If you are a serious wine fan, your favorite cruise line wants you onboard. Let us add plenty of cruise lines you have never sailed before. They want you on board. If you open an issue of Wine Spectator magazine you will see ads for cruise lines. If you look at the Wine Spectator issue featuring awards for restaurants with great wine lists, you will see several cruise ships listed. Baby Boomers represent the higher end of everyone’s target audience. They enjoy fine wine and have money to spend. Why should a wine fan like yourself consider a cruise as your next vacation?
- Many cruise lines have great wine lists. One of the easiest ways to search them out is to look at those Wine Spectator This only scratches the surface. Cunard offers a tasting flight of five first growth Bordeaux wines. Not only do they offer top wines by the bottle, they also offer them by the glass, thanks to Coravin technology.
- They pair wine with an elegant dining experience. Different cruise lines have different personalities. If you pick a line that has a bit of formality, you will find dining every night is an elegant experience. They will have a couple of formal nights where the food and dress are taken up a notch.
- Most ships now feature alternative dining options. Suppose you are traveling on a family-themed cruise. This is your family reunion holiday. The dining room seems family themed too. Most ships have refined dining across several cuisines available at an additional surcharge. They should have fine wine selections to manage the cuisine.
- You should be able to bring your own wine. The fine print or FAQs on your cruise line’s website might mention you can bring along a bottle or two to celebrate a special occasion. When in port you should be able to do the same, especially if you have visited a winery on a shore excursion. They don’t want you arriving with a case on your shoulder. If you did, it would likely be held for you in the hold until you disembark. Expect a modest corkage charge at your table.
- Expect they will have the proper stemware. The stemware in the dining room should be reasonable quality. If you order a special bottle off their wine list, your wine steward may bring special glassware.
- You can choose to dine in your stateroom. Some ships let you order from the dinner menu, while enjoying the meal in your stateroom. This can be very romantic, especially if you have a balcony. There should also be a room service menu in your cabin.
- Some ships offer wine as an inclusive benefit. The fine wine fan might be sniffy about this benefit. How good could it be? They can always buy a bottle off the formal wine list. Bear in mind your cruise line likely has a purchasing operation that spans the globe. They might get deals you only dream about.
- Many ships have wine themed events. Major cruise line we have recently sailed have a lunch and learn event. Our favorite is on Cunard. This includes four or five courses. They are often paired with eight or nine wines and last about 2.5 hours. This is often the best $80 I will spend on the cruise.
- Some cruises are wine themed. Some cruise lines feature a celebrity chef on certain cruises. Others feature famous winemakers. These target an audience. One of the unexpected benefits is you will be surrounded by like-minded people.
- If you visit a wine region, the shore excursions should be fantastic. If your ship calls in Bordeaux or Tuscany, you should be in luck. They will likely have one or two shore excursions to famous vineyards that are on your wish list. They supply the transportation. It’s a turnkey operation.
- There is no sales tax at sea. This is a silent benefit you should not ignore. Unlike dining out at home, you do not have state sales tax added to your bill. The tipping might be automatic, but you still have savings.
- If you are visiting wine regions, you can plan your own itinerary. When we visited Bordeaux with Azamara we discovered the shore excursion to the famous vineyards was sold out. We booked appointments ourselves. OK, so the taxi far to a small town in the middle of nowhere was expensive! It was a memory of a lifetime.
- You might find hard to find bottles to bring home. There are many small producers in wine regions. Some might sell everything locally. Others might have one or two European counties as their primary market. They don’t export to the U.S. You might find these bottles in a local wineshop or buy them at the winery’s tasting room.
- The delights of the bin end list. Some ships change their wine lists with the seasons. The wines taken off the list reappear on the “bin end list.” These are often priced at closeout prices. The list is not always slipped into the bound wine list. You might have to ask.
If you are a wine fan, a cruise can be a spectacular vacation. It can be the trip of a lifetime.
Editor’s Notes:
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Cover photo credit Bryce Sanders
