Exchanging "Welcome" Bottle of Wine

[jasm8449]

I understand it is possible to exchange the bottle of wine we receive in a CC cabin for something else. How do we do this?

[Phxazzcruisers]

Talk to your butler or the sommelier in the restaurant. There is no firm policy on this, you will get many different answers, but the sommelier or butler should be able to assist you

[diesel1973]

In the past I have always had the room steward handle it. Sometimes it takes a couple of days but it gets done.

[ailetoile]

On Silhouette in March I got a firm no from my room steward, but since that was far from the only complaint about him I'd say that he was the problem and not a recent policy change. Just know that you may find some resistance about making the change.

[rogfam]

We were just on the Equinox and had no trouble exchanging the bottle of sparkling for a bottle of red. Room stewart could not have been more accommodating

Edited June 7, 2015 by rogfam

[STLCRUISIN]

When we were on the Eclipse in February '14 we asked our sommelier who told us 'no, it can't be done.' We were surprised since we've heard and read so many others have been successful is getting it changed. We should have asked our room steward :rolleyes:

[Musigurl]

We leave the bottle on the bed with a note requesting the switch and a tip, of course! Never a problem.

[ghstudio]

We have never had a problem.

 

I used to ask the room steward if they would change the bottle and gave a $10 tip. This proved awkward when one cruise, the head of housekeeping refused to let him do it. They aren't, in fact, supposed to do it and you are asking them to do something they could be reprimanded for.

 

I have had 100% success since then by going to dinner the first night and asking the sommelier if I could bring the bottle of sparkling wine the next night and either exchange it or get credit towards another bottle of wine. Once, the sommelier just did a flat exchange for a bottle of celebrity house red...every other time, they have just given us a $28 credit towards another bottle.

 

I suggest you try my current approach above rather than putting your room steward at risk.

 

Of course different folks have different experiences.

[jsf]

On a recent Equinox T/A cruise our room attendant exchanged our bottle for 3 large bottles of water. It took a couple of days because he said he had to check with someone.

J.

[lovey1103]

No such luck on recent Solstice. Cabin steward said he would try but could make no promises. Actually, I don't think he tried at all.

[bothluv2cruise]

We also tried to make the switch while on our cruise to Alaska on the Solstice. DH asked the room steward but was told it was not possible as the bottle was complimentary. We left it at that.

[florisdekort]

No such luck on recent Solstice. Cabin steward said he would try but could make no promises. Actually, I don't think he tried at all.

 

 

So because he didn't succeed you just assume he didn't try? Nice...

 

I think it's odd to try and swap a gift. If you find a fruit basket in your hotel room, do you ask the maid to swap it for a cheese plate? :/ It's interesting how the feeling of entitlement seems to be stronger on a cruise ship as in a hotel.

[Cruiseline Virgin]

There will be a time when Celebrity cancel the complimentary bottle, because the return to the store is so high and X will assume there is no interest from the guests

 

Then there will be another uproar on how cruise lines "cut" corners :rolleyes:

 

I not look a gifted horse in the mouth

Edited June 8, 2015 by Cruiseline Virgin

[ghstudio]

There will be a time when Celebrity cancel the complimentary bottle, because the return to the store is so high and X will assume there is no interest from the guests

 

Then there will be another uproar on how cruise lines "cut" corners :rolleyes:

 

I not look a gifted horse in the mouth

 

I'm sure Celebrity has already looked at cutting each and every perk on board as part of their normal business process.

 

They need to have something other than extra points to justify any premium for concierge class. As some have noticed, since all non suite cabins are the same size, folks like us have found that there are 1A cabins that are better than many, if not most of the A2 and A1 cabins on the S-class. At least on the M-class you get a larger cabin with concierge or above....and that's worth something. S-class...not so much. The sparkling wine has an air of "luxury" so I'm pretty sure that it will remain.

Edited June 8, 2015 by ghstudio

[OzKiwiJJ]

So because he didn't succeed you just assume he didn't try? Nice...

 

I think it's odd to try and swap a gift. If you find a fruit basket in your hotel room, do you ask the maid to swap it for a cheese plate? :/ It's interesting how the feeling of entitlement seems to be stronger on a cruise ship as in a hotel.

 

Not much of a gift if you don't drink alcohol. :rolleyes:

[Cruiseline Virgin]

Should X send emails to every guest and ask, what gift they like to have? If its a fruit basket, what kind of fruit they like to have? If it's a bottle of wine, red, white, shiraz, cabernet, riesling????

 

Maybe it is an idea for returning guests, as hotels do note the returning guests preferences as well.

 

For a hotel ok, but for a ship I think would be a logistic nightmare

[wallie5446]

On the Reflection in 2013 our cabin steward took care of the exchange. Last yr on the Equinox one of the Som's had to do it.

[smtcan]

We didn't consider asking our room steward on our recent cruise. We asked the wine waiter in the dining room. He said there were two types of sparkling wine used, one was on the wine list, the other was not. He suggested we bring the bottle the following evening and he would check for us. We were able to exchange for a bottle of red and enjoyed that with our dinner. Neither of us drinks sparkling wine, and if we had not been able to exchange it we would have given it away or left it in the cabin.

 

Sheila

[Jane2357]

We are talking about the sparkling wine correct? While it isn't "good" wine it isn't un-drinkable to me :p We usually drink it on our balcony during sail away and with the excitement of getting vacation started - we don't notice the taste - lol. Sometimes we bring OJ up one morning and make mimosas to sip while we sail. If we want better wine for room or at dinner we are prepared to purchase those.

[Beamafar]

Perhaps a 'welcome' voucher could be left in each cabin with a list to choose from of what would best suit individual needs to be redeemed at relevant venues at a later date - not everybody drinks sparkling wine, or alcohol at all. It seems that some people really do miss out on the buzz of receiving a 'welcome' gift, otherwise. I know I like to see a bottle of bubbly awaiting me. However, DH doesn't drink the stuff so a bottle of red in the MDR would more suit us. Maybe non-drinkers could choose a basket of fruit organised by their cabin steward sometime into the sailing or a box of chocs from one of the shops using the voucher. Then everyone could feel a sense of satisfaction of enjoying their favoured treats in their cabin.

[BosoxI]

First, let me say I don't view the sparkling wine as a gift horse. We all are paying for it in what increasingly can be rather exorbitant prices. With that in mind we always trade the sparkling wine in. I'll ask the sommelier if it's possible, and when he says "yes" I'll wrap the bottle in a towel and discreetly take it to the dining room the next night We've never had a real problem, though one sommelier seemed to be a bit put out. Too bad, mister. We've been givien credits ranging between $28 and $34 dollars. From our standpoint any credit is welcome, as we wouldn't enjoy a bottle of cheap sparkling wine.

I don't understand why some think this is a bad thing to do. My bottle will wind up in someone else's cabin on the next cruise. Who knows? It might be the modern equivalent of fruit cake.

[CanadianDee]

My bottle will wind up in someone else's cabin on the next cruise. Who knows? It might be the modern equivalent of fruit cake.

 

LOL. I read this just as I was wondering (except for Jane - thanks for the mimosa idea!) if *anyone* drank the gift bottle.

[gotcha3]

We made it about halfway through before we dumped it down the facilities. Hmmmm, that was on Millenium, maybe that is where the sticky smells come from.

[SNJCruisers]

We've been givien credits ranging between $28 and $34 dollars.

Was the credit only for the purchase of a different or more expensive wine or could you use it towards a nice cognac or craft beer that was over and above the premium package limit?

[Queen of Oakville]

how does one get a complimentary bottle of wine in the first place?

 

We had a "gift" from our travel agent last cruise - which was a white zinfandel (not to our taste) and we had drink packages. We just left it in the room, and mentioned to the room steward that he could have it or give it away.