Sip & Savor Info

[Samanthac25]

Can anyone give me information on the Sip & Savor event? Is it included or is there an extra fee? If there is an extra fee, is it worth it? Can you use the beverage package for the "sip" part if the event? Thanks in advance!

[Dog Drool]

There is an extra fee the cost of the wine  I think it was $ 8.50.  The first time I went on the prinsendam The wine steward  talked about the wine and the bite of appetizer giving background.  last week on the Veendamn  we were just giving our choice of red or white and told the name of the bottle  no education still not sure what the appetizer was.  So in my opinion if you get a class with the wine well worth it.  

[VennDiagram]

Someone very recently (this week) reported the cost is $7 per person.  A glass of wine and a nibble.  The last time we went, our Cellar Master was fantastic.  He offered a red and a white, and discussed the region and the wineries. The nibbles were good.  It is, for us, a nice relaxing event.  In another thread, someone mentioned they enjoyed getting together with a small, casual group of wine drinkers.  I'd agree with that.

 

[cat shepard]

I just disembarked the Oosterdam on November 6th. S&S was $5 for your choice of red or white. When the Cellar Master was there, we received some great info about the wines. Which helped us choose the wine we wanted to try. When he was not there, nothing.  The pour was generous, and very much worth the money, IMO. The appetizers were decent, though I did not have them every night.
 

I wonder if the Cellar Master sets the price based on the wines offered? That seems a bit chaotic, so perhaps another reason for the different prices.

[Samanthac25]

59 minutes ago, Dog Drool said:

There is an extra fee the cost of the wine  I think it was $ 8.50.  The first time I went on the prinsendam The wine steward  talked about the wine and the bite of appetizer giving background.  last week on the Veendamn  we were just giving our choice of red or white and told the name of the bottle  no education still not sure what the appetizer was.  So in my opinion if you get a class with the wine well worth it.  

 

17 minutes ago, VennDiagram said:

Someone very recently (this week) reported the cost is $7 per person.  A glass of wine and a nibble.  The last time we went, our Cellar Master was fantastic.  He offered a red and a white, and discussed the region and the wineries. The nibbles were good.  It is, for us, a nice relaxing event.  In another thread, someone mentioned they enjoyed getting together with a small, casual group of wine drinkers.  I'd agree with that.

 

 

11 minutes ago, cat shepard said:

I just disembarked the Oosterdam on November 6th. S&S was $5 for your choice of red or white. When the Cellar Master was there, we received some great info about the wines. Which helped us choose the wine we wanted to try. When he was not there, nothing.  The pour was generous, and very much worth the money, IMO. The appetizers were decent, though I did not have them every night.
 

I wonder if the Cellar Master sets the price based on the wines offered? That seems a bit chaotic, so perhaps another reason for the different prices.

 

Thank you so much for the reviews/info! This sounds like something I would love and since the cost is nominal, I will definitely be trying it on our sailing in two weeks! Just one more reason for me to say - I CAN'T WAIT! 🤩

[cat shepard]

22 minutes ago, Samanthac25 said:

 

 

 

Thank you so much for the reviews/info! This sounds like something I would love and since the cost is nominal, I will definitely be trying it on our sailing in two weeks! Just one more reason for me to say - I CAN'T WAIT! 🤩

Exactly. And I loved one of the selections so much I took a pic of the bottle. Plan to purchase for our Holiday meal.

 

Have a great cruise!

[Cruisepucks]

We have had varying experiences with the Sip and Savour as others have reported. When the cellar master is present he/she gives a very good explanation of the wines and why they were selected to pair with the appetizers. If the cellar master does not host the event there is very little information given.

On our most recent 26 day voyage on the K in October/Nov only 1 Sip and Savour was offered, no talk given and only a white wine available although later the bar tender told us that in fact there was a red available. Pours were quite small. I forget the price but think it was $8 plus 15% gratuity. Late in the voyage, I met the cellar master and questioned her as to why there had only been 1 Sip and Savour. Her reply was that with the changes to the wine offerings under James Sucking being made fleet wide  that the Sip and Savours were being eliminated.

[kazu]

1 minute ago, Cruisepucks said:

Her reply was that with the changes to the wine offerings under James Sucking being made fleet wide  that the Sip and Savours were being eliminated.

 

Wow!  

 

I sure hope not.  It was one of the nice activities on HAL.  I haven’t been on a Pinnacle ship but on the others I have been on, it’s a regular event and very enjoyable.

 

It would be a shame if it were discontinued.  The offerings by James Suckling do not tempt me at all, in all honesty.

 

 

[Vict0riann]

We have enjoyed the Sip and Savour, too.  And the one time when we had the Signature Beverage Package, we were allowed to use it for the S&S - although that was a few years ago, so things may have changed.  I think what the wine steward serving the wine did was just put it through as a glass of a wine that was within the price of the wine allowed on the SBP.