Princess Plus or Princess Premier for a wine drinker?

[daveo6313]

I have been on ~15 cruises on other lines but I am looking at booking a Princess cruise out of Galveston on the Regal Princess.  We are wine drinkers and some of the wines on the Premier list appeal to us.  What venues can I get the choices from the Premier wine list?  Are there places I can go and just pickup a glass like I would a beer or cocktail?

 

 For me the upgrade to the Premier looks like a good deal.  Anyone have any strong thoughts or recommendations?

 

Looking forward to giving Princess a try.

 

Thanks,

DaveO

[LO-LO]

We were just on the Regal.  We did upgrade to premier and went to Vines (a wine bar).  They have a nice wine list and we were able to get good wines when we wanted them.

[Host CJSKIDS]

Premier for wine, that's for sure. Much better choices of wine.

 You can also pay the difference between what each would pay and what the cost of the wine is.  I love Caymus and use the premier so I simply spend an extra $8 when I feel like a glass of that as premier can order up to $20.

[Globaler]

We do plus because I drink beer but my wife drinks wine so we pay the difference on her selections. Cheaper overall.

[daveo6313]

Can I get a glass and take it with me to the casino or any of the entertainment venues?

[voljeep]

10 minutes ago, daveo6313 said:

Can I get a glass and take it with me to the casino or any of the entertainment venues?

yes, and make it a double roadie ...

[deadzone1003]

Wine by the glass is limited.  Unless you like to drink 2 or more glasses of Caymus Cabernet a day, I would recommend the plus package and pay the difference on the premier list of wines (you pay the difference between the price of the glass of wine less $15).  We found that many of whites on the plus were not very good and reds were just a touch better, though the cabernet & camenere were quite drinkable.  

[Lady Arwen]

2 minutes ago, voljeep said:

yes, and make it a double roadie ...

 

2 minutes ago, voljeep said:

yes, and make it a double roadie ...

I like your thinking 

[cbfb]

33 minutes ago, deadzone1003 said:

Wine by the glass is limited.  Unless you like to drink 2 or more glasses of Caymus Cabernet a day, I would recommend the plus package and pay the difference on the premier list of wines (you pay the difference between the price of the glass of wine less $15).  We found that many of whites on the plus were not very good and reds were just a touch better, though the cabernet & camenere were quite drinkable.  

First time on Princess. We have the Plus and I plan to just pay the difference. I’m a white wine drinker. How were the selections for the premier package? 

[memoak]

49 minutes ago, daveo6313 said:

Can I get a glass and take it with me to the casino or any of the entertainment venues?

At Vines they will make you give up the nice glasses and take a heavier glass. At least on the Crown in January 

[cadien]

I am not a wine person, but I just cruised with one who had the Plus package and they ended up ordering the Premier wines at least half the time. By the glass.

[memoak]

8 minutes ago, cadien said:

I am not a wine person, but I just cruised with one who had the Plus package and they ended up ordering the Premier wines at least half the time. By the glass.

We travel with plus and there are some very nice wines at Vines either in the $15 limit or just over. These wines are not usually available in other bars

[Elizabeth K.]

I just sailed on the Regal. I would do and I did, the premier package. The wine at selection at Vines is varied and the package gives you options up to $20.  Sabatini's should you go there, has different wines options on their menu as well that you have access to.  The cost of the Premier is a gut punch but it affords lots of dining options too and for me it's better to pay up front and then not to have to think about it. 

[deadzone1003]

3 hours ago, cbfb said:

First time on Princess. We have the Plus and I plan to just pay the difference. I’m a white wine drinker. How were the selections for the premier package? 

They are better than the Plus selections.  However, even with the plus package I ended up buying a couple of bottles of white wine from Sabatini - they gave me a 20% discount which was quite inadequate.  For my next cruise with Princess in April, I do not have the plus package - plan to bring 2-3 bottles of wine with me aboard and, maybe, buy another bottle from the paid venues which seem to have a different wine list.

[cbfb]

4 minutes ago, deadzone1003 said:

They are better than the Plus selections.  However, even with the plus package I ended up buying a couple of bottles of white wine from Sabatini - they gave me a 20% discount which was quite inadequate.  For my next cruise with Princess in April, I do not have the plus package - plan to bring 2-3 bottles of wine with me aboard and, maybe, buy another bottle from the paid venues which seem to have a different wine list.

Yes! My plan too. Do you typically get a discount on bottles if you have the plus plan. 

[Catchum]

Make friends with the bar tender at Vines two double doubles will arrive in no time.  We had the plus package and were more than happy, but we are not picky with wine.  Coffee and Champagne are another matter entirely. 

[ggprincess2004]

The math on Plus v. Premier for a wine drinker depends upon how many glasses you are going to drink a day. Are you going to make up the $20 a day difference with the up charge plus 18% tip (on the upcharge amount only) or not? There are other benefits in the premier package beyond the higher $$$ per drink limit, but they are only of value if they are something you would use anyway. Last time I checked, Caymus was $28 a glass, not including tip. Vines uses Reidel crystal to serve the wines, and they don't want the glasses taken elsewhere on the ship, so be kind and request a "to go" wine glass (not Reidel but still glass) if you are going to walk away. 

Both packages offer a 25% discount on wines by the bottle.

 

[memoak]

19 minutes ago, cbfb said:

Yes! My plan too. Do you typically get a discount on bottles if you have the plus plan. 

Plus packages gives you a 25% discount on bottles

[Guest Snaxmuppet]

Just a reminder... You are allowed to take only 1 bottle of wine on board per person in hand baggage without paying the corkage fee. 🙂 

[memoak]

27 minutes ago, deadzone1003 said:

They are better than the Plus selections.  However, even with the plus package I ended up buying a couple of bottles of white wine from Sabatini - they gave me a 20% discount which was quite inadequate.  For my next cruise with Princess in April, I do not have the plus package - plan to bring 2-3 bottles of wine with me aboard and, maybe, buy another bottle from the paid venues which seem to have a different wine list.

If you are going to bring in more than 1 bottle per adult at embarkation that would be above the allowed amount   You will have to pay corkage on all additional bottles or smuggle them on board. If caught you could lose the bottles

Edited February 27 by memoak

[cbfb]

7 minutes ago, Snaxmuppet said:

Just a reminder... You are allowed to take only 1 bottle of wine on board per person in hand baggage without paying the corkage fee. 🙂 

My understanding is you will still pay a fee if you bring the bottle to the dining room? 

[NavyVeteran]

9 minutes ago, cbfb said:

My understanding is you will still pay a fee if you bring the bottle to the dining room? 

Yes, you will pay a corkage fee if you bring the bottle to the dining room.

However, you can bring a glass of wine to the dining room at no charge. They have no way of knowing where the glass came from.

[Arizona Wildcat]

4 hours ago, memoak said:

At Vines they will make you give up the nice glasses and take a heavier glass. At least on the Crown in January 

DW and I usually went to Vines for a glass of wine every evening.  The servers after a couple nights knew what we liked and simply brought us a couple glasses.   Most nights never charges with the plus package.  Left a nice tip.a couple times.

[memoak]

8 minutes ago, Arizona Wildcat said:

DW and I usually went to Vines for a glass of wine every evening.  The servers after a couple nights knew what we liked and simply brought us a couple glasses.   Most nights never charges with the plus package.  Left a nice tip.a couple times.

I actually found a really nice Zin that fit under the plus package 

[cruisinsince75]

We went with Premier package, since my DW usually drinks Champagne and that is covered with Premier.  I also like some of the reds that are on both packages, so I figured I can try some different wines from different regions than what I normally drink.  I like more of a full body wine.  I also loathe signing chits.