**NEW** Wine (by the bottle) Pricing List and Market Comparisons

Well done! Thank you for taking the time to inform us. This is very helpful!

I hope you have figured out that I already added in the 15%, and it's in the final price.

 

And your last line is my whole reasoning and point. I am not out to buy the Princess wine list - I am out to buy good value wines, not spending a fortune, that I know we will enjoy.

steelers36...yeah, I probably just stated that incorrectly. I realized you had the column that included the 15% gratuity added. What I was comparing was the actual value of the wine compared to the value of the wine I could bring on board for the same price, even with the $15 corkage fee. I was already planning to bring wine on bard, but after seeing your presentation, decided to bring more bottles. We are on an 8 day in December and enjoy a bottle each night at dinner (and after dinner), plus 1 bottle of champagne or prosecco for mimosa's n the morning. I am a big fan of Nakedwines.com. You can find some awesome wines for very reasonable prices, all the while supporting the small wineries! Again, thanks for all your hard work. Bravo!!!

Absolutely, XBGuy, you have nailed it. Princess is socking it to the cheap, but popular known names from California that mass market will go to. They just have little imagination in their list anymore as it has been changed for the worse not many years back, by plugging in more of the low end wines and then packing on a $30 or so mark-up. .

This is the main reason that I am leaning to bringing more of my own win aboard rather than buying on board. If they had a better selection, I would take advantage of the 25% discount on bottles of wine that my beau's drinks package offers us. But just not seeing much on their lists that I'd be interested in purchasing, even at a substantially lower price.

This is awesome! Thanks!

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I think the actual comparison is what can you buy the wine for, carry it on board, and pay the $15 corkage fee compared to buying a comparable wine on board and paying the 15% gratuity...which process is the best bang for your buck? That is the real question.

 

Taking the spreadsheet provided and adding 15% to the wines, I can bring a much better wine on board and pay the $15 fee and still save money. Worst case scenario, the cost will be the same, but the wine I hand carry on will be a better wine.

Yes, I understand that, but we can only bring onboard 1 bottle per adult. I think almost everyone here is aware that if you bring wine onboard, it makes sense to bring high quality and fairly expensive wine if you plan to have it with dinner onboard otherwise the corkage fee would wipe out any savings.

Yes, I understand that, but we can only bring onboard 1 bottle per adult. I think almost everyone here is aware that if you bring wine onboard, it makes sense to bring high quality and fairly expensive wine if you plan to have it with dinner onboard otherwise the corkage fee would wipe out any savings.[/quote

 

Why can you only bring 1 bottle on board. I plan to bring 7 for dinner and 2 champagnes for the room. I can buy a $25 (don't consider that high quality wine...just modest) bottle of wine from a wholesaler that the ship wants to charge $50 for plus the Gratuity of $7.50 so you pay $57.50...even with the $15 corkage fee I am paying a combined $40...I save $17.50 by bringing it myself instead of purchasing it on board. I do that for 7 dinners and I've saved $122.50.

Yes, I understand that, but we can only bring onboard 1 bottle per adult. I think almost everyone here is aware that if you bring wine onboard, it makes sense to bring high quality and fairly expensive wine if you plan to have it with dinner onboard otherwise the corkage fee would wipe out any savings.

The math shows that you don't have to bring on high quality and fairly expensive wine to gain savings. In fact, most of the higher priced wines on Princess are the ones with the least markups. IMO, the food generally doesn't rise to a level of having or needing fine wine. I am happy with some decent quality wine that I can buy for a good price in a wine store. If you check my spreadsheet, I don't see how the case can be made that bringing on extra wine and paying corkage wipes out the savings - quite the opposite in fact.

But I realize it can be an inconvenience for some and that is fine. We can all make the decisions that work for us. My spreadsheet helps inform me - and obviously a lot of fellow cruisers on CC - about how I can create better value with better wines and also where to make wise choices if selecting from the Princess list.

Two years ago, we flew in day of departure (long story and no issues occurred), so I had no time to buy wine. Guess what - I bought some Katnook Estate Syrah for sure - and it was just fine. And I forget what else.

Yes, I understand that, but we can only bring onboard 1 bottle per adult. I think almost everyone here is aware that if you bring wine onboard, it makes sense to bring high quality and fairly expensive wine if you plan to have it with dinner onboard otherwise the corkage fee would wipe out any savings.[/quote

 

Why can you only bring 1 bottle on board. I plan to bring 7 for dinner and 2 champagnes for the room. I can buy a $25 (don't consider that high quality wine...just modest) bottle of wine from a wholesaler that the ship wants to charge $50 for plus the Gratuity of $7.50 so you pay $57.50...even with the $15 corkage fee I am paying a combined $40...I save $17.50 by bringing it myself instead of purchasing it on board. I do that for 7 dinners and I've saved $122.50.

 

Great idea on the champagne or sparkling wine. The Princess champagne offerings also have some of the highest markups, naturally. But a lot of restaurants do the same as they anticipate customers are ordering to celebrate something or other and price becomes less of a concern. I will probably bring some sparkling on as well, but it's just fun to have sometimes and doesn't need a celebration.

That is incorrect. They will let you bring on 1 bottle free for each person. Then you only need to pay the $15.00 corkage fee once (they will charge you for it when you bring it on) for any extra bottles of wine. They will mark each bottle that the corkage fee has been paid and you can take it to the restaurant to enjoy.

 

HOWEVER, (and this is probably where you got mixed messages) if you take the free bottles of wine that are not marked to the dining room you will be charged a $15.00 corkage fee for it at that time. Just make sure you are taking the paid for bottles to the dining room and consuming the free bottles in your statement (or pouring it in your statement and taking the glass with you around the ship) and everything will be fine. :)

You can also peel the sticker off one of the "paid" bottles if you prefer to drink a free one for dinner.:D

Here is something new (at least to me). X has increased their corkage from $18 to $25. IDK when they jumped that up, but it looks like a discourage-the-practice move to me. Also, just checked their policy and it states two bottles allowed per cabin - period. Nothing allowed for extra bottles. Corkage fee applies if wine taken to restaurant.

 

HAL is much like Princess, except corkage fee is $18.

 

RCCL is much like X (of course), allowing two bottles per stateroom. BUT, no corkage fee is listed, so that is a small concession perhaps.

 

We have it pretty good with Princess and I appreciate their willingness and cooperation in the matter, even if I think I could make up a lot more interesting wine menu.

RCI reinstated their corkage fee sometime in the last year. I think it's $15. Their onboard prices are ridiculous, designed to get people to order a drink package. They offer a substantial discount on the package to top tier cruisers (40%), and we take advantage of it so we can drink decent wine instead of the swill they offer in their suite and elite lounges.

They even add 15% service charge for water delivered to the cabin....lol

 

Great idea on the champagne or sparkling wine. The Princess champagne offerings also have some of the highest markups, naturally. But a lot of restaurants do the same as they anticipate customers are ordering to celebrate something or other and price becomes less of a concern. I will probably bring some sparkling on as well, but it's just fun to have sometimes and doesn't need a celebration.

 

Again, the Pricess markup on Champagnes can be related to the price. The markup on Korbel Brut (Let's not get into the discussion of whether or not Korbel is Champagne. It says "Champagne" on the label.) is egregious. However, the markup on Dom is acrually a reasoanble 50%.

 

I am the poster boy for having sparklers for a celebration. The XBGuys sailaway practice is to have a sparkling wine on our balcony. On our last cruise we had to fly to the port, and, so, I only brought two bottles on board. Since the bottles for sparkling wines are particularly heavy, the ones I brought were still wines. So, to maintain our sailaway tradition, I pre-ordered a bottle of Dom to be delivered to our cabin. Mrs. XBGuy was very impressed and very pleased. On our next cruise, in two weeks, we are leaving out of the local port. I have an idea of what wines I will be bringing on board, and the California sparkler is, definitely already identified.

 

:D

 

 

IMO, the food [on Princess] generally doesn't rise to a level of having or needing fine wine.

 

.

 

I would like to offer an alternative opinion, just for the sake of discussion.

 

I have been chastised on internet wine boards for offering the opinion that one should drink the wine you like to drink with the food you like to eat. While there is some merit to wine/food pairing, that concept is quite overrated.

 

Wine can elevate the dining experience. My cooking at home is, certainly, not Michelin star level, but that is not going to stop me from going "deep into the cellar," if the spirit moves me.

 

Any "wine geek" who has cruised on Princess more than twice finds the Princess wine list to be pretty pedestrian. Don't get me wrong, there are little gems there, but I don't particularly want to drink the same wine every night. Also, I am not criticizing Princess' strategy in building their wine lists. I am perfectly willing to believe that they know their customer demographic better than I do.

 

Also, believe me when I tell you, I am not a man of extraordinary economic means. So, I am not bringing Petrus, or Screagle or DRC on board. I am bringing (mostly) domestic wines--some of which are found relatively easily on retail store shelves and some of which can only be procured directly from the winery.

 

So, to summarize my philosophy, let's say that "better wines" (avoiding the definition of "fine wines") are an enhancement to my dining experience.

 

I am also going to come at this from a slightly different angle.

 

On our last cruise we made our first ever visit to the Crab Shack. Beleive me, we are one and done with the Crab Shack. The meal was our least favorite on that cruise. The appalling thing, however, is that the wine list for the Crab Shack is quite abbreviated. I truly wish I had anything better than the best I could find on that list.

 

The views above are just opinions. There is no science or logic behind them. With all the above and a couple bucks, I can buy a cup of coffee.

 

Again, the Pricess markup on Champagnes can be related to the price. The markup on Korbel Brut (Let's not get into the discussion of whether or not Korbel is Champagne. It says "Champagne" on the label.) is egregious. However, the markup on Dom is acrually a reasoanble 50%.

 

I am the poster boy for having sparklers for a celebration. The XBGuys sailaway practice is to have a sparkling wine on our balcony. On our last cruise we had to fly to the port, and, so, I only brought two bottles on board. Since the bottles for sparkling wines are particularly heavy, the ones I brought were still wines. So, to maintain our sailaway tradition, I pre-ordered a bottle of Dom to be delivered to our cabin. Mrs. XBGuy was very impressed and very pleased. On our next cruise, in two weeks, we are leaving out of the local port. I have an idea of what wines I will be bringing on board, and the California sparkler is, definitely already identified.

 

:D

 

 

 

I would like to offer an alternative opinion, just for the sake of discussion.

 

I have been chastised on internet wine boards for offering the opinion that one should drink the wine you like to drink with the food you like to eat. While there is some merit to wine/food pairing, that concept is quite overrated.

 

Wine can elevate the dining experience. My cooking at home is, certainly, not Michelin star level, but that is not going to stop me from going "deep into the cellar," if the spirit moves me.

 

Any "wine geek" who has cruised on Princess more than twice finds the Princess wine list to be pretty pedestrian. Don't get me wrong, there are little gems there, but I don't particularly want to drink the same wine every night. Also, I am not criticizing Princess' strategy in building their wine lists. I am perfectly willing to believe that they know their customer demographic better than I do.

 

Also, believe me when I tell you, I am not a man of extraordinary economic means. So, I am not bringing Petrus, or Screagle or DRC on board. I am bringing (mostly) domestic wines--some of which are found relatively easily on retail store shelves and some of which can only be procured directly from the winery.

 

So, to summarize my philosophy, let's say that "better wines" (avoiding the definition of "fine wines") are an enhancement to my dining experience.

 

I am also going to come at this from a slightly different angle.

 

On our last cruise we made our first ever visit to the Crab Shack. Beleive me, we are one and done with the Crab Shack. The meal was our least favorite on that cruise. The appalling thing, however, is that the wine list for the Crab Shack is quite abbreviated. I truly wish I had anything better than the best I could find on that list.

 

The views above are just opinions. There is no science or logic behind them. With all the above and a couple bucks, I can buy a cup of coffee.

 

Enjoyed reading this post very much, XB. I think we agree on the "better wine" philosophy. It doesn't always mean $100's per bottle. I fully plan to bring at least a couple of sparklers on board (not sure if real champagne or other; depends what I can find locally as I don't see flying it in my checked bags). I am going to work on pre-shopping with Total Wine online before arriving to speed up the process. Not sure if I will try and manage a case or more - maybe 18. I figure as long as I make it down to Montevideo or Buenos Aires, I can supplement with local wines.

Your retail price for Opus One is very wrong. I'm seeing it at Total Wine for over $300.

Your retail price for Opus One is very wrong. I'm seeing it at Total Wine for over $300.

Thanks for letting me know. I searched up and down, including another site and I am not sure how I had a wrong price for that one. The Overture is correct. I double-checked if there was a second label somehow I missed - you see, I find it hard to believe Princess is that much under-market. Maybe it's some old stock (as I am sure you realize, they don't print vintage years so you just don't know until order a bottle to see it for yourself). Nonetheless, it is probably some time since it was sold at retail for under $200.

It's too rich for my blood, but it is the screaming bargain of the wine list if one wishes to spend well north of $200 per bottle. If a real fan, why not buy a case online and cart it off home? LOL.

A corrected file is attached.

Princess Wine List - 2017-Summer.xls

Thanks for letting me know. I searched up and down, including another site and I am not sure how I had a wrong price for that one. The Overture is correct. I double-checked if there was a second label somehow I missed - you see, I find it hard to believe Princess is that much under-market. Maybe it's some old stock (as I am sure you realize, they don't print vintage years so you just don't know until order a bottle to see it for yourself). Nonetheless, it is probably some time since it was sold at retail for under $200.

 

It's too rich for my blood, but it is the screaming bargain of the wine list if one wishes to spend well north of $200 per bottle. If a real fan, why not buy a case online and cart it off home? LOL.

 

A corrected file is attached.

If I'm paying north of $200 for a bottle of anything, it's a bottle of Pappy Van Winkle...can't bring it on board, but sort of like the same feeling as cruising drinking it out by my pool!! :cool:

XBGuy

We bring on Korbel for mimosas during the day. Our sail away choice is Taittinger champagne. Our local store sells it for $35. We are going on a Christmas & New years cruise ***** Dec. 22, so we are bringing 3 bottles. Can't beat that.

:D

What I wanted to see was, where would I still save money, and how much, over retail if I was to have a package of 12 bottles instead of ordering singly. My formula marks any bottle under $28 as a "NO BUY". (Why would you pay $28 when you could buy it for less off the menu and save your 12 punches for other wines?).

In Column P, if you still see a green amount, then you save with the package over buying the wine at retail and bringing it on board. But if the amount is red, you are STILL better off bringing that wine on board yourself. And this is paying even less for these bottles because you are on a package!!! There are some savings with a package here and there on the list, but nothing much to bowl you over, except for some of the very high-priced stuff - and not even all of it is best on board.

So, pour a glass and sit back and contemplate your options for the next cruise.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Let me add my sincere thanks to steelers36 for his diligent work in putting this spreadsheet together.

As the spreadsheet has been completed, I would love to add my own column and get some ideas from the

wine experts, what foods you've enjoyed with a particular wine? We are on the Coral (Panama Canal - 15 day) in January and plan on having wine nightly with dinner (at a minimum :D).

Understanding the different Princess menus and personal preferences for pairings, this thread could get extremely long.

So if another separate thread is warranted, so be it.

Thanks again for your hard work! I plan on putting anything I glean from here to good use!

Mike

Thanks, Mike, but I think personal preferences get in the way of trying to recommend a wine pairing with food. I don't think there is any set perfection, but there are some obvious things that don't work for my taste buds!! Such as Riesling with a steak - can't imagine that one. Enjoy playing with your own copy of the file.

Thanks ever so much for compiling this comparison! Also enjoying reading along with the discussion!

Thanks for this great listing😊

Who has tried the high end reds, and how are they? Opus One, Overture, Mondavi Reserve, super Tuscans? I am tempted to get one of these at Crown Gtill😊

Thanks for this great listing😊

 

Who has tried the high end reds' date=' and how are they? Opus One, Overture, Mondavi Reserve, super Tuscans? I am tempted to get one of these at Crown Gtill😊[/quote'],,

 

I have had the Robert Mondavi Reserve CS three or four times on Princess cruises. Apparently, I like it. This is an excellent wine for the Crown Grill. Since it is a high volume producer, the Robert Mondavi winery does not get the respect from the Wine Geekdom that it diservers--I can say the same about Beringer and BV. The Mondavi Reserve is a big Napa Valley CS, but it is balanced. It is not overly fruity. Generally, tannins are sturdy, but not over the top. On our cruise on the Grand Princess in September, I was pretty excited to try 2013 vintage. A terrific vintage.

 

I've never tried Opus. However, Mrs. XBGuy, back in her working days, made, at least, two visits to Opus in Napa Valley and participated in vertical tastings. Tough job, but, apparently, somebody has to do it.

 

On our first Princess cruise in 2011 I ordered an Ornellia one evening. At the time they were charging $140 for it. I think it is way over $200, now, on the Princess list. For more than $200, I don't plan to be back. A good wine, A reasonable amount of fruit, Good acid--like so many Italian wines--but also good tannin to support it

 

Luce della Vite kills Ornellaia in my opinion, A very similar taste profile and a much better price.

 

A year ago SHARE had Tignanello for $79. That is an amazing deal. You cannot buy Tig in any brick-and-mortar retail store in the U.S. for that price. When I had it at SHARE I think I drank the entire bottle that evening. (Mrs. XBGuy had ordered white wine.) It is a good one. In a couple weeks we are going to sailing on the Ruby Princess. We plan to dine at SHARE on sailaway evening. I truly hope they still have Tig on their wine list at that price.

 

:D

I notice under Premium Sparkling you list the Villa Sandi Prosecco. Where did you find it in the US?

,,

 

I have had the Robert Mondavi Reserve CS three or four times on Princess cruises. Apparently, I like it. This is an excellent wine for the Crown Grill. Since it is a high volume producer, the Robert Mondavi winery does not get the respect from the Wine Geekdom that it diservers--I can say the same about Beringer and BV. The Mondavi Reserve is a big Napa Valley CS, but it is balanced. It is not overly fruity. Generally, tannins are sturdy, but not over the top. On our cruise on the Grand Princess in September, I was pretty excited to try 2013 vintage. A terrific vintage.

 

I've never tried Opus. However, Mrs. XBGuy, back in her working days, made, at least, two visits to Opus in Napa Valley and participated in vertical tastings. Tough job, but, apparently, somebody has to do it.

 

On our first Princess cruise in 2011 I ordered an Ornellia one evening. At the time they were charging $140 for it. I think it is way over $200, now, on the Princess list. For more than $200, I don't plan to be back. A good wine, A reasonable amount of fruit, Good acid--like so many Italian wines--but also good tannin to support it

 

Luce della Vite kills Ornellaia in my opinion, A very similar taste profile and a much better price.

 

A year ago SHARE had Tignanello for $79. That is an amazing deal. You cannot buy Tig in any brick-and-mortar retail store in the U.S. for that price. When I had it at SHARE I think I drank the entire bottle that evening. (Mrs. XBGuy had ordered white wine.) It is a good one. In a couple weeks we are going to sailing on the Ruby Princess. We plan to dine at SHARE on sailaway evening. I truly hope they still have Tig on their wine list at that price.

 

:D

Thanks for your thoughts on the red wines. I will definitely try Mondavi Reserve at Crown Grill.

,,

 

I have had the Robert Mondavi Reserve CS three or four times on Princess cruises. Apparently, I like it. This is an excellent wine for the Crown Grill. Since it is a high volume producer, the Robert Mondavi winery does not get the respect from the Wine Geekdom that it diservers--I can say the same about Beringer and BV. The Mondavi Reserve is a big Napa Valley CS, but it is balanced. It is not overly fruity. Generally, tannins are sturdy, but not over the top. On our cruise on the Grand Princess in September, I was pretty excited to try 2013 vintage. A terrific vintage.

 

I've never tried Opus. However, Mrs. XBGuy, back in her working days, made, at least, two visits to Opus in Napa Valley and participated in vertical tastings. Tough job, but, apparently, somebody has to do it.

 

On our first Princess cruise in 2011 I ordered an Ornellia one evening. At the time they were charging $140 for it. I think it is way over $200, now, on the Princess list. For more than $200, I don't plan to be back. A good wine, A reasonable amount of fruit, Good acid--like so many Italian wines--but also good tannin to support it

 

Luce della Vite kills Ornellaia in my opinion, A very similar taste profile and a much better price.

 

A year ago SHARE had Tignanello for $79. That is an amazing deal. You cannot buy Tig in any brick-and-mortar retail store in the U.S. for that price. When I had it at SHARE I think I drank the entire bottle that evening. (Mrs. XBGuy had ordered white wine.) It is a good one. In a couple weeks we are going to sailing on the Ruby Princess. We plan to dine at SHARE on sailaway evening. I truly hope they still have Tig on their wine list at that price.

 

:D

I was fortunate to buy and have some RM Reserve (their top Cab) in the 90's and on and off since then, but not for a long time. I did decide to splurge on a 2013 recently as an investment, but I don't plan on touching it for several years. I'd have to agree that it would be great to have that wine with one of the CG steak dinners, but I just don't want to spend that much on the ship.

In Ontario, around Toronto, collectors used to line up to scoop up the RM Reserve when it came out and it would be sold in 5 minutes with limits of 1/person. Not so much demand anymore - probably the price point and the fact that there are so many more infamous wines now.

I agree on that price for Tig. I think I put that in an update of my older spreadsheet and some people didn't believe the price (didn't make sense to me either). All I can think is they must have purchased a supply a while ahead of that and had it around still and didn't adjust price to market. Anyway, it wasn't listed on the CROWN lists and they don't have SHARE. Previously, I heard of it in Sabatini's.

I will have a report on ISLAND in December after my BVE.

I notice under Premium Sparkling you list the Villa Sandi Prosecco. Where did you find it in the US?

What I found was a listing with the price at Total Wine. Upon re-checking Total Wine website, it appears to be left at only one location in Missouri. Other searches reveal other retailers at similar/same price, but IDK if they have stock. The Villa Sandi has also been available in Ontario at $14-and-change, so pretty reasonable compared to USD pricing. I have never had it myself, although wine reviewers I know in Ontario have given it thumbs up and great value.