Whining about wine

[paulred]

Almost by definition, cruise people are value shoppers. After all, cruising gives you the best bang for the buck for any comparable vacation. By and large, Celebrity cruise prices are great value for what you get, and even better if you can be a last minute cruiser.

 

I think its also true that people who cruise X can afford a few extras, because penny pinchers have other, l;ess expensive cruise options.

 

I don't even begrudge them for the extras like specialty coffee, gelato, crepes and even specialty restaurants. They are indulgances, not for every taste, and one can get by quite well without them, so why not charge for those who wish to indulge.

 

Wine is different. Wine is part of an elegant dinner. The choice of wines is also dependant on the entree, and one never knows what one will be having until dinner time.

 

So why the whine about wine?

 

There is a difference between having a reasonable choice of wine at all ranges, and being treated like a sucker. People will occasionally pay the exhorbitant price of a particular bottle, but some of the pleasure will come of the enjoyment becuse they know they have paid an unreasonable cost.

If they are like me, they will limit their wine purchases to a few over the cruise. Given a more acceptable price structure, my total purchases over the course of the cruise would be much more, because I would recognize the value in each purchase.

 

Folks who enjoy wine also know approximately what it costs. They also know of the many reasonably priced bottles available everywhere. In Ontario, where I live, wine attracts a major tax hit, usually more tax than the initial price. Still restaurants around Toronto can come up with decent house wines by the carafe or bottle. The going rate is usually twice the cost of the bottle at the liquor store.

 

All cruise lines are in a different environment. They buy wine tax free, so their cost on any specific bottle is a lot less to begin with. They buy in bulk, so they get savings there. They can easily store casks so as to offer a carafe of house wine at every meal.

 

So much thought goes into planning and executing memorable meals on board. It seems a pity for them to look so bad when one looks for a decent wine to grace the fine meals.

 

Paul

[silvercity]

Almost by definition, cruise people are value shoppers. After all, cruising gives you the best bang for the buck for any comparable vacation. By and large, Celebrity cruise prices are great value for what you get, and even better if you can be a last minute cruiser.

 

I think its also true that people who cruise X can afford a few extras, because penny pinchers have other, l;ess expensive cruise options.

 

I don't even begrudge them for the extras like specialty coffee, gelato, crepes and even specialty restaurants. They are indulgances, not for every taste, and one can get by quite well without them, so why not charge for those who wish to indulge.

 

Wine is different. Wine is part of an elegant dinner. The choice of wines is also dependant on the entree, and one never knows what one will be having until dinner time.

 

So why the whine about wine?

 

There is a difference between having a reasonable choice of wine at all ranges, and being treated like a sucker. People will occasionally pay the exhorbitant price of a particular bottle, but some of the pleasure will come of the enjoyment becuse they know they have paid an unreasonable cost.

If they are like me, they will limit their wine purchases to a few over the cruise. Given a more acceptable price structure, my total purchases over the course of the cruise would be much more, because I would recognize the value in each purchase.

 

Folks who enjoy wine also know approximately what it costs. They also know of the many reasonably priced bottles available everywhere. In Ontario, where I live, wine attracts a major tax hit, usually more tax than the initial price. Still restaurants around Toronto can come up with decent house wines by the carafe or bottle. The going rate is usually twice the cost of the bottle at the liquor store.

 

All cruise lines are in a different environment. They buy wine tax free, so their cost on any specific bottle is a lot less to begin with. They buy in bulk, so they get savings there. They can easily store casks so as to offer a carafe of house wine at every meal.

 

So much thought goes into planning and executing memorable meals on board. It seems a pity for them to look so bad when one looks for a decent wine to grace the fine meals.

 

Paul

 

I do agree all that you say. I collect wine and the 2500 bottles I have and collected for 20 years keeps growing. I like all kinds of wine and I certainly know the price of most wines and know when I am getting "ripped off". I am traveling on the Summit this July and I will certainly bring a few bottles from my own cellar. I don't care about the the corkage fee as it doesn't compare with price, selection, and enjoyment my wife and I will get from a great wine!:D

[DoniaG]

However, I just try to remember than every night on a cruise ship is like an evening at a good restaurant. And, in south Louisiana, you can't get a decent (not great - just decent) glass of wine in any restaurant for less that $7-$10 per glass. Somewhere I saw that Celebrity has La Crema chardonnay for $38/bottle. We had it at dinner last week and paid $10 per glass! If there are four glasses in a bottle, we paid more here than we'll pay there.

 

What I do think is a shame is that you can't bring or buy your own wine for your own consumption in your own cabin. It's one thing to pay restaurant prices for wine served in a restaurant setting - but I do kinda object to paying them for my evening glass of wine on the balcony. I'll take my two bottles on at embarkation - and since we'll be overnighting in Venice before we sail, I may try to bring on an additional bottle or two while I going back and forth. The worst they can do is put it into bond until the end of the cruise - and then I'll enjoy it in Barcelona after the cruise!

 

Ah well - the good so far outweighs the bad that I try not to think about it!:)

 

Happy cruising,

Donia

[pris993]

We will be on the Equinox in October in the Mediterranean. We were on the Ruby on a TA in April, we bought wine in several ports along the way between Portugal, Rome and Barcelona. Will do the same on this next trip. I must say the wine we bought in port for 10-12 euros was very enjoyable. We did buy a few bottles on board at $35 a bottle including tip. Princess only charges $15 corking fee which is reasonable. When we look at the prices of wine and the quality of wine onboard most cruise lines, we really prefer to buy wine in port.

[silvercity]

However, I just try to remember than every night on a cruise ship is like an evening at a good restaurant. And, in south Louisiana, you can't get a decent (not great - just decent) glass of wine in any restaurant for less that $7-$10 per glass. Somewhere I saw that Celebrity has La Crema chardonnay for $38/bottle. We had it at dinner last week and paid $10 per glass! If there are four glasses in a bottle, we paid more here than we'll pay there.

 

What I do think is a shame is that you can't bring or buy your own wine for your own consumption in your own cabin. It's one thing to pay restaurant prices for wine served in a restaurant setting - but I do kinda object to paying them for my evening glass of wine on the balcony. I'll take my two bottles on at embarkation - and since we'll be overnighting in Venice before we sail, I may try to bring on an additional bottle or two while I going back and forth. The worst they can do is put it into bond until the end of the cruise - and then I'll enjoy it in Barcelona after the cruise!

 

Ah well - the good so far outweighs the bad that I try not to think about it!:)

 

Happy cruising,

Donia

Just through them in your suitcase. They will get on board for sure! There is a great wine store in Venice. I have the name writen down and when I find it I will post it here!;)

[Shirley C]

We will be on the Equinox in October in the Mediterranean. We were on the Ruby on a TA in April, we bought wine in several ports along the way between Portugal, Rome and Barcelona. Will do the same on this next trip. I must say the wine we bought in port for 10-12 euros was very enjoyable. We did buy a few bottles on board at $35 a bottle including tip. Princess only charges $15 corking fee which is reasonable. When we look at the prices of wine and the quality of wine onboard most cruise lines, we really prefer to buy wine in port.

 

Did they let you bring the wine you bought in port onto the ship and back to your cabin?

[MacThespian]

All cruise lines are in a different environment. They buy wine tax free, so their cost on any specific bottle is a lot less to begin with. They buy in bulk, so they get savings there. They can easily store casks so as to offer a carafe of house wine at every meal.

 

I agree with much you say, but I'm not sure where you get the information that cruise lines don't pay tax on their wine purchases. I don't know whether they do or don't.

 

As for buying in bulk, that may or may not get savings. I assume they know where to buy to get these, but in Pennsylvania (for example), even restaurants which buy in bulk don't get a break.

 

My main gripes are two:

1) Why don't the cruise lines take a reasonable markup (2x list) as many restaurants do on shore?

2) Why can't the cruise lines get some decent wines on their lists? There are plenty of good (not great) wines that I can get for $15-$20 a bottle on shore, but I rarely see these on board ship.

 

Thanks for raising the issue.

[pris993]

Did they let you bring the wine you bought in port onto the ship and back to your cabin?

 

No problem at all. We even bought some scotch in Gilbrater which we took back to our cabin an enjoyed.

[raudacruise]

Celebrity seems to be much more linient in Europe than the Carib wrt to bring alchohol on board. Haven't sailed her since Nov 2007 but had no problems picking up bottles of local wine (esp Cava in Spain) and bringing them on board.

[ECCruise]

Celebrity seems to be much more linient in Europe than the Carib wrt to bring alchohol on board. Haven't sailed her since Nov 2007 but had no problems picking up bottles of local wine (esp Cava in Spain) and bringing them on board.

 

Actually, compliance is more by ship rather than by itinerary. On the Galaxy in the Med. in October, 2007 they were absolutely over the top with confiscation. Virtually every port had dozens of confiscated bottles on long tables just past the scanner. If they saw it, and they did see it, they nipped it.

[goofymd]

as a cork dork myself, I am very disappointed with the wines offered on X. For me, wine is an integral part of meals, especially on vacation. I don't mind paying a reasonable mark up, but when that mark up is 3-4x on very mediocre wine, I just assume pass. (and similar on better wines, which is outrageous)

 

I would typically bring wine from my cellar, and pay corkage (which I don't mind at all to drink properly aged/stored wine) But X limits this option also.

[FinelyCruising]

I don't really get what the OP is trying to say? Have carafe's of wine available for dinner? Is that what is being suggested by OP or did a lot of dialog get disguised as whining?

 

The last thing I would ever expect is quality in a carafe. That's jug wine, hardly an indulgence.

[SusieV]

I don't really get what the OP is trying to say? Have carafe's of wine available for dinner? Is that what is being suggested by OP or did a lot of dialog get disguised as whining?

 

The last thing I would ever expect is quality in a carafe. That's jug wine, hardly an indulgence.

 

What I took from the OP's post is just a complaint about the price. I agree that the wine onboard is expensive and most times for moderately priced offerings. On the other hand, as a Canadian, OP should be aware that we get ripped off everywhere for wine in comparison to the USA, and Canadian wine lists tend to be short and uninspired to say the least, even in nice restaurants.

 

We bring on a couple bottles, and for the rest we bite the bullet and pay the price if we want wine to enjoy with our dinner (which we invariably do).

 

As for house wine being included even as a concept... blecch. That won't make anyone who is remotely interested in wine happy. Most house wines tend from poor to undrinkable.

[jschutz]

"What I do think is a shame is that you can't bring or buy your own wine for your own consumption in your own cabin. It's one thing to pay restaurant prices for wine served in a restaurant setting - but I do kinda object to paying them for my evening glass of wine on the balcony."

 

What???? I have never heard of this on any cruise line I have been on! We do this all the time - including (on longer cruises) bringing a bottle of single malt whiskey and a premium bottle of vodka - we have never been told by any cruise personnel that this was not allowed - in fact staff have always been very helpful in keeping our ice bucket and wine cooler full at all times. We also purchase champagne and wine at dinner and in the bars so it is not as if we are depriving the cruise line of any significant revenue. I would certainly not be a repeat cruiser of any line that has this policy.

[BrendaJ]

I have a question for you serious wine drinkers:

Will Celebrity properly decant your wine, assuming you bring or purchase a bottle that would benefit from the process? I don’t think I’ve ever seen it happen, but from the prices of some of the selections on the wine list, it would not seem to be an unreasonable request.

[txsloth]

I have a question for you serious wine drinkers:

 

Will Celebrity properly decant your wine, assuming you bring or purchase a bottle that would benefit from the process? I don’t think I’ve ever seen it happen, but from the prices of some of the selections on the wine list, it would not seem to be an unreasonable request.

 

Yes--we had a very nice bottle that we brought with us decanted a couple years ago on Constellation. Our sommelier was pretty inexperienced, so she asked another one over to try our wine first. After he agreed that it would benefit from decanting, they did so.

[GRBlizz]

What???? I have never heard of this on any cruise line I have been on! We do this all the time - including (on longer cruises) bringing a bottle of single malt whiskey and a premium bottle of vodka - we have never been told by any cruise personnel that this was not allowed ... I would certainly not be a repeat cruiser of any line that has this policy.

 

I don't think any cruise lines (except perhaps the super-premium ones) allow you to bring your own spirits on board. X allows wine only, 2 bottles per cabin.

 

So, if you have been bringing whiskey and vodka, you are fortunate that it has not been confiscated.

[FinelyCruising]

I have a question for you serious wine drinkers:

 

Will Celebrity properly decant your wine, assuming you bring or purchase a bottle that would benefit from the process? I don’t think I’ve ever seen it happen, but from the prices of some of the selections on the wine list, it would not seem to be an unreasonable request.

 

The Sommelier will decant wines based on the need for decanting, not as a result of pricing. Some wines do not need it.

[Lsimon]

I'm always surprised by the complaints about wine prices. Perhaps things are just more expensive in Chicago, but we find that the prices on Celebrity are pretty comparable to nice restaurants around town here, even moderately priced ones, and a good deal lower than many of the expensive restaurants around town. Sure there are places where they cost less but not on average.

 

I find it senseless to compare prices on board to retail prices for wine since, with very rare exception, I've never had wine at a resort or restaurant where it was priced near retail. The only interesting thing about retail is the wine list prices relative to retail and there we've noticed some big variances on the list with some bottles selling for several times retail and some not much more. Once or twice we've found some nice wines that were actually priced below retail - but they must have been major one time deals with the wineries as these haven't remained on Celebrity's wine list very long. On average it seems the wines we like are usually a little less than 2x retail.

[badtwin]

We are just back from Solstice and found the wine prices high, even by restaurant (Washington state) standards. I understand the need for a reasonable profit but I felt Celebrity overdid the markup. A a result, we bought less wine than usual.

 

I have two recent vacation experiences to compare.

 

On a March '09 cruise on MSC Orchestra, there were two very reaonably priced packages with a decent selection. I heard they had a house red in decanters but I missed it on the wine list. I would have ordered it to try - many house wines are very drinkable imho.

 

Last fall we vacationed in NYC. We were stunned at how many restaurants had very affordable wine lists, with many selections under $25 that would have been much more in WA state. We went to neighborhood restaurants rather than tourist places so that might have helped.

 

My other complaint was that Celebrity adds the tip to the price. On Orchestra, the tip was included in the stated price for all alcohol.

[garardo]

I understand that most OP are concerned about the prices of the wine. After reading all of the posts I did not see anyone mention any of the wines by name so a good comparison could be made. Please understand that you must compare apples to apples or should I say grapes and quality of restaurant to the quality of the restaurant on the ship. If you have a bottle KJ Chard at a burger joint it will not be the same price as the ship. I have cruised X a ton and have never seen bulk wine served. I have also had a number or sparkeling wines on the ship that were way cheaper then here at some of the 5 star hotels on the strip.

 

We charge 7.50 for a 6oz pour of white zinfandel, 13 for a reserve Chianti, 7.75 for a draft beer, 9 for a cheap pinot grigio, 14 for a Napa Pinot Noir. These prices are without the 7.75% sales tax and an average gratuity of 15%. That would bring the price to over 17 for that glass of Pinot Noir. Ouch

 

 

garardo

[FinelyCruising]

I understand that most OP are concerned about the prices of the wine. After reading all of the posts I did not see anyone mention any of the wines by name so a good comparison could be made. Please understand that you must compare apples to apples or should I say grapes and quality of restaurant to the quality of the restaurant on the ship. If you have a bottle KJ Chard at a burger joint it will not be the same price as the ship. I have cruised X a ton and have never seen bulk wine served. I have also had a number or sparkeling wines on the ship that were way cheaper then here at some of the 5 star hotels on the strip.

 

We charge 7.50 for a 6oz pour of white zinfandel, 13 for a reserve Chianti, 7.75 for a draft beer, 9 for a cheap pinot grigio, 14 for a Napa Pinot Noir. These prices are without the 7.75% sales tax and an average gratuity of 15%. That would bring the price to over 17 for that glass of Pinot Noir. Ouch

 

 

garardo

 

I did name names but my posts were pulled along with several others that went into details.

 

I think that it might be alienating if we get into specifics about pricing since wine purchases on land and on board are subjective as is the amount of mark up on is willing to pay while on board for any wine.

 

The whole topic is rich though, and I'd love to go on about it for a long time, but it will go sideways if it gets too specific, so absent of what happened following the pulled posts, it was probably for the best for this section of the board.

[Lsimon]

...After reading all of the posts I did not see anyone mention any of the wines by name so a good comparison could be made....

 

...We charge 7.50 for a 6oz pour of white zinfandel, 13 for a reserve Chianti, 7.75 for a draft beer, 9 for a cheap pinot grigio, 14 for a Napa Pinot Noir. These prices are without the 7.75% sales tax and an average gratuity of 15%. That would bring the price to over 17 for that glass of Pinot Noir...

 

Here is a link to a wine list, and bar menu's, from recent cruises - on my photo site: http://simon-pics.smugmug.com/gallery/4467773_J9pi2#380496344_Chg4T

 

Celebrity by the glass pricing (bar menu and wine list) before 15% mandatory gratuity:

White Zin - $6

Reserve Chianti - $9.50

Draft Beer - $5 to $6 (Mostly bottled)

Pinot Grigio - $8

Pinot Noir - California (not high end though) $8

[GRBlizz]

Sadly, there are some of us who think "two-buck-Chuck" is just fine. Actually, I can't really tell the difference between it and the average $10-15 (retail) California wine. Because of that, I just can't enjoy spending $6-8 plus tip for the basic California wine onboard.

 

Since I don't drink much and DH doesn't drink at all, I can get by on our two bottles of 2BC. And then for a special meal, I will go for a premium wine (which definitely does taste different/better).

 

Not sure there's anything the cruise lines can do when customers' tastes have been dumbed down to my level except just let us bring it on ;-)

[FinelyCruising]

Sadly, there are some of us who think "two-buck-Chuck" is just fine. Actually, I can't really tell the difference between it and the average $10-15 (retail) California wine. Because of that, I just can't enjoy spending $6-8 plus tip for the basic California wine onboard.

 

Since I don't drink much and DH doesn't drink at all, I can get by on our two bottles of 2BC. And then for a special meal, I will go for a premium wine (which definitely does taste different/better).

 

Not sure there's anything the cruise lines can do when customers' tastes have been dumbed down to my level except just let us bring it on ;-)

 

LOL.... God luv ya:D