Are the wines included in the Easy beverage package decent?

[flahagan]

Still trying to decide whether to purchase the Easy package for upcoming 25 nt transatlantic.  Will not go to a higher package due to the already high cost of purchasing one for such a long cruise.  I will mostly drink wine at dinnertime, probably 2 glasses, and possibly a before or after dinner cosmo.  On seas days (13 of them) there might be a bloody mary or mimosa added late morning, plus bottled waters and the occasional soda.

My fear is that the wines may be awful.  I'm definitely not a wine snob and drink inexpensive wines here in the U.S. - $6 - $8 bottles, lol. Any thoughts?

[perakcruiser]

Difficult to say. In Europe $6 - $8 bottles are already middle level. I would call them drinkable as MSC free coffee, but nothing more. As you can choose between 6 or 8 you might find 1 or 2 you like. 

[Stockjock]

Depends on your definition of "decent".

I've mostly done MSC sailings in Europe and only one out of Miami.  Pretty sure they usually offer dfferent wines in the USA, but I'll mostly comment on the Easy wines out of Europe.

Reds mediocre, generally a 3.0 to 3.5 on a 5 scale.  Not "good", but drinkable/tolerable.

Same goes for the white wines.  Same scale and description.
 

Sparkling wines aka Prosecco are better.  More like a 3.5 to 4 rating.  Perfectly decent/enjoyable.

Blush/Rosé slightly wines better than the reds and whites but worse than sparkling wines.

Wine choices improve with Easy Plus, but not by a lot.

 

Edited April 23, 2023 by Stockjock

[flahagan]

2 hours ago, Stockjock said:

Depends on your definition of "decent".

I've mostly done MSC sailings in Europe and only one out of Miami.  Pretty sure they usually offer dfferent wines in the USA, but I'll mostly comment on the Easy wines out of Europe.

Reds mediocre, generally a 3.0 to 3.5 on a 5 scale.  Not "good", but drinkable/tolerable.

Same goes for the white wines.  Same scale and description.
 

Sparkling wines aka Prosecco are better.  More like a 3.5 to 4 rating.  Perfectly decent/enjoyable.

Blush/Rosé slightly wines better than the reds and whites but worse than sparkling wines.

Wine choices improve with Easy Plus, but not by a lot.

 

Thanks for the information!

[IsanTom]

20 hours ago, perakcruiser said:

Difficult to say. In Europe $6 - $8 bottles are already middle level. I would call them drinkable as MSC free coffee, but nothing more. As you can choose between 6 or 8 you might find 1 or 2 you like. 

They have a basic red and white. You can buy buy the bottle for $26.00 or $6.00 a glass. It's not bad.

 

[NMsunset]

Just off Belissima in February, Grandiose in January,and in Nov-Dec Seascape to NYC

 

the house wines are not very good...if you are much of a wine drinker...maybe splurge on some bottles or by the glass for something good while onboard.

 

We drank in POC for very reasonable prices and was allowed to board carrying a bottle each...we bought onshore...no questions...was only $10usd bottles so we thought it was worth a try...

 

Enjoy your cruise...

[perakcruiser]

4 hours ago, IsanTom said:

They have a basic red and white. You can buy buy the bottle for $26.00 or $6.00 a glass. It's not bad.

But the retail prices of these wines are 3.50 to 4.00 €. The worst wine deal on the ship for sure. If you have the easy package, OK, but when BUYING I definitely would choose a 8 to 10 € a glass wine.

[cobber1967]

I guess it comes down to if you believe that the more a wine cost the better it is.  Good wine is wine that you like.  Period.  When you pay more for a wine you are paying for someone else's opinion of what a good wine should taste like.  It's really as simple as that.

[IsanTom]

2 hours ago, perakcruiser said:

But the retail prices of these wines are 3.50 to 4.00 €. The worst wine deal on the ship for sure. If you have the easy package, OK, but when BUYING I definitely would choose a 8 to 10 € a glass wine.

I agree, but if your on a budget and on the Easy Package your choices are very limited.

[CruisingFox27]

The wines aren't awful. It's it the nicest I've ever tasted, no but perfectly drinkable. Admittedly, I am no wine connoisseur and certainly no wine snob but I've made a lot of effort to try them in recent years and it's been fine 🙂 🍷🥂

[Morgsmom]

I, personally, found them undrinkable.  But that's my opinion.

[mistywoman35]

On 4/24/2023 at 12:15 PM, IsanTom said:

They have a basic red and white. You can buy buy the bottle for $26.00 or $6.00 a glass. It's not bad.