Wine Package

[ducker]

Will be sailing on the Mariner week of March 11th and would like to know is it worth getting the wine package. We always have a bottle of wine at dinner and would like to have wine in our room is that allowed?:rolleyes:

[Newcastle]

Will be sailing on the Mariner week of March 11th and would like to know is it worth getting the wine package. We always have a bottle of wine at dinner and would like to have wine in our room is that allowed?:rolleyes:

 

 

I looked at all of the wine packages that RCI offers and by the looks of it they have a bunch of cheap to middle of the road selections, I think that you would be better of just purchasing a decent bottle every night or so.

[patry]

is ther a place that we can see the wine list and prices

[isujim]

Yes you can order wine and have it delivered to your room and have it go towards your wine package.........just give them the punch card and they will allow it towards your package.

[isujim]

Yes you can order wine and have it delivered to your room and have it go towards your wine package.........just give them the punch card and they will allow it towards your package.

[kato92]

is ther a place that we can see the wine list and prices

 

You can go to www.rccl.com and look at gifts and gear and find the wine package prices and individual will prices.

[Aprille]

is ther a place that we can see the wine list and prices

Wine & Dine Package

[SeattleJ]

Yes you can order wine and have it delivered to your room and have it go towards your wine package.........just give them the punch card and they will allow it towards your package.

 

We bought a Diamond 12 bottle (we like wine!) package on our 8-night Radiance sailing a couple of weeks ago. We found wines that we liked and thought the package was acceptable. It is not the same list as the dining room list, although the some of the same wines appear on both, and the list varies by level of package. On Radiance, Room Service could not deliver wines from the package to your room. They could deliver wine, but not from the package. You had to get your wine in the dining room or the specialty restaurants. This wasn't a problem as they were happy to give you as many bottles as you wanted to take back. We would have our bottle with dinner (usually red) and take a white back to the room for the next day. Our room stewardess (thanks Elizabeth!) kept us in ice and glasses.:D

[rocket88]

Will be sailing on the Mariner week of March 11th and would like to know is it worth getting the wine package. We always have a bottle of wine at dinner and would like to have wine in our room is that allowed?:rolleyes:

 

There are some different levels and options for 5, 7 or 9 bottles. You make your selections from a limited menu. On the whole the wines are pretty low end, the kind that cost $8 to $15 in a wine shop. Depending on which wines you select you might save a little with the package or you might not. You'll get more selection and some better quality wines from the regular wine list. Expect 300 - 400% markup.

[SeattleJ]

There are some different levels and options for 5, 7 or 9 bottles. You make your selections from a limited menu. On the whole the wines are pretty low end, the kind that cost $8 to $15 in a wine shop. Depending on which wines you select you might save a little with the package or you might not. You'll get more selection and some better quality wines from the regular wine list. Expect 300 - 400% markup.

 

Some of the wines on the Diamond list on Radiance are sold locally here in Seattle in the $25-40 range. There were a lot of the cheaper wines as well, but we had researched some before we left and knew that we could keep our selections above the $27 a bottle average that would make the cost of the package a better deal.

[isujim]

We bought a Diamond 12 bottle (we like wine!) package on our 8-night Radiance sailing a couple of weeks ago. We found wines that we liked and thought the package was acceptable. It is not the same list as the dining room list, although the some of the same wines appear on both, and the list varies by level of package. On Radiance, Room Service could not deliver wines from the package to your room. They could deliver wine, but not from the package. You had to get your wine in the dining room or the specialty restaurants. This wasn't a problem as they were happy to give you as many bottles as you wanted to take back. We would have our bottle with dinner (usually red) and take a white back to the room for the next day. Our room stewardess (thanks Elizabeth!) kept us in ice and glasses.:D

 

John we found this Not to be true on the Radiance 15 day cruise........we had 4 bottles of wine delivered to our stateroom in the afternoon on 4 different occassions and each time chose a wine from the wine package and it was accepted and counted towards our wine package.

[Schplinky]

We found the wine package to be a great deal. It averages about $25 a bottle and we found the wines to be perfectly great and we even tried some new ones. There are those who call the wines medicocre and tell you to just order from the wine list but the "decent" wines on that list can pass $40 without even batting an eye. You can also take the rest of the bottle you've opened back to your room and you can take the wines you didn't open home at the end if you like. You can use the package in the main room, the specialties and the windjammer.

[rocket88]

Some of the wines on the Diamond list on Radiance are sold locally here in Seattle in the $25-40 range. There were a lot of the cheaper wines as well, but we had researched some before we left and knew that we could keep our selections above the $27 a bottle average that would make the cost of the package a better deal.

 

What wines in particular? That's pretty hard to believe, because we had the top level package and the typical wines were Beringer Founder Estate, http://corkd.com/wine/view/5025 Mondavi Private Selection, http://corkd.com/wine/view/6096 Cline Zinfandel, http://corkd.com/wine/view/12976

etc. All $10 wines. Perhaps you found an exceptional vintage in your store that was more, but the Wine Package menu didn't specify vintages.

[Schplinky]

What wines in particular? That's pretty hard to believe, because we had the top level package and the typical wines were Beringer Founder Estate, http://corkd.com/wine/view/5025 Mondavi Private Selection, http://corkd.com/wine/view/6096 Cline Zinfandel, http://corkd.com/wine/view/12976

etc. All $10 wines. Perhaps you found an exceptional vintage in your store that was more, but the Wine Package menu didn't specify vintages.

 

I think what you're confusing is that what you pay in a store NEVER correlates to what you pay in a restaurant. Buying any of these wines in even a medicore restaurant like Oilive Garden would cost you as much on land as it would on a ship. Comparing what you pay in a hospitality setting like a ship or a resort to retail isn't apples to apples.

[sharpie13]

Don't! Its mostly cheap stuff. If you like wine, then order from the wine list or book on Celebrity.

[rocket88]

I think what you're confusing is that what you pay in a store NEVER correlates to what you pay in a restaurant. Buying any of these wines in even a medicore restaurant like Oilive Garden would cost you as much on land as it would on a ship. Comparing what you pay in a hospitality setting like a ship or a resort to retail isn't apples to apples.

 

No kidding - I'm amazed.

[Schplinky]

I'm presuming you're choosing to be sarcastic so I'm not sure I understand your criticism of the wine package. A $15 mark-up on wine seems pretty normal for most any but the most basic of restaurants. Given that you understand the bottle in the package to cost ten bucks at retail, then $25 in the package seems about right. In the specialty restaurant, we paid about fifty bucks for a bottle and it did not taste appreciably better than these, which are admittedly table wine but are by no means swill.

[katstoy]

l usually buy the wine package. Although the price per bottle is generally obscene ($24 for a $6 bottle of Berringer!) it is still less expensive than buying by the glass. I also liked the fact that what I didn't finish I could take back to the room and enjoy the next afternoon on the balcony or have a glass while getting ready for dinner.

 

I choose the middle package (diamond I think) as there are selections in that package that aren't offered in the gold one, and the additional selection in the platinum aren't worth the extra $$. I make sure that I compare the wine list on the table with the selections that I am allowed and generally pick the most expensive ones, or at least the ones over $25 per bottle. This way you get the best bang for your buck. Fortunately I enjoy the more expensive selections, too.

 

When you sign up make sure you get the list of wines, then take it to dinner and compare to the wine list. Make sure you bring your receipt the first night. I lost mine in the few hours between boarding and dinner and it took a while for the waiter to confirm the purchase. It wasn't a problem, but I waited about 20 minutes to get the wine. Each night thereaafter is no issue.

 

Have fun!

[rocket88]

I'm presuming you're choosing to be sarcastic so I'm not sure I understand your criticism of the wine package. A $15 mark-up on wine seems pretty normal for most any but the most basic of restaurants. Given that you understand the bottle in the package to cost ten bucks at retail, then $25 in the package seems about right. In the specialty restaurant, we paid about fifty bucks for a bottle and it did not taste appreciably better than these, which are admittedly table wine but are by no means swill.

 

Here's what I said:

 

There are some different levels and options for 5, 7 or 9 bottles. You make your selections from a limited menu. On the whole the wines are pretty low end, the kind that cost $8 to $15 in a wine shop. Depending on which wines you select you might save a little with the package or you might not. You'll get more selection and some better quality wines from the regular wine list. Expect 300 - 400% markup.

 

Someone responded to that saying some WP wines were available locally for $40. I asked in particular, which wines. If by "available locally" they meant retail, then I'm amazed. If they meant at a local restaurant then we are all in agreement - the wine package can be a good deal depending on which wines you choose, as long as your satisfied with low end wines.

[btoohill]

Can you buy the package onboard the ship after you get on, or do you need to order it before?

[Aprille]

Can you buy the package onboard the ship after you get on, or do you need to order it before?

You can buy onboard. They usually have a table set up outside the dining room on the first day. They sometimes even have one set up as you board the ship. You can also purchase it in the dining room at dinner.

[isujim]

I think what you're confusing is that what you pay in a store NEVER correlates to what you pay in a restaurant. Buying any of these wines in even a medicore restaurant like Oilive Garden would cost you as much on land as it would on a ship. Comparing what you pay in a hospitality setting like a ship or a resort to retail isn't apples to apples.

 

You are absolutely correct..........thanks for pointing that out........and to add to that..........location can be everything as well..........wine costs are different in California vs. say Kansas..........when you are 500 nautical miles from the nearest land.........it really doesn't matter what it costs.......it is a pretty captive market........if you want wine:D