HAL Lousy Wine List

[bshow]

People like me may be the problem. I think HAL's wines are OK, and I enjoy buying a bottle or two. But I think the coffee is fine, too.

[kazu]

Thank you for the link. Is that it? I see only one page of reds and whites. Surely there are some Champagnes or even faux champagne?

 

Much has been said of the wine selection on Celebrity, of which I have no personal knowledge. But Cunard has an extensive list. Many drinkable wines can be had for $30.

 

It looks like Roger's PDF is missing the two "wings" that fold out from the list. Here's the lists from the Noordam in the spring. I didn't get the list from Canaletto, but the MDR & Pinnacle Grill are there. I will warn you that these are cell phone camera scans and aren't nearly as clear.

 

https://www.evernote.com/shard/s88/sh/276a0e4d-85a4-4377-920f-0fdfee4ce340/a2fc7280af1ffb03ee078a1d59c63558

 

There are also lists on halfacts.com - including bar menus, signature packages, as well as the wine lists. on the general page, just go down 3/4 and you will see the wine/alcohol listings - http://halfacts.com/general-info/

 

Just in case it is of help;)

[LindaM]

People like me may be the problem. I think HAL's wines are OK, and I enjoy buying a bottle or two. But I think the coffee is fine, too.

 

I probably drink more wine than anyone on this list...or close. It has always been my drink of choice. I also was one of the biggest complainers about HAL's change in policy. At home, I have tasted enough different chardonnays, pinots, syrahs, and malbecs to know which brands are my favorites. Luckily, I can be happy with a $15 bottle of wine (after it has been marked down to $8-10 at Kroger or the Wine store here). It was fun buying wine in European ports, but I can tolerate HAL's wines for a couple of weeks. I seriously doubt if HAL would serve wines that weren't drinkable. They have their "tasters" somewhere making the decisions. Perhaps Celebrity likes to cater to those who enjoy trying wines on the ship. I'm OK with trying those wines at home, where they are much less expensive. I don't cruise to sample wine. I think people like me are the ones HAL is catering to. I probably wouldn't buy the HAL wines at home (other than Toasted Head), but I can certainly drink them for 2 weeks, or even longer. We spent a fortune on wine on Celebrity. I would rather drink the less expensive stuff on a cruise. But, that is my opinion---which is coming from a major wino!! I used to complain about HAL's markup, which is no different than going to a restaurant (where I forgo wine often because of the price). I think you guys need to give it up!

[OTOW guy]

and bring my own wine that I like.Except for the Cannaletto wines which are fairly priced I think they overcharge on the regular wine list. Recently read that the greatest mark up in restaurants is the 2nd cheapest wine as most people are embarassed to order the least costly. By belonging to several wine clubs, we get a good selection to bring with us. It's just the hassel of having to carry it on ourselves rather than putting with the checked luggage. Since we only drink it in dining room, it just gets us to pay the fee up front.

[Vineyard View]

We just returned from 21 days on the Ryndam - wonderful cruise.

We bought wine in Athens - a nice combination of international wines - and brought it on board. We happily paid the corkage fee based on the selection of wines that HAL offers. As I said before, I understand mark up and accept it. That said -

I have been connected to the wine industry for 30+ years, live in California's major wine country, and we know what we like. I don't consider myself 'wino' - and the house wine on HAL is not at all what we would consider okay - for us.

One of the beauties of wine is that there is available different styles for all different tastes - so it is great that their offering works for many.

So, would I prefer a more robust wine list from HAL - absolutely. It is not a list of complex reds that one would expect from a fine restaurant - where we pay the mark-up.

Do I wish that HAL did not charge a corkage fee - yes I wish that. But Since the HAL list did not work for us, did we adjust our tastes to the list - no. We brought wines on board that we thoroughly enjoyed and paid the corkage fee. And oh by the way - even with the corkage fee, we had incredibly superior wines for less money than the HAL offering, even with corkage.

 

So I guess what I am trying to say - if the HAL wine list works then great. If it doesn't - bring yours on board, pay the corkage fee, and likely have better wine for a lower price. We were very happy that we did - and it eliminated any frustration with the HAL wine list.

 

Just a thought.

[OTOW guy]

had some really awful selections. Nothing I would buy on board.

[taxmantoo]

So I guess what I am trying to say - if the HAL wine list works then great. If it doesn't - bring yours on board, pay the corkage fee, and likely have better wine for a lower price. We were very happy that we did - and it eliminated any frustration with the HAL wine list.

 

Just a thought.

 

Our feelings exactly. The good aspect of this is that everyone has a choice.

[esimon]

This topic has often be discussed here on CC. Many wine lovers (Oenophiles) have long been disappointed in the HAL wine list (and prices) and some of us have posted that HAL lags far behind some other lines...especially Celebrity, when it comes to wine. Of course the usual HAL Cheerleaders deny this and say everything is perfect on HAL.

 

Well, the Wine Spectator, which is generally accepted as one of the best wine publications, has spoken and its interesting. Here is a copy of another CC Post on the topic:

 

"The 2014 Wine Spectator Restaurant Awards were published in the August magazine. Of the 12 ships given an "Award of Excellence." Celebrity Ships main restaurants won an 10. According to the magazine "Our basic award for lists that offer a well-chosen selection of quality producers along with thematic match in both price and style." There were only 2,791 of the awards to restaurants world wide. The winning ships are the Summit, the Solstice, the Century, the Silhouette, the Millennium, the Eclipse, the Reflection, the Constellation, the Equinox and the Infinity.

 

The other 2 awards went to Oceania. "

 

We would add that revamping HAL's wine list is a relatively simple process, but for some reason HAL has continued to ignore the winers (or whiners) on this subject. But now that HAL has imposed their draconian wine restrictions (which make it expensive to bring aboard wine) there is even more reason for them to improve their onboard wine offerings.

 

Hank

 

I think it is even more reason for the Whiners to cruise another line --- You know their wine sucks - QUIT whining about it

[david,Mississauga]

It looks like Roger's PDF is missing the two "wings" that fold out from the list. Here's the lists from the Noordam in the spring. I didn't get the list from Canaletto, but the MDR & Pinnacle Grill are there. I will warn you that these are cell phone camera scans and aren't nearly as clear.

 

https://www.evernote.com/shard/s88/sh/276a0e4d-85a4-4377-920f-0fdfee4ce340/a2fc7280af1ffb03ee078a1d59c63558

 

Thanks kindly. Actually, they came out very clear. I find it amusing that the "free" drinks package we have been offered for early booking is almost useless for wine. I see one Prosecco, one white and no reds that will qualify for the absurd $7.00 limit.

[freestyling]

The new HAL ship will have new wines according to HALs updated micro website.

[POA1]

Thanks kindly. Actually, they came out very clear. I find it amusing that the "free" drinks package we have been offered for early booking is almost useless for wine. I see one Prosecco, one white and no reds that will qualify for the absurd $7.00 limit.

For whatever reason, the two house reds you can get on the Signature Beverage Package are not explicitly listed on the wine list. On our sailing, they were Merlot & Cabernet Sauvignon, both by Santa Carolina. Their menu price was $5.95 per glass. We tasted both, but didn't really drink them other than a glass of each to taste them. We take our own wine and pay the corkage.

 

You'll find quite a few people on the boards who don't like the house wines at all. Both of the house reds we had were reviewed by Wine Spectator. The Merlot scored an 85. The Cab scored an 89. The vintages might have changed since earlier in the year, but historically the Santa Carolina wines have been pretty consistent. If the package is free to you, you owe it to yourself to at least try the "free" wine.

[kazu]

I think it is even more reason for the Whiners to cruise another line --- You know their wine sucks - QUIT whining about it

 

Really? they should go to another cruise line instead of pursue with HAL to improve things?

 

If everyone who 'whined" about issues went to another cruise line, there probably wouldn't be many left to sail on HAL;):p

 

It seems to me that this statement is the same as saying "if you don't like HAL's smoking policy, go to another cruise line" or

 

"If you don't like the Lido hours that HAL has go to another cruise line"

 

"if you prefer not to wear formal attire, go to another cruise line"

 

The list is endless.

 

No one should be told to go to another cruise line just because they don't like one thing or choose to voice their opinion. This board is all about opinions which I believe we are all free to share. Instead, they should be encouraged to act proactively to improve things or find ways they can cope with life on board. In this case, bring on their own wine and pay corkage fee which a number of people choose to do. And, if they state they do that, I don't consider it whining - I consider it a fact and an option that others can consider.

Edited November 12, 2014 by kazu

[RuthC]

No one should be told to go to another cruise line just because they don't like one thing or choose to voice their opinion.

Keep in mind, though Kazu, that esimom was quoting someone who dislikes much more than "one thing" about HAL, and posts so ad nauseum.

[Hlitner]

Since this thread continues we will try to keep it on track. We recently completed 38 days on the Oosterdam where we utilized the revamped Admiral wine package. HAL recently replaced the old brand Malbec with a new offering (sorry, but do not recall the actual names) and the new one is absolutely awful. It is probably the worst tasting Malbec we have ever tasted (and we have had many). The old offering was fine and the wine steward was happy to swap the remaining old bottles for the new offering....until they finally ran out of the old offering. My advice to fellow HAL cruisers is that you avoid the new Admirals Malbec...or at least try to get a tasting before wasting your money.

 

Hank

[taxmantoo]

My advice to fellow HAL cruisers is that you avoid the new Admirals Malbec...or at least try to get a tasting before wasting your money.

 

I can certainly appreciate that YOU do not like it BUT how qualified are you to judge wines? Certified sommelier? Experience in the wine industry? Experienced wine judge or taster? I suspect your experience is that of an ordinary wine enthusiast and that you should know well enough that your tastes are not necessarily those of others who might actually enjoy that particular wine.

[kazu]

Keep in mind, though Kazu, that esimom was quoting someone who dislikes much more than "one thing" about HAL, and posts so ad nauseum.

 

I totally get that RuthC and while I agree that we might not like the complaining posts, there are certainly others that post ad nauseum about smoking, MDR service, whatever and don't seem to be totally happy but continue to sail HAL.

 

This is a board of opinions and although we might not like some opinions (and I certainly tire of seeing the same complaints over and over and over again), and as much as I would like to post the same thing, I think it is everyone's right to post their opinions whether we like them or not and none of us have the right to tell them to cruise elsewhere or to quit whining (or wining LOL)

 

JMO and no harm intended to esimom when I replied.

[Lizzie68]

I think it is even more reason for the Whiners to cruise another line --- You know their wine sucks - QUIT whining about it

 

That is so offensive. I hope you didn't mean it to be.

[LindaM]

For whatever reason, the two house reds you can get on the Signature Beverage Package are not explicitly listed on the wine list. On our sailing, they were Merlot & Cabernet Sauvignon, both by Santa Carolina. Their menu price was $5.95 per glass. We tasted both, but didn't really drink them other than a glass of each to taste them. We take our own wine and pay the corkage.

 

You'll find quite a few people on the boards who don't like the house wines at all. Both of the house reds we had were reviewed by Wine Spectator. The Merlot scored an 85. The Cab scored an 89. The vintages might have changed since earlier in the year, but historically the Santa Carolina wines have been pretty consistent. If the package is free to you, you owe it to yourself to at least try the "free" wine.

 

DH and I don't love Santa Carolina, but we feel it is drinkable, for $5.95. I think they could have done worse for the price. I had a $10 glass of chardonnay in a restaurant over the weekend that was not good, to my taste. The waitress and I had an interesting conversation about tastes in chardonnay, because this is a great restaurant in our area and they put a lot of effort into their wines. I just happened to not like it!! By the way, Kirkland malbec is very good and is rated highly in Consumer Reports.

[RuthC]

...I think it is everyone's right to post their opinions whether we like them or not and none of us have the right to tell them to cruise elsewhere or to quit whining (or wining LOL)

Certainly everyone has a right to voice their opinion, that should include the opinion that under current policies, other cruise lines might be a better fit for some people than HAL is.

 

If the restaurant at the end of the street serves the meatloaf with a tomato gravy, and I prefer brown gravy, then I shouldn't go there when I want meatloaf for dinner. I should be pleased when someone tells me about another restaurant that serves it the way I like.

[Lizzie68]

Certainly everyone has a right to voice their opinion, that should include the opinion that under current policies, other cruise lines might be a better fit for some people than HAL is.

 

If the restaurant at the end of the street serves the meatloaf with a tomato gravy, and I prefer brown gravy, then I shouldn't go there when I want meatloaf for dinner. I should be pleased when someone tells me about another restaurant that serves it the way I like.

 

But there are ways and ways of saying things, Ruth. Calling names is not a particularly polite way of doing it.

[RuthC]

But there are ways and ways of saying things, Ruth. Calling names is not a particularly polite way of doing it.

I never said calling people names is the way to do anything, Lizzie. But I don't find anything particularly wrong with suggesting options that might be better for someone. That's not at all the same thing.

[esimon]

restating over and over here is not taking things up with HAL - it is complaining -- we know HAL has bad wines - for some - because I like their wine and enjoy having it with dinner.

Sorry if My opinion upset some people -- guess you can only express your opinion if you have a problem with the wine list.

[backwerd]

I often read the threads on CC but as my miserable numbers will attest, I rarely post. Thought I might add my two-cents worth here though.

I drink a fair amount of wine at home. But have not paid more than $12 for a bottle since watching a TV item some years ago where three alleged wine experts could not tell a $7 bottle from a $60 bottle when the labels were hidden.

I admit I cannot tell the difference between expensive wines and cheap ones, but I can tell the difference between good wine and bad wine.

If I like it it is good wine, if I don't like it it is bad wine.

Price, winery, country of origin, reputation have no bearing whatsoever.

HAL wines are fine by me, although I doubt I could tell you the name of even one of them at this moment.

It would appear, based on recent and not so recent "tests" I am not alone in my inability to tell expensive from cheap. Check the following link. It is an old link, but I believe it still works.

http://www.smh.com.au/money/saving/its-only-plonk-if-you-look-at-the-price-tag-20130702-2p8a9.html

Cheers, D

[Boytjie]

We recently completed 38 days on the Oosterdam where we utilized the revamped Admiral wine package. HAL recently replaced the old brand Malbec with a new offering (sorry, but do not recall the actual names) and the new one is absolutely awful. It is probably the worst tasting Malbec we have ever tasted (and we have had many).

 

Why do you keep drinking bad Malbecs? <ducks>

[radio Flyer]

Whine snobs ... [emoji485]

 

 

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