HAL changes wine policy

[Pushka]

RCL changed their policy at the end of last year to allow it being brought onboard at initial boarding, hence the previous statement that they're making them more similar across the lines.

 

Ok. That's a good thing. We sailed in July and it was a no no.

[mr walker]

These cruiselines buy the wine so cheap, and sell it duty free, but are selling it at such a marked up price - GREED!

 

It's called margin & it's not a dirty word.

 

I haven't sailed on HAL, but I have not found the alcohol pricing on RC extravagent when compared to land based restaurants etc. Most places have a significant mark-up above cost. Of course the prices are more expensive than a liquor shop. I can choose to buy or not.

[The_Big_M]

It's called margin & it's not a dirty word.

 

 

True, they have dedicated bars to sell wines and drinks, and as that takes up valuable real estate it has to be paid for as well. i.e. Each area of the ship that's not a core facility of itself (like the theatre and dining room) have to earn revenue. Otherwise they would just convert some bars to cabins so that they get revenue that way.

 

Fortunately for the cruise lines, enough people appreciate idling in the bars purchasing the drinks available to justify those facilities.

 

If they got rid of the bars and lounges, they could reduce the alcohol price in remaining places to a cost basis, but then would still need to make up the overall revenue in another way.

 

Anyway, it's not going to happen on mainstream lines.

[GHDPeter]

If the original policy was part of your passage contract or terms and conditions of booking, then legally they cannot change the policy without being in breach of the contract. And breach of contract would allow you the passenger to seek damages.

[ceejay3377]

I'm one who has taken on quite a few bottles of wine - and topped up at ports - and to me the change in policy is disappointing.

 

For the benefit of those who have not sailed HAL, their wine list for whites and sparkling wines is WOEFUL. Their wine lists are full of Californian and Chilean wines, that I simply do not have the palate for.

 

I love a good bubbly, but the 'affordable' (ie, under $100) sparkling wines on HAL are rubbish. I also enjoy a sparkling shiraz with a rare steak, but these wines are rarely available on any ships (not just HAL).

 

One bonus on HAL is that the white 'house wines' are no worse than the expensive, highly marked up bottles, and on my last HAL cruise, I found a half carafe could be purchased in the MDR for $10 (gave 2-3 glasses).

 

A couple of years ago HAL changed their very liberal smoking policy (considerably reducing the locations where smoking would be permitted). They gave several months warning of the change. (It actually changed right in the middle of our cruise!). IMHO it is only fair that they do the same for the change in wine policy, so it is good to hear that they have now done so.

 

Cheers,

[ozscotart]

I have mixed feelings about this : I am pleased that for our upcoming cruise of NZ on the Oosterdam in October I can still buy some tasty NZ whites in port, but future HAL cruises will be disappointing, their wine list is poor and expensive. P&O (UK) as far as I know still have their policy of bringing on wine in moderate (a case !) quantities. I think we'll be looking at the Adonia for next year. There is something really pleasing about bringing aboard a bottle of some exotic wine from the port you are in, even if it only came from the supermarket, it gives you a chance to widen your experience.

[TravlGrl]

The wine trolleys are a very real thing. We just sailed Princess to Alaska 3 weeks ago and one of our roll call members brought this onboard -- http://www.winevine-imports.com/wine-trolley-wine-luggage?gdftrk=gdfV25114_a_7c1470_a_7c6154_a_7cSKU1650&gclid=CLusp67I17gCFURp7Aod7VUAqQ

[Aus Traveller]

The wine trolleys are a very real thing. We just sailed Princess to Alaska 3 weeks ago and one of our roll call members brought this onboard -- http://www.winevine-imports.com/wine-trolley-wine-luggage?gdftrk=gdfV25114_a_7c1470_a_7c6154_a_7cSKU1650&gclid=CLusp67I17gCFURp7Aod7VUAqQ

Wow! A person would have to be a regular cruiser/wine drinker to buy a trolley just to transport their wine. :)

[NSWP]

I have mixed feelings about this : I am pleased that for our upcoming cruise of NZ on the Oosterdam in October I can still buy some tasty NZ whites in port, but future HAL cruises will be disappointing, their wine list is poor and expensive. P&O (UK) as far as I know still have their policy of bringing on wine in moderate (a case !) quantities. I think we'll be looking at the Adonia for next year. There is something really pleasing about bringing aboard a bottle of some exotic wine from the port you are in, even if it only came from the supermarket, it gives you a chance to widen your experience.

That is what I like to hear, P&O UK still reasonable re BYO wine. I was on Arcadia last year Sydney to Southampton and took on half a dozen bottles in Sydney at embarkation. I bought some nice South African wines when we got to Durban/Capetown. Like you we like to purchase some local wines to bring back on board. Saying that Arcadia had some drinkable Chilean wines on board last year for £10 a bottle, that is a reasonable price. Am on Arcadia again next year so will bring some wines on at Southampton.

[Dizziedi]

RCL have never allowed any wine onboard so it always surprises me that other cruise lines allow any. I think it reasonable to allow 2 bottles onboard at embarkation. But sadly some people will abuse any allowance and hence the need to tighten up. A little like planes and carry on. I wish they'd tighten up.

 

I can understand the frustration with making the policy immediate but on the other hand, cruises can be planned and booked 18 months out. Where do they draw the line?

 

Pushka, you have been able to take two bottles per cabin (at the time of boarding) on RCL since the beginning of our/the summer season last year.

 

Good luck to the OP - we love our NZ wines and love it when Picton is on the itinerary. Have you been to Mills Reef (Tauranga)? We have managed to get some wine back on board - luck of the draw. Although I know you want to drink it on board, we usually have the winery send it back to Australia for us.

 

Cheers

Di

[NSWP]

RCL changed their policy at the end of last year to allow it being brought onboard at initial boarding, hence the previous statement that they're making them more similar across the lines.

Correct Royal Caribbean/Celebrity now allow two bottles of wine per pax at embarkation only, we were on Celebrity Solstice in March and bought on 4 bottles between us.

 

We purchased a bottle of wine every night at dinner on Solstice, they were way over priced. Their list starts at $30 and they are nothing special.

[NSWP]

The wine trolleys are a very real thing. We just sailed Princess to Alaska 3 weeks ago and one of our roll call members brought this onboard -- http://www.winevine-imports.com/wine-trolley-wine-luggage?gdftrk=gdfV25114_a_7c1470_a_7c6154_a_7cSKU1650&gclid=CLusp67I17gCFURp7Aod7VUAqQ

Great idea, must get one. Thanks for sharing.

[mr walker]

The wine trolleys are a very real thing. We just sailed Princess to Alaska 3 weeks ago and one of our roll call members brought this onboard -- http://www.winevine-imports.com/wine-trolley-wine-luggage?gdftrk=gdfV25114_a_7c1470_a_7c6154_a_7cSKU1650&gclid=CLusp67I17gCFURp7Aod7VUAqQ

 

Do they have a similar one for a slab of beer? :D

[Pushka]

Pushka, you have been able to take two bottles per cabin (at the time of boarding) on RCL since the beginning of our/the summer season last year.

 

Cheers

Di

 

Yes. I understand that now. But when we cruised last July there was no alcohol to be brought onboard.

[KarateMan]

Reading this I am surprised at the amount of people that do BYO alcohol. I have had bar bills on cruises that cost more than the cruise itself. With the complaints I am seeing about wine quality we must remember HAL is predominantly a US passenger based line. Australians are relatively newcomers to the cruise boom and Australians are still virgin cruisers so to speak compared to the rest of the world. Perhaps in time we will see the introduction of products and services to match Australian tastes and trends as our love for cruising grows. Looking at the population of Australia compared to the US and UK it is easy to understand why the market is so much in favour of these passengers.

 

I do not think we have seen the end of this topic though. HAL and other cruise lines will regroup and implement this policy in force if they really want to. They may have given in for now but I predict in the long run they will get their way.

[NSWP]

I told the Asst Maitre'D on Celebrity Solstice on our NZ cruise in March this year 'If you reduced the price of your wines, you might sell more, they are way overpriced.' Suffice to say he was not impressed with my statement, stuck his nose up and walked away from the table. Prima Donna he was.

 

Funny how on Celebrity you can purchase a small carafe - around 3 glasses of drinkable wine for $10 in the buffet for dinner or at lunch, but not in the MDR? Easy..all about revenue.

 

Anyway, dinner time, about to crack a nice bottle of Houghtons White, $8 in Woolworths, $42 on the cruise ships, LOL.

[GHDPeter]

I told the Asst Maitre'D on Celebrity Solstice on our NZ cruise in March this year 'If you reduced the price of your wines, you might sell more, they are way overpriced.' Suffice to say he was not impressed with my statement, stuck his nose up and walked away from the table. Prima Donna he was.

 

Funny how on Celebrity you can purchase a small carafe - around 3 glasses of drinkable wine for $10 in the buffet for dinner or at lunch, but not in the MDR? Easy..all about revenue.

 

Anyway, dinner time, about to crack a nice bottle of Houghtons White, $8 in Woolworths, $42 on the cruise ships, LOL.

 

That seems to be the normal margin 500% I found one of the princess wines at auction for $4 per bottle by the case that they were selling for $36 !

 

From the point of view of revenue, they would be much better off to reduce their wine lists and allow pas to bring their own wine for the cost of corkage, pure profit, no holding costs, no risk of products going off, and no storage costs.

 

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[The_Big_M]

From the point of view of revenue, they would be much better off to reduce their wine lists and allow pas to bring their own wine for the cost of corkage, pure profit, no holding costs, no risk of products going off, and no storage costs.

 

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Yeah, but that would never fly. People go for convenience, and if they didn't sell it, they wouldn't make up for it in corkage. People would just get annoyed!

[Wyuna1]

That seems to be the normal margin 500% I found one of the princess wines at auction for $4 per bottle by the case that they were selling for $36 !

 

From the point of view of revenue, they would be much better off to reduce their wine lists and allow pas to bring their own wine for the cost of corkage, pure profit, no holding costs, no risk of products going off, and no storage costs.

 

Sent from my AMID-972XS using Tapatalk 2

 

A bit hard if you are flying in and transferring direct to ship.

[KarateMan]

The cruise line will also have transport costs with regards to all consumables on their ships. Much of their mainstream food and beverage products with the exception of perishables like milk and vegetables are sent to US/Euro Zone based warehouses and then distributed to the ships world wide. That means all the wines on the ships wine list are first shipped to the main warehouse for the cruise line and then shipped/flown to where the ship is. In the case of ships based in Australia they would obviously incur considerable costs shipping these goods to stock their ships. Perhaps that explains why some things are so expensive.