Advice on Ordering Wine for the Cabin (Freedom)

[handbellplayer]

I want to have some wine in the cabin on our upcoming Freedom cruise. It would only be for the cabin - DH doesn't drink wine and I'll order by the glass anywhere else on the ship. So for a couple of bottles, should I order from Gifts & Gear ahead of time or wait and buy my wine at Vintages? I'm sure there are more/better selections in Vintages, correct? Will there be a price difference (tax if pre-ordered/tip id ordered on the ship)?

[handbellplayer]

Once again, I ask a clear question, with a meaningful title, and get zero response!

[Merion_Mom]

I want to have some wine in the cabin on our upcoming Freedom cruise. It would only be for the cabin - DH doesn't drink wine and I'll order by the glass anywhere else on the ship. So for a couple of bottles, should I order from Gifts & Gear ahead of time or wait and buy my wine at Vintages? I'm sure there are more/better selections in Vintages, correct? Will there be a price difference (tax if pre-ordered/tip id ordered on the ship)?

 

Once again, I ask a clear question, with a meaningful title, and get zero response!

 

Wow.

 

I was going to answer your question, but now I am not so sure that I want to.

 

Do you have trouble waiting for a red light to turn green?

 

But I will.

 

You will find a FAR better selection at Vintages that you will at Gifts & Gear. Unless the bottles that you want are on the online list, or you must have it for sailaway, wait until you board.

 

The prices will be the same.

 

:)

[cb at sea]

It's an either/or.....you can buy a bottle of wine just about anywhere and take it anywhere on the ship you please. Wine, for some reason, is treated differently than other booze!

[Daghis]

The prices will be the same.

I was about to post that myself, but I did have an unusual experience at Vintages on the Freedom of the Seas in March, so I wasn't sure. I was charged sales tax on the glasses of wine that I bought, and this was even after we had sailed away (the shops and casino were open at that time).

 

So, I don't know whether Vintages would charge tax if you purchased bottles of wine while still docked at Port Canaveral or not. It may have simply been an anomaly. I was told that it was an error and I'd get the tax credited back, but it never happened.

 

So, it's possible that pre-ordering wine may be cheaper, but I generally agree with Merion_Mom and expect that it should be the same, plus you will have the much larger selection available at Vintages.

[Merion_Mom]

I was about to post that myself, but I did have an unusual experience at Vintages on the Freedom of the Seas in March, so I wasn't sure. I was charged sales tax on the glasses of wine that I bought, and this was even after we had sailed away (the shops and casino were open at that time).

 

So, I don't know whether Vintages would charge tax if you purchased bottles of wine while still docked at Port Canaveral or not. It may have simply been an anomaly. I was told that it was an error and I'd get the tax credited back, but it never happened.

 

So, it's possible that pre-ordering wine may be cheaper, but I generally agree with Merion_Mom and expect that it should be the same, plus you will have the much larger selection available at Vintages.

 

It WAS a mistake and you should have insisted on your refund! :eek:

 

When are we sailing together again? :)

[gcvt]

Once again, I ask a clear question, with a meaningful title, and get zero response!

 

If you post a question on a Monday morning at the exact moment most people are just beginning their work week, it may take more than 71 minutes to get a response ;)

[Daghis]

It WAS a mistake and you should have insisted on your refund! :eek:

 

I thought about pursuing it, but it wasn't worth my effort for about $2. I will mention that after bringing it up to the Vintages staff and being told that they'd take care of it, the next day I checked at Guest Relations and they saw that there were no credits and said that the Vintages staff would have to do it; they couldn't fix it themselves. That surprised me.

 

Then again, Guest Relations did give us a bottle of wine and dinner for two at Chops Grille (due to a separate issue), so I feel adequately compensated. :)

 

When are we sailing together again? :)

I don't know, but I'd certainly love to! Unfortunately for me, the only cruises I've got planned right now are the back-to-back pair in October, and then nothing planned for a while. I'm hoping DH will go on a celebratory cruise after his graduation next year, but we haven't figured that out yet.

[handbellplayer]

Thanks, everyone for your responses. I'm sorry that I sounded snippy - this "no response" thing seems to happen to me a lot and I guess when I saw my post go to page 2 with zero responses, I over-reacted. My apologies!

 

BTW, its lunchtime for some of us, not the beginning of our day. :-)

[critterchick]

Check out the full wine list by following the link in my signature. The Vintages list is outdated, but I think that the full list is current.

 

I would wait until you're onboard and make your choices then. You can get any wine on the list for the MDR or WJ (when the MDR is open) and bring it back to your cabin unopened. You can also order a bottle from any bar, although the selection will be limited. I've also heard that some Vintages have a daily special - I haven't seen one but haven't been on an RCI ship since January. Oh, the horror!:eek:

[handbellplayer]

Check out the full wine list by following the link in my signature. The Vintages list is outdated, but I think that the full list is current.

 

I would wait until you're onboard and make your choices then. You can get any wine on the list for the MDR or WJ (when the MDR is open) and bring it back to your cabin unopened. You can also order a bottle from any bar, although the selection will be limited. I've also heard that some Vintages have a daily special - I haven't seen one but haven't been on an RCI ship since January. Oh, the horror!:eek:

 

Thanks, Jean! You're right, there are WAY more choices on the full wine list - I like Pinot Grigio for white and Cab for red and the G&G list only had maybe one of each. I will definitely wait until we board to buy my wine. You have 1953 in the link to your photos - are you a '53 model by any chance? So am I!

[Daghis]

I like Pinot Grigio for white

Note: I'm not a wine connoisseur by any stretch of the imagination.

 

That said, the Danzante Pinot Grigio, which is available from Gifts & Gear, was quite enjoyable to me. We had it a few times during our previous two cruises. Since my friend likes that as his favorite and I like the Aussières Blanc Chardonnay as mine, both of which are in the "Gold" package, we're ordering a wine package for our next Freedom of the Seas cruise.

[critterchick]

Thanks, Jean! You're right, there are WAY more choices on the full wine list - I like Pinot Grigio for white and Cab for red and the G&G list only had maybe one of each. I will definitely wait until we board to buy my wine. You have 1953 in the link to your photos - are you a '53 model by any chance? So am I!

 

I am that vintage, yes.:)

[handbellplayer]

Note: I'm not a wine connoisseur by any stretch of the imagination.

 

That said, the Danzante Pinot Grigio, which is available from Gifts & Gear, was quite enjoyable to me. We had it a few times during our previous two cruises. Since my friend likes that as his favorite and I like the Aussières Blanc Chardonnay as mine, both of which are in the "Gold" package, we're ordering a wine package for our next Freedom of the Seas cruise.

 

I'm not either - a connoisseur, that is - but thanks for the recommendation!

[hueyjudy]

Thank you for answering this, Merion. I need the information but would have not been big-hearted enough to answer such a rude person. Makes my New York husband look patient!

[LAngle]

Another vote for the Danzante Pinot Grigio, it's also in the Gold Wine package. I often get nothing but it the whole week! :D

[Merion_Mom]

I thought about pursuing it, but it wasn't worth my effort for about $2. I will mention that after bringing it up to the Vintages staff and being told that they'd take care of it, the next day I checked at Guest Relations and they saw that there were no credits and said that the Vintages staff would have to do it; they couldn't fix it themselves. That surprised me.

 

Then again, Guest Relations did give us a bottle of wine and dinner for two at Chops Grille (due to a separate issue), so I feel adequately compensated. :)

 

 

I don't know, but I'd certainly love to! Unfortunately for me, the only cruises I've got planned right now are the back-to-back pair in October, and then nothing planned for a while. I'm hoping DH will go on a celebratory cruise after his graduation next year, but we haven't figured that out yet.

 

Well, if it's for graduation, that's my time frame! :)

[handbellplayer]

Thank you for answering this, Merion. I need the information but would have not been big-hearted enough to answer such a rude person. Makes my New York husband look patient!

 

I DID apologize - I'm not a rude person, really, just over-sensitive.