wines champagne

[vistaman]

can somebody give me an idea on wine prices on the new ships ? is Champagne available - for purchase.

Is it allowed to bring your own wine - eventually with a corkage fee?

many thanks already.

[JoJo1947]

The ships are drinks inclusive but if you want too there is a small supplement to pay for premium drinks. Champagne can be purchased from the bars. Saga does allow you to bring a small amount of alcohol    onto the ship but only for consumption in your cabin and not in public places.

[Glenndale]

On 1/20/2020 at 6:45 PM, vistaman said:

can somebody give me an idea on wine prices on the new ships ? is Champagne available - for purchase.

Is it allowed to bring your own wine - eventually with a corkage fee?

many thanks already.

Vistaman it seems that forum members do not have the information you seek, maybe you should contact Saga?

You could contact them

https://travel.saga.co.uk/contact-us.aspx

You have the option of email, phone or webchat.

Maybe you could share any information you receive?

I am not an oenophile and find the supplied wines more than adequate.😀

[lincslady]

I have to agree, Glenndale.  I didn't do a reply as we have been quite happy with what is included, usually about four red wines, four whites, a couple of roses and beer and I think sparkling wine. I have no idea, and I suspect this applies to the not very many who post here, as to what is available for purchase.  I doubt if a single malt whisky, for instance, would be included, or real champagne, so if this is important to you, Vistaman, then get in touch with Saga directly..  

 

I think you have cruised with Seabourn, for instance, and the included wines on Saga are pretty comparable though with less choice, and certainly the top end spirits like Remy Martin are almost certainly not included on Saga.

[vistaman]

thank you for replying and advices

i am afraid I am an oenophile - I can be polite with dry white wine, not with basic red  and for sure not with sparkling wine sometimes  announced on some companies as Champagne ( the real and French )  

I am not happy with the complimentary wines on Silversea and Seabourn , some whites for lunch are just OK

I do not mind to spend money on extra  wines providing it is not usury as on Oceania or overpriced as on Cunard 

and I do not mind to pay a corkage fee despite i find 25 dollar exaggerated 

on Crystal it is waived and I always give a gratuity to the sommelier

concerning spirits I am not so difficult , I am not the guy asking for Grey Goose in a Bloody Mary however you can taste the difference bewteen Cointreau and average Triple Sec clearly in a cocktail ( difference in alcohol degree )

a possible cruise on Saga is only for 2021

 

 

[janecambridge]

The sparkling wine is from Kent and very good.My opinion it is better than the champagne!

[annieuk]

We are doing our first Saga cruise on Spirit of Discovery in April.  I will admit to liking the odd glass of Champagne and it will be interesting to sample the Kent Sparkling Wine.  I tend to prefer White wine to Red these days and like a dry Sauvignon so hopefully one of the white wines on offer will be to my taste.  Most of our cruising has been with P&O but we really don't like the way they are moving to ever larger ships hence our interesting in Spirit of Discovery.  Really looking forward to it.

[lincslady]

The English sparkling wine is very good -I am not sure if that is the included fizz, but if you come back again to Saga, each time you will find a bottle in your cabin when you arrive!  There are, normally, four included white wines, generally a sauv. blanc, a chardonnay, pinto grigio and chenin blanc.  They are usually in the £6 or so supermarket price bracket, so not exactly fine wine, but I think quite well chosen.  To our surprise we enjoyed the chenin blanc from South Africa last time as well as the sauvignon.

[kentchris]

There were three included wines of each colour on SoD in September, although that may have changed since. They were offered roughly in a daily rotation, but if one had a preference for a particular wine that wasn't that day's offering it was provided without any fuss.

[lincslady]

Maybe Solent Richard could help here - he did the very comprehensive and helpful report on Discovery a little while ago.

[annieuk]

Thanks for the information.  I read Richard's report - very interesting too.  I must have another look to see what he says about the wines.

[JoJo1947]

Following on from a previous comment. Bottles of fizz  in your cabin are only for returning Britannia club members not all guests.To qualify you need to do at least 35 nights and the level and perks increases at various stages.

[Wacktle]

I attended a wine tasting on the October 10 night cruise on SoD and the (very) expert host highlighted some of the wines available to purchase on the ship. He pointed out at least one wine that Saga were selling at way below its UK price, and at a price that he felt was unbelievable for its quality. Unfortunately the session (the 3rd of 3) that I went to was on the last day of the cruise. The expert also commented that many passengers he'd spoken to had been unaware of a wine list. We were certainly never shown one, even on the evening we dined in The Club. (All our other meals were in the self-service restaurant.)  

[wowzz]

Sorry to reopen this thread, but I am unclear. I appreciate that a selection of wines are available f.o.c. during lunch and dinner. Are these wines also available as part of the complimentary drink package as well?

[lincslady]

wowzz - I didn't reply earlier as I am not sure if all the included wines are available from the bars, but certainly I have seen people having a glass of wine from the various bars,  and not just in the restaurants at mealtimes.    We tend to be a sherry before lunch and cocktails before dinner,  but the bars  definitely have wine available - and in quite large glasses!

[wowzz]

5 minutes ago, lincslady said:

wowzz - I didn't reply earlier as I am not sure if all the included wines are available from the bars, but certainly I have seen people having a glass of wine from the various bars,  and not just in the restaurants at mealtimes.    We tend to be a sherry before lunch and cocktails before dinner,  but the bars  definitely have wine available - and in quite large glasses!

Thank you for the reply.  We have gone ahead and booked a short 7 day cruise on SoA in March next year,  to celebrate my wife's relatively significant birthday (ends in a 5 not a 0!).

From what I can make out, it looks as if we will be OK to take a bottle or two of champagne on board to drink in our cabin, prior to starting the festivities?

[nosapphire]

On 1/24/2020 at 5:10 PM, vistaman said:

thank you for replying and advices

i am afraid I am an oenophile - I can be polite with dry white wine, not with basic red  and for sure not with sparkling wine sometimes  announced on some companies as Champagne ( the real and French )  

I am not happy with the complimentary wines on Silversea and Seabourn , some whites for lunch are just OK

I do not mind to spend money on extra  wines providing it is not usury as on Oceania or overpriced as on Cunard 

and I do not mind to pay a corkage fee despite i find 25 dollar exaggerated 

on Crystal it is waived and I always give a gratuity to the sommelier

concerning spirits I am not so difficult , I am not the guy asking for Grey Goose in a Bloody Mary however you can taste the difference bewteen Cointreau and average Triple Sec clearly in a cocktail ( difference in alcohol degree )

a possible cruise on Saga is only for 2021

 

 

We were sitting next to a wine buff at dinner on SoD (he apparently buys a cellar of wine at intervals so he always has something decent to drink at home) and he said that the included wine was better than he expected it to be, certainly acceptable to discerning palates.

The included wines at lunch and dinner can sometimes give the wrong impression, as they are brought round by the waiters - but if you need to discuss them, the sommelier is always available.

We did not hear anyone criticising the selection of included wines, and there were almost certainly quite a few who knew what they were talking about (whereas we either drink it or spit it out...).

If you go outside of the included drinks, prices on Saga are reasonable, as they include gratuities in the fare so there is no "tip" percentage added to the on board price.

The house brandy is another matter... the one time we tried it (on Saga Sapphire) that was definitely a spit-it-out job, but they do have a very good selection of named brandies.

[vistaman]

2 hours ago, nosapphire said:

We were sitting next to a wine buff at dinner on SoD (he apparently buys a cellar of wine at intervals so he always has something decent to drink at home) and he said that the included wine was better than he expected it to be, certainly acceptable to discerning palates.

The included wines at lunch and dinner can sometimes give the wrong impression, as they are brought round by the waiters - but if you need to discuss them, the sommelier is always available.

We did not hear anyone criticising the selection of included wines, and there were almost certainly quite a few who knew what they were talking about (whereas we either drink it or spit it out...).

If you go outside of the included drinks, prices on Saga are reasonable, as they include gratuities in the fare so there is no "tip" percentage added to the on board price.

The house brandy is another matter... the one time we tried it (on Saga Sapphire) that was definitely a spit-it-out job, but they do have a very good selection of named brandies.

thank you very much for the information

meanwhile i found a "drink" list somewhere - liquors and more  but no wines so far

concerning brandy : yes that is ranging from flambeau liquid  up to onerous items   Paradis and Louis in Bacarat bottle 

years ago i was invited in my hometown both on the S Ruby and the S Rose , and I remember the wines were not that expensive but choice was somewhat limited  -  said that :  I am not searching for first growths at all