Drinks package - what's included

[Nancy As]

Really looking forward to cruising with P&O in a few months but struggling to understand a couple of things about the drinks packages. 

I have two questions - hopefully someone will be able to help:

- with the classic drinks package - are any of the wines serves in MDR included or would I still need to pay per glass?

- again classic package and specialty restaurants - are the drinks included there or is there an extra charge for some / all of the drinks? 

Ta! 

[pete14]

The classic drinks package does include a selection of wines with your meals but in measures of 175ml. A wider selection and in glasses of 250 ml is available with the deluxe package. Of the two packages, I would pay the extra for the deluxe but it is all a matter of personal preference. I think the majority manage without any package and pay for what they drink on their final account at the end of the cruise. Just be aware that if you have a package, you may be tempted to drink more than you normally would.

[waddle]

All the drinks menus including MDR show the options as C or D so clear which are included in Classic or Deluxe

 

We feel there is a reasonable selection of wines on the Classic, 175ml glasses only 

[Megabear2]

This might help.  Anything with a "C" is available.  

 

There are other wines etc which do not appear on these menus, including some expensive ones at around £16-£17 for a 250ml glass.  Strangely one of those was a Sauvignon blanc from New Zealand which was on our Commodore wine package yet on the MDR menu for £47 a bottle and £16.50 for a 250ml glass in the Atrium bars.

 

 

My-holiday-menus.pdf

[Denarius]

8 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

This might help.  Anything with a "C" is available.  

 

There are other wines etc which do not appear on these menus, including some expensive ones at around £16-£17 for a 250ml glass.  Strangely one of those was a Sauvignon blanc from New Zealand which was on our Commodore wine package yet on the MDR menu for £47 a bottle and £16.50 for a 250ml glass in the Atrium bars.

 

 

My-holiday-menus.pdf 1.74 MB · 0 downloads

New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc at £47 a bottle. That sounds a bit steep. Even top brands like Cloudy Bay and Dog Point sell at less than £30 retail in the UK and whilst one would expect to pay more in a restaurant a mark up of £20 a bottle - more if the wine concerned is a less prestigious brand - seems a triffle excessive especially when you consider that onboard prices are presumably duty free.

[Megabear2]

55 minutes ago, Denarius said:

New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc at £47 a bottle. That sounds a bit steep. Even top brands like Cloudy Bay and Dog Point sell at less than £30 retail in the UK and whilst one would expect to pay more in a restaurant a mark up of £20 a bottle - more if the wine concerned is a less prestigious brand - seems a triffle excessive especially when you consider that onboard prices are presumably duty free.

Yes it did seem steep. It is this one as quoted from the Commodore package.

 

Villa Maria ‘Seaspray’ Sauvignon Blanc New Zealand | Crisp and Refreshing Expect lively acidity and flavours of kaffir lime, capsicum and fresh herbs, plus a distinctive briny seashell character.

 

Our waiter actually encouraged us to choose this one as it was the dearest on the menu, others hovered around the £30 mark.  

 

[Denarius]

32 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

Yes it did seem steep. It is this one as quoted from the Commodore package.

 

Villa Maria ‘Seaspray’ Sauvignon Blanc New Zealand | Crisp and Refreshing Expect lively acidity and flavours of kaffir lime, capsicum and fresh herbs, plus a distinctive briny seashell character.

 

Our waiter actually encouraged us to choose this one as it was the dearest on the menu, others hovered around the £30 mark.  

 

This wine is a single vineyard offering from Villa Maria. A bit more upmarket than their standard Sauvignon Blanc, it is currently on sale in the UK for £17.99 a bottle (Majestic) So at £47 a bottle you are talking of a mark up of around £30 a bottle on UK prices. A nice little earner for P&O!

Edited February 20 by Denarius
spelling

[crompton21]

32 minutes ago, Denarius said:

This wine is a single vineyard offering from Villa Maria. A bit more upmarket than their standard Sauvignon Blanc, it is currently on sale in the UK for £17.99 a bottle (Majestic) So at £47 a bottle you are talking of a mark up of around £30 a bottle on UK prices. A nice little earner for P&O!

Never let it be said that there aren’t significant savings to be made by products being duty free 🍷😊🍷

[galeforce9]

47 minutes ago, Denarius said:

This wine is a single vineyard offering from Villa Maria. A bit more upmarket than their standard Sauvignon Blanc, it is currently on sale in the UK for £17.99 a bottle (Majestic) So at £47 a bottle you are talking of a mark up of around £30 a bottle on UK prices. A nice little earner for P&O!

2-3 times mark up is standard. They are a business

[sandancer]

6 hours ago, waddle said:

All the drinks menus including MDR show the options as C or D so clear which are included in Classic or Deluxe

 

We feel there is a reasonable selection of wines on the Classic, 175ml glasses only 

Also remember that you have to wait 15 mins between drinks so you can’t get a 175ml glass and then order another right away. 

[Megabear2]

2 hours ago, Denarius said:

This wine is a single vineyard offering from Villa Maria. A bit more upmarket than their standard Sauvignon Blanc, it is currently on sale in the UK for £17.99 a bottle (Majestic) So at £47 a bottle you are talking of a mark up of around £30 a bottle on UK prices. A nice little earner for P&O!

If we had purchased 12 bottles individually it would have cost £564. The 12 bottle package was £334 so an excellent saving.

[lebreos]

I like wine with my meals and beer rest of the time - we usually end up buying the captains wine package and pay as you go for the rest. At least i dont have to worry about getting a second glass with my meal.  I dont drink during the day if possible, but would if i had the drinks package so pays your money and takes your choices.