On a recent post on the HAL bds, someone posted the wine list, and to tell you the truth I was surprised. Hubby does not really drink at all, and I enjoy my Beringers white zin on a cruise. I usually have 2 bottles, in the dining room for the week. My shock was, over the cost of this inexpensive wine onboard, $33.75 a bottle...On the Conquest last year, I think we paid around the $22-25 figure.. We all know how much revenue, the ships take in from liquor....but boy oh boy!
Is there a point when, they will out price your desire? To dig your heels, and say highway robbery? If you really enjoy wine, and, buy top level, I can imagine that would be that much $$$$ as well, so if you enjoy many bottles during your cruise, it would be quite costly.....A justified delight at any price, or would you modify your selections, or just say nope?
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On a recent post on the HAL bds, someone posted the wine list, and to tell you the truth I was surprised. Hubby does not really drink at all, and I enjoy my Beringers white zin on a cruise. I usually have 2 bottles, in the dining room for the week. My shock was, over the cost of this inexpensive wine onboard, $33.75 a bottle...On the Conquest last year, I think we paid around the $22-25 figure.. We all know how much revenue, the ships take in from liquor....but boy oh boy!
Is there a point when, they will out price your desire? To dig your heels, and say highway robbery? If you really enjoy wine, and, buy top level, I can imagine that would be that much $$$$ as well, so if you enjoy many bottles during your cruise, it would be quite costly.....A justified delight at any price, or would you modify your selections, or just say nope?
Trip;
The cut off for us is around $80 for a bottle of wine but we rarely go that high. I can't drink hardly any so it's for my wife and she enjoys sweet swill and often a Riesling, Gewürztraminer or pinot will suffice.
The problem with any wine that you buy onboard a cruise ship or at a restaurant is that there is a significant mark up. This is where restaurants and cruise ships make their money. The mark up can be up to 400% +. I can buy a bottle of a cheap, but decent, Mouton Cadet for about $8.00 near my home but it will sell for around $30 - $40 on a cruise ship.
I have noticed the trend that wine prices are rising on cruise ships. A good bottle of wine could be had for $20 just a year or two ago but on our last three cruises it was more like $35 or $40 on Celebrity, NCL and Azamara; with Azamara being the lesser.
If you want wine, order it. You're on vacation and there is someone else driving.
Take care,
Mike
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We occationally enjoy wine if we visit a relatively upscale restaurant and that would include the beautiful restaurants aboard ship such as on the Explorer of the Seas. That being said, I would never, were I even to be wealthy, pay the prices cruise lines are asking for even the average bottle of wine (Beringer White Zinfandel being a favorite of ours as well). The cost of a bottle of wine aboard ship is absurd.
I really like not having to worry about the cost of wine. I usually stay with my favorite Cabernet Shiraz blend from Australia but will try other reds. Arlene will occasionally have a glass of Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio. With wine (and other liquor) included in fare, you don't have to worry about it. In the old days when drinks were included with dinner but not in bars, I usually left the restaurant with a full glass of wine; those red wine glasses sure hold a lot.
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On a recent post on the HAL bds, someone posted the wine list, and to tell you the truth I was surprised. Hubby does not really drink at all, and I enjoy my Beringers white zin on a cruise. I usually have 2 bottles, in the dining room for the week. My shock was, over the cost of this inexpensive wine onboard, $33.75 a bottle...On the Conquest last year, I think we paid around the $22-25 figure.. We all know how much revenue, the ships take in from liquor....but boy oh boy!
Is there a point when, they will out price your desire? To dig your heels, and say highway robbery? If you really enjoy wine, and, buy top level, I can imagine that would be that much $$$$ as well, so if you enjoy many bottles during your cruise, it would be quite costly.....A justified delight at any price, or would you modify your selections, or just say nope?
Holy moly that is expensive that wine is $8.00 a bottle at the winery. $12 for the sparkling version. Check it out. http://www.beringer.com/beringer/cat...sp?cat_id=1055 no wonder they charge such a high corkage fee if you bring it in. They are trying to cover the $25.75 difference bewteen the acutal cost of the wine and what they charge. You want me to go over to napa and buy you a couple of bottles. I live to close to wineries to be paying that for a bottle of wine. I cruise Carnival and they let you bring your own bottle on board. I would do that.
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I have only bought a bottle one time for a special occasion and it was marked up like 60%. It's just too expensive onboard so I will never do it again. Perhaps if they lowered the prices a bit, they would sell more, thereby making more in the end.
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Ah yes,,,the lovely Mrs. Jones (Vita) being Italian, loves her wine, so we usually go through several bottles on a cruise. She goes for a nice Chardonnay. or Pino Grigio, and yes, I've noticed the price spiking up a bit. For me,,,I'm a man of good taste, and Mad Dog 20/20 or Boones Farm will do O.K. I'd imagine the price of that preminum stuff has gone up too,,,,probably $10 a magnum by now.....
Since I´m back in school, after working for 10 years, $10000 is almost what I get in a year!!!
$10000 is for two since I´m paying for my girlfriend too, she deserves that! I spend money I saved during my working years!
$10000 may seem much but only the planetickets cost a little more than $1500/each this time, our cruise cost around $2500/each, then there is hotell before the cruise, some train tickets, insurence.... Not to mention drinks, wine, etc. during the cruise! I doubt that $10000 will be enough!
Since I´m back in school, after working for 10 years, $10000 is almost what I get in a year!!!
$10000 is for two since I´m paying for my girlfriend too, she deserves that! I spend money I saved during my working years!
$10000 may seem much but only the planetickets cost a little more than $1500/each this time, our cruise cost around $2500/each, then there is hotell before the cruise, some train tickets, insurence.... Not to mention drinks, wine, etc. during the cruise! I doubt that $10000 will be enough!
You should come cruise out of California and stop by Napa Valley on your way to Long Beach/Los Angeles/San Francisco/ San Diego. We can get you some good wine for the cruise and save you a couple of bucks. Ever been to Alaska? You can do an 11 day cruise out of San Francisco that is fairly close to Napa about a 90 minutes drive if not during rush hour.
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Our next cruise is from Dover, England, in 41 days so the wines will be a little expensive if I shall pick them up in California first!
I agree that some great wines are made in Napa Valley so if I ever cruise from California it could be good to bring some wine, if we were allowed to bring them on the ship...!
Our next cruise is from Dover, England, in 41 days so the wines will be a little expensive if I shall pick them up in California first!
I agree that some great wines are made in Napa Valley so if I ever cruise from California it could be good to bring some wine, if we were allowed to bring them on the ship...!
That sounds like a great trip. Have a blast, some day you will have to come to California I think you would like it here. The Napa Valley is so pretty with the grapes on the vines. May and June are good time of year to come for a visit.
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Not to sound completely ignorant, but what does 88-point mean? Is that on a scale of 1 to 100?
Is Willamette Valley's 88-point rating a good one? And how does it compare with the Napa pinots?
I'm curious, because from what I've read, the Oregon pinots rate fairly highly.
different publications do wine rating so of the better know are
- Wine Spectator, Wine Enthusiast, Wines & Spirits, Steven Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate, Connoisseurs Guide and The Wine News. I like Wine Spectator:
Following is Wine Spectator's 100-Point Scale and what it indicates:
95-100 -- Classic; a great wine
90-94 -- Outstanding; superior character and style
80-89 -- Good to very good; wine with special qualities
70-79 -- Average; drinkable wine that may have minor flaws
60-69 -- Below average; drinkable but not recommended
50-59 -- Poor; undrinkable, not recommended
The 95-100 point wines are far out of my price range. So I look near the 90 point range. A 88 point wine is one I would try. Different years and Different Publications have different points. Wine and Sprints give your Pinot Noir 2006 a 90 point rating. The Pinot Gris 2006 got a 90 and a 93 point rating. Wine Com is a great site of wine ratings, Bev Mo also shows wine ratings.Here is a link to the Oregon wine section.http://www.wine.com/v6/Oregon/learnabout.aspx?region=1 Here is the California section http://www.wine.com/v6/California/le....aspx?region=2 Even with all this wine rating stuff the best way to pick a wine is to go to a some wineries do so wine tasting and pick out what you like regardless of rating.
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Thank you very much for that info! Very interesting.
So I see that Willamette Valley scored fairly high -- sounds like you should give it a try.
Rates are rates my favorite is to go wine tasting. I will pick up a bottle of Willimette Valley. I also have katlady's own sparkling wine that is ready of me to sample. My dad is portuguese living in California and I have a white wine grape growing in the backyard. So I do have my own wine. The year on this wine is 2006, no rating.(the birds ate the 2007 grapes ). We had a lot of fires and I hope the smoke didn't ruin the favor of the 2008. I have bird scare tape on the wine this year.
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We probably only saw touristthings, we mostly stayed there because the way to Hawaii should have been too long otherwise! The cablecars felt less than a touristthing than I thought they would!
We ate seafood which tasted well but it was most likely on a restaurant for tourists since it was on Pier 39!
Next time you come down stay a little long. Walk across the golden gate bridge and head to Sausalito. Sausalito has alot of artist and craft people.Then spend a day in Napa and wine taste. Shoot in you price range I could plan a nice vacation. There are very good seafood restuarants near Pier 39. I also like the shrimp cocktail in the little fish stands. I have a co-worker that grew up in San Franciscio he would knew the best restuarant. I like the Dim Sum restuarant call Yank Sing http://yanksing.com/our-cuisine/deem...ery/index.html or go to little Italy/North Beach Stinking Rose http://www.thestinkingrose.com/photos.htm#
Boy that looks good.
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Whining About Wine
You want me to go over to napa and buy you a couple of bottles. 
I live to close to wineries to be paying that for a bottle of wine. I cruise Carnival and they let you bring your own bottle on board. I would do that.
I'd imagine the price of that preminum stuff has gone up too,,,,probably $10 a magnum by now..... 
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