A question about the wine & dine packages

[moogiechompy]

Another newbie question so please be kind :o My DH and I are going on our first cruise next month on Independence and these boards have been indespencible for me in planning for it, :) but a few threads around alcohol and soft drinks packages have got me a bit confused.

 

I was about to purchase a wine & dine package for dinner but had a horrible thought that like the cola and juice package it can't / shouldn't be shared between us and I would need to buy a package for both of us (not helped by the website asking me to put names in the to... and from.... fields before the purchase goes through). Can someone let me know if this is the case or if I purchase one package we can happily share a bottle of wine each night with dinner

 

Sorry if this has been covered somewhere before, I had a quick look around before I posted and then kept getting caught up reading other threads :)

 

Claire

[kathanderik]

Hi,

 

You and your husband can share the "wine and dine " package. One of you will get a sticker on your sea pass and you can make your selection at dinner. If you dont finish the bottle at dinner you can take it with you or have the waiter save it for the next nite. Any unused bottles you can take with you at the end of the cruise.

[grayesun]

We've done the wine package twice and enjoyed sharing with our dinner table friends. Any wine not consumed may be corked and returned to your room with you, likewise any unused wine from your package may be taken home (packed up with other liquor purchases works out fine). Not the best selection of wines available, but we discovered the Faustino Rioja which is a realtively inexpensive wine we both enjoyed very much and still indulge in at home. Hope this helps.

[moogiechompy]

brilliant, thank you :)

[beachnative]

mooglechompy...

I would like to share something we do:

We pack a cloth bag...the kind that is purchased cheaply for gift wrapping. The one we have happens to be velvet with a little cloth rope (looks expensive but isn't). We drop a wine stopper in the bag and take both to the dining room if we anticipate wanting to take the remainder of the bottle with us. I just makes us feel a little better when walking through the ship. When we have carried the wine with us to the theater the waiters there have supplied us with clean glasses.

[gerif]

Unlike the soda card which is available for unlimited soda for ONE person (like a buffet - each person pays a certain price but only one person can eat for that price and you can't take leftovers), with the wine & dine card you are entitled to X number of bottles - what you do with them is your business (like a regular restaurant - you pay for a specific meal and if you want to give some to your spouse or take the leftovers home, it's yours to do with what you want).

[VegasPinkGirl]

Not the best selection of wines available, but we discovered the Faustino Rioja which is a realtively inexpensive wine we both enjoyed very much and still indulge in at home. Hope this helps.

 

 

Please tell me more about this wine. I'm guessing Rioja is red. Is it comparable to Zinfandal or Cab Sauv? I like to try new wines. Thanks!

[IBookHePays]

mooglechompy...

I would like to share something we do:

We pack a cloth bag...the kind that is purchased cheaply for gift wrapping. The one we have happens to be velvet with a little cloth rope (looks expensive but isn't). We drop a wine stopper in the bag and take both to the dining room if we anticipate wanting to take the remainder of the bottle with us. I just makes us feel a little better when walking through the ship. When we have carried the wine with us to the theater the waiters there have supplied us with clean glasses.

 

That's a very good idea! I have felt a little strange wandering around with a bottle of wine...although it didn't stop me!:D

[traveljen1027]

We've done the wine package twice and enjoyed sharing with our dinner table friends. Any wine not consumed may be corked and returned to your room with you, likewise any unused wine from your package may be taken home (packed up with other liquor purchases works out fine). Not the best selection of wines available, but we discovered the Faustino Rioja which is a realtively inexpensive wine we both enjoyed very much and still indulge in at home. Hope this helps.

 

Will they store any open wine overnight and bring it back out to you for dinner the next? This was our experience on HAL & I'm wondering if it is the same on RCCL - thanks!

[Denise5374]

Can you order a bottle of wine more than once? For example, if you love White zinfadel, can I order a bottle every night, or do I have to have a different wine every night?

[Barb_and_Sean]

You can order the same wine or a different wine every night. As long as it's a wine included in your package, you can order it.

 

We always do the Wine & Dine package and find it works great for us.

[Happy ks]

As long as there are wine selections in your package that you want, you can order the same every night of the week if you wish.

 

We got the wine package once and probably will not again. There was a little bit of savings on the package, but we found the list too limiting. Another party at our table had the package below ours and we tasted one of the reds from that package. Even though we had paid more for our package, they would not allow a "downgrade" in selection. If you are open to chardonnays, merlots and white zinfandel it may work better for you than for us. There were a couple of decent reds, but we really like to try new stuff every night.

 

From now on we'll stick with the wine list each night. We do order a few bottles to be delivered to our cabin as well, it's nice to have a glass of wine before leaving for dinner. Although they don't allow us to bring the bottle to dinner (a corkage fee for wine we already purchased from them :rolleyes: weird), they will cork your wine at dinner and serve it the following evening, no problem at all.

[Denise5374]

Thanks!

[Aprille]

Another party at our table had the package below ours and we tasted one of the reds from that package. Even though we had paid more for our package, they would not allow a "downgrade" in selection.

:confused:

 

There are 3 packages - Gold, Platinum, Diamond. All wines available on the Gold package are available on Platinum and Diamond. All wines available on the Gold and Platinum package are available on Diamond. Each level simply adds a few more selections. So, there should be no problem downgrading. Perhaps you had an extremely inexperienced and/or unknowledgeable waiter???

 

The trick on Platinum and Diamond is to select the wines not available on the lower package(s) to get the most bang for your buck. If you're happy with the selection of Gold, don't bump up. :cool:

[gerif]

Will they store any open wine overnight and bring it back out to you for dinner the next? This was our experience on HAL & I'm wondering if it is the same on RCCL - thanks!

 

Yes - not only that, but even if you were to go to the specialty restaurant one night, they will go fetch your unfinished bottle from the dining room for you.

[Happy ks]

:confused:

 

There are 3 packages - Gold, Platinum, Diamond. All wines available on the Gold package are available on Platinum and Diamond. All wines available on the Gold and Platinum package are available on Diamond. Each level simply adds a few more selections. So, there should be no problem downgrading. Perhaps you had an extremely inexperienced and/or unknowledgeable waiter???

 

The trick on Platinum and Diamond is to select the wines not available on the lower package(s) to get the most bang for your buck. If you're happy with the selection of Gold, don't bump up. :cool:

 

We had the Diamond Package and our tablemates (family) had Platinum and our waiter checked with the head waiter. They said no....I suppose it depends on the person you ask :rolleyes:

[FranksGirl]

I noticed that there is also a wine celler area on the gifts selection for RCCI. My understanding of the order form is that you can have the wine sent to your cabin vs. drinking it only at dinner. Anyone have more info on this? I would not mind getting a package or few bottles to have during the entire trip, not just for dinner. FYI, we had an experience with another cruise line where they could not find our unfinished bottle of wine for the following nights dinner.:confused: Since my DH does not like to ask questions or bring attention to an issue, I kept my mouth shut and did not complain to anyone. My suggestion is to take any unfinished bottle of wine back to your cabin so you will be able to drink it whenever you want. :)

[English_in_Spain]

DH and I like to drink wine with meals and we find compared with home that wines on a cruise ship are VERY expensive.

 

Would we save very much by buying a package?

 

Also, do we pay for this before we leave home or when we first board the ship.

 

Is the wine only available for dinner or also for lunch?

 

We also like to have a drink before dinner in our cabin, can we pre-pay this also?

 

Oh dear, it sounds like we are alcoholics. We are not - but we are Europeans and we like a glass of wine.

[FMZ]

Do you have to buy the Wine and Dine package prior to cruising or can you reserve onboard? Thank you!!

[BillB48]

You can purchase the package after you board the ship. They will have tables set up in several areas such as the outside the dinning room or up by the Windjammer and you can choose the package you would like at that time. If I'm not mistaken you can only make the purchase the day of sailing, so don't put it off until the following day!

 

From Vegas....

"Please tell me more about this wine. I'm guessing Rioja is red. Is it comparable to Zinfandal or Cab Sauv? I like to try new wines. Thanks!"

 

Yes, it's a red, I found it to be similar to a Pinot Noir.

[critterchick]

You can buy the package from your waiter in the dining room, at least on the ships we've been on - they now have the Wine & Dine brochure on the table along with the wine list. And I think you can now buy it any time during the cruise.:)

[sarh]

We just got back from IOS - yes you can just buy it from your waiter and we signed up the second day. We went for the middle one as husband likes the Faustino rioja, but I had a nice Pinot Grigio and some organic off it.