the minimum and no one else bid on it.  When I got my final invoice there was a 20% gratuity added to it and  most of the bargain price disappeared.

 

I am happy that the duty free ships on board don’t add a 20% gratuity.

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

[LB_NJ]

43 minutes ago, miched said:

I bought a bottle of bourbon at a silent auction.  I placed the minimum and no one else bid on it.  When I got my final invoice there was a 20% gratuity added to it and  most of the bargain price disappeared.

 

I am happy that the duty free ships on board don’t add a 20% gratuity.

 

 

However, you can't drink the bourbon from the duty-free shop on-board.

 

I assume that if you buy a bottle of wine at a silent auction you can drink it onboard. 

Also, whether you buy at a silent auction or off the menu is there a 20% gratuity added? 

I am guessing yes.

[canderson]

Just now, LB_NJ said:

 

However, you can't drink the bourbon from the duty-free shop on-board.

 

I assume that if you buy a bottle of wine at a silent auction you can drink it onboard. 

Also, whether you buy at a silent auction or off the menu is there a 20% gratuity added? 

I am guessing yes.

Absolutely can drink it aboard.  Had the Far Niente cab with a steak the same evening. Was nice in that they took it and held it in reserve for me, and had it at the right temperature as a result.

 

I honestly don't recall if any gratuity was added.  Lemme see if I can scare up the *.pdf for my folio for the last cruise...

 

Nope.  No gratuity added.

[miched]

2 hours ago, LB_NJ said:

 

However, you can't drink the bourbon from the duty-free shop on-board.

 

I assume that if you buy a bottle of wine at a silent auction you can drink it onboard. 

Also, whether you buy at a silent auction or off the menu is there a 20% gratuity added? 

I am guessing yes.

I had no plan  on drinking it on board.   I had the premium drink pack and had more than enough to drink

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

Edited October 10, 2022 by miched

[miched]

1 hour ago, canderson said:

Absolutely can drink it aboard.  Had the Far Niente cab with a steak the same evening. Was nice in that they took it and held it in reserve for me, and had it at the right temperature as a result.

 

I honestly don't recall if any gratuity was added.  Lemme see if I can scare up the *.pdf for my folio for the last cruise...

 

Nope.  No gratuity added.

I know for a fact that it was added as I wouldn’t make it up 

 

it was before Covid and maybe things have changed or you got a break.  

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🌅🇺🇸

[canderson]

1 minute ago, miched said:

I know for a fact that it was added as I wouldn’t make it up 

 

it was before Covid and maybe things have changed or you got a break.  

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🌅🇺🇸

Guess they cut me a break.  Then again, that was the case in a number of ways on that last cruise.  They fouled up the invite for the VC dinner, and re-ran it for just the two of us.  

[adolfo2]

15 hours ago, LB_NJ said:

Does Celebrity do wine bin ends at a reasonable discount?

#1 Not saying it doesn't happen BIT have never heard of this on-board practice

 

#2 Would this still be occurring today what with all the shortages & supply issues?

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

16 hours ago, LB_NJ said:

Does Celebrity do wine bin ends at a reasonable discount?

 

Do you mean the random glass of a category - red, white, sparkling - from a bottle that's been opened already for a fixed price and you get what you get?

 

I don't know if X does it. I know Disney does and calls it the sommelier's bin.

[miched]

46 minutes ago, WrittenOnYourHeart said:

 

Do you mean the random glass of a category - red, white, sparkling - from a bottle that's been opened already for a fixed price and you get what you get?

 

I don't know if X does it. I know Disney does and calls it the sommelier's bin.

My observation was that it was full bottles that were left in their inventory that were longer being supplied from their source.   eg Knob Creek, Bookers, Bakers, Blanton and etc.    I purchased the bottle of Blanton for $50 that was their starting price.     It wasn’t really a bargain price compared to the same retail price  but it was available and was getting scarce in the states.    I couldn’t believe that I got it.   Then they added the 20% to make the price $60. 
 

The one hour event was advertised  in the daily paper.    It was held in Cellar Masters and very few people showed up.    I think that I was the only one that bought a bottle.  
 

It wasn’t  a blind auction. There were sheets by each  bottle.  At the top was the starting price.  You would write your name and amount of bid on the next line.   I wrote my name and $50.  No one else placed any bids on any of the other bottles.   There were six difference bottles.   At the end they asked if I want to purchase the rest for the minimum.    I turn down the offer as I wasn’t t interested and didn’t want to carry it off the ship. 
 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

[canderson]

2 minutes ago, miched said:

It wasn’t  a blind auction. There were sheets by each  bottle.  At the top was the starting price.  You would write your name and amount of bid on the next line.   I wrote my name and $50.

My bad.  That was exactly the process for the WWT as well.  

[LB_NJ]

1 hour ago, WrittenOnYourHeart said:

 

Do you mean the random glass of a category - red, white, sparkling - from a bottle that's been opened already for a fixed price and you get what you get?

 

I don't know if X does it. I know Disney does and calls it the sommelier's bin.

 

On some ships they may have miscellaneous bottles of this and that wine.  So in order to clear the last bottle of a wine and not having to keep inventorying it they just let it go for less.  I know Cunard does this and Oceania has done this in the past.

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

58 minutes ago, LB_NJ said:

 

On some ships they may have miscellaneous bottles of this and that wine.  So in order to clear the last bottle of a wine and not having to keep inventorying it they just let it go for less.  I know Cunard does this and Oceania has done this in the past.

 

1 hour ago, miched said:

My observation was that it was full bottles that were left in their inventory that were longer being supplied from their source.   eg Knob Creek, Bookers, Bakers, Blanton and etc.    I purchased the bottle of Blanton for $50 that was their starting price.     It wasn’t really a bargain price compared to the same retail price  but it was available and was getting scarce in the states.    I couldn’t believe that I got it.   Then they added the 20% to make the price $60. 
 

The one hour event was advertised  in the daily paper.    It was held in Cellar Masters and very few people showed up.    I think that I was the only one that bought a bottle.  
 

It wasn’t  a blind auction. There were sheets by each  bottle.  At the top was the starting price.  You would write your name and amount of bid on the next line.   I wrote my name and $50.  No one else placed any bids on any of the other bottles.   There were six difference bottles.   At the end they asked if I want to purchase the rest for the minimum.    I turn down the offer as I wasn’t t interested and didn’t want to carry it off the ship. 
 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

 

Gotcha. Thanks. Never heard of that. Just the by the glass sommelier's bin that DCL does.

[NutsAboutGolf]

Why not just carry on wine you want?  Official rules are two bottles per person but unofficially often you can bring on as much as your want 

[LB_NJ]

3 hours ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

Why not just carry on wine you want?  Official rules are two bottles per person but unofficially often you can bring on as much as your want 

 

I will carry on some wine however, there is only so much I want to deal with at embarkation.  Plus, with the corkage fee it might be easier to just buy a bottle or 2 from Celebrity and if they had bin ends plus as someone once told me it is easy to get a good bottle of wine if you spend a lot of money however it is fun to get a good bottle at an inexpensive price, like a treasure hunt.

[NutsAboutGolf]

54 minutes ago, LB_NJ said:

 

I will carry on some wine however, there is only so much I want to deal with at embarkation.  Plus, with the corkage fee it might be easier to just buy a bottle or 2 from Celebrity and if they had bin ends plus as someone once told me it is easy to get a good bottle of wine if you spend a lot of money however it is fun to get a good bottle at an inexpensive price, like a treasure hunt.

You avoid the corkage fee if you have the bev package or don’t have them pour them at the dining venue.  

[mayleeman]

Get glasses from attendant.  Pour in your room and take it to wherever you eat. No fee!

[capecodmercury]

7 hours ago, mayleeman said:

Get glasses from attendant.  Pour in your room and take it to wherever you eat. No fee!

Don't forget, if you have a beverage plan (either classic or premium) they are supposed to waive the corkage fee.