Royal Princess - Wine and Happy Hour questions

Hello everyone. I was just studying some of the old princess patters that were kindly posted by someone doing a "live from" thread back in February (thank you!!). I saw several occasions where there were BOGO happy hours listed at various venues. Does anyone know whether this is limited to one particular kind of drink? Or whether all well drinks or wines are included in the BOGO?

Also, I saw several occasions where there was a wine event for a nominal fee, usually in the afternoons of sea days. One was a Wine Club hosted by the Maitre D', others were red wine and chocolate pairings, red wine and cheese pairing, white wine and seafood pairings, etc. Has anyone done one of these events, and if so what occurs and what is included? How nominal is the fee?

Thanks in advance for your assistance!

I can answer the BOGO question . Basically any drink including soda. Buy one and get the second one either free or for an additional dollar. I don't think you can get bottles though .

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I can answer the BOGO question . Basically any drink including soda. Buy one and get the second one either free or for an additional dollar. I don't think you can get bottles though .

 

 

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Thank you for the response!

It's buy one, get one for $1.

There are several wine tastings, but the main one is the Maitre d' wine tasting. It's $25 per person.

Some of the pairings are stammtisch style, $15 per person. All those events will be listed in your patter.

Thank you! Did you find the wine tastings/pairings to be worth it?

We did a wine and chocolate tasting but I don't remember what ship it was.

You get to sample 3 wines and many chocolates, We are not wine drinkers. The sommelier remarked that we were the first persons not to finish the wines. I said, "yes, but we did finish all of the chocolates!"

There is a BOGO$1 from 3 to 4 PM in the Crooners Lounge but it can move around to another location. The also is a BOGO$1 from 11 to midnight in Club 6. Any drink the bar serves is included. We always do the 3 to 4 and sometimes the late one as well. You can order your drinks and take them somewhere else to drink (think stateroom or MDR).

We did the $25 wine tasting one time where 3 whites, 2 reds and 1 dessert wine was tasted. These were high end wines so it was worth it (and we used OBC to pay for it!). You have to appreciate expensive wines. The wines were really good.

There is another wine tasting again with the same mix of wines at a much more reasonable price ($10 I believe) with obviously less expensive wines. We always do this one although now days it is a perk of being elite.

If you buy beer during the BOGO $1 time, some bartenders will allow you to get unopened bottles to bring to your stateroom. Some don't.

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We did a wine tasting several years ago. I don't know what we paid but the wines were low end. We are not wine snobs by any means, but we did expect something better. As a result we've not tried it again.

When the wine tasting first came out we did it and enjoyed it. I think either our tastes have improved through the years, or the quality of the wines and how they were presented has gone down.

We no longer do the wine tasting.

As far as the BOGO goes, it is buy one get one for $1. We've found it's super crowded in the area when this is going on, and getting a drink is complicated/can take a while. We prefer to do the AIBP and get a drink when we want without having to brave the crowd. To each his own though! BOGO is very popular.

We did a wine and chocolate tasting but I don't remember what ship it was.

You get to sample 3 wines and many chocolates, We are not wine drinkers. The sommelier remarked that we were the first persons not to finish the wines. I said, "yes, but we did finish all of the chocolates!"

LOL! Thanks for your response! And I would be sure to finish the chocolates too!

There is a BOGO$1 from 3 to 4 PM in the Crooners Lounge but it can move around to another location. The also is a BOGO$1 from 11 to midnight in Club 6. Any drink the bar serves is included. We always do the 3 to 4 and sometimes the late one as well. You can order your drinks and take them somewhere else to drink (think stateroom or MDR).

 

We did the $25 wine tasting one time where 3 whites, 2 reds and 1 dessert wine was tasted. These were high end wines so it was worth it (and we used OBC to pay for it!). You have to appreciate expensive wines. The wines were really good.

 

There is another wine tasting again with the same mix of wines at a much more reasonable price ($10 I believe) with obviously less expensive wines. We always do this one although now days it is a perk of being elite.

Excellent info! Thanks much!

When the wine tasting first came out we did it and enjoyed it. I think either our tastes have improved through the years, or the quality of the wines and how they were presented has gone down.

 

We no longer do the wine tasting.

 

As far as the BOGO goes, it is buy one get one for $1. We've found it's super crowded in the area when this is going on, and getting a drink is complicated/can take a while. We prefer to do the AIBP and get a drink when we want without having to brave the crowd. To each his own though! BOGO is very popular.

Thank you for sharing your experience. That's exactly what I was trying to figure out - whether this made the AIBP less desirable.

We did a wine tasting several years ago. I don't know what we paid but the wines were low end. We are not wine snobs by any means, but we did expect something better. As a result we've not tried it again.

It seems like there may be consensus as to the low quality of the wine tastings. Very good to know - avoids wasted time and money. Thanks so much for sharing your experience.

And many thanks to all who responded. Have a great night everyone!

The BOGO is held at 3 PM to 4 PM and also at 10 PM, usually in the Wheelhouse Bar. You can purchase your 2 drinks and take them out of the wheelhouse, which is great if you have somewhere else to be.

We have gone to many of the wine tastings both the $9. and $25. and since we live near Napa, our personal feelings are none of the wine is worth it and the food given is very little.

Better idea: Purchase a bottle of wine at The Vines. You get Sushi or Tapas with your drinks (or both if you want it) and any left over they will hold for another evening and again you get the tapas and sushi. We really enjoy the vines.

Further, there is the Elite Lounge for Elite and Platinum members at 5 PM to get drink specials and usually some food. One day it might be chips and salsa with olives, cheeses, etc. The specialty drinks run around 5 dollars each.

Hope this helps.

DH, as well as others, were able to take unopened beers back to the room. He always had at least two unopened in the fridge for a post day at port.

I poured two wines into a mixed drink glass to take to the room. Easier than carrying wine glasses.

We always have predinner cocktails on our balcony, rather than in a lounge. So the happy hour is perfect for that.