Wine drinker...plus package warning.

[Hillmom]

Currently on the Sapphire Princess 24 days into 32. I'm a red wine drinker. Lest you  think Snooty red wine drinker, I'm talking grocery store and Trader Joes. The wine by the glass does not rise to that level. I guess this also applies if you're thinking you can order by the glass without the package. 

  I'm not a big drinker so 15 drinks is ridiculous. There is a Zin at Vines that qualifies under plus, but it is only available there.  Also pours are (generally) VERY .... tight, stingy, small. Also you must arm wrestle for a decent wine glass.  Apparently guests steal them....sigh.

Now I am quite liking the coffees and waters Plus includes, and ymmv...but wine drinkers be advised. 

[doghog]

8 minutes ago, Hillmom said:

Currently on the Sapphire Princess 24 days into 32. I'm a red wine drinker. Lest you  think Snooty red wine drinker, I'm talking grocery store and Trader Joes. The wine by the glass does not rise to that level. I guess this also applies if you're thinking you can order by the glass without the package. 

  I'm not a big drinker so 15 drinks is ridiculous. There is a Zin at Vines that qualifies under plus, but it is only available there.  Also pours are (generally) VERY .... tight, stingy, small. Also you must arm wrestle for a decent wine glass.  Apparently guests steal them....sigh.

Now I am quite liking the coffees and waters Plus includes, and ymmv...but wine drinkers be advised. 

We had no issues with the Plus wine selections, red and white on our recent Enchanted cruise. Found a couple we liked and always requested them when ordering. 🍷 

[Cruise Raider]

The white wines under the plus package are … well, I will say, not so great!  Cheap red is so much better than cheap white.  But great reds are so much better than cheap reds.  

[suzyed]

1 hour ago, Cruise Raider said:

The white wines under the plus package are … well, I will say, not so great!  Cheap red is so much better than cheap white.  But great reds are so much better than cheap reds.  

The Red Blend on the Plus menu is not bad, but you can order any wine you want and pay the difference above the $15 allowance.

[STEVENJAN]

Is there a limit on how many bottles of wine we can bring on? I know it is one per person but we want to bring on more for an extended cruise. We didn't book the plus this time  ($6500.00) We are willing to pay the $20.00 corkage fee. No problem. We drink White Zinfandel and Riesling.  For a bottle on board they are like $40.00 each. I pay $5.00+ for a bottle from Winco and the local grocery. so $25.00 would be okay.  We take a glass to dinner and that is enough. We can drink a glass in the room or on the balcony. 

Edited April 30 by STEVENJAN

[edspec]

5 hours ago, Hillmom said:

Currently on the Sapphire Princess 24 days into 32. I'm a red wine drinker. Lest you  think Snooty red wine drinker, I'm talking grocery store and Trader Joes. The wine by the glass does not rise to that level. I guess this also applies if you're thinking you can order by the glass without the package. 

  I'm not a big drinker so 15 drinks is ridiculous. There is a Zin at Vines that qualifies under plus, but it is only available there.  Also pours are (generally) VERY .... tight, stingy, small. Also you must arm wrestle for a decent wine glass.  Apparently guests steal them....sigh.

Now I am quite liking the coffees and waters Plus includes, and ymmv...but wine drinkers be advised. 

@Hillmom I’d class myself the same as you…non-snooty red wine drinker and I agree, the wines on the Plus Package on Sky last summer weren’t good. I don’t know why they can’t have something drinkable…a Decoy, Apothic Red, Kendall Jackson..all are inexpensive and much better than what’s offered. I should be able to have a decent glass of wine without paying extra.

Who steals a wine glass? What is the matter with people?

[Ombud]

2 hours ago, STEVENJAN said:

Is there a limit on how many bottles of wine we can bring on? I know it is one per person but we want to bring on more for an extended cruise. We didn't book the plus this time  ($6500.00) We are willing to pay the $20.00 corkage fee. No problem. We drink White Zinfandel and Riesling.  For a bottle on board they are like $40.00 each. I pay $5.00+ for a bottle from Winco and the local grocery. so $25.00 would be okay.  We take a glass to dinner and that is enough. We can drink a glass in the room or on the balcony. 

No and factor in that they tend to do 6 pours per bottle so you can factor that in the when determining costs. 

 

FWIW Kim Crawford Chardonnay is A$18 per glass. 6×18=A$108+18%. For a A$22 bottle. 

 

BUT my bottles tend to be a lot more (I just used KC as an example as it was the one I took to our roll call wine sharing event). I usually carryon 3+ and am prepared to pay corkage 

 

Edited April 30 by Ombud

[cjpj]

I agree that the Plus wines leave something to be desired.  I don't drink enough wine to make the premium 20/day difference worthwhile. I just pay the difference between the $15 and the glass of wine I want.

[Mark_K]

4 hours ago, STEVENJAN said:

Is there a limit on how many bottles of wine we can bring on? I know it is one per person but we want to bring on more for an extended cruise. We didn't book the plus this time  ($6500.00) We are willing to pay the $20.00 corkage fee. No problem. We drink White Zinfandel and Riesling.  For a bottle on board they are like $40.00 each. I pay $5.00+ for a bottle from Winco and the local grocery. so $25.00 would be okay.  We take a glass to dinner and that is enough. We can drink a glass in the room or on the balcony. 

Also, unless something has changed post-COVID, the bottles you pay the $20 fee for can be brought to the dining room without an additional corkage fee, so you could bring those bottles to dinner instead of just a glass.

[dreaminofcruisin]

11 hours ago, Hillmom said:

Currently on the Sapphire Princess 24 days into 32. I'm a red wine drinker. Lest you  think Snooty red wine drinker, I'm talking grocery store and Trader Joes. The wine by the glass does not rise to that level. I guess this also applies if you're thinking you can order by the glass without the package. 

  I'm not a big drinker so 15 drinks is ridiculous. There is a Zin at Vines that qualifies under plus, but it is only available there.  Also pours are (generally) VERY .... tight, stingy, small. Also you must arm wrestle for a decent wine glass.  Apparently guests steal them....sigh.

Now I am quite liking the coffees and waters Plus includes, and ymmv...but wine drinkers be advised. 

 

I'm a white wine drinker and agree also that Princess selections in Plus are pretty pathetic.

Regarding the small pours....since it sounds like you aren't likely to hit 15 anyway, you can always ask for a 'double' when you order a glass of wine. They will 'charge' you for 2 drinks, but you will at least end up with a decent pour.....

 

[Esprit]

I'll drink red or white wine from the Plus offerings and just stick to the ones that I like the most. The only time I'll upgrade is for real champagne and pay the difference.

The pour sizes are no big deal. I'll just return to the bar more often and kid myself it's good exercise!

When I get close to my 15 drink limit, I have the wife's allowance in reserve!😂

[suzyed]

7 hours ago, STEVENJAN said:

Is there a limit on how many bottles of wine we can bring on? I know it is one per person but we want to bring on more for an extended cruise. We didn't book the plus this time  ($6500.00) We are willing to pay the $20.00 corkage fee. No problem. We drink White Zinfandel and Riesling.  For a bottle on board they are like $40.00 each. I pay $5.00+ for a bottle from Winco and the local grocery. so $25.00 would be okay.  We take a glass to dinner and that is enough. We can drink a glass in the room or on the balcony. 

Yes, you may bring additional bottles. At check-in there may be a table for you to show your wine and pay the corkage fee which they will give you a receipt for. Sometime the table is not set up yet if you check in early.  In that case you will be charged the corkage fee when/if you bring a bottle to the dining room.

[suzyed]

If one drinks a nice red wine does that make one a Snooty red wine drinker?  
Asking for a friend. 🤷‍♀️

[HaveDogWillTravel]

13 hours ago, Hillmom said:

Currently on the Sapphire Princess 24 days into 32. I'm a red wine drinker. Lest you  think Snooty red wine drinker, I'm talking grocery store and Trader Joes. The wine by the glass does not rise to that level. I guess this also applies if you're thinking you can order by the glass without the package. 

I sailed Sapphire for 34 days this past December (and into January). Agree completely about the Plus wines. There is one blend called Aqui that is drinkable. If I remember correctly it’s on the room service menu.  It should be available at one of the bars. You can order 4 glasses of it at one time on room service. 
 

And it was so very annoying that you could not get a decent glass without a rolled lip on it without begging. I really really really hate that about Princess.  I always pack my own glasses because of it but that is getting so old. 

Edited April 30 by HaveDogWillTravel

[MJC]

We don't drink much so we don't get a package,  but I like wine with dinner sometimes. Recently on the Emerald I ordered a glass of cabernet from the premier selection on the menu, I think it was $18 or $20. It was so bland I asked the waiter if they had brought the right wine, it was that bad. They took it away and came back with a different one, which was much better but still not very good.

[Cruise Raider]

8 hours ago, edspec said:

@Hillmom I’d class myself the same as you…non-snooty red wine drinker and I agree, the wines on the Plus Package on Sky last summer weren’t good. I don’t know why they can’t have something drinkable…a Decoy, Apothic Red, Kendall Jackson..all are inexpensive and much better than what’s offered. I should be able to have a decent glass of wine without paying extra.

Who steals a wine glass? What is the matter with people?

On the Crown right now, we’ve found Kendall Jackson Chardonnay at Vines and it’s included in the Plus package. Sure wish all the bars carried that over the Flowers Chardonnay.  We are in port so much on this sailing that Vines does not open until late in the afternoon.  
We have had no trouble getting our wine poured into a proper glass on this cruise, even to go.  This hasn’t always been the case so, it’s so nice to see our comments in the post cruise survey have been recognized.  We ALWAYS return these glasses to the bar we got them.  

[Steelers36]

9 hours ago, edspec said:

Who steals a wine glass? What is the matter with people?

That is about the Riedel glasses.  That said, I don't see the point of filling them with Plus plonk.

[Steelers36]

Does anyone know if PCL has actually reduced the size of WBTG in ounces?  Should be (ideally) 4 glasses per bottle for approx 6oz glass.  I imagine Princess was doing 5x 5oz pours (150ml).  Doing 4oz pours is terrible - never seen any restaurant be that chintzy.

[Cruise Raider]

56 minutes ago, HaveDogWillTravel said:

I sailed Sapphire for 34 days this past December (and into January). Agree completely about the Plus wines. There is one blend called Aqui that is drinkable. If I remember correctly it’s on the room service menu.  It should be available at one of the bars. You can order 4 glasses of it at one time on room service. 
 

And it was so very annoying that you could not get a decent glass without a rolled lip on it without begging. I really really really hate that about Princess.  I always pack my own glasses because of it but that is getting so old. 

We’ve been so very pleased on the Crown Princess with the availability of getting proper stemware for our wine.  Nobody even bats an eye when we ask for a decent glass.  Looks like someone in the purchasing department knows what a difference this makes.  They even bought some awesome little espresso cups and the coffee has been outstanding.   
Love this change so much!  
 

[Cruise Raider]

1 minute ago, Steelers36 said:

Does anyone know if PCL has actually reduced the size of WBTG in ounces?  Should be (ideally) 4 glasses per bottle for approx 6oz glass.  I imagine Princess was doing 5x 5oz pours (150ml).  Doing 4oz pours is terrible - never seen any restaurant be that chintzy.

Princess expects 5 glasses of wine from each 750 ml bottle.  But, with the premier package we currently have, they do seem to be generous with their pours.  I would say they are at least 6 oz.  
 

[Steelers36]

Just now, Cruise Raider said:

Princess expects 5 glasses of wine from each 750 ml bottle.  But, with the premier package we currently have, they do seem to be generous with their pours.  I would say they are at least 6 oz.  
 

I would think 5oz the minimum for them.  Not the best situation considering the price, but with so many on packages, there isn't much incentive to complain because guest just orders more glasses. 

 

Of course, I believe the best option for those of us cruising Standard is bottles of wine since there is better cost value and you drink how much you want.  But I still think 6oz should be the standard pour.

[bosswench]

I found the Plus wines on Emerald Princess gross two weeks ago. There were much better options by paying the $2.48 up charge for Premium wines. I only drink wine with dinner so my wine bill totalled under $50 for a 15 day cruise. 

[STEVENJAN]

7 hours ago, Ombud said:

No and factor in that they tend to do 6 pours per bottle so you can factor that in the when determining costs. 

 

FWIW Kim Crawford Chardonnay is A$18 per glass. 6×18=A$108+18%. For a A$22 bottle. 

 

BUT my bottles tend to be a lot more (I just used KC as an example as it was the one I took to our roll call wine sharing event). I usually carryon 3+ and am prepared to pay corkage 

 

We are going to be on the 51 day around South America and was thinking of more than 10 bottles. Seems like a lot to carry-on but worth it. 

[Ombud]

2 hours ago, Cruise Raider said:

... found Kendall Jackson Chardonnay at Vines and it’s included in the Plus package. Sure wish all the bars carried that over the Flowers Chardonnay.  ....

Kendall Jackson Chardonnay $12

Flowers Sonoma Coast Chardonnay $40

 

Yeah, more expensive doesn't always mean preferred by individual palates. I prefer Whiskers Blake Tawny Port to Taylor's. (1st choice still Sandemans 20 yr)

[Projunior]

I find it strange that Princess, who has traditionally played up a linkage to Italian food, wine and culture, does not offer a single Italian white or red wine by the glass on either the Plus or Premium list. Hard to believe they can't find an inexpensive chianti or sangiovese to offer.