Genuine champagne or not in premium package?

[SandyDix]

Hello guys, I know discussions about drinks packages have been done to death on this forum, so apologies , but I guess Celebrity’s lack of transparency sometimes necessitates such questions! 

Could anybody please explain whether genuine champagne is included in the premium drinks package? By genuine champagne I mean that produced in the Champagne area of France, as opposed to cava, sparkling wine, vin mousseux, Sekt or Prosecco., or merely made by the méthode  champenoise. I ask because in Europe it is illegal to term any drink as a champagne unless it comes from that specific area of France. However I have read on this forum that America seems somehow exempted by this law and that official description of a beverage as champagne may in fact be just a sparkling wine. Whilst there are some cavas and vin mousseux I like, eg Cordorniu  and some Languedoc sparkling wines, I do like my champagne and I have to admit that I was surprised to see the word mentioned on the premium drinks package, given Celebrity’s vastly over-inflated drinks prices. Some people on the forum have mentioned ‘chandon’ - I presume by that they mean Möet et Chandon, which of course is a genuine champagne - if that were in the premium package that’d be great!

Any advice as ever gratefully accepted . Our ship is Silhouette . Thanks! 

[Olive1950]

17 minutes ago, SandyDix said:

Hello guys, I know discussions about drinks packages have been done to death on this forum, so apologies , but I guess Celebrity’s lack of transparency sometimes necessitates such questions! 

Could anybody please explain whether genuine champagne is included in the premium drinks package? By genuine champagne I mean that produced in the Champagne area of France, as opposed to cava, sparkling wine, vin mousseux, Sekt or Prosecco., or merely made by the méthode  champenoise. I ask because in Europe it is illegal to term any drink as a champagne unless it comes from that specific area of France. However I have read on this forum that America seems somehow exempted by this law and that official description of a beverage as champagne may in fact be just a sparkling wine. Whilst there are some cavas and vin mousseux I like, eg Cordorniu  and some Languedoc sparkling wines, I do like my champagne and I have to admit that I was surprised to see the word mentioned on the premium drinks package, given Celebrity’s vastly over-inflated drinks prices. Some people on the forum have mentioned ‘chandon’ - I presume by that they mean Möet et Chandon, which of course is a genuine champagne - if that were in the premium package that’d be great!

Any advice as ever gratefully accepted . Our ship is Silhouette . Thanks! 

 

 

Sadly, with the advent of beverage packages, many "real" champagne is not available on most ships. There just isn't a big draw for these products any more.  If you order champagne by the glass as part of your beverage package, there is no telling what you'll get.  But it WON'T be from the Champagne region of France, for sure....

 

I was on Silhouette this past November, and did see a couple of the champagnes that I like were available for purchase, by the bottle.  This included:

 

Perrier Jouet (but NOT the Belle Epoque flowered bottle)

Veuve Clicquot Brut

Dom Perignon Brut

 

ALL of them were overpriced....  If you are sailing out of Fort Lauderdale, I would suggest that you go to Total Wine, which is behind Embassy Suites on 17th Street, and see either Gabi or John Luc.  They are my champagne gurus.  I bring my own champagne with me:

 

Cristal Brut

Nicolas Feuillatte Palmes d'Or

Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame

Anything Mailly (there are many_)

Perrier Jouet Belle Epoque

 

Drop me an email and I'll send you copies of the wine list from Equinox in October.  In the meantime, go to total wine dot com and select the Cordova Rd store in Fort Lauderdale to see a really fine selection, at very good prices.  I'm staying out by the airport in October, but will take a cab to this store to pick up my bottles.  

 

Perhaps some people staying in the hotel with you, or folks on your roll call, will volunteer to be champagne couriers for you.  I've always had good luck getting everything I buy onto the ship....

 

Best of luck to you!!

 

 

[K12Guy]

5 minutes ago, Olive1950 said:

However I have read on this forum that America seems somehow exempted by this law and that official description of a beverage as champagne may in fact be just a sparkling wine.

Any wineries I've visited in the United States have labeled their sparkling wine as such. Not labeled as 'champagne'. And, dopey me, I've enjoyed some sparking wines from the United States. But, should I travel to the champagne region of France I will likely see a difference.

 

Note: I know nothing about sparkling wines or 'champagne'.

[Purplsmurf]

They have Montaudon on the premium package , which is real champagne. It is available by the glass and I watched them pour every glass for me on my last few cruises.

Edited August 9, 2019 by Purplsmurf

[Turtles06]

4 hours ago, Purplsmurf said:

They have Montaudon on the premium package , which is real champagne. It is available by the glass and I watched them pour every glass for me on my last few cruises.

 

We were on the Silhouette in November, and when the wine steward in the MDR saw that my wife had the premium beverage package, he let her know that they did have a champagne by the glass that was covered by that package.  I’m pretty sure it was the Montaudon. She said it was very drinkable. 

 

 

[Turtles06]

5 hours ago, SandyDix said:

Some people on the forum have mentioned ‘chandon’ - I presume by that they mean Möet et Chandon, which of course is a genuine champagne - if that were in the premium package that’d be great!

 

They are referring to Domaine Chandon, a California sparkling wine that is owned by Chandon. It is of course not champagne in the technical appellation sense since it is not produced in the Champagne region, but since it is produced by Chandon using the traditional method champenoise, it’s a darn good inexpensive sparkling wine (especially the Blanc de Noirs).  It’s covered by the package. Give it a try on board!  

 

 

[chemmo]

15 minutes ago, Turtles06 said:

 

They are referring to Domaine Chandon, a California sparkling wine that is owned by Chandon. It is of course not champagne in the technical appellation sense since it is not produced in the Champagne region, but since it is produced by Chandon using the traditional method champenoise, it’s a darn good inexpensive sparkling wine (especially the Blanc de Noirs).  It’s covered by the package. Give it a try on board!  

 

 

 

Agree....I enjoyed the odd glass too. Only snag with sparkling wine of any sort by the glass is it isn’t as nice when it has been open for a while or is not as chilled as it should be.

 

We have also before now carried on board a couple of bottles of nicer champagne when we have planned a sail away party. 

[Pushka]

Yes it is available but Celebrity makes it as hard as possible to get a glass. It isn’t available in all bars. A wily UK woman put me on to this on the Silly. And after a couple of days of being able to get a glass eventually I was told it was sold out. I didn’t believe it. It was the correct French Champagne and not the US variety that we don’t consider to be true champagne. 

Edited August 9, 2019 by Pushka

[Turtles06]

1 hour ago, Pushka said:

Yes it is available but Celebrity makes it as hard as possible to get a glass. It isn’t available in all bars. A wily UK woman put me on to this on the Silly. And after a couple of days of being able to get a glass eventually I was told it was sold out. I didn’t believe it. It was the correct French Champagne and not the US variety that we don’t consider to be true champagne. 

 

I'm a "true" champagne fan as much as anyone, but let's clear up some misconceptions here.  "True" champagne is a sparkling wine produced in the very small Champagne region of France, using only certain grapes, and the traditional méthode champenoise.  There are sparkling wines produced all around the world -- not just in the U.S. -- and even in other regions of France (yes, France!) that also use the méthode champenoise.  Many of them are quite wonderful.  And not all "true" champagne is that good.   Champagne is not a synonym for "always wonderful sparkling wine."

 

I'll bet in a blind taste test, lots of folks could not tell that Roederer Estate L'Ermitage Brut (a California sparkling wine), for example, is not "correct French Champagne."

 

 

Edited August 9, 2019 by Turtles06

[Olive1950]

Since I usually only book a RS or a OH, I can chill my champagnes to MY liking.  I have also had UNOPENED bottles chilled for me in Michael's Club.

 

Once a bottle is opened, it is consumed that day.  I use a champagne bottle stopper at home, but find that the BEST method to use on the ship is to SHARE, with sommeliers, folks in my group, folks sitting adjacent to me, etc.  If I get one glass out of the bottle, I'm happy with that.

 

I WILL say that, when traveling with a friend who doesn't drink, I was introduced to non-alcoholic sparkling wine.  It was actually quite tolerable, every now and then....

[Georgia_Peaches]

1 hour ago, Olive1950 said:

Since I usually only book a RS or a OH, I can chill my champagnes to MY liking.  I have also had UNOPENED bottles chilled for me in Michael's Club.

 

 

Quick question:  is there a corkage fee for the champagne you bring aboard when staying in the RS?  Will be on Silhouette in November and liked your idea of bringing along a few of my own bottles of champagne to go along with the one that's already in the room (RS).

Edited August 9, 2019 by Georgia_Peaches

[vtcruising]

I have seen Montaudon for $15/glass (covered with Premium package) and PerrierJouët and Veuve Clicquot for $20/glass (or $5 upcharge with Premium package).

 

 

[Olive1950]

5 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Quick question:  is there a corkage fee for the champagne you bring aboard when staying in the RS?  Will be on Silhouette in November and liked your idea of bringing along a few of my own bottles of champagne to go along with the one that's already in the room (RS).

 

I have never paid a corkage fee, and I've brought my bottles into both Michael's Club and Luminae.

 

DISCLAIMER:  I share with the Restaurant Manager, Sommelier, and bartenders.  Heck, on one Infinity cruise, the Food & Beverage manager joined us to try two bottles I had brought with me....

 

Invest in a champagne bottle stopper.  They're not expensive, and keep the champagne from going flat.

 

 

TOTAL WINE rocks!!!!  Check out their FLL store online.  Shoot me an email if you need any more info.  We can certainly take this OFFLINE....

[wendyam76]

For anybody in the UK the above champagne stopper (bubbly keeper) is available in Lakeland - I have two; one permanently in my travel bag and 1 at home! I had no trouble on Edge getting Montaudon in several bars over two weeks. I did watch what they were pouring from in other bars I was at less frequently and sometimes got the cheaper Celebrity “champagne”. You can tell the difference. I did treat myself to several glasses of Perrier Jouet and was gifted one for my birthday in Blu. On other Celebrity ships I did have more problems finding bars that had it! 

 

[Olive1950]

49 minutes ago, wendyam76 said:

For anybody in the UK the above champagne stopper (bubbly keeper) is available in Lakeland - I have two; one permanently in my travel bag and 1 at home! I had no trouble on Edge getting Montaudon in several bars over two weeks. I did watch what they were pouring from in other bars I was at less frequently and sometimes got the cheaper Celebrity “champagne”. You can tell the difference. I did treat myself to several glasses of Perrier Jouet and was gifted one for my birthday in Blu. On other Celebrity ships I did have more problems finding bars that had it! 

 

 

I always travel with 2-3.  And I always come home without any....  They're great gifts for bubbly lovers....  And they are not that expensive.

[Plato123]

There are several grades of bubbly on Celebrity.  The most basic sparkling wine has a plastic "cork" and is pure crap.  You will often see it used for mimosas etc., but normally is not on display. It is a guaranteed headache.  Several times we have had sparkling Celebrity Saumur (Bouvet Ladubay) in our suite on arrival. It is very good.  In our last Royal Suite we had two bottles of Perrier Jouet which were very good, and Montaudon in Luminae and again it was good.  Some bars will have Chandon which is  good, and on occasion in Luminae if you have a willing sommelier, they may chose to offer you Mumms or other real higher end champagnes at no extra charge.  As for bubbly stoppers we travel with one of these Metrokane screw in types as they can also be used on still wines.

[Laurab23]

Is there "champagne" on the classic package list? My friend drinks champagne and is hoping to not upgrade to premium.

 

Laura

[gerelmx]

Here is a pdf with the description of each package contents

CEL_Beverage_Packages.pdf

 

[gerelmx]

 

[Turtles06]

4 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Quick question:  is there a corkage fee for the champagne you bring aboard when staying in the RS?

 

Even the lowliest guest in Celebrity Steerage can bring on two bottles per stateroom without a corkage fee, which is only charged if you take the bottle outside your stateroom.   Whether you get to do more in the RS, I couldn't tell you. 

[Purplsmurf]

1 hour ago, Laurab23 said:

Is there "champagne" on the classic package list? My friend drinks champagne and is hoping to not upgrade to premium.

 

Laura

Real champagne....no. Sparkling wine...yes. I always upgrade as the upcharge from the classic to Montaudon (which is the premium package) is $6/glass so it’s a no brainer to upgrade  

[julia]

Might I suggest to the OP that you stop by Cellar Masters once onboard, and have a serious champagne chat with the sommelier there.  He/she will know exactly what you're asking and can advise you with your package level.  We SO enjoyed Esteban on the Eclipse recently, and routinely popped in there for a fine glass of grapes.

[vtcruising]

Here are some other champagnes by the bottle, listed on the Edge wine list - 20% off with premium package, of course!

 

[Pushka]

11 hours ago, Turtles06 said:

 

I'm a "true" champagne fan as much as anyone, but let's clear up some misconceptions here.  "True" champagne is a sparkling wine produced in the very small Champagne region of France, using only certain grapes, and the traditional méthode champenoise.  There are sparkling wines produced all around the world -- not just in the U.S. -- and even in other regions of France (yes, France!) that also use the méthode champenoise.  Many of them are quite wonderful.  And not all "true" champagne is that good.   Champagne is not a synonym for "always wonderful sparkling wine."

 

I'll bet in a blind taste test, lots of folks could not tell that Roederer Estate L'Ermitage Brut (a California sparkling wine), for example, is not "correct French Champagne."

 

 

 

I use the emotional connection with France to determine what I consider to be champagne. I can consume champagne without getting the least bit of a headache next day. 

Edited August 9, 2019 by Pushka

[Georgia_Peaches]

16 hours ago, Turtles06 said:

 

Even the lowliest guest in Celebrity Steerage can bring on two bottles per stateroom without a corkage fee, which is only charged if you take the bottle outside your stateroom.   Whether you get to do more in the RS, I couldn't tell you. 

Sorry, didn't mean to sound pretentious.  Just wasn't sure what the corkage fee policy was and since I know liquor and such is included in the RS as a perk, I just wondered.  Good to know there is not a corkage fee in any stateroom.  As we usually fly to the port, I've never brought my own wine on board.  Thank you for the information.