Current Plus and Premier wine lists by glass and bottle and liquor selection?

[geepmaley]

Is there a link someplace that shows what the current offerings are for the "plus" and "premier" package in terms of wines and liquors by the glass and discounted bottles? We are on Majestic Southbound Alaska on Sep 5 and got the plus package and wanting to see if it makes sense to upgrade

 

Edited January 21, 2023 by geepmaley

[Thrak]

When we cruised in May the wine lists were "normal" and showed the wines available by name. We found on our cruise in December that the menus no longer offer a brand name for the Plus package. They have listings like "Cabernet Sauvignon" which aren't very helpful. We used to drink Spellbound Petite Sirah on past sailings. My wife asked the wine steward in Vines if he had it and he said yes. After that we just ordered it by name. It was included in the Plus pricing. If she hadn't asked we would never have known it was available. I don't think the menu even mentioned a Petite Sirah.

 

We have a B2B2B booked under the old pricing but just refared two of them for a huge price difference. We saved a bunch, got a bunch of OBC, and ended up with the new Plus pricing. Even though Plus is a lot more now we still saved over $1,100 and got an additional $650 OBC. Sooo... For the first segment of our B2B2B we have Plus with the old limit of $12 but for the second and third segments we have the new $15 limit and the other jive that they added.

 

If there is a wine you like that used to fit within the price limit your best bet is to ask for it by name.

[geepmaley]

On 1/20/2023 at 7:52 PM, Thrak said:

If there is a wine you like that used to fit within the price limit your best bet is to ask for it by name.

No clue what is on the lists which is why I am asking. Like Petite Sirah so will keep that in mind, but more curious if there is a posted list. I realize it could change by the time we cruise in September, but trying to see if upgrading to Premier makes sense.

[EconDoc]

11 minutes ago, geepmaley said:

No clue what is on the lists which is why I am asking. Like Petite Sirah so will keep that in mind, but more curious if there is a posted list. I realize it could change by the time we cruise in September, but trying to see if upgrading to Premier makes sense.

This site is great for posting current bar menus.
 

https://profcruise.com/the-new-princess-beverage-packages-with-updated-bar-menus/

 

We expect new menus with new pricing after Feb 20 so I’d wait until those are posted before deciding on an upgrade. we found the Vines (if on your ship) or maybe Good Sprits bar tender knowledgeable about the wines by winery actually available across venues below (and slightly above) the $12 limit. There were not a lot of great choices below $12 but some serviceable ones. We sometimes ordered wines that cost $1-6 (plus 18%) more per glass and used our OBC. The MDR consistently charged the extra but some bar tenders and specialty restaurants neglected to apply those charges.
 

Things might be slightly better after Feb 20 when the limit goes to $15. 
 

 

On 1/20/2023 at 5:52 PM, Thrak said:

. Sooo... For the first segment of our B2B2B we have Plus with the old limit of $12 but for the second and third segments we have the new $15 limit and the other jive that they added.

 

If there is a wine you like that used to fit within the price limit your best bet is to ask for it by name.

Our understanding (on the master thread about this topic) is that the $15 limit will apply on sailings after Feb 20 even to guests who purchased Plus at the lower price (along with presumed bar price increases) but the entirely new additions like premium desserts and fitness classes will only apply to those who pay the new price. 

Edited January 22, 2023 by EconDoc

[memoak]

17 minutes ago, EconDoc said:

This site is great for posting current bar menus.
 

https://profcruise.com/the-new-princess-beverage-packages-with-updated-bar-menus/

 

We expect new menus with new pricing after Feb 20 so I’d wait until those are posted before deciding on an upgrade. we found the Vines (if on your ship) or maybe Good Sprits bar tender knowledgeable about the wines by winery actually available across venues below (and slightly above) the $12 limit. There were not a lot of great choices below $12 but some serviceable ones. We sometimes ordered wines that cost $1-6 (plus 18%) more per glass and used our OBC. The MDR consistently charged the extra but some bar tenders and specialty restaurants neglected to apply those charges.
 

Things might be slightly better after Feb 20 when the limit goes to $15. 
 

 

Our understanding (on the master thread about this topic) is that the $15 limit will apply on sailings after Feb 20 even to guests who purchased Plus at the lower price (along with presumed bar price increases) but the entirely new additions like premium desserts and fitness classes will only apply to those who pay the new price. 

That is my understanding as well.   It would be very difficult for the bartenders dealing with 2 versions of the plus package. In the past if you asked what liquors fit in the plus package they would point you to the area of the bar where they had them grouped

[Thrak]

When we sailed on Royal Princess in May the wine lists hadn't yet been butchered. At dinner we had regular wine lists that showed what the wines actually were and the prices. On that cruise we drank a lot of Meiomi Pinot Noir. It was $12 a glass. When we sailed on Ruby Princess in December we ordered Meiomi Pinot Noir in Vines and it was $14 a glass. The next time we were in Vines was when my wife asked about the Spellbound Petite Sirah and that was still within the Plus pricing boundaries at $12. With the new limits coming up - $15 drinks with the Plus package - who knows how much Princess will jack up the prices.

[hop2it]

Can someone please share or offer a link to current details about the Plus wine menu? Are they still just listing under $15 wines by varietal name rather than the label?

[riffatsea]

We think it makes more sense to keep the Plus pkg and just pay the small difference in price if we order a more expensive wine or whisky from the higher pkg

We don't want any of the other things offered in the higher pkg

[memoak]

1 hour ago, riffatsea said:

We think it makes more sense to keep the Plus pkg and just pay the small difference in price if we order a more expensive wine or whisky from the higher pkg

We don't want any of the other things offered in the higher pkg

There are not a whole lot of whiskeys not covered by plus. I have always been able to get Buffalo Trace, Woodford or Makers Mark. 

[riffatsea]

Jameson BLACK is not on the Plus any more 

Some of the bonbons may have switched to the higher pkg too

Not sure

Edited February 26, 2023 by riffatsea

[memoak]

28 minutes ago, riffatsea said:

Jameson BLACK is not on the Plus any more 

Some of the bonbons may have switched to the higher pkg too

Not sure

Every cruise the first question I ask  at a bar is what bourbons will be covered under plus. You never know

Edited February 26, 2023 by memoak

[riffatsea]

It was only $3and change more to drink the Jameson BLACK

so not a big deal

[Thrak]

5 hours ago, hop2it said:

Can someone please share or offer a link to current details about the Plus wine menu? Are they still just listing under $15 wines by varietal name rather than the label?

 

I think that the Plus package pretty much offers "purple" and "clear" as their wine choices. On the other hand, on a recent cruise (December) my wife asked the wine steward at Vines if he had a specific wine we have had in the past (Spellbound Petite Sirah) and he said he did have it so we drank that on the cruise and it fit within the package limits. (It's not a real snazzy wine but we like it.) She also ordered a wine we had in May on another cruise. In May it was within the limits of the Plus package. In December we discovered we were charged for the "overage" as it no longer qualified for Princess Plus.