How does Celebrity Premium drink package work in main dining room / theatre?

[Nitropodder]

I have upgraded my drinks package from Classic to Premium. In the main restaurant on our last cruise aboard Silhouette the sommelier offered each table the choice of red, white or rose wines by the glass. As I now possess a premier drinks package am I able to ask for a better quality Pinot Grigio for example with my meals or am I still only able to drink the standard wines that are brought around?

I am aware you can buy bottles of wine at 20% discount but this would obviously cost extra over and above my Premium package.

Same question applies when in the theatre. Am I able to ask the wine waiter / waitress for a superior Pinot Grigio which would be covered by my Premium package and how would I know which wines were available by the glass?

Your help would really be appreciated.

 

[daydreamer16]

In the past when I've had Premium I was given the wine list , last time was about 3 years ago. That was in Blu.

[39august]

Ask for the wine you prefer in the dining room. Wines in the theater are likely to be limited. You can carry a glass in from another venue.

[Wolf 8]

3 minutes ago, Nitropodder said:

I have upgraded my drinks package from Classic to Premium. In the main restaurant on our last cruise aboard Silhouette the sommelier offered each table the choice of red, white or rose wines by the glass. As I now possess a premier drinks package am I able to ask for a better quality Pinot Grigio for example with my meals or am I still only able to drink the standard wines that are brought around?

I am aware you can buy bottles of wine at 20% discount but this would obviously cost extra over and above my Premium package.

Same question applies when in the theatre. Am I able to ask the wine waiter / waitress for a superior Pinot Grigio which would be covered by my Premium package and how would I know which wines were available by the glass?

Your help would really be appreciated.

 

 

In the main dining room, specialty restaurants and theater you can ask for more expensive glasses of wine covered by the higher $15 per glass level of your premium drink package.  If you have a more expensive glass you'll only pay the difference.

 

We'll be on our first cruise (Silhouette, 12/13) and have the premium alcohol package as well.  I don't know if staff normally state the wine/drink prices they're suggesting when there's no drink menu.  If they don't I'll probably just call the waiter over and tactfully ask.  I'm sure Celebrity staff have a graceful way of handling this.

 

Enjoy your voyage!

[39august]

Or you can ask for the best type of wine covered by your package. I have done that. 

[sasset]

We have always gone by the glass to try to pair with the course. Sommelier takes your card just like in the Martini Bar. Never had a problem. 

[Nitropodder]

Hi Sasset

Thank you for you help.

Were you able to choose from a wine menu (giving prices) in the dining room?

[sasset]

Yes. We never ordered a bottle since we always went by the glass, so I don't know how that is handled but I think it's 20% off of per bottle. After we got to know the sommelier and felt that he knew what he was talking about we usually went with his suggestion. Our glasses were always kept full. I'm sure we consumed more than a bottle this way at no cost.

Edited October 29, 2019 by sasset
Clarification

[vtcruising]

They do have a wine menu.  If we ask the wine steward for help in pairing he/she always asks if we have a package and then when we say Premium, he or she says some like "I have Villa Maria SB or Mer Soleil Chard that would go nicely with the seafood appetizer and Decoy Cab that would be perfect with the beef." if we want to upgrade to a better wine, we let them know and they will help us choose something special for a few dollars extra.

 

In the theater you can try to ask if you can have a specific wine, but as 39august said, there will likely be limited choices there, so you might want to grab a glass from the MDR or at Cellar Masters or other bar on the way there.

 

This is an example of an MDR wine menu - scroll down to page 7 for the Premium list (Classic on 6). Note that that do change depending on stock and price may change, but it will give you an idea of the choices.

 

MDR Wine List.pdf

[jaapie]

4 hours ago, Nitropodder said:

Hi Sasset

Thank you for you help.

Were you able to choose from a wine menu (giving prices) in the dining room?

When you sit down in the dining room on your first night aboard you will be given only the food menu which lists very few wines. But immediately ask for the wine list and you will be given a comprehensive wine menu with prices of all the wines available by the bottle or by the glass. Bars do not stock as many offerings of wine as the dining room, but a limited selection of premium wines are available by the glass in all bars. 

[aml3679]

The same.  Order what you want.

[Nitropodder]

This is Cruisecritic Forum at it's best. Thank you for all the relevant information guys. Extremely helpful, sorted.

[Formerly known as Seabee]

No need to buy a bottle of wine in DR.  The sommelier will come around and you simply tell him what wine you want. He’ll bring it and continue to come around and fill your glass during the meal.  During dessert, he will ask for your card.  I have no idea how he keeps up with how much wine you drink or if he even tries...but never been a problem.  Now if you don’t have a drink package, I don’t know what would happen or what you would be billed.  Never once have I been asked at the beginning of the meal if I had a drink package. 

[vtcruising]

2 hours ago, Formerly known as Seabee said:

Never once have I been asked at the beginning of the meal if I had a drink package. 

If you know what you want, I agree that they won't ask you what package you have and just get your folio number at the end, and do love how they keep filling the glass. 😉

 

Since we usually ask what they recommend with certain menu items, we have almost always been asked by the wine steward if we have a package (if the first time with that wine steward) so that they can serve a wine within the package amount, unless you want to go above the max.  If no package, they will ask what price range you are looking for, as it will be added to your bill with a 20% gratuity. Most people don't want surprises, so appreciate them asking. My DH once ordered a $36 glass of dessert wine by mistake - now he is more careful to verify the price. 🙂

 

 

Edited October 30, 2019 by vtcruising

[daydreamer16]

My experience has always been that the sommeliers are very helpful. This is one area in which Celebrity excels in my opinion. My last two cruises were on Princess and the waiters are nice but most do not know too much about wine!

[davekathy]

6 hours ago, Formerly known as Seabee said:

No need to buy a bottle of wine in DR.  The sommelier will come around and you simply tell him what wine you want. He’ll bring it and continue to come around and fill your glass during the meal.  During dessert, he will ask for your card.  I have no idea how he keeps up with how much wine you drink or if he even tries...but never been a problem.  Now if you don’t have a drink package, I don’t know what would happen or what you would be billed.  Never once have I been asked at the beginning of the meal if I had a drink package. 

Agree. Yes she 😉 does a fantastic job concerning the number of tables, number of us they are responsible for by keeping our glasses full.  

Edited October 31, 2019 by davekathy

[davekathy]

4 hours ago, vtcruising said:

If you know what you want, I agree that they won't ask you what package you have and just get your folio number at the end, and do love how they keep filling the glass. 😉

 

Since we usually ask what they recommend with certain menu items, we have almost always been asked by the wine steward if we have a package (if the first time with that wine steward) so that they can serve a wine within the package amount, unless you want to go above the max.  If no package, they will ask what price range you are looking for, as it will be added to your bill with a 20% gratuity. Most people don't want surprises, so appreciate them asking. My DH once ordered a $36 glass of dessert wine by mistake - now he is more careful to verify the price. 🙂

 

 

It's not the folio number it's the BP CALL or  PALL printed on your Seapass card the sommelier is looking for. Our experiences are the sommelier will ask our Seapass cards the first evening when we order. All evenings after that we just leave our Seapass cards on the table and the sommelier takes them when we are finished ordering for the evening. 

Edited October 31, 2019 by davekathy

[chemmo]

Remember in the dining room you can also order a port to go with cheese and a liqueur or cognac to go with your coffee.

[dutchclogs]

5 hours ago, daydreamer16 said:

My experience has always been that the sommeliers are very helpful. This is one area in which Celebrity excels in my opinion. My last two cruises were on Princess and the waiters are nice but most do not know too much about wine!

 

 

Agreed - my experience too. I  didn't have a drinks package and missed the DR sommeliers on my Royal Caribbean  sailing on Grandeur earlier this year. If I feel I  'click' with a sommelier I've nearly always been  happy with his or her recommendation. On one occasion, the sommelier advised that she preferred the classic pinot grigio to that in the premium and having tried both, I agreed. YMMV though!

[Lolou127]

I have a slightly different question regarding the Premium drinks package, we are in a Sky Suite, if we decide to eat in our stateroom one evening would we be able to have a glass of wine with our meal that’s included in the drinks package?

[chemmo]

1 hour ago, Lolou127 said:

I have a slightly different question regarding the Premium drinks package, we are in a Sky Suite, if we decide to eat in our stateroom one evening would we be able to have a glass of wine with our meal that’s included in the drinks package?

 

You would need to collect it yourself. If you order through room service you will be charged.

 

Butlers sometimes will go and get your wine for you but generally it is not a service they offer. We book RS generally and if we are dining in suite and want wine one or the other of us will usually just pop to the nearest bar...

 

Alternatively, you will have a bottle of sparkling in your cabin on boarding and you can bring on board two bottles of your own. Why not just enjoy one of those? Your butler will put it on ice for you if necessary.

 

Hope you enjoy!

[Formerly known as Seabee]

7 hours ago, davekathy said:

Agree. Yes she 😉 does a fantastic job concerning the number of tables, number of us they are responsible for by keeping our glasses full.  

I should gave made it clear that “she” was identifying as a “he” that night. 

[vtcruising]

7 hours ago, davekathy said:

It's not the folio number it's the BP CALL or  PALL printed on your Seapass card the sommelier is looking for.

 

I haven't had the wine steward look at my card initially when I order a wine (if I know what I want and he/she assumes I know the cost) - they take it at the end of the dinner. If I say "what do you have to go with the beef,"  they almost always say "Do you have a package?" so they can guide my choice and don't look at my card until the end of the dinner, when they take it to swipe it. Likely done differently by different wine stewards.

 

I have seen people the first night of a cruise not know what package they had, when asked, and the wine steward had to look at their card and tell them. 🙂

Edited October 31, 2019 by vtcruising

[davekathy]

3 hours ago, Formerly known as Seabee said:

I should gave made it clear that “she” was identifying as a “he” that night. 

...😉

[davekathy]

3 hours ago, vtcruising said:

 

I haven't had the wine steward look at my card initially when I order a wine (if I know what I want and he/she assumes I know the cost) - they take it at the end of the dinner. If I say "what do you have to go with the beef,"  they almost always say "Do you have a package?" so they can guide my choice and don't look at my card until the end of the dinner, when they take it to swipe it. Likely done differently by different wine stewards.

 

I have seen people the first night of a cruise not know what package they had, when asked, and the wine steward had to look at their card and tell them. 🙂

Agree. Or even ship to ship. Like a lot of things with cruising not everyone's experiences are the same. Sometimes we've experienced difference on somethings on the first leg to the second leg of our B2B cruises.