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

I would truly appreciate any who have "pre-ordered" provide an assessment of how this process worked. Was the "box" really ready?

 

Also, Total Wine says they can deliver in the local area. One wonders if that would work too?

Afternoon @RocketMan275 --- closing the loop ..

Made the online order today for upcoming cruise (took advantage of their 15% off coupon), talked to their customer service - confirmed receipt of order. She confirmed and a few hours later I received an additional confirmation via email that the order had been pulled and boxed and is waiting for pickup.

Based on discussion with their customer service rep, I am not the first cruiser to utilize their services.

Will advise if there are any glitches.

Happy New Year

CB

I am just delighted and humbled a bit to read about so many having been helped by the wine spreadsheet. I plan to keep it going as long as I can get current information.

And I forgot to thank you for your hard work!

We were on Emerald Princess in November and brought our wine to Club Class dining, where we were charged $15 corkage PLUS another 15% gratuity. Since they don't give receipts any more, I didn't discover it for two days until I checked our account online. I didn't feel like waiting in line at guest services to inquire, but have others had the experience of being charged a gratuity on top of the corkage fee? That seems like a double charge to me.

...we were charged $15 corkage PLUS another 15% gratuity.

We brought extra wine bottles onboard the Grand this year and paid the corkage. When we brought the stamped bottles to dinner we weren’t charged anything more. Did they cheat you or were we lucky?

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We brought extra wine bottles onboard the Grand this year and paid the corkage. When we brought the stamped bottles to dinner we weren’t charged anything more. Did they cheat you or were we lucky?

Once corkage is charged there is no additional fee & you can drink it anywhere on the ship...critterchick was improperly charged an additional 15%.

Afternoon @RocketMan275 --- closing the loop ..

 

Made the online order today for upcoming cruise (took advantage of their 15% off coupon), talked to their customer service - confirmed receipt of order. She confirmed and a few hours later I received an additional confirmation via email that the order had been pulled and boxed and is waiting for pickup.

 

Based on discussion with their customer service rep, I am not the first cruiser to utilize their services.

 

Will advise if there are any glitches.

 

Happy New Year

CB

That's great. Please let me know.

Once corkage is charged there is no additional fee & you can drink it anywhere on the ship...critterchick was improperly charged an additional 15%.

Agree.

Afternoon @RocketMan275 --- closing the loop ..

 

Made the online order today for upcoming cruise (took advantage of their 15% off coupon), talked to their customer service - confirmed receipt of order. She confirmed and a few hours later I received an additional confirmation via email that the order had been pulled and boxed and is waiting for pickup.

 

Based on discussion with their customer service rep, I am not the first cruiser to utilize their services.

 

Will advise if there are any glitches.

 

Happy New Year

CB

Great. I am probably going to use the advance order feature as well. Either that, or I have to go to the store by myself as wife will be bored with me meandering about Total Wine's huge selection making my picks. And I am doing at least one case, perhaps two. I plan to supplement on land once we get down to Argentina and Chile (Uruguay too perhaps).

Great. I am probably going to use the advance order feature as well. Either that, or I have to go to the store by myself as wife will be bored with me meandering about Total Wine's huge selection making my picks. And I am doing at least one case, perhaps two. I plan to supplement on land once we get down to Argentina and Chile (Uruguay too perhaps).

I noticed that Ace Hardware is next door in case a "dolly" is needed to help with the lifting ... FYI -- the online ordering was a breeze and they don't allow you to order something that is not in stock (I was assured by the CSR at the store). At any rate, if you visit before the 1st - make sure you visit the online store and get the 15% coupon.

Cheers!

CB

I noticed that Ace Hardware is next door in case a "dolly" is needed to help with the lifting ... FYI -- the online ordering was a breeze and they don't allow you to order something that is not in stock (I was assured by the CSR at the store). At any rate, if you visit before the 1st - make sure you visit the online store and get the 15% coupon.

 

Cheers!

CB

I have not been to the website lately, but if the 15% coupon is expiring JAN 1, then I think I will phone and ask if they can hold an order for 3 weeks. That is a great discount and will help offset the Princess corkage fee.

PS - I have a fold-flat portable dolly I plan to take for this trip to handle a thing or two, plus wine carton(s).

I have not been to the website lately, but if the 15% coupon is expiring JAN 1, then I think I will phone and ask if they can hold an order for 3 weeks. That is a great discount and will help offset the Princess corkage fee.

 

PS - I have a fold-flat portable dolly I plan to take for this trip to handle a thing or two, plus wine carton(s).

I get emailed coupons for 15% off so nearly always have a valid one. That’s an additional 5% over the 6 or more bottles 10% off. I signed up for a TW account so I repeatedly get coupons. Before Christmas got a 20% discount in the mail for wine purchases.

Since they frequently have the 15% discount coupon maybe they’ll allow you to use an expired coupon.

I get emailed coupons for 15% off so nearly always have a valid one. That’s an additional 5% over the 6 or more bottles 10% off. I signed up for a TW account so I repeatedly get coupons. Before Christmas got a 20% discount in the mail for wine purchases.

 

Since they frequently have the 15% discount coupon maybe they’ll allow you to use an expired coupon.

Thanks for tips on discounts. I have signed up to get emails as well. I don't live near any Total Wine (in fact am in Ontario), so generally, it is not useful for me. But, I can always turn the emails off until close to a trip again. I will phone down tomorrow and see what my options are. I have a shopping cart full of way too much wine and I need to edit it down now. :cool:

I just saw tonight that the TW 15% discount coupon is extended to 1/7/18. I called the FL store and manager said NP to hold an order for a couple of weeks. Just advise customer care to put a note on it. I have a ton in my shopping cart so going to hold off a bit and review what I want over the weekend. Of course, supplies can disappear in the meantime (this month will have been a heavy purchase month for wine).

I just saw tonight that the TW 15% discount coupon is extended to 1/7/18. I called the FL store and manager said NP to hold an order for a couple of weeks. Just advise customer care to put a note on it. I have a ton in my shopping cart so going to hold off a bit and review what I want over the weekend. Of course, supplies can disappear in the meantime (this month will have been a heavy purchase month for wine).

Success! Total Wine rocks.

Presented self to customer service (right inside entrance door) showed the email reciept and an ID and the substantial order was pulled out of secure storage and wheeeled over to me. They conducted a bottle check and had me sign and on my way i went.

All in all, I’d do it this way everytime - manager and his staff were delightful to deal with.

Success! Total Wine rocks.

 

Presented self to customer service (right inside entrance door) showed the email reciept and an ID and the substantial order was pulled out of secure storage and wheeeled over to me. They conducted a bottle check and had me sign and on my way i went.

 

All in all, I’d do it this way everytime - manager and his staff were delightful to deal with.

(y)(y)(y)

The compare should be against an upscale restaurant. Not against a discount wine store.

The compare should be against an upscale restaurant. Not against a discount wine store.

Depends upon what you're trying to do.

The prices charged by Princess aren't terribly out of line with upscale restaurants.

We bring our own wine in order to get better wines at a more reasonable price.

We will typically spend $35 per bottle and get wines that would cost us well over $100 on board.

The wines that are available on board for $35 are not especially good.

The wines we get at a discount store for $35 are very good.

When we go to an upscale restaurant on shore, we bring our own wine and pay corkage just like we would do on Princess.

The compare should be against an upscale restaurant. Not against a discount wine store.

I disagree. The objective is not to compare restaurant wine lists, but rather to see if there is an opportunity to save money or have better (or favorite) wine for similar expenditure as what Princess is offering. And why an "upscale" restaurant. I wouldn't call the MDR "upscale" - Crown Grill perhaps. Anyway, the same thing would apply on land ... if I have the option to bring my own bottle to a restaurant and pay a corkage fee, I might wish to do so, depending on the offerings of that restaurant and what they charge.

This project was all about BYOW versus buying what is offered in house.

Also, you and anyone else can shop for wine where ever you like .. NP there. Total Wine happens to be a major retailer with a location that is very convenient to the port and nearby hotels. They do significant business with the thousands of cruisers who sail from Port Everglades. I don't even know if they have the best prices in Fort Lauderdale for the same label. But their prices seem quite good and the selection is broad and deep, so why would I use prices from a more expensive wine store? I just picked Fort Lauderdale/Port Everglades as an example and folks can plug in prices of the wines for their own local store after downloading the Excel file. Obviously prices will vary depending where wine is purchased and won't be the same for LA/San Pedro as for South Florida.

Other reasons for using Total Wine.

Their inventory and pricing is available on line so it is very convenient.

They offer a much more extensive selection than Princess.

I suspect that the majority that carrying on most of their wines do so to have better choices.

Thank you, Mr Steeler! Those folks that like to bring "the wine we know we like" now have ammunition for the more "cost-concious" half of the team!

This is an awesome thread and very informative. Many thanks! Happy cruising!

An information update. I didn't realize this, but if you are taking a case or more (>=12 bottles) on board, Total Wine gives a 20% discount on normal priced wine. No need to worry about timed special deals. TW does not discount further pre-discounted wines sold at prices ending in "7".

An information update. I didn't realize this, but if you are taking a case or more (>=12 bottles) on board, Total Wine gives a 20% discount on normal priced wine. No need to worry about timed special deals. TW does not discount further pre-discounted wines sold at prices ending in "7".

Good to know that I don’t need to wait for a 20% off coupon when purchasing a case of wine. There’s a TW is near our house & will see if they have the same policy as Ft. Lauderdale.

An information update. I didn't realize this, but if you are taking a case or more (>=12 bottles) on board, Total Wine gives a 20% discount on normal priced wine. No need to worry about timed special deals. TW does not discount further pre-discounted wines sold at prices ending in "7".

That is a a very attractive deal. TW prices start out very competitively, and, then, giving a 20% discount seals the deal.

Steelers, just for clarification am I correct in assuming that this offer is only available at the Fort Laudersale store, and the buyer must advise that they are taking the wine with them on a cruise? I buy more than a case at TW all the time (my personal record is 3+) and I've never been offered that deal.

That is a a very attractive deal. TW prices start out very competitively, and, then, giving a 20% discount seals the deal.

 

Steelers, just for clarification am I correct in assuming that this offer is only available at the Fort Laudersale store, and the buyer must advise that they are taking the wine with them on a cruise? I buy more than a case at TW all the time (my personal record is 3+) and I've never been offered that deal.

http://www.totalwine.com/faq/ordering

Do you offer a case discount online?

Yes, case discounts are available for qualifying items purchased in-store or online. Discounts may vary by state and are automatically applied at checkout to applicable items.

In AZ, CA, DE, FL, MD, MN, NC, NJ, NM, NV, SC, TX, VA and WA, discounts are available for wines (750 ml and 1.5 L sizes only) with a price that ends in "9."

In CT, discounts are available for wines (750 ml and 1.5 L sizes only) and spirits (750 ml, 1 L and 1.75 L sizes only) with a price that ends in "8."

http://www.totalwine.com/faq/ordering

Do you offer a case discount online?

Yes, case discounts are available for qualifying items purchased in-store or online. Discounts may vary by state and are automatically applied at checkout to applicable items.

In AZ, CA, DE, FL, MD, MN, NC, NJ, NM, NV, SC, TX, VA and WA, discounts are available for wines (750 ml and 1.5 L sizes only) with a price that ends in "9."

In CT, discounts are available for wines (750 ml and 1.5 L sizes only) and spirits (750 ml, 1 L and 1.75 L sizes only) with a price that ends in "8."

Hey, thank you, Rocketman. I rarely have the inclination to read all the fine print. The operative phrase in the above appears to be "Discounts may vary by state."

For grins, I dummied a 12-bottle on-line order for myself. Sure enough, it calculated a 10% discount--the same as if I went into the store and bought a half-case.

A blanket 20% case discount is just outrageous. Anybody who lives near such a store is very fortunate.

So, I'll take my expiring 15%-off-for-6-or-more-bottles to the Brea store, tomorrow and stock up on Phillip Titus made Chardonnays for Mrs. XBGuy and, probably, probably some Ridge Zins for me.

:D

Steelers36 -- we're also on the 60 night Island Princess this month. When I looked at TW the fine print says only credit cards with an US address. We are Canadian so that doesn't work for us to order on-line. Right now we are planning to go to TW on the day we arrive in FL and hope they will keep our box(es?) until the next day when we can pick them up on the way to the ship. Ideally we could avoid this we knew that the Gold Wine packages would be available. Any insight about the Island on packages? Our last Princess cruise was on the Diamond last April in Asia and no wine packages were offered.

Cheers,

Cheri