Thanks POA1!

Boarded the Maasdam on Saturday and found we have a complimentary 3 bottle Natigator's Wine Package (no clue why but not gonna ask too many questions). Searched here on CC and found your expert analysis of the available wines and so far have no complaints! Appreciate your posts and now truly toast your wine recommendations! Now to figure out how to drink all that wine and make good use of the Explore 4 beverage package...problems, problems!

Hooray for free wine! Enjoy your good fortune.

Boarded the Maasdam on Saturday and found we have a complimentary 3 bottle Natigator's Wine Package (no clue why but not gonna ask too many questions). Searched here on CC and found your expert analysis of the available wines and so far have no complaints! Appreciate your posts and now truly toast your wine recommendations! Now to figure out how to drink all that wine and make good use of the Explore 4 beverage package...problems, problems!

Drink it at dinner - better than the house wine you get with the Explore4 package.

Or you can share it with your tablemates.

Or - bring it home with you - depending on customs and flights.

Yay on the wine :)

POA1 is very knowledgeable on such an important topic and brings a lot of fun to the boards. HIs advice is very appreciated :)

Boarded the Maasdam on Saturday and found we have a complimentary 3 bottle Natigator's Wine Package (no clue why but not gonna ask too many questions). Searched here on CC and found your expert analysis of the available wines and so far have no complaints! Appreciate your posts and now truly toast your wine recommendations! Now to figure out how to drink all that wine and make good use of the Explore 4 beverage package...problems, problems!

I don't want to burst your bubble but I wonder if your found wine came at someone else's expense. For example, if you got a last minute upgrade/upsell offer, I wonder if someone had purchased the wine for the original party in your new stateroom.

If not, well, lucky you! Enjoy the wine!

The card announcing the gift should say who it is for and who it is from - shouldn't it?

I don't want to burst your bubble but I wonder if your found wine came at someone else's expense. For example, if you got a last minute upgrade/upsell offer, I wonder if someone had purchased the wine for the original party in your new stateroom.

 

If not, well, lucky you! Enjoy the wine!

That's what happened to us when we took a last minute upsell. There was a bottle of wine in the room when we arrived. It was from the TA, just not our TA. We returned the bottle to our room steward to deliver to the correct cabin assuming that the intended recipients were on the ship and hadn't cancelled the cruise.

No upgrade or upsell and no note...just a notation on our final docs about it with the Explore 4 perks as well. We had a Pinnacle dinner and flowers as a compensation for an issue with the tour portion of last year's cruise/tour so it could be part of that and I just don't remember it. It is better than the house wine by the glass except for the Montepulciano that they have in the Canaletto - it is very good and also available in the Lino Bar I discovered.

No upgrade or upsell and no note...just a notation on our final docs about it with the Explore 4 perks as well. We had a Pinnacle dinner and flowers as a compensation for an issue with the tour portion of last year's cruise/tour so it could be part of that and I just don't remember it. It is better than the house wine by the glass except for the Montepulciano that they have in the Canaletto - it is very good and also available in the Lino Bar I discovered.

Well, that's great! Enjoy your wine! As someone already posted, if you don't drink it all, take it with you after the cruise! We ended up doing that with our last bottle as we didn't want any alcohol after being sick/quarantined just before the end of the cruise.

Thanks (blush.) I hope you have a great cruise.

No upgrade or upsell and no note...just a notation on our final docs about it with the Explore 4 perks as well. We had a Pinnacle dinner and flowers as a compensation for an issue with the tour portion of last year's cruise/tour so it could be part of that and I just don't remember it. It is better than the house wine by the glass except for the Montepulciano that they have in the Canaletto - it is very good and also available in the Lino Bar I discovered.

Sounds like a compensation from last year's cruise, as you also got some other goodies.

I don't want to burst your bubble but I wonder if your found wine came at someone else's expense. For example, if you got a last minute upgrade/upsell offer, I wonder if someone had purchased the wine for the original party in your new stateroom.

 

If not, well, lucky you! Enjoy the wine!

Exactly the situation I once experienced. We were upgraded to a cabin in which we found a couple of bottles of champagne courtesy of a TA. After chatting with guests from the adjoining cabin, we found out our cabin was originally booked by their friends who had to cancel last minute. We gave them the bottles of champagne and they said they would invite us over to share a bottle sometime during the cruise. That invitation never materialized. I wonder whether my graciousness was overdone as it could be argued that they were no more entitled to the champagne than I was.

I don't want to burst your bubble but I wonder if your found wine came at someone else's expense. For example, if you got a last minute upgrade/upsell offer, I wonder if someone had purchased the wine for the original party in your new stateroom.

 

If not, well, lucky you! Enjoy the wine!

That happened to me. I took an upsell and I was to get some ammenities with my room. After talking to the front desk several times after it didn't show up they told me it was delivered to me old room with my name on it. The occupants never said a word.

Thanks from me too POA1 because that extensive research and posted result plus updated information has been so helpful. I raise my glass of wine to you.

That happened to me. I took an upsell and I was to get some ammenities with my room. After talking to the front desk several times after it didn't show up they told me it was delivered to me old room with my name on it. The occupants never said a word.

Wow. Did HAL resolve it to your satisfaction?

Congratulations!!

That is a wonderful surprise.

That happened to me. I took an upsell and I was to get some ammenities with my room. After talking to the front desk several times after it didn't show up they told me it was delivered to me old room with my name on it. The occupants never said a word.

That was terrible of them.

The card announcing the gift should say who it is for and who it is from - shouldn't it?

It should. But it doesn't always happen.

We had friends send us a Beverage Card as a gift. the accompanying card was blank. We had no idea who had sent the Beverage Card until a few days after we got home and we got an e-mail from our friends asking if we had gotten the Beverage Card. Our friends know that we are always prompt in sending "Thank You" notes.

Always nice to hear about gifts of wine. :)

I agree POA has been very helpful and generous sharing his extensive knowledge of wines. Appreciate your nice post, OP, and appreciate POA> :D

We had something similar happen years ago when we entered our room at Beverly Hills Hilton Hotel. Aside from being thrilled to be in such a famous and lovely hotel, I was really excited when I saw a massive basket with bottles of wine, fruit, candies, cookies and all sorts of treats on the table. When I looked at the card, my face fell a bit as it was clear it had been left in our room in error. :( I knew we could not enjoy digging into a gift not intended for us, DH called the front desk to tell them to remove it and deliver it to the proper guests. THEY SAID TO KEEP AND ENJOY IT!!

Yup, I always think of that hotel as doing things so well in the nicest ways. :)

Wow. Did HAL resolve it to your satisfaction?

yes thx to a wonderful guy at the front desk.

The three bottle Navigator package was part of a promotion earlier this year--Sun and Set Sail. We qualify for it on our cruise beginning July 11. I don't think it is a surprise. I think you needed to look at your invoice. It is on the second page. We are getting $300 in OBC, navigator wine package, 2 soda cards and if we had done this early enough a discount on shore excursions.

Terri

Always nice to hear about gifts of wine. :)

I agree POA has been very helpful and generous sharing his extensive knowledge of wines. Appreciate your nice post, OP, and appreciate POA> :D

 

 

We had something similar happen years ago when we entered our room at Beverly Hills Hilton Hotel. Aside from being thrilled to be in such a famous and lovely hotel, I was really excited when I saw a massive basket with bottles of wine, fruit, candies, cookies and all sorts of treats on the table. When I looked at the card, my face fell a bit as it was clear it had been left in our room in error. :( I knew we could not enjoy digging into a gift not intended for us, DH called the front desk to tell them to remove it and deliver it to the proper guests. THEY SAID TO KEEP AND ENJOY IT!!

 

Yup, I always think of that hotel as doing things so well in the nicest ways. :)

We always thought so too, until the owner, the Sultan of Brunei, implemented Sharia law in his country. Then we joined the boycott.

No upgrade or upsell and no note...just a notation on our final docs about it with the Explore 4 perks as well. We had a Pinnacle dinner and flowers as a compensation for an issue with the tour portion of last year's cruise/tour so it could be part of that and I just don't remember it. It is better than the house wine by the glass except for the Montepulciano that they have in the Canaletto - it is very good and also available in the Lino Bar I discovered.

It probably is compensation for your issue last year. I had an issue this year on the Westerdam and ended up with the 3 Bottle Wine deal as well as a healthy on board credit for my next cruise.:):D:)