Current Lists of Wine on Board (2022/23)

[luv2travel90266]

Azamara doesn't need to serve boutique wineries. There are wineries that have production to supply Azamara's needs and in fact there is a glut of decent wine on the makret.  The issue is one of price Azamara is willing to pay and what they provide their cruisers. No one should expect a $100 Napa Cab served for the price of the  Ultimate package . The cruise line needs to make a profit. There are some wines that I have found a good value price point (ie: Bogle Petite Syrah $10/bottle). Boggle''s  production of their wines exceeds 100,000 cases per year, 1,200,000 bottles of wine, much of it very well priced. Their wines exceed the quality of what is currently being served in my opinion. There are lots more wineries I could suggest at the $10 pricepoint.  If they need to increase the price on the Ultimate package that is understandable but what they are serving is not acceptable and no better than low end box wine. Azamara is a quality product and damages it' brand with the current wine package choices in my opinion. 

[federalexpress]

8 hours ago, luv2travel90266 said:

Azamara doesn't need to serve boutique wineries. There are wineries that have production to supply Azamara's needs and in fact there is a glut of decent wine on the makret.  The issue is one of price Azamara is willing to pay and what they provide their cruisers. No one should expect a $100 Napa Cab served for the price of the  Ultimate package . The cruise line needs to make a profit. There are some wines that I have found a good value price point (ie: Bogle Petite Syrah $10/bottle). Boggle''s  production of their wines exceeds 100,000 cases per year, 1,200,000 bottles of wine, much of it very well priced. Their wines exceed the quality of what is currently being served in my opinion. There are lots more wineries I could suggest at the $10 pricepoint.  If they need to increase the price on the Ultimate package that is understandable but what they are serving is not acceptable and no better than low end box wine. Azamara is a quality product and damages it' brand with the current wine package choices in my opinion. 

 

While it is true that AZ does not have to stick to boutique wineries, it is also the case that its fairly small size makes this viable if they so wish. I've guesstimated the numbers, they can be adjusted as needed.

 

They carry roughly 2500 passengers per week. If 20% buy the Ultimate package, that's 500 passengers on it. If they drank a little under a bottle of wine a day (I'm guessing on the high side, but maybe not!), that would be around 3000 bottles per week or 150,000 a year, equivalent to around 12,000 full cases. That is split among around 10 wines, so 1200 cases a year for each.

 

That is not massive production and of course the numbers reduce significantly if you carry different wines on different ships and/or rotate every 3-6 months. You could easily be looking at 4-500 case lots. This is small producer territory. 

 

For me, I suspect it is less about quantities but the price they are prepared to pay. That Matanzas Creek Merlot they used to carry is about $35 at retail. In fairness, I don't expect that if you are only paying $23 to upgrade and the included wines are unlikely to cost much more than $6 or 7. But I don't think $15-20 retail is asking too much and here in the UK, I could buy some pretty tasty wine for that money. Just maybe not a boutique winery offering, unless they were attracted by shifting most of their annual production in one go.

[luv2travel90266]

As a further note restaurants don’t pay retail prices for their wine purchases. I suspect cruises don’t either. Finally there are wineries that happily discount futures to generate cash that would allow Azamara to buy 100 case lots to add some variety. As said it is all about how much to pay for the wine served. There is a big difference between a $6 and $15 bottle. 
 

I suspect it wouldn’t be noticed if the cruise price was $15 more per day and better wine Was served to all. Selling these wines as an upgraded package is a poor decision  as a Azamara is not considering what damage to their “BRAND”  as a quality cruise line. 

[federalexpress]

18 minutes ago, luv2travel90266 said:

As a further note restaurants don’t pay retail prices for their wine purchases. I suspect cruises don’t either. Finally there are wineries that happily discount futures to generate cash that would allow Azamara to buy 100 case lots to add some variety. As said it is all about how much to pay for the wine served. There is a big difference between a $6 and $15 bottle. 
 

I suspect it wouldn’t be noticed if the cruise price was $15 more per day and better wine Was served to all. Selling these wines as an upgraded package is a poor decision  as a Azamara is not considering what damage to their “BRAND”  as a quality cruise line. 

 

I'd agree with that. In fact it taps into a discussion elsewhere on how Azamara can evolve and whether their is a market in the niche for quieter, reflective cruises on small ships, given the broader market moving to bigger all singing, all dancing (sometimes literally) vessels. Oceania have gone with food, maybe AZ could make wine one of the points of difference. Given they have limited short term scope on the hardware- the ships are getting old- the focus presumably has to be on software.

 

I'm aware restaurants buy and sell on different margins to shops but I was just using retail prices as a guide. To look at it another way, I doubt they would sell even the house wines onboard for less than say $25 so if you add another $23 or so, that should mean you are offering wines from the list at $50 plus, provided we aren't all drinking a bottle each a day.

 

I take your point about moving it all to an 'all inclusive' on wine, but at a higher quality level. That would certainly appeal to me. Then maybe sell the higher quality bottles at a very low mark up, reflecting the fact that wines are already included and paid for. Either way, I think they are embarrassing themselves by calling the current offering 'Ultimate'.

[Pizzasteve]

On 12/8/2022 at 7:06 AM, federalexpress said:

 

I'd agree with that. In fact it taps into a discussion elsewhere on how Azamara can evolve and whether their is a market in the niche for quieter, reflective cruises on small ships, given the broader market moving to bigger all singing, all dancing (sometimes literally) vessels. Oceania have gone with food, maybe AZ could make wine one of the points of difference. Given they have limited short term scope on the hardware- the ships are getting old- the focus presumably has to be on software.

 

I'm aware restaurants buy and sell on different margins to shops but I was just using retail prices as a guide. To look at it another way, I doubt they would sell even the house wines onboard for less than say $25 so if you add another $23 or so, that should mean you are offering wines from the list at $50 plus, provided we aren't all drinking a bottle each a day.

 

I take your point about moving it all to an 'all inclusive' on wine, but at a higher quality level. That would certainly appeal to me. Then maybe sell the higher quality bottles at a very low mark up, reflecting the fact that wines are already included and paid for. Either way, I think they are embarrassing themselves by calling the current offering 'Ultimate'.

Agreed.  I was far from impressed by the wines onboard, expect perhaps by those served with the chefs table dinner and it does impact my perceiption of the brand.  For example, the wines included with a recent Regent and Celebrity cruise were excellent and on Oceana I can bring my own for a very reasonable price, so the option to not buy or prepay for drinks but instead bring a case+corkage is very appealing to us.

[JL87]

5 hours ago, Pizzasteve said:

on Oceana I can bring my own for a very reasonable price, so the option to not buy or prepay for drinks but instead bring a case+corkage is very appealing to us.

We were recently on Journey in October. We found the included wines lacking though some were OK for lunch. We brought many wines on board at various ports including embarkation without an issue. Also spirits. We also found some great deals off the list. We went in thinking we would upgrade our drink package and instead, just kept the base one and supplemented on our own. It worked very well for us and it was a great cruise.

[Port Power]

3 hours ago, JL87 said:

We were recently on Journey in October. We found the included wines lacking though some were OK for lunch. We brought many wines on board at various ports including embarkation without an issue. Also spirits. We also found some great deals off the list. We went in thinking we would upgrade our drink package and instead, just kept the base one and supplemented on our own. It worked very well for us and it was a great cruise.

As the available wine is well below par for many of us, perhaps we should insist that corkage not be charged.  We are bringing our own wine as included wines are not drinkable, hence saving the company money as well.

[federalexpress]

13 hours ago, Port Power said:

As the available wine is well below par for many of us, perhaps we should insist that corkage not be charged.  We are bringing our own wine as included wines are not drinkable, hence saving the company money as well.

 

I heard on this forum a month or two ago that AZ were recruiting an onshore head sommelier to sort out the wine offering. Can't come soon enough- probably not in time for my cruise in Jan 23. At least it suggests, if true, that they know they have a problem- and perhaps an opportunity- and need to fix it.

 

On corkage, I agree it would be reasonable to drop it entirely given there are included drinks which they not only pay for themselves, but also have to serve, dispose of, wash up glasses etc. For sure it should be free if you pay for Ultimate, but I think even there, they charge what might now be $15 (used to be $10). That looks like gouging. I intend to buy some wine to have available in my room, not least because I gather you'd have to fetch your drinks otherwise. At least that is not subject to corkage.

[luv2travel90266]

There have been various comments on this board about the corkage policy. Just took this screenshot from azamara.com. Again this inconsistency doesn’t speak well for the BRAND. 

[federalexpress]

8 hours ago, luv2travel90266 said:

There have been various comments on this board about the corkage policy. Just took this screenshot from azamara.com. Again this inconsistency doesn’t speak well for the BRAND. 

 

I think the truth is, the website is not remotely up to date.For example, I think I share with you a keen interest in wine so in researching who to take this cruise with I checked out the wine list provided on the website. Since booking, I checked it again and the file name suggests it is from 2014!!

 

I am reliant on others onboard reporting that corkage is now $15. I'm not 100% sure, but my money is on the forum's posters being correct.You are right, online information should be a lot more accurate.

[luv2travel90266]

The difference of $10 or $15 for corkage is insignificant. Fine restaurants in my neighborhood frequently charge $30-$35 and the aged wines I cellar would cost $150-$200 if on their wine list with the 2.5-3X markup. If $10 is the amount published that should be the charge or fix the website. 

[JL87]

I was charged $10 per bottle on the Journey in October. No idea what the fee is now though.

[luv2travel90266]

As stated I am ok with whatever they decide and publish. There are individuals  who claim they were charged $15 for corkage.  For my upcoming cruises I have already located wine shops convenient to the ports and plan to pick up bottles to get me through the cruise drinking premium wines. On my previous trip I bought the "Ultimate Package" which was disappointing if you read my prior posts. If someone is charged over the posted amount  I suggest speaking to the restaurant manager. I truly can't see them so shortsighted  to lose a future cruiser by overcharging. 

[andrcan]

I’m on Onward at the moment. Went to Prime C for dinner tonight, brought my own wine, was charged $10 corkage.

[takemewithyou]

On 12/19/2022 at 7:11 PM, andrcan said:

I’m on Onward at the moment. Went to Prime C for dinner tonight, brought my own wine, was charged $10 corkage.

I was also charged $10 corkage fee for my own wine in Prime C but for some reason, the corkage fee was waived for my own bottle in Aqualina.

 

All in all, I felt that bringing my own wine aboard and buying an occasional bottle was a much better option for us right now than upgrading to the ultimate package for wines.

[lisiamc]

We’ve found a selection of favourites with the Ultimate package wines on Onward, and supply issues are gradually smoothing out, so the choices are fairly steady. The supply of Slimline tonic remains slightly erratic.

[lisiamc]

Also adding that I tried a glass (or two!) of the Azamara Sauvignon Blanc and it was very acceptable. I liked the Bayten better, but the Azamara included choice was decent. Sadly the (included) Teller Syrah seems to have gone. 

[roberts2005]

Going to be on Pursuit in January, departing from Buenos Aires.  Will only have the basic included package.

 

Any suggestions on a Cab to be bought in BA prior to boarding?

[luv2travel90266]

Try LaCava Wine Store which is close to the harbor. Pick up a bottle of Malbec too. Rodríguez Peña 1515, C1021 CABA, Argentina  

[federalexpress]

5 hours ago, luv2travel90266 said:

Try LaCava Wine Store which is close to the harbor. Pick up a bottle of Malbec too. Rodríguez Peña 1515, C1021 CABA, Argentina  

 

Useful suggestion, I'm staying nearby before my cruise. Do you have any specific recommendations and do you happen to know if they sell dessert wines?

[luv2travel90266]

Not sure. Their URL goes to an Instagram advertisement. They have 111 reviews on google and also do tastings. I am researching for wine stores in major cities close to the ports on my next cruise. Should be able to find interesting wines that aren't exported to the U.S. Do some more research. On some port stops the wine stores have decent websites where you can preorder and have them hold for pickup. 

Edited December 28, 2022 by luv2travel90266

[oddjob16]

17 hours ago, luv2travel90266 said:

Try LaCava Wine Store which is close to the harbor. Pick up a bottle of Malbec too. Rodríguez Peña 1515, C1021 CABA, Argentina  

Good suggestion, especially if your hotel is close by. We would rather stay in San Telmo and then the La Cava would be too far away. 
My suggestion would be to google «wine shops in Buenos Aires» and you will get hundreds of results, -even better it will show them on a map so you can pick one close to where you are staying or close to the port.

[Vineyard View]

Having read this thread, I am honestly really surprised that Azamara  offers such a crappy selection of different wines. I wouldn’t pay extra for any of it, with the exception of the occasional bubbles. We are mostly red wine drinkers.  I will admit to being a bit of a snob with what wine we drink, but I can be flexible if the offering is decent. I don’t really see decent here. On another line, we purchase the wine package, and while it isn’t top of the line wine, it’s decent. We still supplement with wine we have brought on board for a few meals, and we aren’t charged a corkage fee.
 We are looking at an Italy intensive itinerary, and I would absolutely be scouting out where to buy wine prior to boarding after reading this thread. I guess better to be forewarned, but really, i would have expected better. I would gladly pay a corkage fee , as we almost always do that when we go out to dine locally, however, I am surprised that Azamara feels it necessary to even charge one. 

[luv2travel90266]

As I appreciate your address in your signature we probably have some of the same wines in our cellars. I plan to buy 2-4 bottles as needed in the larger ports on my upcoming trip from Lisbon to Venice and pay the corkage. Google maps can be searched  for wine stores close to your ports so you can stop on the way back to the ship. 

 

As they say :

"La vita è troppo breve per bere vino cattivo"

        "Life is too short to drink bad wine"

[Vineyard View]

We likely do have similar wines collected, and I appreciate your recommendation on easy access to wine locations in ports. My parents  Home of 50+ Years was in Hollywood Riviera, so I as well can appreciate your address with many fond memories.  I miss that environment, but also very much love here. 
Except during wildfires. Enjoy your upcoming sailing. And yes, too short for bad wine!