Simply More wine at lunch and dinner

[Harry Lake]

Is it too soon to ask if people are liking it? Are the staff already adept? Does it come around in bottles on a cart? Any photos?

 

We'll be doing this next year. Unlike some people we like a glass (or even two if the food is slow arriving) at lunch and/or dinner.

[PhD-iva]

Its the same wine/beer that is currently available under the standard beverage package. Wine is served by the glass. Probably includes a discount if you buy a bottle of wine.

Only difference is bundling/marketing under “Simply More.” 

Edited November 6, 2023 by PhD-iva
Typo

[basor]

3 hours ago, Harry Lake said:

Is it too soon to ask if people are liking it? Are the staff already adept? Does it come around in bottles on a cart? Any photos?

 

We'll be doing this next year. Unlike some people we like a glass (or even two if the food is slow arriving) at lunch and/or dinner.

We just got off Vista and there was no difference in service - the bar stewards came around and asked what you would like (anything off the wine by the glass menu), they then brought the bottle, poured your glass and then came back around often to ask if you wanted another glass.  This was our experience in every dining venue...They would ask at the beginning if you had a beverage package and then take our cards at the end of our meal.  

[Harry Lake]

5 minutes ago, basor said:

We just got off Vista and there was no difference in service - the bar stewards came around and asked what you would like (anything off the wine by the glass menu), they then brought the bottle, poured your glass and then came back around often to ask if you wanted another glass.  This was our experience in every dining venue...They would ask at the beginning if you had a beverage package and then take our cards at the end of our meal.  

Thanks. Good description.

[Vallesan]

In our experience, with the ‘old system’, we were always offered a red and a white but never a menu. If we didn’t fancy either wine we would asked for a Rioja or Albariño, for example, and they always came up with an acceptable wine.

[LHT28]

6 hours ago, Vallesan said:

In our experience, with the ‘old system’, we were always offered a red and a white but never a menu. If we didn’t fancy either wine we would asked for a Rioja or Albariño, for example, and they always came up with an acceptable wine.

Were you on Oceania ??

 

[Vallesan]

1 hour ago, LHT28 said:

Were you on Oceania ??

 

Yes.

We used to take the drinks package as our perk (not the prestige package). Have sailed 9 times with Oceania  so far and have never been offered a ‘wine by the glass’ menu. Maybe it’s something new.

[EJL2023]

38 minutes ago, Vallesan said:

Yes.

We used to take the drinks package as our perk (not the prestige package). Have sailed 9 times with Oceania  so far and have never been offered a ‘wine by the glass’ menu. Maybe it’s something new.

I found an article in Cruise Industry News that it was introduced for voyages beginning in 2012. 

[Vallesan]

19 minutes ago, EJL2023 said:

I found an article in Cruise Industry News that it was introduced for voyages beginning in 2012. 

Maybe.

We started sailing with Oceania in 2015. So if they started the ‘old ‘ system in 2012 it’s probably about time it changed!

[Harry Lake]

13 hours ago, Harry Lake said:

(anything off the wine by the glass menu),

So there IS a menu? And it has a decent # of wines on it?  We're not fancy-dancy wine drinkers 🙂

[LHT28]

2 hours ago, Vallesan said:

Yes.

We used to take the drinks package as our perk (not the prestige package). Have sailed 9 times with Oceania  so far and have never been offered a ‘wine by the glass’ menu. Maybe it’s something new.

the menu has been on the table in the Terrace   for years  & GDR they will bring you the wine list  when you are seated

[LHT28]

8 minutes ago, Harry Lake said:

So there IS a menu? And it has a decent # of wines on it?  We're not fancy-dancy wine drinkers 🙂

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/sites/default/files/2023-10/oceania-wine-list.pdf

[basor]

3 hours ago, Vallesan said:

Yes.

We used to take the drinks package as our perk (not the prestige package). Have sailed 9 times with Oceania  so far and have never been offered a ‘wine by the glass’ menu. Maybe it’s something new.

The wine by the glass menu is on the table - not handed to us by wine steward in Terrace, Waves and Aquamar.  The wine steward in GDR and specialty restaurants would have the wine menu in their hand when asking about our choice and we could then ask to see the wine by the glass menu and choose. This has been our experience for our last 15 O cruises.  We never had a wine steward approach us and ask red or white since they had no idea if we had a package or not and if we wanted a full bottle or just a glass.  YMMV

 

[Vallesan]

Maybe our experience had just been different!

I will take a more careful note when we sail again in January.

[edgee]

1 hour ago, Vallesan said:

Maybe our experience had just been different!

I will take a more careful note when we sail again in January.

Had dinner in Terrace on Vista last night. I have basic Simply More included wine and beer at dinner. Told them that. They glanced at my card. Poured my chosen wine. Gave me a refill. Never took my card.

[FetaCheese]

3 hours ago, edgee said:

Had dinner in Terrace on Vista last night. I have basic Simply More included wine and beer at dinner. Told them that. They glanced at my card. Poured my chosen wine. Gave me a refill. Never took my card.

So, are you saying that you just told them SM.  Does your card indicate SM?

 

One would think they would have to verify, during the period now,  that pax could have booked Olife or SM.  Very trusting on part of O.

Edited November 7, 2023 by FetaCheese
Addl info

[pinotlover]

11 minutes ago, FetaCheese said:

So, are you saying that you just told them SM.  Does your card indicate SM?

 

One would think they would have to verify, during the period now,  that pax could have booked Olife or SM.  Very trusting on part of O.

Typically, the procedure is about inventory control and monitoring sales. All wines are ordered by Miami. They know how wines are selling based upon what’s ran through the register. Hard to imagine the accounting gods will be happy if a ship register shows sales of 120 bottles while the ship m’s inventory shows 180 bottles gone. There will soon be a meeting between the rubber and the road.

[basor]

18 minutes ago, FetaCheese said:

So, are you saying that you just told them SM.  Does your card indicate SM?

 

One would think they would have to verify, during the period now,  that pax could have booked Olife or SM.  Very trusting on part of O.

Your card has the same indication of Select Package (OLife) and SM on it so a quick glance by the wine steward knows you have the package.  If you have upgraded to Prestige package, they issue you a new card with that indication on it.....it is a 3 letter code in the bottom right hand side of your card.  We found as we got to know the same wine steward, they sometimes would not take the cards

[edgee]

4 minutes ago, basor said:

Your card has the same indication of Select Package (OLife) and SM on it so a quick glance by the wine steward knows you have the package.  If you have upgraded to Prestige package, they issue you a new card with that indication on it.....it is a 3 letter code in the bottom right hand side of your card.  We found as we got to know the same wine steward, they sometimes would not take the cards

I have  "perfect" record in 4 evenings on the ship no one has taken my card for wine. A couple of times they have looked at my card that has code "BIA" which staff confirmed to me shows I have beer and wine pkg. Not sure if code is same for my Simply More Beer and Wine "package" vs someone who got it under OLife.

[basor]

Just now, edgee said:

I have  "perfect" record in 4 evenings on the ship no one has taken my card for wine. A couple of times they have looked at my card that has code "BIA" which staff confirmed to me shows I have beer and wine pkg. Not sure if code is same for my Simply More Beer and Wine "package" vs someone who got it under OLife.

The code is the same for SM and the OLife package

[Harry Lake]

8 minutes ago, basor said:

The code is the same for SM and the OLife package

This seems as good a place as any to ask this. When does the "OLife" feature end?

[Acrusa]

7 minutes ago, Harry Lake said:

This seems as good a place as any to ask this. When does the "OLife" feature end?

When you make your next reservation for a cruise ONLY SM will be offered .

[Harry Lake]

17 minutes ago, Acrusa said:

When you make your next reservation for a cruise ONLY SM will be offered .

I wonder if some trouble maker is going to try to use FCC 🙂

[SeaWatch12]

9 hours ago, pinotlover said:

Typically, the procedure is about inventory control and monitoring sales. All wines are ordered by Miami. They know how wines are selling based upon what’s ran through the register. Hard to imagine the accounting gods will be happy if a ship register shows sales of 120 bottles while the ship m’s inventory shows 180 bottles gone. There will soon be a meeting between the rubber and the road.

I feel that just because the server doesn't physically take your card and swipe it at the computer that the consumption of the wine is not recorded. When they look at your card, the server can find the necessary info to be able to manually input how many glasses were ordered at that meal. 
As long as everything is accurate, I don't mind that they don't take my card to their closest register. 

[babysteps]

When they switched from OLife to Simply More, iirc the furthest out you could book OLife was spring 2025 with actual dates going a bit further out on Vista than the other ships. Someone else may have specific dates. 

 

Until then there will be a mix of packages - some on SM, some on OLife, some on nothing. I wonder if destination services will have the bigger challenge than wine servers applying different policies to different people?