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Princess Pacific Wine Country Question...


crawford
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No onboard theme-Just tours in stops near Wine country

My wife saw the same for a Pacific coastal she did a few years back. We expect the same next year when the Royal does a coastal to Vancouver from LA. We are doing trips on our own with a group and are stopping at some of the same places as Princess.

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Was curious as to whether or not Princess did anything different on these cruises related to wine?

 

I get the ports but one would think they would have a wine theme on board?

 

Thanks

Checking Patters for a May 2011 Wine Country Coastal cruise from LA to Vancouver they did have a couple of extra wine themed events.

 

Shortly after sailing from Astoria there was a Wine Paring event & while in Seattle they had an Ultimate Wine Tasting New Worlds vs. Old Worlds Reds tasting for $25. Both were hosted by the Culinary Director at Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery and an Enologist winemaker at Jordan Winery.

 

So yes, they’ve had special events on their wine themed cruises & hopefully will again have them on my Royal Princess Pacific Wine Country cruise in May 2019.

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Checking Patters for a May 2011 Wine Country Coastal cruise from LA to Vancouver they did have a couple of extra wine themed events.

 

Shortly after sailing from Astoria there was a Wine Paring event & while in Seattle they had an Ultimate Wine Tasting New Worlds vs. Old Worlds Reds tasting for $25. Both were hosted by the Culinary Director at Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery and an Enologist winemaker at Jordan Winery.

 

So yes, they’ve had special events on their wine themed cruises & hopefully will again have them on my Royal Princess Pacific Wine Country cruise in May 2019.

Cheryl did hers in 2009 and did not see these events. They look like fun. Do you think they will do the last one in Seattle for the Royal in 2019?

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Cheryl did hers in 2009 and did not see these events. They look like fun. Do you think they will do the last one in Seattle for the Royal in 2019?

I’m hopeful because Princess has been adding more themed related activities based on the itinerary.

 

I recall other wine tastings (beyond the standard Grapevine & Sommelier/Maître d’ tastings) & special wine events on a few other cruises which may have been on other CA Coastal cruises we’ve sailed.

 

That’s been my experiences which can vary on other cruises.

Edited by Astro Flyer
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I’m hopeful because Princess has been adding more themed related activities based on the itinerary.

 

I recall other wine tastings (beyond the standard Grapevine & Sommelier/Maître d’ tastings) & special wine events on a few other cruises which may have been on other CA Coastal cruises we’ve sailed.

 

That’s been my experiences which can vary on other cruises.

 

That would be great. I don't even think there are Sommelier's on the ships anymore. Thanks!

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We took one of these cruises in September 2017 (on the Emerald) and came to the conclusion it was called a Pacific Wine Country cruise simply because that sounded better than "Just Another Repositioning" cruise.

 

There were winery excursions in the SF Bay Area and Santa Barbara, but I don't recall any events or programs on the ship that week that justified the theme.

 

Jim

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That would be great. I don't even think there are Sommelier's on the ships anymore. Thanks!

 

No sommeliers in many years & after Princess eliminated them the name of their more upscale wine tasting ($25) was change to maître d’.

 

On the Royal & Regal there have been Super Tuscan ($40) wine tastings with more expensive wines & hot appetizers served with each wine.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Was also curious from any recent wine country cruisers:

 

Other than the allotted 2 bottles (1 pp.) at embarkation, were you able to bring additional bottles

on board from shore excursions, without paying the customary fee?

 

Thought it would be nice to have an extra bottle or two in our cabin during the week.

 

Thanks,

 

Mike

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Was also curious from any recent wine country cruisers:

 

Other than the allotted 2 bottles (1 pp.) at embarkation, were you able to bring additional bottles

on board from shore excursions, without paying the customary fee?

 

Thought it would be nice to have an extra bottle or two in our cabin during the week.

 

Thanks,

 

Mike

 

Our experience from a recent Coastal cruise was that when we returned from a Princess sponsored wine country excursion, the Princess folks were waiting at the security scanners to collect our purchases and hold them until the end of the cruise. This seemed like a wasted effort as we were disembarking the following morning and they ended up returning the bottles to us later in the evening. I think if you are doing an independent wine tour there is a possibility that some wine bottles might slip through security unnoticed, but I'm not sure of this.

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Was also curious from any recent wine country cruisers:

 

Other than the allotted 2 bottles (1 pp.) at embarkation, were you able to bring additional bottles

on board from shore excursions, without paying the customary fee?

 

Thought it would be nice to have an extra bottle or two in our cabin during the week.

 

Thanks,

 

Mike

 

Our experience from a recent Coastal cruise was that when we returned from a Princess sponsored wine country excursion, the Princess folks were waiting at the security scanners to collect our purchases and hold them until the end of the cruise. This seemed like a wasted effort as we were disembarking the following morning and they ended up returning the bottles to us later in the evening. I think if you are doing an independent wine tour there is a possibility that some wine bottles might slip through security unnoticed, but I'm not sure of this.

 

2pbears report is disappointing and contrary to our experience. In multiple California Coastal cruises we have brought wine on board from port visits. During the Princess Sonoma Wine Country excursion we were told by the guide that we could bring one bottle per person back on board. I bought two bottles at one of the wineries and carried them back on board with no problem. In subsequent cruises I brought back wines that I bought in local stores during port stops in both San Francisco and Santa Barbara. My most recent experience was two years ago.

 

On an Alaska cruise, last spring, I brought on single bottles that I purchased in stores during port stops in Juneau and Skagway.

 

Again, 2pbears report is disappointing. As others have said, here, the only consistent thing about Princess is their inconsistency.

 

Crawford, maybe you can inquire on board about the policy for your cruise.

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2pbears report is disappointing and contrary to our experience. In multiple California Coastal cruises we have brought wine on board from port visits. During the Princess Sonoma Wine Country excursion we were told by the guide that we could bring one bottle per person back on board. I bought two bottles at one of the wineries and carried them back on board with no problem. In subsequent cruises I brought back wines that I bought in local stores during port stops in both San Francisco and Santa Barbara. My most recent experience was two years ago.

 

On an Alaska cruise, last spring, I brought on single bottles that I purchased in stores during port stops in Juneau and Skagway.

 

Again, 2pbears report is disappointing. As others have said, here, the only consistent thing about Princess is their inconsistency.

 

Crawford, maybe you can inquire on board about the policy for your cruise.

 

Thanks, I'll do that and report back on this thread after our September cruise.

 

I'll also find out if they have implemented a smaller wine package, given the theme.

 

I know it does't happen now. In fact, I had to grab a waiter on our 15 day Panama Canal cruise to sign up for a package. Saw no advertising and wasn't asked if I wanted one. The waiter happily signed me up, however.

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  • 1 month later...
Thanks, I'll do that and report back on this thread after our September cruise.

 

I'll also find out if they have implemented a smaller wine package, given the theme.

 

I know it does't happen now. In fact, I had to grab a waiter on our 15 day Panama Canal cruise to sign up for a package. Saw no advertising and wasn't asked if I wanted one. The waiter happily signed me up, however.

 

Just wanted to report back on this thread, as we disembarked from the Coral yesterday.

 

"Wine Country" was in name only. Anything "wine-themed" was no different than any of our other Princess cruises.

 

Was able to order a wine package (got the 7 bottle gold package) in the MDR on our first night.

 

First time anyone ever "checked in" our wine at embarkation. We always bring the traditional 2 bottles on board.

They recorded it at a table and sent us on our way. Perhaps it was to cross-check in the event we packed any additional bottles in our luggage (we didn't).

 

One person brought a bottle to the MDR on the first evening and was promptly charged a corking fee.

 

On our port days in Victoria, San Francisco and Santa Barbara, we went to wineries on our own and brought one bottle

back on each day. I didn't see an "alcohol police" table at x-ray at any port and were not questioned about our purchases.

 

Final note not related. It was great going through customs on board the ship in Astoria. Princess did an excellent

job executing the logistics in very little time.

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Thanks crawford for sharing your experiences.

 

Good to know that you were able to purchase a wine package which we’ll consider because we have non-refundable OBC to pay for it. It’s disappointing that there weren’t any wine based events like we had in 2011. Princess is promoting more regional activities on cruises but not on an itinerary promoted as a Pacific Wine Country cruise.

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Thanks crawford for sharing your experiences.

 

Good to know that you were able to purchase a wine package which we’ll consider because we have non-refundable OBC to pay for it. It’s disappointing that there weren’t any wine based events like we had in 2011. Princess is promoting more regional activities on cruises but not on an itinerary promoted as a Pacific Wine Country cruise.

 

Was pleasantly surprised when I asked the head waiter about purchasing a wine package for our 7 day.

 

As usual, they were promoting the wine tasting events on board at dinner, but nothing out of the ordinary.

 

Would love to have a sommelier on board and have them do some educational seminars during this type of cruise.

 

Will give them the feedback.

 

Mike

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Was pleasantly surprised when I asked the head waiter about purchasing a wine package for our 7 day.

 

As usual, they were promoting the wine tasting events on board at dinner, but nothing out of the ordinary.

 

Would love to have a sommelier on board and have them do some educational seminars during this type of cruise.

 

Will give them the feedback.

 

Mike

Many years ago they briefly returned having a sommelier before cancelling them again & now they use headwaiters at the Princess Grapevine tastings that we’ve attended.

 

Even though that is free for us we stopped attending them...small pours of the same wines with too much talking. Reading a recent post they’ve finally changed the wines so we’ll give it another try on our next cruise.

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Many years ago they briefly returned having a sommelier before cancelling them again & now they use headwaiters at the Princess Grapevine tastings that we’ve attended.

 

Even though that is free for us we stopped attending them...small pours of the same wines with too much talking. Reading a recent post they’ve finally changed the wines so we’ll give it another try on our next cruise.

 

Just made Elite yesterday! May have to try the Grapevine tastings again, on our December cruise to Southeast Asia. :D

 

Thanks for the info!

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Just made Elite yesterday! May have to try the Grapevine tastings again, on our December cruise to Southeast Asia. :D

 

Thanks for the info!

Enjoy the extra benefits & here’s a quote from the current live from the Royal’s TA.

 

The first was the afternoon Princess Grapevine Wine Tasting. Today’s selections were Woodbridge Chardonnay, Robert Mondavi Chardonnay, Disono Malbec, Simi Landslide Cabernet Sauvignon, and Conundrum white blend.
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2pbears report is disappointing and contrary to our experience. In multiple California Coastal cruises we have brought wine on board from port visits. During the Princess Sonoma Wine Country excursion we were told by the guide that we could bring one bottle per person back on board. I bought two bottles at one of the wineries and carried them back on board with no problem. In subsequent cruises I brought back wines that I bought in local stores during port stops in both San Francisco and Santa Barbara. My most recent experience was two years ago.

 

On an Alaska cruise, last spring, I brought on single bottles that I purchased in stores during port stops in Juneau and Skagway.

 

Again, 2pbears report is disappointing. As others have said, here, the only consistent thing about Princess is their inconsistency.

 

Crawford, maybe you can inquire on board about the policy for your cruise.

 

“Inconsistency” is definitely the word. On our British Isles Cruise in June aboard the Royal, my husband, daughter, and I each had two bottles of wine to take aboard at embarkation. We were prepped to pay the corkage fee for the extra bottle each. There was no station at security and checkin to report the wine. I actually asked about it and was told that they really don’t have the time or manpower to worry about it at embarkation. So we hauled it all on at no extra cost. My husband found a bottle he really liked in Belfast, and again, was never charged for it when he carried it back aboard. I don’t know that that is the standard procedure but it was pretty lax on that cruise.

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