Premium Beverage Pkg - refunds for shortages

[jagoffee]

10 hours ago, the_dylaness said:

I think it'd be helpful to everyone involved if each night they'd just print up a plain ol' piece of paper for the bars and restaurants with TONIGHT'S available classic and premium wines... let me see what I can choose from and I'll make do.  But basically having none of them available, or guessing games about what is available when, is frustrating.  

 

Also, I mean come on, we cruised through Italy, Greece, Croatia, and Montenegro last week.  I am pretty sure they could find some decent wine there if push came to shove 🙂

I seriously doubt whether that they would ever basically have non available on the list.  

[southernbreezes]

On 6/12/2022 at 9:49 AM, southernbreezes said:

We were on the Reflection Transatlantic sailing in April and the wine selection was very poor even in Michaels Club. Premium wine none that I would call, drinkable yes but fair at best. Decoy not one bottle on the ship and this is not an expensive wine but still good if they had any. Gone are the days you could get wine by the glass and even try some great wines with a up charge. If I do not stay in a Suite I would never upgrade too Premium package again. Loved, loved the cruise but not the wine.

Well time has changed for the better...We just got off the Edge and the wine was excellent.

Not sure if it was just this ship or fleet wide but if you love wine they have a great selection by the glass.

[Smmessineo]

Thanks for updating this thread! I'm glad you had a good wine experience on Edge.

I am a wine novice,  but I always upgrade to premium for other reasons, and I enjoy trying different wines from the premium list. I read up on favorites that people mention here, and it's disappointing when they aren't available to experience. 

Shortages could  definitely could be a bummer for someone for whom the right wine takes a meal  to another level , or who looks forward to the wine/drinks as part of their cruise.

 

 

 

[prish]

Any updates on wines available on the Apex, any recent info will be appreciated. We’ll be on her on the 13th and plan on upgrading to premium. Wines apart we enjoy trying different martinis and mixed drinks, it’ll also be our first cruise in a couple of years. 

[phoenix_dream]

We have sailed 9 times since restart on 7 ships.  On every ship if no premium wines were available in our wine type (cabernet or similar red) the sommelier has offered us premium level wine that is normally sold by the bottle, by the glass, except for a couple times where they suggested a wine normally sold by the bottle that was not as expensive, but we liked it.  On one ship we had to raise a bit of a stink first, but once we did that we had no issues.  On other ships no issues at all.  We sailed in AQ and Sky Suites if that matters.

[drakes2]

1 hour ago, Smmessineo said:

Shortages could  definitely could be a bummer for someone for whom the right wine takes a meal  to another level , or who looks forward to the wine/drinks as part of their cruise.

 

I'm one of those people as I pair my wine with my meal. Am on a 10 night cruise next month and opted out of the drinks package as was so disappointed in their offerings last cruise especially on premium package. 

[bigbenboys]

It has been awhile since I went to a Captain's Club wine tasting on the Solstice Class ships. I thought the sommelier said how many wine bottles the S-Class ships can store. I thought it was in the thousands. Any ideas what the number is?

[Gatordad1967]

I would have gone to Guest Services.  They have power to make something happen.

 

[letsgogogo]

In many ways, assuming they opened other options to serve as premium, it’s actually more interesting. Might be able to try a wider variety of wines by the glass that normally are only sold by bottle. So many people are Decoy Cabernet fans and were irritated it wasn’t available. Why have one's heart set ONLY on one big chewy (dare I say mass produced) Cabernet? There are so many others to discover.

[renji]

1 hour ago, letsgogogo said:

In many ways, assuming they opened other options to serve as premium, it’s actually more interesting. Might be able to try a wider variety of wines by the glass that normally are only sold by bottle. So many people are Decoy Cabernet fans and were irritated it wasn’t available. Why have one's heart set ONLY on one big chewy (dare I say mass produced) Cabernet? There are so many others to discover.

that would be wonderful, but I think what people have been saying is even if there are no premium wines by the glass, they are not offering alternatives but suggesting that you buy a bottle. which seems unfair....they have plenty of bottles and should make a substitution.

[letsgogogo]

2 hours ago, renji said:

that would be wonderful, but I think what people have been saying is even if there are no premium wines by the glass, they are not offering alternatives but suggesting that you buy a bottle. which seems unfair....they have plenty of bottles and should make a substitution.

Totally agree with you there. 

[jagoffee]

16 hours ago, renji said:

that would be wonderful, but I think what people have been saying is even if there are no premium wines by the glass, they are not offering alternatives but suggesting that you buy a bottle. which seems unfair....they have plenty of bottles and should make a substitution.

 My wife and I have been in many cruises with the Premium package.  No one has ever suggested to us that we should buy a bottle of wine to get an acceptable premium wine.  Even on our October 2021 TA.  
In fairness we have never complained.  I could see if someone complained that they did not like any of Premium package wines that they liked.  I do sometimes try a glass of wine over the premium wine limit.
 

 

 

 

 

 

[Whinenowine]

53 minutes ago, jagoffee said:

 My wife and I have been in many cruises with the Premium package.  No one has ever suggested to us that we should buy a bottle of wine to get an acceptable premium wine.  Even on our October 2021 TA.  

 

 

I hear you, but anecdotally this happened to me on the Edge earlier this year.  Went to Fine Cut and was handed the wine list, but the first 4 by-the-glass wines are all out of stock (including a $25 glass)...the somm recommended that I buy a bottle.   Probably a bad confluence of events, but it left a bad taste in my mouth (which could have been washed away by a premium glass of cabernet, but.....).

[jagoffee]

4 hours ago, Whinenowine said:

 

I hear you, but anecdotally this happened to me on the Edge earlier this year.  Went to Fine Cut and was handed the wine list, but the first 4 by-the-glass wines are all out of stock (including a $25 glass)...the somm recommended that I buy a bottle.   Probably a bad confluence of events, but it left a bad taste in my mouth (which could have been washed away by a premium glass of cabernet, but.....).

I agree.  Tacky for sure.  I am surprised he did not have any alternative premium level wines by the glass to offer.

 

i would also not be pleased.  If a sommelier told me that they had no acceptable premium wines by the glass, I would certainly make sure management knows what I was told.  

Edited August 4, 2022 by jagoffee

[letsgogogo]

On 6/13/2022 at 8:58 PM, neverlaysup said:

Just bring 2 bottles from home. I love my California Cabernet and nothing on any Celebrity ship is really that special. Just rummage through the cellar and bring some of the good stuff. Even with the Premium drink package, we bring wine from home.

It’s now 2 bottles per adult not per cabin. So bring along 4 bottles!

[letsgogogo]

On 6/17/2022 at 3:15 PM, Whinenowine said:

The best quality-to-price ratios are Tuscan reds, I think.  In particular Chianti (which has come a long way since the faux straw baskets of 40yrs ago) and Brunello.  You can get world-class wines for very reasonable prices.  Given the quality and the high quantity of many of these wines, I'm surprised X and other lines don't carry more in their cellars.

 

I’d second all this for La Rioja wines from northern Spain. Particularly nicer bottles with some age on them already. Such complex and interesting food friendly wine for the money. 

[grandgeezer]

On 8/3/2022 at 5:26 PM, renji said:

that would be wonderful, but I think what people have been saying is even if there are no premium wines by the glass, they are not offering alternatives but suggesting that you buy a bottle. which seems unfair....they have plenty of bottles and should make a substitution.

A reputable business would open one of these bottles and pour you a glass, if indeed they didn’t have any listed premium brand by the glass, available.

[neverlaysup]

On 8/5/2022 at 8:56 AM, grandgeezer said:

A reputable business would open one of these bottles and pour you a glass, if indeed they didn’t have any listed premium brand by the glass, available.

On one of our last cruises, the sommelier was opening up bottles normally on the bottle only list and pouring them for the customers. Maybe they all won't do this but we found it kinda fun tasting the other wines on the menu. I'm not sure if you could buy a glass but with the the premium beverage package, they were serving us a different selection of wine each night.

[Whinenowine]

17 minutes ago, neverlaysup said:

On one of our last cruises, the sommelier was opening up bottles normally on the bottle only list and pouring them for the customers. Maybe they all won't do this but we found it kinda fun tasting the other wines on the menu. I'm not sure if you could buy a glass but with the the premium beverage package, they were serving us a different selection of wine each night.

 

I like that--I'd even pay for that!  But alas my experiences have been different.  Still, hope springs eternal...we're on Millie this month and I hope those somms take a page out of your sommelier's book!

 

[Alaska Lily]

This may be a little off OP topic… the wine situation sounds precarious and I love my wine. We have a premium package and can bring 2 bottles per guest on board with no corkage fee.  Can I drink this wine in the MDR or is it for cabin consumption only?

 

[canderson]

6 minutes ago, Alaska Lily said:

This may be a little off OP topic… the wine situation sounds precarious and I love my wine. We have a premium package and can bring 2 bottles per guest on board with no corkage fee.  Can I drink this wine in the MDR or is it for cabin consumption only?

 

Anywhere you like.  When they switched to 2/person, they also dropped $25 corkage fee in public venues if you have a beverage package, classic or premium, either as paid or part of an Always Included fare.

[Alaska Lily]

Great info.  Thank you!

[kabmab]

On 6/17/2022 at 6:54 AM, drakes2 said:

I have heard that in the Med they allow you to bring wines purchased in the various ports onboard. Many people purchase to take home. I love Tuscan wines. I'm going to Amsterdam  to visit son and family in August and have seen some fabulous wines in grocery stores many priced under 10€. 

Anyone else have experience recently with carrying on wine from a port visit (not Embarkation) on Med cruise?  Years ago we were able to, and found great bottles in grocery stores in Italy, France, Greece.   Will be on Edge in Sept.  TIA!

[Whinenowine]

1 hour ago, kabmab said:

Anyone else have experience recently with carrying on wine from a port visit (not Embarkation) on Med cruise?  Years ago we were able to, and found great bottles in grocery stores in Italy, France, Greece.   Will be on Edge in Sept.  TIA!

 

Not recently but I think it still works as it used to.  There should be some good prices onshore (especially with the weak Euro), BUT be prepared that wine prices in general have gone up A LOT over the past couple of years--perhaps even more than the weak Euro benefits.

 

This is from my travel docs for this month's cruise:

 

"Alcoholic beverages that are purchased in ports of call or from onboard shops will be stored by the ship and delivered to guest stateroom on the last day of the sailing."

 

[canderson]

11 minutes ago, Whinenowine said:

 

This is from my travel docs for this month's cruise:

 

"Alcoholic beverages that are purchased in ports of call or from onboard shops will be stored by the ship and delivered to guest stateroom on the last day of the sailing."

 

As an aside, any leg of a B2B, B3B or whatever number has a "last day".  Buy on an earlier leg and your wine will appear on the last night of that leg, becoming available for the remaining legs.  It's an odd but potentially useful loophole.