Wine on Board

[marycang]

Misty' date=' I may be wrong but I think 2inTul's post was directed at CruisinMatt. You did not admit to smuggling, but he did.

 

But, in the future I might be a little more careful about what I did admit to. :rolleyes:

 

 

PE<---will step back and watch the fireworks, or not...:eek:[/quote']

It looks like 2inTul's post is missing also. What's up????

[Shiraz49]

Fred,

If it's not too rude a question what WAS your drink bill at the end of the cruise.

 

I find it difficult to accept all this 'corkage', 'gratuities', 'state taxes' etc that they levy ..... what happenned to goood old 'duty free' that saved us cold hard cash for drinks/smokes/perfume/or whatever.

 

Acceptv that our crusie is 'cheap' upfront but have a sneaky feeling that my drink, tours and other options are goinf to result in a new mortgage.

[sneakerstud]

Heads up who declares $5 something from Wallmart as wine!

Smuggeling...cool...maybe you should do that next time in your restaurant! I can see, if you have a bottle of Crystal Rose and want to have it for a special occacion...even NCL doesn't say anything then, but get real...if you can not afford a bottle of wine...I would stay home!

 

The Duckhorn by the way is incredibble!

 

I had a talk with the F&B Director Shore side...the 2 best wines on the wine list are the Chateau Sauverain Cab. and the Waterbrook Chardonnay, both bottles run for around $25.00 that is really cheap! I had them on my last cruise and they are actually excellent wines.

 

So do not cry even if you have to pay corkage...there has to be a person who opens and serves it for dinner, that is the reason there is crew, to serve you!

[Planer's Edge]

It looks like 2inTul's post is missing also. What's up????

 

Welcome to the new and "improved" Cruise Critic. :rolleyes:

 

PE

[missjanet]

Sneakerstud,

 

Thanks for the recommendations on those 2 wines!! I don't drink white, but made a note on my NCL Wine List about the Chardonnay anyway. But we are definitely going to order the Chateau Souverain Cab at $26 a bottle - I think that is very cheap considering that here in NJ that exact wine costs between $18 & $23 in a liquor store. NCL is hardly making any money off that wine.

 

I'd love to try the Duckhorn, but unless something changes between now & 11/12, it's not in the budget. But I really appreciate your recommending a great red wine in my budget!

 

Thanks again.

Janet

[newmexicoNita]

I can not remember whether it was NCL or RCCL - That allowed you to bring a "special" wine onboard corkage free if A)It was not on the wine list and B)You were celebrating a "special" occasion on board?

 

If I remember, you had to get advance permission to do so.

 

Any info on this?

Was it NCL?

You do have to pay the $15 cockage fee regardless and now you can't bring any liqour or wine on RCI. NMnita

[cruznut1111]

...the 2 best wines on the wine list are the Chateau Sauverain Cab. and the Waterbrook Chardonnay, both bottles run for around $25.00 that is really cheap! I had them on my last cruise and they are actually excellent wines.

 

 

 

Hi All- Hope you don't mind another voice in here. My last NCL wine bill ran @ $400 for me.... for a week. Of course a great wine steward who always poured me that "one extra glass" had some influence. Here's what happened. Like a lot of you I noticed the $9 wines for $20 for YUCK. I also noticed that the "wines by the glass" were at the bottom end of PLONK. Then I started looking at the high end and made some lovely discoveries. Have you seen the price on FAR NEINTE? What a bargain!

 

That was what I ended up looking for - great wines at prices no higher, sometimes lower, than I would find in the store, not even thinking about what they would have cost in a restaurant. I've checked most of the prices on the NCL list and there are some real bombs with a $15-$20 surcharge, but there are also some real treasures. NO- you won't find them on the unique selections list- okay, maybe one or two. But what about that Tokaji??? With lobster?? or as a gluten-free dessert? I'm in heaven just thinking about it!

 

I'm not trying to shill for NCL. I wish they had better wines by the glass. Heck, I wish they had better wine glasses. BUT- if you check thing out ahead, AND you make it clear that you don't want a jelly glass, you can have a wonderful wine experience on NCL.

 

PS- Skip the wine sampling, they only let you sample the PLONK and the plonk.

 

 

BTW- Am I the only one who would happily pay $100+ to sample some REALLY GREAT wines?

[PTCruizer]

Quote cruznut1111

BTW- Am I the only one who would happily pay $100+ to sample some REALLY GREAT wines?

Not at all. We pre ordered 4 bottles for our upcomming Sun cruise. We found what we consider to be 4 bargains.

 

Plumpjack Cabernet (85), Caymus Cabernet (80), Mer Soleil Chardonay (39), and Cuvaison Pinot Noir (26)

 

It all depends upon what you consider a bargain. :)

[gofeo]

We went on the POA in May. We were on the ship about 2pm and got 3 of our bags by 5p. One was missing and still not there by 7p so we went to dinner. Upon returning, there was a letter in our door stating that we would have to come down to deck 2 (or 3) to retrieve it. It was about 830p and there was a line of about 75 cruisers in line to pick up luggage. We did not have any liquor in our bag and my wife was asked to open it up. She had put some shampoo in a small plastic bottle. I asked the officer if they were just looking for booze and he said that they were checking for security reasons. I said that we picked the bags up at airport and brought them directly to ship and they had passed airport security. " Ours is a special security" he said. Thanks for the thought.

[Pirate Fred]

Hi Shiraz49,

 

Drink bill wasn't too bad as I work for a wine comoany and refuse to pay hugh prices for wine.

 

Beer is about $us4.75 somthat did me, I wasn,t going to pay $us30 for a bottle of wine taht is really work about 1.oo is Australia. Any questions send me your email address, got to help us Aussies out .

[missjanet]

OK, this might be a dumb question, but what is PLONK? Is this the name you've given to wine you wouldn't pay money for or something like that??

 

I'm enjoying this wine discussion & madly making notes on my NCL wine list. Does anyone know a web site that would give me ratings & information on various wines so that I can research the stuff on NCL's list? Otherwise, outside of doing tons of "research in the field", how would you know what is good & what is not? I'm pretty new to this wine stuff, but I find that I really enjoy the whole "wine culture". My husband even more than me. I think he'd pay that $100 to taste some really terrific wines.

 

Thanks for all the great info - please keep it coming.

 

Janet

[steve1era]

I'm enjoying this wine discussion & madly making notes on my NCL wine list.

Thanks for all the great info - please keep it coming.

 

Janet

 

Ditto.

This is turning into a great thread, especially for us who are looking forward to our first cruise on NCL. Is the wine list pretty much the same on all NCL ships? We are going on the Dawn and would love to hear about "good" (of course 'in your opinion') wines in the $25- $50 range. Love to hear opinions from all you experienced NCL cruisers.

 

Thanks

[missjanet]

I've done some research online, but haven't found information on lots of the particular vintages that NCL seems to stock. One thing that looks like a good find is the Chateau Souverain Cab 2002 on the list for $26. This wine was recommended on this thread by sneakerstud. Then I looked into it further & found that it retails for $18-$23 at local stores. Robert Parker gives it a rating of 90, while Wine Spectator gives it an 88. That doesn't seem bad for such an inexpensive wine. Now with my luck, they won't be carrying it on the Dawn for my 11/12 cruise!

[paulabr]

I can't find a fax number for sending in my wine order form, sailing on the Wind. Does anyone have it? All they have on the Order form is a faxback #.

Thanks You for your help

[PTCruizer]

To order by phone we used the same number as the bon voyage gift line. 1(800) 327-7030

They took our wine order and e-mailed a confirmation.

The fax number is (305) 436-4147

[cruznut1111]

OK, this might be a dumb question, but what is PLONK? Is this the name you've given to wine you wouldn't pay money for or something like that??

 

I'm enjoying this wine discussion & madly making notes on my NCL wine list. Does anyone know a web site that would give me ratings & information on various wines so that I can research the stuff on NCL's list?

 

My husband even more than me. I think he'd pay that $100 to taste some really terrific wines.

 

 

Hi Janet- Well, Calling all cheap wine 'plonk' isn't fair. There is some pretty pricy plonk and some great inexpensive wines. I't the kind of wine you were handed at some open house or reception, where you put it down after one sip and decided you didn't like wine.

 

Downloading the wine list is a great first step. Then you can check at your leisure. If you don't have a friendly wine shop where they will scan the list for you, and you don't have a Wine Spectator directory in your library, and you don't have a subscription to winespectator.com, and you don't want to spend some time at the grocery store every trip reading some of the shelf-talkers, then google in "wine ratings" and come up with a number of choices. The one I'm testing lately is winezap.

 

Sneaker and PT both mentioned some great wines at great prices. I wasn't going to mention those because they were on my wish list and I don't leave for a month. (Hey, PT, when I'm not cruzin, I'm PT cruzin... Inferno Red with factory flames)

 

Last time on NCL I tried to talk them into a sign-up list for a couple great flight wine tastings. They weren't enthused. I may go on my rollcall and see if anyone is interested. I'd love to have a "tasting flight of the day."

In Las Vegas we go to the Wine Cellar at the RIO and get some great opportunities without busting the budget. (Like on ship, the budget is determined by the casino.)

 

Now, you asked about ratings. Here's what works for me... mileage may vary. I use Wine Spectator as my standard. If they rate 87 or above it probably works for me. 89 & above, I'm happy, 85 and below, not so much, but it took several years of sampling to come to that. On the European wines I subtract one pt. Just because of the difference in my tastes vs the European taster, nothing against the wines. For Robt Parker, I subtract 2pts. For Wine Enthusiast I subtract 3 or 4. My dream wines are over 90ptWS/ under $20.

 

I'm still only a fraction of the way through the list, but there are some gems. I did notice that my bin numbers differ from PTs. There may be more than one list.

[missjanet]

cruznut1111 - I wish you were on my upcoming Dawn cruise! I think I could learn a lot from you. I recently discovered the winezap web site & used it to locate a hard-to-find syrah my husband had fallen in love with. I will give it a look for more information on the NCL wines. I've been using Wine Library and Wine Buyer for info up to this point because I do not have a subscription to Wine Spectator, which would be ideal.

 

Please let me know about those gems you're talking about - red wines please since that's what my husband & I like to drink. Using your formula, the Chateau Souverain Cab still comes out pretty good with the ratings it got. But I'd love to hear more about the wines you think would be worth trying on our Dawn cruise.

 

Keep that great info coming!!

[Shiraz49]

Thanks Mate,

I guess we're just spoilt here when to comes to excellent wines at very affordable prices AND can eat at some great BYO restaurants with MODEST corkage charges AND tipping for great service rather than it being a given expectation even if the standard is poor.

Have the wine companies ever thought of 'sponsoring' their labels on some of these cruises...or do the cruise lines stitch up the suppliers as well?

[PTCruizer]

cruznut1111, No flames on the PT but it is two tone.

 

BTW, I quoted prices not bin numbers.When I ordered, the bin numbers didn't work. I guess they change more often than they can keep up with. Your rating system is pretty much dead on with what I look for. I tend to take an average of a couple different sources. If it is something I have never had before, it usually has to be under $30 bucks. The $10 - $15 gems are almost impossible to find anymore. We keep looking and when we find them we stock up. Although we occasionaly enjoy an expensive wine, it's not very often. We are happy when we find every day drinkers at great prices. It's pretty easy to find a great $50 wine. The real challange and enjoyment comes from finding a great $20 wine.

 

Bob

[cruznut1111]

I'm still only a fraction of the way through the list, but there are some gems. I did notice that my bin numbers differ from PTs. There may be more than one list.

 

I just re-read PT's post in response to MissJanet's request and realized he had listed PRICES not the bin numbers. You can't go wrong on any of the wines he listed- just save some for me if you are on the Dream over the next month. Sneaker pointed out Chateau Souverain (I would have kept that one my personal secret). Far Niente is a treat. As is the Cakebread cab- based on price, but I'm not yet clear on quality. L'Ecole 41 is also a star. (I've been tracking this winery for several years and am delighted with them.) Sadly, another I've tracked for over 20 years is Buena Vista and I wouldn't serve their 2002 merlot to an enemy..... costs too much for an enemy and too bad for a friend.

 

Now, like every wine drinker, I have my prejudices and preferences. I skip Australian and Southern Italian wines and will until sulfite amounts are listed. I will pay extra for a wine I can't find on my local shelves. I will choose a rated wine over an unrated one if everything else is equal. If I have tasted and like a wine, I don't care what anyone else says. No matter how much I've paid and how deeply it cuts into my budget-driven soul, I will not make myself drink bad wine. I have tossed a lot of wine.

 

Tonight I watched the Sun go up the Sound; some folks are having a great time tonight. I lifted a large glass of a great organic bargain- Berlene sparkling wine- and wished them "Bon Voyage"

[beachchick]

Also keep in mind that many US wines are high alcohol "big" wines. European wines are often significantly lower in alcohol content, which can be good if you want to imbibe more without falling over. The mid-priced European wines can be awful to excellent (just like wines in the US). I don't care for high alcohol wines that have been forced to make them big and bold. IMO, it often overshadows the nuances of a fine wine and can be used to disguise a less than good grape harvest.

 

Also, Wine Spectator is our preferred benchmark, but we also add or subtract based on several factors (including personal preference and knowledge of local wines). Don't discount Spanish wines that may be new to you. There are some excellent bargains to be had.

 

As always, JMHO.

 

beachchick

[missjanet]

cruznut1111, beachchick, & everyone nice enough to post here -

 

Please don't be shy about sharing your opinions about NCL wines. Some of us are neophytes regarding wine, but are trying very hard to learn as quickly as we can. I love wine, but it's only recently I've started to actually drink wines that have received good ratings. I'd love to drink a "high point" wine & see what constitutes "good" versus "undrinkable" in an expert's opinion.

 

The Chateau Souverain just looked so good from what I've learned at various web sites. Thank you for sharing that secret! Your comments on the Buena Vista are funny! I couldn't find ANY information on that wine - now I know why! But it did look tempting because of the price. Cross it off the list...

 

A couple others that looked promising according to what I've seen on the web are the Benziger Merlot and the Chateau St. Jean Merlot. In fact, I've seen the latter wine for sale on winezap.com for $18-$27 so I don't know if NCL actually makes any money on that one.

 

The Cuvaison Pinot Noir costs $26 onboard, but winezap gives prices ranging from $25-$31 for the exact wine. I don't understand how that works for NCL. And the Rancho Zabaco Heritage Vines Zinfandel got some good writeups, too, but that one has a huge markup in price.

 

I was intrigued by the Niebaum-Coppola Claret since I've always thought of claret as something out of a Victorian novel. I could find GREAT ratings for the 2003 Francis Coppola Claret, but very little on the Niebaum-Coppola version. Are they one & the same? I would swear I saw a bottle labeled Niebaum-Coppola Claret at a local store - I may have to go back & check it out.

 

I'm sorry to run on here, but I'm trying to learn a lot in the next 10 weeks. Not just for the cruise, but for "life" in general since my husband really loves red wines. I just ordered a selection of reds from Wine Library because they had a "free shipping" promo, & I've received things I've never even heard of before but which seemed to have good write-ups. Sorry to sound cliche, but "so many wines, so little time."

 

And, yes, I've just noticed (the hard way) that some wines have very high alcohol content. Never even thought about it until a few weeks ago when I drank one & went out like a light. So I thank you all for your patience & your knowledge. CC'ers are the salt of the earth!!

 

Gratefully,

Janet

[cruznut1111]

MissJanet wrote:

A couple others that looked promising according to what I've seen on the web are the Benziger Merlot and the Chateau St. Jean Merlot. In fact, I've seen the latter wine for sale on winezap.com for $18-$27 so I don't know if NCL actually makes any money on that one.

NCL's wine manager is making them money. You only need to focus on what is a good VALUE for you. NCL is probably dealing directly with the wineries given the quantities they would be purchasing. That means they are making a profit on the wholesale end as well as retailing it to you. Now, with those quantities come per-bottle prices most retailers could only dream of getting. Sometimes they come up with dreams and sometimes with dogs. (The dogs are often presented as "our chef recommends" and you are wondering why when there is a much better choice.)

 

PT, the two-tone is great!

[sneakerstud]

LOL...I love good wines...as I said the Chateau & the Waterbrook are excellent value for money. I do also not mind a expenisve wine, as long as it is good! I have found the Chateau even better then most of the expensive once...so why should I pay more for less???

 

I also love nice Champagne and my last cruise bar bill was close to USD 4000.00, so it is not like I wouldn't enjoy my good stuff!

 

I preordered for next weekend already a couple of bottles of those 2 wines to be stocked in my Penthouse.

I will have a toast then on my Balcony...when I sail by Madame Liberty:D !

[beachchick]

sneakerstud:

 

Smuggeling...cool...maybe you should do that next time in your restaurant!

 

I've been meaning to mention this. People sometimes compare bringing wine onto a ship with bringing wine into a restaurant, which is really not a true comparison.

 

First, don't restaurants where you live have corkage fees if you bring your own wine? Isn't that what NCL does (except they do it regardless of where you drink the wine)? So, what's the problem with bringing wine? We bring wines that are unavailable on the ships or that vintner friends have given us or because one of the local wineries needed to make room for a new vintage and sold the previous one locally for a song. I have no problem at all paying a corkage fee.

 

Second, a cruise ship is not a restaurant. Sure there are restaurants, but I'm also staying on the ship. It is my resort/hotel room. When I go to a resort, I bring wine I like to drink to have in our room or on the balcony. The resort doesn't charge me a corkage fee and I don't have to smuggle it in. This is one of the reasons that many people do try to "smuggle" (incorrect term actually because it is an NCL rule, not a law) wine to have in their cabin or on their balcony. I am not saying NCL can't make whatever rules they want to regarding alcohol; of course they can. I am saying that some of the rules bother many people. I don't "smuggle" any alcohol. I bring my wine in a wine shipper, clearly labeled. Simple as that. They want to charge me a corkage fee to have it on the ship, then that's fine. I don't judge others who do try to sneak it onboard to avoid the corkage fee because that is their concern.

 

In any case, directly comparing a cruise ship to a restaurant is inaccurate. And it typically has not much to do with whether someone can afford a $5 bottle of wine, but that they want to bring what they prefer and/or will save money even when paying a corkage fee. That is definitely true for us because we live in one of CA's excellent wine regions and can, in fact, get a good wine for $5 to $10 (on sale) at our local markets.

 

beachchick