And they wonder why they are not selling much wine at dinner.A friend of mine who has a retail wine store for some 15 years told me that the largest mark up will be on the less expensive wines. Based on your comments this is certainly true.
__________________
Carnival Splendor sailing Jan. 31 2009 All 3 legs 49 days
And they wonder why they are not selling much wine at dinner.A friend of mine who has a retail wine store for some 15 years told me that the largest mark up will be on the less expensive wines. Based on your comments this is certainly true.
I can remember back in the olden days (about 30 years ago) a restaurant critic in the Los Angeles area; his name slips my mind, saying, if wine is marked up more than double forget it and stick with water... We all know on ships it can be as much as 4 or 5 times mark up...One of the biggest decisions we have to make, when cruising is: whether we want to bring our own on and pay corkage or bite the bullet and order from the ship...
All three packages contain, at best, mediocre to average wines. Absolutely nothing special or noteworthy. No, I am not a wine snob, but I did work professionally in the wine industry for 15 years, mostly as an educator/importer.Don't get me wrong....there is nothing wrong with drinking and enjoying these particular wines, but for me they simply induce a large yawn.Happy sailing to all.
My husband and I have been bringing our own wines onto the HAL ships and pay the corkage fee which is $15. It still works out less expensive than HAL prices and we get to drink what we like. We are not wine snobs but enjoy a nice bottle of wine. The wine stewards are always intrigued by our choices.
I assume you all realize you can bring all the wine you can drink on . Corkage fees in dining room of course. If you embark in Fort Lauderdale you can preorder your wines from TOTALWINE.com, which is near port and pick up in taxi on way to ship. Total has most extensive selection down here.Great wine source.
If anyone is interested here are the Wine Packages which were on my last HAL cruise in December. (just in case you don't want to lug your own onboard. Make that Jan 2010.
The list stays the same most of the time. I used this post on Cruise Critic.
NAVIGATOR’S CHOICE
WHITES
Robert Mondavi Private Selection – Riesling CA
Monkey Bay Chardonnay – New Zealand
Caliterra Chardonnay – Chile
Danzante Pino Grigio – Italy
Blackstone Sauvignon Blanc – CA
REDS
Ravenswood Zinfandel – CA
Sylvester Kiara Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon – CA
Three Blaind Moose Cabernet Sauvignon – CA
Frescobaldi Remole – Italy
Veramonte Merlot – Chile
Twin Fin Shiraz – CA
Laboure-Poi Pinot Noir – France
WHITES
Four Emus Chardonnay – Australia
Columbia Winery Gewurztraminer – WA
Estancia Pinot Grigio – CA
Silverado Sauvignon Blanc – Napa, CA
Franciscan Chardonnay – Napa, CA
Laboure-Roi, Macon Villages – France
REDS
Spellbound Cabernet Sauvignon – CA
Tintara Cabernot Sauvignon – Australia
Mark West Pinot Noir – CA
Frescobaldi Castiglioni Chianti – Italy
Capolan Merlot – Sonoma, CA
Blackstone Syrah – CA