Drink Package Pros/Cons on QM2

All,

Good morning from the smokey NW. We are departing Southhampton on September 2, westbound for New York on the QM2. Its fashion week onboard and Jennifer (interior designer and contractor) is very excited.

We are undecided on the available Drink Package. The package basics: An additional $557 each, all individual drinks under $12 are covered. We downloaded the wine list and were pleased at the large variety in the bottle. Wines by the glass seemed limited.

If you have read this far...thank you. Our question is yeah or neah on the Drink Package? Any and all thoughts welcome.

Cheers,

Scott and Jennifer

It wouldn’t be for us. I only drink one, or at very most two drinks a day and my husband about one more than me, because he has a glass of wine with dinner - which I don’t.

Have a look at the bar menus on here and see what you would typically drink, then you can decide if it's worth it for you.

I didn't realise a drink package was available to purchase separately, I thought it was included on certain category bookings (in the US only).

That's a high daily spend to make it worthwhile, especially if you are restricted to wines by the glass under $12.

Read the fine print. It's quite different than the procedures on Celebrity and other lines.

You still are presented with a bill to sign. I think gratuity is still paid by you, but I could be wrong. Once the charge is posted overnight, a corresponding credit for the drink will appear. Also, I believe that if a drink costs more, you pay the full price, not the net amount over your allowance. I assume (like other lines) all members of a cabin need to purchase the package.

It seems like a begrudging move by Cunard to counter offerings by their competitors, but it certainly doesn't match their convenience.

Whether it's worth $80/day per person is up to your calculations.

To my certain knowledge, the "free drinks" package is not a purchase alone concept. It's INCLUDED if you book a Grill stateroom under the promotion. And yes, the $12 or under is inclusive of the 15% service charge. So you do indeed purchase a glass of wine or whatever for $11.95 and the 15% gratuity is tacked on to that. And at 12:01 am the following day all your drink purchases made that previous day are credited off your account if each one was $12.00 or less. The gratuity, too, is zeroed out. But if you buy a drink that's $12.50, you pay $12.50 plus the 15%... not the difference between $11.95 and $12.50. It also doesn't include drinks ordered as room service. Or bottles of wine etc. It's all per glass and only that is sold by the glass.

But again, it's not something you can say "no" to if you book a grills stateroom and the promotion is running... you get it, use it, or don't. But's it's certainly a deal and stewards/wine stewards are pretty good with helping you navigate through the lists for the $12 or bust concept.

Wait.... are you talking about the wine package??? That's quite different... it's wine only. And you buy a set number of bottles: 6, 12 etc. We did that last year, the Commodore Package. It was a "value" in that it included the 15% svc charge and you save about 5% over buying individual bottles. And since you can determine how many bottles you buy, you can tailor it to your habits. But again it's wine only.. really for the dining room but yes with arrangement, you can order in lounges. And they save what you don't drink, too.

Hi there,

As you mention the fact drinks $12 and under are included in the package, it sounds like the promo offered with US bookings when you book Queens Grill (Princess Grill was drinks under $10 or $11 I think).

I wasn't aware this was available to purchase separately, so maybe the cost you mention is the cost to upgrade to Queens Grill? That doesn't sound right either though, as the price difference between Balcony Club and Queens Grill would be much more than that. If it is the cost of an upgrade to QG for $557 then I'd be jumping all over it! LOL

Looking at it just as a package though $557 is $79 pp pn so depending on how much you drink, then it's either worth it or it isn't. I like cocktails, so including the 15% (which you wouldn't be paying with the package) I budget $13 a drink. If I were drinking small glasses of wine, the cost would be similar. Even by my standards, I'd be questioning whether this was value for money.

We sailed this summer for 2 weeks on QM2. On the first leg we had a drink package that allowed us to have drinks up to $12 which was great and gave us a wide variety of choices. I just looked at the picture I took of the Wine by the Glass menu from the MDR and 23 of the 25 wines were under $12 for the 150 ml pour.

Cunard has two sizes of pours 150 ml and 250 ml. Make sure the wine steward and bartenders know you have an included drink package that allows up to $12 (when we were on board apparently some folks had a package that only allowed $9 and for them the choices were extremely limited) and they will give you and bill you for two small pours at the same time. This way you get a 300 ml glass. There are no rules about how many drinks you can order at once (as long as they know you aren’t sharing). We were even able to get a bottle to take to our room billed out by the glass.

On the second leg I tried to purchase the drink package and was told that Cunard does not sell them. It either comes as a perk of the booking or not period. So I am really curious about the claim that it can now be bought.

For us the drink package was very nice.

Without the package on the second leg we gave our wine steward Chilla a budget of $100 per night on average. So $700 for the week. This opened up more choices for her to have us try since she could open bottles not available by the glass. By then she really knew our likes and dislikes. She was the most outstanding wine steward I’ve ever had. She was expert at pairing the wine to our food. She would come by when we were ordering and plan out the evenings selections with an eye to how the selections would transition to the next dinner.

When we tallied in water, coffee, beers with the fabulous fish and chips in the pub, cocktails by the pool, and a night cap after the show it was pretty expensive without the drink package. So while the expanded choices for bottles was nice we’d probably stick with the drink package as we found the wines and spirits offered to be really high quality.

Seek out Allan. When we were on board he covered the aft bar outside on the eighth deck. Best bartender ever and just the sweetest man. He’s been sailing QM2 for the last 8 years and said he has no intention of leaving her. Tell him Jacqueline and Adam say Hi!

I have just booked a west bound T/A for September 2019 and it included a drinks package. It seems to me that it was an O.K. deal, but I could easily exceed the covered per drink cost. I am not a big drinker but do like quality Scotch Whisky, much of which is too expensive to be covered by the drinks deal. If the price is over the amount provided, the entire drink is on the buyer, there is no 'discount'. On my last T/A westbound from Hamburg, I had my suite bar and enough OBC to cover all my drinks and then some. It will be interesting to see it there is actually any value to the promotional package. But it came with the deal, so I will try. I have not seen an alcoholic buy on board package on Cunard as there are on other Celebrity brands. There are soft drink and coffee plans offered.

I have just booked a west bound T/A for September 2019 and it included a drinks package. It seems to me that it was an O.K. deal, but I could easily exceed the covered per drink cost. I am not a big drinker but do like quality Scotch Whisky, much of which is too expensive to be covered by the drinks deal. If the price is over the amount provided, the entire drink is on the buyer, there is no 'discount'. On my last T/A westbound from Hamburg, I had my suite bar and enough OBC to cover all my drinks and then some. It will be interesting to see it there is actually any value to the promotional package. But it came with the deal, so I will try. I have not seen an alcoholic buy on board package on Cunard as there are on other Celebrity brands. There are soft drink and coffee plans offered.

You know I meant to bring alcohol on board just to see if what everyone says is true, that Cunard simply doesn’t enforce the official policy. I didn’t, but I’d encourage you to:evilsmile:! Allen was incredibly creative in making lots of great things happen with our package that you’d never expect to see on any other line. He was manning the aft bar on deck 8. Seek him out and make friends with him. He’s the best! Cunards policy on board was quite liberal and not at all like Celebrity or Princess.

Thanks, it sounds similar to the packages P&O have just started trialling on one of their ships.

Wow that is great news. I hope they make the included drink price up to $12. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks, it sounds similar to the packages P&O have just started trialling on one of their ships.

seems similar exact in terms of price. Cunard is damned expensive in comparison. Not really justifiable to be honest.

seems similar exact in terms of price. Cunard is damned expensive in comparison. Not really justifiable to be honest.

With nobody not knowing, unless I am mistaken, then I will reserve judgement but P&Os is £39-95 per person per day with a maximum drinks price of £6-95. I would imagine Cunard's to have a higher price per day but also a higher limit per drink as Cunard's can be double for same on P&O.

It's interesting to see just how much money people spend on drinking when on a cruise (myself included). I've just looked at my records for out last cruise. It was £263 per cabin per day and our bar bill was £95 a day for the two of us. That means we added 36% on top of the base fare.

It means for 16 nights we spent £1500 on pop. To put that in to perspective, we're just booked a week in Cyprus for less than that (and that is all-inclusive). When I think about it like that, I come to the conclusion what an obscene amount of money Mr and Mrs Toad spent on drinking on a single cruise.

It's interesting to see just how much money people spend on drinking when on a cruise (myself included). I've just looked at my records for out last cruise. It was £263 per cabin per day and our bar bill was £95 a day for the two of us. That means we added 36% on top of the base fare.

 

It means for 16 nights we spent £1500 on pop. To put that in to perspective, we're just booked a week in Cyprus for less than that (and that is all-inclusive). When I think about it like that, I come to the conclusion what an obscene amount of money Mr and Mrs Toad spent on drinking on a single cruise.

Same here Mr Toad. We spent more or less the same amount per day on drinks on our recent cruise and just thought... wow !!!! that's the cost of weeks AI in the canaries or somewhere similar.

One hell of a mark-up and profit for Cunard. We still pay it though.

Although it is still less (just) than the daily cost (around $79pppd) of the drinks package being mentioned.:loudcry::loudcry::loudcry: :loudcry:

We're on board QM2 right now.

The drinks offer is $69 per person per day.

The maximum priced drink allowed is up to $11. Over that you get 20% discount.

A maximum of 4 drinks per hour is a condition and both cabin travellers must purchase.

Therefore, on our NYC roundtrip, it would be 14 x $69 x 2 = $1932/ 1.22 = £1583 and you can't get the good stuff or doubles.

Not sure if anyone is taking it up.

Incidentally, and interestingly, over 70% of pax are red tops, which is by far the biggest proportion we've ever come across.

Stewart

Thanks for the update, have a great trip.

We're on board QM2 right now.

 

 

 

The drinks offer is $69 per person per day.

 

 

 

The maximum priced drink allowed is up to $11. Over that you get 20% discount.

 

 

 

A maximum of 4 drinks per hour is a condition and both cabin travellers must purchase.

 

 

 

Therefore, on our NYC roundtrip, it would be 14 x $69 x 2 = $1932/ 1.22 = £1583 and you can't get the good stuff or doubles.

 

 

 

Not sure if anyone is taking it up.

 

 

 

Incidentally, and interestingly, over 70% of pax are red tops, which is by far the biggest proportion we've ever come across.

 

 

 

Stewart

Stewart, I’m not familiar with the term “ Red top”. What does it mean? Thanks

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

It's a first time Cunard cruiser, key cards have a coloured band on them corresponding to Cunard World Club status, for first timers it's red.

Stewart, I’m not familiar with the term “ Red top”. What does it mean? Thanks

I think it means people that are one their first Cunard cruise because their cruise card has a red stripped section at the top.

Or he could mean lots of people were reading the Sun, Mirror or Star !

Boy the accountants must have worked on this "offer" for the last six months. Overtime. All these conditions (4 drinks per hour, limit to $11 or under) and at $69 a day? Oceania's virtually unlimited drinks package is $60 and for primo brands, too. Holland America has a similar "deal" with so many exceptions and limitations, it's like doing your income tax to buy a drink with it.

"I'll make them a offer they can't refuse...."

Sounds like they just came up with one most could....

I am just planing my own cruise for the first time and this thread is very interesting.

$69 per day ? I mean can you really drink that much so that this offer is worth it?

You have to drink ca. 6 drinks for $11 during the day. Is this possible? (and not laying on the ground if these drinks would be alcohol).

Sounds like not a good deal for me.

Having received e-mail from Cunard after asking about drinks package they have told me a slightly different version of what has been said and is now available on Cunard's UK website. There is no mention of any drink under $11 and is to include only beers, wines and spirits and costs $69, so you cannot say have cocktails, martinis or even coffees as there is a seperate coffee card at $40 for 10 coffees.