Vines

[KevintheIrishDJ]

Is the selection by the glass in Vines limited to 1 wine per category?  Are all glass selections covered by the beverage package?

[JimmyVWine]

1.  The selections are more extensive than one per category. 
 

2.  Technically, all glasses of wine are within the scope of the Plan. But if a glass costs $14, you just pay $2.36 ($2 plus service charge). If you see a wine that you really want to try and it costs a buck or two over $12, are you really going to deny yourself the pleasure?

[Tak8]

If you want to try their chocolate and wine pairing, that is not covered by the package.  Assuming they are still doing it since the restart.  

[Ombud]

I did not see the chocolate and wine pairing on my December cruise.  Has anyone seen it recently?? 

[Renophi]

I didn't see the chocolate and wine pairing on our Christmas cruise on the Sky either. They did do the blending event, but didn't advertise it or have it anywhere posted to sign up, so we wouldn't have known they were doing it if we weren't sitting at Vines when they were setting up. Of course by that time it was sold out. If blending your own wine sounds like fun for you I would inquire at Vines as soon as possible.

 

They did have several flights and we tried all of the reds. As JimmyVWine mentions with all glasses or flights over $12.00 you just pay the difference plus the service charge for that amount. 

 

We also did the wine tasting which was as fun as always and I highly recommend that if you can fit it in your schedule. We enjoy the information and trying wines we most likely wouldn't try on our own.

 

I have also read other posts which some people have found wines in the rack that aren't on the menu and you can also choose one of those at sometimes very good prices.

[BabySarge]

22 minutes ago, Ombud said:

I did not see the chocolate and wine pairing on my December cruise.  Has anyone seen it recently?? 

Was not offered on the Emerald during our Jan 28 to Feb 27th cruise but with the masking rules change as of Mar 1 that may be something Princess will start to bring back.  The (boy am I going to spell this wrong) Stammtisch Table was not offered either but again may be something that starts to come back with the change in masking rules.

 

As to selection of wines by the glass under the beverage plan, we didn't find any we couldn't get to include some from the other bar across the Piazza, Good Spirits, that Vines didn't carry.  At least on Emerald our amazing crew, Ron and Romeo, went out of their way to find us what we wanted.

 

 

[KevintheIrishDJ]

What sparkling wine do the carry?

 

[riffatsea]

I was disappointed in Vines on the Grand for our December cruise

They offered very few wines by the glass!

I didn't see any flights offered

There was nothing I needed to get there that was better than the wines in the mdr

Not sure what I missed???

[Cruise Raider]

6 minutes ago, riffatsea said:

I was disappointed in Vines on the Grand for our December cruise

They offered very few wines by the glass!

I didn't see any flights offered

There was nothing I needed to get there that was better than the wines in the mdr

Not sure what I missed???

 

Vines on the Grand had all sorts of wines that weren't necessarily on the official menu and they did have wine flights there, as well.  Just a quick question to the wine steward there and he would offer you many different options depending on your tastes.  I actually thought they had the best Vines on the Grand.  

[Cruise Raider]

29 minutes ago, KevintheIrishDJ said:

What sparkling wine do the carry?

 

 

The one you'd get was Meiomi if you didn't specify but they did have Gloria Ferrer by the glass and they had Chandon by the bottle.  Btw, they also had a sparkling wine flight so you could try different ones.  

Edited March 6, 2022 by Cruise Raider

[capriccio]

Post #3 on this thread includes the Vine's wine list from when cruising resumed last summer on the Majestic Princess.  I'm sure some inventory has changed and/or may vary from ship to ship but it should give you a good idea of the Vines offerings:

 

 

Edited March 6, 2022 by capriccio

[riffatsea]

45 minutes ago, Cruise Raider said:

 

Vines on the Grand had all sorts of wines that weren't necessarily on the official menu and they did have wine flights there, as well.  Just a quick question to the wine steward there and he would offer you many different options depending on your tastes.  I actually thought they had the best Vines on the Grand.  

Hmm?For your information I DID speak to the staff in Vines

Noone offered me any wines not on the menu!

It is quite annoying to think that there are secrets that are hot offered to everyone!

[voljeep]

I don't need a menu at Vines - just go in the first day/night - tell them we have the drink packages - then let them do their thing - a Cab for me and a Chard for my wife - their choice

 

give lots of compliments for the choice - a decent/generous tip - tell them we will see them each night pre dinner at a minimum - never have to wait for a drink - would you like some cheese ? chocolates ? snacks from the IC ?

 

winner winner

[XBGuy]

51 minutes ago, riffatsea said:

Hmm?For your information I DID speak to the staff in Vines

Noone offered me any wines not on the menu!

It is quite annoying to think that there are secrets that are hot offered to everyone!

 

We are still not back to "normal" operations.  It is clear to me that in the recent environment, the offerings on one cruise may or may not be offered on another cruise.  I would assume that there is a certain amount of managerial discretion that is causing inconsistency.  Above, somebody mentioned the Stammtisch events.  I enjoyed them quite a bit, but in the last two or three of my cruises prior to the pandemic pause it was not offered on any of the different ships that I cruised.  They still had the big table there, and my wife and I became regulars.  It would have been easy for them to sell spots to us, but it did not happen.

 

I have ordered wines in Vines that were not on their list.  Nobody offered them to me.  Walking around the room checking the labels of the wines that are displaye around the perimeter of the seating area, I noticed two different wines that were not on the list--a Seghesio "Old Vines" Zinfandel and a Chappellet Merlot that was from a vintage year that was older than the one that was on the list.  I asked the server if I could order those bottles, and the answer was, "Yes, of course."  There were, in fact, three bottles of the Chappellet stashed on the shelves, and over the course of the cruise I bought all three of them.

 

1 hour ago, Cruise Raider said:

 

Vines on the Grand had all sorts of wines that weren't necessarily on the official menu and they did have wine flights there, as well.  Just a quick question to the wine steward there and he would offer you many different options depending on your tastes.  I actually thought they had the best Vines on the Grand.  

 

I may be confusing one ship from another, but my recollection is that the Vines on the Grand Princess does not have a kitchen associated with it.  So, they do not offer Sushis, which is a disappointment to Mrs. XBGuy.  You can order Tapas, but what I recall getting was a plate of cheeses that looked like they came from the buffet and a package of saltine crackers.  It's better to walk across the Piazza and grab something at the Inernational Cafe.

[riffatsea]

1 hour ago, voljeep said:

I don't need a menu at Vines - just go in the first day/night - tell them we have the drink packages - then let them do their thing - a Cab for me and a Chard for my wife - their choice

 

give lots of compliments for the choice - a decent/generous tip - tell them we will see them each night pre dinner at a minimum - never have to wait for a drink - would you like some cheese ? chocolates ? snacks from the IC ?

 

winner winner

Interesting ideas

I was looking for a cab (or other red choice)that was different than the ones offered by the glass in the MDR

We also had the drink pkg

I will certainly try your strategy on my next cruise at the end of this month

[GulfShoresCruiser]

When is Happy Hour in Vines for those of us paying cash?

[c-boy]

4 hours ago, voljeep said:

I don't need a menu at Vines - just go in the first day/night - tell them we have the drink packages - then let them do their thing - a Cab for me and a Chard for my wife - their choice

 

give lots of compliments for the choice - a decent/generous tip - tell them we will see them each night pre dinner at a minimum - never have to wait for a drink - would you like some cheese ? chocolates ? snacks from the IC ?

 

winner winner

[Thrak]

4 hours ago, XBGuy said:

I may be confusing one ship from another, but my recollection is that the Vines on the Grand Princess does not have a kitchen associated with it.  So, they do not offer Sushis, which is a disappointment to Mrs. XBGuy.  You can order Tapas, but what I recall getting was a plate of cheeses that looked like they came from the buffet and a package of saltine crackers.  It's better to walk across the Piazza and grab something at the Inernational Cafe.

 

That is where they got the selection of cheeses from. They simply walked over to IC and picked them up for you. I agree that it would be better to get your own selections.

[Thrak]

17 minutes ago, GulfShoresCruiser said:

When is Happy Hour in Vines for those of us paying cash?

 

No happy hour.

[JimmyVWine]

Slightly off topic, but here’s what I don’t get. Glasses $12 and under are served at no additional charge, but a full bottle of a wine that they sell by the glass is sold at a 25% savings. Soooooo…me, my wife and my daughter, all with the plan, sit down at a bar or in Vines and each order a glass of Whispering Angel Rose. It is priced at $11 last time I checked. No additional charge. “Would you guys like another glass?”  We all say “yes”. So that makes 2 glasses per person times three people, or 6 glasses. Proper pours of wine should result in a bottle being drained in 6 glasses. 5 if the pours are generous. So the three of us will have consumed a full bottle at no additional charge. However had we ordered the whole bottle at the outset we would have been charged $32.25. (Last time I checked, Whispering Angel was $43 a bottle.). So why can’t they hand us a full bottle and deduct 6 drinks from my daily allowance?  Why go through the charade of the three of us ordering two glasses each at no additional cost? 
 

Sorry for the divergence. Just something that gnaws at me. 

[Lizabu]

9 hours ago, Ombud said:

I did not see the chocolate and wine pairing on my December cruise.  Has anyone seen it recently?? 

They were doing it in November on the regal princess. I was eating lunch in the buffet on embarkation day and someone came over and asked me if I liked wine and he gave me a brochure and it was something like $30 and he wanted me to commit right now and I wasn’t sure so I ended up saying no thank you.

[kiwimum]

50 minutes ago, JimmyVWine said:

Slightly off topic, but here’s what I don’t get. Glasses $12 and under are served at no additional charge, but a full bottle of a wine that they sell by the glass is sold at a 25% savings. Soooooo…me, my wife and my daughter, all with the plan, sit down at a bar or in Vines and each order a glass of Whispering Angel Rose. It is priced at $11 last time I checked. No additional charge. “Would you guys like another glass?”  We all say “yes”. So that makes 2 glasses per person times three people, or 6 glasses. Proper pours of wine should result in a bottle being drained in 6 glasses. 5 if the pours are generous. So the three of us will have consumed a full bottle at no additional charge. However had we ordered the whole bottle at the outset we would have been charged $32.25. (Last time I checked, Whispering Angel was $43 a bottle.). So why can’t they hand us a full bottle and deduct 6 drinks from my daily allowance?  Why go through the charade of the three of us ordering two glasses each at no additional cost? 
 

Sorry for the divergence. Just something that gnaws at me. 

We have purchased a bottle of wine from vines  using the per glass method.   Depends on which ship and the individual at Vines.   

[JimmyVWine]

2 minutes ago, kiwimum said:

We have purchased a bottle of wine from vines  using the per glass method.   Depends on which ship and the individual at Vines.   

Good to know. Hopefully we will encounter some servers who have some flexibility and common sense. 

[capriccio]

51 minutes ago, JimmyVWine said:

Slightly off topic, but here’s what I don’t get. Glasses $12 and under are served at no additional charge, but a full bottle of a wine that they sell by the glass is sold at a 25% savings. Soooooo…me, my wife and my daughter, all with the plan, sit down at a bar or in Vines and each order a glass of Whispering Angel Rose. It is priced at $11 last time I checked. No additional charge. “Would you guys like another glass?”  We all say “yes”. So that makes 2 glasses per person times three people, or 6 glasses. Proper pours of wine should result in a bottle being drained in 6 glasses. 5 if the pours are generous. So the three of us will have consumed a full bottle at no additional charge. However had we ordered the whole bottle at the outset we would have been charged $32.25. (Last time I checked, Whispering Angel was $43 a bottle.). So why can’t they hand us a full bottle and deduct 6 drinks from my daily allowance?  Why go through the charade of the three of us ordering two glasses each at no additional cost? 
 

A few years ago on a 25 day Royal Princess B2B with traditional seating, our waiter realized our group of 6 (all with the drinks  package) often all ordered the same wine at dinner.  He offered to just start the drinks service by bring an entire bottle remarking that it was easier for him and faster for us. Some nights he brought a second bottle at our request.  

[Cruise Raider]

20 hours ago, XBGuy said:

I may be confusing one ship from another, but my recollection is that the Vines on the Grand Princess does not have a kitchen associated with it.  So, they do not offer Sushis, which is a disappointment to Mrs. XBGuy.  You can order Tapas, but what I recall getting was a plate of cheeses that looked like they came from the buffet and a package of saltine crackers.  It's better to walk across the Piazza and grab something at the Inernational Cafe.

 

No, you are not mistaken.  There is no kitchen over at Vines.  The wine steward there, Amel, would run over to the IC to get us a snack if we wanted something ... not that we weren't perfectly capable of retrieving a snack for ourselves.  It just was never like the tapas we've gotten on the Ruby.  But, he was always so kind and worked so hard to make sure his guests were very happy.  He even would stop over at Alfredos to fill our wine glass if he wasn't busy next door.  

 

But, I've found the that the wine stewards at Vines on all the ships I've been on since the restart have been phenomenal but especially on the Grand.  We found that some people just ordered food from their app and it was delivered to Vines.