Liquor packages

[kennymosk]

We would like to know if the wine in the included liquor package

is good wine ???
my wife is a wine drinker I am not or do we need to upgrade our liquor package 

to get better wine

thanks 

 

 

[laurieb]

It’s really a matter of what she likes; we’ve found it to be a mixed bag with some we like and some we don’t.  You can wait until you board to make your decision.  If she finds wine she really likes, she can request it even when it’s not part of the daily offering; if it’s available it will be poured for her 

[Grandma Cruising]

6 hours ago, laurieb said:

It’s really a matter of what she likes; we’ve found it to be a mixed bag with some we like and some we don’t.  You can wait until you board to make your decision.  If she finds wine she really likes, she can request it even when it’s not part of the daily offering; if it’s available it will be poured for her 

That’s right, we’re on Pursuit at the moment. My husband liked a Viognier we had a few days ago and has been able to have it every night since.

[tv24]

We were on the Journey for 16 days this month.  The free wines offered were mediocre, drinkable, nothing special.  It is true that if you like something offered one day, it may continue to be available.  We had a lot of OBC so we bought the high level beverage package (can't remember it's lah-dee-dah name) and were somewhat happy with that.  We almost always drank the extra wines (about 15 or so) that were available from this package at $22 per person per day.  Sometimes we drank the higher level spirits available with the package.  We got our money's worth, but I'm left with the feeling that AZ is far from an "all inclusive" beverage line as the basic wine offerings are so limited.  In the end it felt like a mass market line with a few free drinks.

[newmexicoNita]

On 11/29/2019 at 9:05 PM, tv24 said:

We were on the Journey for 16 days this month.  The free wines offered were mediocre, drinkable, nothing special.  It is true that if you like something offered one day, it may continue to be available.  We had a lot of OBC so we bought the high level beverage package (can't remember it's lah-dee-dah name) and were somewhat happy with that.  We almost always drank the extra wines (about 15 or so) that were available from this package at $22 per person per day.  Sometimes we drank the higher level spirits available with the package.  We got our money's worth, but I'm left with the feeling that AZ is far from an "all inclusive" beverage line as the basic wine offerings are so limited.  In the end it felt like a mass market line with a few free drinks.

Wow, your description of AZ is very different from any other I have every read, when you refer to it as being just like any mass marketed lines with a few drinks thrown in. Are you referring just to the liquor package or are you referring to the entire cruise experience  including food, service  and entertainment?

[tv24]

4 hours ago, newmexicoNita said:

Wow, your description of AZ is very different from any other I have every read, when you refer to it as being just like any mass marketed lines with a few drinks thrown in. Are you referring just to the liquor package or are you referring to the entire cruise experience  including food, service  and entertainment?

Sadly I still stick with my quote, slightly qualified.  There are free gratuities on AZ.  And the lunch and breakfast buffets are better than the mass market lines (Cunard, Celebrity, Princess).  But food in the main dining room, entertainment, and on-board activities are pretty much the same.

[laurieb]

Huh.  I guess it’s all perspective and expectations. It doesn’t seem like mass market to me at all!  

[Grandma Cruising]

5 hours ago, laurieb said:

Huh.  I guess it’s all perspective and expectations. It doesn’t seem like mass market to me at all!  

Same here - nothing like!

[newmexicoNita]

3 hours ago, Host Grandma Cruising said:

Same here - nothing like!

we are about to take our first AZ cruise so I will wait until I return to judge, but from what I have heard from our TA, many friends and some posting here, tv has a very different idea of what is better. I am hoping he is one in a million. We have cruised over 40 times, so have a pretty good idea of what we expect from AZ. Most of our cruises have been on mass marketed lines I will add.  

[BBMacLaird]

On 12/2/2019 at 7:54 AM, tv24 said:

Sadly I still stick with my quote, slightly qualified.  There are free gratuities on AZ.  And the lunch and breakfast buffets are better than the mass market lines (Cunard, Celebrity, Princess).  But food in the main dining room, entertainment, and on-board activities are pretty much the same.

 

Dear tv24, I hope you're not going AWOL on Azamara! I would point out our crew to pax ratio is MUCH better than on the mass-market lines, as well as our service levels and friendliness. The size of our ships I find ideal...big enough to have plenty of public spaces, but small enough to get to know lots of people, and small enough that our ships can get into the less-frequented ports.

The other reason I hope you're not forsaking us is I get a smile whenever I see your tv24 handle on this forum. I am reminded of the channel 24 tv commercials of my youth. If not mistaken there were a series of dogs sitting in chairs?

[tv24]

3 hours ago, BBMacLaird said:

 

Dear tv24, I hope you're not going AWOL on Azamara! I would point out our crew to pax ratio is MUCH better than on the mass-market lines, as well as our service levels and friendliness. The size of our ships I find ideal...big enough to have plenty of public spaces, but small enough to get to know lots of people, and small enough that our ships can get into the less-frequented ports.

The other reason I hope you're not forsaking us is I get a smile whenever I see your tv24 handle on this forum. I am reminded of the channel 24 tv commercials of my youth. If not mistaken there were a series of dogs sitting in chairs?

I knew I would get some push back from my comments, and I admit they were rather harsh.  I don't want to discourage the many fans of AZ.  And Bonnie, your kind comments are appreciated, as well as the generous assistance you provide so many cruisers.  Yes the ships are much smaller, and I like that, and that is indeed different than the big ships that the mass market lines use.  We have enjoyed all of our 5 AZ cruises, and I am really not complaining, just remarking that there's not a big difference.  I really have a hard time finding any difference in the areas of food, entertainment, and activities on board.  We are not going AWOL and will continue to include AZ in our plans, for the right itinerary and the right suite.  But one more issue...the end of the casinos on board may be the deal breaker for me.  I do love to play blackjack on board a ship.  But you can't please everyone.  

[Dr H]

I consider myself a wine maven. Not an obnoxious one, but I like decent wine. The house wines on board are very good, with a few exceptions that you will discover. There are a number of better wines that you can order by the glass. For the amount of alcohol this lush consumes in a day, I could never, ever justify any of the liquor packages. I probably order 3-4 high quality drinks per cruise, and the charge comes  nowhere near the package price. Wines, you can bring your own on board, there is a very small corkage fee in the restaurants. The fine wine menu on board is superb, with prices roughly 2x an on shore retail price, which is not bad at all. Of course, we met, actually re-met, a couple we had sailed with previously, and my wife wanted a fancy something or other on the Sanctum deck at sunset.  J refused to allow her to order it; he did as part of his package. Very kind. But seriously, the house wines are very good, some better than others, and you can always order a bottle if you wish.

[hamrag]

On 12/2/2019 at 3:54 PM, tv24 said:

Sadly I still stick with my quote, slightly qualified.  There are free gratuities on AZ.  And the lunch and breakfast buffets are better than the mass market lines (Cunard, Celebrity, Princess).  But food in the main dining room, entertainment, and on-board activities are pretty much the same.

We were on our first Az cruise when you posted this, and I am now catching up after a couple of hectic weeks since debarking. I agree entirely, having sailed on 15 different cruiselines, the areas you mention are not really any different and (for us) that includes the buffets excepting our two White Nights which we considered excellent on our B2B cruises.

 

At the right price point we would sail Az again, but their general pricing is pitched close to the luxury market whilst their product is more akin to the general mass market lines you mention. Ship size makes little difference to us, but we do understand why some prefer a more intimate ship experience.

[Deval]

So here’s something I don’t understand or can get over - we’ve been on 3 AZ cruises and used our OBC to upgrade to the Unlimited beverage package each time.  Drinks are included up to a given price, say $15.95.  Unlike on sister line Celebrity where you just pay the ADDITIONAL cost over that amount, on AZ you are charged the FULL price.  #1 why call it the Unlimited package, and #2 also charge the full price vs the difference?  I’ve given this feedback in each post-cruise survey but still no change.

 

Bonnie, HGC - I don’t recall seeing this addressed of late.  You know of any plans to align AZ policy with the other brands in the family?  As much as I love AZ for all the things mentioned, this is the one thing where I feel I’m being “nickeled and dimed.”  And not that it should matter, we’ve been traveling in CC suites. 

[laurieb]

There’s no package called unlimited;   We have purchased the ultimate package several times, and everything is included.  I’ve never seen a dollar limit on drinks, ever!  There is one other drink package, the premium package, which does include far less than the ultimate.  The ultimate package includes top shelf, premium does not. The bar staff will typically mix any drink if it can be made with the included liquors.  

I thought that I recently read here somewhere that Azamara is now just charging the difference between levels of liquor.

Edited December 31, 2019 by laurieb

[Grandma Cruising]

6 hours ago, laurieb said:

There’s no package called unlimited;   We have purchased the ultimate package several times, and everything is included.  I’ve never seen a dollar limit on drinks, ever!  There is one other drink package, the premium package, which does include far less than the ultimate.  The ultimate package includes top shelf, premium does not. The bar staff will typically mix any drink if it can be made with the included liquors.  

I thought that I recently read here somewhere that Azamara is now just charging the difference between levels of liquor.

I think what you saw is that if, for example, you bought the Essentials package, which includes the premium package you can now covert it to the Ultimate Package by paying the difference between the two drinks packages. Same applies if your TA included the Premium drinks package.  (I think this is right - Bonnie may be able to confirm or put me right).

[Grandma Cruising]

6 hours ago, Deval said:

So here’s something I don’t understand or can get over - we’ve been on 3 AZ cruises and used our OBC to upgrade to the Unlimited beverage package each time.  Drinks are included up to a given price, say $15.95.  Unlike on sister line Celebrity where you just pay the ADDITIONAL cost over that amount, on AZ you are charged the FULL price.  #1 why call it the Unlimited package, and #2 also charge the full price vs the difference?  I’ve given this feedback in each post-cruise survey but still no change.

 

Bonnie, HGC - I don’t recall seeing this addressed of late.  You know of any plans to align AZ policy with the other brands in the family?  As much as I love AZ for all the things mentioned, this is the one thing where I feel I’m being “nickeled and dimed.”  And not that it should matter, we’ve been traveling in CC suites. 

As laurieb says there is no ‘unlimited’ package. There are 2 drinks package on Azamara and 2 Wine packages https://www.azamara.co.uk/booked-guests/onboard-packages/beverage-packages

The 2 drinks packages have a daily price and a list of drinks covered. The Premium package costs $15.95 a day and the Ultimate package costs $21.95 a day. The Ultimate package includes wine by the glass.

Each drinks package description on the page to which I’ve given you the link includes a list of the links included.

 

I have no idea about any plans Azamara might have. I have no particular ‘channels’ to Azamara - the knowledge I have about them comes from these boards and the cruises I have taken with them.

[hubofhockey]

If you want really good wine on Azamara and don't want to pay through the nose, Azamara's corkage fee is about as low as it gets at sea at $10.  For $2.50 more per glass (assumes a bottle gets you four pours), just buy some wine that you really like at your original embarkation port.

 

I've done about 15 cruises and Azamara was our first non mass market and I could tell the difference pretty much in a day.  It's in the little things.  However, there are certain areas where I understand the case that Celebrity is at or above Azamara.  If you get Aqua Class on Celebrity, Blu has a better atmosphere and better service than the MDR on Azamara.  The classic beverage package, which you get when any good travel agent will include a perk, is better than the included drinks on Azamara.  When you consider Persian Garden and entertainment (not to mention decent showers in standard cabins), I can understand TV24's case.  However, there are times on mass market lines when we've had to scramble to get a table in the buffet area. Azamara has better food in that area and even heightened levels of service.  Service levels and even personal service is ourtstanding on Azamara.  That being said, we'll probably use Azamara when we do destination cruising.  We could tell on one cruise that this is something Azamara does really well and that is worth a premium to us.  

[teacherman]

We are considering our first AZ cruise next year, simply because they have an itinerary that we want to try and cannot find any other line that is doing it. On a per day cost, the cruise seems to be much more costly than our many other cruises.  We are D+ on RCCL and Elite on Celebrity, so I do not know if that transfers to AZ and offers any perks.  We have generally been satisfied with the wines and drinks offered on the other lines' happy hours, so I guess the drinks offered on AZ are comparable to those.  I am choosing based on itinerary, so the on ship experience would really have to be noticeably better to pay the large extra cost again for another cruise.

[Deval]

11 hours ago, laurieb said:

There’s no package called unlimited;   We have purchased the ultimate package several times, and everything is included.  I’ve never seen a dollar limit on drinks, ever!  There is one other drink package, the premium package, which does include far less than the ultimate.  The ultimate package includes top shelf, premium does not. The bar staff will typically mix any drink if it can be made with the included liquors.  

I thought that I recently read here somewhere that Azamara is now just charging the difference between levels of liquor.

Sorry I spaced there, I meant the Ultimate beverage package.  The bar menus have P’s next to the drinks in the Premium package and U’s next to the ones in the Ultimate.  We were just on the 12/14 5 night cruise from San Juan to Miami.  We tried ordering a few glasses of wine at $16.95/glass and a port at a similar price.  The bartender and sommelier both separately told us they were not included in the Ultimate package and would have to pay full price for them.  We asked if we could just pay the difference and we’re told no, that is not an option. 

[laurieb]

7 hours ago, Host Grandma Cruising said:

I think what you saw is that if, for example, you bought the Essentials package, which includes the premium package you can now convert it to the Ultimate Package by paying the difference between the two drinks packages. Same applies if your TA included the Premium drinks package.  (I think this is right - Bonnie may be able to confirm or put me right).

Yes that’s what I saw; thanks!

Edited December 31, 2019 by Host Grandma Cruising

[laurieb]

18 minutes ago, Deval said:

Sorry I spaced there, I meant the Ultimate beverage package.  The bar menus have P’s next to the drinks in the Premium package and U’s next to the ones in the Ultimate.  We were just on the 12/14 5 night cruise from San Juan to Miami.  We tried ordering a few glasses of wine at $16.95/glass and a port at a similar price.  The bartender and sommelier both separately told us they were not included in the Ultimate package and would have to pay full price for them.  We asked if we could just pay the difference and we’re told no, that is not an option. 

That’s interesting and must be new since July. At least I never saw that or encountered any problems.  Do you happen to remember the names of the wines?

 I did notice that the wines offered for the ultimate package have changed since July, with our two favorites now gone but a larger selection, even a Sauternes now.

Edited December 31, 2019 by laurieb

[doubled]

4 hours ago, laurieb said:

That’s interesting and must be new since July. At least I never saw that or encountered any problems.  Do you happen to remember the names of the wines?

 I did notice that the wines offered for the ultimate package have changed since July, with our two favorites now gone but a larger selection, even a Sauternes now.

We have encountered that if its not listed, its not included regardless if wine or spirits and must pay full price.  Have always found wine choices on Ultimate Package hit and miss as they had excellent champagne in Nicolas Feuilatte Brut and a nice rose in Château d’Esclans “Whispering Angel” Rosé, Côtes de Provence.  But the whites were lacking.  However, the changes laurieb mentioned are a vast improvement.

[Grandma Cruising]

Interesting that Nicholas Feuillatte Brut is listed and everyone seems to like it. It’s Tesco’s budget Champagne currently at £18 a bottle

[uktog]

It’s underpriced loss leader in Tesco