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Soft Drinks Package


Tigrou
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Hello. I'm new to Cunard and am wondering whether it's worth me buying the soft drinks package. My main concern is how easy it is to actually get a soft drink on QM2, particularly in the MDR.

When we cruised Celebrity I paid for the soft drinks package but found it somewhat difficult to get one. In the MDR they had to be ordered from the bar waiter who clearly wasn't interested in providing them as presumably it made him no money. I only managed to get a soft drink because my DH was ordering alcohol, and once the bar waiter learned that DH would only order one drink each evening he wouldn't come back asking if we wanted any more so I was never able to get a second. When eating in the buffet I would have to go to the nearest bar if I wanted a soft drink and, similarly to the MDR, the bar tenders were not keen on spending time pouring a soft drink for me when they could be selling alcohol to other guests.

The cost benefit of the soft drinks package is debatable for me but I would like the ease of it, if I can easily get a drink when I want one. However, if I'm going to spend more time trying to get a drink in the MDR than being able to enjoy it with my meal then I won't bother.

I'd appreciate hearing anyone's experiences.

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We always purchase the soft drinks package on QM2 and generally have had no difficulty getting soft drinks with our dinner in the MDR. You do order your soft drinks from the drinks waiter, but what often happens is that after the first evening, the drinks waiter learns our routine and we find soft drinks waiting for us at our table when we arrive for dinner. It hasn't always worked out that way on every voyage, but probably more often than not. We have found the drinks waiters are generally available for us to order a second soft drink during dinner in the MDR although they can get very busy and are not always immediately available when we are ready to order that second soft drink.

 

The buffet can be a bit problematic. There are drinks waiters who circulate throughout the buffet seating area and will take your soft drinks order. But they can be hard to find at times and sometimes we have to go looking for one. And then it can take more time than we would like for the drinks to arrive after placing our order in the buffet.

 

When ordering soft drinks from the bars, we have found the waiters and bar tenders to be courteous and accommodating in providing us with our "free" soft drinks.

Edited by bluemarble
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Thank you, that is very helpful.

 

Could you please tell me whether you have to sign for the 'free' drinks and, if so, is a further gratuity expected? (I believe the usual 15% is included in the price of the drinks package.)

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Thank you, that is very helpful.

 

Could you please tell me whether you have to sign for the 'free' drinks and, if so, is a further gratuity expected? (I believe the usual 15% is included in the price of the drinks package.)

 

No, we have never needed to sign for the soft drinks we receive using the soft drinks package. That little extra convenience factor is one thing we especially like about using the soft drinks package. The usual 15% gratuity is included in the price of the package. No further gratuity is expected.

 

Now having said that, we haven't yet sailed on QM2 since the introduction of their new "A world of drinks" program where the traditional soft drinks package is now just one of several drinks packages on offer. So, I can't say for sure if the current system has changed at all in that regard.

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The soft drinks are from the bar-man's "Nozzle"... right ? Its not a soft drink from a pop-top can, is it ?



That's correct. That's how the traditional soft drinks package has worked in the past. No sodas in cans or bottles. But now on QM2 there are two different soft drinks packages available.

Soft Drinks - $10 per person per day.
Unlimited draught soft drinks, selected fruit juices, squash and cordials.

Premium Soft Drinks - $29 per person per day.
Unlimited access to a wide variety of soft drinks, small bottled waters, freshly squeezed juices, speciality hot drinks and hand-crafted zero-proof mocktails. Plus a 20% discount on any other non-alcoholic drinks not included in the Premium Soft Drinks Option, such as large bottles of mineral water, deluxe juices and smoothies.

The regular "Soft Drinks" package appears to be the same as in the past with regard to the only sodas included being those dispensed from the bar nozzles.

The new "Premium Soft Drinks" package promises a wider variety of soft drinks, but it doesn't specifically state if that includes cans and/or bottles of sodas.

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