Platinum wine perk. Give away or no?

[MissRabbit]

Hi all! We will be Platinum for the first time on our upcoming cruise. My question is in regards to the free dinner + wine perk. We don’t drink wine. Is it possible to give the wine to people at a neighbouring table or would the waiter not allow it? Like we have to use it or lose it sort of thing? 
 

I know we can just not order the wine but if it’s included and it’ll help someone else out…..

[schmoopie17]

3 minutes ago, MissRabbit said:

Hi all! We will be Platinum for the first time on our upcoming cruise. My question is in regards to the free dinner + wine perk. We don’t drink wine. Is it possible to give the wine to people at a neighbouring table or would the waiter not allow it? Like we have to use it or lose it sort of thing? 
 

I know we can just not order the wine but if it’s included and it’ll help someone else out…..

People take the bottle out of the restaurant all the time. You could do whatever you want with it. Give it away, drink it...whatever. We'll be Platinum for our first cruise on Saturday. We plan to take the bottle and have it later.

 

Edited September 10 by schmoopie17

[MissRabbit]

1 minute ago, schmoopie17 said:

People take the bottle out of the restaurant all the time. You could do whatever you want with it. Give it away, drink it...whatever. We'll be Platinum for our first cruise on Saturday. We plan to take the bottle and have it later.

 

yeah I had read about being able to take it with you. I just didn’t know if you  handed the bottle over to the table next to you, the waiter might stop you. Cause you’re no longer the one getting the perk. 

[complawyer]

we met a very nice couple on  our  last cruise in april. we had dinners together a few times, but not always (17 day cruise)

 

One night we found ourselves at le bistro, but not eating together.

like you, i am not a wine drinker. i offered the free list to the other couple, they made their choice and the waiter brought them the bottle.

 

no problem(s). we have also taken the bottles of wine home with us.

[schmoopie17]

Just now, complawyer said:

we met a very nice couple on  our  last cruise in april. we had dinners together a few times, but not always (17 day cruise)

 

One night we found ourselves at le bistro, but not eating together.

like you, i am not a wine drinker. i offered the free list to the other couple, they made their choice and the waiter brought them the bottle.

 

no problem(s). we have also taken the bottles of wine home with us.

I may be wrong (wouldn't be the first time)...but I would say you received the wine as a perk and you should be free to do with it as you please. I doubt the waiter cares who ends up drinking it.

 

As for us, we would never consider giving wine away...but that's just us.

[julig22]

5 minutes ago, MissRabbit said:

yeah I had read about being able to take it with you. I just didn’t know if you  handed the bottle over to the table next to you, the waiter might stop you. Cause you’re no longer the one getting the perk. 

As Judge Judy (or other TV judge) would say - it's a gift (from NCL to you). No strings attached to a gift, what you do with it is your decision.

[MissRabbit]

6 minutes ago, complawyer said:

 

One night we found ourselves at le bistro, but not eating together.

like you, i am not a wine drinker. i offered the free list to the other couple, they made their choice and the waiter brought them the bottle.

 

thank you. I figured someone might as well enjoy the wine but didn’t want to offer it then have it taken from them. Good to know it’ll be fine. 

[julig22]

One thing I have heard (no actual evidence) is that you may not be able to gift it to a crew member, so don't take it back to your room intending to give it to your steward - at least not before asking.

[Anoynmous Phoenix]

A brown paper bag is always useful if you have a crew member who you feel should enjoy your gift.

[Pat.D]

I do not drink wine so always give away my free platinum+ bottle. It's never been a problem.  

 

I've given them away to other people in the restaurant, or on some occasions have taken it with me to give to friends who did not have the drink package.  

[YVRteacher]

5 hours ago, julig22 said:

One thing I have heard (no actual evidence) is that you may not be able to gift it to a crew member, so don't take it back to your room intending to give it to your steward - at least not before asking.

I always give the wine away. Room stewards, butlers, maître ds, waiters, concierges and Cruise Next reps have all received bottles of wine from me using the latitudes coupon. (I use the coupon, get the wine and give it to the person.) I just ask them ahead of time if they want white or red or if they have a specific preference.
 

There are no rules saying crew can’t accept wine or other treats as long as they are sealed and not homemade and unsealed.

 

[littlegit]

I have occasionally given the bottle of wine to a private guide (in addition to a cash tip) and they have been very surprised and appreciative.

[dexddd]

14 hours ago, schmoopie17 said:

I may be wrong (wouldn't be the first time)...but I would say you received the wine as a perk and you should be free to do with it as you please. I doubt the waiter cares who ends up drinking it.

 

As for us, we would never consider giving wine away...but that's just us.

If you have any need to go to CN desk, maybe take it with you while you wait.  You'll need it.

[lumpkin8]

One thing to remember, if not planning to drink the free wine, make sure you tell your waiter to bring you the bottle without opening it so that you can then take it with you (or give away).

[schmoopie17]

30 minutes ago, lumpkin8 said:

One thing to remember, if not planning to drink the free wine, make sure you tell your waiter to bring you the bottle without opening it so that you can then take it with you (or give away).

If you didn't bring a cork screw on the cruise, would't you want them to at least open it (and put the cork back in) so you could take it and have it later? Or will a bartender open it for you?

 

Of course, if it's a screw cap, no problem.

[lumpkin8]

@schmoopie17...yes, in that case you would want them to open it.  I was thinking about if one was going to bring the bottle home.

 

Also, many bottles nowadays are twist caps (even the moderate-priced bottles) so worth checking before asking waiter to open it.

[Asawi]

22 minutes ago, lumpkin8 said:

Also, many bottles nowadays are twist caps (even the moderate-priced bottles) so worth checking before asking waiter to open it.

Does anyone know if Shades of Blue Riesling still is on the "free bottle of wine" list? And does it have a screw cap or cork? Inquiring mind wants to know. 😄 

Edited September 11 by Asawi

[cruiseny4life]

3 hours ago, Asawi said:

Does anyone know if Shades of Blue Riesling still is on the "free bottle of wine" list? And does it have a screw cap or cork? Inquiring mind wants to know. 😄 

I sure hope so!!! It's so yummmy....yea, I know, my wine palate isn't very fancy.

[Asawi]

Just now, cruiseny4life said:

I sure hope so!!! It's so yummmy....yea, I know, my wine palate isn't very fancy.

LOL! I don't even drink wine! But a couple of friend love Rieslings and I thought I might bring the bottle home and surprise them next time they come over for dinner. So wether cork or cap doesn't really matter, come to think of it. 😄 

[complawyer]

as of this past april (at least on the star) the answer was  YES!

[lisa928]

I took mine back to the room intending on drinking but didn't.  I left it for the room steward the day we left.  Just wrote a quick note (he reqested this when I asked could I leave it for him).

[Travelling2Some]

On 9/11/2024 at 8:00 AM, lumpkin8 said:

@schmoopie17...yes, in that case you would want them to open it.  I was thinking about if one was going to bring the bottle home.

 

Also, many bottles nowadays are twist caps (even the moderate-priced bottles) so worth checking before asking waiter to open it.

Another solution is to choose a champagne or sparkling wine like prosecco.  That way you can open it yourself without a cork screw.  We always take the unopened bottle with us to our post-cruise hotel.

[MrsTocko]

Back when we hosted Christmas morning breakfast, I would use that free bottle for returning guest that we used to get (not the platinum one) for mimosas.  The nieces weren’t particular, and the juice covered up the inadequacies (that I’ve heard about).

 

do we know of that is on the free wine list?  I can’t drink wine anymore, give me a headache.  So I usually don’t bother, but would love to bring it home for the family celebrations.  They truly don’t care, it’s booze, they like it.

[JIMESOPUS]

@MissRabbit Since the wine is yours you may give it to anyone. Each ship is different so if the plan is to give it away to a crew member, visit guest services, have the crew member's name ( we usually take a picture of the name tag ) this will ensure there are no issues.

On our last B2B, we met a couple, first time cruising, and gave them the bottle at Cagney's. The second bottle went to a crew member, asked them what wine they liked, and picked a bottle close to what they wanted from the list. Went to Guest Services, and they called someone to get the approval. We were permitted to hand it off. Remember there could be restrictions placed on that crew member that you don't know about.

Jim