Do I have a drink problem?

[Lanky Lad]

I am just back from a cruise on Braemar (never again!).

 

However, whilst on board I had a stinger cocktail (Cognac and white Crème de Menthe) and really enjoyed it, but I can't see these on the Cunard bar menus.

 

Does anyone one know if these are available on board or if they can be made as a special order?

[QuipMC]

While I have no personal knowledge of whether a Stinger would appear on a formal drinks menu - I just order champagne and don't dabble in mixed drinks - it is a well-known drink that any reasonably experienced bartender should be able to make.

 

Order one and see...how much trouble can you get into? ;) Of course if it's not exactly correct you may need to confer with the bartender and order a second...

Edited March 26, 2015 by QuipMC

[bobby1119]

I would be surprised if your drink is not known in any of the Cunard Commodore Clubs.

 

PS...Very clever title for your question!

[lannp]

Stephen, Welcome Home! I am eager to hear how the trip went.

Years ago aboard the Mississippi Queen I was introduced to a Long Island Iced Tea. By the end of that trip I definitely had a drink problem:D

[estim8tedpropht]

I just came here to say "Clever title." :)

[fantasy51]

Well the title roped me in!

[PunkiC]

I once had a drinking problem on a cruise.

 

I ran out of wine. :p

[Underwatr]

The downside of ordering drinks off the menu is that it's sometimes pricier than you'd expect. I ordered a Jack & Ginger (Jack Daniels and ginger ale, simple enough) and they charged me separately for the shot of JD and the little can of ginger ale. If the mixer comes out of the hose it's included in the drink price but no discounts for a mixer in a can. I could have paid less for a martini.

[Host Sharon]

What didn't you like about Braemar ? I thought her charming but then I do like small ship cruising.

[Lanky Lad]

What didn't you like about Braemar ? I thought her charming but then I do like small ship cruising.

 

It's quite a list, but manly, I felt she was overcrowded and the food at lunch was of pretty poor quality and choice. I will be doing a full report shortly.

 

I think I will be sticking with Cunard from now on. :)

[Dorset Cruiser]

It's quite a list, but manly, I felt she was overcrowded and the food at lunch was of pretty poor quality and choice. I will be doing a full report shortly.

 

I think I will be sticking with Cunard from now on. :)

 

We loved Braemar when on her in 2013. Thought the food was the best we had had in nearly 30 cruises with other lines (it was our first Fred cruise). Just shows how subjective food quality is but we have never, nor are likely, to sail Cunard 😄

 

 

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[Host Hattie]

It's quite a list, but manly, I felt she was overcrowded and the food at lunch was of pretty poor quality and choice. I will be doing a full report shortly.

 

I think I will be sticking with Cunard from now on. :)

 

Our Braemar trip wasn't too bad but we found the food disappointing and her flat bottom didn't make for a pleasant experience when the North Sea was a bit bumpy.

We did enjoy our small ship cruise on Azamara Journey.

[Host Sharon]

Admittedly I only did a short cruise on Braemar but found the food delicious, unlike my recent short cruise on QM2 which I found disappointing foodwise. As Dorset Cruiser said - food is very subjective. On the whole I don't like Fred Olsen and especially Balmoral, but Braemar restored my faith in them .

[Pennbank]

Admittedly I only did a short cruise on Braemar but found the food delicious, unlike my recent short cruise on QM2 which I found disappointing foodwise. As Dorset Cruiser said - food is very subjective. On the whole I don't like Fred Olsen and especially Balmoral, but Braemar restored my faith in them .

 

Not been on Braemar, Only Black Watch and Balmoral several times, even did one East Bound Transtlantic on Balmoral, however I found the windows in the Observatory Lounge on Balmoral, extremely hard to look out of due to the angle the glass. found it annoying. Food Excellent though on both ships.

Edited March 29, 2015 by Pennbank

[pepperrn]

... but we have never, nor are likely, to sail Cunard

Hi Dorset Cruiser,

 

We all like different things, thankfully :) .

I've never sailed with any line other than Cunard, not am I likely to sail with any line, except Cunard.

 

I esp wouldn't sail Thomson, or Vulgarity of the Seas, and in particular, Fred :( . Thank goodness there is a cruise-line for everyone it seems.

 

All best wishes and many "happy sailings" for your next cruise, on P&O's Arcadia, Sydney to Hong Kong sounds wonderful! :) .

Edited March 29, 2015 by pepperrn

[Dorset Cruiser]

Hi Dorset Cruiser,

 

We all like different things, thankfully :) .

I've never sailed with any line other than Cunard, not am I likely to sail with any line, except Cunard.

 

I esp wouldn't sail Thomson, or Vulgarity of the Seas, and in particular, Fred :( . Thank goodness there is a cruise-line for everyone it seems.

 

All best wishes and many "happy sailings" for your next cruise, on P&O's Arcadia, Sydney to Hong Kong sounds wonderful! :) .

 

We've completed that cruise two weeks ago thanks. Had a wonderful time with a great itinerary, lovely food and attentive staff and we are considering another long P&O cruise next year.

 

As for saying you would never sail those three lines. We have done all three. Actually enjoyed Thomson many years ago when we first started cruising on a limited budget, have had mixed experiences with Royal Caribbean - like their small ships but not their large ones - and our one cruise on Fred could not be faulted. True they are older ships but we had superlative service, great food and the Braemar was immmaculate. From what I have read in reviews of QM2, that is not always the case with Cunard. Would never call any ship or line 'vulgar', especially if I had not tried it 😉 - there are many vulgar people sailing on Cunard by all accounts.

 

I have said I would never cruise Cunard, but perhaps I should 'never say never'. If a cruise came up at a good price and with an interesting itinerary, then we might give it a go but we would only pay out for Britannia class and the thought of 'snooty' passengers possibly flaunting Princess and Queens Grill membership does put us off.

 

Happy sailings to you as well - you should try another cruiseline - you might be pleasantly surprised 😄

 

 

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[fantasy51]

the thought of 'snooty' passengers possibly flaunting Princess and Queens Grill membership does put us off.

 

Fortunately I've never seen anyone flaunting such membership. I generally don't know who is Britannia and who is 'Mixed Grills'. There was only one occasion where I met a woman in the ballroom and we got talking and I discovered she was Queens Grill.

 

Please don't let the thought of 'snooty' passengers put you off. I have never discovered that to be the case on the ship.

[Dorset Cruiser]

Fortunately I've never seen anyone flaunting such membership. I generally don't know who is Britannia and who is 'Mixed Grills'. There was only one occasion where I met a woman in the ballroom and we got talking and I discovered she was Queens Grill.

 

Please don't let the thought of 'snooty' passengers put you off. I have never discovered that to be the case on the ship.

 

😀. Thanks, will bear that in mind.

 

 

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[brigittetom]

Fortunately I've never seen anyone flaunting such membership. I generally don't know who is Britannia and who is 'Mixed Grills'. There was only one occasion where I met a woman in the ballroom and we got talking and I discovered she was Queens Grill.

 

Please don't let the thought of 'snooty' passengers put you off. I have never discovered that to be the case on the ship.

 

 

I agree completely, that has been my experience as well. It's only on these boards that people feel the need to mention it over and over again for no apparent reason. Such as "I only travel in the Grills, so I can't answer your irrelevant question". :)

[pepperrn]

We've completed that cruise two weeks ago thanks. Had a wonderful time with a great itinerary, lovely food and attentive staff and we are considering another long P&O cruise next year.

Hi Dorset Cruiser

 

My mistake, please forgive me, I thought it was a future cruise, still to come :o . So very pleased to read that it went so well.

 

... Would never call any ship or line 'vulgar', especially if I had not tried it - there are many vulgar people sailing on Cunard by all accounts

Ah, my mistake again, didn't make it clear that I meant the ships, not the people. I dislike the floating shopping malls and having been up close to them many times, and seen the photographs, I'd never set foot on one. Most modern cruise ships are ugly inside and out, in my opinion. Some are similar size to QM2 but with 1,000 more (or even more) passengers on board, crowded ships are my idea of hell.

I do have to agree, you may, if you are very unfortunate, occasionally find less-than-pleasant people on any ship, thankfully I've not met many passengers that weren't a pleasure to know, so far, so few in fact that I can remember them.

I have said I would never cruise Cunard, but perhaps I should 'never say never'. If a cruise came up at a good price and with an interesting itinerary, then we might give it a go but we would only pay out for Britannia class and the thought of 'snooty' passengers possibly flaunting Princess and Queens Grill membership does put us off.

I've only ever sailed in Britannia Grade, several times in inside cabins. As others have indicated, I also have to report that people do not tell you what grade of accommodation they are in. As you walk about the ship or sit in bars/theatres/lounges/pools etc, no-one discusses it, in my experience. It simply does not come up in conversation.

 

An example. A few years ago while crossing to New York on QM2, at the 2-3 times daily pub trivia quizzes, I was part of a team of four British people who were joined each time by an American couple. On the last day they invited us four for drinks in their cabin, and gave us the number. It turned out to be one of the five "Duplex Suites" overlooking the stern of QM2. One of the highest grades on board the ship. Had they not invited us, we would never have known, as cabin locations and grades were not mentioned in conversation by any of us. They certainly didn't invite us to "show off" in any way whatever (it was actually a "thank you" to us from them after a week of some success at the trivia quizzes).

 

Ask yourself, on your many cruises, how many times has someone boasted about being in the highest grade of accommodation? Almost never I would bet. The same is true on Cunard I promise you.

Happy sailings to you as well - you should try another cruiseline - you might be pleasantly surprised.

Don't think I've not given P&O some thought, however, I know that if I did book any other ship, all the time I was on board I'd be thinking "I could be on board QM2 right now... " and resent the money I'd spent on another ship. It would feel as if I was being unfaithful ;) .

 

Thank you for your comment, much appreciated, all best wishes, hope to have the pleasure and honour to meet you on board Queen Mary 2 one day :)

Edited March 29, 2015 by pepperrn

[pepperrn]

... It's only on these boards that people feel the need to mention it over and over again for no apparent reason. Such as "I only travel in the Grills, so I can't answer your irrelevant question". :)

Well said brigittetom, so very true.

[Host Hattie]

And it's usually people who have never travelled with Cunard who are worried about "snooty" passengers.

 

I have tried several other lines in an attempt to break my Cunard addiction but I'm afraid I've not managed so far.

[Dorset Cruiser]

Well 'never say never' 😄

 

 

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[PunkiC]

The only people I have ever heard "bragging" about being in a Grill cabin were a couple who were given a surprise upgrade upon boarding. I wouldn't actually call their telling their story so much "bragging" and being so astounded, and please, that they wanted to talk about it. While they liked the Grill food options, they preferred the ambiance of the Britannia dining room.

 

Once in a while someone may mention being in a Grill cabin in passing, but certainly never in a snobbish way. Worrying about the whole "class" thing is silly as it is not something one ever notices on the ship.

[Dorset Cruiser]

The only people I have ever heard "bragging" about being in a Grill cabin were a couple who were given a surprise upgrade upon boarding. I wouldn't actually call their telling their story so much "bragging" and being so astounded, and please, that they wanted to talk about it. While they liked the Grill food options, they preferred the ambiance of the Britannia dining room.

 

Once in a while someone may mention being in a Grill cabin in passing, but certainly never in a snobbish way. Worrying about the whole "class" thing is silly as it is not something one ever notices on the ship.

 

Not 'worried' about the 'class' thing, just do not like it.

 

 

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