No Vines Wine Bar on Enchanted?!? Where to find "good" wine?

[c-boy]

1 hour ago, CineGraphic said:

We’ve been too busy enjoying everything on Virgin. It’s turn-around day. Only 20 of us on board!

hope ur takin' lots of pics .

[CineGraphic]

1 hour ago, cjpj said:

Yes, agree, there is no shortage of wine, but it is more of a distribution problem - like many other things. I don't think Princess goes to the local Total Wines in ports to pick up wine. It's probably done through some consolidator or something similar.

I worked for a south Florida wine and liquor distributor for years. There is not shortage of wines in the price range Princess is buying. Maybe that are not paying their bills

[XBGuy]

When I looked at the deck layout for the Discovery Princess and saw no Vines, I was disappointed.  Then, I saw the space for the Salty Dog.  

 

What?

 

I've had one experience with the Salty Dog--in a corner of the Wheelhouse Bar on, I believe, the Emerald Princess.  One and done.

 

"What are they thinking?"  I thought.  "Do they think they can make more money selling Mac & Cheese or Poutine than they can by selling wine?"

 

My logic may well be faulty.  I am reading more comments in "Live from" threads about people who have been raving about the Salty Dog--especially, the hamburger.

 

I have always carried a small stash of my own wine onto our cruises--a sparkler for sailaway on the balcony, three still white wines for Mrs. XBGuy and three still red wines for me. This stash was supplemented by numerous bottles purchased off the Princess wine lists in the restaurants or in Vines.  I guess I'll have to increase the size of my stash.

[Guest ldtr]

41 minutes ago, CineGraphic said:

I worked for a south Florida wine and liquor distributor for years. There is not shortage of wines in the price range Princess is buying. Maybe that are not paying their bills

Funny in the Virgin forum they are complaining about lack of wine on their virgin cruise. Maybe they are not paying their bills.

[CineGraphic]

41 minutes ago, ldtr said:

Funny in the Virgin forum they are complaining about lack of wine on their virgin cruise. Maybe they are not paying their bills.

The ship that is mentioned in the thread you are referring to was based in Europe, and is now on its way to Miami, where I can  assure you there will be pallets of wine waiting to be brought on board. 

[Guest ldtr]

3 minutes ago, CineGraphic said:

The ship that is mentioned in the thread you are referring to was based in Europe, and is now on its way to Miami, where I can  assure you there will be pallets of wine waiting to be brought on board. 

thats funny did Europe run out of wine? Maybe they just did not have credit to buy it in Europe. Just continuing your line of reasoning.

[Arizona Wildcat]

On 10/22/2022 at 1:34 PM, CineGraphic said:

The only way to ensure a 100% chance that you’ll get “good” wine is to bring your own. You can’t trust Princess to have anything these days. They’ll try to claim that it’s a supply chain issue, yet there is no shortage of fine wine in retail shops. Pre-order your faves from Total Wine, as they have a location just blocks from the port. You can pick it up before embarkation.

The issue is the distribution system.  Vintner or distiller ONLY to wholesaler.  Then wholesaler to retailer OR exporter.  Each state has wholesalers (or the government) that have a specific geographic area.

Thus the cruiseline faces needing to place orders with multiple wholesalers.  The wholesaler then needs to do the paperwork for export/taxes.

If you are a wholesaler would you rather sell to Kroger or Albertsons or Total with often hundreds of outlets or Celebrity?  Lots easier to deliver to the Kroger warehouse or a few nearby Total stores.

[Guest ldtr]

2 minutes ago, Arizona Wildcat said:

The issue is the distribution system.  Vintner or distiller ONLY to wholesaler.  Then wholesaler to retailer OR exporter.  Each state has wholesalers (or the government) that have a specific geographic area.

Thus the cruiseline faces needing to place orders with multiple wholesalers.  The wholesaler then needs to do the paperwork for export/taxes.

If you are a wholesaler would you rather sell to Kroger or Albertsons or Total with often hundreds of outlets or Celebrity?  Lots easier to deliver to the Kroger warehouse or a few nearby Total stores.

Also keep in mind that some of the major supply companies that worked with the cruise industry failed during the shutdown. I recall more than one BK sale of assets with cruise line suppliers.

 

At this stage those once pretty smooth running supply chains are being rebuilt. In addition, unlike pre covid, you still do not have occupancy back up to full level and there are probably differences in the over mix in demand from the pre covid days and today, so not surprising that the cruise lines are still working through some supply and stocking issues. Especially with something like wine where you are not just looking at X total bottles, but trying to determine and obtain the level needed for many different brands and vintages. Because as demonstrated if ones requested brand is not available it must be a crisis.

[flwinejunkie]

On 10/22/2022 at 1:59 PM, Steelers36 said:

If the OP wants to find some good/decent wines, they should come by my cabin.  I can SHOW them, but unfortunately, they are always spoken for.

 

 

🤣 I probably wouldn't share my "good" wine either. 

 

I've never thought about bringing my own wine since I can try new wines at Vines.  Do you know how much the corkage fee is?  Is it 1 bottle per person?  Several years ago I could bring as many bottles as I wanted on NCL as long as I paid the corkage fee during embarkation.

 

On Carnival, I don't have to pay a fee if I drink it in my cabin.  Does that apply on Princess?  

 

Thanks for your help!

[charlie murphy]

still no constructive information to the original question: "No Vines Wine Bar on Enchanted?!? Where to find "good" wine?"  so regardless of supply chain issues and not paying your bills. Where can you get a decent glass of wine? 

princess boasts and promises: 

(vines wine bar ) "Voted one of the “Best Wine Bars at Sea,” by  USA TODAY  and located in a charming corner of the Atrium, Vines boasts an extensive collection of wines, fine Champagne and sparkling wines and regional offerings for purchase. The menu also includes wine flights and a selection of unique wines by the glass. Gourmet delicacies, such as antipasti and tapas, are complimentary with any wine purchase."

SO without Vines where else has someone found a good wine by the glass . Regardless of the "why"  we can all agree that Canyon Road or whatever the house wine is it is Not good at any price and terrible at a 12$ price point.  Where can you use your 18$ by the glass service that you paid for when you upgraded to the premium package.

 

Very recently Princess goes on to promote the changes to the wine list :

 

"The selections were made by wine expert Doug Frost. He is one of only four people in the world to have both a Master of Wine and Master Sommelier certification. He focused on three areas to help improve the menu: 

• Value for money 
• Variety 
• Quality of the producer 

“Princess Cruises’ guests have a passion for culinary travel so our goal in creating this new wine menu was to find fascinating wines from some of the memorable destinations Princess visits. This way guests can return from shore and still experience local tastes with exciting wines at all prices. Plus, what better way to celebrate any occasion than with a special bottle of wine that can be shared with friends and loved ones on a cruise.” 

Master Sommelier Doug Frost

The new wine philosophy of exploration, discovery and enrichment was used to curate a selection of wines

Come on DOUG, a truly refined sommelier would work on the low end of the wine list to find cost effective wines that are truly more then they are, to do that you have to taste the wine. Doug did you taste Canyon Road? Maybe Doug did this while he had Covid and did not realize he had lost his sense of taste and smell. It looks ok in the glass. 

If you are of the Supply chain limiting availability on board, then you may also recognize that there are may more passengers taking advantage of the to beverage package and thus the on board consumption of wine and spirits has likely increased. We would also likely find that the majority of passengers are content with the 'regular package' and not upgraded to the premium package.  However, I have not seen anyone on the boards complaining that they "can not get some of that house wine , red or white".  The wine distributor does not supply one type of wine so if it were a supply chain issue would the supply chain issue affect all wines on board, with the exception of the wines that may be delivered a bottle or a case at a time , those far exceeding any wine package price point. 

Anyway back to the point . On the Sapphire which had a Vines we also went to the specialty restaurant on the upper deck of the ship and got wine by the glass there, they had other wines. So maybe try the specialty restaurants that have a bar. 

 

[capriccio]

7 minutes ago, flwinejunkie said:

 

Do you know how much the corkage fee is?  Is it 1 bottle per person?  Several years ago I could bring as many bottles as I wanted on NCL as long as I paid the corkage fee during embarkation.

 

On Carnival, I don't have to pay a fee if I drink it in my cabin.  Does that apply on Princess?  

 

 

Each adult can bring on 1 bottle of wine to be consumed in the cabin with no corkage fee.  All other bottles (no limit as far as I know) are charged a $20 corkage fee per bottle and are marked so they can be consumed out and about on the ship.

[Auntiejo]

For those of you talking about bringing all kinds of wine on board, how are you pulling that off with the “one bottle per person” limit? Please share your secrets. Because for my 10 day cruise coming up on Discovery, 2 bottles total for the hubbs and I aren’t going to get us very far with no Vines. 

[Thrak]

1 hour ago, Auntiejo said:

For those of you talking about bringing all kinds of wine on board, how are you pulling that off with the “one bottle per person” limit? Please share your secrets. Because for my 10 day cruise coming up on Discovery, 2 bottles total for the hubbs and I aren’t going to get us very far with no Vines. 

 

It's simple. They pay the corkage fee. As long as you pay the fee you can bring as much wine as you like. 1 bottle per person for "free" as long as you consume it in your cabin (or pour it in your cabin and then carry the glass with you) and as many "extra" bottles as you like but you have to pay the corkage.

Edited October 24, 2022 by Thrak

[c-boy]

8 hours ago, charlie murphy said:

still no constructive information to the original question: "No Vines Wine Bar on Enchanted?!? Where to find "good" wine?"  so regardless of supply chain issues and not paying your bills. Where can you get a decent glass of wine? 

princess boasts and promises: 

(vines wine bar ) "Voted one of the “Best Wine Bars at Sea,” by  USA TODAY  and located in a charming corner of the Atrium, Vines boasts an extensive collection of wines, fine Champagne and sparkling wines and regional offerings for purchase. The menu also includes wine flights and a selection of unique wines by the glass. Gourmet delicacies, such as antipasti and tapas, are complimentary with any wine purchase."

SO without Vines where else has someone found a good wine by the glass . Regardless of the "why"  we can all agree that Canyon Road or whatever the house wine is it is Not good at any price and terrible at a 12$ price point.  Where can you use your 18$ by the glass service that you paid for when you upgraded to the premium package.

 

Very recently Princess goes on to promote the changes to the wine list :

 

"The selections were made by wine expert Doug Frost. He is one of only four people in the world to have both a Master of Wine and Master Sommelier certification. He focused on three areas to help improve the menu: 

• Value for money 
• Variety 
• Quality of the producer 

“Princess Cruises’ guests have a passion for culinary travel so our goal in creating this new wine menu was to find fascinating wines from some of the memorable destinations Princess visits. This way guests can return from shore and still experience local tastes with exciting wines at all prices. Plus, what better way to celebrate any occasion than with a special bottle of wine that can be shared with friends and loved ones on a cruise.” 

Master Sommelier Doug Frost

The new wine philosophy of exploration, discovery and enrichment was used to curate a selection of wines

Come on DOUG, a truly refined sommelier would work on the low end of the wine list to find cost effective wines that are truly more then they are, to do that you have to taste the wine. Doug did you taste Canyon Road? Maybe Doug did this while he had Covid and did not realize he had lost his sense of taste and smell. It looks ok in the glass. 

If you are of the Supply chain limiting availability on board, then you may also recognize that there are may more passengers taking advantage of the to beverage package and thus the on board consumption of wine and spirits has likely increased. We would also likely find that the majority of passengers are content with the 'regular package' and not upgraded to the premium package.  However, I have not seen anyone on the boards complaining that they "can not get some of that house wine , red or white".  The wine distributor does not supply one type of wine so if it were a supply chain issue would the supply chain issue affect all wines on board, with the exception of the wines that may be delivered a bottle or a case at a time , those far exceeding any wine package price point. 

Anyway back to the point . On the Sapphire which had a Vines we also went to the specialty restaurant on the upper deck of the ship and got wine by the glass there, they had other wines. So maybe try the specialty restaurants that have a bar. 

 

Alright, no posting @ 1A M after your six glasses in.

[flwinejunkie]

Thanks everyone for the info about corkage fees.  We're celebrating my birthday so I'm willing to bring a few bottles to enjoy and pay the fee.  I'll also bring our 2 "free" bottles and take a glass to the MDR in addition to checking wines by the glass at the specialty restaurants.

 

Cheers!🍷

[Steelers36]

17 hours ago, charlie murphy said:

still no constructive information to the original question: "No Vines Wine Bar on Enchanted?!? Where to find "good" wine?"  so regardless of supply chain issues and not paying your bills. Where can you get a decent glass of wine? 

princess boasts and promises: 

(vines wine bar ) "Voted one of the “Best Wine Bars at Sea,” by  USA TODAY  and located in a charming corner of the Atrium, Vines boasts an extensive collection of wines, fine Champagne and sparkling wines and regional offerings for purchase. The menu also includes wine flights and a selection of unique wines by the glass. Gourmet delicacies, such as antipasti and tapas, are complimentary with any wine purchase."

SO without Vines where else has someone found a good wine by the glass . Regardless of the "why"  we can all agree that Canyon Road or whatever the house wine is it is Not good at any price and terrible at a 12$ price point.  Where can you use your 18$ by the glass service that you paid for when you upgraded to the premium package.

 

Very recently Princess goes on to promote the changes to the wine list :

 

"The selections were made by wine expert Doug Frost. He is one of only four people in the world to have both a Master of Wine and Master Sommelier certification. He focused on three areas to help improve the menu: 

• Value for money 
• Variety 
• Quality of the producer 

“Princess Cruises’ guests have a passion for culinary travel so our goal in creating this new wine menu was to find fascinating wines from some of the memorable destinations Princess visits. This way guests can return from shore and still experience local tastes with exciting wines at all prices. Plus, what better way to celebrate any occasion than with a special bottle of wine that can be shared with friends and loved ones on a cruise.” 

Master Sommelier Doug Frost

The new wine philosophy of exploration, discovery and enrichment was used to curate a selection of wines

Come on DOUG, a truly refined sommelier would work on the low end of the wine list to find cost effective wines that are truly more then they are, to do that you have to taste the wine. Doug did you taste Canyon Road? Maybe Doug did this while he had Covid and did not realize he had lost his sense of taste and smell. It looks ok in the glass. 

If you are of the Supply chain limiting availability on board, then you may also recognize that there are may more passengers taking advantage of the to beverage package and thus the on board consumption of wine and spirits has likely increased. We would also likely find that the majority of passengers are content with the 'regular package' and not upgraded to the premium package.  However, I have not seen anyone on the boards complaining that they "can not get some of that house wine , red or white".  The wine distributor does not supply one type of wine so if it were a supply chain issue would the supply chain issue affect all wines on board, with the exception of the wines that may be delivered a bottle or a case at a time , those far exceeding any wine package price point. 

Anyway back to the point . On the Sapphire which had a Vines we also went to the specialty restaurant on the upper deck of the ship and got wine by the glass there, they had other wines. So maybe try the specialty restaurants that have a bar. 

 

The quotes and references to Doug Frost and the new wine list on Princess was the PREVIOUS revisions to wine offerings and I thought Princess really upped their game at that time, removing a lot of the plonk and adding in new offerings and expanded varietal choices.  Sure, they put in some high-priced special elite wines and I certainly question that with cruise line food. 

 

But do not mix that up with the 2022 situation where Princess has dumbed down the WBTG offerings in order to make the Premium drink package look better.  I realize I am silly and did not ask for and take photos of the wine menu on Regal over the past three weeks (but I do get another chance on Island coming up in a few days).  It just didn't occur to me and I had seen photos of wine menus leading up to our voyages and they were much like the ones pre-Covid with some price changes.

 

I really don't know if Princess continued to acquire the same wines as 2018/2019, or whether Covid pauses left them with large stocks that they kept and are still offering.  If so, then the reds in particular can be nice to get, but a lot of prices went up. 

 

I am not sure how much it matters if Vines is there or not - the ship should still have the broad wine selection as shown in the main menu.  I now some folks like to hang there and such, but it was never a place I spent a lot of time since I mostly BYOW.

[Guest ldtr]

5 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

The quotes and references to Doug Frost and the new wine list on Princess was the PREVIOUS revisions to wine offerings and I thought Princess really upped their game at that time, removing a lot of the plonk and adding in new offerings and expanded varietal choices.  Sure, they put in some high-priced special elite wines and I certainly question that with cruise line food. 

 

But do not mix that up with the 2022 situation where Princess has dumbed down the WBTG offerings in order to make the Premium drink package look better.  I realize I am silly and did not ask for and take photos of the wine menu on Regal over the past three weeks (but I do get another chance on Island coming up in a few days).  It just didn't occur to me and I had seen photos of wine menus leading up to our voyages and they were much like the ones pre-Covid with some price changes.

 

I really don't know if Princess continued to acquire the same wines as 2018/2019, or whether Covid pauses left them with large stocks that they kept and are still offering.  If so, then the reds in particular can be nice to get, but a lot of prices went up. 

 

I am not sure how much it matters if Vines is there or not - the ship should still have the broad wine selection as shown in the main menu.  I now some folks like to hang there and such, but it was never a place I spent a lot of time since I mostly BYOW.

I expect getting the wine supply chain back up to par has been a bit lower priority than getting the ships fully staffed, food supply chain restored, etc.  I expect, as with what we are seeing in other areas that it will be returning back to pre-covid levels over time.  I have already seen substantial improvement in many areas of ship operations in recent cruises compared to ones much earlier in the year.  Still not fully back to pre-covid levels in some areas but certainly getting much closer.

[Steelers36]

17 hours ago, capriccio said:

Each adult can bring on 1 bottle of wine to be consumed in the cabin with no corkage fee.  All other bottles (no limit as far as I know) are charged a $20 corkage fee per bottle and are marked so they can be consumed out and about on the ship.

MAY be charged.  It depends.

 

14 hours ago, Thrak said:

 

It's simple. They pay the corkage fee. As long as you pay the fee you can bring as much wine as you like. 1 bottle per person for "free" as long as you consume it in your cabin (or pour it in your cabin and then carry the glass with you) and as many "extra" bottles as you like but you have to pay the corkage.

Once a bottle is opened, it can be taken with you and no need to pour a glass and take it.  Besides, what about the re-fill?  You are never charged corkage twice on a bottle.  Once it has been opened, there is a general presumption by waiters that any applicable corkage has been charged.

 

3 hours ago, flwinejunkie said:

Thanks everyone for the info about corkage fees.  We're celebrating my birthday so I'm willing to bring a few bottles to enjoy and pay the fee.  I'll also bring our 2 "free" bottles and take a glass to the MDR in addition to checking wines by the glass at the specialty restaurants.

 

Cheers!🍷

Yes, always be prepared and willing to pay the fee.  I can say I have paid corkage at times, but never been charged for all of my bottles.

 

We always check-in early and board early and I find the wine table at check-in is not yet staffed.  In Civitavecchia, the security screening could have cared less that I had wine on OCT 1.  In Port Everglades, they seem to be trained to direct you over, but no one there early. 

 

The most I ever paid was when I had two cases boarding a 60-night trip around South America.  But friends were with us with no wine and it was three segments, so I was good for SIX free bottles just for our cabin (Princess has been good in the past about pre-allowing the free ones for B2B voyages).

 

Also, bringing more on in ports of call to supplement the supply is a non-issue.  Over the past three weeks in Europe, I don't recall even seeing an alcohol table, let alone anyone being concerned about wine.  Now, if we did have alcohol, perhaps there would have been notice taken - cannot say.

 

It has also been my experience that our waiter won't charge me for every bottle.  And I often open bottle in the cabin and have some before dinner, so there is an opened bottle and doesn't raise any issue in the DR, nor attract a charge.  So, no need to carry glasses around the ship and risk a jostle or something that causes a spill.

 

[Cruise Raider]

17 hours ago, Auntiejo said:

For those of you talking about bringing all kinds of wine on board, how are you pulling that off with the “one bottle per person” limit? Please share your secrets. Because for my 10 day cruise coming up on Discovery, 2 bottles total for the hubbs and I aren’t going to get us very far with no Vines. 

We actually found very nice wines at the Crown Grill Bar on the Discovery .. both of which were in the premium package.  
That was back in April so not sure if they still have such a great selection but did find some wines we were happy with on the Royal recently as well.  
And, I say ‘ick’ to the Canyon Road wine.  There are much better wines within that price point to be found … but, Princess must have gotten a great deal through a distributor for that wine.  
I have upgraded to the premium package on my last and my next cruise .. hopefully, the upcoming one won’t be a disappointment.  I really only drink wine when it comes to alcoholic beverages.  

[Guest ldtr]

30 minutes ago, Cruise Raider said:

We actually found very nice wines at the Crown Grill Bar on the Discovery .. both of which were in the premium package.  
That was back in April so not sure if they still have such a great selection but did find some wines we were happy with on the Royal recently as well.  
And, I say ‘ick’ to the Canyon Road wine.  There are much better wines within that price point to be found … but, Princess must have gotten a great deal through a distributor for that wine.  
I have upgraded to the premium package on my last and my next cruise .. hopefully, the upcoming one won’t be a disappointment.  I really only drink wine when it comes to alcoholic beverages.  

Probably purchased it because it is a volume brand available through Gallo.

[Cruise Raider]

53 minutes ago, ldtr said:

Probably purchased it because it is a volume brand available through Gallo.

I’m sure it was a good deal bought through bulk.  Gallo has some low end wines but also some really good wines .. or at least they used to.  
 

[cjpj]

On 10/21/2022 at 11:03 AM, flwinejunkie said:

Hello,

 

DH and I are booked on Enchanted Princess in December.  When I looked at the deck plan, realized the Vines Wine bar was missing.  OH NO!  

 

Do any of the other bars on Enchanted offer "good" wine similar to ....

Okay, here's my take on it. My husband only likes the peaty single malt Scotch..The selection on Princess is now minimal. He scoured every bar and asked if they had one of the 2 peaty Scotches they now carry. Once he found out where they were, we'd have to stop by on our way to.dinner or wherever and pick up his Scotch. Finding a sympathetic bartender may help guide you. I'd suggest the bars at Sabittinnis (sp) and the steak restaurant bar would probably have the most varied selection of wines. We did eventually find a terrific server and assistant at dinner and they would either get if for him or call the bar and have them bring it us in the dining room. So you'll need to spend some of your time wine hunting at the beginning of your cruise.

[Thrak]

29 minutes ago, cjpj said:

Okay, here's my take on it. My husband only likes the peaty single malt Scotch..The selection on Princess is now minimal. He scoured every bar and asked if they had one of the 2 peaty Scotches they now carry. Once he found out where they were, we'd have to stop by on our way to.dinner or wherever and pick up his Scotch. Finding a sympathetic bartender may help guide you. I'd suggest the bars at Sabittinnis (sp) and the steak restaurant bar would probably have the most varied selection of wines. We did eventually find a terrific server and assistant at dinner and they would either get if for him or call the bar and have them bring it us in the dining room. So you'll need to spend some of your time wine hunting at the beginning of your cruise.

 

I have found the 10 year old Talisker available at most bars. It's quite smoky and peaty. It falls within the constraints of the Princess Plus pricing. It's often overlooked by people who want 12 year or older but, for those who enjoy a smoky and peaty type of Scotch, I would encourage your husband to give it a try. On one longer cruise I drank it almost exclusively. When I ordered it at a bar that didn't have it available they did have it the next time I went in. The bars can accommodate this sort of request quite easily.

 

On one cruise I tried to get Pernod and Orange Juice as a morning drink and tried all over the ship before I found a bar that had it. The next day it seemed that pretty much every bar had Pernod. They just had to fetch it from stock as it's not commonly ordered.

[Auntiejo]

Geez I’ve clearly been living under a rock for years, because all this time across countless cruises I thought it was one bottle per person, period. 🤦‍♀️ This is great news. I’ll gladly pay a fee if that’s what it takes to be able to drink my good wine from home. Out of curiosity, what’s the corkage fee per bottle? Thanks. 

[Guest ldtr]

1 hour ago, Cruise Raider said:

I’m sure it was a good deal bought through bulk.  Gallo has some low end wines but also some really good wines .. or at least they used to.  
 

Gallo is also one of the larger importers of wine into the US, and handles wines from a number of other vineyards as well as their own.