Is The Wine Package A Good Deal or Not?

[GTO-Girl]

We are booked on the Mariner in April of 08. I am trying to decide if it would be better for me to buy the wine package or not.

 

Could anyone tell me what the average price for a glass of wine might be if I bought them individually? Also anyone know about how many glasses you get per size bottle in the wine package?

 

Don't mean to sound cheap, but I don't drink mixed drinks and I wanted to see which way would work best for me.

 

Thanks

Dianne

[andyjo0930]

If I remember correctly, I think a glass of like white zin was like 7.00 bucks! The more expensive wines were more than that. I recall seeing one for like 11.00 bucks a glass. The bottles are small, and you only get about 4 glasses per bottle.

[rednancy1]

I always get the wine package. I am not wine afficanado (spelling) but love wine. Your waiter will know you have the package and will bring your choice of bottle to the table without a long wait. If you order by the glass, they need your Seapass each time and there is a big delay. It may not be cheaper but it's more convenient.:)

[robtx100]

If one buys the package and has it delivered to the cabin, is there a corkage fee if it is brought to the dining room? Sorry, I don't mean to hijack the thread, but just a question that came to mind. BTW, I don't mind paying the corkage fee, just don't want to if I don't have to.

[IEddy]

We have done the packages a couple of times. If you like the wines on the list and would order them anyway then you do save a few bucks. It isn’t night and day and has proven to not suit us anymore. Here is the information on the web site.

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/giftcatalog/category/home.do?catCode=WINDIN

[Pumbaamd]

Another benefit of the wine package is that it is available in places other than the dining room. You can use your package at Chops, Portifino, Windjammer and *Seaview Cafe. If you miss dinner one night, just go to Windjammer or *Seaview Cafe and get your bottle of wine with your dinner. *=Radiance class only.

Also, don't forget you can order on line the wine package before your cruise. And also available on line you can order wine to be delivered to your cabin.

Rick and Deirdra

[jules815]

We ordered a wine package online for our cruise last week and we enjoyed it. We had champagne and wine at dinner in the dining room, used it at Chops, and one afternoon I went to the Windjammer and had them bring me a bottle of wine to take back to our cabin. No problem at all.

[Lonestar_Cruiser]

We are booked on the Mariner in April of 08. I am trying to decide if it would be better for me to buy the wine package or not.

 

Could anyone tell me what the average price for a glass of wine might be if I bought them individually? Also anyone know about how many glasses you get per size bottle in the wine package?

 

Don't mean to sound cheap, but I don't drink mixed drinks and I wanted to see which way would work best for me.

 

Thanks

Dianne

 

We just wrapped up a trip on the Liberty and bought the wine package. I would say the wine package is a great way to save money on sub-par bottles of wine. I bought it knowing full well what was offered, but what I did not know is they have a separate wine list with a more expansive selection onboard. Even if you get the "Diamond package" the bottles that are offered are nothing special at all. Most of them can be found in stores for $8 to $14 per bottle. Of course on the ship the retail price for people that don't have the package is 3x-4x these prices. In the end, you can save about 12-15% on your overall wine expenses with one of these deals, you just wont be enjoying quality wines. If you want to have a night or two where you enjoy a nice bottle, you might just buy the 5 bottle package and then order off of the regular wine list the other nights.

[robntawn]

If one buys the package and has it delivered to the cabin, is there a corkage fee if it is brought to the dining room? Sorry, I don't mean to hijack the thread, but just a question that came to mind. BTW, I don't mind paying the corkage fee, just don't want to if I don't have to.

The answer to that question is YES. There will be a corkage charge if you have your wine initially delivered to your room, and then bring it into the dining room. A better option might be to choose delivery to the dining room...that way you can recork the bottle after dinner and take it back to your room for some drinks there at no extra charge. You can also have it saved for the following night as well at no extra charge. Another thing...you can have your wine delivered to Chops or Portofino if you have the wine package.

[Nliedel]

It has been a good savings over individual glasses or bottle purchased separately, for us.

 

My best advice is to know what wines are in the various packages before you go and try them at home first. Most enjoyable homework.

[andyjo0930]

The answer to that question is YES. There will be a corkage charge if you have your wine initially delivered to your room, and then bring it into the dining room. A better option might be to choose delivery to the dining room...that way you can recork the bottle after dinner and take it back to your room for some drinks there at no extra charge. You can also have it saved for the following night as well at no extra charge. Another thing...you can have your wine delivered to Chops or Portofino if you have the wine package.

 

On our cruise in May, we had wine delivered to our stateroom and brought a bottle every night to the dinning room with no corkage fee!

[jules815]

We just wrapped up a trip on the Liberty and bought the wine package. I would say the wine package is a great way to save money on sub-par bottles of wine. I bought it knowing full well what was offered, but what I did not know is they have a separate wine list with a more expansive selection onboard. Even if you get the "Diamond package" the bottles that are offered are nothing special at all. Most of them can be found in stores for $8 to $14 per bottle. Of course on the ship the retail price for people that don't have the package is 3x-4x these prices. In the end, you can save about 12-15% on your overall wine expenses with one of these deals, you just wont be enjoying quality wines. If you want to have a night or two where you enjoy a nice bottle, you might just buy the 5 bottle package and then order off of the regular wine list the other nights.

 

True. We knew going in that it wasn't going to be top notch, but we enjoyed it every night. We really enjoy champagne cocktails, so we'd order a glass of Chambord every night at dinner when we'd get our bottle of Korbel, and make our own Kir's right at the table. We were a group of 8, and we all had packages. We'd start out with Champagne and then have a couple of bottles of a red and white on the table. I ended up having one bottle left over, and told our waiter to pick something out for himself and enjoy it.

[isujim]

We usually buy a Diamond package.........10 bottles for 7 nights shared with another couple........we figured out one afternoon sitting around the cabin that for that particular package..........your average cost per bottle was $31.......so if you buy the higher end wines in the package you will probably come out ahead..........if you typically buy a wine that RC sells for $27........you are better off to buy as you go..............

[jules815]

I also forgot to mention that buying the package ahead of time online was nice because once on board, it was already a done deal and one less thing to worry about.

 

We'll definitely do this again.