Wine Card Question

[Seavoyage]

Hello Fellow Cruisers:

 

From what I have read - Soda Cards do not appear to be that great a value...Has anyone purchased a 10 or 20 glass house pouring wine card and do you consider it a good value? Is it better purchased prior to boarding or while on board?

 

Thank you in advance for your thoughts...

[prescottbob]

Ahoy!

 

Just a quick summary:

 

1. As long as your not picky about table wine they are just fine.

2. Savings? Somewhat. It's like buying 9 glasses at regular price and getting one 'free'. I'm sure someone will post current pricing.

3. I suggest buying onboard. They are readily available through any server, bartender, beverage manager, etc.

4. The server staff prefers you buy onboard versus the HAL site since they get the credit or at least more credit in so far as the auto 15% tip goes.

5. If you do choose to pre-buy be sure to have the card delivered 'at sea' or you will be charged sale tax if the card is delivered while the ship is in

port. I'm talking Ft. Lauderdale here (as I see you are from FLA).

6. It virtually impossible to turn in for ship board credit an unused card (booze card too) if purchased over the HAL gift site. No problem if you purchased onboard.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Bon Voyage and Good Health!

Bob:)

[jtl513]

I agree with all of Bob's comments.

 

The price is $41.40 ($36 + 15% service charge) for the 10 glass card, $67.50 + 15% = $77.63 for the 20 glass card. Therefore you per-glass price will either be $4.14 or $3.88. The cheapest house wine without the wine card starts at about $4.75, so with the service charge added it is $5.46 per glass.

 

DW and I both like the Pinot Grigio that is one of the options. The Chardonnay is decent. The Merlot not so great.

 

We have punches left over, and I have been told that I will be able to use them on our upcoming cruise. If I can't I will announce it clearly here!!

[grsnovi]

We purchased the wine card on Oosterdam in June and it worked for us. We enjoy a glass of wine with dinner almost every night and don't need to drink $80 or $280 bottles of wine that said "two buck Chuck" doesn't cut it either. Due to a number of reasons we also ended up with "left over" punches that I'm hoping to use (on Oosterdam) in April. If I can't, I'll let the board know but it won't be a biggie...

[Susiebell2]

The wine card is worth the money if you are a big wine drinker. It took four of us use up our little wine card and there were times when we really didn't want the wine. The same was true of the coffee and signature cocktail cards. We had all three last week in Alaska. The cocktail card is the most limited. I think that you're better off just getting something to drink when you really want it. Remember...you can't use them everywhere.

[Jemima]

Remember...you can't use them everywhere.

 

I understood they were good all over the ship. We used our soda card various places. I used my wine card in the dining room, but could have used it elsewhere.

All the cards cost less than the same number of drinks and are convenient. We liked the soda card even though it is for a glass of soda rather than a can. The wine card was also good except in took me a whole 17 day cruise to use the card. I've never had service problems because of the card.

[innlady1]

I had a 20 glass wine card on the Noordam last February and was able to use it all over the ship...or at least, where I tried. In the dining room, in the lounges, in the Lido and the Lido pool area. I was never "turned down!"

 

It's OK wine...similar to a house wine in a restaurant. The Pinot Grigio was better than the Chardonnay, IMO.

 

I have to check my passport case and see if it's still there...I didn't finish it either! If I can find it, I'll try it again in February...and will let you know!;)

[Krazy Kruizers]

We had the wine card for Feb/Mar cruises - it was okay. Pinot Grigio was not an option at that time.

 

One thing we noticed -- some of the wine stewards poured decent glasses of wine - nearly full to the top of the glass -- all the glaases that our wine steward served were only half full.

[jtl513]

I understood they were good all over the ship.

 

I had a 20 glass wine card on the Noordam last February and was able to use it all over the ship...or at least, where I tried.

I didn't try it, but I was told that they can't be used in the Pinnacle Grill.

 

Our wine card was a gift, purchased on-line. When I handed the wine steward an envelope on our last night, the last two glasses became free (no-punch)!

[Seavoyage]

Thank you everyone for your input - that helped a lot. Happy Cruising!

Is anyone going on the Zuiderdam - November 24th from Ft. Lauderdale?

[JimVrhovac]

As Ruth likes a glass occasionally it is worth it for us. Thank everyone for the information.

 

Ruth & Jim

[Cruisin Kay D]

Do they still offer WINE PACKAGES?? (4-6-8 Bottles of wine for a certain price?)

[jtl513]

Do they still offer WINE PACKAGES?? (4-6-8 Bottles of wine for a certain price?)

Not 4-6-8, just 3 or 5:

3 bottle Wine Navigator, Navigator's Choice $102.35

5 bottle Wine Navigator, Navigator's Choice $171.35

3 bottle Wine Navigator, Admiral's Choice $135.70

5 bottle Wine Navigator, Admiral's Choice $228.85

 

Those prices include the 15% service charge. I have no idea if the wine that they select for you are "worth the price".

[billsrobb]

With the wine card can you get Cabernet? If you get a wine steward that pours a half glass can you say how about more or do you get a dirty look???

Robb

[jtl513]

With the wine card can you get Cabernet?

Yes.

House pouring Wine Card for 20 glasses

This wine card is valid for 20 glasses of house pouring wine which includes Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, White Zinfandel and Sparkling Wine.

If you get a wine steward that pours a half glass can you say how about more or do you get a dirty look???

I don't know ... it didn't happen to us.

[LoyHAL]

Just used a wine card for the first time on our last cruise. It worked great. The wine is usually the same that your TA often orders for your stateroom. Not bad -- and not overpriced either!

 

We especially liked the option of having sparkling wine without having a whole bottle. It was just fine.

 

We used to buy the wine package when boarding, but found some of the wines on the package were just marked up too much.

 

The card is a nice option, and I'll be looking forward to posts regarding using an un-completed one on a future cruise.

LoyHAL

[catl331]

I had a gift wine card on the Statendam in Sept. We also had a gift Pinnacle Grill dinner. I had tasty Cabernet there but it wasn't part of the offer on the card. Later that week I had Cabernet in dining room via the card and it wasn't the best.:( This may be different on each ship or even different on each cruise. Such is life!

[Bluebobway]

have you considered bringing your own wine onboard? I've done this on my previous HAL cruises. I was surprised to find that not many passengers on previous cruises knew about this.

 

According to Guest Services, having spoken to them about this as recently as 2 weeks ago, you may bring aboard as much wine or champagne as you like. If you open it in your cabin yourself, there is no 'corking' fee. If you choose to take it to the dining room, the fee applies.

 

This way I get the wine I prefer and it sure saves alot in bar charges over the 10 days. Makes the trip back to the cabin to refill, well worth it.

 

I'll be taking a mixed case of champagne and wine on my Dec. 11 cruise. Maybe two!

 

Blue

[DavidJ]

Can more than one person use the card. As an example, can your travel partner use the card if the original purchaser is not there? Can you pick up two or more glasses of wine at one visit?

[jtl513]

Can more than one person use the card. As an example, can your travel partner use the card if the original purchaser is not there? Can you pick up two or more glasses of wine at one visit?

Yes and yes. You can get multiple glasses at once. No difference to stewards.

[jjb415]

One positive aspect of the Wine Card that, I think, has not been mentioned is your ability to drink at different paces with people who also have more developed wine tastes. We had a group of 10 on a Westerdam sailing that drank different wines and at different paces. Having the card, got rid of those awkward moments in deciding who was going to split which wine with whom at the table and who wanted to spend much more on a bottle of wine.

[DavidJ]

Yes and yes. You can get multiple glasses at once. No difference to stewards.

 

Wow! Quick response and many thanks for it. That makes the various berverage cards more attractive.

[guy44134]

Yes.

House pouring Wine Card for 20 glasses

This wine card is valid for 20 glasses of house pouring wine which includes Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, White Zinfandel and Sparkling Wine.

I don't know ... it didn't happen to us.

 

Anyone know what kind of house sparkling wine they serve & is it decent? I'm a big "bubble head" but don't want a really cheapo, gassy sparkler (e.g. Cooks, or Andre). A respectable California sparkler (Chandon, Mumm) or Chateau Ste. Michelle (Washington) or even Jacob's Creek sparkling would be quite acceptable.

[Boytjie]

Anyone know what kind of house sparkling wine they serve & is it decent? I'm a big "bubble head" but don't want a really cheapo, gassy sparkler (e.g. Cooks, or Andre). A respectable California sparkler (Chandon, Mumm) or Chateau Ste. Michelle (Washington) or even Jacob's Creek sparkling would be quite acceptable.

 

I don't remember what they poured but is was OK.

[LoyHAL]

It wasn't fantastic, but I managed to drink several glasses during the week we were cruising!