Wine Tasting Class ???

[ANNIE121105]

I heard there is a wine tasting class on most of the ships. Has anyone taken one of those? I enjoy tasting different wines. Is this class a waste of time? I didn't see a thread with this info....so I started this one.

I enjoy Chardonnay most of the time. What is your favorite?

Just thought it would be a fun subject....:)

[wastin' away]

I don't know if there is one offered, as I am taking my first cruise in Jan. 06... but I would definately be interested. I LOVE WINE!!:p Mostly reds and blushes - not a huge fan of whites... yet!! I will be checking back w/ this thread to see if any info is given about tastings... I would love that. I live in PacNW and we have a lot of good local wineries so I attend tastings here as often as I can:p... such a great way to learn about wine/food pairing and to experience new wines!

[ANNIE121105]

Have you read any of the threads about carrying wine on board? I am still thinking about it. I saw the wine list somewhere and I have tried a couple of the offerings ( YUCK ) so......I am thinking of packing a few bottles.

 

Annie

[CMurph]

I haven't personally atttended one of these tastings, but some of my relatives have and they thoroughly enjoy it! In fact, they ordered wine at dinner that they discovered at the tasting. We plan on attending the tasting on our upcoming Mariner cruise.

[nosnobunny]

I am also a wine drinker and stick mostly to full-bodied reds with Shiraz and Merlot being my favourites. On the recommendation of our local liquor store, I tried a Ripasso but didn't really care for the cherry undertones. If I'm drinking white, it's more likely to be a Pinot Grigio or Reisling.

 

Beth

[39august]

There has been a wine tasting on all the RCI ships I have been on. I believe the price is $5 pp for first time RCI cruisers. All returning cruisers get a coupon for free wine tasting. On Navigator in Vintages Wine Bar, there are several different wine tastings offered for a higher fee. However, the wines will be far superior to those in the $5 tasting. I think it's worth it to do once or twice, but the wines are mostly very ordinary!! If you enjoy white wines, you might think it's a better deal to go to the art auctions for free champagne. Of course, it ain't Moet, but, heck, it's free!

[royale]

My wife and I have done the wine tasting 3 times over the 19 cruises we have taken

on RCL and have enjoyed them. We would have done a couple more but there was

always something else going on that we chose to do instead.We are going on the

EOS on 7/24/2005 and depending when it is will do it again.

[TNT]

We attended the tasting on Enchantment in April. I'm not a big wine fan, but we had some down time and went for it. When we entered there was a large table of breads, cheeses and grapes. We prepared our plates and were directed to a table. The sommelier talked extensively about each type of wine before/while you were tasting. They ranged from white/red/sparkling. I think we tried a total of 10. Some I liked and drank what they gave me (very little) and some I took one sip then dumped it in the bucket! We are Platinum and have had coupons for free tastings on our 7 days cruises and never tried it. We did not have a coupon for this one and paid $10. It was a lot of fun! I will definitely do it again if time allows. If you like wine you will probably really enjoy it.

[ANNIE121105]

Thanks for all the info.....keep um comming!

[caviargal]

I heard there is a wine tasting class on most of the ships. Has anyone taken one of those? I enjoy tasting different wines. Is this class a waste of time? I didn't see a thread with this info....so I started this one.

I enjoy Chardonnay most of the time. What is your favorite?

Just thought it would be a fun subject....:)

 

I have attended several. It is 10 pp or free for Diamond members.

 

I think its fun, especially if you are new to wines and interested in learning. It is also a nice way to spend an hour on a sea day.

[RoRothman]

I just got off the Mariner on June19.. they had the usuall wine tasting for $10 or free for Crown and Anchor members- it was fun- but in a large group in the dining room.. but for a bit more money they had amazing wine tasting seminars for about $14 to $22 in the "Vintages: Wine Bar". we went to one that only had 10 people in it .. so it was more intimate and we really had a chance to tast more unusual wines- not just the ones they are pushing at the dining room.. they had some wiht both red and whites and also a special Merlot tasting and also one they called WOW for more expensive wines. they also offer tasting offerings all the time at the Wine bar..where you can taste several wine types.. so for wine lovers the bar was great.. and never crowded at my cruise.. I understand this is only on a few ships- so I don't know what other ships besides the Mariner that has it..

[MCazer]

Is the wine tasting at Vintages free for Crown & Anchor or just the other one?

[CruisingLover]

Hi

 

We will be on Explorer on July 17th :) Does anyone know if they have wine tasting on this ship and if so, where? My husband loves wine and this sounds like something he would really enjoy! Also, does anyone know what days and times wine tasting is offered?

 

Thanks :D

[sk8man]

MMMMMMMMMMM wine ;)

[wastin' away]

:p I am sailing on Explorer also and would like to know if there is a wine bar on board? Anyone know??? Do they offer the "upscale" wine tastings on Explorer, or just the dining room style?

[Barbee524]

I missed this on my last cruise. There is a coupon for free attendance in the gold C&A coupon book

[Rondo]

I did the Vintage wine tasting with RoRothman on the Mariner. I think she will agree that is way more informational/educational than the ship's one that is free with the coupon, $10 without the coupon. The coupon specifically says "not for Vintages".

 

I think the wine steward at Vintages said that the Vintages Wine Bar is only on the Mariner and the Navigator. They had 3 or 4 different wine tasting sessions. I only went to one, so not sure what the others consisted of, except more expensive wine. Vintages will always give you a sample. I was trying to decide which red wine to order one night before dinner and he brought me two samples....one of which was from the $100 bottle!

 

If your only opportunity is using the free coupon, go for it! Some experience is better than none. It's always good to sample different labels. I would have gone to the free one also, but it didn't fit in my schedule.

 

rondo

[ANNIE121105]

Has anyone been to the wine tasting on the Jewel? Is there a wine bar on the Jewel? I heard there is a champagne bar there, is it the same thing?

 

Annie

[caviargal]

There is a Champagne Bar on all RCI ships and it is my very favorite spot onboard. Nice atmosphere, wine by the glass, smaller than the large lounges.

 

The Vintage wine tasting sounds wonderful! They did not offer this on Serenade in Feb but I will certainly check it out on Mariner in May.

[muscleman]

Hi

 

We will be on Explorer on July 17th :) Does anyone know if they have wine tasting on this ship and if so, where? My husband loves wine and this sounds like something he would really enjoy! Also, does anyone know what days and times wine tasting is offered?

 

Thanks :D

 

 

Yes, there will be a wine tasting but I don't know the day. Usually it's on sea days. Have you joint the Meet and Mingle group. We have a thread going on. Go to meet & mingle board. See you on the 17th.

 

Wayne

[alexkrn46]

I believe the wine tasting is only on sailings 7 days or greater, it is a great way to try new wines. Free if you are a C&A member.

[limbogirl]

I went to wine tastings on the Explorer and the Serenade. They were free if you were a gold member. The wines they chose were very inexpensive. It was ok but nothing big! I enjoy wines. I'm certainly not a big wine snob,but has anybody had anything worse than the wine they serve on board!!! They only serve one kind of white wine at the bars on board! I was shocked!! I love a nice glass of Chardonnay! It doesn't have to be expensive. Most wines I drink on a regular occasion are 10.00 and under. When I tried to get something other than their undrinkable house white they told me I could get something else only in the dining room! IN the dining room they told me I had to buy a whole bottle! My hub doesn't drink wine so....now what? I'm not going to drink a whole bottle myself at one sitting! I intend to smuggle my own wine in on my next cruise! They have left me no choice! Has anyone else had a problem?:rolleyes:

[MCazer]

If you buy a bottle of wine at dinner and don't finish it, they hold it for you for the next night and so on, until it is gone, so it would not go to waste. You have a week to drink it depending on the length of your cruise.;)

[sicsinohio]

Being a Merlot girl at heart, I wish they had a wine bar on the Explorer. Wine tasting class in the dining room was free to all C & A members (with a coupon) on our last cruise in 2004. We've attended on both of our RCCL cruises and will go again because the classes were interesting and informative, we met some neat people, and we had a chance to try wines that we might not tried if we had to buy the whole bottle. On both cruises, wine tasting class met in the afternoon of the first full day at sea. Nice break from the pool deck and all the drinks with the little umbrellas! By the way, last I knew, you could take on board two bottles of your own wine. If you take it to the dining room, a corkage fee is charged. We took a travel corkscrew with us and enjoyed wine in our cabin while we were getting ready for dinner.

 

Another note....you can buy a "wine package" at the beginning of the cruise. For one price, you can select a bottle of wine at your dining room table each night of the cruise. Not all wines they serve are on the package list, though. The package price represents a real savings over ordering a bottle each night.