Educate me on the 'Wine Packages'

[seb1899]

Let me start of by saying that cruising is pretty new to us having only on been on an Alaskan Princess Cruise in Alaska with a land portion from Fairbanks to Anchorage. When we go to Europe we travel by train and make our own hotel reservations as well as buy our train tickets on the net. We use our motor home to winter in Florida so we are not exactly ‘home bodies’.

And in the interest of ‘full disclosure‘ at an early age I learned how to squeeze a buffalo hard enough to ‘make him sweat’ (remember when the 5 cent piece had a buffalo on the back) so I am a believer in that ‘you look after the nickels the dollars look after themselves’. Having said all that I do not hold back in spending on indulgences such as food and wine. ( you might see me at Ruth Chris’ in Cary)

What is the advantage of a multiple bottle wine package either Navigator or Admiral. Is it a saving or a convenience? If you order it should you get it delivered to your cabin or do they ‘keep score’ in the dining rooms. Let’s say you have white wine from your ‘package’ and you bring it from your cabin will the sommelier chill it for you?

Are you better off just selecting the bottle of wine from the menu and just adding it to the ‘check out cost”. Would there be a good red when I have a filet in the Pinnacle dining room in the ‘package’ or would I be better of with a selection from the wine list assuming there would be a Brunello or Barolo available??

We will have several days in Santiago on the cruise to BA before we depart so we can certainly ‘stock up’ on good wines before we sail.

I should say that my choice for our second South American sojourn would have been bus thru the Andes to Mendoza and then other cities like Bariloche to BA but DW wanted to see penguins.

Like I said cruising is all new to us

[Boytjie]

When you purchase a package, the system keep tracks of what you have used so you can go to the dining room, mention you have the package and then just select a bottle from the list available.

 

We have been able to get a decent wine of the list no matter what.

 

Remember, you can also bring wine on board and pay the corkage fee ($18) for any bottle taken to a dining room, bar or lounge. You can take a bottle per adult onboard fee free for in-cabin consumption.

Edited September 26, 2015 by Boytjie

[Vict0riann]

We like the packages because the wine steward will save any "leftovers" (if there are any:D) for you for the next night, so you can open a red and a white at the same meal if you want. They will even fetch your opened bottle for you from a different restaurant. We actually prefer the whites in the Navigator's package and the reds in the Admiral's, so if the cruise is long enough, we order both.

[jaspersmycat]

We never purchased the packages until we hit 3-star Mariner which gave us a 25% discount. At 4-star it gets better - 50% discount. Without the discount, I think, if you like fine wines to bring what you like onboard and pay the corkage fee

 

The wine stewards will save any partial bottles regardless of whether it is from a package or brought in.

Edited September 27, 2015 by jaspersmycat

[Vict0riann]

We never purchased the packages until we hit 3-star Mariner which gave us a 25% discount. At 4-star it gets better - 50% discount. Without the discount, I think, if you like fine wines to bring what you like onboard and pay the corkage fee.

 

Very true! The packages are a much better deal at 50% off!:)

 

And we do bring on some bottles of special wines.

[Boytjie]

We like the packages because the wine steward will save any "leftovers" (if there are any:D) for you for the next night, so you can open a red and a white at the same meal if you want. They will even fetch your opened bottle for you from a different restaurant.

 

 

They do that for any wine you have at dinner: packages, single bottles or even your own that you paid corkage on. ;)

[kazu]

We like the packages because the wine steward will save any "leftovers" (if there are any:D) for you for the next night, so you can open a red and a white at the same meal if you want. They will even fetch your opened bottle for you from a different restaurant. We actually prefer the whites in the Navigator's package and the reds in the Admiral's, so if the cruise is long enough, we order both.

 

 

WOW, words out of my own mouth. We feel the same as to the whites and the reds.

 

And yes, there is some convenience to ordering a package,as the wine steward will be around. Mind you if you bring on a bottle, and he learns that you are going to be doing it every night, he will be around too.

 

We have always order a package and then some nights bring a bottle of our own and offer the wine steward a taste. He gives us good service with both :)

[Crew News]

Are you better off just selecting the bottle of wine from the menu and just adding it to the ‘check out cost”. Would there be a good red when I have a filet in the Pinnacle dining room in the ‘package’ or would I be better of with a selection from the wine list assuming there would be a Brunello or Barolo available??

 

Wine is very subjective so here is the Pinnacle Grill Wine List from May 2015 to see if any are acceptable:

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/here/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Pinnacle-Wine-List.pdf

[Hlitner]

First, whether you order wine via a package or just off the wine list, you can have the steward recork and save your bottle until another night. In fact, DW and I will often have 2 bottles (red and white) in storage. You do not need a package for that service. Both the Navigator and Admiral package are discounted for frequent cruisers (25 or 50%) so we have long felt that HAL chooses their list with that in mind. We think that many of the wines on the Navigator Package have traditionally been "bloody awful" but drinkable. The Admiral Package is somewhat better (and also costs more) but not memorable. If we want really good wine we bring aboard our own supply and pay the corkage fee. This does make a lot of sense if you want more expensive wines. If you buy a $40 wine ashore, and pay $18 corkage, you would be enjoying a $58 bottle investment that would likely cost you a lot more from the wine list (if it was on the wine list). As an example, Northstar Merlot listed by HAL at $92 would actually cost you over $100 when they add the mandatory 15% (or is it now 18%) service charge. But you can find that same wine in a decent wine shop for about $30. Add the $18 corkage and your $100+ bottle now costs you $48! The Saggi Meritage can be found at some wine shops for less then $50 a bottle versus more then $100 if purchased on the Pinnacle. This explains why we have seen passengers at embarkation on our longer HAL cruises who have multiple cases of wine coming aboard.

 

I also should be clear that we are not being critical of HAL since their markup's are not much worse then many restaurants. It is just a fact of life for Oenophiles.

 

Hank

Edited September 27, 2015 by Hlitner

[seb1899]

Ok, I think I know how the packages work, Especially if we do our selection in the dining rooms.

 

I have a couple of more questions:

 

Are the wine packages available after you board (we have a sizeable on board credit) and we would like to use the credit for payment or must they be purchased prior to sailing?

 

Also looking at the liquor packages for example the Vodka & Tonic package does it need to be ordered and paid for prior to boarding or is this available to be ordered after sailing if you so choose.

 

Final clarification concerning wine carried on board.

 

I know 2 bottles are exempt from surcharge/corkage for in room consumption. I understand that If I chose to consume one in a dining room it is subject to corkage fee ($18 I think) But lets say I bring 6 bottles on board 2 are exempt - in room consumption only and the other 4 would be subject to surcharge/corkage (again $18. each I think) so would the 4 that were surcharged be eligable for dining room consumption without an additional charge being levied or would there be a dining room corkage fee on the already paid bottles making the cost to consume your own wine at dinner $36. per bottle?

 

If there is only one corkage fee how do they differentiate between the bottles that are 'paid for when you board' and those that are 'free' for in room consumption.

 

Thanks for furthering my 'Cruising Education'

[madera1]

I can respond to your first question as we normally wait until onboard before ordering our wine packages so we can determine which wines they actually include. Thus we can use OBC to offset the wine charge.

 

 

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Edited October 4, 2015 by madera1

[kazu]

Ok, I think I know how the packages work, Especially if we do our selection in the dining rooms.

 

I have a couple of more questions:

 

Are the wine packages available after you board (we have a sizeable on board credit) and we would like to use the credit for payment or must they be purchased prior to sailing? absolutely

 

Also looking at the liquor packages for example the Vodka & Tonic package does it need to be ordered and paid for prior to boarding or is this available to be ordered after sailing if you so choose. available on board, no problem. You can order liquor, whatever for your cabin.

 

Final clarification concerning wine carried on board.

 

I know 2 bottles are exempt from surcharge/corkage for in room consumption. I understand that If I chose to consume one in a dining room it is subject to corkage fee ($18 I think) But lets say I bring 6 bottles on board 2 are exempt - in room consumption only and the other 4 would be subject to surcharge/corkage (again $18. each I think) so would the 4 that were surcharged be eligable for dining room consumption without an additional charge being levied or would there be a dining room corkage fee on the already paid bottles making the cost to consume your own wine at dinner $36. per bottle?

 

If there is only one corkage fee how do they differentiate between the bottles that are 'paid for when you board' and those that are 'free' for in room consumption. You pay the corkage on the excess bottles as you board (embarkation or any port). The stewards record what you bought and put stickers on the bottles. So the stickers indicate that corkage has been paid and you will not be charged corkage in the public areas. No additional corkage.

 

Your bottles that are the "free" entitlement are for consumption in the stateroom so, as you surmised, if you take them to a public area, they will be subject to corkage.

 

Best rule - make sure that the bottles you want for your room don't get stickers and the ones you want to take to the dining room, etc. get the stickers.

 

Thanks for furthering my 'Cruising Education'

 

I tried to help you above. My comments are in red.

[hugger]

ok, say we decide to bring our own wine onboard and pay the corkage. It appear's to me that with our 25% discount for being 3 star on the Navigator and Wine packages may still make it a high price per bottle.

 

As compared to buying our own and paying the 18.00 corkage fee.

 

However, we have a good amount of OBC this cruise. Can you tell me is the corkage fee applied to your onboard account so that we could use our OBC to pay for it???

[kazu]

ok, say we decide to bring our own wine onboard and pay the corkage. It appear's to me that with our 25% discount for being 3 star on the Navigator and Wine packages may still make it a high price per bottle.

 

As compared to buying our own and paying the 18.00 corkage fee.

 

However, we have a good amount of OBC this cruise. Can you tell me is the corkage fee applied to your onboard account so that we could use our OBC to pay for it???

 

All charges are deducted from your OBC so no problem at all.

 

The first thing to be charged to your OBC will be your corkage fee ;)

 

no problem at all. that's how it always works for us.

[DaveOKC]

ok, say we decide to bring our own wine onboard and pay the corkage. It appear's to me that with our 25% discount for being 3 star on the Navigator and Wine packages may still make it a high price per bottle.

 

As compared to buying our own and paying the 18.00 corkage fee.

 

However, we have a good amount of OBC this cruise. Can you tell me is the corkage fee applied to your onboard account so that we could use our OBC to pay for it???

 

Sounds like a good idea to bring your own and pay the corkage fee with you OBC. The first bottle (per person) is free, as long as you consume it in your cabin.

 

I agree that with 25% off, the packages are still a bit high, but once you get to 4 Stars and get a 50% discount its pretty much a "wash" versus bringing your own onboard. Of course, the 25% off price you get can be used with OBC, just to be clear.

[hugger]

It appear's to me we are better off taking our own wine and paying the corkage with our OBC. As then we'll most likely do better than 40.00 to 45.00 per bottle with our 25% discount and then add the 18% service charge that the wine packages offer.

 

We do have to lug it with us this way - which isn't that big a deal as we drive to port and over pack anyway :o

 

Thanks again

[cabinluvn]

We have done wine packages on two cruises. There seemed to be confusion each time we ordered our wine with dinner. Not so much in the MDR, but we asked for one of our bottles in the lido, one in the crows nest and once in the Pinnacle. Each time it seemed to throw the server off and it took a long time to get out wine to us. We had one bottle capped for later(it was opened in the Pinnacle) and when we asked for it when in the MDR the next night, they could not find it. They made it right by giving us a whole new bottle, but it all took time and dinner was well on its way by the time we got it. We asked for our left over bottles at the end of the cruise...ones we had not opened..and that threw them into tizzy as well. We have a package for our upcoming Panama Canal cruise and hope it goes better. Not sure if the problem was with us or them. Maybe one n ends to call ahead to where ever you might want to drink the wine and ask for it to be sent there at s specific time?

 

 

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[kazu]

We have done wine packages on two cruises. There seemed to be confusion each time we ordered our wine with dinner. Not so much in the MDR, but we asked for one of our bottles in the lido, one in the crows nest and once in the Pinnacle. Each time it seemed to throw the server off and it took a long time to get out wine to us. We had one bottle capped for later(it was opened in the Pinnacle) and when we asked for it when in the MDR the next night, they could not find it. They made it right by giving us a whole new bottle, but it all took time and dinner was well on its way by the time we got it. We asked for our left over bottles at the end of the cruise...ones we had not opened..and that threw them into tizzy as well. We have a package for our upcoming Panama Canal cruise and hope it goes better. Not sure if the problem was with us or them. Maybe one n ends to call ahead to where ever you might want to drink the wine and ask for it to be sent there at s specific time?

 

 

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haven't had this problem. If we know we are dining in the PG the next night we let our waiters know anyways so just ask our wine steward to send our bottle over. The other solution is to leave your 1/2 bottle in the MDR (assuming you have a wine package) and order a fresh one from your package - especially if you are with friends ;)

 

We never had a wait and if we decided last minute we simply told them our room number, what wine package we had and ordered. Easy ;)

[hugger]

as ALWAYS I can count on CCer's to help me get the right information!

[kelleherdl]

 

And yes, there is some convenience to ordering a package,as the wine steward will be around. Mind you if you bring on a bottle, and he learns that you are going to be doing it every night, he will be around too.

 

We have always order a package and then some nights bring a bottle of our own and offer the wine steward a taste. He gives us good service with both :)

 

This past cruise we either had a particularly good wine steward in the dining room, or was it that we purchased a package the first night instead of pre-order on line? I venture it was the latter. :)

 

Dennis

[POA1]

haven't had this problem. If we know we are dining in the PG the next night we let our waiters know anyways so just ask our wine steward to send our bottle over. The other solution is to leave your 1/2 bottle in the MDR (assuming you have a wine package) and order a fresh one from your package - especially if you are with friends ;)

 

We never had a wait and if we decided last minute we simply told them our room number, what wine package we had and ordered. Easy ;)

Exactly. Send your bottles on ahead. It's a huge time saver.

[Cruising-along]

This past cruise we either had a particularly good wine steward in the dining room, or was it that we purchased a package the first night instead of pre-order on line? I venture it was the latter. :)

 

Dennis

 

You never know. Our last cruise we pre-ordered a package and yet we had an amazing wine steward.

 

We did order another package through him plus a wine tasting later in the cruise, but seriously, he was the best from the first night through the whole cruise. :) He may have been hoping to be rewarded with a generous tip, which he deserved and got at the end of the cruise. :)

[3rdGenCunarder]

We have done wine packages on two cruises. There seemed to be confusion each time we ordered our wine with dinner. Not so much in the MDR, but we asked for one of our bottles in the lido, one in the crows nest and once in the Pinnacle. Each time it seemed to throw the server off and it took a long time to get out wine to us. We had one bottle capped for later(it was opened in the Pinnacle) and when we asked for it when in the MDR the next night, they could not find it. They made it right by giving us a whole new bottle, but it all took time and dinner was well on its way by the time we got it. We asked for our left over bottles at the end of the cruise...ones we had not opened..and that threw them into tizzy as well. We have a package for our upcoming Panama Canal cruise and hope it goes better. Not sure if the problem was with us or them. Maybe one n ends to call ahead to where ever you might want to drink the wine and ask for it to be sent there at s specific time?

 

 

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(bold is mine) I never thought about this. We usually just buy bottles of wine from HAL because we don't want to bother carrying them onboard. I'm thinking about buying a package for our next cruise. I forgot that 3 stars gets us 25% off the package, which makes it a good deal compared to buying HAL's bottles. You comment raises a question. What happens if you don't use all the bottles in your package? Do you get to take the unopened one home with you?

[kazu]

(bold is mine) I never thought about this. We usually just buy bottles of wine from HAL because we don't want to bother carrying them onboard. I'm thinking about buying a package for our next cruise. I forgot that 3 stars gets us 25% off the package, which makes it a good deal compared to buying HAL's bottles. You comment raises a question. What happens if you don't use all the bottles in your package? Do you get to take the unopened one home with you?

 

If it looks like you are not going to use all of your bottles at dining, just ask for some to be sent to your cabin. You can drink them there, share with friends or take them home. There is no refund for what is not used to the best of my knowledge.

 

We have asked for bottles to be sent and it is no problem ;)

[3rdGenCunarder]

If it looks like you are not going to use all of your bottles at dining, just ask for some to be sent to your cabin. You can drink them there, share with friends or take them home. There is no refund for what is not used to the best of my knowledge.

 

We have asked for bottles to be sent and it is no problem ;)

 

Thanks! Not that I expect any wine to be left over, but it's good to know.