Chair hogging

[slidergirl]

Now I'm sorry I even brought up wine!

I am doing HAL in a couple of days so I had looked up their wine policy and found that every bottle you bring on is subject to that $20 fee.  I hadn't brought wine onboard before but had heard about rules.  I had looked at the HAL wine list and saw nothing I wanted to buy from them and take to my balcony. Sorry I didn't mention HAL.

Right now, I'm enjoying 19 Crimes "The Uprising" - red aged in rum barrels.  Not outstanding, but a nice, smooth red to drink after work.  And, it's around $13.   My favorite Rose, la Spinetta Casanova, is a little more at $21.  But, my favorite summer white is the old standby, Hogue Reisling, at $10.  Even the bartender at my old country club stocked it just for me. 

 

But, you won't see me hogging any pool loungers nor whining about them...

 

 

[Flatbush Flyer]

55 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

I think you should check your sources :  I just looked at NCL’s wine list — it showed nothing in the “<$15/bottle…” range.   The cheapest was $26 per bottle.  And I doubt that could reach “mediocre”.

Perhaps I should’ve been more clear. I did say “<$15/bottle US retail” meaning cost of the bottle at your local wine shop or supermarket in the US.

As you may know, O recently discontinued its “7 bottle” package (choose from a list all priced  in the package at about $45 each plus gratuity). With a very few exceptions, the offerings were mostly <$10-15 US retail bottles. Smart shoppers could cherry pick the occasional “loss leader” worth ~$20 and buy 7 bottles of the same item. O finally realized they had some passengers who knew enough about wine to be “mildly dangerous” and who were buying up the “better” bottles in the package (e.g., all 7 being the same item) immediately upon boarding. Ergo, bye-bye 7 bottle program. 
 

[navybankerteacher]

9 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Sorry but I’ll disagree and it has nothing to do with pretentiousness. “Cheap” wine (e.g., most of the <$15/bottle US retail stuff on cruise ship wine-by-the-glass menus) is generally mediocre at best - particularly when it comes to delivering what you expect from a varietal.

…

It seems to me that you are referring to  “…>$15/bottle US retail stuff on cruise ship…”

[navybankerteacher]

5 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Perhaps I should’ve been more clear. I did say “<$15/bottle US retail” meaning cost of the bottle at your local wine shop or supermarket in the US.

As you may know, O recently discontinued its “7 bottle” package (choose from a list all priced  in the package at about $45 each plus gratuity). With a very few exceptions, the offerings were mostly <$10-15 US retail bottles. Smart shoppers could cherry pick the occasional “loss leader” worth ~$20 and buy 7 bottles of the same item. O finally realized they had some passengers who knew enough about wine to be “mildly dangerous” and who were buying up the “better” bottles in the package (e.g., all 7 being the same item) immediately upon boarding. Ergo, bye-bye 7 bottle program. 
 

Key question:  does Oceania let you bring wine on board for use in your own cabin without corkage charges?

[ldubs]

8 hours ago, slidergirl said:

Now I'm sorry I even brought up wine!

I am doing HAL in a couple of days so I had looked up their wine policy and found that every bottle you bring on is subject to that $20 fee.  I hadn't brought wine onboard before but had heard about rules.  I had looked at the HAL wine list and saw nothing I wanted to buy from them and take to my balcony. Sorry I didn't mention HAL.

Right now, I'm enjoying 19 Crimes "The Uprising" - red aged in rum barrels.  Not outstanding, but a nice, smooth red to drink after work.  And, it's around $13.   My favorite Rose, la Spinetta Casanova, is a little more at $21.  But, my favorite summer white is the old standby, Hogue Reisling, at $10.  Even the bartender at my old country club stocked it just for me. 

 

But, you won't see me hogging any pool loungers nor whining about them...

 

 

 

I prefer Snoop Dogg Cali Red.  

[Flatbush Flyer]

12 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

Key question:  does Oceania let you bring wine on board for use in your own cabin without corkage charges?

Absolutely. And, despite the FAQs on the O website saying it’s a “6 bottle limit,” it’s only a CYA statement and is never enforced. Depending on our embarkation city, we often bring a case onboard and never have had an issue (nor have we ever heard of or seen someone stopped for more than six bottles- wine/spirits).

You can also replenish your stock enroute at appropriate ports. Of course, the daily Currents published an occasional reminder that all personal booze is for “in cabin” consumption except that you can take bottles of wine to dining or other public venues for a $25 per bottle corkage fee.

Sadly, however, there are the occasional cheapskates who pour their cabin wine in a glass and take it elsewhere trying to avoid the $25 fee. But, cabin glassware is different and, fortunately, Maitre d’s (et al. staff have recently increased their vigilance and tactfully remind the offenders about O’s generous personal booze policy.

[slidergirl]

14 hours ago, ldubs said:

 

I prefer Snoop Dogg Cali Red.  

I like that one, too.  But I prefer The Uprising and the plain Red Blend.   can't beat the prices.  

[Toofarfromthesea]

On 4/9/2023 at 1:15 PM, slidergirl said:

Well, I can bring my own wine if I wanted to pay $20 "corkage" for a $20 bottle... 

 

I had always understood that the corkage fee only applies to bottles brought to the dining room.  Was I wrong?

[Toofarfromthesea]

On 4/10/2023 at 6:08 AM, navybankerteacher said:

With a little testing it is possible to find a very enjoyable (if unsophisticated and unpretentious) wine for $15 (and sometimes less) a bottle.  There is a universe out there between Two Buck Chuck and grand cru.  Yellow Tail Australian reds, for example, and San Marino Italian Pinot Grigio do very well on cruise ship balconies.

 

Aw, be nice and let them enjoy their snobbism.

[navybankerteacher]

6 minutes ago, Toofarfromthesea said:

 

I had always understood that the corkage fee only applies to bottles brought to the dining room.  Was I wrong?

That used to be the case on HAL - they also used to have fresh squeezed OJ at breakfast (no extra charge), and live music in several venues in the evenings, while sailing interesting itineraries.  They have sunk from being a moderately priced slightly premium line to being just one more nickel-diming provider of oversized mass market ferry boats - unwelcome in a growing number of interesting ports.

[SbbquilterUT]

We have always seen plenty of chairs, but they are not all poolside where I have witnessed the most saved chairs.

[Flatbush Flyer]

5 hours ago, Toofarfromthesea said:

 

I had always understood that the corkage fee only applies to bottles brought to the dining room.  Was I wrong?

Depends on the cruise line.

[cruisemom42]

True oenophiles shouldn’t be wine snobs. Just as street food can be delicious, so can inexpensive wines.

 

I was once told by the scion of a wealthy man with one of the better rated private cellars on Long Island, that a good percentage of his holdings were wines purchased at around $15 per bottle. Of course this was about 25 years ago. Still, his point was that there’s no need to spend $200 to find a good wine.

 

One other miscellaneous data point: in an onboard discussion with two sommeliers (back when ships actually had real ones), we were told that it was kind of foolish to offer fine vintages at sea as cellaring conditions are less than ideal with all the ship movement, potential variation in atmospheric conditions, etc. So before paying big bucks for an expensive vintage onboard, consider how long it’s been on board and how well it has been looked after.

[Flatbush Flyer]

7 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

True oenophiles shouldn’t be wine snobs. Just as street food can be delicious, so can inexpensive wines.

 

I was once told by the scion of a wealthy man with one of the better rated private cellars on Long Island, that a good percentage of his holdings were wines purchased at around $15 per bottle. Of course this was about 25 years ago. Still, his point was that there’s no need to spend $200 to find a good wine.

 

One other miscellaneous data point: in an onboard discussion with two sommeliers (back when ships actually had real ones), we were told that it was kind of foolish to offer fine vintages at sea as cellaring conditions are less than ideal with all the ship movement, potential variation in atmospheric conditions, etc. So before paying big bucks for an expensive vintage onboard, consider how long it’s been on board and how well it has been looked after.

$15 twenty-five years ago would be almost $30 today. 

 

I’m no sommelier but I know enough about wine to be mildly dangerous. Depending on the varietal, I’d say something true to its character, is going to range in US retail cost today from ~$25 to ~$75 per 750 ml.

That said, what you find on a ship (often at a 300-400% markup), for example, in by-the-glass selections are ~$10/bottle (retail) mediocre-at-best wines at home. 

Spending $50-75+ on a well respected Deep End Mendocino or Willamette Valley Pinot Noir you bring aboard and paying the $25 corkage (total outlay $75) could easily cost you ~$250 onboard (if they even had it).

Whenever possible, bring your own wine from home or from appropriate ports.

[shorne]

1 hour ago, cruisemom42 said:

True oenophiles shouldn’t be wine snobs. Just as street food can be delicious, so can inexpensive wines.

 

As an œnophile, I agree. I was once asked to select the wine for a wedding reception, with the restriction of paying less than the equivalent of US$12 per bottle. I was able to recommend a number of adequate wines in that price range. And that's what was spent, except that the bridal party (which included me) did pop off beforehand for something much more expensive.

 

It is not easy to find enjoyable wines below that price, but it is possible. Occasionally one can even find a great wine for $20 or $25. I seek wines like these that offer excellent value for money.

 

Conversely, not every expensive bottle is good. I have poured $100 bottles down the drain after one sip, even after one sniff.

 

I fully agree with the person who told you that you don't have to pay $200, or anything like that much, to buy great wine. The point about not keeping fine vintages at sea also has some merit, especially in respect of very old or delicate wines. I would advise caution when shelling out hundreds or thousands of dollars for one bottle on a ship. But I never pay that much anyway.

 

[shorne]

1 hour ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Depending on the varietal, I’d say something true to its character, is going to range in US retail cost today from ~$25 to ~$75 per 750 ml.

That said, what you find on a ship (often at a 300-400% markup), for example, in by-the-glass selections are ~$10/bottle (retail) mediocre-at-best wines at home. 
 

 

Not all wine is varietal, and even «true to its character» isn't easy to define. There is plenty of good wine for less than US$25. Most of it is not produced in the US, but quite of it is produced in France or Italy, which no informed person would assign to the penumbra of wine production.

 

No, you're not going to find Champagne, Amarone, or Sauternes for a few dollars a bottle. But there are plenty of very respectable wines other than those.

 

I agree that most of what is sold by the glass on cruises, at least at the lower prices (and «low» here might well be $15 per glass), is cheap plonk that I would pass up for water. A lot of it would not cost even $10 per bottle at retail in the US.

 

[jsn55]

On 4/10/2023 at 9:51 AM, navybankerteacher said:

What I posted was “…there is a universe between Two Buck Chuck and grand cru.” :END OF SENTENCE —  which in no way suggested that Yellow Tail was comparable to grand cru.

 

I simply mentioned that in my opinion Yellow Tail does well on cruise ship balconies.  I am curious about what inexpensive labels you might not designate as “undrinkable”.

The only 'undrinkable' wine is one you don't want to drink.