Drinks in the bar

[Ladycommonsense]

A lot has been written on this forum about the choice of wines in the ‘all inclusive’ cruise price, however this question is about wines in the bar. Husband and I are not spirit/beer/cocktail drinkers, preferring to drink white wine in the bars. I am presuming that wines in the bars are not included in the all ‘inclusive price’? It might sound a very obvious question but nothing I have read actually states this. Given this to be the case, is there a separate wine list for the bars? We are about to book our first Saga cruise after having much help from the good people on this forum -  thank you for your help so far and look forward to your responses.

[Windsurfboy]

The same wines you have at meals are included ie "free" and will be available at bars.

 

The same premium wine list wines as in restaurants  should be available at all bars , but we found (This was for champagne ) sometimes they had to pop to another bar to get it, but they were happy to do this if you didn't mind waiting.  

[JoJo1947]

Only premium spirits not wines in all inclusive drinks.You can purchase premium wines at the bars/restaurants 

Edited March 12, 2023 by JoJo1947

[Ladycommonsense]

1 hour ago, JoJo1947 said:

Only premium spirits not wines in all inclusive drinks.You can purchase premium wines at the bars/restaurants 

Thank you for your response however it seems to be slightly different to what Windsurfboy has just said and that is

the same wines one has at meals are included ie "free" and will be available at bars. Have I missed something here?

[JoJo1947]

Just now, Ladycommonsense said:

Thank you for your response however it seems to be slightly different to what Windsurfboy has just said and that is

the same wines one has at meals are included ie "free" and will be available at bars. Have I missed something here?

Yes because if you ask for a glass of wine at the bars it will be what's included in the inclusive drinks menu same as the restaurants. However if you wish to order a premium wine you pay for it and goes on your account . They are on the drinks menu with prices. You can also order a bottle of premium wine in the restaurants and it goes on your account. 

[Denarius]

1 hour ago, JoJo1947 said:

Yes because if you ask for a glass of wine at the bars it will be what's included in the inclusive drinks menu same as the restaurants. However if you wish to order a premium wine you pay for it and goes on your account . They are on the drinks menu with prices. You can also order a bottle of premium wine in the restaurants and it goes on your account. 

To amplify.

The included wines which are dispensed by the glass in the restaurants are also available by the glass in all the bars at no charge. They are mainly new world wines, often from South America. Think Tesco middle shelf, perfectly pleasant and drinkable but not outstanding. There is also a supplementary wine list available by the bottle in the restaurant and bars. This features better quality wines - think Tesco top shelf - including many European wines like Chablis and Poully Fuisse. The additonal charge is of the order of £20 per bottle, charged to your onboard account. These wines are not available by the glass.

Edited March 12, 2023 by Denarius

[JoJo1947]

1 minute ago, Denarius said:

To amplify.

The included wines which are dispensed by the glass in the restaurants are also available by the glass in all the bars at no charge. They are mainly new world wines, often from South America. Think Tesco middle shelf, perfectly pleasant and drinkable but not outstanding. There is also a supplementary wine list available by the bottle in the restaurant and bars. This features better quality wines - think Tesco top shelf - including many European wines like Chablis and Poully Fuisse. The additonal charge is of the order of £20 per bottle, charged to your onboard account. These wines are not available by the glass.

You amplified well but I gave a basic answer 😀

[Windsurfboy]

Sorry I didn't make it clear premium wine meant paid for.

 

The premium wines are good value, I looked them up on Google whilst on board ,  they are at the same price you would pay in a wine merchants. So even though you pay extra,  for £20 you get a wine that would be £60 in a restaurant or other cruise line

[Wacktle]

On a cruise in 2019 that included Bordeaux, a (very) top wine expert was onboard. At a wine tasting, he said he was astounded at the low prices of some very good wines, and even pointed out a couple that were on offer. Sadly, it was our last day. We always use The Grill and have never been offered, or seen, a wine list. I suppose you have to ask for it.

[Denarius]

3 hours ago, Wacktle said:

On a cruise in 2019 that included Bordeaux, a (very) top wine expert was onboard. At a wine tasting, he said he was astounded at the low prices of some very good wines, and even pointed out a couple that were on offer. Sadly, it was our last day. We always use The Grill and have never been offered, or seen, a wine list. I suppose you have to ask for it.

I have never seen a wine list in either the Dining Room or Grill. I suppose that you would be given one if you asked, but the included wines are perfectly acceptable and most people seem content to drink them. To Sagas credit imo that unlike most other cruise lines they are not trying to push you towards extra cost alternatives. The extra cost wines are however on the drinks menus in the bars and lounges, which is how I knew of their existence.

Edited March 13, 2023 by Denarius

[david05]

24 minutes ago, Denarius said:

I have never seen a wine list in either the Dining Room or Grill. I suppose that you would be given one if you asked, but the included wines are perfectly acceptable and most people seem content to drink them. To Sagas credit imo that unlike most other cruise lines they are not trying to push you towards extra cost alternatives. The extra cost wines are however on the drinks menus in the bars and lounges, which is how I knew of their existence.

If you ask in the restaurants the wine waiter will bring the wine list of the paid for alternatives to you. He might have to disappear to a bar to collect it though! 

[Vivaldi]

5 hours ago, Wacktle said:

On a cruise in 2019 that included Bordeaux, a (very) top wine expert was onboard. At a wine tasting, he said he was astounded at the low prices of some very good wines,

 

We were on the same cruise and went to the tastings, hosted by a Master of Wine. He did think that the paid-for wines were very good and bargains at the price. Granted that if you buy one of these bottles to have with a meal you are probably not also taking glasses of the house wines, so Saga can pass on their savings on that, but the prices are considerably below those I'd expect to see on the wine menu of a restaurant onshore. 

It's a pity that the paid-for wines are not also available by the glass, although Saga's website has always said that they are:

 

Wine included

A choice of house red, white, rose and sparkling wines will be available throughout your cruise, at no extra charge. In addition, there'll be a hand-picked connoisseur selection to purchase both by the glass and by the bottle.

 

I've moaned about this before, so I won't do so again. But I do wish that Saga would correct its website since it could mislead potential guests.

Just to make one other point: I have encountered the occasional guest who wasn't very keen on the particular house wine being offered that day, but didn't realise that you could simply ask for a different one. In fact on one Saga cruise we only liked one of the red wines on offer and after a few days, when the wine waitress spotted us entering the Dining Room, she would wave at us, grin, and call out "I'll get your wine for you!"  Happy memories!

 

 

 

 

 

[Windsurfboy]

Some  said if you go to bar , (best at quiet time) , you can ask what say the white wines are for the cruise,  then test a number,  what you fancy. If there is one particular one, they will get it for you every night

[Staffordshirecruiser]

Hi, just to be aware - even though it isn’t on the list, it is possible to buy champagne by the glass - I was caught out on this - in a nice way - as I thought I needed to buy by the bottle

 

[Wacktle]

On 3/13/2023 at 3:16 PM, Vivaldi said:

It's a pity that the paid-for wines are not also available by the glass, although Saga's website has always said that they are:

 

Wine included

A choice of house red, white, rose and sparkling wines will be available throughout your cruise, at no extra charge. In addition, there'll be a hand-picked connoisseur selection to purchase both by the glass and by the bottle.

 

Oh, I've never noticed this !

[Host Sharon]

Also note, if you ask for Prosecco in a bar they will say it is extra. If you ask for a sparkling white wine, you will get a very nice English wine, better, IMO than Prosecco and all included.

[Windsurfboy]

10 minutes ago, Host Sharon said:

Also note, if you ask for Prosecco in a bar they will say it is extra. If you ask for a sparkling white wine, you will get a very nice English wine, better, IMO than Prosecco and all included.

 

Will it be the hush heath balfour ? 

[Vivaldi]

1 hour ago, Windsurfboy said:

Will it be the hush heath balfour ?

 

It would be nice if it is - the Balfour is excellent stuff. But a bottle of it costs a lot more than a bottle of Prosecco, so it would be a real bonus if glasses of it were offered free. (Come to think of it, I'm not sure that any English sparkling wine is cheaper than an average Prosecco.) 

[Host Sharon]

On 3/26/2023 at 5:40 PM, Windsurfboy said:

 

Will it be the hush heath balfour ? 

Yes, it is.