bringing liquor onboard

Due to join QE in San Fran and flying out of LHR normally buy duty free liquor

if its in my luggage will it be confiscated ?

or simply held to end of the cruise

I'd carry it on to make sure it doesn't get broken but there are no restrictions in practice. There's no need to be secretive about it.

No you'll be OK. Cunard is a premium cruise line( as is the demographic of it's guests) Cunard have a mature approach on this subject and allow their guests to take a reasonable/small amount of wine or spirit onboard for personal consumption. ;)

A slightly different alcohol question. We've often cruised Cunard (and P&O), though always from Southampton. We like to take a bottle or 2 of our favourite tipples and of course there have never been any problems at Southampton. This time we'll be boarding our Cunard ship in Dubai; would alcohol be confiscated at Dubai airport?

Probably not. There's a duty-free liquor store in Dubai for arriving passengers.

http://wikitravel.org/en/Dubai

A slightly different alcohol question. We've often cruised Cunard (and P&O), though always from Southampton. We like to take a bottle or 2 of our favourite tipples and of course there have never been any problems at Southampton. This time we'll be boarding our Cunard ship in Dubai; would alcohol be confiscated at Dubai airport?

This page might be of interest: http://www.dubai-online.com/essential/alcohol/

And this quoted from http://www.guide2dubai.com/living/alcohol-liquor-license.asp

"...Visitors and residents may not be asked to produce your license at places such as the Dubai Duty Free, as you pass through the airport. But, licence is a must for transporting alcohol and for consuming it outside the licensed premises, such as home..."