Riviera New Bar Drinks, Menus and Prices

[pinotlover]

I typically find the Happy Hour and various “ Reception “ pours to be a bit light. The regular bar pours, at other times, are decent pours.

[LHT28]

pre covid  we would  have a drink in the Grand bar  listening to the quartet  & the pours were much like in post by "what a market in his live thread

 

 We do not buy the package

[cruisingxpert]

On 1/9/2023 at 3:07 PM, DCGuy64 said:

Part of the confusion over this is the different ways Oceania describes the cost of the upgrade, and whether it can be done before sailing or not. Both of these links are from their site, but they say two different things.

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/value#value-packages -This says it can be purchased before getting on board.

But this one says "once on board only":

https://oceaniacruises.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360022271214-Can-I-upgrade-my-OLIFE-House-Select-Beverage-package-

One says $59.95, the other $69.95.

 

Not sure which is true.

 

 

The purchase before boarding Offer has disappeared.

[summerclouds]

Are all the beers bottled or are there any locations on ship with draft beer?

[jackdeb]

Draft beer can usually be had at Waves bar or in Horizons, often Heineken and an English dark eg. Newcastle Brown.

[johnwelch62]

Seems to me that if my wife and I have two glasses of red wine per day we are nearing breakeven for the house package. 2*2*14*1.2 = $67.50. Package is basically $40 pp, or $80. 

 

Am I doing the math correctly? 

[LHT28]

3 minutes ago, johnwelch62 said:

Seems to me that if my wife and I have two glasses of red wine per day we are nearing breakeven for the house package. 2*2*14*1.2 = $67.50. Package is basically $40 pp, or $80. 

 

Am I doing the math correctly? 

If you drink  wine beer.champagne with lunch & dinner ONLY 

drink  2 each at both meals  then the House select will work for you

 People have to do the math

check the prices on the menu add 20% gratuity to each drink  then determine if you will drink  $40 PP PD  to make the package worth it for you

[johnwelch62]

1 minute ago, LHT28 said:

If you drink  wine beer.champagne with lunch & dinner ONLY 

drink  2 each at both meals  then the House select will work for you

 People have to do the math

check the prices on the menu add 20% gratuity to each drink  then determine if you will drink  $40 PP PD  to make the package worth it for you

Thanks.

 

Yes, I guess I shoud have specified "at dinner". That was my base assumption.

 

And with that assumption all it takes is one additional glass of wine with a meal to make it "worth it". 

 

I haven't seen a price list for wine by the bottle. That could make a big difference. 

[LHT28]

21 minutes ago, johnwelch62 said:

Thanks.

 

Yes, I guess I shoud have specified "at dinner". That was my base assumption.

 

And with that assumption all it takes is one additional glass of wine with a meal to make it "worth it". 

 

I haven't seen a price list for wine by the bottle. That could make a big difference. 

Probably if you have 3 glasses of wine  PP PD you would be ahead of the game  $14 per glass plus 20 % grats approx $17  x 3  = $51

House select  if purchasing $39.95 PP PD

Bottles usually $50 & up

 It is all about the math & what works best  for you  😉

 

[johnwelch62]

20 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

Probably if you have 3 glasses of wine  PP PD you would be ahead of the game  $14 per glass plus 20 % grats approx $17  x 3  = $51

House select  if purchasing $39.95 PP PD

Bottles usually $50 & up

 It is all about the math & what works best  for you  😉

 

Thanks for the price point for wine by the bottle.

 

I think the decision will come down to more than financial considerations. But, the engineer in me likes to plan. 

[AMHuntFerry]

38 minutes ago, johnwelch62 said:

Thanks for the price point for wine by the bottle.

 

I think the decision will come down to more than financial considerations. But, the engineer in me likes to plan. 

You may want to also calculate the O-Life choice of the House beverage package (although you may be choosing the shorex instead). The cost per day will vary by length of cruise, but here's an example: A 10 day cruise where O-Life costs $300 per person will come out to $30 per day per person for the House package. If there are days you won't drink with meals at all, cruise only (or O-Life with shorex) may be less. Many of us love spreadsheets on O 😉

[roadmaster]

We boarded Regatta last week. Took the Olife house package and upgraded to the $20/day premium, which had actually expected to be $30.

Wine at all lunch venues including the Terrace flows very freely regardless of any package. Can’t fault the service and everyone is offered another glass as soon as it’s empty.

I believe we are getting value for our money.

[Nearpost345]

I’m new to Oceania, Can I purchase a cruise only ticket (not an O life ticket ) and then purchase the house beverage package pre cruise for $29.95?
 

Thank you

 

edit, looks like price is now $39.95. Is it still $39.95 if you wait till you are on board ?

Edited March 10, 2023 by Nearpost345

[AMHuntFerry]

21 minutes ago, Nearpost345 said:

I’m new to Oceania, Can I purchase a cruise only ticket (not an O life ticket ) and then purchase the house beverage package pre cruise for $29.95?
 

Thank you

 

edit, looks like price is now $39.95. Is it still $39.95 if you wait till you are on board ?

If you are in the US/Canada (other countries vary), you can purchase the cruise-only fare, then purchase a bev pkg later.

[ShopperfiendTO]

The drinks menu in post #3 seems to be for the bars. 

 

Is it also the same one that is used for the GDR and the R-ship specialty restaurants?

 

I haven't looked at them closely, but the GDR dinner (and perhaps lunch) and R-ship specialty restaurant menus include suggested wine pairings.  If by chance the suggested wine pairing is not in the drinks menu, would they be included as part of the House Select (O-Life) beverage package?

[LHT28]

5 minutes ago, ShopperfiendTO said:

I haven't looked at them closely, but the GDR dinner (and perhaps lunch) and R-ship specialty restaurant menus include suggested wine pairings.  If by chance the suggested wine pairing is not in the drinks menu, would they be included as part of the House Select (O-Life) beverage package?

Probably not

But most of the suggested wines  were on the menu for the GDR   when we last looked  back in 2019

but as in life things change

 They have sample menus for  wine  for the restaurants on the website for the ships

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/ships/regatta/culinary-experiences

JMO

[pinotlover]

We boarded Marina on 2/27. The cost to upgrade from the OLife Drinks package to the Premium Package is $30/day.

 

There is no 20% discount on La Reserve dinners on an upgraded package, only on an original purchased Premium Package.

[ORV]

6 minutes ago, pinotlover said:

We boarded Marina on 2/27. The cost to upgrade from the OLife Drinks package to the Premium Package is $30/day.

 

There is no 20% discount on La Reserve dinners on an upgraded package, only on an original purchased Premium Package.

Yes I was going to point this out in the small print of one of the pictures I posted on the live thread I’m doing. It says not valid with Olife promo, or something to that effect. 

[mauibabes]

@johnwelch62

Just to complicate your “planning addiction “ as an engineer, consider the fact that you can bring 6 bottles of wine aboard each and just pay a $25 Corkage. Actually you can enhance your Stateroom wine and liquor supply in each port with a side shopping trip or winery visit.  That is our approach so we always have a very nice bottle to share in the Speciality restaurants or GDR or in our room w/o corkage fee.
 Then to compound it more, the Captains Party provides about 2 hours of Free Drinks at a party or in the Bars.
Then there will be one or more Oceania Club Parties with Free drinks.

Then there is a daily drink special in the bars.

Then there are the daily  5:00-6:00 p.m. Happy Hours with drinks on a 2 for 1 basis AND you can carry them into any of the restaurants as well.
Then there is the 10:30 Happy Hour for the after the show Party group.

Options, Options, Options!  
Breakeven is a financial term 🤪 We normally opt to use the Free Excursions or SBC and drink what we want when we want. There are often some great wines available in the restaurants that are not horrendously priced but bringing your own works best for us. After all, we are on vacation and the budget has already been blown. DW was introduced to PH and above cruises, oh silly me, so no getting that Genie back into the bottle. 
Bottom line, enjoy your cruise and Oceania.

Mauibabes
 

[miscstuff1]

On 3/13/2023 at 10:47 PM, mauibabes said:

@johnwelch62

Just to complicate your “planning addiction “ as an engineer, consider the fact that you can bring 6 bottles of wine aboard each and just pay a $25 Corkage. Actually you can enhance your Stateroom wine and liquor supply in each port with a side shopping trip or winery visit.  That is our approach so we always have a very nice bottle to share in the Speciality restaurants or GDR or in our room w/o corkage fee.
 Then to compound it more, the Captains Party provides about 2 hours of Free Drinks at a party or in the Bars.
Then there will be one or more Oceania Club Parties with Free drinks.

Then there is a daily drink special in the bars.

Then there are the daily  5:00-6:00 p.m. Happy Hours with drinks on a 2 for 1 basis AND you can carry them into any of the restaurants as well.
Then there is the 10:30 Happy Hour for the after the show Party group.

Options, Options, Options!  
Breakeven is a financial term 🤪 We normally opt to use the Free Excursions or SBC and drink what we want when we want. There are often some great wines available in the restaurants that are not horrendously priced but bringing your own works best for us. After all, we are on vacation and the budget has already been blown. DW was introduced to PH and above cruises, oh silly me, so no getting that Genie back into the bottle. 
Bottom line, enjoy your cruise and Oceania.

Mauibabes
 

When you stop in various ports, how much wine per person are you allowed to bring on board, in addition to the 6 bottles per cabin when you begin the cruise?

[pinotlover]

58 minutes ago, miscstuff1 said:

When you stop in various ports, how much wine per person are you allowed to bring on board, in addition to the 6 bottles per cabin when you begin the cruise?

Basically as much as you like.

 

Before buying the upgraded Premium Package, check at the bar and see what is still actually left in inventory!!! The Marina was already out of Knob Creek, for example, when we boarded in Buenos Aires and the ship wasn’t restocked. Many of the call brands were gone in several categories leaving mostly well brands. 
 

The bar staff didn’t believe the ship would be restocked with wine or alcohol until Miami. Most of the better wines disappeared during our cruise leaving very poor selections in several categories. There’s a reason those remaining wine brands were still in stock. The menus continued to list wines that were long gone. Publishing a current updated wine list was obviously not in the ship’s budget. 

[snorkelphile]

On 3/13/2023 at 9:47 PM, mauibabes said:

@johnwelch62

consider the fact that you can bring 6 bottles of wine aboard each and just pay a $25 Corkage. Actually you can enhance your Stateroom wine and liquor supply in each port with a side shopping trip
 

I'm confused by your statement.  The idea of a "side shopping trip" in each port is not consistent with Oceania's stated policy at https://oceaniacruises.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360005405394-What-is-your-alcohol-policy-for-bringing-bottles-on-board-   "any additional purchases above and beyond the three (now 6) bottles made during the cruise at any of the ports may be held for you until the end of the cruise."

[LHT28]

3 minutes ago, snorkelphile said:

I'm confused by your statement.  The idea of a "side shopping trip" in each port is not consistent with Oceania's stated policy at https://oceaniacruises.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360005405394-What-is-your-alcohol-policy-for-bringing-bottles-on-board-   "any additional purchases above and beyond the three (now 6) bottles made during the cruise at any of the ports may be held for you until the end of the cruise."

it is an unwritten policy (like many things on O)

bring a case at each port   no problem   but drink it in your cabin or pay the corkage fee

 

[CAG]

26 minutes ago, snorkelphile said:

I'm confused by your statement.  The idea of a "side shopping trip" in each port is not consistent with Oceania's stated policy at https://oceaniacruises.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360005405394-What-is-your-alcohol-policy-for-bringing-bottles-on-board-   "any additional purchases above and beyond the three (now 6) bottles made during the cruise at any of the ports may be held for you until the end of the cruise."

The key words are in the last sentence: "may be held".  It doesn't say will be held and from experience it doesn't happen.  They are just covering themselves by saying it may be held.

[mauibabes]

No one is counting so the casual acquisition of some bottles in a port is accepted.  Let’s just hope things do not change too drastically in July when Frank is gone. 
While NCLH needs to make up for lots of debt, let’s hope the folks with the green eye shades do not assume ultimate control over O and drive it into the ground with contrary policies and cost cutting and price increases. 
We were looking forward to meeting Frank in Rome in May and we retirees will have to welcome him to the Retirement Club. 
Mauibabes