Bad service with drink pkg in MDR??

[Trvlr76]

We're due to cruise the Constellation in December. I thought we might use select dining in the MDR. I've read a few comments stating difficulties using their premium drink pkg to the degree they'd like while using the select dining feature in the MDR. I read people wanting to do their own wine pairings, but never being able to really flag a sommelier, and ending up with only one glass of wine the entire meal.

 

Is this true? My husband really enjoys wine with dinner. I don't drink alcohol. I thought a premium pkg would be great for him, but he'd want more than 1 glass of wine. Would dining using a traditional seating lead to better wine service?

[cruisestitch]

Possibly. But perhaps a better idea would be to discuss with the wine steward as you order the first glass what you would like to have happen for the remainder of the meal. That way they would know to come back to your table. You might even say what wine you would like with the appetizer course and with the main course, and if you think you might like two glasses during the main course, or whatever. The more you tell them, the more likely you are to get the service you are looking for. Also never hesitate to ask your waiter to flag down a wine steward if you think that they might have forgotten your order.

[sbt518]

On the Eclipse in March with Select Dining and the premium package I usually had 2-3 glasses of wine with dinner and had no problems getting a sommelier to help me.

 

At the beginning of each meal I'd tell them what I was eating and that I wanted a different wine with each course and they were on it.

[4774Papa]

We're due to cruise the Constellation in December. I thought we might use select dining in the MDR. I've read a few comments stating difficulties using their premium drink pkg to the degree they'd like while using the select dining feature in the MDR. I read people wanting to do their own wine pairings, but never being able to really flag a sommelier, and ending up with only one glass of wine the entire meal.

 

Is this true? My husband really enjoys wine with dinner. I don't drink alcohol. I thought a premium pkg would be great for him, but he'd want more than 1 glass of wine. Would dining using a traditional seating lead to better wine service?

We had select dining on the Connie last March and I had no problems with our Sommelier's package, which is imprinted on my key card. There is a list of wines that you can select from if you have a Sommelier's package.

[cruisestitch]

I didn't know that the Sommelier's Package was noted on your key card. Are you sure that you aren't mixing it up with the Premium Beverage Package? The Sommelier's Package is a purchase offer for bottles of wine -- a deal where you buy a certain number of bottles at a reduced price. It seems odd that this would show on your key card, but perhaps this is something new?

[Kevnzworld]

I have noticed that the sommelier in the MDR and the specialty restaurants focus mostly on customers ordering bottles of wine. Their productivity is tracked and they get paid based on it. The manager of Cellar masters explained that to me.

Also, when you pay for wine, you get a bill with a place to add a tip.....

[CABINET]

We had Select Dining on Silhouette in May. Our experience was that only one of the sommeliers seemed to be efficient. When we had one of her tables (and on one occasion when we didn't but she saw us and came over) there were no problems at all but on the other days we did have to wait quite a while for attention.

 

We solved this dilemma (a problem we had on Queen Mary 2 as well) by taking a glass of wine suitable for an aperitif/starter in with us. It just made us a bit more relaxed about the slow service. My husband has quite a short fuse and slow service tends to make him very irritable, spoiling the rest of the meal.

[cb at sea]

We ALWAYS carry a drink of some sort, whether it's beer, wine or a cocktail into the dining room. It DOES take too long to get that 1st order....so we come prepared!

[h20cruzer]

I didnt have any issues on the Silhouette in April. I told both the bar waiter and the sommelier I would be ordering every night and to please come to my table first. I also stated I usually had more than one drink so to make sure and check back with me.

Everything went smoothly and did not feel like there was lack of service.

I would make your wished known up front.

[Jo42]

DH and I ordered the same wine at dinner and the sommelier often just left the bottle! We were happy with that :D

[tunaman2011]

Greetings

 

Both my SO and myself had the Premium Package on Equinox and the wine steward kept the glasses full. We drank the same wine throughout dinner, maybe that made a difference, but he would refill the glasses each time we got to about half a glass. We were Select, but ate each night at about the same time and had the same wine steward each night. He did an excellent job.

 

Good Sailing

Tom

[gloriouscruise]

Have both good and bad experiences.. I bring a glass of wine myself, as I see many other experienced cruisers do. The waiting can be nerve-wrecking sometimes,

[4774Papa]

I didn't know that the Sommelier's Package was noted on your key card. Are you sure that you aren't mixing it up with the Premium Beverage Package? The Sommelier's Package is a purchase offer for bottles of wine -- a deal where you buy a certain number of bottles at a reduced price. It seems odd that this would show on your key card, but perhaps this is something new?

I never purchase the Premium Beverage Package, just a Sommelier's package. It was the Sommelier's package noted on my card.

[cruisestitch]

Interesting! Thanks for coming back with that information.

[2morecruises]

Yup. DW & I purchased the 7 btl wine package for a 14 night trip + I had the premium drink package.

 

Service was never a problem in the MDR or any of the specialty restaurants or for that matter anywhere on the ship.

 

Been there and done that many times without a problem.

 

Enjoy

[Trvlr76]

Thanks for the great info and tips! We'll only be on a 5 night cruise, so I don't think the sommeliers pkg would work. My hubby can put down some wine for sure, but a bottle a night is a bit much. Even if he is of Viking heritage. ;-)

[Christine Frances]

I just had a look at the wine pkg offerings on X's website - Do you think they have re-named the Sommelier package to something else? I only see a Premium and Classic Wine Package.

[cruisestitch]

I was just looking, too, and don't see it there. Didn't there used to be two packages, called, if I remember right, the Sommelier's Package and the Captain's Package? Can't find them now.

 

I find the entire Wine Package thing very confusing. Without prices, how do you know what's a good value? It can't possibly be that all the wines in the Classic Package are exactly the same price, can it?

 

The Classic Package says that you get premium wines.

The Premium Package says that you get a superb collection of wines.

 

Could they maybe have not used premium in two different contexts?

 

Wines are listed that aren't on any of the existing wine lists as posted by our fellow Cruise Critic passengers. So what if you buy a package based on being able to get a certain wine, and then it's not available on board. Will they give you a refund? (I doubt it!)

[HappyTvlr]

We had an excellent experience onboard Century with the select dining and premium package. Depending on where we were seated we had two sommeliers who couldn't wait to see what we ordered so they could sort the perfect wine pairing. They would actually run over when they would see our food being served to ensure the wine was served with each course. My view is that we got them engaged in a bit of wine pairing game, and it got them excited about their passion for wine. Also, by having the package they had the freedom to pick from the list and not worry about price. They would bring two glasses if unsure which would match best, or have no problem bringing a different wine if we didn't like the pairing.

[johnb0529]

We had no issues on with the Wine Package in the MDR Select Dining. 3 of 4 people in our group had the Premium Alcohol and one had Premium Non-Alcohol.

 

Our wine glasses were always kept full, and generally they would just leave a bottle on the table, when a bottle was empty, he would quickly replace it We night we would allow the wine somalia to pick the wines for us, after we had told him what we liked (we had the same table in select each night). By doing this we found that we sometimes received bottles of wine, not available by the glass normally (YMMV!)

 

We found the specialty restaurants to be the same, with very efficient and free-flowing wine service.

 

And by the 3rd night, the bar new our pre-dinner cocktail order and would simply bring over our drinks when we sat down.

[celle]

Thanks for the great info and tips! We'll only be on a 5 night cruise, so I don't think the sommeliers pkg would work. My hubby can put down some wine for sure, but a bottle a night is a bit much. Even if he is of Viking heritage. ;-)

 

My DH always buys one of the wine packages. He only drinks half a bottle a day. They will keep the half-bottle for you and produce it again the next evening. They have some way of labeling the bottle, so that it can be identified. I guess that, for a 5-night cruise, it would be better to buy the bottles individually.

 

And yes, the wine packages (whatever they are called now!) are noted on your seapass card.

[tomvk]

We have not had any problems with wine service in the MDR with the premium package.After 3 nights of drinking champagne with dinner my wife had a champagne flute instead of a wine glass and ours were always full.

Talk to your wine steward,they are busy but they have alot of knowledge and love to share it.

As for tipping the cost of my drinks per day exceeds the daily cost of the drink package (thats why I get one ) so the 15% thats added on to the package doesn't equal what the servers would get normally.So I do 2 things I give an extra tip to those who have given me good service and I get their names and give them credit on the end of cruise survey.

 

Tom