Wine Package

[tlm]

DH and I did a search on here last night to get everyon'e take on ordering the wine package. Based on the information we found we decided to wait till we board the ship on the chance that we may be able to order a wine package at a discount.

 

I was speaking to Ship's Services this morning on another matter and mentioned the wine package and how we were going to wait to order on the ship. The lady told me that if you order in advance that there is no 15% gratuity charged. If we waited to order on the ship there is a gratuity charge( which is no surprise).

 

I also asked about a list of wines that you can choose within the package. She told me the Somalier (sp?) brings you a list with a choice of about 18 wines you can pick from.

 

Can someone clarify this?

 

Thanks

Toni

[aaerobear]

They are correct, we bought the wine package on our last HAL cruise. The Wine Steward was very helpful and had a separate menu of the wines available for this promotion.

 

Ed

[iceman93]

And the wines are very "standard" with the package. They range from horrible to acceptable, but nothing better than that. If you don't mind cheap wine, then this is indeed a way to save a few bucks, but if you want to be able to choose more enjoyable selections then you're best off buying by the bottle.

[Two@Sea]

And the wines are very "standard" with the package. They range from horrible to acceptable, but nothing better than that. If you don't mind cheap wine, then this is indeed a way to save a few bucks, but if you want to be able to choose more enjoyable selections then you're best off buying by the bottle.

 

Our TA has included "4 Bottles of Wine" with our cruise. We have not sailed with HAL previously, so have to presume this is a gift of the "package" mentioned here. I am not a wine snob, but do have preferences, so am wondering if it is possible to trade the 4 "horrible to acceptable" bottles for one good one?

 

I know... I'm kicking a gift horse in the mouth, and feel properly ashamed of myself.

[Marbella]

Hello again Two@Sea,

 

We purchased the wine package a few years ago when we sailed the Amsterdam throught the Panama Canal. The wine steward was quite helpful. We do enjoy our wine---dry white for me and red for my DH. The wines, for us , were perfectly acceptable.

I found it quite interesting, after one trip to Europe, to check out some of the wines we had there, and compare the price charged back home. Unbelievable markup!!

 

Enjoy the wine and happy sailing!!

[willowoodf]

Hint - work up a good relationship with your wine steward. He just MIGHT trade one or two of those "so-so" bottles with a better one! Shhhh....

[Cruisin Kay D]

Two@Sea: We also received the 4 bottles of chardonnay wine with each week of our B2B recently on Westerdam, but that is NOT the wine package. The gift wines are worth about $18 and the wine package ones are in the $25-$30 range for package price of $24 per. I believe there were only 8 or 9 choices in the package. (Actually we LOVED the Dornfelder German red wine that is offered in the package!!)

 

The 1st night we took a gift bottle to dinner and tried it but didn't like it that much, so the next night when we took in a bottle, the wine steward allowed us to "upgrade" it to a better wine & pay the difference, and we continued to do this with wines that week.

 

The 2nd week of 4 gift bottles consisted of 2 different brands of chardonnay from 1st week, one of which we liked and other we didn't.

 

Hope this info helps you. (Sorry but I didn't bring home a wine package list!)

[geoherb]

I emailed my question about the wine packages to HAL. I received a nice response from some with Ship Services. It included a scanned image of a wine list with typical selections from the packages.

 

The list for the $144 package was:

 

Chase-Limogere, Brut

Beringer White Zinfandel

Santa Margherita Pinto Grigio

Arianna Chardonnay

Caliterra Sauvignon Blanc

Nathanson Creek Chardonnay

George Duboeuf Beaujolais Villages

Tarapaca Merlot

Arianna Merlot

Nathanson Creek Cabertnet Sauvignon

 

I checked them out. They appear to be primarily wines that sell locally for $4.50 to $7.50 per bottle. She did say that the actual wines I would have a choice of may vary from this list.

[Nor'Eastah]

Our wine steward on the Zuiderdam allowed several people in our party to "upgrade" both the promotional wine received from the travel agent and the wines from the Navigator wine package. He just deducted the price of the original wine from the price of the wine of our choosing.

 

If it's not offered - just ask, everyone was very accomodating.:)

[RuthC]

I don't drink wine. I've been allowed to trade-in gift bottles for the same value in cocktails.

[Two@Sea]

Thank you ALL for sharing your knowledge. As a HAL newbie (only Celebrity previously) your information is valued and appreciated. I would never have known that the "promotional wine" is not the same as the "wine package" or that whatever we receive can be upgraded. Thank you, again!

[Aussie Gal]

And the wines are very "standard" with the package. They range from horrible to acceptable, but nothing better than that. If you don't mind cheap wine, then this is indeed a way to save a few bucks, but if you want to be able to choose more enjoyable selections then you're best off buying by the bottle.

 

 

I heartily agree with this. Two years ago I thought I would surprise my DH and bought the wine package from the list on the website. The wines ranged from barely drinkable to horrible.

 

This year we waited until we boarded and then chose the top of the range package. The wines were terrific and we enjoyed all of them. You pay for what you get!

 

Jennie

[frbob]

I agree with AussieGal...HAL's wine lists and packages need upgrading. They're selling more and more cheap wines at higher and higher prices. Perhaps a Signature of Excellence program on wines would be appropriate. :)

[CJC]

All of the above comments are the reason we are bringing our own wine of choice with us!

[iceman93]

Coincidentally, on the cruise I just took there was a new crew member on board--the "Cellarmaster". He came from Fairmont Hotels and was hired, basically, to spruce up the wine lists and wine programs on board, ship by ship. We had many fascinating conversations, and I'm optimistic that we're (eventually) going to see some positive changes in this area!