Does HAL Do the Usual Sommelier Wine Tasting on Short (4 night) Cruises?

[jimdee3636]

I'm four-star with HAL and have often enjoyed the complimentary sommelier wine tastings in the MDR, usually done on the first sea day of a cruise. Later this year I'll be on a four-night repositioning cruise (Vancouver to San Diego) on the Koningsdam---my first short cruise in many years---and I'm wondering if they'll offer the sommelier tasting. If anyone has been on a four-night cruise (or something similar) in the recent past I'd love to know your experience with this.

 

Thanks!

 

Jim

[Sir PMP]

I don't think so.

[Real NHDOC]

Assuming your repositioning cruise is going to be mostly, if not all sea days I would be surprised if they didn’t offer the complementary wine tasting. My experience with repositioning cruises is that they actually offer more opportunities to participate in various beverage tastings than they do on port heavy itineraries and cannot remember ever not having been offered the free wine tasting on any sailing. In fact, since it is specifically mentioned as a perk of the mariner’s program I would say if it isn’t offered you should ask for an equivalent OBC in lieu of it. 

Edited January 15 by Real NHDOC

[jimdee3636]

@Real NHDOC

Yes, there will be three sea days on the four-night cruise. i hope you're right that there will be a sommelier tasting, because on such a short cruise that's about the only four-star benefit I could get. It's too short a cruise to bother with the free laundry, and the wines-by-the-bottle packages begin at four bottles. (I'm going solo this time, so a bottle each night is too much, even for an everyday wine drinker like me!). 

 

Thanks for your insights.

 

Jim

[Real NHDOC]

Don’t forget if you buy the wine package and don’t finish you can take it with you too. Some of the wines actually are less expensive after getting the 50% discount than they are at liquor stores on land so it’s not a bad deal. 

[Haljo1935]

16 hours ago, jimdee3636 said:

 

 ...because on such a short cruise that's about the only four-star benefit I could get. It's too short a cruise to bother with the free laundry...

Remember you will also get a 50% discount on "good" coffee and PG dining.

And even though only a few days, the free laundry is nice to reduce laundry time once you're back home 😊

Safe travels- enjoy your cruise!