Wine Packages - are they worth it?

[bellaj]

:) Hi All - Off on the Serenade in May - 2nd cruise - first time around we did not know about the wine packages - this time of course am aware of them and have looked on the RCCL website

 

Anyones opinions? Would only go for the basic package - can any one confirm the price of the package also covers the 15% which is applied to individual bottles ?

 

Thanks:o

[mamaza]

Value? I think it's a person preference thing. For us, it work out great. We like the wine selection available for the package we pick, but some people have higher expections or are more of a wine connoisseur than us. We take 7 bottle package so we have one bottle of wine with each dinner, then take the left over back to our room.

 

15% is included in the online prepurchase price of the packages but not include if you buy it on board. But, the price comes out the same. I'm sure it's a paperwork thing.

[jules815]

I read a lot of pros and cons here last year before purchasing a wine package for our last Mariner cruise. Yes, there are better wines available on the ship's wine list for individual purchase, and yes, you can get a bottle of Berringer here at home for much less than what the price per bottle of the package turns out to be, but, having said that, I would order a package again.

 

It was nice to be able to order the package online before we sailed, (I believe if you order on board, certain taxes are added) and have it taken care of, paid for and not added to our sea pass. I ordered the 10 bottle, Platinum package, which is the one in the middle. We had a bottle of champagne at our table almost every evening, and our friends who sailed with us also had gotten packages, so we had a variety of wine on the table each night. :D We had one bottle left at the end of our cruise, and gave it to our waiter. One of my friends who is more into wine only ordered the Gold level package, and she was fine with that. I think I might even scale back to gold for our next cruise.

 

Also, if you order the Wine and Dine package, at any time of the day you can go into the Windjammer and ask for a bottle from your package. It works there as well. One afternoon on our way back from the pool, we got a bottle of champagne from the WJ and enjoyed on our balcony.

[reeltrouble11]

We purchased the pkg on a 7 night Navigator cruise last year, and were very happy with it. As mentioned above, its definitely more expensive than buying here at home, but cheaper than buying by the bottle or glass onboard. We enjoy wine at dinner every night, and ended up sharing bottles with our tablemates, who had also gotten the pkg, so we tried 2 new wines every night! Well worth the cost, to us at least!

[mamaza]

Also, if you order the Wine and Dine package, at any time of the day you can go into the Windjammer and ask for a bottle from your package. It works there as well. One afternoon on our way back from the pool, we got a bottle of champagne from the WJ and enjoyed on our balcony.

What a great idea. Now I might buy a bigger package. We had planned on buying a separate bottle or two to have delivered to our room to start off with, but your idea might work better.

 

A note: if you have a RCCL Visa card, the pre purchase online is counted as double points on your card to possibly be used on the upcoming trip.

[xpcdoojk]

We have always bought the wine and dine package in some form since 2001 when we were first aware of it. I generally book the middle or upper package since the red wines on the gold package are pretty marginal. The nice thing about the Wine and dine is that you can ask for them to give you a bottle or two to take back to your room. On our last cruise, friends we met on the roll call had a last sight of land party on their aft balcony as we sailed from La Palma in the Canary Islands. I took a couple of bottles of sparkling wine the night before from the dining room to our cabin and took them to the friends party the next evening before dinner.

 

On the downside, on this last trip for the first time I prebooked the wine and dine. Unfortunately, when we got to the dining room the first night they didn't have record of my purchase, I took my email confirmation to the front desk and they told me to contact customer service when I returned home. Which was frustrating. So, I paid for it twice. After returning home, I contacted customer service within a week they had credited my credit card for the full value of the wine and dine. So, from now on I will book it when we board, and not before.

 

jc

[Santo23]

We did the five-bottle, Gold level package on our Mariner cruise in 2006 and loved it. We purchased it outside Windjammer when we boarded, since they were offering a 10 or 20% discount (can't remember). It was perfect for us and very convenient. When we finished a bottle we showed our sailpass that had the sticker on it, requested another bottle from the list and it was at the table in minutes. And when we didn't finish the bottle during the current seating, they stored in for us and we were able to call up that bottle from anywhere - main dining room, Chops, Portofino, etc. and it was there in minutes. We're looking forward to doing it again on Freedom in April. Someone mentioned the seven-bottle package, I think you peaked my interest, we'll have to take it up a notch :D

[MakinGold]

It's a pretty limited list of wines, but if you like the ones on the list, it's a reasonable value to get the package. Your savings per bottle will be anywhere from a couple dollars (some of the wines are not much more purchased individually than the average price/bottle of the packages) to $15 or more. I considered buying the package, but ended up deciding against it. We bought mostly by the glass. You don't get the package savings that way, but there's not much savings in buying a bottle over the same amount of wine by the glass. That way, if I didn't care much for the wine (which really only happened once), I had not invested in the whole bottle. So, over the week, we purchased two bottles and quite a few glasses of wine. :D

[lady_cruiser]

We had the 7-bottle Diamond package on our recent January cruise on the Voyager and liked it. We were even able to use it to send a bottle to our travel agent and a bottle to the owner of the agency we use since they were traveling with our group. We had 5 bottles left over for our use and since we only used two bottles for ourselves we were able to bring 3 bottles off the ship at the end of our cruise.

[jules815]

I forgot to mention, when we ordered our Champagne at dinner, we would also order a glass of Chambord and all shared it to add a little to our champagne. Makes a nice champagne cocktail. :)

[robtulipe]

I ordered the 10 bottle, Platinum package, which is the one in the middle.

We had a bottle of champagne at our table almost every evening

One afternoon on our way back from the pool, we got a bottle of champagne from the WJ and enjoyed on our balcony.

If you order mostly the sparkling wine you are better off going with the Gold package since there is only one offering, Korbel Brut, on either the Gold or Platinum. You must go up to the Diamond Pkg to get an additional selection, the Codorniu Classico.

It may be that you also wanted to order another wine not offered on the Gold list. Many of the same wines are offered on all three packages thus it might be more economical to order a lower number of bottles and level package and order the not included wine in that package by the bottle using your C&A coupons.

[Ronnie3750]

I had accidentally prebought the platinum package (middle) when I really wanted the Diamond (top). I bought the 10 bottle package. When we arrived in the dining room first night, I went to order off the Diamond and was told I couldn't - my mistake. They let me upgrade for $24. I am sure this was much less than what it would have cost me ahead of time. I like to think I saved a few bucks.

 

We enjoyed the reds available in the Diamond package - the pinot noir, rioja, and an arboleda from Chile. We had a couple bottles that we took back to our room and one left at the end to take off the ship.

 

I will go this route again.

[hawt1]

We are debating this as well.

 

Our situation may be a little different as out TA has promised us a bottle of wine per cabin - not sure what the quality of that will be but...that may cover a meal or two as we have two cabins with our young kids.

 

Above and beyond that, the C&A coupons provide a discount and we will have two of those that offer discounts that would be similar to those of buying the package but do not restrict us to a shortened wine list.

 

I suspect that C&A members that are not big drinkers may find it just as economical but less restrictive to use their coupons rather than buy the package. And if your TA has bonused you with a bottle or two that is drinkable, it is an easier decision.

[robtulipe]

I had accidentally prebought the platinum package (middle) when I really wanted the Diamond (top). I bought the 10 bottle package. When we arrived in the dining room first night, I went to order off the Diamond and was told I couldn't - my mistake. They let me upgrade for $24. I am sure this was much less than what it would have cost me ahead of time. I like to think I saved a few bucks.

 

We enjoyed the reds available in the Diamond package - the pinot noir, rioja, and an arboleda from Chile. We had a couple bottles that we took back to our room and one left at the end to take off the ship.

 

I will go this route again.

$24 is the differance in price between the Platinum and Diamond 10 bottle without the 15% gratuity added. On board they add the 15% gratuity separately. If you buy the pkg before online it is $27.60 since that price includes the 15% gratuity. In all likelyhood the price ended up being the same.

[cabana1]

We are also thinking of purchasing a package but a few questions:

 

Can you bring an opened bottle into the dining room? (What if we want a glass in our room before dinner?)

 

Can you bring your opened or unopened bottle into one of the bars if you are meeting people there before or after dinner?

 

How do they know you purchased a package? Do they have a list of names/reservations at all dining locations?

 

There's no corking fee correct with the packages (ex: in dining room)?

 

Just want to make sure we can bring the wine opened or unopened everywhere on the ship without hassle. Thanks in advance!

[retnuh281]

We are sailing in March, but for Christmas I asked for wine and champagne for the upcoming cruise from my relatives. They logged on, bought some wine, strawberries and a RCCL towel for me. They even specified what dates with the different bottles. I had the pleasure Christmas evening finding out what they bought me, and I get to enjoy it again in March. Very excited knowing there will be a beach towel, champagne and chocolate covered strawberries waiting for me when I arrive, as well as a different bottle of wine every night at dinner.

Cheers!!!!

[jules815]

We are sailing in March, but for Christmas I asked for wine and champagne for the upcoming cruise from my relatives. They logged on, bought some wine, strawberries and a RCCL towel for me. They even specified what dates with the different bottles. I had the pleasure Christmas evening finding out what they bought me, and I get to enjoy it again in March. Very excited knowing there will be a beach towel, champagne and chocolate covered strawberries waiting for me when I arrive, as well as a different bottle of wine every night at dinner.

Cheers!!!!

 

My birthday's in April. When my parents ask what I'd like, I'm going to say "my wine package!" I've done the same for them. They enjoy the casino, and I've gotten them casino credit so they can play the slots. :)

[hawt1]

I'll take a shot at a couple of these and leave the other to more knowledgeable cruisers.

 

We are also thinking of purchasing a package but a few questions:

 

Can you bring an opened bottle into the dining room? (What if we want a glass in our room before dinner?) Do not think so.

 

Can you bring your opened or unopened bottle into one of the bars if you are meeting people there before or after dinner? Do not think so on this either.

 

How do they know you purchased a package? Do they have a list of names/reservations at all dining locations? There is a stamp on your Passenger Card that shows this. And I think you get a paper card as well that they stamp when you buy a bottle.

 

There's no corking fee correct with the packages (ex: in dining room)? Correct. If you do nto finsiha bottle, they cork it and bring it out the next night when you arrive.

 

Just want to make sure we can bring the wine opened or unopened everywhere on the ship without hassle. Thanks in advance!

[feistytigger]

thanks so much for this post! i may end up signing up for this. i never would've known about it w/o you guys.

link to rci's site for wine & dine with all the options: http://www.royalcaribbean.com/giftcatalog/category/home.do?catCode=WINDIN

[critterchick]

We seldom by the wine package because there are some really nice wines on the full wine list that we prefer, especially among the reds and I don't like to be tied down to the 2-3 bottles that I would drink.

 

For the full wine list, click on the link in my signature. They add 15% to the price of each bottle/glass.

 

I don't order wine in advance any more, ever since they substituted a much less expensive (and inferior to boot IMHO) bottle, saying they didn't have what we ordered onboard. After we complained (nicely) they magically found what we'd ordered. So I'd rather know I'm getting what I paid for by waiting until we board.

 

The price is the same UNLESS you order while you're in port in the US, in which case they add a sales tax (I assume that goes by state, but it does happen in California). Also, some European cruises are all in the EU, so you'll pay tax during the entire cruise. If you're ordering a large package, it might make sense to pre-order.

[Dr_DNA]

The package is worth it if you are planning on drinking wine onboard; I think that you save about 10-15% over buying the bottles individually. If you were to compair the prices to your local liquor store, it wouldn't be. Wine is always more expensive when you buy it at a restaurant, and there are no exceptions for being on a cruise ship. If you are into fancy pants wines, I would recommend that you go for one of the upper packages. I was quite disappointed with one of the lower packages, and I'm not a fancy pants wine drinker (or at least I didn't think so).

[caviargal]

If you are into fancy pants wines, I would recommend that you go for one of the upper packages. I was quite disappointed with one of the lower packages, and I'm not a fancy pants wine drinker (or at least I didn't think so).

 

IMO, if you are into better wines, the wine list is a better option than any of the packages.

[marle7]

We don't buy the wine package anymore, but prefer the wine list as we do like better wines than they offer with the package. There are some decent wines in the package, but you really have to move up to at least the Platinum package to start accessing them.

 

In addition, hubby drinks white and I drink red, so we order a bottle of each from the wine list the first night, and they usually last two or three nights, then we'll order another bottle each.

 

We do however, always order a bottle of Champagne online from Gifts and Gear to have on our balcony for sail away.

[vantec]

We are going on the Jewel in September and are considering ordering the package that they deliver to your cabin - has anyone done this? I'd like to know your thoughts. This will be our second RCI cruise, we did not order a wine package the first time.

[xpcdoojk]

We seldom by the wine package because there are some really nice wines on the full wine list that we prefer, especially among the reds and I don't like to be tied down to the 2-3 bottles that I would drink.

 

For the full wine list, click on the link in my signature. They add 15% to the price of each bottle/glass.

 

I don't order wine in advance any more, ever since they substituted a much less expensive (and inferior to boot IMHO) bottle, saying they didn't have what we ordered onboard. After we complained (nicely) they magically found what we'd ordered. So I'd rather know I'm getting what I paid for by waiting until we board.

 

The price is the same UNLESS you order while you're in port in the US, in which case they add a sales tax (I assume that goes by state, but it does happen in California). Also, some European cruises are all in the EU, so you'll pay tax during the entire cruise. If you're ordering a large package, it might make sense to pre-order.

 

I order the package, and consume some of those regular drinkers with dinner, but inevitably when we eat at Chops we get something off the menu. We frequently, stop by the champagne bar for a bottle or two of special wines for the cabin as well. I guess I drink more than you do! :D ;) In other words, I never have any wine and dine leftover at the end of the trip. Although on the last transatlantic, we had to share the last bottle of red and last bottle of white with a neighboring table.

 

jc