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Current Lists of Wine on Board (2022/23)

luv2travel90266

By luv2travel90266,
in Azamara

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Fair Play

Fair Play

Posted
Posted

Thanks for the detailed info & pics, will definitely rethink upgrade options now. 

Quite disappointed that several wines offered in the ultimate package are not from Europe (local). Perhaps because cruisers come from many countries, labels selected are easily identifiable for the majority. 

 

Aza should be buying based on their lowest cost and market test tolerance level with customer feedback/reaction. These are quite pedestrian wine choices for an upgrade/upsell package on a higher end cruiseline. I now really like the idea of an onshore local wine shop and corkage 😋

 

 

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Rosroz

Rosroz

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The only reason we upgrade is the champagne for me and the better spirits for my husband , and we both like the Whispering Angel, plus there’s nothing to spend our OBC on , the stuff in the shops is overpriced , the handbags etc..are not this seasons.

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Travelingwithstyle

Travelingwithstyle

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On 9/11/2023 at 5:56 AM, FFMilesJunkie said:

On the Onward now and there is no Cabernet available on the ultimate package. The Decoy which I believe used to be available in the package  is now only by the bottle. 
 

These are the only 4 available right now (beaujolais, Aussie Merlot and Shiraz and a Chianti) Disappointed to say the least.  

IMG_6180.jpeg

If you have a chance and you are still onboard the Onward....can you tell us about the Red wines that are included and not upgraded to the ultimate package.

 

Are they still using the generic Azamara label for the wines?

 

Thank you for your time and any information.  It is greatly appreciated. 

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desertgrl74

desertgrl74

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On 9/15/2023 at 6:13 PM, IslandThyme said:

Hey, can we pay corkage with OBC?

Also, wine shop recommendations in Ft. Lauderdale?

Absolutely!  I just returned from a Scotland cruise on Journey and a Greece cruise on Quest.  Used OBC for corkage.  However, we had alot more OBC than we expected.  If you don't use them, they are left on the table.  So we did buy wine on the cruises.  (we bought in port or brought onboard 7 bottles, btw.)  The problem on both cruises is that, while there are some drinkable wines on the (for pay) list, they are out of 75% of them.  I tried to order a Matanzas Creek Merlot and they were out.  Also an Oregon Pinot I am familiar with and they were out.  Ditto their rose from Provence.  Also out of several "by the glass" options.  Because of that, the packages seem like a bad deal to me, not that I intended to buy one.  If you think the wines they list on the packages are available you will be disappointed.  Our favorite purchase onboard was RIdge Zinfandel blend at $79. We also had a nice Bordeaux in the steakhouse.   I should also mention that each ship had 3 "Somms".   I know more about wine than all 6 of them combined.  It is a ceremonial term, they are not somms in the true sense.  Nice people all, but not knowledgeable. And their subordinates could use some training as well.   Having said all that, I usually had the house sparkling wine (either a prosecco or a no-name champagne that was quite good) before dinner each night.  We were told they were "re-doing" their wine lists.  Fair enough, but they should not keep circulating out-of-stock lists to their guests.  I did observe that the vast majority of guests seemed perfectly happy with the complimentary wine choices - even in the specialty restaurants.  To each his own, right?

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desertgrl74

desertgrl74

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On 9/11/2023 at 4:31 PM, luv2travel90266 said:

I tried the Azamara Branded wines and they were of comparable quality to "Two Buck Chuck" (now about $4/bottle) and below the quality of a house wine in any restaurant I would go to. If it were to be sold retail it would be less than $5/bottle. I recommend finding a wine shop in port and paying the $10 corkage. 

I absolutely agree.  Very mediocre wines.  But, as I stated previously, most people on the 2 ships of my recent cruises drank them ALL THE TIME.  Some even describe them as "excellent".  I think people love that the wines are complimentary and they aren't too discriminating.  (drinking cab with filet of sole, chilling red wines, putting ice in wines, etc).  That is what makes the world go around.  Our bar waiter (at the beginning) of the voyage, brought us tastes of all the red complimentary wines (for a tip.)  For us, life is too short and we are into wine, so we were happy to locate wine on shore (easier in Greece than in Scotland) and pay the very nominal corkage.  Again, there were some nice choices on the (for pay) wine list, but they were out of alot of them.  (When we asked for the list, the waiter would always say - several times - "You know this isn't complimentary, right?")  I think that is a big deal to most of the passengers.

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desertgrl74

desertgrl74

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On 6/30/2023 at 12:52 AM, fruitmachine said:

In Edinburgh, I'd suggest:



 

Just to update you after your very kind recommendations:  We visited Bon Vivant's companion as it was literally 2 doors from a pub we visited for an afternoon ale after a HOHO tour.  It is not a huge store, but very well curated, and the 2 young men on staff were knowledgeable and helpful.  We bought 4 bottles  and enjoyed them all on board.  Thanks again.

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Travelingwithstyle

Travelingwithstyle

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4 hours ago, desertgrl74 said:

Absolutely!  I just returned from a Scotland cruise on Journey and a Greece cruise on Quest.  Used OBC for corkage.  However, we had alot more OBC than we expected.  If you don't use them, they are left on the table.  So we did buy wine on the cruises.  (we bought in port or brought onboard 7 bottles, btw.)  The problem on both cruises is that, while there are some drinkable wines on the (for pay) list, they are out of 75% of them.  I tried to order a Matanzas Creek Merlot and they were out.  Also an Oregon Pinot I am familiar with and they were out.  Ditto their rose from Provence.  Also out of several "by the glass" options.  Because of that, the packages seem like a bad deal to me, not that I intended to buy one.  If you think the wines they list on the packages are available you will be disappointed.  Our favorite purchase onboard was RIdge Zinfandel blend at $79. We also had a nice Bordeaux in the steakhouse.   I should also mention that each ship had 3 "Somms".   I know more about wine than all 6 of them combined.  It is a ceremonial term, they are not somms in the true sense.  Nice people all, but not knowledgeable. And their subordinates could use some training as well.   Having said all that, I usually had the house sparkling wine (either a prosecco or a no-name champagne that was quite good) before dinner each night.  We were told they were "re-doing" their wine lists.  Fair enough, but they should not keep circulating out-of-stock lists to their guests.  I did observe that the vast majority of guests seemed perfectly happy with the complimentary wine choices - even in the specialty restaurants.  To each his own, right?

We could not agree with you more.  You are 100% right.  We were on the Onward for 33 days this summer. We were so disappointed in the included generic Azamara label wines.  We were going to upgrade to the Ultimate package and realized that the wine options were so limited and not worth upgrading.   We spoke to the FBM, that we have known for years, because we are on the Onward for the 155 days world cruise.   We were told the wines were going to be changed very soon.   Might sound weird but we really enjoy our wine and our biggest concern is bad red wine for 155 days on the World Cruise.  IOHO we really don't think additional cost for wine and corkage fees should have to be paid on our 155 days of a World Cruise.   We are very loyal to Azamara and are seasoned cruisers but bad red wine on the World Cruise will be the red line wether we return back to Azamara.  

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IslandThyme

IslandThyme

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After all this detail I'm pretty well resigned to not being able to drink much of the onboard wine, although like Vicki I do think it's a raw deal to look forward to 155 days of bringing all my own wines onboard. Will they store wines you bring onboard, like cases? Or do you have to keep them in your cabin? Because for the World Cruise it's more than two months between AU/NZ and the next possible wine region, which I'm thinking is Greece.

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desertgrl74

desertgrl74

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1 hour ago, IslandThyme said:

After all this detail I'm pretty well resigned to not being able to drink much of the onboard wine, although like Vicki I do think it's a raw deal to look forward to 155 days of bringing all my own wines onboard. Will they store wines you bring onboard, like cases? Or do you have to keep them in your cabin? Because for the World Cruise it's more than two months between AU/NZ and the next possible wine region, which I'm thinking is Greece.

even for a short term (for instance a half-consumed bottle), they have climate and humidity controlled storage so I am guessing that would not be an issue (particularly for long-haul guests).

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cancruiseforever

cancruiseforever

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On 9/18/2023 at 7:34 AM, IslandThyme said:

Because Parker liked wines that were so hot and jammy that they needed dilution to be palatable!🤣🤣🤣

You mean you don't like those California Wines that are 15% to 16% Alcohol. I've even had 17% ones also. Mostly Zinfandels, my favorite. After a couple of glasses they taste a lot smoother. Pinots are also getting up there in alcohol. These loosen the tongue, make for much livelier conversation. Ridge Zinfandels high in alcohol are so smooth it's amazing. Siduri makes some of the best Pinots out there, also high in alcohol.

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cancruiseforever

cancruiseforever

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Just now, cancruiseforever said:

You mean you don't like those California Wines that are 15% to 16% Alcohol. I've even had 17% ones also. Mostly Zinfandels, my favorite. After a couple of glasses they taste a lot smoother. Pinots are also getting up there in alcohol. These loosen the tongue, make for much livelier conversation. Ridge Zinfandels high in alcohol are so smooth it's amazing. Siduri makes some of the best Pinots out there, also high in alcohol.

The wine lists I've seen for Azamara, to upgrade makes no sense at all. May have to stick to Hendricks Gin & Tonics

,

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IslandThyme

IslandThyme

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14 minutes ago, cancruiseforever said:

You mean you don't like those California Wines that are 15% to 16% Alcohol. I've even had 17% ones also. 

Nope, not for me. I prefer low alcohol wines - 12.5% is my sweet spot. I like to be able to drink wine all through a meal, or an evening, without getting wasted. It's why I really only drink European wines. 

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cancruiseforever

cancruiseforever

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5 minutes ago, IslandThyme said:

Nope, not for me. I prefer low alcohol wines - 12.5% is my sweet spot. I like to be able to drink wine all through a meal, or an evening, without getting wasted. It's why I really only drink European wines. 

I agree with you, I just eat more. Last year in Spain we had great white wine in some of the best restaurants there. Cerveceria Catalana (best Tapas ever). The list showed $15 each, had to ask if that was for a bottle or glass, that was the bottle price. Here we get nailed at $15 a glass.

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sofietucker

sofietucker

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6 hours ago, cancruiseforever said:

The wine lists I've seen for Azamara, to upgrade makes no sense at all. May have to stick to Hendricks Gin & Tonics

,

Yep, cheaper to just get bottles of Caymus from time to time. Also the Decoy cab they opened at the table in Prime C the other night was actually WARM (the only-okay St Michelle chard has been chilled). And that one is already thinnish IMO so dilution wouldnt help... I refrained from asking for a cup of ice. On the bright side, they do have Fever Tree for Hendricks G&Ts. Served with a cucumber slice.

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breadandbutter

breadandbutter

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On 9/15/2023 at 9:13 PM, IslandThyme said:

Hey, can we pay corkage with OBC?

Also, wine shop recommendations in Ft. Lauderdale?

There is a Total Wine and More store near the port.

You can order and pay for your wine online, they will box it up for you to pick up, a taxi will stop by also while you run in and pick it up.

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IslandThyme

IslandThyme

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I just want to add, for the edification of anyone who might be interested, that I called Total Wine to ask whether they would deliver to our hotel in Ft. Lauderdale. They said sure, no problem, so long as someone is there to sign for it. So that makes taking a case of wine onboard super easy, just order online and have it delivered to the hotel.

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sofietucker

sofietucker

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4 hours ago, IslandThyme said:

I just want to add, for the edification of anyone who might be interested, that I called Total Wine to ask whether they would deliver to our hotel in Ft. Lauderdale. They said sure, no problem, so long as someone is there to sign for it. So that makes taking a case of wine onboard super easy, just order online and have it delivered to the hotel.

We did exactly this in Miami last year. Worked just fine.

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luv2travel90266

luv2travel90266

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Don't forget many of the cruises go through great wine regions. Any reasonable size town will have a wine shop where they would be happy to help you choose a few wines to fit your palate that you may not get to experience at home. I use google, an excellent source for finding those shops. 

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