Andrae Bubbly in Suites

[frbob]

Recently, we bought an upgrade to the Neptune Suite on a HAL ship. As we entered our lovely stateroom suite, we were greeted by a lovely bottle of Andre sparkling wine sitting on our bar. Not chilled, mind you, but there nonetheless. Now, I'm not proposing you dismiss Andre bubbly out of hand, but, let's just say it's the cheapest bubbly stuff you can buy. $3.97 at my local Total Wines store. It's what you'd buy if you couldn't afford real wine. Or if you're a college student, for New Year's Eve celebration, on a budget. I'm not suggesting that ALL people wouldn't enjoy Andre. Not my cup of tea however. But I'm just saying that this PRESENTATION in a SUITE cries "CHEAP, CHEAP, CHEAP". It's hard to believe HAL continues to claim it's a five-star operation (really?) when this is what they offer to their guests. How is it possible to project a QUALITY image when they serve this kind of PLONK? Did I mention this is the same CHEAP bubbly served at all their receptions and cocktail parties? CHEAP, CHEAP, CHEAP!

 

Sorry to upset all you HAL defenders, but after over 600 days on HAL, I feel I'm entitled to vent some steam.

 

HAL needs to fire some folks and get back to providing something close to the experience they advertise in their expensive brochures.!

[pris993]

Don't blame you, Andrea sparkling wine too much!!

 

I would give it back to them and ask for a credit towards something you would like to drink. We did this on Celebrity with the sparkling wine they left in our cabin, it is under their label, probably Andrea repackaged, we never drink sparkling wine on any ship. We did get a credit towards a bottle of wine we like to drink and paid the difference.

 

While it may seem less than gracious to give them back the bottle, given what your paying, it is insulting to be given a bottle of Andre on ice or not.

[Typhoon1]

No one ever said they give you the best of everything in a Neptune,

[sail7seas]

There is nothing free on a cruise ship. Everything is paid for by the guest. I'd rather not pay for a pricey bottle of champagne we really don't want to drink. We appreciate the Welcome Aboard gesture and take it as just that..... a token. We often leave the bottle in the cabin and (presumably) it is passed along to the next guest to occupy our cabin. :) Once upon a time, we used to ask for it the Welcome Aboard bottle to be applied against a wine of our choice but I'm not sure they still permit that. In any case, we don't bother.

[startwin]

You can exchange it for a bottle of the house wine.

[taxmantoo]

You can exchange it for a bottle of the house wine.

 

Like trading four quarters for a dollar :D

[Linda&Vern]

Ok - the "free bottle" isn't that great. But I only sip a little and then I'm done with it anyway. I do feel that it would at least look a little classier if it was "presented" on ice. One time ours was in the wine bucket - but I discovered at sail-away that there was no ice in the bucket. :( Other times, it is just sitting there.

[startwin]

Like trading four quarters for a dollar :D

 

Pretty much - but I really think the house wine is a tad more palatable.:D

[solocanadian]

Like trading four quarters for a dollar :D

Love your comment. That gave me my bed time chuckle.

:):p;)

Edited January 16, 2014 by solocanadian

[Krazy Kruizers]

Whenever we have been in a Neptune Suite, We have gotten a bottle of Pol Clement -- even worse than Andre -- even though they are both sparkling wines.

We just went to the concierges and had them exchange it for something we liked and pay the difference -- which can vary by ship.

Some ships don't even give a bottle any more to the Neptune Suites. You have to stop by the Neptune Lounge and get a glass of bubbly there -- Pol Clement.

[puppycanducruise]

We were upgraded to a Neptune Suite on our last cruise (didn't know until we checked in at the pier). We had always booked inside cabins so I was thrilled with the upgrade! Our bottle of sparkling wine was in an ice bucket when we arrived. On the second day, we opened the wine and took pictures of us sipping our sparkling wine on the balcony. When we showed our friends the pictures when we got home, they were impressed - they didn't know the quality of the wine.

[sail7seas]

Love your comment. That gave me my bed time chuckle.

:):p;)

 

I agree....... I chuckled, too. LOL........

 

 

We were upgraded to a Neptune Suite on our last cruise (didn't know until we checked in at the pier). We had always booked inside cabins so I was thrilled with the upgrade! Our bottle of sparkling wine was in an ice bucket when we arrived. On the second day, we opened the wine and took pictures of us sipping our sparkling wine on the balcony. When we showed our friends the pictures when we got home, they were impressed - they didn't know the quality of the wine.

 

 

That's the spirit.... (no pun intended :))

It's a nice gesture and the message of Welcome Aboard is what it's about.

 

We have found the bottle on ice more than half the time. There surely have been times the bottle was sitting on the counter, times it was in a dry ice bucket but more times than not on ice in the bucket.

 

[Wakepatrol]

Recently, we bought an upgrade to the Neptune Suite on a HAL ship. As we entered our lovely stateroom suite, we were greeted by a lovely bottle of Andre sparkling wine sitting on our bar. Not chilled, mind you, but there nonetheless. Now, I'm not proposing you dismiss Andre bubbly out of hand, but, let's just say it's the cheapest bubbly stuff you can buy. $3.97 at my local Total Wines store. It's what you'd buy if you couldn't afford real wine. Or if you're a college student, for New Year's Eve celebration, on a budget. I'm not suggesting that ALL people wouldn't enjoy Andre. Not my cup of tea however. But I'm just saying that this PRESENTATION in a SUITE cries "CHEAP, CHEAP, CHEAP". It's hard to believe HAL continues to claim it's a five-star operation (really?) when this is what they offer to their guests. How is it possible to project a QUALITY image when they serve this kind of PLONK? Did I mention this is the same CHEAP bubbly served at all their receptions and cocktail parties? CHEAP, CHEAP, CHEAP!

 

Sorry to upset all you HAL defenders, but after over 600 days on HAL, I feel I'm entitled to vent some steam.

 

HAL needs to fire some folks and get back to providing something close to the experience they advertise in their expensive brochures.!

 

You ought to see the people falling over each other to drink this swill, when Hal is pouring it for free.

[sail7seas]

Aside from the Cheap, Cheap, Cheap Plonk did you enjoy your suite? Hope you had a great cruise. :)

Edited January 16, 2014 by sail7seas

[mollyanne]

We had the Pol Clement in our Neptune Suite on the Westerdam last month. Our tablemates shared their bottle with us at dinner one night and then we did the same with ours another night. Maybe it's better with food? It really wasn't that bad.;)

[Krazy Kruizers]

We had the Pol Clement in our Neptune Suite on the Westerdam last month. Our tablemates shared their bottle with us at dinner one night and then we did the same with ours another night. Maybe it's better with food? It really wasn't that bad.;)

 

JMO -- it is not good with anything.

[Typhoon1]

We had the Pol Clement in our Neptune Suite on the Westerdam last month. Our tablemates shared their bottle with us at dinner one night and then we did the same with ours another night. Maybe it's better with food? It really wasn't that bad.;)

 

They probably distribute the cheapest available selection that is in stock to the Suite passengers.

 

They have to get rid of it somewhere.

[Krazy Kruizers]

They probably distribute the cheapest available selection that is in stock to the Suite passengers.

 

They have to get rid of it somewhere.

 

HAL gives out the cheapest sparking wine anywhere they can -- especially since they get a great discount on it.

The same thing goes for their house wines -- Santa Carolina -- cheap.

Bulk = means cheap.

[Typhoon1]

HAL gives out the cheapest sparking wine anywhere they can -- especially since they get a great discount on it.

The same thing goes for their house wines -- Santa Carolina -- cheap.

Bulk = means cheap.

 

Too bad Suite Passengers have paid top dollar for the bottle. At any rate, I could take it or leave it.

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

On our recent Amsterdam cruise, the welcome wine was Pierre La Racuse Blanc de Blanc and the water was Aqua Panani National Sparkling Water - did not know either one. Needed a church key to open the latter which was not provided.

[Krazy Kruizers]

On our recent Amsterdam cruise, the welcome wine was Pierre La Racuse Blanc de Blanc and the water was Aqua Panani National Sparkling Water - did not know either one. Needed a church key to open the latter which was not provided.

 

 

Do you think you get a better sparkling wine than what many of us have reported?

Or was it not a sparkling wine but a real wine?

How was it?

[Krazy Kruizers]

Too bad Suite Passengers have paid top dollar for the bottle. At any rate, I could take it or leave it.

 

 

There was a time when we used to get a very good champagne from the captain and hotel manager.

And those of us who are entitled to a bottle of wine from AMEX Plat also got a very good bottle of champagne.

Now even AMEX gives us the cheap Pol Clement.

AH -- for the good old days.

[RocketMan275]

We had the Pol Clement in our Neptune Suite on the Westerdam last month. Our tablemates shared their bottle with us at dinner one night and then we did the same with ours another night. Maybe it's better with food? It really wasn't that bad.;)

 

I've found that most 'free' wine becomes quite drinkable after a couple of martinis.

[sail7seas]

There was a time when we used to get a very good champagne from the captain and hotel manager.

 

And those of us who are entitled to a bottle of wine from AMEX Plat also got a very good bottle of champagne.

 

Now even AMEX gives us the cheap Pol Clement.

 

AH -- for the good old days.

 

I also remember we used to book and pay for a category "B" cabin in the days of brand new Statendam, Maasdam et al and we got a two category upgrade at the time of booking to an "S" because we used our AmEx Platinum card to book. Those happy days are Loooooong Gone!!! :D

 

 

Do you remember that? We used to choose just which "S" cabin we wanted at the time of booking but we paid predicated on "B". Sigh, those were the "good 'ole days". :)

 

And, yes,,,,,,,,, we received two much higher quality bottles of champagne/sparkling wine. I could be mistaken but seems to me we used to enjoy Mumm Champagne chilling in ice buckets when we arrived in our suites.

 

Edited January 17, 2014 by sail7seas

[Hlitner]

There was a time when we used to get a very good champagne from the captain and hotel manager.

And those of us who are entitled to a bottle of wine from AMEX Plat also got a very good bottle of champagne.

Now even AMEX gives us the cheap Pol Clement.

AH -- for the good old days.

 

What do you expect for a $450 Annual fee? :)

 

Hank