Wines

[Charleyben]

We are shortly sailing on the explorer and I am trying to establish what wines are available both in the all inclusive packages and what are available for extra charge.  Also are you able to bring wine on board and if so is there a corkage charge.  I would be grateful for any information as I can find nothing on the TUI website.

[Vitalsign]

As the ship is All Inclusive you can bring wine on board with no corkage but why would you want to?

Any drinks you bring on board are to be drunk only in your cabin

You can take drinks to your cabin from the bar and your cabin steward will provide ice if you ask

I believe someone has posted The Explorer drinks menu previously just use the search option on this site

enjoy your cruise

[dronnygirl]

In the MDR they serve sauvignon blanc, pinot grigio , chardonnay, merlot, prosecco and other house wines by the glass. They regularly top up your glass. I believe there are other choices if you upgrade to premium but personally we have never felt the need. Have a great cruise.

[Charleyben]

Thanks for the replies.  We have booked the upgraded drinks package but we are just trying to establish what options we have if we wish to upgrade the wines offered.

 

On other cruise lines we have purchased wines in the ports of call and used them in the dining venues either paying a corkage charge or not depending on which line.

 

 

[Vitalsign]

https://www.cruisedeals.co.uk/cruise-hub/during-your-cruise/marella-cruises-bar-guide-and-all-inclusive-drinks-packages

 

the above link will give you AI drinks menu for Explorer 2 and an indication of what is available on the Premium package but unfortunately doesn't list the Premium wines 

hopefully someone else can help you with this

[brian1]

An educated guess would be that the system does not support a corkage fee on the software.It has never been needed.Somebody correct me if I'm wrong.

[davecttr]

13 hours ago, Vitalsign said:

https://www.cruisedeals.co.uk/cruise-hub/during-your-cruise/marella-cruises-bar-guide-and-all-inclusive-drinks-packages

 

the above link will give you AI drinks menu for Explorer 2 and an indication of what is available on the Premium package but unfortunately doesn't list the Premium wines 

hopefully someone else can help you with this

On Explorer this summer the premium wines by the glass were

Blue de Mer, sauvignon blanc

pinot grigio Bolla

Les Chartrons Bordeaux rouge

vina San Juan tempranillo

 

IMO the premium package is OK for coffee and gins/whiskey but not good for a beer drinker. I can satisfy my daily coffee allowance by paying £1.55 in the coffee port for a large one and a lot of the bottled water goes to the cabin steward.

[Vitalsign]

Please note Charleyben if you have bought the upgrade to the Premium Drinks Package you do not have to pay again for the premium wines they are included in the package

[Charleyben]

Once again thank you for your replies.  I am not familiar with the named wines listed.

 

i suppose the point of my post is, if we don't like the wines on offer what are the alternatives.  Do you have an option to purchase bottles of wine in any of the restaurants on board?  If they don't I can't see that they could make the argument that you cannot bring your own wine.

 

i am not a wine snob but I do enjoy drinking wines that suit my taste.

 

 

[Vitalsign]

They do not sell other wines in the restaurants only wines available are those listed in the AI package and the Premium Package

i think you should google the wines Dave has listed above and see the reviews

No one on this board has criticised the wines on the Premium Package and very few on the list on the AI package

[Converted to cruising]

Hi. When I was on Explorer 2 earlier this year I could only get Chardonnay by buying a bottle. The bars didn’t have Chardonnay at all even if I upgraded. The house wines were fine if you like Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon so I just went on the cocktails 🍸 😂. 

[BLine]

Hi - was on Ex2 a few months ago and here is a drinks menu, which may or may not help

 

[Pensioncruiser]

2 hours ago, Charleyben said:

Once again thank you for your replies.  I am not familiar with the named wines listed.

 

i suppose the point of my post is, if we don't like the wines on offer what are the alternatives.  Do you have an option to purchase bottles of wine in any of the restaurants on board?  If they don't I can't see that they could make the argument that you cannot bring your own wine.

 

i am not a wine snob but I do enjoy drinking wines that suit my taste.

 

 

They normally have a wine tasting in the week but it does carry a charge🍸

[davecttr]

1 hour ago, Vitalsign said:

They do not sell other wines in the restaurants only wines available are those listed in the AI package and the Premium Package

i think you should google the wines Dave has listed above and see the reviews

No one on this board has criticised the wines on the Premium Package and very few on the list on the AI package

On Explorer this spring the Dining Club had 47 wines available by the bottle. The price varied from £16 to £43

[Vitalsign]

Yes Dave sorry I was talking about the Bars, MDR and buffet 

Edited November 27, 2019 by Vitalsign

[dronnygirl]

1 hour ago, Pensioncruiser said:

They normally have a wine tasting in the week but it does carry a charge🍸

Not yet done the wine tasting but have heard very good reports. I think it was around £7  and they paired cheese with each wine.

[2BACRUISER]

In the MDR we had premium package and drank either Merlot or pinot grigio both our favourite both good, the pg was Italian from Trento region and merlot was Australian I think.