Wine drinker...plus package warning.

[dreaminofcruisin]

3 hours ago, deadzone1003 said:

Isn't it all about perceived value?  If you are wine drinker who normally drink higher quality wines, then the Plus package will taste like "swill".  By going to the Premier package, are you getting that value?  Everyone has different perceived value by going the package route rather then purchasing by the bottle or bringing your own plus paying the corkage.  If you find the plus package wines acceptable and you drink alot of it, then the value is there.  You really don't know until you start drinking those Plus wines that it is of acceptable value to you or not.  Everybody has different taste.  

 

The wines I drink at home are usually in the $10-$15 /bottle range, not exactly high end.

I have yet to find anyone who likes the Canyon Road whites. It's a shame since many of the wines we drink at home (under previous drink packages) are wines that we found on Princess and liked so well that we now drink them at home. I'd happily pay the few extra $s for the ones over $15, but even then the white wines by the glass are really limited.

 

It does seem like the selection is better for red wine drinkers. The whites are the ones that are really lacking.

[TheMichael]

On those occasions when the GF ordered wine under the Plus package on our Princess trips, it's been at worst drinkable and at best "yummy" and worthy of re-requesting next time we popped in. 

 

Since I mainly drink red and I've been to numerous land-based local bistros/trattorias where "wine glass" is a flexible term, I'm not fazed as long as it's made of glass. But I understand that some cruisers are looking for a "sophisticated" experience.

[suzyed]

5 hours ago, kamelia said:

Princess actually had 19 Crimes available in the dining room at one point.  I introduced the Living Wine Labels app to the wait staff so they could hear the prisoner's story.  That may tell you how long ago it was, though, as that function of the app no longer exists.

I didn't know that it no longer exists.

[HMSDingy]

On 5/2/2024 at 1:44 PM, dreaminofcruisin said:

I should also add for white wine drinkers, the Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio included on the Plus package is Canyon Road for cruises from North America. That is really swill and undrinkable for me (and nope not a high end wine drinker).

 

For cruises from Europe, on the Plus package, they were offering Adesso Chardonnay and Tini Pinot Grigio and I found those much more palatable.

Canyon Road is sold in most of Canada but not in Montreal (my neck of the woods) at $12. The liquor board in Ontario, the LCBO gives the Chardonnay a fair review and I've also seen similar reviews on most sites for both the Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio that I searched and they've been by wine drinkers. May be swill for you but I'll try it anyway. 

Edited May 3 by HMSDingy

[suzyed]

On 5/2/2024 at 11:39 AM, HMSDingy said:

Can you choose glasses on the regular wine list or does it have to be only on the Plus selections. 

Yes, you may.

[HMSDingy]

I appreciate everyone's responses as diverse as they are. My best bet is just to try whatever is on the Plus package and if I don't like the choices, I can try ones on the regular price list and even pay the extra bucks if needed. Wine like food is also relative to different likes and palates. DW and I like a Montepulciano d'Abruzzo priced at $10 CAD or about $7.50 US that's sold in what the locals call, the cheapie rotgut shelf, that we both love. 

Edited May 3 by HMSDingy

[TheMichael]

2 hours ago, HMSDingy said:

I appreciate everyone's responses as diverse as they are. My best bet is just to try whatever is on the Plus package and if I don't like the choices, I can try ones on the regular price list and even pay the extra bucks if needed. Wine like food is also relative to different likes and palates. DW and I like a Montepulciano d'Abruzzo priced at $10 CAD or about $7.50 US that's sold in what the locals call, the cheapie rotgut shelf, that we both love. 

 

Again, not a huge wine drinker, but at home I can usually look for the cheapest Sangiovese in the store and I'm 100% satisfied.

 

And the beautiful thing about having 15 drinks to "spend" per day is, you can spend the first day or two trying all of the wines that fit within the package, pour out the ones you hate, and re-order the ones you like! 

[blizzard44ca]

On 5/2/2024 at 9:02 AM, deadzone1003 said:

The wine list for Princess is quite decent, but the selections for the Plus package is quite poor.  The whites are terrible.  The Premier whites were just a tad better.  I had the plus package on a Panama Canal cruise and I found the Malbec and Carmenere drinkable thought it is unlikely I would ever buy them at home.
  

Agree. I usually default to the Malbec with dinner. I’ll have to try the Carmenere.

[susancruzs]

I like Malbec, buy it sometimes.  Before my So. Amer. cruise, I'm pretty sure I didn't drink it.  I can't always find it here.  I'll try the Carmenere on my Oct. NE cruise as I'll have the Plus.

[deadzone1003]

5 hours ago, HMSDingy said:

I appreciate everyone's responses as diverse as they are. My best bet is just to try whatever is on the Plus package and if I don't like the choices, I can try ones on the regular price list and even pay the extra bucks if needed. Wine like food is also relative to different likes and palates. DW and I like a Montepulciano d'Abruzzo priced at $10 CAD or about $7.50 US that's sold in what the locals call, the cheapie rotgut shelf, that we both love. 

Montepulciano d'Abruzzo is my go to cheap wine for dinner.  By itself, it leaves something to be desired.  But somehow it goes with food.  By itself, have to get higher end Montepulciano d'Abruzzo.  I don't think Princess have it by the glass, maybe by the bottle.  It is finding a white wine by the glass to your taste that is the hunt in futility.

[kamelia]

@suzyed, I tried using the app a couple of years ago and got a response something along the lines of the interactive aspect no longer being available, so I haven't used it since.  If I think of it, I'll try again the next time I see 19 Crimes in my local store.

[HMSDingy]

12 hours ago, deadzone1003 said:

Montepulciano d'Abruzzo is my go to cheap wine for dinner.  By itself, it leaves something to be desired.  But somehow it goes with food.  By itself, have to get higher end Montepulciano d'Abruzzo.  I don't think Princess have it by the glass, maybe by the bottle.  It is finding a white wine by the glass to your taste that is the hunt in futility.

Let me add a bit of clarification. Montepulciano d'Abruzzo in itself is not a cheap wine. The bottler I buy it from has a slightly weaker version. There are many Montepulciano's far more pricier and a better vintage. Similar to an earlier post on this thread that the Chardonnay that Princess carries, in his opinion, is terrible. But its still a Chardonnay.

[kamelia]

@suzyed  Checked the Living Wine Labels app out earlier today and the mechanics are a bit different, but it does still work.  😊

[suzyed]

7 hours ago, kamelia said:

@suzyed  Checked the Living Wine Labels app out earlier today and the mechanics are a bit different, but it does still work.  😊

Cool!

[AllHandsAstern]

I was pretty disappointed with the wine offerings by the glass on both Reflection last year and Viva in March. I find the wine lists as a whole really don't offer the breath or depth they used to.

[lhsail]

11 hours ago, AllHandsAstern said:

I was pretty disappointed with the wine offerings by the glass on both Reflection last year and Viva in March. I find the wine lists as a whole really don't offer the breath or depth they used to.

We cruised on Celebrity in January and on the Prima in February. We were able to take advantage of a 50% off offer to upgrade to the premium package on Celebrity. For the Prima, we bit the bullet and paid the full fare. It wasn’t cheap, but some of the best wines we have ever enjoyed on a cruise. 

[AllHandsAstern]

51 minutes ago, lhsail said:

We cruised on Celebrity in January and on the Prima in February. We were able to take advantage of a 50% off offer to upgrade to the premium package on Celebrity. For the Prima, we bit the bullet and paid the full fare. It wasn’t cheap, but some of the best wines we have ever enjoyed on a cruise. 

We had the all inclusive beverage package on both of our cruises as well, felt the wines were hit and miss.

We live a whole hour from Napa and have the hook-up with a local importer, so we're a little spoiled when it comes to wines.

In hindsight, I should have brought some bottles but there were logistical challenges with that.

[johnfas]

So, we will be on the Sun Princess in a few months and looking for a wine menu from that ship.

I am interested to see what they are offering for those that have a Plus or Premier package.

If anyone knows where or how I can see a menu, it would be appreciated! 

[mam11]

Thanks for helping me with the name "Carmanere"- I could never remember it, but learned to ask in the MDR for the last red on the plus list! It's pretty good. 

 

[scubamargie]

On 4/30/2024 at 12:11 PM, Projunior said:

I find it strange that Princess, who has traditionally played up a linkage to Italian food, wine and culture, does not offer a single Italian white or red wine by the glass on either the Plus or Premium list. Hard to believe they can't find an inexpensive chianti or sangiovese to offer. 

On the Enchanted Princess this last week we found a sangiovese on the Medallion menu for Plus package. We asked for this one in the Capri dining room and they were happy to bring it. I suspect you could order it through the app and get it anywhere on the ship.