Liquor Prices

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, Tyskie said:

We will be new Oceania cruisers Sept 2023 after having sailed with Princess, Celebrity and yes, even NCL!

 

We have a port intensive 12 day cruise scheduled.  Do I understand that the 2 Happy Hours are BOGOs?  Are the times the same on all the ships?  (Riviera)   I can bring liquor onboard to be consumed in our cabin and wine corkage fee of $25 if brought to the DR.

 

 

The HH are usually 5-6 pm in certain bars  & 10:30pm to 11:30  I believe only in Horizon  but not sure on that one

Check the back page of the CURRENTS  when onboard

 

[Flatbush Flyer]

OP: the $25 corkage is for any personal wine bottle taken out of your cabin and consumed (in part or in whole) in ANY public space dining or not. Unfinished bottles will be saved by wine stewards and retrieved as needed. Given O’s liberal booze policy, the $25 per bottle is a small price to pay.

[sierrafloridacruiser]

Does Oceania allow bottles of liquor to be brought on board for consumption in the cabin? 

[LHT28]

1 minute ago, sierrafloridacruiser said:

Does Oceania allow bottles of liquor to be brought on board for consumption in the cabin? 

Yes

unofficially ..but no problem

[pinotlover]

10 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

OP: the $25 corkage is for any personal wine bottle taken out of your cabin and consumed (in part or in whole) in ANY public space dining or not. Unfinished bottles will be saved by wine stewards and retrieved as needed. Given O’s liberal booze policy, the $25 per bottle is a small price to pay.

This must be new. Consumption , with corkage fees, in dining venues, yes! Never seen it applied to the various bars. 
 

This program has been logistically problematic in just the restaurants. Never seen the bars included in the program.

[Flatbush Flyer]

19 minutes ago, pinotlover said:

This must be new. Consumption , with corkage fees, in dining venues, yes! Never seen it applied to the various bars. 
 

This program has been logistically problematic in just the restaurants. Never seen the bars included in the program.

From the official policy (just search “Oceania alcohol policy” and an official zendesk document appears that says:

We ask that guests let us know they are bringing wine on-board so the ship can be advised. Guests are welcome to enjoy their wine in the comfort and privacy of their stateroom or suite, or, if they prefer, may enjoy their wine in one of the ship’s dining rooms. Any wine consumed in the dining room or a public area will be subject to a corkage fee of $25.00 per bottle.

 

Note the inclusion of public areas which, of course, includes the bars.

Edited September 18, 2022 by Flatbush Flyer

[Flatbush Flyer]

12 hours ago, sierrafloridacruiser said:

Does Oceania allow bottles of liquor to be brought on board for consumption in the cabin? 

Often seen in the daily Currents:

[susiesan]

On a 14 day Caribbean cruise, how many O cocktail parties with free drinks are there likely to be? I assume 1 at least, Captain's welcome aboard party. Is there a Captain's farewell party? Is there an O club member/past passenger party?

 

On this cruise I will receive a bottle of wine from Oceania as I move from blue to bronze level, do I get to choose what kind of wine I like? If they just give me one randomly can I exchange it for something else that I prefer? Since both myself  and my husband are moving up do we each get a bottle of wine?

[1985rz1]

4 minutes ago, susiesan said:

On a 14 day Caribbean cruise, how many O cocktail parties with free drinks are there likely to be? I assume 1 at least, Captain's welcome aboard party. Is there a Captain's farewell party? Is there an O club member/past passenger party?

 

On this cruise I will receive a bottle of wine from Oceania as I move from blue to bronze level, do I get to choose what kind of wine I like? If they just give me one randomly can I exchange it for something else that I prefer? Since both myself  and my husband are moving up do we each get a bottle of wine?

Captain's welcome and a past passenger (i.e. O-club) reception.  No farewell party.

 

One bottle of wine per stateroom, and it will be O's private label of either red or white.  you can exchange red for white or vice-versa.  There are really no other options that I am aware of.

[Cruisedreamer1]

We had the beer and wine package on our last cruise( Regatta:9/9) and found the wine to be very drinkable on the wine by the glass. We didn't expect top drawer wine but didn't have BAD wine. The steward always gives you a sample prior to pouring a full drink. The Malbec and the French Burgundy and Pinot Blanc were great.

 

We went to both the Italian and French wine tastings and found the the wines to good ones (some on their list listing for over $200). Gabriel the wine steward was great and allowed for  very generous pours. Well worth the cost.

 

I upgraded to the prestige package and my husband did not have to do so. 2 spirit drinks a day covered the cost of the upgrade. I had a bloody mary in the am and a gin & tonic in the early evening with some other drinks as I felt I could handle it. The Regatta Waves bar makes a spicy Bloody Mary(which I loved) but the other venues are more mellow.

 

I did find that you have to ask for a brand name with your drink or it will not be as tasty.

 

 

Edited September 18, 2022 by Cruisedreamer1
more information

[Flatbush Flyer]

1 hour ago, susiesan said:

On a 14 day Caribbean cruise, how many O cocktail parties with free drinks are there likely to be? I assume 1 at least, Captain's welcome aboard party. Is there a Captain's farewell party? Is there an O club member/past passenger party?

 

On this cruise I will receive a bottle of wine from Oceania as I move from blue to bronze level, do I get to choose what kind of wine I like? If they just give me one randomly can I exchange it for something else that I prefer? Since both myself  and my husband are moving up do we each get a bottle of wine?

As regards celebratory events: The length of your “cruise” is not as important as the number of “segments” that start within it. You can have a three week single segment cruise and only have one Welcome invite and one O Club invite. If, however, your three weeks include two separate segments (new folks joining at some point), you’ll have another Welcome and another O Club event.

Also, once you hit Platinum, you’ll get at least one officer dinner invite per cruise (though other such invites may happen before then for a variety of reasons).

The new O Club level gets you one bottle of O Club wine per cabin plus individual hats/bags/pins. When you hit your milestone Platinum cruise, you get a bottle of Veuve Clicquot (yellow label). 

[ORV]

15 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

once you hit Platinum, you’ll get at least one officer dinner invite per cruise

Don’t bet on it. 😉

[pinotlover]

Likewise, don’t bet on being invited to multiple OClub receptions.

 

Example being aboard a cruise with an extremely large percentage of repeat passengers so that it takes 3 days to get all of those passengers invited to one such event. Then have a seven (7) day leg attached with a corresponding high repeater count. Only the newbies and very high count repeaters may be invited to the short leg affair. They don’t shut down Horizons for three days on a 7 day leg/cruise to reinvite everyone again.

[ORV]

23 hours ago, pinotlover said:

Likewise, don’t bet on being invited to multiple OClub receptions.

 

Example being aboard a cruise with an extremely large percentage of repeat passengers so that it takes 3 days to get all of those passengers invited to one such event. Then have a seven (7) day leg attached with a corresponding high repeater count. Only the newbies and very high count repeaters may be invited to the short leg affair. They don’t shut down Horizons for three days on a 7 day leg/cruise to reinvite everyone again.

They have been having the repeaters party in the lounge on Regatta. Last cruise there were three. Tonight will be the second one for the cruise we’re now on. 

[LHT28]

1 minute ago, ORV said:

They have been having the repeaters party in the lounge on Regatta. Last cruise there were three. Tonight will be the second one for the cruise we’re now on. 

I seem to recall on the R ship they were in the Lounge 

different layout than on the O class ships so maybe works better

[pinotlover]

5 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

I seem to recall on the R ship they were in the Lounge 

different layout than on the O class ships so maybe works better

Seen them both places in the R ships. Last Nautica cruise it was in Horizons, time before that the Lounge.

 

In fact, on that last cruise I think three were required since almost 75% were repeaters. I think different nights, different locations. I attended the first one that was in Horizons.

[Robyn2]

Is it possible to get the list of included wines with the Prestige Package on Riviera, perhaps I have missed this if posted before! 

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, Robyn2 said:

Is it possible to get the list of included wines with the Prestige Package on Riviera, perhaps I have missed this if posted before! 

They may have changed  but  check the Priesmans blog  for a list of wines by the glass on the menus

https://www.thepreismans.com/riviera_21_menus.htm

[pinotlover]

1 hour ago, Robyn2 said:

Is it possible to get the list of included wines with the Prestige Package on Riviera, perhaps I have missed this if posted before! 

Be aware that the wines on the menu differ from ship to ship and can change regularly. I distinctly remember we drank through one of the selections mid cruise and another wine was substituted in for it. On another occasion, no substitute was available on board and we waited for a new shipment of different wines to be delivered to the ship.

[Flatbush Flyer]

1 hour ago, Robyn2 said:

Is it possible to get the list of included wines with the Prestige Package on Riviera, perhaps I have missed this if posted before! 

Though there’s an occasionally decent wine on the by-the-glass list in the booze packages, most are mediocre $10+\-  per bottle retail items. The occasional exceptions like Schramsberg Mirabelle and Arboleda Carménère or a DonnaFugata blanco disappear quickly. 

[Robyn2]

Thank you all for that info. I see on The Priesmans list that the wines are all fairly ordinary, nothing stands out! I'll keep an eye out for Mirabelle etc, maybe we'll get lucky. Cheers!

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, Robyn2 said:

Thank you all for that info. I see on The Priesmans list that the wines are all fairly ordinary, nothing stands out! I'll keep an eye out for Mirabelle etc, maybe we'll get lucky. Cheers!

You can always take your own wine & pay the corkage 

seems a lot of pax do this

[hazenumber1]

On 9/15/2022 at 1:25 PM, Flatbush Flyer said:

No on “better” wines. The Prestige package is best for folks who know their “spirits” and bring their own wine for dinner.

Do they enforce the “in your room” policy.  Can you take your wine glass, from your room, to a seating area on the ship? And by alcohol does this mean i can bring a bottle of gin onboard?  Do i put it in my carry on?  

Edited October 15, 2022 by hazenumber1

[basor]

11 minutes ago, hazenumber1 said:

Do they i force the “in your room” policy.  Can you take your wine glass, from your room, to a seating area on the ship?

The policy is clearly stated that the lenient bring aboard liquor policy is "only for consumption in your room".   Do they have someone running around the ship policing what people are drinking - no but if people abuse the policy then the policy will disappear.  Please do not abuse .  FYI - the glasses provided in the room are different than the glass used in the bars and dining rooms so the crew do know that you are abusing the policy.

[Flatbush Flyer]

21 minutes ago, hazenumber1 said:

Do they i force the “in your room” policy.  Can you take your wine glass, from your room, to a seating area on the ship?

As any O regular will tell you, their personal booze policy is extremely liberal. Even though the website has a CYA statement about 6 wine bottle limit, THAT is not “enforced.” Depending on the itinerary, we will often bring a case at embarkation and try to replenish at appropriate spots enroute. You can also bring your favorite spirits with you as long as you understand the very simple rules of “no personal spirits outside the cabin and wine is okay as long as you pay the corkage fee of $25 per bottle for any wine poured from it and consumed in any dining venue or public space.”

 

There are the occasional cheapskates who do what you’re asking about. Fortunately, cabin glassware is distinctively different from what is used in the bars and restaurants (and easily identifiable by F&B folks). Most of the maitre d’s and bar staff who recognize someone violating the rule will tactfully have a private conversation with the offender. In addition, there are occasional reminders of the personal booze policy in the daily Currents. An even more specific statement appears in the FAQs on the O website:

….Guests are welcome to enjoy their wine in the comfort and privacy of their stateroom or suite, or, if they prefer, may enjoy their wine in one of the ship’s dining rooms. Any wine consumed in the dining room or a public area will be subject to a corkage fee of $25.00 per bottle.

 

So, please do comply with the very simple and clear rules.

Edited October 15, 2022 by Flatbush Flyer