What's up with the Wine & Dine Package?

[mbjonsn]

This is awesome so glad to hear they brought it back, hopefully it will be fleetwide! :D

 

I hope so, too! We always get the wine package. Has anyone returned from Adventure of the Seas lately and know if it was available on board?

[atb]

We are sailing on Grandeur March 13, so hope to see the Wine & Dine package will be available.

We will report when we get home. :)

[skylermom]

We're sailing in June, and this is what we usually do too.

[cloudydrms]

We are sailing on Grandeur March 13, so hope to see the Wine & Dine package will be available.

We will report when we get home. :)

 

I'll be interested to hear what you report back about your Grandeur cruise. We're cruising on GOTS in April and always used to buy the wine and dine package.

 

Cindy

[atb]

We were very disappointed to see NO wine & dine package on Grandeur OTS. We asked everyone about it. We did speak with someone in the beverage department - and they don't know if it's coming back or not. But there was a new wine menu - and he stated they were changing wine suppliers, and trying to clear out old inventory.

The wine of the day on the dinner menu was 20% off, and every day was Estanzia - red or white. Not sure of the specifics.

I added a comment to my post cruise survey about how disappointed we are to have no wine & dine package.

Hopefully, when they have their inventory thing straightened out, we will get a new wine & dine package. Here's hoping ;)

[skylermom]

We were very disappointed to see NO wine & dine package on Grandeur OTS. We asked everyone about it. We did speak with someone in the beverage department - and they don't know if it's coming back or not. But there was a new wine menu - and he stated they were changing wine suppliers, and trying to clear out old inventory.

The wine of the day on the dinner menu was 20% off, and every day was Estanzia - red or white. Not sure of the specifics.

I added a comment to my post cruise survey about how disappointed we are to have no wine & dine package.

Hopefully, when they have their inventory thing straightened out, we will get a new wine & dine package. Here's hoping ;)

 

So sorry to hear that, thank you for the info. Fingers crossed they figure out that this is not making for happy customers.

[weatherboy80]

I will continue to call them and bug them about bringing it back on all cruises.

 

We just got off Serenade and several people inquired about the wine packages and I actually brought 5 bottles on myself. We also took our bottles to the dinner table and they opened it for us and served, no corkage fee.

 

We did spend some money at the Vintages but no where near what we usually spend on wine on cruises.

 

So if you don't mind me asking - how did you bring 5 bottles yourself??

 

Really hoping they will bring this back to all the ships fleetwide, especially for our Radiance Alaska cruise in late May as I am planning to bring the 2 allowable bottles myself (purchased in Vancouver) and would like to have a 5 or so bottle package to have with dinner each night.

 

If the package does return I'm hoping they have some good Malbec's to choose from as well :) I suppose we should be able to use our on board credit for the package as well. Although, so far everything else I have pre-booked (e.g. specialty restaurants, excursions) I had to use my CC :mad:

[scottrn7]

So I had brought five bottles and was going to disperse them but ended up going through the scanner and metal detector with both my wine tote that had 3 bottles and another wine back with 2 bottles, they were more concerned with the very small pocket knife I had and sent me over to a table where employees were setting and I showed them the two bottles I had in the bag and they said fine and were not even interested in whatever else I had, but they confiscated my small pocket knife as to not to take over the ship forcefully. I had noticed this also in Galveston when I came through the scanners with four bottles, again they motioned me over to a table where I showed them my one bag with two bottles and they smiled and said thank you enjoy your cruise, again not interested in asking me or looking in any other bags. So, there you are...

 

So if you don't mind me asking - how did you bring 5 bottles yourself??

 

Really hoping they will bring this back to all the ships fleetwide, especially for our Radiance Alaska cruise in late May as I am planning to bring the 2 allowable bottles myself (purchased in Vancouver) and would like to have a 5 or so bottle package to have with dinner each night.

 

If the package does return I'm hoping they have some good Malbec's to choose from as well :) I suppose we should be able to use our on board credit for the package as well. Although, so far everything else I have pre-booked (e.g. specialty restaurants, excursions) I had to use my CC :mad:

[weatherboy80]

Interesting - I doubt I would be the one who could get away with bringing that many bottles with us in Vancouver :D

 

So to me what it sounds like is that the wine package is currently only back on the Oasis class ships - is this correct? Perhaps just buying a bottle each night will be the way to go then on Radiance :mad:

 

Will they let you take the bottle from dinner back to your cabin then??

[Clarea]

...

Will they let you take the bottle from dinner back to your cabin then??

Yes, no problem.

[weatherboy80]

Thanks - figured as much.

 

Although, really hoping they bring back the dinner wine package on Radiance in the next few weeks (5 or 7 bottles). I don't understand why they took it away since I'm willing to pay them for it (well with on-board credit).

[weatherboy80]

Also, I'm sure I know the answer, but don't remember for sure, do they add the 18% for a purchase of a bottle of wine at dinner similar to the single glass. 18% could add up fast on some of those expensive bottles!

 

Finally, can we take that bottle back to the room with us?

[jerseycanadian]

Is the wine and dine package available on adventure now? Does it make sense to pre order through gifts and gear on line?

[Clarea]

Also, I'm sure I know the answer, but don't remember for sure, do they add the 18% for a purchase of a bottle of wine at dinner similar to the single glass. 18% could add up fast on some of those expensive bottles!

 

Finally, can we take that bottle back to the room with us?

Yes, they add the 18% to the cost of a bottle of wine, and you can take it anywhere on the ship if you like.

[weatherboy80]

Is the wine and dine package available on adventure now? Does it make sense to pre order through gifts and gear on line?

 

I would do the same except I believe you can't use OBC for anything preordered? Our plan is to use our OBC mostly for wine.

Edited May 2, 2015 by weatherboy80

[Clarea]

I would do the same except I believe you can't use OBC for anything preordered? Our plan is to use our OBC mostly for wine.

That's correct, OBC can only be used for purchases made on board the ship.

[golfer20]

What are the prices for the wines by the glass? Thanks

[Clarea]

What are the prices for the wines by the glass? Thanks

Wine list:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=46082438&postcount=1

[weatherboy80]

Since the package likely won't be available in the near future and we eat in the specialty restaurants fairly often I'm hoping they will let us order bottles off the somewhat cheaper MDR wine list :confused:

Edited May 5, 2015 by weatherboy80

[weatherboy80]

Here is what I just received by email from RCCL on the wine package. Certainly looks like they want to push you towards the various drink packages.

 

Dear Mr. XXX:

 

Thank you for your email. We apologize for the delay in our response. Thank you for taking the time to contact us about the recent discontinuation of our Wine and Dine Package. Please rest assured that this decision was preceded by extensive research in order to better meet the needs and preferences of our valued guests. We are sorry to hear that you do not share our enthusiasm regarding the changes that have been made. We are concerned that the dissatisfaction that you have described about this change has negatively affected your opinion of Royal Caribbean International. Our only desire is to provide you with the best cruise vacation and we apologize for any impact this has had on your experience with us.

 

Please note that the Select, Premium, and Ultimate all-inclusive beverage packages offer guests 20% off bottles of wine. Additionally, premium wines are offered by the glass in all three of these affordable packages. Any time that we retire an existing package or product it is always with the aim of offering an improved value or higher quality to our guests. Rest assured, we recognize the importance of thoroughly evaluating our guests’ concerns and we are continually monitoring our product and services to ensure we meet the expectations of our customers. Your constructive comments will be used in our efforts to ensure we are providing the best cruise vacation possible for our guests.

 

We would like to take the opportunity to welcome you back on Royal Caribbean International as a Gold member of our Crown & Anchor Society. As a member of our loyalty program, you will receive an exclusive invitation to our Welcome Back Party during your upcoming cruise vacation. Hosted by our Loyalty & Cruise Sales staff, our Welcome Back Party keeps the onboard excitement going with complimentary beverages, an introduction to members of our onboard staff, and much more. Enjoy this opportunity to meet and greet other Crown & Anchor Society members. Please see your invitation or our Loyalty & Cruise Sales staff onboard for the time and location of this exclusive event. Remember that you earn one Cruise Point for each night you sail, and the more Cruise Points, the more onboard benefits you get. Did you know that you earn an additional point for each night booked in a Junior Suite or above? That is like taking two cruises at once when it comes to cruise point accrual! It is a wonderful way to enhance your onboard experience while simultaneously elevating your membership to the Platinum tier. We're always looking for ways to recognize and reward our Crown & Anchor Society Members. To see all the exclusive benefits available to our valued loyal guests, just visit the Crown & Anchor Society section of our website.

 

Sincerely,

ZZZ

Customer Service

Edited May 5, 2015 by weatherboy80

[Folk Singer]

Still like the Wine Package better. But Oh, Well.

[janrey1234]

Even at the lowest package for 3 people we would have to purchase 27 bottles of wine at $35 to break even. Sorry no. Does anyone know if Vintages is still offering their wine of the day specials which often were in the $25-$28 range.

[weatherboy80]

No way we would buy a package either since the occasional glass or bottle of wine is just about the only thing we drink whether on vacation or at home.

 

I wonder if they have the drink of the day on the Radiance class as well? Here's Hoping wine prices (bottle or glass) haven't gone up yet again before we cruise in a few weeks :confused:

[JazzieB]

Does anyone know if they are offering this on Explorer after the dry-dock? Thanks

[plowboy920]

Does anyone know if they are offering this on Explorer after the dry-dock? Thanks

 

IF, and that's a big IF, They bring it back it would probably be fleet wide from what we've heard. :confused: