Question for recent wine drinkers on Escape

[Alaska Lily]

I recently saw a post with a photo of a wine list that showed wines offered by the glass that contained several choices of each type of wine. There were several brands of chardonnay. Now, I'm following Gambee's review and he posted a photo yesterday of a list that contained only Meridian chardonnay. Is there a more extensive selection available in MDR or some bars/restaurants?:confused:

[KeithJenner]

There is a wine bar on the Escape which has quite an extensive list. Perhaps that's what you had previously seen.

[hawkeyetlse]

Victress2007 posted a wine menu from a very recent Escape cruise in this thread:

Latest wine menu from Escape May 2016

 

There is still only one chardonnay under $15, but the selection of wines by the glass is much better than what people are reporting for the rest of the fleet (here, for example).

Edited May 16, 2016 by hawkeyetlse

[GeezerCouple]

For some reason, NCL seems to have a "short wine list" that keeps getting copied here, and their regular longer "Fleet Wide Wine List", with a considerably larger selection of wines.

 

I don't understand why they even have a list that is more limited, given the confusion it causes.

 

[Pride of America *might* be different because of the special Hawaii liquor laws, but that might only affect the "no beverage packages" issue.]

 

:confused:

[hawkeyetlse]

The "fleetwide wine list" is dated June 2015 and it is completely out of date as far as the prices and the selection of wines by the glass are concerned. I don't understand why they don't take it off the website, if they can't be bothered to actually update it.

 

Once you are on board, it's the menu they give you that counts, and it doesn't matter what wine lists you may have seen on-line when researching your cruise. That's why it's useful for people to keep posting the current menus from current cruises. Because NCL keeps changing them.

[GeezerCouple]

The "fleetwide wine list" is dated June 2015 and it is completely out of date as far as the prices and the selection of wines by the glass are concerned. I don't understand why they don't take it off the website, if they can't be bothered to actually update it.

 

Once you are on board, it's the menu they give you that counts, and it doesn't matter what wine lists you may have seen on-line when researching your cruise. That's why it's useful for people to keep posting the current menus from current cruises. Because NCL keeps changing them.

 

I received that Fleet Wide Wine List (yes, dated 2015) on May 10, 2016, directly from NCL Miami.

 

Here is the text, which refers in part to our query about a favorite cabernet that was on the full list, but not on the shorter one:

 

"Good morning all,

Please see the updated wine list that we offer...

I have reviewed the list and the only bottle that I could find close to the desired wine bottle is... Cabernet Silver Oak $129.00...

 

<Name & Title, NCL Miami corporate address>"

 

I think we had made a mistake and asked about "Silver Leaf cabernet", not Silver Oak.

(There are more expensive wines that we really do not like at all, and some within several dollars less. For the difference, we much prefer the Silver Leaf. We can't hand carry on airlines any favored bottles from our cellar like we did pre-9/11, unfortunately. If we subtract thee 20% discount, and also account for the corkage fee if we carried on to the ship something purchased locally, this works best for us, plus not running around local liquor stores in less familiar port cities...)

 

Three wine lists were attached:

1) "Wine List" [THIS is the full wine list, Fleet Wide]

2) "2 Panel Wine Lists Escape" [THIS is the shorter list circulating]

3) "The Cellars Inserts Menu Black 7"

 

All we cared about was that FULL "Fleet wide" list.

[hawkeyetlse]

The OP asked about wines by the glass, and everything people have reported since the beginning of this year is that most of the ones listed on the first page of the 6/15 Fleetwide Wine list are no longer available, and those that are still available have all gone up in price.

 

The Fleetwide Wine List may still be current concerning the wines available by the bottle, but again all of the prices are outdated. So like I said, it is a problem that they leave this list on the website, and it is a problem if NCL agents continue to quote prices from this list. On one of the menus I linked to above (looks like it is dated 12/15, so it may also be out of date), Silver Oak is listed for $139/bottle, not $129. By the time you take your cruise, it may be higher again.

[Victress2007]

There is a shorter wine list (as posted by Gambee) in the MDR and restaurants. Each has a slightly different list determined by their menu. You may be able to get something off the larger wine cellar list, I don't know, we never had a problem with the offerings with dinner.

 

This link is to the room service menu for wine on Gambee's review, he posted a bar wine menu on page 11.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2355987&page=9

 

Vic

Edited May 16, 2016 by Victress2007

[GeezerCouple]

The OP asked about wines by the glass, and everything people have reported since the beginning of this year is that most of the ones listed on the first page of the 6/15 Fleetwide Wine list are no longer available, and those that are still available have all gone up in price.

 

The Fleetwide Wine List may still be current concerning the wines available by the bottle, but again all of the prices are outdated. So like I said, it is a problem that they leave this list on the website, and it is a problem if NCL agents continue to quote prices from this list. On one of the menus I linked to above (looks like it is dated 12/15, so it may also be out of date), Silver Oak is listed for $139/bottle, not $129. By the time you take your cruise, it may be higher again.

 

Fair enough about the pricing, so thanks.

I do think we paid $129 last year, and the new price is $139, which I hadn't noticed (and, um, er, neither did the NCL folks in Miami, either, which is much more of a problem!).

 

But my post was more in response to some posts suggesting that the "2 panel list" (now I know the official name, at least) was the FULL list, period, and not just for "by the glass".

... which leads to another question/problem...

 

Isn't the shorter list showing that Mondavi M for $30/glass?

Well... that doesn't seem to appear on the "Full List" -- so what else isn't accurate, eh? THAT is a different problem.

[hawkeyetlse]

Isn't the shorter list showing that Mondavi M for $30/glass?

Well... that doesn't seem to appear on the "Full List" -- so what else isn't accurate, eh?

The partnership with Mondavi is only on the Escape, so there are wines that are offered only on the Escape, and not fleetwide.

[GeezerCouple]

The partnership with Mondavi is only on the Escape, so there are wines that are offered only on the Escape, and not fleetwide.

 

Hmmm... that Mondavi M is available by the bottle on the Fleet wide wine list.

 

But I noticed (belatedly) that the M by the glass was a "monthly special".

Makes me wonder whether NCL really reprints that 2-panel wine list each month.... :confused:

 

Getting information from NCL is sometimes, um, challenging.

And incorrect information is much worse, usually, than incomplete information, although both types seem frequent.

 

Thanks.

[luv2cruisecats]

Having just left the Escape on 5/7/16 and having the beverage package (like perhaps 80% of people on board) the only Chardonnay covered with the UBP is Meridian. You can still buy Mondavi by the bottle (not cheap) and if Platinum can still get a bottle of Mondavi with your free dinner at Le Bistro or La Cacina. And yes each Platinum passenger still gets a free dinner for 2 with a free bottle of wine certificate (FDR has not cut this...yet).

 

Hope this helps...

[Alaska Lily]

Having just left the Escape on 5/7/16 and having the beverage package (like perhaps 80% of people on board) the only Chardonnay covered with the UBP is Meridian. You can still buy Mondavi by the bottle (not cheap) and if Platinum can still get a bottle of Mondavi with your free dinner at Le Bistro or La Cacina. And yes each Platinum passenger still gets a free dinner for 2 with a free bottle of wine certificate (FDR has not cut this...yet).

 

Hope this helps...

Were there other offerings of chardonnay by the glass for an up charge?

 

Thanks to all for weighing in. Not sure why ncl makes this so difficult???