Premium Plus -- No More Wines by the Bottle?!

[hawkeyetlse]

I can’t really blame them for reserving the supplies they need to run the tastings (and keep in mind that they’re not just taking about the tasting on your sailing, but on who knows how many sailings after that until they finally get their next liquor shipment in).

 

The point is that they shouldn’t let stocks get so low that they ever have to make this choice (which group of paying customers to screw over first). But they do. 

 

I suspect it’s the same thing with the magically appearing bottle of Veuve. They weren’t saying that the whole ship was out of Veuve, they were saying that they had gone through the allowance for your sailing. But if you make enough of a stink, they can decide to dip into the next cruise’s allowance and hope for the best. 

Edited April 14, 2023 by hawkeyetlse

[Arrow34]

17 hours ago, hawkeyetlse said:

I can’t really blame them for reserving the supplies they need to run the tastings (and keep in mind that they’re not just taking about the tasting on your sailing, but on who knows how many sailings after that until they finally get their next liquor shipment in).

 

The point is that they shouldn’t let stocks get so low that they ever have to make this choice (which group of paying customers to screw over first). But they do. 

 

I suspect it’s the same thing with the magically appearing bottle of Veuve. They weren’t saying that the whole ship was out of Veuve, they were saying that they had gone through the allowance for your sailing. But if you make enough of a stink, they can decide to dip into the next cruise’s allowance and hope for the best. 

If they are selling me a premium package that includes those liquors  maybe they should change it.  I paid more to be able to get those items... otherwise why would i pay more?

[UnbridledEnthusiasm]

I know this is an old topic but it's very helpful. I was on Gem in July and I'm hoping to go on Bliss in October. I had the basic FAS drink package and was fine with it but dined with a woman I met who paid the extra for the premium plus. We had dinner just at one of the main dining rooms and she ordered a really good bottle of wine that appeared to only be available by the bottle and not the glass there if I'm not mistaken. She said it was included in her premium plus package. The waiter to my surprise poured me and her both a glass throughout dinner (maybe he thought we were in the same cabin?). This is an $80 bottle of wine. The next day we met up at one of the bars and there they had the same great wine but they told her that they couldn't give her the bottle but could give her 2 glasses at a time of it. I understand at the bar they may only give by the glass and not the bottle however that same wine they wouldn't do by the glass at dinner at the main dining room. Not exactly sure why it was done like that. 

 

From what I gather it's $30 (give or take...) to upgrade from the FAS drink package to the premium plus package. It's not worth it to me (based on what I like) to upgrade unless I know the types of wine I like are going to be available (whether by glass or bottle). I could pass on Starbuck's, don't need bottled water, don't like energy drinks, and could pass on higher end liquor brands when ordering mixed drinks. I wouldn't pay extra to upgrade in advance to the premium plus before having an idea of what wines I like will be available. Seems better to me to wait until you embark and see what bars and restaurants have available to make up your mind if it's worth it. 

 

Can someone chime in if it's more expensive to wait until the day you embark to upgrade to premium plus than if you were to upgrade in advance before the cruise?

[ggTexasGal]

2 hours ago, UnbridledEnthusiasm said:

Can someone chime in if it's more expensive to wait until the day you embark to upgrade to premium plus than if you were to upgrade in advance before the cruise?

Although it is not currently more expensive at $34.80 per person per day to upgrade, it is certainly possible that NCL might increase the per day cost before your cruise.  If you are particular about your selection, perhaps taking a few bottles (that you know you like) onboard at no extra charge with FAS, could be an option for you to consider.  

[MiniJeffrey]

On 4/11/2023 at 1:43 PM, ljrfrm said:

We just got off the Bliss. We got bottles with P+ every night at dinner, no problem in all dining rooms and specialty restaurants. However, we weren't able to take any bottle with us out of the dining room.  Even when we wanted a second bottle and I specifically asked if I could take any leftover back to the cabin, they offered for us to just fill up the glasses and take those.  Contrary to this, they had NO problem with us taking our brand new unopened free bottle from our dining voucher.

 

Would you know how this works when you're in a party where only certain people have P+? If I ask a bottle of wine with my P+ and people without P+ are dining with me, will they be allowed to drink from my bottle?

[ggTexasGal]

@UnbridledEnthusiasm A post that is four months old isn't so bad to resurrect, since the cost and the T&Cs are still the same.  Posts that are quite a bit older, when the costs or T&C's being discussed have changed, are often a problem because it's more likely for readers to confuse the relevant facts.

[ljrfrm]

2 hours ago, MiniJeffrey said:

 

Would you know how this works when you're in a party where only certain people have P+? If I ask a bottle of wine with my P+ and people without P+ are dining with me, will they be allowed to drink from my bottle?

Our friends didn't have P+ and they were offered and drank our wine at dinner without a problem.

[Let Me Travel!]

We were on the NCL Spirit this spring in Alaska…I was a little disappointed with the premium+ because they just didn’t have some of the listed brands on the ship! As an example, they “featured” the Santa Margarita …but that wine was not on the ship! I’ve paid for the premium+ on our next cruise (Prima)…but this will be their last chance…

[hawkeyetlse]

6 hours ago, UnbridledEnthusiasm said:

Can someone chime in if it's more expensive to wait until the day you embark to upgrade to premium plus than if you were to upgrade in advance before the cruise?

 

It's the same price, unless your booking is in a different currency (in which case the exchange rate they use may be better or worse for you). But if you are also interested in unlimited internet, then it really makes sense to get the FAS+ upgrade, and that is only available before sailing.

 

You are correct to be wary of the brands that will actually be available on your sailing, because I tried the P+ package on 2 different ships only 3 or 4 months apart, and the brands they had were almost completely different (high-end wine and spirits). I don't necessarily mind drinking different brands, but overall it was a pretty big step down from the first time to the second, so I won't be doing P+ again unless I hear that things have stabilized and NCL is able to provide a consistent experience for people who buy the package.

 

On the subject of sharing wine with tablemates, I have always been allowed to do it (whether or not the others have P+, or any beverage package) but a few times I have noticed some hesitation from the server or I have been told outright that it is technically not allowed (but they do it anyway). I would not be surprised if they crack down on this very soon, because it is kind of a gigantic loophole through which they lose a lot of money. So I wouldn't count on being able to share your P+ bottles in the future.

[phillygwm]

32 minutes ago, ljrfrm said:

Our friends didn't have P+ and they were offered and drank our wine at dinner without a problem.

That was my experience last year on the Joy.  In fact, at Teppanyaki, the waiter offered to pour my Moet for everyone at the table (this was before you were limited to a single bottle so I kept them coming.)  At the other restaurants, my wines were poured for my friends but that was never more than a glass because they're not huge drinkers.

 

Given the comments, especially around Champagne, I've considered downgrading to the basic package but I drink a lot of Pellegrino (and the occasional Starbucks) so I come pretty close to offsetting my cost with non-alcohol alone.

Edited August 20, 2023 by phillygwm

[UnbridledEnthusiasm]

7 hours ago, hawkeyetlse said:

so I won't be doing P+ again unless I hear that things have stabilized and NCL is able to provide a consistent experience for people who buy the package.

 

That's why I think I would just stick to the basic FAS package and wait until you are on the ship or have spoken to people on maybe a sailing within a month or so to see what was available. I'm really particular about wines and I would be annoyed if I paid in advance for something that was advertised (yes I know they do say things like they have the right to change the wines, availability etc) and ended up not being available anywhere on the ship. There was another topic similar to this one and people got upset that the original poster felt cheated out of not having the liquors and wines that they were led to believe the ship would have. I would have felt cheated too quite honestly and would try to downgrade if that's even an option. 

[RocketMan275]

I too am struggling with getting the Plus package or just bringing a few bottles on board.  

[MiniJeffrey]

19 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

I too am struggling with getting the Plus package or just bringing a few bottles on board.  

Trying the P+ mainly for the champagne, Starbucks and fresh juicesfor my upcoming cruise in a week. It might be full hit or miss, let's see.

[sjacobs11]

1 minute ago, MiniJeffrey said:

Trying the P+ mainly for the champagne, Starbucks and fresh juicesfor my upcoming cruise in a week. It might be full hit or miss, let's see.

What is the latest champagne they're offering? I read somewhere that it was now their own NCL brand.

[RocketMan275]

4 minutes ago, MiniJeffrey said:

Trying the P+ mainly for the champagne, Starbucks and fresh juicesfor my upcoming cruise in a week. It might be full hit or miss, let's see.

We don't really care for champagne or the fresh juices.

We're mostly red wine drinkers, especially the full bodied ones.

No sweet wines.  None.

[JandC_Cruising]

15 minutes ago, sjacobs11 said:

What is the latest champagne they're offering? I read somewhere that it was now their own NCL brand.

Just off the Getaway earlier this month.  The Premium Plus Champagne available throughout the ship was the Pommery Brut Rose.  It was pretty good and we had several glasses throughout the cruise.  Le Bistro was offering Veuve Clicquot by the glass, but that was the only place we found it available and we enjoyed that with our starters that evening.

[MiniJeffrey]

11 hours ago, JandC_Cruising said:

Just off the Getaway earlier this month.  The Premium Plus Champagne available throughout the ship was the Pommery Brut Rose.  It was pretty good and we had several glasses throughout the cruise.  Le Bistro was offering Veuve Clicquot by the glass, but that was the only place we found it available and we enjoyed that with our starters that evening.

 

Was it available everywhere, like at poolbars too?

[KeithJenner]

47 minutes ago, MiniJeffrey said:

 

Was it available everywhere, like at poolbars too?

Champagne was always only at selected bars even when the package had more options. We usually only found it at restaurants and places like the wine or champagne bars.

[DCGuy64]

19 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

No sweet wines.  None.

My wife and I love sweet ones. We'll take yours! 😁

[JandC_Cruising]

9 hours ago, MiniJeffrey said:

 

Was it available everywhere, like at poolbars too?

The Pommery Rose was everywhere that we asked for it, including the Vibe.  Didn't go to the main pool bar.  It was at all the bars on decks 6,7,8 as we could tell (Sunset, Prime Meridian, Mixx, Bar 21, etc.) and on every restaurant wine list.

[chillyw]

14 minutes ago, JandC_Cruising said:

The Pommery Rose was everywhere that we asked for it, including the Vibe.  Didn't go to the main pool bar.  It was at all the bars on decks 6,7,8 as we could tell (Sunset, Prime Meridian, Mixx, Bar 21, etc.) and on every restaurant wine list.

 

Same here on Prima, Pommery available everywhere, drank a lot of Veuve in Le Bistro

[MiniJeffrey]

3 hours ago, DCGuy64 said:

My wife and I love sweet ones. We'll take yours! 😁

 

Bit off topic as NCL doesn't have it I think, but have you tried cheateau d'Yquem?

[gmbhardy]

23 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

We don't really care for champagne or the fresh juices.

We're mostly red wine drinkers, especially the full bodied ones.

No sweet wines.  None.

So no ice wine.

[DCGuy64]

42 minutes ago, MiniJeffrey said:

 

Bit off topic as NCL doesn't have it I think, but have you tried cheateau d'Yquem?

I have had Sauternes, which is of the same appellation. You know, I'm really glad you said this, because I'm planning a land-based vacation to France next year and will look out for this one. Thank you!

[TPgal]

On 4/11/2023 at 4:43 AM, ljrfrm said:

We just got off the Bliss. We got bottles with P+ every night at dinner, no problem in all dining rooms and specialty restaurants. However, we weren't able to take any bottle with us out of the dining room.  Even when we wanted a second bottle and I specifically asked if I could take any leftover back to the cabin, they offered for us to just fill up the glasses and take those.  Contrary to this, they had NO problem with us taking our brand new unopened free bottle from our dining voucher.

We just left the Bliss Saturday. We didn't try to buy a bottle of wine - as there were three of us with P+, we would order a glass and they would open it and we'd polish it off with the second pour.  However, there were wines that were on the menu that they wouldn't open at certain places - i.e. the Lafite Sauv. Blanc, and we couldn't get the Pomeroy Rose either.  The Kool wasn't terrible but it was frustrating.

We stopped by Guest Services and they called out the assistant beverage manager who explained that the Pomeroy wasn't on ship due to supply issues.   He asked us where we were dining for the remainder of the cruise and he visited us at each specialty dining location ("Hello Mr. Jason & family!") and all pours of Veuve at Le Bistro were not only offered multiple times during our dinner, but had no charge.   At La Cocina, they didn't balk at the fact that the three of us chose different ($25/glass) reds, but there was some hesitation when the server brought an open bottle of Barolo to our table and we said yes to a glass of that - the server had to go to the back and ask.   Maybe the other table had purchased the bottle, but in the end they poured it for us.   I saw them open another one for the other table, as our three pours finished that bottle handily.  Cagney's on Friday, the Barolo was on hand without issue, and they poured me a pre-dinner glass at the A-List. 

It was nice that our difficulty in getting the higher end wines went away, but we were left with the impression that it was due to the Beverage Manager's intervention.   It's unfortunate for the staff that the expectations set by the marketing doesn't match up with what they are able to pour or open. They work so hard and are so professional, that it must be awful to tell people no.  

In the end, I'm not quite sure the math worked for us on the P+ package on the wine, but we loved the daily Starbucks, grabbing a liter of water anywhere, and Mr. Jason liked being able to specify his favorite gin in the A-list gin & tonics.   We haven't pulled the trigger on the upgrade for the next cruise, but I also need to let the credit card cool down for a cycle. It's not good when it's steaming.

Also, I will always refer to my DH as "Mr. Jason" especially when asking for assistance.  He now calls me "Mrs. Mr Jason"