Introduction: Our Panama Canal Cruise on Oceania Sirena
How to Save Money on an Oceania Cruises Sailing
Oceania Cruises Fleet Explained
Delta First Class Review Atlanta (ATL) to Panama City (PTY)
Westin Playa Bonita Panama Pre-Cruise Hotel Review
Panama Canal Marriott Bonvoy Hotel Options Ranked
Panama Canal New Cruise Terminal Still a Work in Progress
Boarding a Cruise Ship During a Norovirus Outbreak
Oceania Cruises Sirena Vista Suite 6003 Review
What Does Oceania Cruises’ Country Club Casual Dress Code Really Mean?
Oceania Cruises Wine and Spirits Tasting Experiences
What to Expect on a Panama Canal Full Transit
Oceania Cruises Sirena Dining Review
Great Stirrup Cay, Oceania Cruises Private Island???
What Happens When Oceania Cruises Skips a Port Due to Weather?
The Pros and Cons of Sailing on Oceania’s Smallest R-Class Ships
Size Matters, Why We Prefer Oceania Cruises Larger Ships
Introduction
Oceania Cruise touts that they have the Finest Cuisine at Sea. We have previously shared our thoughts on the restaurants and bars on board several Oceania Cruises ships. In this post we want to take a closer look at the Oceania Cruises Wine and Spirits Tasting Experiences. These are the additional charge wine and spirits tastings offered on board.
Booking
Booking these tasting experiences can only be done once on board. It’s not difficult to do as most guests, particularly those enjoying wine or cocktails, are offered these tasting events by bar staff, sommeliers in the restaurants, and even butlers. Daily Currents, the on board daily program, includes descriptions of the offerings. While we haven’t confirmed it with any crew, we believe that the crew members that book you into the tastings receive some compensation. So while we typically will enjoy a few tastings while on board, we try to book with our favorite crew members and also “spread the wealth” by not booking all of them through a single crew member. You can offset the costs of these tastings using any onboard credit whether it’s from a booking package, elite status, shareholder benefit, future cruise booking credit, etc.
A previous cruise we booked through American Express Travel and paid for with The Platinum Card® from American Express we received a complimentary wine tasting for two. This perk had a value of approximately $180 ($90 per person. Terms apply).
Offerings
On any Oceania Cruises sailing there will be at least one wine tasting and generally at least two spirits tastings. There is some variety among the offerings with them often having some tie-in with region in which the ship is sailing. There are of course obvious exceptions. For example there are no Alaska or Caribbean themed wine tastings.
Wine tastings always take place during the deal, typically on a sea day, and are held in a specialty dining restaurant. These are seated tastings with 5-7 wines and canapes pairings. The presentations are hosted by the on board sommelier team and are accompanied by a presentation. On previous sailings we have participated in the following tastings: Top California Cabs, Stars of the Southern Hemisphere, Forever French, 360 Degrees of Reds and The Red Challenge. The wines are of high quality and are sourced from the on board cellar meaning you can order them in the restaurants. We enjoy these tastings a good bit both for the program but also as an opportunity to talk to other passengers with a shared interest.
Spirits tastings have a bit more variety and are generally focused around a type of spirit. We’ve seen tastings around rum, Scotch Whiskey, gin, and Cognac. It’s possible that we’ve missed a few. Sometimes these are based around a particular producer while other times they are a sampling centered around geography. These tastings are generally held in Horizons Lounge or Martinis in the evenings. The senior bar staff host these events.
Our Tastings on this Cruise
On our Sirena Panama Canal sailing we had a large number of sea days both scheduled and due to a port cancellation. This schedule encouraged us to participate in more tastings than is our norm. We participated in the “Mediterranean Jewels” wine tasting, the Cognac tasting, and the gin tasting. The “Red Challenge” wine tasting was the only tasting that we didn’t participate in as we’ve participated in this one twice before.
The Mediterranean Jewels wine tasting featured the wines of Italy, Spain, France, and Portugal with tasty nibbles. The cost of this tasting was $75pp + 20% gratuity.
The gin tasting was hosted in the Martinis Bar and with only 6 of us participating. The entire experience from the moment we sat down was really fun and interactive. The tasting included a gin based welcome cocktail as well as a tasting of four gins in different styles and from different parts of the world. The price was $50pp + 20% gratuity.
Our final experience was a 9pm Cognac tasting in Horizons Lounge. Only two tasting mats and glasses had been set before our arrival. Unbeknownst to us we were getting a private tasting with one of our favorite bar managers on board. The Cognacs were already special, including the ridiculously delicious (and pricey) Remy Martin Louis XIII but getting a private tasting was certainly a unique experience! This was the most expensive tasting which I’m sure factored into the low attendance (though we had friends do the tasting earlier in the cruise and it was better attended). Pricing was $115pp + 20% gratuity. This cost of this tasting compared favorably to what a similar tasting costs back home.
Final Thoughts
Oceania Cruises Wine and Spirits Tasting Experiences offer an enjoyable way to spend an hour or so on board. I wouldn’t typically do this many tastings on a cruise; however, this sailing ended up with more sea days than we are accustomed to having and this left us a bit thirstier than normal! We certainly recommend trying the tastings if you’re interested in the topic. The wine tastings are generally a bit more comprehensive and a bit longer and as such we think they present a bit more bang for the buck, but the spirits tastings are a bit less formal and the ones hosted in Martinis are typically much more lively if that’s what you’re looking for.
For rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, please visit this link.
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