Wine Package Questions

[Delbankin]

We will shortly be taking our first HAL cruise and I have a couple of questions regarding the above.

 

Can anyone advise if there is a discernible difference between the qualities of the wines offered between the two packages which would make paying the extra worthwhile?

 

Also on other ships we have cruised with, the package is purchased and wines are available for a choice to be made at any time or venue i.e. Lunch or dinner. The pre-cruise information for HAL suggests that the wine is delivered to your cabin.

 

How does this work out if you want to have a particular wine once you see the menu for the day? Does this mean you have to have a bottle constantly on ice in your cabin and you then take it with you if you want to drink white with your meal.

 

It seems a bit strange but perhaps I haven't understood correctly how the package can be used. Any advice would be appreciated.

Del.

[puppycanducruise]

We had a wine package on our last cruise (sorry, I don't remember which package).

The wine steward in the MDR knew that we had purchased a package and presented us with the appropriate wine list each evening we needed a new bottle of wine. He looked after getting the bottle, and storing the part bottle (if any) for the next evening. When we went to the Pinnacle Grill, the same thing happened.

We had one bottle in our cabin.

Hope you have a great cruise.

 

[Krazy Kruizers]

We waited until we were on the ship to order a package.

We have tried both the Navigator and the Admirals.

I am not a wine expert but we did prefer the Admirals package.

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

We also wait until we board ship to buy the wine package. We normally have fixed seating and you really get to know your wine steward if you buy the package from him/her.

[DaveOKC]

We also wait until we board ship to buy the wine package. We normally have fixed seating and you really get to know your wine steward if you buy the package from him/her.

 

Agreed - the wine steward really seems to appreciate it when we do it this way.

 

I have tried both packages and prefer the Admirals (naturally I guess since it costs more).

 

DaveOKC

[rkacruiser]

We also wait until we board ship to buy the wine package. We normally have fixed seating and you really get to know your wine steward if you buy the package from him/her.

 

I do the same thing. The partly used bottles of wine will be saved for you and served whenever you want them and can be transfered to another dining venue if you so desire. You can also take them out of the dining room and consume them in your stateroom, if you wish.

 

I have tried both packages and have found wines that I enjoy in each package. Really can't decide if I prefer one over the other.

[Vict0riann]

On our last cruise we went to both wine tastings, as we had heard that the whites were better in the Navigator's package, and the reds in the Admiral's. We ended up just sticking with the Navigator's as we were not that much more impressed with the Admiral's, and mainly we do drink white wine. However, on a long cruise, I might get one package of each, and "mix and match"!:D

[Delbankin]

Thanks for the replies. From what I can deduce the wine isn't delivered to your cabin at all despite what it says in the HAL sales information.

 

On some cruise lines we have cruised with, they apply a sticker to the stateroom card which tells the wine waiter you have a package. On other cruise lines you get vouchers which you exchange for wine each night. I'm curious to find out how HAL know you have a package if they don't apply something to the card or provide vouchers.

 

I'm also amused by the concept of setting bottles aside for another day - we haven't quite managed to make one last two days so far on any of our cruises!

[LindaM]

Your first night in the dining room, you can tell them which bottles you would like delivered to your room. You probably won't get them until the next day.

[2ptu/000]

Maybe someone else can help here. I think there will be a talk about the different packages shortly after sailing. They will be serving champagne. I don't think you get to taste the wine. I can't remember for sure. A wine steward will be there to answer your questions.

[rkacruiser]

Maybe someone else can help here. I think there will be a talk about the different packages shortly after sailing. They will be serving champagne. I don't think you get to taste the wine. I can't remember for sure. A wine steward will be there to answer your questions.

 

I do not recall such a talk. However, for people new to the ship, maybe when they do a ship tour to orient people to their new "home", something is said about the wine packages.

 

A wine steward offering such packages is usually located somewhere around the vessel during embarkation, before Muster Drill. I recall that person being at the forward end of the Mid-Ship Pool area.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Maybe someone else can help here. I think there will be a talk about the different packages shortly after sailing. They will be serving champagne. I don't think you get to taste the wine. I can't remember for sure. A wine steward will be there to answer your questions.

 

We have sailed HAL for years and on our cruises there has never been a "talk" about the various wine packages and serving champagne.

There are 2 wine tastings -- but you pay for them -- nothing is free.

One is wine tasting for $15 per person where they talk about the Navigator package. 4 and 5 star Mariners get this free.

There is also the Premium wine tasting -- $35 per person. 4 wines from the Pinnacle are presented for tasting.

[Delbankin]

Thanks again for further replies although it does seem to have gone off beam a little - I am not interested in wine tasting events. What I'd really like to know is, if we order a wine package from the wine waiter on our first night or from somewhere on the ship after boarding what happens after that.

 

What I have previously experienced with other lines is that you either get vouchers to exchange for wines each evening or you get a sticker on your stateroom card which gets marked out when you reach your quota of bottles.

 

Do HAL really deliver wine to your room? I wouldn't really want that because it would mean having to have white on chill in your room every day should you wish to have white with your dinner one evening and then carting the bottle with you to dinner. I'd prefer if they kept the wine and we could simply call it off when required.

 

Can anyone please explain how it really works with HAL.

[CowPrincess]

I've only ordered a wine package once or twice. Ordered the first night at dinner in the main dining room. If I recall correctly I got a slip to sign, and then I picked the bottle that was going to be the first one we tried. I didn't get anything stuck on my card, as far as I remember. If I had wanted to take a bottle of wine from the package back to my cabin, I would have asked the wine steward for one of them. I cannot remember if he took my room card when we ordered fresh bottles, sorry..... but I think that somehow the purchase, use, remaining bottles is somehow attached to your card in the computer system.

[ginger and professor]

The wine steward keeps track of the wines that you drink. When your package is empty they will tell you or offer to sell you another. They will deliver a bottle to your room if you ask them to. Normally the wine is kept with the wine steward and delivered to your table. We are red wine drinkers and prefer the Admiral's package. Hope this helps.

[Vict0riann]

Not even so much the wine steward, but the computer knows all! If you want one of your bottles in the Pinnacle, or, say, one of the bars, you have but to ask and the attendant will look it up. Last cruise I asked one of the wine stewards in the Lido if I could have a bottle delivered to our room, and half an hour later she was at the door with the wine in an ice bucket full of ice, and extra glasses. Service with a smile.

[taxmantoo]

We order the wine package from our wine steward in the MDR on the first night in order for him/her to get the credit for the sale but we have actually never had one of the bottles delivered to us in the MDR. We always bring our own bottles to the MDR based on the menu that night. A few bottles from the wine package are delivered to our room, a few bottles delivered to the Piano Bar and a few bottles simply remain on reserve so that we can order them whenever we see fit at the aft pool or the Lido Pool. We have never signed anything or had anything attached to our card.

[Delbankin]

Thank you for all of the more recent replies which answered my question perfectly. I now understand that HAL more or less has the same routine as everyone else. Looking forward to our first HAL cruise in a few weeks!