Wine Packages - are they worth it?

[digital_curator]

We didn't order a package on our first cruise (my husband is a beer drinker) so I would order a glass each night. I'm not picky about wine and found myself ordering selections that would be on the Gold list, many of which I liked (including Footprint shiraz, Caliterra merlot and Danzante pino grigio).

 

The problem I found was that I would order a glass, it would come before my appetizer and by the time I was ready for my main course I would want another; however, the second glass wouldn't arrive until after I had finished my main course.

 

So on the second cruise, I ordered the Gold package, 5 bottles for a 9 night cruise. That way, a second glass was there when I needed it and my husband could have a little bit if he wanted. I found that it worked out to almost 1 free bottle, especially since they ran out of one of my faves and substituted the one that cost about $10 more a bottle (and very tasty too). I had two glasses a night and they kept the bottle for me.

 

I am planning to buy a 7 bottle Gold package on my next cruise. I think it was a great value and very convenient. If you wait to buy it onboard, there is a wine tasting in the PR and you can try the wines in the packages.

 

Cheers,

[katiel53]

 

 

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.

 

My brother-in-law and I share a wine package on every RCI cruise. We have never paid any tax when we have ordered onboard. We have sailed from Fl and from San Juan.

 

The package seems to work for us. It's not the best wine, but hey, I buy Concha y Toro Merlot, Cabernet/Merlot and Shiraz, so you can tell I'm not one who knows fine wines. Anyway, I do enjoy.

[critterchick]

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

 

I think you quoted the wrong person, jc. I don't know what "leftover wine" is!:D

 

If you are into fancy pants wines, I would recommend that you go for one of the upper packages.

 

There is little that's "fancy pants" about any of the wine packages, although I supposed it depends on how you define "fancy pants." I go with what I think tastes good, and there aren't many wines on the list that I think taste all that good. Plus, it just irks the hell out of me to pay $25 for a wine that I can get for $5 here (we are spoiled in So Cal). I would rather get a tastier wine and pay $44 for it (knowing that it's $25 at the market, so not even 2x retail). Yes, I'm spending more, but am also enjoying it a lot more. That's just me (and caviargal).:)

[traveler/]

We have purchased gold and platinum packages on different cruises. Saved about 20%. Also, in our C & A coupon books (diamond), there was a coupon we used for a discount on 2nd bottle, of added purchase. We like the program and buy it once onboard.

[elliekate]

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.

 

We enjoy having a glass of wine on our balcony. So, it seems that it is okay to have wine in the cabin from what you stated. Who do you ask for a bottle(s) to take back to the cabin?

[xpcdoojk]

We enjoy having a glass of wine on our balcony. So, it seems that it is okay to have wine in the cabin from what you stated. Who do you ask for a bottle(s) to take back to the cabin?

 

I asked my waiter on the last cruise. I did it twice, one time 2 bottles of sparkling wine and another time a bottle of chardonnay. Since I had bought a bottle of red that I managed to get on in Lisbon. We, also, had no problem with getting bottles in the windjammer from the maitre d as well.

 

I am a wine snob. I have a 700 bottle wine cellar at home that currently holds about 500 bottles. The average costs range from the low end $15 for my wife's favorite Pinot Grigios to my vertical collection of Rubicons and Caymus Cabs. Most of the wines I regularly drink are in the $20 to $40 range. That said, I find that when I am eating food that as long as the wine isn't corked, stale, or just awful that I can drink about any wine. We live in an area that has a very old wine appellation area. However the traditional Bordeaux and Burgundy grapes do not thrive here. When I tour this area of old and the new vineyards here, I drink wines that are completely different from what I normally consume at home. I have found that I can enjoy almost any wine as long as I have a reasonably compatible food, wine, or snack. In fact, I have convinced myself with the right combinations that some really not so great wines are great by pairing them with certain foods. Food and wine are so important in combination, and both elements make the other better. That said, a great wine can make a great meal truly memorable.

 

jc

[worldsbestcandles]

Does anyone know if they change the wine lists for the Med cruises? Since there are such great values in good cheap wine in ITaly (for example), do they still offer wine packages with Beringer and such? I would think they wouldn't sell very well....

 

We are going on our first Med cruise and are a bit wine snobs ourselves. I'm really hoping that I can get Italian wines and not Californians.... Just curious if anyone knows... We are the Legend if that matters. TIA!

[xpcdoojk]

Does anyone know if they change the wine lists for the Med cruises? Since there are such great values in good cheap wine in ITaly (for example), do they still offer wine packages with Beringer and such? I would think they wouldn't sell very well....

 

We are going on our first Med cruise and are a bit wine snobs ourselves. I'm really hoping that I can get Italian wines and not Californians.... Just curious if anyone knows... We are the Legend if that matters. TIA!

 

My last sailing was out of England for the TA and the wine list was basically the same. My guess is the wine list is the same everywhere except for substitutions when they exhaust the option. For example the Platinum wine and dine was suppossed to have Argyle (a very nice west coast winery) sparkling wine. This was not available on our sailing, and they substituted a Spanish Cava (which I know from having visited Spain recently) that is really very nice, but costs about 3 euros.:eek: In our 3 weeks in Spain we consumed a lot of the Cordiniu non-export cava. It was excellent and we could buy it for anywhere from 1.5 euros to about 3 euros. In Italy a few years ago, we could buy an entire case of wine (drinkable) comparable to the house wines in the restaurants for about $20. The grocery stores in Chile were a real shock, when I could buy the Don Melchor premium wine for $20 a bottle. Now that is a great buy! The unknown bottles were typically less than $2. It was great. I recommend HAL for that cruise, because they let you carry all the wine you want on board. We thought Uruquay was inexpensive until we got to Argentina, and we thought Argentina was cheap until we got to Chile! :D South America is the trip for the best quality cheap wine outside of Spanish Cava, especially in the Canary Islands.

 

 

jc

[robtulipe]

Does anyone know if they change the wine lists for the Med cruises? Since there are such great values in good cheap wine in ITaly (for example), do they still offer wine packages with Beringer and such? I would think they wouldn't sell very well....

 

We are going on our first Med cruise and are a bit wine snobs ourselves. I'm really hoping that I can get Italian wines and not Californians.... Just curious if anyone knows... We are the Legend if that matters. TIA!

The Wine & Dine Pkg selection was exactly the same for our Sept.07 Radiance Alaska and our Nov.07 Legend Med. cruises which was also as the same selection as on their web site. It appears that the wine menus were also the same but I can't be certain about that since I compared them two months apart. I don't recall any add on selections that were listed separately from the wine menu.

[dutchess43]

If you eat in the specialty restaurants are the wine lists the same as in the dinning room?

[worldsbestcandles]

My last sailing was out of England for the TA and the wine list was basically the same. My guess is the wine list is the same everywhere except for substitutions when they exhaust the option. For example the Platinum wine and dine was suppossed to have Argyle (a very nice west coast winery) sparkling wine. This was not available on our sailing, and they substituted a Spanish Cava (which I know from having visited Spain recently) that is really very nice, but costs about 3 euros.:eek: In our 3 weeks in Spain we consumed a lot of the Cordiniu non-export cava. It was excellent and we could buy it for anywhere from 1.5 euros to about 3 euros. In Italy a few years ago, we could buy an entire case of wine (drinkable) comparable to the house wines in the restaurants for about $20. The grocery stores in Chile were a real shock, when I could buy the Don Melchor premium wine for $20 a bottle. Now that is a great buy! The unknown bottles were typically less than $2. It was great. I recommend HAL for that cruise, because they let you carry all the wine you want on board. We thought Uruquay was inexpensive until we got to Argentina, and we thought Argentina was cheap until we got to Chile! :D South America is the trip for the best quality cheap wine outside of Spanish Cava, especially in the Canary Islands.

 

 

jc

 

BOO! :(

 

Looks like I might have to bring some on board since we will have 3 days in Rome beforehand... no local wine, no chops... why did I book this cruise? :rolleyes: oh right, its our honeymoon.... LOL.

[critterchick]

If you eat in the specialty restaurants are the wine lists the same as in the dinning room?

 

No, the selections are more limited, although I believe that everything on the Portofino or Chops list is on the main wine list, too. Those wine lists are also in my signature.

 

JC, I'll cook if you'll share a few bottles! :D I'm making a chicken curry right now - what goes well with spicy food?