how big are DCL wine pours?

[Lisa F]

I'm trying to evaluate my wine options for my upcoming cruise so I can just make decisions easily on board and it appears as though most bottles are around 4.5 times the cost of a glass.

In my experience, wine by the glass tends to be a pretty generous pour in most restaurants whereas when I buy by the bottle, we get more like 6 glasses out of it because they give pretty small glasses.

Given the math of this, I'm not sure by the bottle makes enough sense to lock me in since I am traveling alone and not sharing with anyone.

Can anyone confirm if the wine pours at DCL are at least 5-6 oz, which would make the math work on by the glass vs. by the bottle?

I'm not looking to justify it down to the last cent but at least get pretty close.

Thanks!

 

[Lisa F]

darn it, can a moderator move this for me? I put it in the wrong place.

@GADisneyDad14

thanks!

 

[GADisneyDad14]

darn it, can a moderator move this for me? I put it in the wrong place.

@GADisneyDad14

thanks!

Lol - there you go.

 

[Lisa F]

Lol - there you go.

obviously I don't need wine by the bottle since I can't even hold my bottled water, apparently!

 

[MomOTwins]

I would estimate they are about a 6 oz pour, so the price is right and a little better if you buy the bottle. But have you looked into the wine package (assuming you have a long enough cruise to do three bottles at least). I found the package is much cheaper per bottle than the individual bottles.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

obviously I don't need wine by the bottle since I can't even hold my bottled water, apparently!

Ha! We have our first cruise scheduled for next year, so I’m curious as to the answer as well!!

 

[Weedy]

Do you know you can carry on two bottles of wine per adult

 

[3 Hobbits 2 Disney]

If you are traveling by yourself and plan to do your ADRs each night, then by the bottle is a better financial deal. If you are going to enjoy different meals with a variety of flavors, then by the glass gives you the opportunity for better pairing. However if you are a “red” girl or “white” then I would invest in the best bottle you like and drink that til you need another bottle. Enjoy!

 

[Lisa F]

I would estimate they are about a 6 oz pour, so the price is right and a little better if you buy the bottle. But have you looked into the wine package (assuming you have a long enough cruise to do three bottles at least). I found the package is much cheaper per bottle than the individual bottles.

well if the pours are 6 oz and the glass price is less than 1/4 the bottle price then it is more worth it to get it by the glass than by the bottle than the other way around (not counting the wine package). I thought the wine packages were not worth it unless you picked the most expensive bottles but I should recheck that.

Do you know you can carry on two bottles of wine per adult

yes but then I'd have to pay corkage in the dining room.

If you are traveling by yourself and plan to do your ADRs each night, then by the bottle is a better financial deal. If you are going to enjoy different meals with a variety of flavors, then by the glass gives you the opportunity for better pairing. However if you are a “red” girl or “white” then I would invest in the best bottle you like and drink that til you need another bottle. Enjoy!

It doesn't seem like it is, unless my math is wrong! But regardless I would probably drink less overall by the glass, which is not a bad thing (and sometimes I like to have a cocktail instead). I am neither a red or a white girl, I have some favorites of both but I could definitely go for the pairing. Checking the menus to see if they have suggestions.

 

[kiford]

If you are traveling by yourself and plan to do your ADRs each night, then by the bottle is a better financial deal. If you are going to enjoy different meals with a variety of flavors, then by the glass gives you the opportunity for better pairing.

This is what we do. DH and I don't always want the same wine and and since we both usually want something that pairs with whatever we're eating by the glass works much better for us, completely outside of pricing. I've found that the size is perfectly appropriate for dinner so I'm guessing that they're probably at least 6 oz.

 

[tvguy]

My first advise (or question) for people considering a wine package is, just how much wine to you expect to consume? And what wines are included, or specifically which wines are excluded? We bought wine a la carte on Disney, bought 4 bottles over 7 days, 1 of those was Champagne for New Year's Eve. 3 of the 4 wines we bought were not included on the wine package list. We spent $20 less than the closest wine package would have cost. But this was 2003/2004.
Now, I am just back (yesterday) from a week long cruise on Celebrity and we went a la carte for wine there too. A bottle lasted us 2 dinners. We bought 2 bottles, and then the 3 other nights we bought a glass of wine each. Much cheaper, but, we don't have multiple glasses of wine any more, one glass a night is enough.

 

[susan4875]

The pours are pretty standard. I don’t remember thinking they are generous or stingy. When we’ve done a wine package, I feel like the server is pouring to have the bottle finished by the end of dinner. You can decline and ask it to be corked for the next night but it seemed like we were served to finish the bottle (topped off throughout the dinner) That’s too much for me so we do by the glass now, even if we want the same wine.

 

[smmco]

You are better off getting a wine package and having them save whatever you don't drink. It's not so much that the pours are small, but the price per glass is ridiculous.

 

[mousefan73]

A lot less than I pour at home lol! In our region a bottle of wine is 3 glasses 250ml. Which I understand for the US almost a double. This is why Inhate spending money on wine while in the states. i feel cheated.

 

[cinderbear]

It’s a 4oz pour, so pretty stingy because they try to get 6 glasses out of a bottle.
A bottle of wine is much more cost effective in my opinion. Bring your own bottles of wine as you can bring 2 per person onboard.

 

[ladyofthetramp]

The pour seems standard to me. We buy a package or a bottle. With the package if I want a white to go with my dinner and my husband wants a red, you can open both and save the rest. Or even take it back to your cabin. We tend to buy a package smaller than the length of our cruise- 3 or 4 night package for a 7 or 8 day cruise, for instance. If we finish that, we can always buy a bottle or a glass for the last meal or so. You can always bring your own wine, but you will pay the corkage fee if you bring the bottle to the dinning room.

 

[Lisa F]

It’s a 4oz pour, so pretty stingy because they try to get 6 glasses out of a bottle.
A bottle of wine is much more cost effective in my opinion. Bring your own bottles of wine as you can bring 2 per person onboard.

That is what I was trying to figure out - because I have been at restaurants, purchased a bottle with my boyfriend for more than 4x the cost of a glass, and then seen glasses go by with pours that looked huge to me - we were given tiny glasses to make it last, but their glasses were twice as big and filled 3/4 of the way. Seemed like getting the whole bottle was not a no-brainer.

If the pours are 6oz which seems to be a standard bar pour in many places, it is more worth it by the glass on DCL. if 4oz then obviously not. I have attempted to portion wine out at home and a 4 oz pour is not a whole lot!

The pours are pretty standard. I don’t remember thinking they are generous or stingy. When we’ve done a wine package, I feel like the server is pouring to have the bottle finished by the end of dinner. You can decline and ask it to be corked for the next night but it seemed like we were served to finish the bottle (topped off throughout the dinner) That’s too much for me so we do by the glass now, even if we want the same wine.

That was not my experience with my mom when we shared a bottle and I would hope a server would not be plying a single mother with an entire bottle of wine in one sitting! I mean he may have asked if we wanted more and we just said no, it was fine - finished it the next evening.

A lot less than I pour at home lol! In our region a bottle of wine is 3 glasses 250ml. Which I understand for the US almost a double. This is why Inhate spending money on wine while in the states. i feel cheated.

lol I hear you about at home.. and an almost empty glass makes me sad so I am always topping off!

My first advise (or question) for people considering a wine package is, just how much wine to you expect to consume? And what wines are included, or specifically which wines are excluded? We bought wine a la carte on Disney, bought 4 bottles over 7 days, 1 of those was Champagne for New Year's Eve. 3 of the 4 wines we bought were not included on the wine package list. We spent $20 less than the closest wine package would have cost. But this was 2003/2004.
Now, I am just back (yesterday) from a week long cruise on Celebrity and we went a la carte for wine there too. A bottle lasted us 2 dinners. We bought 2 bottles, and then the 3 other nights we bought a glass of wine each. Much cheaper, but, we don't have multiple glasses of wine any more, one glass a night is enough.

this is the thing for me. I am alone. I will probably not consume more than half a bottle a day TOTAL which is say 4 bottles over 7 days and if I bring two, that leaves two. So do I buy a couple of bottles (I like both white and red and would pair with food) in the MDR and have them rotate through depending on what I am eating or do I just buy what I feel like when I feel like it? I'm thinking the wine package would be too much for me. I can handle 1-2 glasses at most with a meal. I also sometimes prefer a cocktail. So that's why I'm thinking by the glass might be a better option overall for me, but I am also a bargain hunter. I also would not feel compelled to finish a bottle at any point either.

 

[tvguy]

this is the thing for me. I am alone. I will probably not consume more than half a bottle a day TOTAL which is say 4 bottles over 7 days and if I bring two, that leaves two. So do I buy a couple of bottles (I like both white and red and would pair with food) in the MDR and have them rotate through depending on what I am eating or do I just buy what I feel like when I feel like it? I'm thinking the wine package would be too much for me. I can handle 1-2 glasses at most with a meal. I also sometimes prefer a cocktail. So that's why I'm thinking by the glass might be a better option overall for me, but I am also a bargain hunter. I also would not feel compelled to finish a bottle at any point either.

Yeah, as we have aged we have moved from drinking more wine, to drinking better wine. One glass is enough for us.

 

[kiford]

Yeah, as we have aged we have moved from drinking more wine, to drinking better wine. One glass is enough for us.

This is also one of the advantages of not buying the wine package - there are far more options because the wine package is limited to a few different ones in the same price range. Obviously if you buy an entire bottle not on the wine package, you have wider options, but if you don't feel like drinking the whole thing even if it's over a couple of dinners, you aren't stuck with it. While some of the by-the-glass options are going to be pricier, it's not a given that every one you order will be. Because of this, it's hard to say which is less expensive unless you know in advance which wines you will want to drink.

 

[tvguy]

This is also one of the advantages of not buying the wine package - there are far more options because the wine package is limited to a few different ones in the same price range. Obviously if you buy an entire bottle not on the wine package, you have wider options, but if you don't feel like drinking the whole thing even if it's over a couple of dinners, you aren't stuck with it. While some of the by-the-glass options are going to be pricier, it's not a given that every one you order will be. Because of this, it's hard to say which is less expensive unless you know in advance which wines you will want to drink.

True. And I want to modify my post. We don't necessarily drink better wines now, we drink wines we LIKE better. I hate when people classify a wine as better. It may be different, and you may like it better, but what you like is all that matters in my book. Maybe I should have said we are better educated on what wines we will like than we were 40 years ago.