Wine

[Lily lady]

Anyone purchased the commodore wine package and did you consider it value for money.

[mercury7289]

4 hours ago, Lily lady said:

Anyone purchased the commodore wine package and did you consider it value for money.

Yes, on every cruise, for evening consumption reason is that It contains french red wines that I like. £20-21 a bottle from memory.

Plenty of wines available below that, but this is my choice for dinner.

 

Lunch time we order from the  wine list.

[Selbourne]

4 hours ago, Lily lady said:

Anyone purchased the commodore wine package and did you consider it value for money.

We purchased it once and yes you do make a saving but it does restrict your choice, although there are some nice wines included. We prefer New World over European wines and the choice of these was a bit limited. Probably wouldn’t get it again, but whether or not it’s worthwhile really depends on whether you would choose the wines in the selection anyway and if you know that you would definitely get through that many bottles during your cruise. We are lightweights compared to most! 

[wowzz]

3 hours ago, Selbourne said:

We purchased it once and yes you do make a saving but it does restrict your choice, although there are some nice wines included. We prefer New World over European wines and the choice of these was a bit limited. Probably wouldn’t get it again, but whether or not it’s worthwhile really depends on whether you would choose the wines in the selection anyway and if you know that you would definitely get through that many bottles during your cruise. We are lightweights compared to most! 

Snap - I thought the package was aimed very much at those who liked European wines.

Not to our taste, so we just bought New World wines that we enjoyed on a bottle by bottle  basis. 

And as Selbourne says, you do need to do the maths to make sure you will get the benefit of the relatively small discount. Even if you like French wine, I wouldn't bother unless the cruise was 21 days or more.

[mercury7289]

24 minutes ago, wowzz said:

Snap - I thought the package was aimed very much at those who liked European wines.

Not to our taste, so we just bought New World wines that we enjoyed on a bottle by bottle  basis. 

And as Selbourne says, you do need to do the maths to make sure you will get the benefit of the relatively small discount. Even if you like French wine, I wouldn't bother unless the cruise was 21 days or more.

wowzz, not a case of doing the maths, a few quid either way does not make any difference.

I turn up at my table and my wine is opened and ready for me, little pleasures!

[wowzz]

7 minutes ago, mercury7289 said:

wowzz, not a case of doing the maths, a few quid either way does not make any difference.

I turn up at my table and my wine is opened and ready for me, little pleasures!

But don't you like to decide each night what you want to drink, depending on your choice of meal?

Sometimes I feel like an Argentinian Malbec, other times a Spanish Rioja, or perhaps a Chablis (very rarely!).

We obviously both like wine, but I do like variations on a theme!

[mercury7289]

3 minutes ago, wowzz said:

But don't you like to decide each night what you want to drink, depending on your choice of meal?

Sometimes I feel like an Argentinian Malbec, other times a Spanish Rioja, or perhaps a Chablis (very rarely!).

We obviously both like wine, but I do like variations on a theme!

No, almost the first thing I do when getting in the cabin is to order my wine package with instructions given for my choice for the first evening. I then talk to my wine waiter and tell him that after I have tasted it, to leave for me to pour. I then tell him to keep my tickets and present me with one each evening for my signature.I then advise him of my choice for the next evening, so when I turn up it is waiting for me. White at lunchtime Red in the evening.

Choices that I make are either the Saint Emillion, Fleure or Hermitage.

 

[wowzz]

5 minutes ago, mercury7289 said:

No, almost the first thing I do when getting in the cabin is to order my wine package with instructions given for my choice for the first evening. I then talk to my wine waiter and tell him that after I have tasted it, to leave for me to pour. I then tell him to keep my tickets and present me with one each evening for my signature.I then advise him of my choice for the next evening, so when I turn up it is waiting for me. White at lunchtime Red in the evening.

Choices that I make are either the Saint Emillion, Fleure or Hermitage.

 

Fine - I just like to be a little more spontaneous, and some evenings just have a beer. 

Having said that,  I'm not sure that you or I have actually answered the OPs question!

[mercury7289]

Just now, wowzz said:

Fine - I just like to be a little more spontaneous, and some evenings just have a beer. 

Having said that,  I'm not sure that you or I have actually answered the OPs question!

I will leave that to you,as i do not value everything by cost, not suggesting you do either!

[Ivanhoe road]

Bought packages on several occasions. They do present a saving on an individual basis, and they are good quality. However, and I am putting my head on the chopping block, the wines are over priced.

[wowzz]

1 hour ago, Ivanhoe road said:

Bought packages on several occasions. They do present a saving on an individual basis, and they are good quality. However, and I am putting my head on the chopping block, the wines are over priced.

I think that wines are overpriced on most cruise lines, but in fairness, P&O are less overpriced than others.

Personally I think the discount offered with the package does not outweigh the restricted offering.

 

[Lily lady]

Thank you for your replies,has made me think and consider the pros and cons more. I also prefer new world wines though i am open to all tastes. The restrictions on choice is now my main concern,  and yes all overpriced . Also i find the rules on taking a litre on first boarding to be very restrictive, wine doesnt normally come in litre bottles boxed wine is , in my view, not as good. Also same restrictions  for a week or a world cruise

[wowzz]

11 minutes ago, Lily lady said:

Thank you for your replies,has made me think and consider the pros and cons more. I also prefer new world wines though i am open to all tastes. The restrictions on choice is now my main concern,  and yes all overpriced . Also i find the rules on taking a litre on first boarding to be very restrictive, wine doesnt normally come in litre bottles boxed wine is , in my view, not as good. Also same restrictions  for a week or a world cruise

Assuming you are travelling as a couple, you could take three standard bottles of wine onboard. I don't think you'll have any bother because you are 250ml over your two litre limit.

The security staff are looking for bombs, knives, guns etc, and as they are not P&O employees,  they really don't care about alcohol restrictions. Also, wine in your suitcases is not cross referenced to wine in your carry on luggage. Just saying!

Edited March 20, 2021 by wowzz

[Selbourne]

12 minutes ago, Lily lady said:

Thank you for your replies,has made me think and consider the pros and cons more. I also prefer new world wines though i am open to all tastes. The restrictions on choice is now my main concern,  and yes all overpriced . Also i find the rules on taking a litre on first boarding to be very restrictive, wine doesnt normally come in litre bottles boxed wine is , in my view, not as good. Also same restrictions  for a week or a world cruise

Personally, I think that the prices that P&O charge are very reasonable and they have an excellent selection of wines. The one time that we bought a package was a longer cruise so that we weren’t tied to it the whole time. There were 3 or 4 wines in the package that we liked and we alternated between using the package and buying individual bottles to mix it up a bit. That way we had the discount from the package but weren’t restricted to it, if that makes sense. 

[Bloodaxe]

37 minutes ago, wowzz said:

I think that wines are overpriced on most cruise lines, but in fairness, P&O are less overpriced than others.

Personally I think the discount offered with the package does not outweigh the restricted offering.

 

 

Wines are overpriced on cruise lines but that is also the same for most Restaurants.

Lines that have some included wines usually only include cheaper ones, you still have to pay for better quality, of course that is just my opinion.

[wowzz]

1 hour ago, Bloodaxe said:

 

Wines are overpriced on cruise lines but that is also the same for most Restaurants.

Lines that have some included wines usually only include cheaper ones, you still have to pay for better quality, of course that is just my opinion.

The wine that Saga serve as part of their inclusive package is of the same quality that we would drink on a day to day basis at home. Not sure if that says more about us or Saga!

[terrierjohn]

12 hours ago, wowzz said:

But don't you like to decide each night what you want to drink, depending on your choice of meal?

Sometimes I feel like an Argentinian Malbec, other times a Spanish Rioja, or perhaps a Chablis (very rarely!).

We obviously both like wine, but I do like variations on a theme!

I prefer new world wines in general, although Spanish wines have improved significantly in recent years  as have some Italian ones. Sadly the French still consider their way is the only way to produce wine, as a result they are reliant on the weather to determine if it's a good or bad vintage, whereas I like to know by the label what the quality will be like.

[Mim Lloyd]

Can you carry your open bottle with you going from one bar to another?

[wowzz]

43 minutes ago, Mim Lloyd said:

Can you carry your open bottle with you going from one bar to another?

Well, I do!

[mercury7289]

13 hours ago, wowzz said:

Well, I do!

Sorry folks, would not dream of it!

[terrierjohn]

1 hour ago, mercury7289 said:

Sorry folks, would not dream of it!

We have moved from bar to theatre and vice versa, and taken drinks with us, so I see nothing wrong in taking a part used wine bottle with you.

[mercury7289]

Just now, terrierjohn said:

We have moved from bar to theatre and vice versa, and taken drinks with us, so I see nothing wrong in taking a part used wine bottle with you.

I did not say it was wrong, just that I would not dream of doing it!

[Adawn47]

1 minute ago, mercury7289 said:

I did not say it was wrong, just that I would not dream of doing it!

Neither would we. If we can't finish a bottle we'll have it the following evening, or if there's not a lot we top up our glasses and take them with us. Never the bottle.

Avril

[terrierjohn]

4 minutes ago, Adawn47 said:

Neither would we. If we can't finish a bottle we'll have it the following evening, or if there's not a lot we top up our glasses and take them with us. Never the bottle.

Avril

Well tbh so do we Avril,  but if there was too much left for our glasses, and we wanted to finish it that day, then I would consider taking the bottle.

[Mim Lloyd]

I don't understand what the problem is with carrying a part used bottle of wine as opposed to carrying partly drunk glasses of wine! 🤔