Princess plus v Princess Premier

[startedwithamouse]

5 minutes ago, nini said:

 

Thanks. You are so correct. I am such a snob, that at home, I run my red through the "filter/ aerator" and then let it breathe in the lip-less wine glass. Yum!

 

Thanks for the Caymus recommendation. Do you purchase it on land anywhere?

Total Wine 

[Wonders By Wallis]

Just now, startedwithamouse said:

What restaurant?

Crown Grill. It was perfect with steak. I had two glasses.

[Cruise Raider]

3 minutes ago, nini said:

 

Thanks. You are so correct. I am such a snob, that at home, I run my red through the "filter/ aerator" and then let it breathe in the lip-less wine glass. Yum!

 

Thanks for the Caymus recommendation. Do you purchase it on land anywhere?

We don’t get it for us at home as Costco has so many options for a lot less $$$.  But you are so right about the glass.  It makes all the difference in the world.  
We do purchase the Rombauer from time to time at home, though.  I am perfectly happy with Wente Riva Ranch at a much lower cost.  If they had that onboard, I’d be happy as a clam.  

[suzyed]

5 minutes ago, nini said:

 

Thanks. You are so correct. I am such a snob, that at home, I run my red through the "filter/ aerator" and then let it breathe in the lip-less wine glass. Yum!

 

Thanks for the Caymus recommendation. Do you purchase it on land anywhere?

I sometimes get mine on Wine.com. And I always have feelers out for it online.  If you spot a bottle of Caymus 40th Anniversary you may want to try it...it's amazing!  We brought it onboard a few years back and shared with the Matre'd even he went crazy about it!!

[Wonders By Wallis]

7 minutes ago, nini said:

I run my red through the "filter/ aerator" and then let it breathe in the lip-less wine glass.

You are not alone. I did that last night.

[suzyluvs2cruise]

23 minutes ago, Cruise Raider said:

Yes, indeed.  It should breathe anywhere from 30 minutes up to 4 hours.  If it’s been sitting on the shelf after being open for a couple of days, it’s just not worth the $28 a glass.  
 

The Caymus is delish! 

Agree......we'll ask for a new bottle and buy 2 glasses each. 

 

6 minutes ago, nini said:

 

Thanks. You are so correct. I am such a snob, that at home, I run my red through the "filter/ aerator" and then let it breathe in the lip-less wine glass. Yum!

 

Thanks for the Caymus recommendation. Do you purchase it on land anywhere?

Caymus is available at our local Costco. If not there we've bought it at Total Wine. 

[nini]

10 minutes ago, Cruise Raider said:

Well, of course, Rombauer is the best and they had that in stock by the glass as recently as last July.  Now, it’s only sold by the bottle.  It’s been bought out by Gallo, so maybe they just don’t contract with them for their wines.  Or maybe those, like me, that love it so much don’t order anything else.  
We found a lovely bottle of Hartford Chardonnay at Princess Live.  We searched the whole cruise for that and only found it on the last day, which was our first time at that bar.  
I also like Mer Soleil but the one with the Yellow label, not the ‘Silver’.  I like a heavier, oaky and somewhat buttery Chardonnay.  The Flowers is without those attributes, it’s more along the lines of a Sauvignon Blanc to me, crisp and without much character.  The Staggs Leap, Hands of Time, is decent but still nowhere near as good as the Hartford Chardonnay.  It used to be on the Plus menu .. not sure what it now or if they even have it.  
 

 

I appreciate your Chardonnay experience. I also love oaky and buttery.

[suzyed]

10 hours ago, Thrak said:

 

Asked for a wine list in MDR on Grand Princess quite recently. They brought me a list of generic wines that "fit" the Plus package. No names, no vintners, just varietal names.

Yes, they will try that at first. Just tell them you want the "real" wine list and they will bring it to you....it's not secret!  LOL!  You may order any other wine by the glass and pay the difference plus 18% above the $15.  You may order a bottle and get the 25% discount as well.  I like Whispering Angel and it's $17/glass so I just pay the difference. DH drinks Silverado and just pays the difference.  

(BTW, there is a red blend on the "plus" wine list that is ok.)

Edited January 23 by suzyed

[nini]

3 minutes ago, suzyluvs2cruise said:

Agree......we'll ask for a new bottle and buy 2 glasses each. 

 

Caymus is available at our local Costco. If not there we've bought it at Total Wine. 

Sad to say, not at our Costco, but I will keep an eye out. We do have Total Wine too.

[suzyed]

7 hours ago, lljost said:

We were on the Caribbean Princess in May and the Discovery in December. We always get the Plus package. We received a wine list when asked in the Specialty restaurants and in whichever main dining room we asked and received a huge notebook wine list. On the Discovery a sommelier came every night to help suggest something. So yes there are complete wine lists in the MDR.

We had the same experience on our last sailing in Reserve dining on the Regal.

[nini]

20 minutes ago, Wonders By Wallis said:

Yeah, I had Princess Premier on my last cruise and paid the difference for the Caymus. It was worth it. I'll need to ask when they opened the bottle. One of my favorite Southern California restaurants has a Coravin for wine by the glass. As the wine is flowing into the glass, an inert gas (nitrogen?) is added to the bottle. That keeps the oxygen out and the wine fresh. 

 

I appreciate your comments. However, it is odd that in that one post you quoted me, when it really was someone else; @Cruise Raider I believe.

 

Tech issues, CC?

[suzyluvs2cruise]

18 minutes ago, suzyed said:

I sometimes get mine on Wine.com. And I always have feelers out for it online.  If you spot a bottle of Caymus 40th Anniversary you may want to try it...it's amazing!  We brought it onboard a few years back and shared with the Matre'd even he went crazy about it!!

 

We enjoyed the 40th Anniversary Caymus.....and saved the bottle. Look close at the bottom of the label and you'll see that it was a One Liter bottle (more to enjoy)! 

[Thrak]

1 hour ago, Cruise Raider said:

n my many Princess cruises, I’ve never even seen Planks or Steamers.  That doesn’t mean they don’t pop up on occasion, I’ve just never noticed them, nor have I looked for them.  To me, it wouldn’t be worth it as while I love most all seafood, I don’t much care for mussels.  And there is nothing on the Planks menu that interests me.  

 

The one time we sailed on Caribbean Princess (14 day Circle Caribbean in 2018) I loved the Planks and Steamers venues but not for their intended dinner offerings. In the mornings the buffet was extended to those areas and the made-to-order omelets, cooked-to-order eggs, etc. were in that area. It was also easier to get seating for breakfast. At lunch time those areas became a build-your-own fajita/burrito bar and a build-your-own ramen bar which we enjoyed a few times.

[startedwithamouse]

41 minutes ago, Wonders By Wallis said:

Crown Grill. It was perfect with steak. I had two glasses.

You said one of your favorite Southern California restaurants, and I asked which restaurant?

[startedwithamouse]

40 minutes ago, suzyluvs2cruise said:

Agree......we'll ask for a new bottle and buy 2 glasses each. 

 

Caymus is available at our local Costco. If not there we've bought it at Total Wine. 

our nearby Costco locations have an extensive wine selection - we will check for Caymus. Thanks for the tip.

 

[RocknRoll22]

Talk about a major thread drift. Maybe someone should start a separate WINE thread.

[Thrak]

On our upcoming cruise in April if they bring me the wine list that just has "Bob's Dago Red" listed I'll be sure to ask for a "real" wine list. I know there are a number of decent wines that fit the Plus package or are just a bit more. I'm not real hard to please but, when I have had good wines, I definitely enjoy them more and they make my wife happy. My wife's oldest sister and her husband lives in Sebastapol and love to go wine tasting. They buy some pretty nice wines. At last count I think they had over 200 bottles on hand. It's great when they visit or when the big Thanksgiving dinner rolls around (every other year these days) as they bring a bunch of bottles of very good wines.

 

Sadly, while we do have Costco (Yay!) the nearest Total Wines is an hour and a half away. ☹️

[suzyed]

37 minutes ago, suzyluvs2cruise said:

 

We enjoyed the 40th Anniversary Caymus.....and saved the bottle. Look close at the bottom of the label and you'll see that it was a One Liter bottle (more to enjoy)! 

Yes!  A nice surprise! I have 3 bottles in my wine fridge...2 are liter bottles and 1 is 750.

 

[suzyed]

5 hours ago, suzyluvs2cruise said:

Caymus is the wine that got me to like red wine. Looking forward to enjoying a glass or two on Discovery

Cheers!

[Cruise Raider]

32 minutes ago, Thrak said:

 

The one time we sailed on Caribbean Princess (14 day Circle Caribbean in 2018) I loved the Planks and Steamers venues but not for their intended dinner offerings. In the mornings the buffet was extended to those areas and the made-to-order omelets, cooked-to-order eggs, etc. were in that area. It was also easier to get seating for breakfast. At lunch time those areas became a build-your-own fajita/burrito bar and a build-your-own ramen bar which we enjoyed a few times.

I believe that is referred to as the Caribe Cafe on the Crown class ships.  They oftentimes have a regional menu back there at night and I love that.  I don’t go to the buffet very often, but when I do, the more interesting food is always there in the back.  

[Wonders By Wallis]

23 minutes ago, startedwithamouse said:

You said one of your favorite Southern California restaurants, and I asked which restaurant?

Oops. Napa Rose at Disney's Grand Californian Hotel. I love sitting at the Chef's Counter. 

[Wonders By Wallis]

59 minutes ago, suzyed said:

DH drinks Silverado and just pays the difference.

I didn't know they had Silverado. I visited their vineyard once and had a tour where I met Ron Miller (Diane Disney Miller's husband and owner of the winery). 

[reedprincess]

4 minutes ago, Cruise Raider said:

I believe that is referred to as the Caribe Cafe on the Crown class ships.  They oftentimes have a regional menu back there at night and I love that.  I don’t go to the buffet very often, but when I do, the more interesting food is always there in the back.  

Yes, but on Emerald and Caribbean, it's actually designated as Planks and Steamers, with decor, signage, check-in desks, etc. they're no longer popups like Crab Shack.

Breakfast and lunch is buffet overflow/omelette, whatever. Dinner is Planks or Steamers as they alternate nights.. 

[startedwithamouse]

13 minutes ago, Wonders By Wallis said:

Oops. Napa Rose at Disney's Grand Californian Hotel. I love sitting at the Chef's Counter. 

Thanks!

[tulok]

I like Nicholas Feuilliatte champagne but I noticed they only sell by the bottle. Can I order a bottle to be brought to the cabin? Not much of a Veuve fan. My favorite is Drappier but didn’t notice that on any list at all.