Wine Package

[Garibo]

Hi, could somebody please explain how the celebrity wine packages work? For example what does the Sommelier's Package base price include?

[ConradMZ]

Let me second that question.

[etoile]

Thirded, even though it is too far out for me to book my wine package. :)

[caspmorn]

There are three levels of packages - Sommelier, Captain and "build your own". With the first two, you have a choice of 3, 5 or 7 bottles, each having a list of about 8 specific wines. You pay for the bottles in advance, and they say that you get about a 10% discount. However, this depends on which specific wines you choose. Some of them represent even greater discount, and some a bit less. Once you make the purchase, you either need to get the bottle from the person you originally ordered from, or you need to have it transferred (at least this is true on Millennium).

 

The build your own allows you to buy 3 or more bottles that have a regular price of $75 or more. When you finish buying all three, you get a 15% discount on the total.

 

I am pretty picky about wine, and I bought the Captain's package. I don't remember all of the wines, but the Chardonnay was Cambria - Katherine's Vinyard, which was pretty good. I think their list price was about $60, but with the package it was in the $40's. They also had Domaine Carneros (Tattinger) sparkling wine, which was also a good discount. I didn't like the Shiraz in the package, but the Cabernet Sauvignon was pretty good.

 

I passed over the Sommelier package when I saw the offerings.

 

I hope this is helpful.

[Garibo]

There are three levels of packages - Sommelier, Captain and "build your own". With the first two, you have a choice of 3, 5 or 7 bottles, each having a list of about 8 specific wines. You pay for the bottles in advance, and they say that you get about a 10% discount. However, this depends on which specific wines you choose. Some of them represent even greater discount, and some a bit less. Once you make the purchase, you either need to get the bottle from the person you originally ordered from, or you need to have it transferred (at least this is true on Millennium).

 

The build your own allows you to buy 3 or more bottles that have a regular price of $75 or more. When you finish buying all three, you get a 15% discount on the total.

 

I am pretty picky about wine, and I bought the Captain's package. I don't remember all of the wines, but the Chardonnay was Cambria - Katherine's Vinyard, which was pretty good. I think their list price was about $60, but with the package it was in the $40's. They also had Domaine Carneros (Tattinger) sparkling wine, which was also a good discount. I didn't like the Shiraz in the package, but the Cabernet Sauvignon was pretty good.

 

I passed over the Sommelier package when I saw the offerings.

 

I hope this is helpful.

 

 

Thank you!

[sunlovermtl]

Hi, could somebody please explain how the celebrity wine packages work? For example what does the Sommelier's Package base price include?

 

 

Hello we did the pick your own wine package for wines over $75.00 on our recent Constellatin Panama Canal cruise. We purchased 4 and did get our 15% discount. This package also gave us 10% off the ridel wine glass/wine tasting event. That event is so worth it so for us the 10% off was a bonus. We love wine and these glasses make the wine taste sooooo much better.

 

happy sailing

Claudette

[ConradMZ]

Ah, that is very different from the HAL "wine card" that allows ten or twenty punches, each for a glass of a house wine, and gives prices of about $5-6 per glass depending on how many punches you buy at once. The white wines were decent, though the reds were only so-so, and since I had a lot of seafood on that cruise, it was a very good choice. But here, if I choose the "Captain's Package" (which is about $50 a bottle), we are talking about $12 a glass or so (though I will grant you, it is probably better wine than the HAL house brands), and if I step down to the lower-priced package, I'm still at $9 or $10 a glass. Living in a wine-growing region of Germany, I am used to prices of 14 to 20 euros per bottle for entry-level but decent, everyday sorts of wine in restaurants, so barring a sudden move of the dollar-euro exchange rate, I doubt I am going to find wine very attractively priced on my upcoming cruise, though I might try one of the bottles for under $30 from the wine list on a whim or see what specials are on offer. In any case, thanks for the information!

[sailor2010]

Thirded, even though it is too far out for me to book my wine package. :)

 

I noticed the same, at what point can we book these?

[poshthings123]

we sail on sunday on the solstice and i have been unable to book the wine package,wish i knew why!!!beer and soda package was easy.....does anybody know wy?

[eandj]

Wine packages are not yet available on the s class. Will be I believe I read here, in the spring.

[sailor2010]

Hi, could somebody please explain how the celebrity wine packages work? For example what does the Sommelier's Package base price include?

 

I just called. If you are on Solstice they are not available but may be by this fall.

[jprand98]

Hi, could somebody please explain how the celebrity wine packages work? For example what does the Sommelier's Package base price include?

 

Just got off the Summit sailed Feb 13th. The Celebrity website is very unclear in regards to the wine packages, particularly when they say that prices are "from $". I didn't prepurchase a wine package because it was unclear and also indicated I had to pre-choose what wines I wanted and couldn't change. Thats not how it works. I bought the 5 bottle Captains package on board which cost $215 plus the manditory 15% gratuitiy and it allowed me to choose 5 bottles from a predetermined list whenever I wanted a bottle. The bottles in the group do vary in price if bought individually but the package is the same regardless of which wines you choose. So more saving if you choose the more expensive wines, ie I always picked the Ravenswood Zin (red) which if bought individually was $63 (including gratuity). Had I bought 5 bottles over the course of the cruise without the package it would have cost $315, but with the package it cost 247.25 including gratuity so I essentially got one bottle free. Had the website been accuarate I would have pre-orded the package and saved the gratuity 15% as well , which is automatically added when bought on board. Hope that clears the wine pakage questions up abit, don't know how the online preordering goes when the present website is incorrect. Overall it is a pretty good value, again more so if you choose more expensive wines from the preset list.

[WineDown17]

Just got off the Summit sailed Feb 13th. The Celebrity website is very unclear in regards to the wine packages, particularly when they say that prices are "from $". I didn't prepurchase a wine package because it was unclear and also indicated I had to pre-choose what wines I wanted and couldn't change. Thats not how it works. I bought the 5 bottle Captains package on board which cost $215 plus the manditory 15% gratuitiy and it allowed me to choose 5 bottles from a predetermined list whenever I wanted a bottle. The bottles in the group do vary in price if bought individually but the package is the same regardless of which wines you choose. So more saving if you choose the more expensive wines, ie I always picked the Ravenswood Zin (red) which if bought individually was $63 (including gratuity). Had I bought 5 bottles over the course of the cruise without the package it would have cost $315, but with the package it cost 247.25 including gratuity so I essentially got one bottle free. Had the website been accuarate I would have pre-orded the package and saved the gratuity 15% as well , which is automatically added when bought on board. Hope that clears the wine pakage questions up abit, don't know how the online preordering goes when the present website is incorrect. Overall it is a pretty good value, again more so if you choose more expensive wines from the preset list.

 

Ravenswood Zin $63?????:eek:

 

That is a <$20 bottle of wine!!

 

I dont recall that level of markup last May on Summit... I guess DH did all the ordering... But no..even at Normandie I recall pretty standard markup..

 

Guess our 96 Opus One will be one of our "carry ons"!!!!

[jprand98]

Ravenswood Zin $63?????:eek:

 

That is a <$20 bottle of wine!!

 

I dont recall that level of markup last May on Summit... I guess DH did all the ordering... But no..even at Normandie I recall pretty standard markup..

 

Guess our 96 Opus One will be one of our "carry ons"!!!!

 

 

Yes the Zin was steeply marked up but I never suggested that the wine package was a deal, it's just better than ordering individual bottles!! Mark up is probably abit more than ordering a bottle at a expensive restaurant, compared to what you would pay at the store yourself. I would suggest bringing your 96 Opus on board as well and enjoy it in your cabin, if you have it at dinner you will be charged a $25 corking fee. Celebrity isn't making there money on the cabin purchase, it's the extras!!

[ExCaliCruisers]

Here is a link you may find helpful as well.

 

http://www.beyondships.com/files/Cel_Summit_wine.PDF

[ExCaliCruisers]

Also forgot to mention that you do not save the 15% gratuity, you pay for it up front when you pre order. The captains wine package is $129 on board, add 15% gratuity it is $148.35. If you pre order, it is $148.35.

[QuitMyDayJob]

I have a question about the wine packages. I thought I understood how it works, but from seeing the Taste of the Vineyards attachment (thanks, ExCaliCruisers!!), now I'm confused. So, with the Sommelier and the Captain's packages, you select from the corresponding list, and no matter how much the three bottles might cost if you bought them off the regular wine list, you get three for the flat price (or five or seven bottles). Right? Ok, so the build-your-own option, works the same way but it costs $75 for three bottles of your choice off the regular wine list? Or is it that you choose three bottles, EACH costing more than $75 and then once you've ordered three bottles totalling $225 (3x$75) you get a 15% discount off all of them--or future purchases?

 

I'm so confused. :confused:

 

Jane

[ExCaliCruisers]

The build your own is the latter, each bottle would need to be $75 or above. So if you select a bottle for $75, 2 bottles at $100 total would be $275. So $275 less the 15% of 41.25 is $233.75. Now add the 15% gratuity back and its back to $275. So you basically get the service charge credited back to you. Hope this helps, Cheers.

[eby]

Are there wine packages by the glass?

[Cruise Junky]

Ah, that is very different from the HAL "wine card" that allows ten or twenty punches, each for a glass of a house wine, and gives prices of about $5-6 per glass depending on how many punches you buy at once.

 

The HAL wine card is a steal...I think it worked out to around $3.25 a glass when we bought it in May. I wish more lines would have those.

[mycatsarecool4]

I know we're allowed 2 bottles of wine at embarkation. Would 2 Black Boxes be OK? Anyone had any experience?

[alaska eh]

Hi, could somebody please explain how the celebrity wine packages work? For example what does the Sommelier's Package base price include?

 

If you click on the coloured portion it will bring up the selection list. You will find 1 sparkling, 6 whites and 6 red. they are both domestic (California) and imported. It will then show the number of bottles you can order and the cost.

 

Once you have ordered a package, I always do, the Sommelier on board will explain the wines, I have even heard they will switch for a similar value wine, but I have never had to do that, we always find a red we like and a white we like.

 

On my last cruise, we had such a great Sommelier, he even got some Riedel glasses for us and one night when he hadn't guessed right, he ran right up to the Speciality restaurant and got the right glass.

 

That sommelier actually made our cruise. It is just the little things and Celebrity does them right.