World wine tour on Apex

[drakes2]

Has anyone done this on the Apex and are the wines of decent quality. I know its 6 white 6 reds. Its been a long time and I've only participated on S class ships. I have a ton of OBC to spend so thought perhaps give it a try again. 

[Sigyn]

I'm very curious about this on any Celebrity ship - looking at it on the Millennium. What was your experience like on S-class ships?

[DaKahuna]

36 minutes ago, njsmom said:

I'm very curious about this on any Celebrity ship - looking at it on the Millennium. What was your experience like on S-class ships?

 

 We are sailing on Millennium next week and I had considered doing this.  Have not booked it yet but I do have us signed up for the Food & Wine Pairing Workshop. 

 

 We did this on a past Celebrity cruise on Silhouette and it was multiple stations representing five different wine growing regions (e.g. France, Spain, South America, USA, etc..).  There were representative whites and reds from each region and a sommelier at each one who explained the region and the wines.  You were free to sample what ever you wanted.  The event lasted an hour I believe and that was sufficient time to go through each of the regions, unless you lingered for a lot of Q&A.  

 

[drakes2]

13 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

 

 We are sailing on Millennium next week and I had considered doing this.  Have not booked it yet but I do have us signed up for the Food & Wine Pairing Workshop. 

 

 We did this on a past Celebrity cruise on Silhouette and it was multiple stations representing five different wine growing regions (e.g. France, Spain, South America, USA, etc..).  There were representative whites and reds from each region and a sommelier at each one who explained the region and the wines.  You were free to sample what ever you wanted.  The event lasted an hour I believe and that was sufficient time to go through each of the regions, unless you lingered for a lot of Q&A.  

 

I like to linger and I remember once when it used to be in the venue which is now called Craft Social they used to serve some better quality wines now I believe its just what they have on basic package if its like that on the Apex its not worth it for me.  

[DaKahuna]

Just now, drakes2 said:

I like to linger and I remember once when it used to be in the venue which is now called Craft Social they used to serve some better quality wines now I believe its just what they have on basic package if its like that on the Apex its not worth it for me.  

 

I will ask the Sommelier in Lumina about the offering before booking as I agree, if it is only wines on the basic or even premium package, it's not worth it.  Ours was held in Craft Social and were good quality wines, most of which were sold by the bottle onboard. 

  

[drakes2]

5 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

 

I will ask the Sommelier in Lumina about the offering before booking as I agree, if it is only wines on the basic or even premium package, it's not worth it.  Ours was held in Craft Social and were good quality wines, most of which were sold by the bottle onboard. 

  

I wonder if I can register at ths tasting that way will see what they're offering. I don't mind if they are premium wines as I don't have a package so good way to try without buying first. 

[DaKahuna]

Just now, drakes2 said:

I wonder if I can register at ths tasting that way will see what they're offering. I don't mind if they are premium wines as I don't have a package so good way to try without buying first. 

 

I do not know for sure.  Our sommelier in Luminae convinced us to sign up the last time and he was one of the sommelier's serving at the event.   I will be doing a live review of my cruise starting next week and will try and remember to get information and will definitely have pictures if I attend. 

 

[drakes2]

5 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

 

I do not know for sure.  Our sommelier in Luminae convinced us to sign up the last time and he was one of the sommelier's serving at the event.   I will be doing a live review of my cruise starting next week and will try and remember to get information and will definitely have pictures if I attend. 

 

I assume they get the commission when one signs up. If I don't see wines on the table that I like will just skip. My cruise is April 22nd they usually have servers in the OV Cafe getting you to sign up. I get the basic wines during the Elite HH so don't want to duplicate. I guess I can always sign up and later cancel. 

[markeb]

17 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

 

I will ask the Sommelier in Lumina about the offering before booking as I agree, if it is only wines on the basic or even premium package, it's not worth it.  Ours was held in Craft Social and were good quality wines, most of which were sold by the bottle onboard. 

  

 

i kind of disagree with that, but it does depend on cost, time, and amount of OBC...

 

I enjoyed that they had wines that I wouldn't have necessarily tried even in the packages. And some things that were probably in the classic package that were surprisingly good. You also discovered how good some of the somms are on the ship. One of the somms on Equinox in August WAS  a sommelier and had worked in London (he was Indian). This was something he was doing to broaden his experience. In fact, I've got a recommendation for him for an Indian restaurant in London that I haven't been to. But that's a digression.

 

The major downside is if you get a bunch of people without a drink package that just want to slam as much wine as they can in an hour...

[DaKahuna]

 

6 minutes ago, drakes2 said:

I assume they get the commission when one signs up. If I don't see wines on the table that I like will just skip. My cruise is April 22nd they usually have servers in the OV Cafe getting you to sign up. I get the basic wines during the Elite HH so don't want to duplicate. I guess I can always sign up and later cancel. 

 

 I suspect that they do get a commission as well, but that's irrelevant to me.  We have the DBP since we are sailing in a suite but I don't look at the package when my sommelier recommends a wine, I just normally go with what he recommends. 

 

5 minutes ago, markeb said:

 

i kind of disagree with that, but it does depend on cost, time, and amount of OBC...

 

I enjoyed that they had wines that I wouldn't have necessarily tried even in the packages. And some things that were probably in the classic package that were surprisingly good. You also discovered how good some of the somms are on the ship. One of the somms on Equinox in August WAS  a sommelier and had worked in London (he was Indian). This was something he was doing to broaden his experience. In fact, I've got a recommendation for him for an Indian restaurant in London that I haven't been to. But that's a digression.

 

The major downside is if you get a bunch of people without a drink package that just want to slam as much wine as they can in an hour...

 

I am not sure what you are disagreeing with but okay. 

 

On our Reflection B2B in December 2021 we had Shiraz as our sommelier in Luminae.  On the first night at dinner I informed him that we were going to be his guest for the next 14 nights and that my goal was to have him select a wine each evening to go with my meal and that unless I specifically asked for a certain wine, to not repeat any of the wines.  He did a marvelous job and even recommended which wine to have the night we had dinner in Murano!  I cannot say enough wonderful things about him.  I did a live review of that cruise and posted pictures of all the wines  I plan to do this on my upcoming cruise as well. 

 

 I totally agree about it turning into a free for all for some people and that does take away from the enjoyment of the event.  I will be the first to admit that I do not have a sophisticated pallet and many of the tasting notes are lost on me but I do enjoy the flavor of a good wine. 

 

[Straughn]

I have done this several times and enjoy it.  I have never known them to provide a list, in advance of what will be served. If you asked, they might tell you the regions.  I can assure you that they aren't going to be pouring $100 bottles of wine, but they aren't pouring Bogle and Yellowtail either. It is always wines I have never heard of and will probably never have again.

 

Each station has several wines representative of the region and a couple of somms to talk about them.  For me, the whole point of any wine tasting is to try something new that I might not experience otherwise. Some I like, some I don't, but I always have fun while learning something new.

Edited April 16, 2023 by Straughn

[markeb]

8 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

I am not sure what you are disagreeing with but okay. 

 

That it's not worth it if it's only the standard wines. But I'm only on my second cup of coffee this morning...

[drakes2]

6 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

 

 

 I suspect that they do get a commission as well, but that's irrelevant to me.  We have the DBP since we are sailing in a suite but I don't look at the package when my sommelier recommends a wine, I just normally go with what he recommends. 

 

 

I am not sure what you are disagreeing with but okay. 

 

On our Reflection B2B in December 2021 we had Shiraz as our sommelier in Luminae.  On the first night at dinner I informed him that we were going to be his guest for the next 14 nights and that my goal was to have him select a wine each evening to go with my meal and that unless I specifically asked for a certain wine, to not repeat any of the wines.  He did a marvelous job and even recommended which wine to have the night we had dinner in Murano!  I cannot say enough wonderful things about him.  I did a live review of that cruise and posted pictures of all the wines  I plan to do this on my upcoming cruise as well. 

 

 I totally agree about it turning into a free for all for some people and that does take away from the enjoyment of the event.  I will be the first to admit that I do not have a sophisticated pallet and many of the tasting notes are lost on me but I do enjoy the flavor of a good wine. 

 

I have $800 obc and solo in my cabin. After paying gratuities I allow myself $100 for the casino as my entertainment money.  Don't buy trinkets and jewelry shops on Apex too expensive plus I have more than I need so I would like to splurge on some nice wine tastings (maybe they will have 2 since its a 15 night TA). Maybe a food and wine pairing since I've never done that and always wanted to try. I'm actually pretty good at pairing dishes but sure I could learn a few tricks. 

[markeb]

12 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

On our Reflection B2B in December 2021 we had Shiraz as our sommelier in Luminae.  On the first night at dinner I informed him that we were going to be his guest for the next 14 nights and that my goal was to have him select a wine each evening to go with my meal and that unless I specifically asked for a certain wine, to not repeat any of the wines. 

 

First of all, that may be the best sommelier name ever!

 

I've had that sort of experience on land at good restaurants. Obviously not 7 nights in a row. I've not found the shipboard somms to have that kind of sense of adventure. Maybe they don't believe the customer? Too many times when a California cab or an overoaked buttery chardonnay goes with anything. And a tendency to want to serve a wine before you've even looked at the menu, and continue to pour the same wine even after you've finished your course and moved on to the next one. I prefer when the somm knows their wines and the chef's dishes and knows which wines complement which dishes.

[DaKahuna]

8 minutes ago, markeb said:

 

That it's not worth it if it's only the standard wines. But I'm only on my second cup of coffee this morning...

 

 I understand now.  I like to try a variety of wines and then have more of those I like.  To me I can have the wines from the packages at any time.  I do the wine tour for new and less common wines that are offered. 

 

8 minutes ago, drakes2 said:

I have $800 obc and solo in my cabin. After paying gratuities I allow myself $100 for the casino as my entertainment money.  Don't buy trinkets and jewelry shops on Apex too expensive plus I have more than I need so I would like to splurge on some nice wine tastings (maybe they will have 2 since its a 15 night TA). Maybe a food and wine pairing since I've never done that and always wanted to try. I'm actually pretty good at pairing dishes but sure I could learn a few tricks. 

 

We also have a lot of OBC for this cruise.  I've booked two dinners in specialty restaurants, the Food & Wine Paring, and a shore excursion and still have a lot of non-refundable OBC left.  

 

The only trinket we buy is one of the ship's refrigerator magnets for ships we have not sailed on before. 

[DaKahuna]

4 minutes ago, markeb said:

 

First of all, that may be the best sommelier name ever!

 

 

Agree - I had to check his name tag a couple of times to make sure I was seeing it correctly. 

 

5 minutes ago, markeb said:

 

I've had that sort of experience on land at good restaurants. Obviously not 7 nights in a row. I've not found the shipboard somms to have that kind of sense of adventure. Maybe they don't believe the customer? Too many times when a California cab or an overoaked buttery chardonnay goes with anything. And a tendency to want to serve a wine before you've even looked at the menu, and continue to pour the same wine even after you've finished your course and moved on to the next one. I prefer when the somm knows their wines and the chef's dishes and knows which wines complement which dishes.

 

 

Well, this was 14 nights total as it was a B2B.  

 

I would let him know what I was planning to order or had ordered and he would tell me his recommendation.  When we served the wine to me he would discuss the wine and its flavors and tasting notes.  I learned a lot from him that cruise and only wish my pallet had been refined enough to even distinguish 20% of flavors he noted.  

 

We are not big fans of dessert wines. He served us lemoncello and was surprised that we did not like it.  I explained to him we had tried some on a Mediterranean cruise in Italy and did not enjoy it.  He also served us a port wine and I reaffirmed my dislike of fortified wines.   

 

[drakes2]

19 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

 

Agree - I had to check his name tag a couple of times to make sure I was seeing it correctly. 

 

 

Well, this was 14 nights total as it was a B2B.  

 

I would let him know what I was planning to order or had ordered and he would tell me his recommendation.  When we served the wine to me he would discuss the wine and its flavors and tasting notes.  I learned a lot from him that cruise and only wish my pallet had been refined enough to even distinguish 20% of flavors he noted.  

 

We are not big fans of dessert wines. He served us lemoncello and was surprised that we did not like it.  I explained to him we had tried some on a Mediterranean cruise in Italy and did not enjoy it.  He also served us a port wine and I reaffirmed my dislike of fortified wines.   

 

Don't like port either but enjoy Niagara ice wine.  A couple years ago on an S class ship I asked the sommelier to recommend a nice Tuscan wine for my meal and he replied he didn't like Italian wines. 😆 

[markeb]

10 minutes ago, drakes2 said:

Don't like port either but enjoy Niagara ice wine.  A couple years ago on an S class ship I asked the sommelier to recommend a nice Tuscan wine for my meal and he replied he didn't like Italian wines. 😆 

 

That's pretty useless.  One of the world's largest and most varied wine regions. If he didn't like Italian wines writ large, I don't know how he could be a sommelier (sommelier in title only).

[DaKahuna]

3 minutes ago, markeb said:

 

That's pretty useless.  One of the world's largest and most varied wine regions. If he didn't like Italian wines writ large, I don't know how he could be a sommelier (sommelier in title only).

 

Reminds me of a comment our host made when I was on a business trip in Munic back in the late 1990's.  We were having dinner and I asked what German wines he recommended.  His comment was none of them,  the French and Italian wines were so much better.  He said get French if we wanted red and Italian if we wanted white but if we were set on a German wine to get an ice wine. 

 

[markeb]

1 minute ago, DaKahuna said:

 

Reminds me of a comment our host made when I was on a business trip in Munic back in the late 1990's.  We were having dinner and I asked what German wines he recommended.  His comment was none of them,  the French and Italian wines were so much better.  He said get French if we wanted red and Italian if we wanted white but if we were set on a German wine to get an ice wine. 

 

 

Well, it was the 1990's. That's when we lived in Bavaria. You drink bier in Bayern...

 

The wine regions of Germany are along the Rhine and Mosel rivers, so far west from Munich. And while I think there were good German wines then, I think there are much better German wines now. And most places in Munich at the time would have had one brewery's beer and mostly house wines, usually Riesling, and dry, half dry, or sweet. Italian or French places would have a much better selection, but I wasn't as into wine then as I am now...

[drakes2]

4 hours ago, markeb said:

 

That's pretty useless.  One of the world's largest and most varied wine regions. If he didn't like Italian wines writ large, I don't know how he could be a sommelier (sommelier in title only).

Thats exactly what I thought. Wonder where his boss was? I was in the mood for a nice Italian wine that night so walked over to Tuscan restaurant and sommelier there gave me a glass just don't remember the name. 

[zestyzorra]

Just an FYI:  I signed up for the World Wine Tasting before my January 28, 2023 Apex sailing.  When I got onboard, I had a paper in my room with the date and time for the Riedel wine tasting workshop.  I contacted guest services and they said the World Wine tasting would not be offered. Usually when this happens, they say so and offer an alternative instead of automatically shifting the booking to another tasting.  I didn't want to do the Riedel workshop (I have too many glasses as it is), so I canceled and requested a refund.  Bit of a bummer. 

[drakes2]

1 hour ago, zestyzorra said:

Just an FYI:  I signed up for the World Wine Tasting before my January 28, 2023 Apex sailing.  When I got onboard, I had a paper in my room with the date and time for the Riedel wine tasting workshop.  I contacted guest services and they said the World Wine tasting would not be offered. Usually when this happens, they say so and offer an alternative instead of automatically shifting the booking to another tasting.  I didn't want to do the Riedel workshop (I have too many glasses as it is), so I canceled and requested a refund.  Bit of a bummer. 

I've also done the Reidel tasting and have plenty of glasses however I see the WW tasting offered on my app for my sailing Saturday so assume its offered.  Once onboard I'll check to see whats offered or may do the pairing. 

[cublet]

Hello,

 

I did a World Wine Tour on Eclipse some years ago. Whoever set it up did not know the difference between the  Australian and New Zealand flags.

 

I don't attend these or the wine tasting/pairing sessions as they are usually held in the mornings and that's starting on a slope I don't want to go down.

 

Regards,

 

Cublet

[riredsox]

I haven’t done the world wine tour in quite some time.  The last time I did it they had quite a few high end wines.  I tried chateauneuf du pape for the first time.  And after it was over I had to take a nap!  Unlimited good wines and cheese and crackers!  I’m sure it has changed now.  Maybe 2 buck chuck and some saltines 😂.   Kidding,  I’m sure it’s still fun.