Wine Package

[MOSusan]

I'm too far out to buy a wine package for my cruise, but I would love to be able to budget for it. Does anyone know what the current cost for a 5 bottle and a 7 bottle package would be? Thanks for your help!

[Clarea]

I'm too far out to buy a wine package for my cruise, but I would love to be able to budget for it. Does anyone know what the current cost for a 5 bottle and a 7 bottle package would be? Thanks for your help!

See the second page:

 

http://media.royalcaribbean.com/content/royal/en_US/pdf/beverage_packages.pdf

Edited May 14, 2014 by clarea

[MOSusan]

Thank you Bob! You are a wealth of knowledge. :D

[masspector]

See the second page:

 

http://media.royalcaribbean.com/content/royal/en_US/pdf/beverage_packages.pdf

 

 

What wines do you get to choose from? Is there a list of them with the current prices of the bottle without the package? Thanks

[Clarea]

What wines do you get to choose from? Is there a list of them with the current prices of the bottle without the package? Thanks

Here is a list of the wines in the Wine & Dine package:

 

http://media.royalcaribbean.com/content/royal/en_US/pdf/sample-winedine-menu.pdf

 

Here is a drink menu where you can fine some wine prices:

 

http://cruisewithgambee.com/royal-caribbean-drink/

Edited May 14, 2014 by clarea

[metman12345]

Sorry to hijack this thread we are doing a 3 night cruise and i want to budget for the drinks package, do we pay for 4 days drinks as we are on the boat technically for 4 days or is it based on 3 nights as it says its a 3 night cruise, Again sorry if this is a dume question as i am new to all this sailing thanks

[Clarea]

Sorry to hijack this thread we are doing a 3 night cruise and i want to budget for the drinks package, do we pay for 4 days drinks as we are on the boat technically for 4 days or is it based on 3 nights as it says its a 3 night cruise, Again sorry if this is a dume question as i am new to all this sailing thanks

Based on the number of nights, so only 3.

[Daghis]

What wines do you get to choose from? Is there a list of them with the current prices of the bottle without the package? Thanks

 

Here's a cost comparison of the available wines in the wine packages with prices as of last year (that I think were still current when we sailed a couple of months ago).

 

[masspector]

Here's a cost comparison of the available wines in the wine packages with prices as of last year (that I think were still current when we sailed a couple of months ago).

 

 

Thanks for posting. That is awesome. Let me make sure I understand. The black is a savings per bottle with the package, the red is a cost per bottle with the package. In other words if I pick the cheaper per bottle wines, there is not much savings or it actually costs me more buying the package? If I like the cheaper bottles I would be better to just buy by the bottle and skip the package?

 

I have never bought the wine package so this may be a dumb question, but can you get more than one bottle of the same wine? Example, if I get the five bottle package, can I get two bottles of one wine and three bottles of another or do all five have to be different?

 

Not sure what they are smoking on the Mer Soleil. In a store here the two versions are $19 and $29 with store mark up. $59 per bottle?:eek:

 

Is the 15% gratuity added to the wine package and/or the bottles?

Edited May 14, 2014 by masspector

[Clarea]

Thanks for posting. That is awesome. Let me make sure I understand. The black is a savings per bottle with the package, the red is a cost per bottle with the package. In other words if I pick the cheaper per bottle wines, there is not much savings or it actually costs me more buying the package? If I like the cheaper bottles I would be better to just buy by the bottle and skip the package? Correct.

 

I have never bought the wine package so this may be a dumb question, but can you get more than one bottle of the same wine? Example, if I get the five bottle package, can I get two bottles of one wine and three bottles of another or do all five have to be different? Whatever you want. All 5 can be the same.

 

Not sure what they are smoking on the Mer Soleil. In a store here the two versions are $19 and $29 with store mark up. $59 per bottle? I think it makes more sense to compare to restaurant prices than liquor store prices.

 

Is the 15% gratuity added to the wine package and/or the bottles? Yes.

See answers in RED above.

Edited May 14, 2014 by clarea

[masspector]

Might consider this next year on Oasis. Of course Vintages throw a whole nother curve ball on the wine issue. Will be researching Vintages to see how that will fit in with our wine drinking. Thanks,

[Wanderer100CT]

See answers in RED above.

 

I've been reading through this post to try and decide whether to get a Wine & Dine package or not and I must thank everyone for the detailed analysis of the pros and cons of this option. A couple more questions please.

 

One question I wasn't sure of the answer - does the wine & dine package include the gratuity? I presume the per bottle price in a restaurant will have a gratuity added to it.

 

If you don't finish a bottle of wine can you keep it somewhere for your next meal? Not sure how likely that is though...

 

Would you advise buying on board or prior to the cruise? We leave from Copenhagen for a Northern Baltic cruise in less than 3 weeks time.

 

Do you just select one of the packages, 5, 7, 10 bottles etc depending on your fancy or is it dependent on the length of the cruise?

[Clarea]

I've been reading through this post to try and decide whether to get a Wine & Dine package or not and I must thank everyone for the detailed analysis of the pros and cons of this option. A couple more questions please.

 

One question I wasn't sure of the answer - does the wine & dine package include the gratuity? I presume the per bottle price in a restaurant will have a gratuity added to it. A 15% gratuity is added to the package price.

 

If you don't finish a bottle of wine can you keep it somewhere for your next meal? Not sure how likely that is though.. Yes.

 

Would you advise buying on board or prior to the cruise? We leave from Copenhagen for a Northern Baltic cruise in less than 3 weeks time. Should be no difference in price. Buying on board will give you the opportunity to ask certain wines are in stock, should that be inportant to you.

Do you just select one of the packages, 5, 7, 10 bottles etc depending on your fancy or is it dependent on the length of the cruise? Select however many bottles yoy intend to consume during the cruise. You can take sealed bottles home if you wish, though that might be inconvenient if you are flying.

 

See answers in RED above.

[galavant3]

First of all thank you for the cost analysis! It is printed out and I'm taking it with me on Sunday.

 

For those that are considering the wine package, here's why we do it. First of all, depending on the wine you choose, there can be considerable savings.

 

But the bigger issue for us is service. When you have the wine package, they try and get to you right away with your order. Also, if you have wine left from the previous evening, it is on the table or in the chiller waiting for you. You won't be waiting 20 minutes for a glass of wine.

 

A word of caution. We find that they prefer to finish the bottle rather that store it so often the servers are heavy handed with the pour. If you've had enough, just make that clear.

 

Also, if you want a bottle to go, they'll give you a bottle from your pack either opened or unopened. Or you can just take what is remaining from that night's dinner.

[atb]

That is the question.

We sail from Baltimore, and purchases before we clear Maryland waters includes Maryland sales tax. I know that some European ports add the VAT, so that is a thought.

The other question is - how much OBC you have available.

Hope this helps.

Edited May 29, 2014 by atb
spelling

[Clarea]

That is the question.

We sail from Baltimore, and purchases before we clear Maryland waters includes Maryland sales tax. I know that some European ports add the VAT, so that is a thought.

The other question is - how much OBC you have available.

Hope this helps.

No US sales tax on packages.

[masspector]

This may be out of date information because I pulled it from an old review, but that review references a Gold, Platinum, and Diamond wine package, of course at appropriately increasing price levels and selections. Is this old and there is just one wine package now? Thanks,

[Clarea]

This may be out of date information because I pulled it from an old review, but that review references a Gold, Platinum, and Diamond wine package, of course at appropriately increasing price levels and selections. Is this old and there is just one wine package now? Thanks,

Correct, just one package now. All you can choose is the number of bottles.

[masspector]

Here's a cost comparison of the available wines in the wine packages with prices as of last year (that I think were still current when we sailed a couple of months ago).

 

 

 

Can you upload the spreadsheet so I can add it to my precruise planning spreadsheet? If not, no biggie, I will just save it as a pic. Thanks,

[Daghis]

Can you upload the spreadsheet so I can add it to my precruise planning spreadsheet? If not, no biggie, I will just save it as a pic. Thanks,

 

Sure, not a problem! I've uploaded it here: Wine-Package-Comparisons.xlsx

[masspector]

Sure, not a problem! I've uploaded it here: Wine-Package-Comparisons.xlsx

 

 

Thank you so much. This way I can change it too if RC makes changes before Oct 2015. They would not do that, would they?:D

[efghi9]

Thanks for posting. That is awesome. Let me make sure I understand. The black is a savings per bottle with the package, the red is a cost per bottle with the package. In other words if I pick the cheaper per bottle wines, there is not much savings or it actually costs me more buying the package? If I like the cheaper bottles I would be better to just buy by the bottle and skip the package?

 

 

I am on AOS out of Southampton 14 days Spain July 6th 2014. My first RCI cruise. I drink wine with dinner and would consider the wine & dine 7 bottle package (just me sailing with my 12 yr old son) but as was pointed out above if you don't mind plunk I might be just as well off buying a $30 at dinner. Question: is there a decent selection of $30 wine bracket. If not the 7 bottle package would be more attractive. thank you in advance for your info. We do not drink fancy coffees, sodas etc so just looking at the wine & dine package.

Sandra

[Clarea]

I am on AOS out of Southampton 14 days Spain July 6th 2014. My first RCI cruise. I drink wine with dinner and would consider the wine & dine 7 bottle package (just me sailing with my 12 yr old son) but as was pointed out above if you don't mind plunk I might be just as well off buying a $30 at dinner. Question: is there a decent selection of $30 wine bracket. If not the 7 bottle package would be more attractive. thank you in advance for your info. We do not drink fancy coffees, sodas etc so just looking at the wine & dine package.

Sandra

The MDR wine list is around the middle of Gambee's drink list here:

 

http://cruisewithgambee.com/royal-caribbean-drink/

Edited June 5, 2014 by clarea

[efghi9]

The MDR wine list is around the middle of Gambee's drink list here:

 

http://cruisewithgambee.com/royal-caribbean-drink/

 

so that's all the choice...hhmm. I thought maybe there was a limited list for the package holders. So this is the list for the entire wine selection by the bottle, package or not.

Sandra

[Clarea]

so that's all the choice...hhmm. I thought maybe there was a limited list for the package holders. So this is the list for the entire wine selection by the bottle, package or not.

Sandra

Sorry, I thought you were asking what was available irrespective of the package.

 

Here are the choices in the Wine/Dine package:

 

http://media.royalcaribbean.com/content/royal/en_US/pdf/sample-winedine-menu.pdf

Edited June 6, 2014 by clarea