wine program...

[flyboyswife]

I'm convinced NCL customers are tea totallers as I can't find very much information about the wine program on-board! (All they talk about on the CCL boards is booze!! This is a new experience for me!)

 

:)

 

Anyway, we are debating the hassle of bringing wine on-board vice buying on the ship. I was trying to find out about a wine program - on CCL (my only basis of experience) you can buy something like a 5-bottle wine package that gives you a choice of about 10 different wines. During the cruise, you give the waiter a coupon, pick your wine from the list of 10, and out it comes. It's usually cheaper to buy this card then to order the individual wines. I seem to recall CCL has 3 different levels with the highest level having more expensive wines.

 

Does NCL have something like this AND if so, can someone give me more information (e.g. prices, selections). Thank you so much!

[Sauer-kraut]

If I remember correctly there is a 'package' buy 6 bottles and get a 20% discount.

 

It could have changed.

 

Should you decide about the hassle of bringing your own wine on board NCL charges a $15 per bottle corkage fee.

[bakerintn]

I believe that i read here on CC that the buy 6 pay for 5 bottle wine package selects only from their house wines. Can't remember the vintner.

[brookslynn]

I'm convinced NCL customers are tea totallers as I can't find very much information about the wine program on-board! (All they talk about on the CCL boards is booze!! This is a new experience for me!)

 

:)

 

Anyway, we are debating the hassle of bringing wine on-board vice buying on the ship. I was trying to find out about a wine program - on CCL (my only basis of experience) you can buy something like a 5-bottle wine package that gives you a choice of about 10 different wines. During the cruise, you give the waiter a coupon, pick your wine from the list of 10, and out it comes. It's usually cheaper to buy this card then to order the individual wines. I seem to recall CCL has 3 different levels with the highest level having more expensive wines.

 

Does NCL have something like this AND if so, can someone give me more information (e.g. prices, selections). Thank you so much!

there is its on ncl website under bon voyage and theres a whole list of wines and prices and specials

[jdvmd]

It is seven bottles that you choose on the first day of the cruise. It amounts to a savings of 20 percent. You pick, they give you little pieces of paper with the wines that you have selected and you bring with you to the dining room.

 

The wine list on Bon Voyage is a very small selection of what is available. Do not use that as a reference.

[NewPennCruiser]

We did the wine program on the Jade last year and as others have already stated, it basically amounts to a 20% discount off the wine you purchase. We found someone standing around a table with wine on it in the Atrium day of embarkation and they explained the program and handed us a list of wines that we could choose from. I don't remember the number of bottles we got but that might be determined by length of cruise. You take the list and choose what bottles you want, take it back and they charge your account and give you slips for each bottle that you purchased. Then you just take a slip of the wine you want to the dining room and hand it to your server and they would bring the wine. We enjoyed it but didn't really like having to choose our wines up front since we really didn't know what we might be eating every night. It worked out though.

 

Currently on some of the Princess ships, they are testing a wine program where you pre purchase so many bottles of wine at a certain price level and then you are given a card that they punch later when you order wine at dinner. That works out well because you don't have to choose your wine until dinner and you can pretty much choose off the wine list as long as you stay in the price range of the package you purchased.

 

Each program had its advantages and disadvantages but having the option was nice and we would probably order wine via both packages again if available on a future cruise.

[johnql]

I don't remember the number of bottles we got but that might be determined by length of cruise.

I believe this is correct. Here's a promo for the wine package on my Gem sailing (10 days). Note that it says "up to a 20%...savings".

 

[Kmm18]

Can you get the wine delivered to your room?

[jdvmd]

Can you get the wine delivered to your room?

Don't think you would be able to. You could go to the bar and present your little slip of paper and they would in turn give you the bottle.

[johnmpcny]

selection is fair and cost is about the same as any restaurant mark up.

 

A $8-10 at the store bottle is about $35-40 + 15% tip.

 

You can pay the $15 per bottle to bring your own and drink what you like and I believe come out ahead.

 

 

We like some nice $20 bottle wines you will pay about $50+ on the ship for something similar. So with the 15% tip your close to $60 vs. $20+ $15= $35 and you know you have bottle you love. A $20-25 savings, some will say your not trying anything new, we do the wine tasting for that on each trip.

 

Here is where we order, about 20% less than local stores and some links of our favorites- no sweet wines here we like big bold wines.

 

http://www.empirewine.com/wine/bodega-norton-privada-2008/ $20

http://www.empirewine.com/wine/the-dreaming-tree-chardonnay-2010/ $12.95

 

http://www.empirewine.com/wine/the-dreaming-tree-cabernet-sauvignon-2009/ $12.95

 

or click on this link choose low to high and pick some 90+ rated starting at less than $10

 

http://www.empirewine.com/wine/all/top-rated/

[flyboyswife]

johnmpcny, thank you very much. i may look into having that company ship to my pre-cruise hotel. they're offering free shipping, so that would lessen the hassle/cost of bringing onboard. thank you again!

[disfan13]

We took advantage of CCL's wine program twice - it was great. I liked the idea of 5 bottles for 7 nights + we got one free the first night. May not want a bottle every night. So with NCL - they only have a bottle per night plan?

[phillygirl63]

Can you get the wine delivered to your room?

 

You can request that certain bottles be delivered to your room instead of being kept in the wine cellar. If they are not delivered right away, follow up.

[NewPennCruiser]

We took advantage of CCL's wine program twice - it was great. I liked the idea of 5 bottles for 7 nights + we got one free the first night. May not want a bottle every night. So with NCL - they only have a bottle per night plan?

 

I think it's usually a range. Similar to what johnql posted above, we were on a 12 night cruise and I think our option was 8 to 10 bottles. (don't remember exact amount) While we like to drink wine with dinner we don't drink it every night, so I think we had 9 bottles on a 12 night cruise. And similar to purchasing wine without a plan, they would cork the bottle and save it for you if you wanted it later or you could just take the bottle back to your room.

 

Dave