2009 Princess Wine List

[Corinda]

Thank you - my mom is a riesling and Gewurtz drinker and the past cruises there weren't any at a reasonable price. This is going to make her day :)

 

Corinda 101 days until the Sapphire :)

[jff50]

On our recent Alaska cruise, we bought the box of wine ($159 for the Mondavi Reserve Cabernet, the Don Maximiano and Ruffino Il Ducale) at the first wine tasting, as well as 2 bottles of Opus One at the Maitre Ds wine club ($129 each when bought at the wine tasting). Great deals since the box would have been about $270 plus 15% bought individually, and the Opus One is already a pretty good deal at $169--it is about $300-$400 a bottle at those local restaurants that carry it. They deliver the wine to your room pretty quickly, and don't charge the 15% or a corkage fee when you bring it to the dining room.

 

It seemed to us that you get a little more attention and service when you bring a bottle of Mondavi, Don Maximiano or Opus One to the dining room with you.

 

If you are planning on buying at least 3 bottles of wine in the $40 to $50 range anyway, the box is a great deal. If you are interested in the Opus One, consider buying it at the wine tasting.

[janet&joey]

Thank you all for your comments. Pretty reasonable prices and good selection. From the OP

[mollywest]

Is it possible to buy wine by the glass at dinner.

[sultan_sfo]

Yes -- house wine was $5 + 15% (may have gone up to $5.50). About 7 or 8 different wines (mix of reds and whites) are on the glass list. Most are lower /mid- end wines -- no Opus 1 ($160 per bottle) by the glass.

 

Is it possible to buy wine by the glass at dinner.

[O2B@Cagain]

jff mentioned the wine being delivered to your room. When we were on our first cruise they kept the wine somewhere and when you had dinner, they would bring it out for you. That was five years ago. Do they still do this? And when is the first wine tasting? :confused:

[lvislands]

That was me. :) And I'm only semi-joking. Since Princess says one bottle per passenger CAN a passenger bring a box instead? I certainly wouldn't haul it to the dining room, but a glass or 2 in my room in the evening would be nice.

I pack a 5 liter box in checked luggage. When I get to my cabin if the box is too big to fit in fridge, I take the bladder out of the box. Works Great for balcony libation. Sure saves a lot of $$ during the day. Buy a bottle for dinner.

[chamima]

Largin

Thanks for the updated list. I just copied it and emailed it to my husband (who doesn't do CC) under the title "Dream". :D

He said the list seems larger than last year. It would be nice if they had vintages (at least on the higher priced wines) on their lists so the poor waiter wouldn't have to go check.

[Roses2]

The folks who complain about Princess' wine prices must never order wine at a restaurant.

 

We find the prices in the Princess wine list to certainly be in the same range or lower rhan at most moderately priced restaurants.

 

Of course you can buy the same products at stores at lower prices. However, Princess' wine mark-up appears to be fully in line with most restaurants.

[LARGIN]

The folks who complain about Princess' wine prices must never order wine at a restaurant.

 

We find the prices in the Princess wine list to certainly be in the same range or lower rhan at most moderately priced restaurants.

 

Of course you can buy the same products at stores at lower prices. However, Princess' wine mark-up appears to be fully in line with most restaurants.

 

Agree. They should see the wine markups here in the San Francisco/Bay Area.

[happy cruzer]

Princess still gets my "wine friendly" assessment. Thanks for posting.

[O2B@Cagain]

I buy Seghesio Zinfandel for about $28 a bottle in a store, so the price listed is great. Some people must be accustomed to that Two Buck Chuck stuff! LOL

[Richie2pies]

Princess wine prices are great when compared to NCL and they even allow you to bring some onboard with you unlike NCL.

[cruiser113]

jff50 : Thanks for the info on the box of wine and the Opus one.

 

We did the wine tasting that had the Opus one on our last cruise and fell in love with it, back home we also priced the wine at our local store and they wanted more than the ship price.

 

We may have to treat ourselves on our Alaskan cruise.

 

Largin: thanks for the partial list, when will you have the complete one???

[aprime23]

Hey Dave,

 

In the jewelery business I believe a 300% markup is referred to as "Keystone". Quite normal.

 

John

 

Keystone is 100%, Standard retail is triple key. Most manufaturers are happy if they can get 30%,

[aprime23]

Largin

Thanks for the updated list. I just copied it and emailed it to my husband (who doesn't do CC) under the title "Dream". :D

He said the list seems larger than last year. It would be nice if they had vintages (at least on the higher priced wines) on their lists so the poor waiter wouldn't have to go check.

 

Agreed vintage on the list would same time and make selections better

[Alan64]

I buy Seghesio Zinfandel for about $28 a bottle in a store, so the price listed is great. Some people must be accustomed to that Two Buck Chuck stuff! LOL

 

We see the standard Seghesio Zin for $16 or so in the Bay Area, so it seems expensive. However, even a local restaurant will charge 2-3x retail, so it's in line with that experience. I plan to bring wine and pay the corkage, but it's nice to see that there are semi-reasonable options.

[VibeGuy]

A little off-topic, but Costco has "cheap" Opus One; if your local warehouse doesn't stock it, they can tell you which ones do. I think it's all of $10-20 less than onboard.

[SactoSteve]

Overall, I'm pretty impressed with their pricing. And the selection has a little something for most everyone. But I'll still bring my own and (happily) pay the corkage. A cruise is another great opportunity to dip into the wine I already own.

[happy cruzer]

Princess wine prices are great when compared to NCL and they even allow you to bring some onboard with you unlike NCL.

 

I thought NCL allows you to carry on wine and pay the corkage fee when boarding.

 

The only line that allows absolutely no wine to be carried on is RCI. They seem to be the least wine friendly to me. No carry on, no corkage fee if per chance you get some onboard, and mediocre wine list.

 

To me the Carnival lines are the best! I think they have the true understanding of how much people enjoy a good wine with a good meal.

[PrincessCruisingForever]

Just a quick question regarding the purchasing of wine on board....in addition to the price per bottle, do you have to pay anything else? For example is there a tip amount added to it?

[sultan_sfo]

Yes -- 15% tip is added to the price on the wine list.

 

Just a quick question regarding the purchasing of wine on board....in addition to the price per bottle, do you have to pay anything else? For example is there a tip amount added to it?