HAL Needs a Better Wine List

[Windsailer]

OK - so I'm going to be on the Prinsendam soon. I was planning to buy a few bottles of wine in Amsterdam to take on the ship. Guess now I'll just buy two.

 

I was looking at the Wine List for in cabin purchases. While I found a few that I mght buy, I won't now because the prices are outrageous.

 

The Navigator's 5 wine package. I priced it out with their "list of wines you might be able to select from". HAL package is $186.25. Retail prices add up to only $60.00 at most.

 

Nine Hats Syrah. Retail is $21.99, HAL price is $86.25.

 

Mondavi Private Select Merlot (bottle of the barrel - pun intended - to me) Retail is $6.47 HAL is $ 52.50

 

Nicolas Feuillatte Brut - Retail is $29.99; HAL is $80.96.

 

Last cruise I bought an Alice White Shiraz in the MDR. Drinkable. Cost me around $36 with the 15% service fee. Total Wines price $5.47.

 

So I won't be buying any of HAL wines.

 

I'll just drink my wine in port.

[Krazy Kruizers]

There was a time when HAL had a very good wine list with reasonable prices. On one of our South American cruises, they even brought wines from the various ports onto the ship for us to buy -- 1998.

But when HAL started to allow people to bring unlimited bottles of wine onto the ship -- and people were not buying much of HAL's wines -- the list started to change drastically and the prices went up.

We are fortunate that we are 5 star Mariners and get the wine packages for 50% off (so can 4 star Mariners and3 star Mariners get 25% off). We bought the 5 bottle Admiral package on our last cruise and there were some nice choices on there. We are not big wine drinkers.

[smokinmike]

. . . and you just explained in a nutshell why people are upset over the new HAL policy regarding bring-aboard wines.

 

Lower-tiered wines purveyed at a vast mark-up while essentially not allowing non-ship wines aboard slaps some cruisers right in the face.

 

Either allow wines to be brought aboard with a corkage fee per bottle or expand the wine list to include a much better selection of drinkable wines.

 

Some folks value a dining experience that includes quality wine just as they might enjoy socializing with friends in their rooms with a quality glass.

 

. . . and we're willing to pay for that experience.

 

We're just not willing to pay exorbitant prices for crap wine.

 

It's not hard to figure out.

[kazu]

OK - so I'm going to be on the Prinsendam soon. I was planning to buy a few bottles of wine in Amsterdam to take on the ship. Guess now I'll just buy two.

 

I was looking at the Wine List for in cabin purchases. While I found a few that I mght buy, I won't now because the prices are outrageous.

 

The Navigator's 5 wine package. I priced it out with their "list of wines you might be able to select from". HAL package is $186.25. Retail prices add up to only $60.00 at most.

 

Nine Hats Syrah. Retail is $21.99, HAL price is $86.25.

 

Mondavi Private Select Merlot (bottle of the barrel - pun intended - to me) Retail is $6.47 HAL is $ 52.50

 

Nicolas Feuillatte Brut - Retail is $29.99; HAL is $80.96.

 

Last cruise I bought an Alice White Shiraz in the MDR. Drinkable. Cost me around $36 with the 15% service fee. Total Wines price $5.47.

 

So I won't be buying any of HAL wines.

 

I'll just drink my wine in port.

 

I agree they need a better wine list - but if you are interested - they have a red and a white - Rudi's recommended (or something like that). If memory serves they were around $35 each. I ordered a couple of those for our room and they were actually quite decent wines. Granted, you don't want to drink the same thing each night - but when I was looking and posted to ask - no one had tried them - so I thought I would share in case it was of help to you.

 

they don't show on the MDR menu I don't think, but you can order them on line for the MDR/stateroom (and just take it if you are so inclined) and you can ask for it.

 

Like you, I regret the current wine decision. We cruise in Europe a LOT and not to be able to bring a bottle or two on board is not pleasant. I don't want to spend my time in ports drinking - I want to explore and bring it back.

 

I have sent my email to HAL - they can do what they want with it - and I can do what with I want with my wallet and book cruises elsewhere. Easy

 

Love the Prinsendam - enjoy your cruise (pretty sure they would let you bring a single bottle on in ports - I'm not comfortable doing it - but go ahead and try - what's the worst that can happen?);)

[Windsailer]

Kazu, the worse that can happen is that my wine is confiscated, I don't get to drink it on the ship and I have to bring it back to the states. Red wine in my suitcase? Think not.

[Tampa Girl]

Someone on another thread mentioned that you can order wine from room service at a reduced price. Does anyone know how reduced? It seems to me that on the Noordam in 2011, we ordered a Malbec for about $30. Also, does get a Mariner discount for such purchases or is that only on wine packages?

[kazu]

Someone on another thread mentioned that you can order wine from room service at a reduced price. Does anyone know how reduced? It seems to me that on the Noordam in 2011, we ordered a Malbec for about $30. Also, does get a Mariner discount for such purchases or is that only on wine packages?

 

I must have ordered the wrong wine - my price wasn't reduced on room service.

 

the Mariner discount only applies to the wine packages.

[cruz chic]

I must have ordered the wrong wine - my price wasn't reduced on room service.

 

the Mariner discount only applies to the wine packages.

 

I've never heard of a reduction in price of wine ordered from room service. Likely the person was confused.

[solocanadian]

OK - so I'm going to be on the Prinsendam soon. I was planning to buy a few bottles of wine in Amsterdam to take on the ship. Guess now I'll just buy two.

 

I was looking at the Wine List for in cabin purchases. While I found a few that I mght buy, I won't now because the prices are outrageous.

 

The Navigator's 5 wine package. I priced it out with their "list of wines you might be able to select from". HAL package is $186.25. Retail prices add up to only $60.00 at most.

 

Nine Hats Syrah. Retail is $21.99, HAL price is $86.25.

 

Mondavi Private Select Merlot (bottle of the barrel - pun intended - to me) Retail is $6.47 HAL is $ 52.50

 

Nicolas Feuillatte Brut - Retail is $29.99; HAL is $80.96.

 

Last cruise I bought an Alice White Shiraz in the MDR. Drinkable. Cost me around $36 with the 15% service fee. Total Wines price $5.47.

 

So I won't be buying any of HAL wines.

 

I'll just drink my wine in port.

 

These markups are outlandish. Guess I will go without wine now at dinner. The wine packages are too many bottles for me as I sail solo. How much wine do they expect one person to drink in 7 days, which is my final cruise of the year.:(

[PathfinderEss]

Yes they do need to improve their wine list and now with the change in their new policy maybe they will, I sure hope so and their prices.

[Tampa Girl]

I've never heard of a reduction in price of wine ordered from room service. Likely the person was confused.

 

 

Or I was!