Current Prices of Wine by the Glass

[natshala]

43 minutes ago, drakes2 said:

That name sounds familiar he may have been the beverage manager on my November 20th Silhouette sailing who delivered the Beringer to my cabin. Very tall man.

 

43 minutes ago, drakes2 said:

That name sounds familiar he may have been the beverage manager on my November 20th Silhouette sailing who delivered the Beringer to my cabin. Very tall man.

So what’s your secret? I’m E+ and have never had wine gifted to me by X.

[scotlanders]

On Edge recently a glass of Kendal Jackson Chardonnay was $13 + 20% tip. The glass I was served was exactly 120mls (yes I measured it one night with my meds cup) so that’s 6.8 glasses per bottle at $13 = $84 per bottle if bought by the glass The bottle was $43 As Elite we get 20% discount so that was $41 per bottle with tip. They happily stored left overs for next night So Ill be looking at bottle price not glass price on our cruise in 2 weeks

[highway180]

18 hours ago, markeb said:

 

That's the thing, isn't it? I just thumbed through the wine lists in the app (not thorough; I'm not that into this question) and finally found Decoy (presumably the Cab) by the bottle. It's showing $19/glass on the current Equinox sailing. It's a $19/bottle retail wine. IF they're offering it by the glass, it should be $85/bottle ($19 * 5), which would be truly outrageous. Even crazier, it's actually $70 a bottle (again, the app only says Decoy, so I'm making the assumption that's the Cab) which makes no sense whatsoever! It's not that good of a wine to begin with, and that's a crazy stupid markup. The packages really skew the wine prices! There's no way I'd spend $70 for a bottle of Decoy when Freemark Abbey is $110, or even better, Penner-Ash Pinot Noir is $100. But if you have the premium package, Decoy is "free" and the much better Pinot Noir is $100, less 20% discount for the premium package plus 20% gratuity, so really $96 that you're actually paying. There is a level of insanity here!

 

Just returned from an amazing week in Napa visiting wineries and tasting real wine. Need to breathe deep, calm down, and avoid wine threads on Cruise Critic...

Agreed

i always get the premium pkg, but if I opt for a bottle purchase, i almost always opt for Freemark Abbey.

The so called cheaper wines are not to my liking, plus always bring a couple of decent wines from home.

Cheers

[zitsky]

1 hour ago, scotlanders said:

On Edge recently a glass of Kendal Jackson Chardonnay was $13 + 20% tip. The glass I was served was exactly 120mls (yes I measured it one night with my meds cup) so that’s 6.8 glasses per bottle at $13 = $84 per bottle if bought by the glass The bottle was $43 As Elite we get 20% discount so that was $41 per bottle with tip. They happily stored left overs for next night So Ill be looking at bottle price not glass price on our cruise in 2 weeks

By storing you mean put a cork in it and leave it on a shelf?

[NMTraveller]

7 hours ago, bikerunner said:

The prices are what they are.  Might not like them but if you choose to sail and want wine btg this is the price.  Please stop comparing what you get them at local liquor/wine stores as its not comparable. I live in nh so prices for many are very inexpensive and no tax. I do like the penner ash btg for 4 mark up.  Or i think that is what i saw. That would  be one i would get all day , ie that was based on having premium pkg.  i will not worry or focus much on prices intil i get on board in april.  Was fine on my 14 b2b day on he sil end of nov.  Tho the changes happened on the cruise after mine.  

At least at a restaurant they are somewhat comparable.  A cheaper wine is usually less expensive and a more expensive wine more expensive on the menu.  With the Celebrity latest drink pricing they are either rolling the dice,  throwing darts at a dartboard or using a random number generator as there is a very loose correlation to the actual cost of the wine.  It makes little sense.

[TourDeCruise]

On 12/5/2023 at 7:48 PM, 39august said:

Is Deocy cab still at the premium package limit?  How about Mer Soliel chard?

 

We just got off the Ascent Maiden Voyage. They were charging us $2.00 per glass per person plus 20% gratuity for our go-to Mer Soliel chardonnay. $4.80 for two of us for one glass each.

 

Some wines that we enjoyed and with no upcharge were Bordeaux Blend red, California Blend red, Layer Cake red, Jean Luc Colombo Rose, Selbach Reisling, Steel Chardonnay, Grenache, and Elegance Kendall Jackson Chardonnay. Not a fan of Malbec Tapiz. Malbec Alta Vista okay. I am a little pickier for Malbec wines which I really like but the ones I like are going to be way above the Premium limit. Opulence Chardonnay was $25 a glass but $8 above the Premium package limit.

Edited December 13, 2023 by TourDeCruise

[phoenix_dream]

9 hours ago, bikerunner said:

The prices are what they are.  Might not like them but if you choose to sail and want wine btg this is the price.  Please stop comparing what you get them at local liquor/wine stores as its not comparable. I live in nh so prices for many are very inexpensive and no tax. I do like the penner ash btg for 4 mark up.  Or i think that is what i saw. That would  be one i would get all day , ie that was based on having premium pkg.  i will not worry or focus much on prices intil i get on board in april.  Was fine on my 14 b2b day on he sil end of nov.  Tho the changes happened on the cruise after mine.  

I beg to differ. It makes complete sense to compare prices we can pay at home versus what Celebrity charges.  Of course one expects a cruise ship or restaurant to charge more and make a profit,  but these amounts are insane.  A markup,  sure. A complete and total ripoff, not cool. If not to compare prices then what would you compare with? Local prices provide a realistic and honest comparison data point.  To ignore that is to be an incredibly naive consumer, which I guess is what they are counting on.

[zitsky]

I told the Executive office that they need to raise wine prices even MORE to keep all the jokers away.  Cruising should be exclusive, not something available to just anybody. Now excuse me while I enjoy my Yellowtail Shiraz.  It’s only a $55 upcharge on the Premium package.

[bikerunner]

22 minutes ago, phoenix_dream said:

I beg to differ. It makes complete sense to compare prices we can pay at home versus what Celebrity charges.  Of course one expects a cruise ship or restaurant to charge more and make a profit,  but these amounts are insane.  A markup,  sure. A complete and total ripoff, not cool. If not to compare prices then what would you compare with? Local prices provide a realistic and honest comparison data point.  To ignore that is to be an incredibly naive consumer, which I guess is what they are counting on.

My point is they can charge what they want.  Either get it or dont.  If sales go down then there mught be a change. But the prices are ehat they are. If the prices are not to your liking get it at home and drink it there. Yes prices sre crazy but i will guess people are still paying for it if they want the wine. I have worked in hospitality for many years and understand the basic mark ups and yes the lower cost wines ie sonoma coast pinot i have seen 16 plus a glass, for comparison i can get that wine in nh for about 18-20 depending on sales.  Is celebrrity consistent in percentages not at all on mark ups.  They have some good deals on mark ups less than 30-40% on some bottles. For example i got a bottle of the penner ash on board for 85 after eelite discount.  The bottle costs 57 in nh liquour stores, i buy that regularly.  

[NMTraveller]

1 hour ago, zitsky said:

I told the Executive office that they need to raise wine prices even MORE to keep all the jokers away.  Cruising should be exclusive, not something available to just anybody. Now excuse me while I enjoy my Yellowtail Shiraz.  It’s only a $55 upcharge on the Premium package.

Ah yes.  Yellowtail Shiraz.  It ranks right up there with two buck Chuck.  As a result I thought that Shiraz was gross...

 

Until I had a good Shiraz...

Edited December 13, 2023 by NMTraveller

[hasentreelake]

all recent posts make a lot of sense.  lot's of different views and all accurate.
my problem is that whoever is in charge of this sector of their business is missing a grand opportunity to go the other direction.  These wines we're talking about are pretty much in the $20 or less per bottle range.  and at their purchase volumes (deals wiht grgich and KJ) this is a real no brainer for X to go in the other direction.  I would fire this person.  Know your consumer.

 

[zitsky]

12 minutes ago, hasentreelake said:

all recent posts make a lot of sense.  lot's of different views and all accurate.
my problem is that whoever is in charge of this sector of their business is missing a grand opportunity to go the other direction.  These wines we're talking about are pretty much in the $20 or less per bottle range.  and at their purchase volumes (deals wiht grgich and KJ) this is a real no brainer for X to go in the other direction.  I would fire this person.  Know your consumer.

 

What is “the other direction”?

 

I wasn’t paying attention in my MBA classes but I still know more about marketing and running a business than the folks in the executive suite at Celebrity.

[markeb]

12 minutes ago, hasentreelake said:

all recent posts make a lot of sense.  lot's of different views and all accurate.
my problem is that whoever is in charge of this sector of their business is missing a grand opportunity to go the other direction.  These wines we're talking about are pretty much in the $20 or less per bottle range.  and at their purchase volumes (deals wiht grgich and KJ) this is a real no brainer for X to go in the other direction.  I would fire this person.  Know your consumer.

 

 

I think they do know their consumer. And those of us commenting on this thread don't make up a large volume of their current wine consumer base. Maybe in the day when they were winning all those Wine Spectator awards...

 

The shipboard system revolves around package sales. You walk into a venue and your card says "Classic" (is it CLL?) and the system revolves around providing you drinks, including wine, within that package price. Bonus points for selling classic package wines at the very top of the classic package price to make them seem better. And people go for it to a much larger extent than we want to admit. Same at the premium package limits. And almost no one compares wine prices by the glass in the packages to the price of a bottle of wine. They have a package and don't care. If they didn't sell packages and wanted to keep the same prices, they'd have to raise the bottle prices. 

 

And it's even more apparent for high volume/high margin fruit drinks at the pool. Or the martini bar. 

 

Sorry, but I wouldn't fire the person. I'd probably give them a raise. If the consumer ever catches on to a degree that impacts alcohol sales (yeah, right 🙄) then you sacrifice them for the good of the corporation. Don't see that happening.

[CruiseRQA]

Decoy cab has been often mentioned in this thread.   At my local Trader Joe's tonight, they were selling it for $19/bottle

[gordiej]

19 minutes ago, CruiseRQA said:

Decoy cab has been often mentioned in this thread.   At my local Trader Joe's tonight, they were selling it for $19/bottle

Yeah, that's a decent price (I could get it at that retail price in NYC pre-pandemic, now it's probably close to $25). Either way, the markup on it (both by the glass and bottle) seems to be egregious, and not worth it. Of course if you're on the package it doesn't really matter as long as it's under the limit. I will not be buying a package and will be seeking out better values, even if at higher prices -- I have my eye on a few Rhone wines - CdP and Cote Rotie.  

[NMTraveller]

Whispering Angel just showed up on the Blu wine menu ...  for $19 🍷

 

I suspect I will have a receipt to sign most of the time.

Edited December 13, 2023 by NMTraveller

[markeb]

10 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

Whispering Angel just showed up on the Blu wine menu ...  for $19 🍷

 

I suspect I will have a receipt to sign most of the time.

 

Do you have a package? It's only $50 a bottle. Without a package, buy the bottle. Roughly $10/glass. $19/glass would be roughly $95/bottle. Everything is based on the beverage package. Crazy...

[PTC DAWG]

I’ll take Hendicks on the rocks 🙂

[markeb]

15 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

Whispering Angel just showed up on the Blu wine menu ...  for $19 🍷

 

I suspect I will have a receipt to sign most of the time.

 

I was going to just edit, but this is too crazy not to point out. There are a lot of people on CC, maybe not in the "real world" who don't buy drink packages. If you DON'T HAVE A DRINK PACKAGE and there's a wine you like available both by the glass and by the bottle, until someone wakes up, BUY THE BOTTLE! They'll hold it for you. It'll be fine for 24 hours. It's a different calculus if you have the package, and you may well have the package for drinks other than wine. But $60/bottle with gratuity for approximately 5 glasses of wine versus $19 + gratuity = $114 for the same 5 glasses!  In simple math terms, $114 >>>>> $60...

 

That can't be an anomaly. Check other wines by the glass and by the bottle.

 

For the record, I've never seen anything like that at any land based restaurant. Frequently they don't sell their by-the-glass wines by the bottle. If they don't sell the bottle, the by-the-glass is usually based on 3-4 glasses per bottle to make up the margin where the bottle should hold about 5 6 oz glasses. With that pricing, you're going to come out ahead at 4 glasses, not the house...

[DaKahuna]

11 hours ago, NMTraveller said:

Ah yes.  Yellowtail Shiraz.  It ranks right up there with two buck Chuck.  As a result I thought that Shiraz was gross...

 

Until I had a good Shiraz...

 

 I rather like the Yellowtail Shiraz.  I get the 1-litre bottles at Costco. 
"two buck Chuck" is a thing of the past.  I think the last time I was in a Trader Joe's it was three buck chuck. 

 

[NMTraveller]

10 hours ago, markeb said:

 

I was going to just edit, but this is too crazy not to point out. There are a lot of people on CC, maybe not in the "real world" who don't buy drink packages. If you DON'T HAVE A DRINK PACKAGE and there's a wine you like available both by the glass and by the bottle, until someone wakes up, BUY THE BOTTLE! They'll hold it for you. It'll be fine for 24 hours. It's a different calculus if you have the package, and you may well have the package for drinks other than wine. But $60/bottle with gratuity for approximately 5 glasses of wine versus $19 + gratuity = $114 for the same 5 glasses!  In simple math terms, $114 >>>>> $60...

 

That can't be an anomaly. Check other wines by the glass and by the bottle.

 

For the record, I've never seen anything like that at any land based restaurant. Frequently they don't sell their by-the-glass wines by the bottle. If they don't sell the bottle, the by-the-glass is usually based on 3-4 glasses per bottle to make up the margin where the bottle should hold about 5 6 oz glasses. With that pricing, you're going to come out ahead at 4 glasses, not the house...

Yes I have the premium package.  Yet I will be signing a receipt for most if not all wines....

Edited December 13, 2023 by NMTraveller

[drakes2]

10 hours ago, CruiseRQA said:

Decoy cab has been often mentioned in this thread.   At my local Trader Joe's tonight, they were selling it for $19/bottle

Its $40 canadian but I mostly, not always,  purchase wines that are delisted at 20 off usually run about 80 bucks regular price.  Found some great ones; Freemark abbey, Auros from Napa, Austin Hope to name a few.

[jayoldschool]

I completely forgot that Elite gets a bottle discount. Thanks for the reminder.

[mikeysed]

Some of these prices for a glass are ridiculous based on bottle costs. I normally don't mind a couple dollars here or there, but the exuberant price they charge for drink packages to nickel and dime me over $2 upcharge - for a "luxury" cruise line is pathetic IMO.

[Josie201]

As mentioned, many of us have mentioned Decoy as a "standard" we enjoyed on the premium package.  I for one will not pay the $2 upcharge, just based on principle.  I wonder if many others did the same and sales of Decoy tanked, would they notice and wonder why?  I certainly will mention it to a beverage manager when I see one on Silhouette in February.  Same goes for the Elegance Cabernet.  As stated, for a "modern luxury" line to charge an additional $2 for a glass of wine to those with a beverage package is tacky.  Just add a third package, call it elevated, and let the customer decide which package they are willing to pay for.