Wine package on 7 nt sailings

[DISNEYFAN3260]

I'm sorry for posting a new thread because I know I've seen this answered in the past but can't find it....I'm still not very good at searching these boards!

Question 1: Can you buy a wine package for fewer nights than your total sailing? I have only purchased the package once before, and it was for the same number of nights as our sailing. We found we switched to mixed drinks occasionally or just iced tea and had a hard time using all our bottles and we couldn't take them home easily because we were traveling by air - I think we ended up giving away a bottle to another table! Not a big deal, but I'm hoping we can buy a 3 or 4 night package instead this time? We did enjoy having wine on "standby" and being able to take what we didn't drink at dinner back to our room for later that evening, so I'm glad to do the package again if I don't have to commit to 7 bottles.

Second question, we're wine drinkers but not experts. Do you find for the brands available in the packages that it's a reasonable value? I remember you can upgrade to premium packages too for some nicer bottles. Overall is the price no worse than buying bottles at any other restaurant markup?

Thanks for any advice!

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

Yes you can buy any package it doesn't need to tie in to the cruise length.

The wine packages are good value up to 25% off now yes like any restaurant the prices are higher than a shop direct but they are a good value.

You cannot beat it by buying a bottle night by night. In the long ago past you could only beat it by buying Cider ( every night) but that was withdrawn years back.

Compared to restaurants they do represent good value, and bringing in any wine to any MDR will result in a corkage fee and it may be warm so the alternative is not very good.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

I'm sorry for posting a new thread because I know I've seen this answered in the past but can't find it....I'm still not very good at searching these boards!

Question 1: Can you buy a wine package for fewer nights than your total sailing? I have only purchased the package once before, and it was for the same number of nights as our sailing. We found we switched to mixed drinks occasionally or just iced tea and had a hard time using all our bottles and we couldn't take them home easily because we were traveling by air - I think we ended up giving away a bottle to another table! Not a big deal, but I'm hoping we can buy a 3 or 4 night package instead this time? We did enjoy having wine on "standby" and being able to take what we didn't drink at dinner back to our room for later that evening, so I'm glad to do the package again if I don't have to commit to 7 bottles.

Second question, we're wine drinkers but not experts. Do you find for the brands available in the packages that it's a reasonable value? I remember you can upgrade to premium packages too for some nicer bottles. Overall is the price no worse than buying bottles at any other restaurant markup?

Thanks for any advice!

Yes, you can purchase a package for fewer nights than your sailing. Your serving team will either store the bottle for you and serve it again the next night or you can take it back to your room to enjoy in your stateroom.

 

[Four Swampers]

On the Disney ships, you can buy a wine package, either classic or premium, which results in paying less for the wine than if you purchased those bottles individually during the cruise. Of course, you still pay a premium versus retail in a store, just like you would at any restaurant. While you can purchase the wine package prior to sailing, it is very easy to purchase onboard. Indeed, many people will be approaching you on embarkation day to sell you the wine package, and you can buy it at any point during your cruise from your servers. I always buy from my main dining room (MDR) servers so that they get the credit for the sale.


Note that although the packages say “Day,” as in “Three Day” package, “Four Day” package, etc, they truly mean “Bottle.” You do NOT have to buy the same number package as the number of days of your cruise. For example, you can buy a “Three Day” package on a 7 night cruise. You can buy a “Seven Day” package on a three or four night cruise. Disney wants you to buy wine, so they are happy to sell it to you any way you want.


In the MDR or at Palo, you can choose from the list each night to match what you want for dinner. Any leftover wine can be stored for use tomorrow at your next restaurant, even if tomorrow will be Palo, or you can take the bottle with you to your room. Also, you can order any number of bottles any night. Want a bottle of red and two bottles of white with dinner tonight? No problem.


The wine packages are very flexible and easily purchased onboard, where you can have your questions answered by your server or any other cast member.

 

[jjgarv]

Can anyone point me to a wine list/prices for the MDRs? I can easily find what is available on the wine packages, but I can't find a wine list/prices for the other wines on board the Fantasy.

Thanks!

 

[Maggie'sMom]

Can anyone point me to a wine list/prices for the MDRs? I can easily find what is available on the wine packages, but I can't find a wine list/prices for the other wines on board the Fantasy.

Thanks!

I have never been able to find one online. Like you, I could only find the list for the wine package. If I'd been thinking about it, I would have taken a picture of it when I was on my cruise in June.

 

[MunFam]

I don't recall ever actually SEEING a wine list in the MDR (like a by the glass wine menu). Just the few drinks that went with the specialty meal of the night listed on the menu. We drank like fish on our cruise and our dining team knew it, so I am sure they would have brought it each night if there was one...and we were on board 15 days.

 

[tinkerone]

not sure how old this picture is but this is the list I have seen.

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q...389&thid=JN.30dNV0Ngf4fg31c8WAA0KA&ajaxhist=0

 

[Maggie'sMom]

I don't recall ever actually SEEING a wine list in the MDR (like a by the glass wine menu). Just the few drinks that went with the specialty meal of the night listed on the menu. We drank like fish on our cruise and our dining team knew it, so I am sure they would have brought it each night if there was one...and we were on board 15 days.

There is one. I had to request it each time I wanted it. It was one irritation I had with our assistant server. I always read how servers got to know what you like to drink and have it available when you arrive at the MDR. The assistant server did that with my DD. He always had chocolate milk waiting for her, but I had to ask for the wine list each night. I thought after the first couple nights of me requesting it, he'd just have it at the table every night for me, but that never happened.

 

[hubbard53]

We too switch between cocktails and wine so buy a 5 night package for our 7 night cruises. Last year I priced out the cost of wine (retail) versus packages and the best value was the premium - good wines at a sometimes less than retail price.

 

[Pens Fan]

There is one. I had to request it each time I wanted it. It was one irritation I had with our assistant server. I always read how servers got to know what you like to drink and have it available when you arrive at the MDR. The assistant server did that with my DD. He always had chocolate milk waiting for her, but I had to ask for the wine list each night. I thought after the first couple nights of me requesting it, he'd just have it at the table every night for me, but that never happened.

The wine list they initially offered us on the first night was just the wine package list. We, too, had to ask for the complete list. We also sometimes ordered a bottle of wine from room service to enjoy on our balcony for sail away as we would leave a port. We were at guest services for something else early in the cruise and mentioned that it would be nice to have a wine list in the room. In a couple of hours one appeared. I thought about bringing it home with me, but decided to leave it in the drawer for the next guest (assuming the room steward didn't take it away). Sometimes I think they are so intent on selling the packages, that they don't want guests to have the complete list at their disposal so they can easily do the math and see if it makes sense.

One thing we did notice was on the Magic they had some new wines on both the complete wine list and the wine package. I don't know if that is a fleet wide change or just because we were in Europe. But it was a welcome one for us. We weren't planning on buying the package, but then saw several wines in the premium package we would enjoy and checked the prices to the regular wine list. For us, it made sense and we saved a little money vs. ordering individually in the MDR.

 

[Kimosabe]

We have enjoyed the flexibility of the wine package. Last time, on seven-night cruise, we got a five-night package and ended up still taking a bottle home (after a wine tasting that included a bottle from John Lasseter's vineyard, we saw the same bottle available at Palo and asked if we could pay the difference and just take a bottle of it home, which they were happy to allow). We enjoyed various beverages during the day (drink of the day, tastings, free drinks at the captain's gala in the lobby, etc.), so by dinner time, we might have a glass but not much more than that.

As I recall, the corkage fee for bringing your own bottle into the MDR is $20. If you want definitely want wine with dinner and have a really nice bottle, then perhaps that's fine, but otherwise, it seems a little excessive (even if on par with other nice restaurants). If you want wine on the ship but can live without it during actual dinner time (although I recognize that a proper wine snob would say that a proper pairing of a wine and whatever you're having for dinner is what it's all about), then taking your own is definitely a better value...just enjoy it before or after dinner. Maybe the best value compromise is to order a three-night package so that you'd have something with dinner but then have your own back in the stateroom for pre- and post-dinner (or breakfast or lunch!) enjoyment. Officially, you are not supposed to drink your own alcohol outside of your stateroom, but as long as you're not making a scene, it's really not a rule that is enforced (given that, at any time of the day or night, there are people roaming the ship with drinks).