Anyone back from the kirkland wine cruise yet?

[DSJ28]

Hi Diane and Conn Man,

Just to be more specific, she said at sea, not sea days. She said nothing will be scheduled for the time we are in port.

 

Diane, she did say they try not to conflict with any other events on the ship. I imagine they would schedule around the Riedel glass workshop. She did say they (Costco) were getting calls about the schedule.

 

Ah - so we may have an evening activity before dinner. Does everyone else have late seating?

 

It looks like wineluvr is going to give us our first detailed look at the program. I can't wait to hear about your experience, wineluvr.

[DSJ28]

Fisherlvnv, didn't you say that Costco used to do the Kirkland wine cruises with Princess? I haven't been able to find reviews of any sort about the Kirkland cruise program online. Its such a mystery - I'm quite intrigued :cool:

[fisherlvnv]

Hi Diane,

We are on late seating for dinner.

 

I have seen mention of the Kirkland or Costco wine cruises when I have googled on the internet.

 

I did not know it was Princess until the Costco travel agent told me. She said they switched from Princess to Celebrity.

[DSJ28]

Hi fisherlvnv,

 

Hmmm...I wonder why late dining was necessary.

 

I was able to find information about costco's previous wine cruises (linked below), but no reviews from passengers who experienced them. However, it appears that costo only booked one cruise each year and limited participants to about 100. So, it makes sense that of the 200 people to participate, none were online posting reviews.

 

I can only assume that the cruises were well received because this year, they offered 10 cruises, which I think are now sold out (not sure). Each year's cruise is a different, but all sound quite nice to me.

 

2006

http://www.costcoconnection.com/connection/200607/?pg=53#pg53

 

2008

http://www.costcoconnection.com/connection/200809/?pg=51#pg51

 

2010

http://costcoconnection.texterity.com/connection/201004/?pg=62

 

I'm so excited to experience whatever awaits us.

 

Cheers!

[wineluvr]

Our Costco Wine Cruise onboard Celebrity Equinox from Barcelona is off to a great start! We were thrilled to find out when we boarded that Star Chef Daisy Martinez from the Food Network & PBS series (Viva Daisy! Daisy Cooks! and Everyday with Rachael Ray) is sailing on this cruise and will be hosting a series of complimentary cooking classes, galley tours, and book signings. Pair that with the Costco Wine Cruise events and I think we're in for a treat. Attached is the Costco Wine Cruise agenda which was in our cabin when we arrived as well as the Tuscan wine pairing luncheon menu (which I convinced the Maitre 'd to give me), since I know several of you are anxious to see the schedule. He did advise that the days/times of the events will likely vary by sailing (our sailing only has two sea days so the agenda is packed). Will report later on how the wine events go. Bon Voyage!

Costco Wine Cruise Agenda.pdf

Costco Tuscan Wine Pairing Luncheon.pdf

[westcoastsue]

Wineluvr,

 

Thanks for the update & for taking time out of your vacation to update us. It all looks wonderful. What kind of wine did you receive in your cabin?

 

We appreciate any more feedback you can send.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

 

Sue

[fisherlvnv]

Wineluvr,

Thanks so much for the update on the events and menu. Having the Food Network Stars too, what a great time. Can't wait to hear the details.

[DSJ28]

Wineluvr,

 

Thanks so much for posting the activity list and menu. I'm even more excited about the cruise now. The luncheon menu looks amazing.

 

I hope you have a fantastic time!

[wineluvr]

Live from the Equinox... We're having a blast on the Kirkland Signature Wine Cruise here in the Mediterranean. We were thrilled to learn when we boarded in Barcelona that Star Chef Daisy Martinez from the Food Network (Viva Daisy!) and PBS (Daisy Cooks!) is onboard to host a series of complimentary cooking demonstrations and book signings. The Kirkland Signature wine events have all been scheduled on sea days or after we've left port. Here's the schedule of Private Kirkland Signature events that was placed in our cabin on embarkation day: Thurs. 5pm Kirkland Signature Welcome & Enomatic Intro, Sat. 4pm Wine Appreciation 101, Mon. 11am Art of Food & Wine Pairing, 12pm Wine pairing luncheon in Tuscan Grill, 2pm Wine Tower Tour, 4pm Daisy Martinez hosted Galley Tour, Wed. 10:30am Daisy Martinez Cooking Class, and 11:00am Walk Around the World Wine Tasting. There are also some great optional wine events at other times (no conflict with our group's Kirkland Signature events) including Riedel Comparative Wine Workshop (we've already signed up for that), Jazz, Port & Chocolate Tasting, Mixology by the Liquid Chef, and Convergence of the Arts Premium Wine Tasting. I'd guess there are about 80 of us onboard for the Kirkland Signature events.

[DSJ28]

Hey there! I'm so happy that you are having a great time. :D I'm not going to assume we'll have a celebrity chef on our cruise - but that would be lovely. I'm guessing Chef Martinez's book(s?) were available for sale. I believe they limited participation to 80 members per cruise. I wondered how the tours would work with such a large group. The jazz, port and chocolate tasting sounds fantastic.

 

Thanks so much for keeping us posted and letting us live vicariously :D:D

[fisherlvnv]

Thanks Wineluvr for the update. It makes counting down the days even more exciting. I hope you are having a wonderful time.

[fisherlvnv]

Hi Diane,

I am not sure when you are leaving, so I wanted to wish you a wonderful time. The days before is an fun time, anticipating the adventure you will experience the following week. I hope you update us when you return. Bon Voyage:)

[westcoastsue]

Wineluvr,

 

Thanks for the latest update. I'm so glad to hear you're having a blast. We truly appreciate the updates. I can't wait until Oct. 17th when it's my turn on the Solstice! The Jazz, Port & Chocolate event sounds incredible. We're all looking forward to more feedback when (and if) you have the time.

 

Sue

[DSJ28]

Hi Diane,

I am not sure when you are leaving, so I wanted to wish you a wonderful time. The days before is an fun time, anticipating the adventure you will experience the following week. I hope you update us when you return. Bon Voyage:)

 

Hi fisherlvnv,

 

I'll be driving down to Ft Lauderdale on Saturday. My family is there and so is my cruise m ate/best friend. So, I'll have a day to visit with a few people before we actually leave on the trip. When I return, I'll be sure to post details and my thoughts on the wine cruise. I look forward to comparing notes with everyone.

[DSJ28]

I thought I'd bump this topic up in case wineluvr, or any other folks on the 9/2 kirkland cruise, made it back and decided to head straight for CC :rolleyes:. Any feedback you guys have to share would be awesome.

[westcoastsue]

I was just wondering if anyone has any more info - we leave for Ft. Lauderdale 5 weeks from today!

 

Sue

[wineluvr]

Hey there! I'm so happy that you are having a great time. :D I'm not going to assume we'll have a celebrity chef on our cruise - but that would be lovely. I'm guessing Chef Martinez's book(s?) were available for sale. I believe they limited participation to 80 members per cruise. I wondered how the tours would work with such a large group. The jazz, port and chocolate tasting sounds fantastic.

 

Thanks so much for keeping us posted and letting us live vicariously :D:D

 

The Kirkland Signature Wine Cruise was amazing. @ DSJ28: They told us onboard that there is one more Kirkland Wine Cruise with a Star Chef. I found the full schedule listed on Celebrity's website. The chef sailing on the Solstice 9/19 sailing is listed as Simon Stojanovic, a Miami-based chef at a highly acclaimed new restaurant called Altamare. Also, the onboard future cruise manager shared with us next year's Kirkland Signature program and it looks incredible: http://ctrv.us/CelebAlaska . Hope you have as great a time on your wine cruise as we did on ours!

[wineluvr]

Here's the information I just pulled off the Celebrity website:

 

Each "Savor Your Destination" culinary cruise offers a series of experiences to engage your taste buds and your mind.

 

• Meet and chat with the guest chef during a cocktail hour and have your photo taken together.

• Watch a chef-led cooking demonstration highlighting techniques and ingredients in the ship's theatre.

• Book signings, for those chefs with published books.

• Watch-or be selected to participate in-the "Star Chefs" competition cook-off. Guests are selected from the audience, then guided by the ship's own top chef to compete in a cook-off judged by a panel of fellow guests.

• Take part in a hands-on cooking class led by the chef in the ship's galley and receive a special recipe booklet featuring the chef's own creations.

• Exclusive food-and-wine-pairing dinner in the Murano Restaurant, designed and presented by the chef. Leave with a special booklet of the chef's recipes.

 

Ship Sail Date Guest Chef

Celebrity Equinox 09-02-2010 Daisy Martinez (Food Network)

Celebrity Solstice® 09-19-2010 Simon Stojanovic (Altamare)

Celebrity Solstice® 10-31-2010 Zach Bell (Café Boulud)

Celebrity Equinox 11-26-2010 Carmen Gonzalez (Kittle House)

Celebrity Solstice® 12-05-2010 John Currence (City Grocery Restaurant Executive Chef & 2008 Great American Seafood Cook-off winner)

[fisherlvnv]

Wineluvr,

Thanks for the review and info. I am looking forward to my cruise in 11/7. Were you in AQ?

[vi1234]

Where can I get info about booking a wine cruise? I went to Costco web site and found nothing.

 

Vivian

[chamima]

Here's the information I just pulled off the Celebrity website:

 

Each "Savor Your Destination" culinary cruise offers a series of experiences to engage your taste buds and your mind.

 

• Meet and chat with the guest chef during a cocktail hour and have your photo taken together.

• Watch a chef-led cooking demonstration highlighting techniques and ingredients in the ship's theatre.

• Book signings, for those chefs with published books.

• Watch-or be selected to participate in-the "Star Chefs" competition cook-off. Guests are selected from the audience, then guided by the ship's own top chef to compete in a cook-off judged by a panel of fellow guests.

• Take part in a hands-on cooking class led by the chef in the ship's galley and receive a special recipe booklet featuring the chef's own creations.

• Exclusive food-and-wine-pairing dinner in the Murano Restaurant, designed and presented by the chef. Leave with a special booklet of the chef's recipes.

 

Ship Sail Date Guest Chef

Celebrity Equinox 09-02-2010 Daisy Martinez (Food Network)

Celebrity Solstice® 09-19-2010 Simon Stojanovic (Altamare)

Celebrity Solstice® 10-31-2010 Zach Bell (Café Boulud)

Celebrity Equinox 11-26-2010 Carmen Gonzalez (Kittle House)

Celebrity Solstice® 12-05-2010 John Currence (City Grocery Restaurant Executive Chef & 2008 Great American Seafood Cook-off winner)

 

Do you know if you need to be booked on a special to participate in any of these events? We're already booked on the 12/05 Solstice cruise and it would be nice to attend .

[fisherlvnv]

I am not sure about the Food Network part, but the Kirkland Wine part was a special group through Costco. It might be worth checking into...it sounds like wineluvr had a blast and the best of two worlds.

[scf1270]

Costco has all of the regular X cruises. Right now the special Kirkland packages being offered are Alaskan cruises and cruise tours. Like shopping in the warehouse - they don't always have lots of special offers, but the ones they have are generally very good.

 

With the success of their wine packages - we are hoping they'll offer them again!!!!

 

Has anyone asked Costco Travel about their plans for that?

 

Sara

[wineluvr]

Do you know if you need to be booked on a special to participate in any of these events? We're already booked on the 12/05 Solstice cruise and it would be nice to attend .

 

On our sailing, the Star Chef events were open to everyone on the ship and complimentary, except for the wine pairing dinner ($91 per person) which was AMAZING!

[scf1270]

Got a call from Costco today about our upcoming November cruise, so I took the opportunity to ask abt the Kirkland wine cruises.

 

*They sold out pretty quickly

*Starting to get very positive feedback from members who have returned

*First year teaming up w X for this program

*No more wine cruises scheduled yet, but thinks that if the program continues to receive such good feedback that will paln more.

 

So for all of you who got in on that this year: make sure to give Costco your feedback!!! I wanna crack at this, too ;);)

 

Sara