Wine machine on cruise ship

gmerkt · Nov 29, 2019

They don't have a sommelier (wine steward) in the buffet. But if you're a wine aficionado (said with nose held slightly in the air), you're in luck. Some lines now have the equivalent of wine vending machines in the buffet. I don't partake but was interested in the concept so I looked them over. Here's one:

Fancy wine machine, fancy prices. Note the quantity.

This is the part that I found fascinating. Look at the second to the bottom in fine print.

The part I don't get is this. DOES A VENDING MACHINE REALLY DESERVE A GRATUITY??! TIP A MACHINE? I do see that it also uses the words, "beverage service charge" so maybe they are really asking you to pay for the presence of the machine.

Member 34319 · Nov 29, 2019

Last cruise I went on allowed zero outside alcohol. It absolutely sucked.

Cheapest form of alcohol was a bottle of champagne at $15 a bottle which got my wife and I feeling pretty good. Beer was about 6-8 a bottle.

Before that the last cruise had no alcohol restrictions. I've decided I won't go on one again unless it's one with limited outside alcohol restrictions.

CountryGent · Nov 29, 2019

Don't ask me; on a normal night it is quietly sipping G&Ts. More raucous ones, pounding tequila, eh, "neat". Some smarmy computer metering out the vino? The robo-friend should just be thankful something worse wouldn't go down, and I don't mean that as software developer.

Heyjoe · Nov 29, 2019

Never cruised. I thought drinks and food were included.

Cruises Never appealed to me anyhow.

WAYNO · Nov 29, 2019

Cruises never appealed to me either, until I actually took one. Now I can't wait for my next escape to a sunny place.

Depending on the cruise line and the cruise package, and the complimentaries, (which there can be many), drinks may or may not be included, and even then, there are different levels of included drinks. I have only seen a wine dispensing machine one time on a ship in a restaurant. And it was out of service.

As far as automatic wine servers, or even totally robotic bartenders, these are on a ship as novelty entertainment. And folks are enamored with the robotic bartenders.

Any alcoholic drink, regardless if it's served automatically or by a real server, will include a tip. That's mostly how the motel/restaurant/bar staff is paid. The folks on a ship work in 6-month or longer installments, 7-days a week, often 12+ hours in a day. They do so for less than minimum wage. It's the tips that comprise their income. A passenger may not like it, but that's how the cruise world spins. As an option, tips can be prepaid at the beginning of a cruise, or per day, billed at the end of the cruise. And it's far cheaper than if I was tipping ala cart.