H
Henry009
Guest
I have been curious about this also. So, I reviewed a wine list with prices posted for the Galaxy...I believe the wine list is recent from its contents.
I checked about a dozen wines against prices at Total Wine...a national retail chain in states not dictated to by a LCB.
On average, wines costing up to about $40 on Celebrity were based approximately on the following formula:
Retail cost + corkage fee ($12) + $7.00
For example, compare a bottle of 1999 Beringer Founders Estate Merlot
Celebrity $26
Retail $8 + Corkage $12 = $20
Celebrity makes an extra $6
Another, 1999 Sequoia Grove:
Celebrity $44
Retail $22 + Corkage $12 = $34
Celbrity makes $10
2000 St. Francis Chardonnay
Celebrity $29
Retail $10 + $12 = $22
Celebrity makes $7
It's that simple and it held true for 12 different wines.
The gouging comes for higer priced wines when the additional celebrity profit over retail and corkage goes to $16 to $25
The wine list is not impressive because it is geared to cost about $30 on average per bottle, however, they are really serving inferior wines at that price. People would fare better buying premium wines for about $30 a bottle retail then paying the corkage fee. This would be slightly more expensive than selecting from the ship's wine list, however, the wine experience would be greatly enhanced.
Or bring the same wines and save about $7 per bottle on average. I will note that not all individuals can purchase wines at the prices I found and the savings may be less significant.
While this lengthy, I hope it helps. I will purchase better wines and pay the corkage.
I checked about a dozen wines against prices at Total Wine...a national retail chain in states not dictated to by a LCB.
On average, wines costing up to about $40 on Celebrity were based approximately on the following formula:
Retail cost + corkage fee ($12) + $7.00
For example, compare a bottle of 1999 Beringer Founders Estate Merlot
Celebrity $26
Retail $8 + Corkage $12 = $20
Celebrity makes an extra $6
Another, 1999 Sequoia Grove:
Celebrity $44
Retail $22 + Corkage $12 = $34
Celbrity makes $10
2000 St. Francis Chardonnay
Celebrity $29
Retail $10 + $12 = $22
Celebrity makes $7
It's that simple and it held true for 12 different wines.
The gouging comes for higer priced wines when the additional celebrity profit over retail and corkage goes to $16 to $25
The wine list is not impressive because it is geared to cost about $30 on average per bottle, however, they are really serving inferior wines at that price. People would fare better buying premium wines for about $30 a bottle retail then paying the corkage fee. This would be slightly more expensive than selecting from the ship's wine list, however, the wine experience would be greatly enhanced.
Or bring the same wines and save about $7 per bottle on average. I will note that not all individuals can purchase wines at the prices I found and the savings may be less significant.
While this lengthy, I hope it helps. I will purchase better wines and pay the corkage.
