Taking wine onboard

[Chivalrygirl]

Can anybody help on this one. We are joining our ship in Vancouver.

 

1. Does anybody know, if we make an order at one of the wine shops will they deliver for us to the ship.

2. Will HAL accept wine on our behalf and deliver to our cabin?

 

also, does HAL sell wine at a discounted price for consumption in ones cabin?

[newmexicoNita]

Can anybody help on this one. We are joining our ship in Vancouver.

 

1. Does anybody know, if we make an order at one of the wine shops will they deliver for us to the ship.

2. Will HAL accept wine on our behalf and deliver to our cabin?

 

also, does HAL sell wine at a discounted price for consumption in ones cabin?

I can't answer your question about ordering and having it delivered to ship but I can about buying after you board: no, you will not get a discount. You can order a bon voyage gift for yourself of a bottle or two of wine. It may not be the best quality but is a little less than ordering by the bottle after you board the ship. NMNita

[Krazy Kruizers]

Right now there isn't any shop in Ft Lauderdale ( Am I guessing corretly??) that will deliver wine to the ship.

 

There are some sites (I don't know the names) that will deliver a wine (or wine package) to you as a gift. But there is a fee.

 

HAL does offer wine packages (check their web site for Navigator's package).

[dakrewser]

There's a listing of British Columbia wine shops here, but no indication about delivery. I did find one shop that advertised delivery, but they only seem to stock Canadian wines.

[caviargal]

Can anybody help on this one. We are joining our ship in Vancouver.

 

1. Does anybody know, if we make an order at one of the wine shops will they deliver for us to the ship.

2. Will HAL accept wine on our behalf and deliver to our cabin?

 

also, does HAL sell wine at a discounted price for consumption in ones cabin?

 

Wine puchased aboard on HAL is the same price, regardless of where it is consumed. Same for any other ship IME.

 

There are a few wine shops in downtown Vancouver. Not sure if they will deliver to the ship. When I took a group on HAL a few months ago, the ONLY way they would accept ANY boxes delivered to the ship were if they were shipped in ahead of time by their approved carrier.

 

I took a few cases if wine aboard, boxed them in sytrofoam wine shippers, and checked them myself with the porters on the ship.

 

We paid the corkage fee (15) when we drank them at dinner and also when we have a private tasting.

 

I flew with my wine shipper, as I often do.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[Chivalrygirl]

Thanks for your posts that helps a bit, question for Dave. I guess as we are going to be at sea for such along time, we can stock up again in San Fran and LA. I guess we need to look for a grocery store that carries a good selection of wine. My TA was just telling me that he found one in San Diego that had NZ whites quite cheap.

Have you got any clues where we might head for on this one.

 

Also when we hit LA, I would love to go clothes shopping at reasonable prices, don't want fancy prices, anyone got any idea if we jump in a taxi where we should head for. I think we only have about six hours in port.

[Chivalrygirl]

There's a listing of British Columbia wine shops here, but no indication about delivery. I did find one shop that advertised delivery, but they only seem to stock Canadian wines.

 

Thanks Dave, that gives me plenty of scope. I think the next post agrees what my thoughts that the ship will not accept on our behalf. Will nee to pack it up and ship it through security ourselves. The rewards at the end of the process will be well worth it. I just love and adore my Sauv.Blanc from Marlborough so I just need to find a few bottles of that as I believe it to be amongst the finest in the world.

[dakrewser]

If you dock at Pier 35 in SF, then there's a nice wine shop in the Ferry Building about 1 mile south along the Embarcadero (at pier 1). Lot's of other nice shops there, also.

[garydm]

There is a wine shop in Vancouver about 2-3 blocks from Canada Place (I think it is government operated). Prices are not great, but we may swing by there either when we depart for Alaska 9/22 or are back there again on 9/29 before departing on Statendam for SF. With your back to Canada Place go about one block up and turn left about two blocks. It is in the "basement" area of the complex there.

 

In San Diego, go to the Wine Bank which has excellent wine at very good prices. It is in the old district about a 20 minute walk from the pier.

 

Gary

[Chivalrygirl]

There is a wine shop in Vancouver about 2-3 blocks from Canada Place (I think it is government operated). Prices are not great, but we may swing by there either when we depart for Alaska 9/22 or are back there again on 9/29 before departing on Statendam for SF. With your back to Canada Place go about one block up and turn left about two blocks. It is in the "basement" area of the complex there.

 

In San Diego, go to the Wine Bank which has excellent wine at very good prices. It is in the old district about a 20 minute walk from the pier.

 

Gary

 

Hey Gary you are off to Alaska with us, however we are all the ways home to Auckland on the ship :-) Only 4 more sleeps for us now and we are up, up and away :-)

[garydm]

Are you doing the Alaska RT from Vancouver on Statendam 9/22 and then staying on 9/29 to head home? If so, yes we will be with you. Unfortunately we have to get off in San Francisco.

We had a great time in NZ last year-spent 10 days in the Hawkes Bay area and then a week on the south island. Heading back in March 2007 for 20 days including a one day visit to your city. Beautiful country with wonderful people. And, keep an open mind and try some Alpha Domus SB from the Hawkes Bay Wine area. Their unoaked Chardonnay is very nice also. Very nice.

Hope to see you onboard.

 

Gary

[Chivalrygirl]

Are you doing the Alaska RT from Vancouver on Statendam 9/22 and then staying on 9/29 to head home? If so, yes we will be with you. Unfortunately we have to get off in San Francisco.

We had a great time in NZ last year-spent 10 days in the Hawkes Bay area and then a week on the south island. Heading back in March 2007 for 20 days including a one day visit to your city. Beautiful country with wonderful people. And, keep an open mind and try some Alpha Domus SB from the Hawkes Bay Wine area. Their unoaked Chardonnay is very nice also. Very nice.

Hope to see you onboard.

 

Gary

 

You will find us in BA196

Give us a holla! If you want to, see if either of us have found some really good NZ Sauv Blanc. :)

[garydm]

We will be in S2 for first seven days, then move to B155. Have a safe trip.

 

Gary and Melissa

[Sea King]

Unless there is a very very very special wine you'd like to have or unless you are a wine expert of some sort, IMO there is really need or benefit to bringing your own wine aboard

 

as far as price is concerned, most bottles I've seen on board are comparable in price (and perhaps a bit less) than those of the same brand I've purchased at a store; they're certainly less than at most restaurants I;ve been to ..

 

there are also a number of packages available so you might want to look into those

 

also consider going to the wine bar (location varies from ship to ship (on S class it's right across from the theatre/culinary center or on Volendam, Zaandam class its' outside Pinnacle) not only to see the large selection but also for a minimal charge do a "tasting"

 

also remember, HAL now has a cellar master who is in the Dining Room nightly who can suggest various wines .. in addition, you can always ask for help from your wine steward

 

when on board, I drink wine with dinner nearly every night .. the entire selection process has improved IMO considerably over the past 5+ years

 

good luck and enjoy:)

[garydm]

There are some nice wines onboard, but many are overpriced in terms of cabin consumption. We have cruised Crystal the last three times and the same wines are about 20-30% less than HAL. We generally order off the wine list (or the list from Pinnacle if you ask for it) in the dining room but bring a couple of special bottles for the cabin and perhaps one dinner.

 

As noted in response to the op, if the ship is stopping in San Diego, as I believe is the case here, a trip to the Wine Bank is really worthwhile and interesting-some great wines at decent prices. There is also a Cost Plus World Maket on the next block and a Ralph's Grocery nearby if one wants to stock up on the more routine wines. These are all within walking distance of the pier.

 

Gary

[Chivalrygirl]

There are some nice wines onboard, but many are overpriced in terms of cabin consumption. We have cruised Crystal the last three times and the same wines are about 20-30% less than HAL. We generally order off the wine list (or the list from Pinnacle if you ask for it) in the dining room but bring a couple of special bottles for the cabin and perhaps one dinner.

 

As noted in response to the op, if the ship is stopping in San Diego, as I believe is the case here, a trip to the Wine Bank is really worthwhile and interesting-some great wines at decent prices. There is also a Cost Plus World Maket on the next block and a Ralph's Grocery nearby if one wants to stock up on the more routine wines. These are all within walking distance of the pier.

 

Gary

 

No the ship is not going to San Diego, sadly. Only SF arrive 8 leave 1pm so not too much time, just as well we have been there before. LA I think the ship arrives about 10 am leaves 5 pm. So I guess shopping has to be done in a rush, bit frustrating as its a quite along time since I last visited these two places. That is why we need a good reasonably priced shopping area in LA, so we can jump off the ship and grab a cab. Can anyone help there.

I have looked at the ships gift list for wine prices and they appear to me to be about $US30 a bottle, to us that is horrendously expensive, something like $NZ48. We are onboard for 35 nights, we will arrive home "bankrupt" at that rate. I hate to think what you must pay up there for wine if you accept that sort of cost on board a ship where one expects it to be duty free and free of other taxes. Ships that sail out of Australiasia have much lower prices, not only for wine but for almost everything else. I guess they comply to consumer demand.

[garydm]

To compare ship to shore:

 

The Robert Mondavi Cab on HAL is $32 per bottle, compared to $6.99 at Beverages and More. And you must add the 15% to the ship price.

 

The Wente Cab on HAL is $28 vs. $7.99 at BevMo.

 

Gary

[Chivalrygirl]

To compare ship to shore:

 

The Robert Mondavi Cab on HAL is $32 per bottle, compared to $6.99 at Beverages and More. And you must add the 15% to the ship price.

 

The Wente Cab on HAL is $28 vs. $7.99 at BevMo.

 

Gary

 

Its kinda "say no more"

 

Maybe we can "chew the fat" onboard very soon, we only have 3 more sleeps before we start making the long journey north.

[jmastron]

Can anyone offer some advice as to where one could make a stop between the Ft. Lauderdale airport and the pier in order to purchase some bottles to take onboard? We will most likely take a cab to the pier and I am thinking it might be best to purchase the wine in Florida. Don't like the idea of packing and taking on the airplane. Also, does anyone know of a wine store in that area that we could contact ahead of time? We could possibly pre-order a case and then just pick-up when we get there? With all of the reports about people taking wine onboard, I am surprised a local merchant hasn't created a special niche service of "wine delivery" to the pier. Wouldn't that be nice?

[cigarman]

Jmasrton

 

Between the airport and the docks is a very short ride, and I really do not remember seeing any wine shops along the way. However west of the airport are many shopping areas. I am sure that your cab driver would be more then willing to go a little bit out of the way( a couple of miles) to get to one. Just have him take 595 west and you will see all the shops on the left. Hope this helps.

[k8russ8]

This is easy.

While in LA; Take a cab from dock to Del Amo Mall. It is huge. It is about 20 minutes from the ship. Many stores are available to you. You can also be taken to COST PLUS World Market. on Hawthorne Blvd. in Torrance. They have a great selection of wines available. It is about a 1/4 mile from Del Amo Mall. another wine option is Trader Joe's. There is a store on Western Ave.in Rancho Palos Verdes. This is right next to San Pedro where I think you are docking. 10 minunets from the ship at most. They too have a great wine selection. If you choose not to go to the mall, this would be a perfect option. Have a ball on your trip.;)

[jmastron]

Jmasrton

 

Between the airport and the docks is a very short ride, and I really do not remember seeing any wine shops along the way. However west of the airport are many shopping areas. I am sure that your cab driver would be more then willing to go a little bit out of the way( a couple of miles) to get to one. Just have him take 595 west and you will see all the shops on the left. Hope this helps.

 

Cigarman,

 

Thanks so much for the response. That's what I was afraid of. Now the $60 question, do we time to get wine (do I REALLY need it that badly?) and risk getting a spot on one of the cooking classes? Might just have to get a bottle and pack along!