desertgrl74

Might I suggest that you purchase wines in Croatia and use your OBC to pay the corkage. Croatian wines are world-famous and relatively affordable. We enjoyed them very much. In the tourist part of Dubrovnik there is a wonderful tasting and retail shop. Run by an Aussie with Croatian parents who is bilingual and very knowledgeable. The wines on the ships can be good (or not) but will practically never reflect the port you are visiting. Good Luck!

THe problem we had was not the list (which was acceptable and often more than just acceptable) but the fact that they were out of 75% of the items printed on the menu they continued to circulate. They always apologized, but kept presenting us with the out of date wine list!

Absolutely! We bought some very good wines in Greece (even though we weren't very familiar with them). Those countries have wonderful "food friendly" wines. Google is a godsend.

even for a short term (for instance a half-consumed bottle), they have climate and humidity controlled storage so I am guessing that would not be an issue (particularly for long-haul guests).

Just to update you after your very kind recommendations: We visited Bon Vivant's companion as it was literally 2 doors from a pub we visited for an afternoon ale after a HOHO tour. It is not a huge store, but very well curated, and the 2 young men on staff were knowledgeable and helpful. We bought 4 bottles and enjoyed them all on board. Thanks again.

I absolutely agree. Very mediocre wines. But, as I stated previously, most people on the 2 ships of my recent cruises drank them ALL THE TIME. Some even describe them as "excellent". I think people love that the wines are complimentary and they aren't too discriminating. (drinking cab with filet of sole, chilling red wines, putting ice in wines, etc). That is what makes the world go around. Our bar waiter (at the beginning) of the voyage, brought us tastes of all the red complimentary wines (for a tip.) For us, life is too short and we are into wine, so we were happy to locate wine on shore (easier in Greece than in Scotland) and pay the very nominal corkage. Again, there were some nice choices on the (for pay) wine list, but they were out of alot of them. (When we asked for the list, the waiter would always say - several times - "You know this isn't complimentary, right?") I think that is a big deal to most of the passengers.

Absolutely! I just returned from a Scotland cruise on Journey and a Greece cruise on Quest. Used OBC for corkage. However, we had alot more OBC than we expected. If you don't use them, they are left on the table. So we did buy wine on the cruises. (we bought in port or brought onboard 7 bottles, btw.) The problem on both cruises is that, while there are some drinkable wines on the (for pay) list, they are out of 75% of them. I tried to order a Matanzas Creek Merlot and they were out. Also an Oregon Pinot I am familiar with and they were out. Ditto their rose from Provence. Also out of several "by the glass" options. Because of that, the packages seem like a bad deal to me, not that I intended to buy one. If you think the wines they list on the packages are available you will be disappointed. Our favorite purchase onboard was RIdge Zinfandel blend at $79. We also had a nice Bordeaux in the steakhouse. I should also mention that each ship had 3 "Somms". I know more about wine than all 6 of them combined. It is a ceremonial term, they are not somms in the true sense. Nice people all, but not knowledgeable. And their subordinates could use some training as well. Having said all that, I usually had the house sparkling wine (either a prosecco or a no-name champagne that was quite good) before dinner each night. We were told they were "re-doing" their wine lists. Fair enough, but they should not keep circulating out-of-stock lists to their guests. I did observe that the vast majority of guests seemed perfectly happy with the complimentary wine choices - even in the specialty restaurants. To each his own, right?

I looked up that chard online. It is French, from the Languedoc and retails in the US for about $7, none of which inspires much confidence. It may be fine, it may even be good, But I wouldn't bet on it. I'm on vacation, I am more inclined to follow your lead of buying something else and paying corkage.....

Sorry - my mistake The pre-stay and embarkation and destination are exactly the same. Bon Voyage!

My husband and I are on your AZ cruise and also at the same hotel pre-cruise. I am unable to email you directly from this site, but I do have a question for you. If you would, please email me at gwhelan209@gmail.com Question about the Kusadasi stop.thanks

I just visited his website; did you (or are you) doing the all day tour with lunch? Approximately how much pp for how many people? Want to advert for a group on my roll call. THanks....

I am interested in this tour BUT I am seeking a tour of Ephesus that does NOT include a visit to hear the carpet sales pitches. Been there, done that. I would rather get back to Kusadasi (we will be there til 10 PM) and spend some time there. Is it possible to tour Ephesus without the obligatory carpet sales presentations? thanks.....

Thank you all for the fine suggestions! I may bring a couple bottles from home to start with, and then purchase in ports. We have a Scotland cruise, five days in Athens, and then a Greek Isles cruise. Have to have drinkable vino! Thanks again to all who responded. It is appreciated!

Thanks. Some kind soul directed me to the wine lists (don't know how current they are) for AZ. They are not THE wine lists, but the packages. I must say I am underwhelmed. I am a Californian who used to manage a tasting room and my spouse and I maintain a small cellar. So. I have a bunch of OBC to use and nothing else to spend them on, really. So probably wine and corkage. I don't know if there is a decent wine retailer in Edinburgh or ANYWHERE near the port in Amsterdam but I have found them elsewhere. If anyone knows of such places, I am all ears.

So since I cannot contact folks at Azamara for any reason, I will put my info request to you all: my understanding is that wine is served "gratis" at lunch and dinner. And yet I see many of you referencing one "package" or another. Is the complimentary wine not worth it? In the past (on other lines) we bring our own or purchase ashore and pay the corkage. Is it preferable to purchase a package? The menus or lists are not available anywhere that I can locate. Sailing Journey in August and Quest in Sept. Thanks for your input.