Wine Lovers and Drink Packages

[ILoveScotland]

The cards for the Cellar Master work with their automatic dispensing machines. You can preload (Prepay) for an set amount, say $40. Then whenever you want to try a glass of wine from their auto dispenser machines, you simply put yourWhat card in the machine. It shows that amount of money you have on your card and the the prices for a 1 oz, 2 oz or 4 oz taste of each of the different wines. Put your glass under the spout for the wine you want, press the button for the size of glass you want and then it deducts the amount from your card. Use your card until it is empty or low, then toss it or add more money to the card. Prices range from around $3 for a house type wine to over $20 for a taste of Opus One.

 

Sounds good, but a couple of questions:

 

1. Where are the auto dispenser machines? All over the ship or in bars, etc.?
   
2. What options are there - varieties of red and white?
   

I tend to drink the same wine all the time and will get the wine package that has my favorite. But, the card would give me the opportunity to try something different.

[kittyluvrnurse]

The wine bar place (Cellar Masters) has the auto dispensers. I believe they have a lounge area, too. Can't remember if it's on the same floor as the Martini bar or a floor above/below. On that side of the ship, though.

 

There are a wide variety of wines to try, can't remember how many off the top of my head. LOTS.

[ILoveScotland]

The wine bar place (Cellar Masters) has the auto dispensers. I believe they have a lounge area, too. Can't remember if it's on the same floor as the Martini bar or a floor above/below. On that side of the ship, though.

 

There are a wide variety of wines to try, can't remember how many off the top of my head. LOTS.

 

Thanks.

[jg51]

Hi there, my first cruise coming up on the 11Sept. So some newbie questions. Does the drinks package cover wine (of appropriate value) from Cellarmasters? How does using cellarmasters and a premium drinks package work?

 

Hello, "Ember50." Besides having the "Enomatic Dispenser" (wine machine that CANNOT be used with a beverage package), I believe that CellarMasters has bartenders and sommeliers, with wines available by the bottle or by the glass. Please have a look at their menu, which tells about the "flights" in the early pages, followed by the bottles and glasses on pages 5, 7, and 9:

http://www.spittoon.biz/images/pdf_uploads/Cellarmasters%20Wine%20Menu%204.7.10.pdf

 

If we purchase the premium pkg can we order more than 1 glass of wine with dinner? Either by course or even refills of the same varietal?

Hello, "chefchick."

Yes, a package will give you the right to order multiple glasses of wine with dinner, but only one at a time. You may order two or more varietals or you may obtain refills. You may not have two glasses of wine at the same time (although you may have premium bottled water along with wine).

 

Also, it seems the wine flights are not available in the master cellars ($15 ea) but couldn't i technically make my own flight out of $12/under glasses?

Yes! (Please note that it is CellarMasters, rather than MasterCellars.)

 

One more MC [CellarMasters] question. The wines here seem very nice. Could these also be added to the wines by the glass offerings in the MDR, etc if I pick them up on my way into one of the restaurants?

Yes!

 

Have fun, everyone!:)

PS: The most complete list of wines (that are available by the glass) aboard S-class "X" ships can be seen in two posts in my "sticky" thread. The first post has the great majority, while the second has a small supplementary group:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=25623046&postcount=133

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=25684342&postcount=160

[Cruise Arizona]

I printed out the list of wines available by the glass and the list of Cellar Masters wines, both, and thank you very much provided by jg51. In reviewing them my husband and I came up with more questions.

 

Again this is helping us decide between the premium package and going a la carte on wines and drinks.

 

1. If you are in the Cellar Master Bar, can you order any wine $12 and under in the Cellar Master if you have the Premium Package. There were quite a few wines there that we really like that are in the $12 and under price ranger. (We already know the auto dispense cards don't work with the program... they are a completely different system.)

 

2. On jg51's list of wines available by the glass he indicates MDR by the addition of the letter M to the price. We were wondering if the ones with-out the M are also available in the MDR or only in the different bars around the ship. In other words does the MDR list also include the bar list or is there only partial overlap or no overlap?

 

3. We understand that they serve you one glass at a time when you order wines by the glass. With the beverage card to they ever bring you an entire bottle, set it next to the table or at the wait station and serve you from that bottle much like they would if you ordered the bottle individually?

 

4. We have always found the wine service to be excellent on Celebrity, and we usually recognize that effort with additional tips through out the cruise. This was easy to do with the pay as you go plan, just add it to the signature sheet when signing for the wine. What is the best way to acknowledge this if you are doing the package? Cash? Some how sign for it? Cash only at the end of the cruise.

 

Thanks for the help.

[jg51]

I printed out the list of wines available by the glass and the list of Cellar Masters wines, both, and thank you very much provided by jg51.

You're welcome, "Cruise Arizona" / Suzanne. :)

 

If you are in the Cellar Masters Bar, can you order any wine $12 and under in the Cellar Masters if you have the Premium Package?

Yes, you may.

 

On jg51's list of wines available by the glass he indicates MDR by the addition of the letter M to the price. We were wondering if the ones with-out the M are also available in the MDR or only in the different bars around the ship. In other words does the MDR list also include the bar list or is there only partial overlap or no overlap?

Here is how to understand the "codes":

 

1. An "M" means that the item is on the wine list of the Main Dining Room [MDR]. (The item may also be available at one or more bars, but, at this time, I do not know if it is.) If the "M" stands alone (without an "S"), then the item is not also on any of the specialty restaurants' wine lists -- including Blu.

 

2. An "S" means that the item is on one of the wine lists of the specialty restaurants [sR]. (The item may also be also be available at one or more bars, but, at this time, I do not know if it is.) If the "S" stands alone (without an "M"), then the item is not also on the Main Dining Room's wine list.

 

3. A "C" means that the item is on the wine list of the CellarMasters Lounge, but is not on the MDR's nor the SRs' wine lists. (The item may also be also be available at another bar, but, at this time, I do not know if it is.)

 

I want to add something else that I have learned from reading CrCr members' posts ...

 

The SRs (Murano, Tuscan Grille, Silk Harvest, Blu) are all located together, at the aft end of Entertainment Deck 5 ... AND they are just beyond Michael's Club and the Ensemble Lounge. Passengers have gone to one SR and have asked for (and obtained) wine that was NOT on that SR's wine list, but was on one of the other SRs' wine lists. This tells me that the four SRs share a single wine "cellar" (storage area) -- and/or they rely on Michael's Club or the Ensemble Lounge for beverages.

 

I believe that I have also read that waiters/sommeliers in SRs have been known to "go the extra mile" and even take a walk to seek wines that are on the ship but not on the SRs' wine lists ...

-- perhaps in the Molecular Bar or Cafe al Bacio [also on Deck 5]

-- perhaps in the Martini Bar or CellarMasters [on Promenade Deck 4]

-- perhaps in the MDR, which is just below the SRs on Deck 4!

There could sometimes be an alternative to asking for such extra service, and it is one that several CrCr members have stated as being acceptable to "X" -- namely, that a passenger could stop at any bar/lounge aboard the ship, obtain a beverage (wine or other) and carry it into the MDR or a SR. Of course, doing this would usually pertain only to one's first beverage of the dinner.

 

With the beverage card do they ever bring you an entire bottle, set it next to the table or at the wait station and serve you from that bottle much like they would if you ordered the bottle individually?

I have read at least one CrCr post giving an affirmative answer to your question. I believe that it was a case in which two people, each with a package, both expressed an intention to drink at least two glasses of the same wine.

 

We have always found the wine service to be excellent on Celebrity, and we usually recognize that effort with additional tips through out the cruise. This was easy to do with the pay as you go plan, just add it to the signature sheet when signing for the wine. What is the best way to acknowledge this if you are doing the package? Cash? Some how sign for it? Cash only at the end of the cruise.

If you want to "personalize" your tipping, you can give cash directly to the deserving individual -- either immediately or (in aggregate) at end-of-cruise.

If, instead, you want to add to the shared gratuity "kitty," I have read that you can do this: Ask for a "tab" that you can sign (even though it will show "0.00" for the beverage) and insert a gratuity there.

 

Have a great time! :D