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Alcohol - bringing on ship


Scottygirl1
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Currently on QE and have never known any ship be so quiet in the bars in the evenings i.e pre dinner drinks or after the shows. Talking to many it is because of the recent price increase in drinks prices and seems many are going back to their staterooms and drinking alcochol bought onboard at Southampton. Can see if it stayts like this and is the same on other ships that Cunard will soon stop the bringing of alcohol onboard in line with many other cruise lines.

 

Just disembarked QE this morning.

 

From what I read above, there seems to be two QE's.

 

On mine, the bars were busy. The Grill Lounge was always busy between 7:30 - 8:30. Indeed, on the first sea day, the CC get together was difficult because the Commodore Club was nearly full and we struggled to get seats..

 

I also noticed that they had to put out extra temp seating for the Queens Room ballroom dancers.

 

One of the nights I stayed in the Yacht Club until 2:00am AND it was still in full swing when I left.

 

We had a dozen Commodores Wine bottles and a dozen Captains. It worked out well and the prices were fine.

 

On the second last day, we had a lunchtime cocktail party with 9 guests (folks we met in the bars aboard) plus two senior officers. A great success.

 

All in all, a great holiday (again), so we booked the same trip for next year, and the same trip for the year after.

 

Just be careful when booking to ensure that you get the right Queen Elizabeth.

 

Stewart

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Just disembarked QE this morning.

 

From what I read above, there seems to be two QE's.

 

On mine, the bars were busy. The Grill Lounge was always busy between 7:30 - 8:30. Indeed, on the first sea day, the CC get together was difficult because the Commodore Club was nearly full and we struggled to get seats..

 

I also noticed that they had to put out extra temp seating for the Queens Room ballroom dancers.

 

One of the nights I stayed in the Yacht Club until 2:00am AND it was still in full swing when I left.

 

We had a dozen Commodores Wine bottles and a dozen Captains. It worked out well and the prices were fine.

 

On the second last day, we had a lunchtime cocktail party with 9 guests (folks we met in the bars aboard) plus two senior officers. A great success.

 

All in all, a great holiday (again), so we booked the same trip for next year, and the same trip for the year after.

 

Just be careful when booking to ensure that you get the right Queen Elizabeth.

 

Stewart

 

I agree that they put out extra seating in Queens room but many in the room itself or sitting in the extra chairs were not drinking anything at all either there to dance or just to watch. Granted the Grill lounge was busy prior to dinner but not being a very large room and only sitting about 30 hardly respective. We sat in Midships bar one evening from about 9-30 until past midnight listening to the harpist and at most at any time there was a maximum of 10 at most. The cruise itself was fantastic and the food in Queens Grill exceptional but was not the only one to mention how quiet Midships and Cafe Corinthia were in the evenings and one couple said they had spoken to Entertainments Manager about how quiet the ship was in the evening and she agreed and when she was told increase in drinks prices had made a difference she said she would report it back to head office.

 

I was on the right QE and perhaps the Commodore Club was full for CC meeting but not many turned up for the meeting and Commodore Club is a popular place, especially in the morning when CC meeting was held, for people reading and not neccessarily purchasing alcohol. But it is easy not to criticise expensive drinks prices when you book onboard and get $800 free obc so therefore not really spending your own money so has no effect.

Edited by majortom10
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Wine when dining too expensive?

Well here's a tipoff for the best value wine, it's the Cunard Amarone (there's only one on the Wine List - number sixty something). It's about the same price as if one purchased the wine in an Italian Supermarket, and then paid the Table corkage. Also a nice, reasonably priced, red for the table.

 

Have no problem with the drink prices. We are on a cruise and just wish to enjoy the total experience, without having to spend time counting pennies.

.

I pay 5 euro for a good wine in my local Italian supermarket,lol.
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Just disembarked QE this morning.

 

From what I read above, there seems to be two QE's.

 

On mine, the bars were busy. The Grill Lounge was always busy between 7:30 - 8:30. Indeed, on the first sea day, the CC get together was difficult because the Commodore Club was nearly full and we struggled to get seats..

 

I also noticed that they had to put out extra temp seating for the Queens Room ballroom dancers.

 

One of the nights I stayed in the Yacht Club until 2:00am AND it was still in full swing when I left.

 

We had a dozen Commodores Wine bottles and a dozen Captains. It worked out well and the prices were fine.

 

On the second last day, we had a lunchtime cocktail party with 9 guests (folks we met in the bars aboard) plus two senior officers. A great success.

 

All in all, a great holiday (again), so we booked the same trip for next year, and the same trip for the year after.

 

Just be careful when booking to ensure that you get the right Queen Elizabeth.

 

Stewart

The other QE is an aircraft carrier,but don't worry the RN doesn't pressgang nowadays.
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I pay 5 euro for a good wine in my local Italian supermarket,lol.

You've said that more than once in various threads about drink prices, but will you be carrying any of it on board when you embark in Singapore? It'd still cost somewhere north of €22 to drink in the restaurants: there's not much point lugging it half way around the world when Cunard themselves are selling something similar at a similar price, as PORT ROYAL has very helpfully pointed out.

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You've said that more than once in various threads about drink prices, but will you be carrying any of it on board when you embark in Singapore? It'd still cost somewhere north of €22 to drink in the restaurants: there's not much point lugging it half way around the world when Cunard themselves are selling something similar at a similar price, as PORT ROYAL has very helpfully pointed out.
Not in our restaurants.We don,t live in Rome or Milan.I drink vodka anyway and I was criticised for wanting to bring a few bottles on board.People that get bucket loads of OBC were expecting me to pay 57quid from room service for a bottle of Smirnoff,lol.Princess and P&O charge nothing like this and as I said Cunard are pricing themselves out of the market.Interesting how this pans out before our cruise.
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Not in our restaurants.We don,t live in Rome or Milan.I drink vodka anyway and I was criticised for wanting to bring a few bottles on board.People that get bucket loads of OBC were expecting me to pay 57quid from room service for a bottle of Smirnoff,lol.Princess and P&O charge nothing like this and as I said Cunard are pricing themselves out of the market.Interesting how this pans out before our cruise.

 

 

 

It’s interesting how everyone has a different opinion. We often book a fare with a decent obc and have had shares and buy the FCD onboard to get as much obc as possible. I then look at the top price we have paid, deduct the amount of obc (as we would spend that anyway) and the total left is what I think I have paid for the cruise. I may have a decent amount of obc but still spend it as wisely as I can and then if anything is left treat myself to a little gift. We still buy our gin in port and bottles of tonic for a drink in the cabin whilst we are getting ready. Most people like to treat themselves on holiday but at the same time want their hard earned cash to go as far as possible.

 

I never think of the obc as free money as you have paid for it one way or another.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

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We too have just got off QE and compared to other cruise lines we thought the bars were quiet in the evenings , maybe because of the drinks prices and no 'drink packages' where people feel they have to max their outlay. It was actually very nice to be without raucous behaviour around the pool etc that we have witnessed not some voyages. We did have wine at dinner - a fairly cheap one at $46 a bottle but wasn't tempted by the very expensive cocktails pre dinner, just not value for money. Also, there were a lot of dancers and alcohol and choppy seas are not a good mix on the dance floor.

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It’s interesting how everyone has a different opinion. We often book a fare with a decent obc and have had shares and buy the FCD onboard to get as much obc as possible. I then look at the top price we have paid, deduct the amount of obc (as we would spend that anyway) and the total left is what I think I have paid for the cruise. I may have a decent amount of obc but still spend it as wisely as I can and then if anything is left treat myself to a little gift. We still buy our gin in port and bottles of tonic for a drink in the cabin whilst we are getting ready. Most people like to treat themselves on holiday but at the same time want their hard earned cash to go as far as possible.

 

I never think of the obc as free money as you have paid for it one way or another.

 

 

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Hi,we have no OBC at all and were being picked on for bringing 4 bottles of vodka to drink whilst getting ready.Bearing in mind we are on a month long cruise and landtour,so in perspective that is not excessive.We will still go out and spend a fortune in the bars from our own pocket,still spending more probably than the people that were having a pop,cheers,Brian.
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P&O have just announced a change in their alcohol policy so that you are only allowed to take 1 litre per person onboard on embarkation and any bought during the cruise will be confiscated and given back to you at the end of the cruise. Is it only a matter of time before Cunard follow suit and fall in line with most Carnival plc cruise lines.

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P&O have just announced a change in their alcohol policy so that you are only allowed to take 1 litre per person onboard on embarkation and any bought during the cruise will be confiscated and given back to you at the end of the cruise. Is it only a matter of time before Cunard follow suit and fall in line with most Carnival plc cruise lines.

 

No problem, great idea, but Cunard must enforce it.

All this means is we just purchase an additional three bottles of wine at dinner.

Anyway, all landslide purchases are pre-ordered, for cabinets at home, so a "confiscation" is of no concern.

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P&O have just announced a change in their alcohol policy so that you are only allowed to take 1 litre per person onboard on embarkation and any bought during the cruise will be confiscated and given back to you at the end of the cruise. Is it only a matter of time before Cunard follow suit and fall in line with most Carnival plc cruise lines.

 

Cunard already has a restrictive policy but they say they do not intend to enforce it "as a matter of course" although they may do so. The following notice (with some differences in wording) has appeared on the "Q & A" section of their Website for several years. At one time the permissible amount of wine or Champagne was listed as one bottle per passenger, but they don't say that now unless it appears somewhere else on their site.

 

 

"You may bring wine or champagne on board (over the age of 21) to celebrate special occasions. However if it is consumed in any of the dining rooms, alternative restaurants or bars then each bottle will be subject to a a corkage fee.

We reserve the right to remove alcohol at the gangway if brought on board, either at embarkation or when in a port of call and will be returned to you at the end of your voyage. It is not our intention to invoke this policy as a matter of course and we will only implement on occasions where we consider it likely that the health, comfort, safety and enjoyment of passengers may otherwise be compromised.

Should you wish to take wine or champagne on board to consume in a restaurant, each bottle will be subject to a US$20.00 corkage charge. This fee is subject to change."

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... At one time the permissible amount of wine or Champagne was listed as one bottle per passenger, but they don't say that now unless it appears somewhere else on their site. ...

 

Unfortunately, Cunard still does supply that information about one bottle of wine or champagne per passenger in at least a couple places. On "ask.cunard.com", there is this question about corkage fees.

 

Q. Can I take a bottle of wine/champagne on board to drink in a restaurant and would a corkage fee apply?

 

The answer to that questions states in part "Please be advised that passengers are allowed to bring on board one bottle per person for special occasions."

 

Also, as the OP mentioned in the post that started this thread, the Voyage Personaliser makes the following statement which I found within the section "Life on Board", "Useful Information", "Alcohol Policy".

 

"You may bring one bottle of wine or champagne per person on board to celebrate special occasions."

 

We know in practice Cunard does not yet limit alcohol taken on board to one bottle per passenger, but I'm sorry to say there is still some conflicting information out there from Cunard about their policy.

 

Regards, John

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The one bottle per passenger rule is also explicitly stated in the Passage Contract (the US version, if there's any difference).

 

Guests agree not to bring alcoholic beverages of any kind on board for consumption except one bottle of wine or champagne per adult of drinking age (no larger than 750 ml) per voyage.

The FAQ statement regarding reserving the right to remove/confiscate alcohol at the gangway (but not intending to do so as a matter of practice) seems to provide relief against the above restriction.

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The one bottle per passenger rule is also explicitly stated in the Passage Contract (the US version, if there's any difference).

 

Guests agree not to bring alcoholic beverages of any kind on board for consumption except one bottle of wine or champagne per adult of drinking age (no larger than 750 ml) per voyage.

The FAQ statement regarding reserving the right to remove/confiscate alcohol at the gangway (but not intending to do so as a matter of practice) seems to provide relief against the above restriction.

 

Ah, yes the US Passage Contract -- how could I have forgotten that?

 

I can't find anything called a Passage Contract on Cunard's UK web site. About the closest thing I can find there is a "Booking Conditions" document that makes no mention of the alcohol policy.

 

Question for our friends in the UK. Is there a UK Passage Contract or other similar document Cunard provides to UK passengers that states the alcohol policy in terms similar to what Underwatr has quoted from the US Passage Contract? Just curious.

 

Regards, John

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Well next Sunday we will probably bring on a bottle of bubbly for the sail away and maybe for me a bottle of 20 year old port for the odd cabin tipple over 26 days. That's all we would ever be bothered to bring on. I don't suppose bringing a bottle of spirit will make a great deal of impact to our on board spending habits. Like many, we enjoy exploring the wine list over dinner and usually an after dinner liqueur off the well stocked drinks trolley. Then it's up to the Commodore to listen to the pianist and a cocktail or two. I couldn't imagine ever having to think about on board drink prices, they just seem similar to ordinary restaurant beverages and after all we are on holiday.

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Question for our friends in the UK. Is there a UK Passage Contract or other similar document Cunard provides to UK passengers that states the alcohol policy in terms similar to what Underwatr has quoted from the US Passage Contract? Just curious.

Not that I can see. The FAQ link in post 63 is the only one that I can see which mentions a specific limit, there are two visible from the UK about taking food and/or drink on board which just mention corkage charges for consuming wine etc in restaurants or bars. The booking conditions for UK customers include information online as well as that provided in their brochures, both hard copy and online, so they're giving a somewhat mixed message.

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What do you get when you click the link in my post above (recognizing that the default is to take you to the corresponding page at ...co.uk)?

 

What I am seeing when I redirect to the UK is that your link goes to a "Legal information" page as it does in the US. However, in the UK that page does not have a section called "Passage Contract". It has the following sections instead.

  • Passenger Rights when Travelling by Sea
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cruise Industry Passenger Bill of Rights
  • Environmental Statement
  • Booking conditions, insurance and crime prevention
  • Consumer protection
  • Terms and conditions
  • Website terms of use
  • Modern Slavery Act Statement

The text of that first "Passenger Rights when Travelling by Sea" section is what is displayed by default.

 

The "Booking conditions, insurance and crime prevention" section has links to these four separate pdf documents:

  • Booking Conditions
  • Shore Excursions Terms and Conditions
  • Gift Voucher
  • Crime Prevention and Response Guide

The "Terms and conditions" section discusses the following:

  • Complimentary Benefits
  • On board credit
  • Car Parking in Southampton
  • Return Coach Travel to Southampton

The Booking Conditions pdf is a 19 page document which is probably the closest thing to the US Passage Contract. There is a section in that document titled "The Contract" which begins with this statement.

"The Contract shall be between Cunard and the Passenger on the basis of these Conditions and the information contained in the Cunard brochure or website, and shall be governed by English law and the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts."

But there is no mention of the alcohol policy in that Booking Conditions document like there is in the US Passage Contract.

 

Regards, John

Edited by bluemarble
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I do not know if Cunard will follow P&Os new changes or wait and see or do nothing at all but P&Os changes regarding taking alcohol onboard do not come into effect until February 2018 so things will stay the same for the forseeable future.

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I am just back from Queen Elizabeth and brought alcohol on board in both Gibraltar and Lisbon with no issues at all.

 

 

On port days on ourrecent Queen Elizabeth cruise we also brought alcohol on board with norestriction. In conversation, some passengers did say that security staff hadtaken note of alcohol bottles brought on board and their cabin number. Notanecdotal, and not our experience. Perhaps this could be information gatheringto support any future change in policy consistent with that which P&Oappear to be implementing. Perhaps others on recent cruises could comment.

We enjoy the relaxed approach which Cunard currently employ,allowing us to enjoy alcohol in our stateroom. Admittedly there is noprofit for Cunard in this, but we also spend significantly in bars, lounges andthe restaurant on the ship. Most passengers who don’t take alcohol on board areprobably unlikely to profit Cunard onalcohol sales, so why restrict those who do? We’ve noticed the increasing alcohol prices oneach cruise we’ve taken, and accept this because we prefer Cunard to otherlines. Loyalty does however apply both ways, and Cunard should consider this before policy change.

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