champagne

[tdtanc]

Anyone know the name and type of champagne they serve in Aqua class on the day of embarkation? Thank you. Trying to order strawberries and champagne but if the latter is already in the room only the strawberries are needed. Wanted to possibly upgrade to Vivet Cliquot (sp?) but can't seem to find that as a choice under celebrity's champagne list online.

 

TD

[Phxazzcruisers]

Don't remember the name but it is not great quality champaign. We gave ours away

[Gonzo70]

It is nowhere near the quality of Veuve Clicquot. Typically it is not even true champagne, but an American Sparkling Wine. Ours was drinkable, but far from good; we used it for Mimosas (you can order fresh squeezed OJ from room service for no charge in AQ).

[Lsimon]

On past cruises in CC rooms they served one of two champagnes -this has been on quite a few Celebrity cruises in CC over recent years and the brands were same on the Equinox last Novemebr. I don't know if they gave the same in Acqua class or not but I'm guessing they do.

 

One is Bouvet, a french sparkling wine which retails for anywhere from $15 to $20/bottle. They have this under the Bouvet name and also under the Celebrity label with a small Bouvet emblem around the neck of the bottle. Not great but drinkable. The other is some cheap junk that is terrible - you'll know you have the latter terrible one if you have trouble even peeling the cheap foil off the bottle to get to the cork. If you get that one throw it away. I've seen nicer stuff in the suites but never anything nicer than the Bouvet in CC rooms.

 

They do have Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin (also referred to as Yellow Label) on the ship for around $90. It is very good. It isn't on the web site for pre-order but you can call room service to order as soon as you get on the ship. Better yet stop at a wine store and buy two bottles of nice champagne (maximum allowed) and carry it on with you - your room steward will ice them for you and provide glasses on request.

[lives-to-travel-er]

If you can, stop by Total Wine on your way to the port, their NV Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Yellow Label is $35.97; the Brut Vintage is $86.97, and their 1998 La Grande Dame $130--much better bargain than the $95 they charge onboard.

Personally, I'll be bringing 2 Veuve Clicquot and 2 Gruet (excellent New Mexican methode champenoise selling for < $15 a bottle).

[royalcruz]

We usually bring a bottle of Veuve from Total Wine, along with a bottle of Prosecco (Zonin is a great one for about $12) sparkling wine from Italy. You can't purchase alcohol before noon on Sunday, though, so plan accordingly.

[tdtanc]

Thanks for all the very good tips guys. We will be embarking out of London/Southampton so no sure I will run into a total wine place over there. Going on the new celebrity eclipse. You really think they will allow 2 bottles of champagne on board? Is this just a hit or miss thing or is it written celebrity policy to allow guests to bring 2 bottles on board? Will look for other posts in this regard as well. Thanks again.

 

TD

[Aussieflyer]

There was a thread here somewhere:rolleyes: where people who had champagne at check in had it confiscated as only "wine" was allowed. :confused:

[Adammara]

There is a shopping mall with a Marks & Spencers in Southampton, about 1/2 mile from the quayside, they sell a selection of champagnes. If you are staying in Southampton pre cruise not a problem

.

I would check with Celebrity UK what their policy is, and get it in writing. When we boarded a cruise last September we got security a woman who hassled me over another matter, and she was not nice, a real jobsworth, as we say in the UK.

 

Edited spelling!

[Cote d'or]

There was a thread here somewhere:rolleyes: where people who had champagne at check in had it confiscated as only "wine" was allowed. :confused:

 

If that was the case, they were not correct. Every champagne is sparkling wine (but of course not every sparkling wine is champagne.;))

Although we're big Celebrity fans, the sparkling wine in CC or AQ (what they call "champagne"... aaaaargh:eek: !) has always been a small minor point for us. We don't expect real champagne, but I'm sure they can offer a better quality for the same budget. Just an example : a bottle of nice cava (the spanish version of "methode champenoise"), like "Freixenet" is cheap, but way up higher in quality than the Bouvet.

And now I'm going to the cellar, because I'm getting thirsty...:D

[mdmourges]

Have an upcoming cruise on Celebrity and going to give my best to bring 8 magnums of Veuve with us. We shall see. lolol Yes, we intend to share with others.

 

Mark

[cruisead]

How will you get 8 magnums on board? They only allow two bottles of wine per stateroom, and when they xray your luggage, they will see it and you will be called down to the naughty room.

[mdmourges]

I am leaving out of San Juan. My experience in San Juan is that the folks they contract out for this process don't seem to be too attentive with respect to this policy. I have also found that if you tip the porters nicely, nice things happen. Besides, if you put two bottles in four bags, do you think they really start marking off bottle counts with room numbers when they run the bags through the x-ray? I mean the bags might not even be in sequence. And what if two people from the same room end up checking in, let's say, 10 minutes apart and each person has two bottles in their carry on? Do they keep some type of check list by room? If they do, they need to start running TSA. lolo Worse case, I get two bottles and I take 6 home with me. Going to the "Celebrity Naughty room" will hardly be the most embarassing thing that has ever happened to me either.