40% wine bottle discount on ultimate package

[cruisingewbiemark]

New to cruising and new to here so please forgive me if this is a dumb question or one that is already answered elsewhere..... I am cruising soon and was going to take the ultimate package for me who drinks a fair bit but not for my fiancé who only has a couple of glasses of wine with a meal. I thought (perhaps stupidly) that the 40% discount you get on a bottle was for people in such a situation or, say, if you were sharing a table with non package holders and you wanted to buy them a drink. BUT princess customer services have today told me that I cannot give her or anyone else a glass of wine from a bottle so purchased and that it is for me and me only. I of course expected this for the 'free' drinks taken under the package but not for the bottle of wine.:confused:

I am wondering if either I've been naïve or they've given me the wrong answer. Does anyone know anything different or does anyone have experience of buying bottles at the 40% discount and sharing with another non package holding pax either at a meal or anywhere else like a deck bar?

Thanks for your input and your patience if I'm the dumb one. ;)

[fishywood]

You are certainly not the dumb one. You will quickly learn from Cruise Critic (welcome, by the way) that just when you think you have heard the most ridiculous answer possible from a telephone CSR, the next one will top it--and this one does.

 

If you order a bottle of wine in the dining room they will bring as many wine glasses as you ask for. There are barely enough wine waiters on duty to provide the service, much less stand over your table and monitor who drinks how much. And no matter where you purchase the bottle, while the bar staff will implore you to store the unused portion you are always free to take it with you. Anything else is beyond unthinkable.

Edited July 2, 2014 by fishywood

[fishywood]

And from the written description on the Princess website:

 

Bottles of wine are NOT included in the package; however, when purchased in the bars, dining rooms, or in the stateroom, will be available at a 40% discount from the menu price.

 

Now how in the mofo can they even suggest you may not share a bottle ordered from room service? If I had gotten the CSRs name I would call back and read this to them and ask her the question again. Then I would report their stupid lazy butt up the chain until she was fired.

Edited July 2, 2014 by fishywood

[capriccio]

If I had gotten the CSRs name I would call back and read this to her and ask her the question again. Then I would report her stupid lazy butt up the chain until she was fired.

 

The OP never mentioned whether the CSR was male or female.

 

OP - I agree it was a stupid answer.

Edited July 2, 2014 by capriccio

[fishywood]

The OP never mentioned whether the CSR was male or female.

 

OP - I agree it was a stupid answer.

 

Post edited to be gender neutral. But in 18 years of sailing Princess I have never spoken to a male telephone representative, whether a general CSR, a PVP, the Captains Circle line, or a supervisor.

 

We can now return to discussing the incredulity of the topic at hand...

[cruisingewbiemark]

Thanks for the input so far - much appreciated.

To be fair it was email from CSD and no name was given however it clearly said sharing not allowed and wine purchased could be for my consumption only. Purchasing another wine package was therefore recommended for my beloved. :)

[BrandiGreg]

My spouse purchased the package (not me) on our Alaska cruise on the Crown in May. We bought a bottle of wine at dinner each night at 40% off and shared it with no problem. There is also no problem if one person buys a wine package (when available, usually on longer cruises). In both cases, there are no "free" drinks involved, just discounted wine, so why would they care? They still make a huge markup of a profit, even if you buy 10 bottles a night at 40% off each. The bottle we buy is $28 onboard but only $4 at our local grocery store.

[cruisingewbiemark]

My spouse purchased the package (not me) on our Alaska cruise on the Crown in May. We bought a bottle of wine at dinner each night at 40% off and shared it with no problem. There is also no problem if one person buys a wine package (when available, usually on longer cruises). In both cases, there are no "free" drinks involved, just discounted wine, so why would they care? They still make a huge markup of a profit, even if you buy 10 bottles a night at 40% off each. The bottle we buy is $28 onboard but only $4 at our local grocery store.

 

Thanks for all the input - very reassuring. Does anyone know if bottles of wine on the discount are only avsilable in the restaurants or if you can get them from other bars and the buffet?

 

I'm glad I came to this group and didn;t rely on Princess CSD! :eek:

[SwissDave]

I had the All inclusive package on my last cruise. The wine you buy with the 40% discount can most certainly be shared with who ever you are with.

 

I bought wine in Vines, Crown Grill, Explorers etc and sharing with my travel companions was not a problem. The waiter asked if it was for everyone and brought the required number of glasses. When I asked about sharing, I was told it was not expected that one person sit there and drink the whole bottle by themself, hence the 40% discount. As you are still paying an amount you can give it to whoever you want.

 

What I did have trouble with, was when I wanted to buy people who did not have the package a drink. By 'buy' I mean pay for on my card i.e. charge me the $ amount. It took some waiters quite a long time, and multile explanations that I did not want to use my package to buy the drink for them, but to pay money.

 

The concept of someone with the package wanting to physically have the cost of other peoples drinks charged to my card seemed alien.

Edited July 4, 2014 by SwissDave

[cruisingewbiemark]

I had the All inclusive package on my last cruise. The wine you buy with the 40% discount can most certainly be shared with who ever you are with.

 

I bought wine in Vines, Crown Grill, Explorers etc and sharing with my travel companions was not a problem. The waiter asked if it was for everyone and brought the required number of glasses. When I asked about sharing, I was told it was not expected that one person sit there and drink the whole bottle by themself, hence the 40% discount. As you are still paying an amount you can give it to whoever you want.

 

What I did have trouble with, was when I wanted to buy people who did not have the package a drink. By 'buy' I mean pay for on my card i.e. charge me the $ amount. It took some waiters quite a long time, and multile explanations that I did not want to use my package to buy the drink for them, but to pay money.

 

The concept of someone with the package wanting to physically have the cost of other peoples drinks charged to my card seemed alien.

 

Many thanks. I can imagine the torment of trying to persuade that you wanted to pay for a drink!

[janecambridge]

Correct me if I am wrong,but if you share a cabin with someone( in my case my husband) don't they have a rule that you both have to have the AI drinks package and not just one of you?

[Colo Cruiser]

Correct me if I am wrong,but if you share a cabin with someone( in my case my husband) don't they have a rule that you both have to have the AI drinks package and not just one of you?

 

They did when the package was first introduced but not anymore.

[snow2day]

if this is available on the Golden for our SA 31 day cruise. Do I have to call Princess, TA or is there somewhere online? TIA

[SwissDave]

if this is available on the Golden for our SA 31 day cruise. Do I have to call Princess, TA or is there somewhere online? TIA

 

 

You should call princess direct. If it is available then you can either pre-order or buy on board.

 

Note - if you pre-order then you will need to get the voucher that will be in your cabin, then go to the table set up in the piazza or nearby to get the sticker.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone. Please excuse tryping orrers.

[shredie]

So if DH buys a bottle of wine and I order a different one by the glass, I am forbidden to taste his but he can taste mine?;) They need to have a few more training sessions with the Princess staff. Okay, I mean they need to start having training sessions, period.:rolleyes: Honestly, you can't believe a word they say until checking it out on CC first. I don't know why it is so hard to have a set of policies with standard answers available to the representatives whether on the phone or email. Ask three people, get four different answers.

[CCFC]

I had the All inclusive package on my last cruise. The wine you buy with the 40% discount can most certainly be shared with who ever you are with.

 

What I did have trouble with, was when I wanted to buy people who did not have the package a drink. By 'buy' I mean pay for on my card i.e. charge me the $ amount. It took some waiters quite a long time, and multile explanations that I did not want to use my package to buy the drink for them, but to pay money.

 

The concept of someone with the package wanting to physically have the cost of other peoples drinks charged to my card seemed alien.

 

I too had the all inclusive package on the same cruise, one thing that I noticed on the second to last day when I printed out my statement was my wine (bought on the first day) hadn't been discounted and there were a couple of drinks on there that had a charge against them when they should have been free. I got the 40% off and drink charges removed but you do need to keep an eye on it.

 

Its possible that if you were charged for a drink that you wanted to be charged for and then disputed it on the statement they could wrongly remove it.

Edited July 4, 2014 by CCFC

[janecambridge]

Thank you for your replies.

So my husband can have the package and share his wine with me that he has bought at a 40% discount..

Can anyone tell me how much the daily rate is and the prices of drinks so we can calculate whether it is worth buying or not.? going on Emerald in August...thanks.

[runner15km]

Thank you for your replies.

So my husband can have the package and share his wine with me that he has bought at a 40% discount..

Can anyone tell me how much the daily rate is and the prices of drinks so we can calculate whether it is worth buying or not.? going on Emerald in August...thanks.

 

Most varieties of wine run $7.00 - $ 9.00 US dollars per glass.

[Dreamer333]

Thank you for your replies.

So my husband can have the package and share his wine with me that he has bought at a 40% discount..

Can anyone tell me how much the daily rate is and the prices of drinks so we can calculate whether it is worth buying or not.? going on Emerald in August...thanks.

 

Someone created a wonderful spreadsheet to calculate the drink costs and it will tell you if it's worth it to buy the All-Inclusive. I don't remember the name of the thread, but I bet it's on the first few pages.

[hawkeyetlse]

I had the All inclusive package on my last cruise. The wine you buy with the 40% discount can most certainly be shared with who ever you are with.

I wonder if you are required to drink any of it yourself at all. For example, if I have the package and I'm dining with folks who aren't on the package, could I order a bottle of wine at 40% off and let them have the whole bottle, while I order glasses of wine for myself?

[Off2China]

Someone created a wonderful spreadsheet to calculate the drink costs and it will tell you if it's worth it to buy the All-Inclusive. I don't remember the name of the thread, but I bet it's on the first few pages.

 

Is this the one?

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2038576&highlight=wine+package

[janecambridge]

Thanks for the link

I read all the posts following that link and the prices have gone up.

Overall I think my husband will buy the package and he will get the waters for me.It will be better for us if I just buy my drinks when I need them...