Deluxe Beverage Package worth it for quality, fine wines?

[Sms1973]

2 hours ago, Cometman said:

I am a sommelier, and usually get the drink package. I was on the Mariner of the Sea a few months ago and not real impressed with the wine list.

There were also a lot of inconsistencies with what wines were available by the glass and where. For example a wine I could get on the package by the glass in the casino was available, but in the dining room the same wine was on the list but NOT available by the glass, only per bottle. That made no sense to me. I inquired and was told that's just the way it is.

Which bar offered the best wine selection on Mariner?  Thanks!

[Cometman]

21 hours ago, Sms1973 said:

Which bar offered the best wine selection on Mariner?  Thanks!

It depends on the wines you like, they are always rotating the wines through the different locations.

[tramm7]

Agree with previous posters on several fronts:

• By the glass selection are inconsistent amongst the various venues. Super annoying.
• I like Cabs. At most there were 2 available at or below $13. Usually just one. That one was a $10 retail bottle (Robert Mondavi Private Selection Cabernet Sauvignon). That does not scream "deluxe".
• Giovanni's at Oasis didn't have a single Sauvignon Blanc by the glass. How is the even possible??
• Given the choices of liquor (Grey Goose, Belvedere, Bombay Sapphire) I would expect more from the "included" wines. Totally understand you can't get $50+ bottles (Caymus, Stag's Leap, etc.) but what about some that retail in the $25 range? Daou, Unshackled, Conundrum, etc?
• Someone mentioned Decoy. What varietal was it and where was it offered? By the glass? Never saw it.
• The markup on Caymus seemed reasonable for a restaurant but was a tough sell for me given when we spend on DBP.
• Next time I think I will bring some nice(r) bottles. I like that strategy for dinner.

 

[baelor]

3 minutes ago, tramm7 said:

• Someone mentioned Decoy. What varietal was it and where was it offered? By the glass? Never saw it.

I was the first one to mention Decoy--I do not think that anyone said they had actually had it on board; it was just used as a point of reference.

[Sms1973]

34 minutes ago, Cometman said:

It depends on the wines you like, they are always rotating the wines through the different locations.

Damn, if I find one I like I may need to chase it bar to bar?

 

I’m likely to prefer the by the glass that exceeds the $13, but I’m also open to just buying a bottle of something nicer… take it back to the verandah and just watch the world go by for a while…

[publicpersona]

As a wine enthusiast, I've set my expectations low when cruising and my expectations are typically met. Once in a very great while, I can find someone serving in a Vintages that is knowledgeable about wines. And sometimes in the dining venues, I've had a "sommelier" who was at least trying to pour something close to what I wanting at the time.

 

But especially in the bar venues, the wine I get is often not even close to what I ordered. Example below. Although I do sometimes ask to see the bottle as in this case, I don't make a fuss over it. I realize the server just doesn't know anything about wine at all. One time when I did inquire, I was rudely told that "That isn't a wine menu! Those are just examples!". I see.

 

 

[George C]

2 minutes ago, baelor said:

I was the first one to mention Decoy--I do not think that anyone said they had actually had it on board; it was just used as a point of reference.

They had decoy on my cruise on allure about 4 months ago , it was about 13 a glass and it was a Cabernet. I normally order that on rccl and celebrity cruises, it is my favorite wine covered by the package.

[tramm7]

2 minutes ago, George C said:

They had decoy on my cruise on allure about 4 months ago , it was about 13 a glass and it was a Cabernet. I normally order that on rccl and celebrity cruises, it is my favorite wine covered by the package.

I guess I was just unlucky on the Oasis this month. I would have preferred Decoy over what we had. 

 

On a positive note I was able to get Chandon sparkling wine in some venues instead of the generic Brut. That was unexpected.

[RicoRoxy]

On 4/24/2022 at 8:01 PM, skyking said:

So we love love fine wines.   We had the premium drink package and it was just fine.  Covers some OK reds,  but keep in mind you can pay the difference.  I was drinking a lot of Oberon on the Indy two weeks ago, and it was 15.00 a glass, but the package covers up to 13.00 so just paid the 2.00 difference.   Wines like Caymus you will only be able to get by the bottle however with the bottle discount it brings it pretty close to market price. 

Yes, the Oberon is my go-to on board.  It's a steal at a 2-buck upcharge per glass (vs. the 40% off bottle price). 

[dodgestang]

I'll take a stab at this one ;).

 

I like to drink.  I like lotsa wine.  What I don't like...is old wine.  Call me a snob....I can tell if a bottle of wine has been opened for more than just a couple of hours.  When I open a bottle...it gets drunk....1-2 hours and it is all gone.  Because of this, I never buy/drink wine by the glass.  For years I always got the UDP because I knew I would order a bottle of wine with dinner every night plus the wife and I would have 1 or 2 other types of strong drinks through out the day, plus we always have a cappuccino in the morning and after we finish wine at dinner.  This last cruise we were officially diamond so we did not order a UDP, drank the same amount using the vouchers, bought wine every night, and netted out spending less money.

 

They have a selection of 'meh' table wines up to 3-4 bottles of what some would call 'high end' with price points peaking around just above $340 if you want to splurge on an opus blend...but everything is 'safe' and mainstream that appeals the broadest mix of pallets.  Also be sure to peruse ALL restaurants....they have different wine menus...some bottles are shared...but some only appear on the specialty menu....that isn't to say you can't get it in the MDR.....but you do need to know about it in order to ask for it 😉