Wine in dining room for lunch and dinner

[envy4u]

We have the Brindiamo package. What wines, by the glass, are included at lunch and dinner in the main dining room? 

Also, in specialty restaurants?

Edited October 25, 2019 by envy4u
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[tenpin]

Regardless of restaurant your choice of wine is the same with each type of package, roughly a choice of three reds, two white & rose.

It is served by the glass at both meals.

 

Most are reasonable and mainly Italian. 

[envy4u]

The wine by the glass at dinner, I can imagine, will be annoying..I guess Costa does this on purpose so one has to wait for another glass to be delivered to the table therefore drinking less.  We usually like a bottle with dinner. .....that is 2.5 glasses each. 

[maryann2]

They top up your glass continually so no need to worry. 

[tenpin]

Yes it use to be by the bottle, but like everything else, it was taken away because some cruisers were giving it to others who had not purchased any package, just like when you could purchase a single package if your partner did not drink, or the full mini-bar in suites.

[G.M.T.]

20 minutes ago, tenpin said:

Yes it use to be by the bottle, but like everything else, it was taken away because some cruisers were giving it to others who had not purchased any package, just like when you could purchase a single package if your partner did not drink, or the full mini-bar in suites.

Ah the good ole days.🍻

[envy4u]

Sign of the times. A few bad apples spoils it for the bunch of us. 

[fragilek]

as soon as they know your are on a package they take the wine menu off the table.  We asked if we had any choice of the wines and were told no only 1 red 1 white and 1 rosie was on offer each night - these changed a few times  most  Merlot sometimes Cabernet .  think the white changed once too but not sure.  We had the cocktails and wine package (upgraded from birsindo on ship.  It is the same wine choice for both these packs.  I know that this was the also the case in the Samara (sp) restaurant and we asked there too.  but I think the club restaurant had a choice of 2 wines each night (or so I was told by another passenger)

[fragilek]

also add that the bottle was left on out table during our meals when both my husband and I were drinking wine.  And waiter just told us to help our self but in truth he topped it up more than we would have anywway lol

[tenpin]

Not sure where everyone Is getting information but according to the package details in front of me, and from our recent cruise we had a wine list for the Intenditore up to 9 euros per glass, I personally had Elena Walsh Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio & a Bergerac, there were three reds as standard & two Rose, the Pranzo & Cena did offer the same at one point that may have change now.

 

There are three reds included in the Piu gusto and two white & the Brindiamo states reds, white & Rose wines, although I thought they had changed the packages it appeared not to be the case on this cruise.

 

I guess I must moan too much as I do seem to get more things than other guests, or perhaps I know what is include & they I have even had a Maître 'd offer to cook something for me after listening to my moans on the Diadema.

A case in point, overheard from nearby table, 'this beef is so tough you need a Stanley knife to cut it' when waiter ask she said lovely thank you. Go Figure.  

 

 

Edited October 27, 2019 by tenpin

[fragilek]

tenpin- I asked about the wine 3 times as I too had read the info that said we should have had a choice- but as I was struggling more with my food I decided that was more important to moan about lol.  I spoke to a few who were eating in the club restaurant and they were getting much more attention (and less issues) than those of us in the main dining room

[tenpin]

Fragilek

It does seem that they just say things hoping to get away with it, not sure if it is the ships or Company policy.

Even going back some time when we went into the MDR to eat with some people we had met, they told me that I could not have the Pinot Grigio with my package, I called for Maître 'd and guess what I got a glass which was brought down from the bar & topped up. On the same cruise the whole table we joined had the Brindiamo package I approached the same Maître & said would it not be sensible to leave the bottles on the table which he agreed to including my Pinot.

 

You don't ask you don't get especially with Costa. We deal with Genoa direct & we have never had any trouble.

[Vald78]

I have always had the same wines included in the dining rooms (3 reds). How they are served seems to depend on the ship/ personnel. On Mediterranea (both from Savona and Dubai) we were provided with bottles of wines after the first one or two nights of asking them by the glass (prosecco and nero d'avola). In our recent cruise from Tokyo this was not the case. They only provided the wine they seemed to have at hand. After discussing with Maître 'd we once got glasses of nero d'avola, but it took almost an hour to get it.

[unrealHeather]

FYI here is the link to the Brindamo drink package list:
https://www.costacruisesasia.com/B2C/AUS/AboutCruisingWP/ristorazione-cucina/Documents/Beverage_Brindiamo.pdf

It says it includes DOC wines which is a kind of wine classification.  https://www.thekitchn.com/wine-words-doc-or-docg-do-you-know-the-difference-195455

From what I read DOC is a lower quality wine than DOCG.

[neutrino78x]

What non-alcoholic choices do they have? I assume they offer soft drinks such as Coke or Pepsi? If not, do they have Sparkling Apple Cider? On the submarine, we drank Martinelli's Sparkling Apple Cider on holidays in lieu of wine, as alcohol is not allowed on a USN submarine without special permission from the Captain. It's good stuff 🙂

[ighten]

(our experience from 2 costas is) BAsically if the waiter spots your drinking a glass of wine and he needs to top it up a few times by day 2 he leaves a bottle of red and white on the table at dinner and brings more bottles as required..

 

Lunch time in the MDR they just constantly fill up as the rooms are less crowded - buffet they have various poratble manned stations dotted around the room

[Lunenburg]

17 hours ago, neutrino78x said:

What non-alcoholic choices do they have? I assume they offer soft drinks such as Coke or Pepsi? If not, do they have Sparkling Apple Cider? On the submarine, we drank Martinelli's Sparkling Apple Cider on holidays in lieu of wine, as alcohol is not allowed on a USN submarine without special permission from the Captain. It's good stuff 🙂

No cider on our cruise either alcoholic or non alcoholic. I did get to like the Crodino though - a popular Italian aperitif that taste similar to an Aperol Spritz but is non alcoholic.  The menu also has some non alcoholic mixed drinks - most were too sweet for my taste but worth a try. You also get a few items at the chocolate bar such as a cold milkshake type drink in different flavours. 

 

On our cruise, most of the drinks were only available at the bars including specialty coffees, in the DR it was a much more limited choice. I do not recall any soft drinks only water - plain and sparkling and the wines and no tea or coffee.