US Grills Drinks Promo Limit Increase

[NE John]

15 hours ago, Judyrem said:

I hope so!

 

It seems very petty to take this path.

 

This is my first Cunard cruise.

Please don’t let this issue negatively affect your first experience with Cunard. There is plenty more good than bad to be onboard a Cunard vessel. But…let’s still try to let them know that their Promo should be adjusted and brought in line to other lines by either increasing the limit or just letting us pay the difference. Or scrap it for something easier to implement. 

[burnsva]

Still waiting to hear from someones experience currently that has the grills promo….My voyage is still over a year out and kind of believe they will get it sorted before then….

[Joe33472]

Just wondering if anyone's heard any update on the grills drink promo.  I just checked the website and it stills says drinks up to $12 are covered.

[WantedOnVoyage]

from a message from Cunard customer service 19 March:

 

Our management team will be looking at possible changes in the future for this matter. Thank you for contacting Cunard and have a good day.

 

Oh, they threw in a $50 obc as "an expression of good will." so there's that.

 

We sail in QUEEN VICTORIA from Southampton... why 20 days from today... so who knows how Cunard defines "in the future"... 19 days or three years or... never. And we hope we have one of our team of very creative wine and bar stewards we been favoured with in the past. 

 

I would suggest any Grill passengers e-mail them in any event about this.  The more the merrier as they say.

[Joe33472]

4 minutes ago, WantedOnVoyage said:

from a message from Cunard customer service 19 March:

 

Our management team will be looking at possible changes in the future for this matter. Thank you for contacting Cunard and have a good day.

 

Oh, they threw in a $50 obc as "an expression of good will." so there's that.

 

We sail in QUEEN VICTORIA from Southampton... why 20 days from today... so who knows how Cunard defines "in the future"... 19 days or three years or... never. And we hope we have one of our team of very creative wine and bar stewards we been favoured with in the past. 

 

I would suggest any Grill passengers e-mail them in any event about this.  The more the merrier as they say.

 

Thanks for the update!    What email address should I send my inquiry?   I'm happy to write to them.  

[WantedOnVoyage]

generalinquiries@cunard.com 

[Joe33472]

1 hour ago, WantedOnVoyage said:

generalinquiries@cunard.com 

 

Sent an email.   I'll post here if I receive a response. 

 

 

[NE John]

9 minutes ago, Joe33472 said:

 

Sent an email.   I'll post here if I receive a response. 

 

 

I will too. The more the merrier!

[NE John]

I heard back with the same response of no change to US Grills Drinks package limits and Cunard also threw in some extra OBC as a courtesy. 
Along with thanking the rep, I strongly suggested that Cunard simplify the Grills Promo by just giving us extra OBC for drinks for us to decide what to use it on. OBC depending on the length of the voyage.
We’ll see…

[WantedOnVoyage]

Thanks... personally, I'd just rather pay the cheaper UK market Grill fares that don't include "free drinks package" that is now anything but and those who wish can just buy the existing drinks packages of our choice. RIght now, this promotion is a pat on the head while they are reaching into your pocket.

[Wedgie Wedgie]

Is it too hard to charge $3 for a $15 cocktail if you're limit is $12?

 

Do we really need Oppenheimer to solve this dilemma?

[Joe33472]

I received my response today saying that it's two separate plans and pricing.... No offer for an OBC, just copies of bar menus to let me know what wasn't covered on the promo 😆

[NE John]

1 hour ago, Joe33472 said:

I received my response today saying that it's two separate plans and pricing.... No offer for an OBC, just copies of bar menus to let me know what wasn't covered on the promo 😆

Wow, even the variation on Cunard’s response to each passenger is all over all over the place. Bummer. 
My beef is the lack of uniform policy and responses. There are still quite a few cocktails below $12, just hit the sexy ones. 

[Joe33472]

7 minutes ago, NE John said:

Wow, even the variation on Cunard’s response to each passenger is all over all over the place. Bummer. 
My beef is the lack of uniform policy and responses. There are still quite a few cocktails below $12, just hit the sexy ones. 

 

Honestly, I’m glad she sent the menus, because I took a look and there is a lot of drink for $12 and under.  I think we’ll be okay, since we don’t drink a lot and are not too fussy.   

[BellaAnna]

22 minutes ago, Joe33472 said:

 

Honestly, I’m glad she sent the menus, because I took a look and there is a lot of drink for $12 and under.  I think we’ll be okay, since we don’t drink a lot and are not too fussy.   

Anyway you might be able to share the menus here?

[Joe33472]

Just now, BellaAnna said:

Anyway you might be able to share the menus here?

 

These are the two that the Cunard rep sent to me.  I even asked her if these were current and she assured me that these were right from the website and provided a link..... The link didn't bring me to these menus. 

 

 

qm_deck_bar_menu_aug_2022a.pdf Main-Bar-Menu-QM2-May23.pdf

[NE John]

1 hour ago, Joe33472 said:

 

These are the two that the Cunard rep sent to me.  I even asked her if these were current and she assured me that these were right from the website and provided a link..... The link didn't bring me to these menus. 

 

 

qm_deck_bar_menu_aug_2022a.pdf 186.07 kB · 1 download Main-Bar-Menu-QM2-May23.pdf 346.74 kB · 4 downloads

Is this your first Cunard voyage? If I remember, you’re doing a TA in late June. 
Maybe Cunard gave extra OBC to World Club US Grills members? Who knows…

To add: Cunard has fantastic cocktails and an incredible choice of wines and whiskies.  
 

 

Edited April 18 by NE John

[Joe33472]

5 minutes ago, NE John said:

Is this your first Cunard voyage? If I remember, you’re doing a TA in late June. 
Maybe Cunard gave extra OBC to World Club US Grills members? Who knows…

To add: Cunard has fantastic cocktails and an incredible choice of wines and whiskies.  
 

 

 

Yes, our first Cunard voyage and we’re so excited.   Maybe because it’s our first time that they didn’t offer anything.  We also received some OBC as part of a promotion and also because they changed the length of our crossing.   So, maybe they figured we have enough 😂

 

We’re leaving on Sunday for a TA to Rome on Royal Caribbean (was supposed to be Celebrity) and we’re excited for that too.    The two cruises will definitely be different experiences.   Royal has one drink plan and you only pay the difference plus gratuity if the drinks are more than $14 or something, which makes much more sense to me.   Our QM2 crossing isn’t until the end of June.  

[BellaAnna]

1 hour ago, Joe33472 said:

 

These are the two that the Cunard rep sent to me.  I even asked her if these were current and she assured me that these were right from the website and provided a link..... The link didn't bring me to these menus. 

 

 

qm_deck_bar_menu_aug_2022a.pdf 186.07 kB · 3 downloads Main-Bar-Menu-QM2-May23.pdf 346.74 kB · 5 downloads

 

[BellaAnna]

Just now, BellaAnna said:

 

Thank you so much!  The drink prices are very doable with our package!!

[NE John]

17 minutes ago, Joe33472 said:

 

Yes, our first Cunard voyage and we’re so excited.   Maybe because it’s our first time that they didn’t offer anything.  We also received some OBC as part of a promotion and also because they changed the length of our crossing.   So, maybe they figured we have enough 😂

 

We’re leaving on Sunday for a TA to Rome on Royal Caribbean (was supposed to be Celebrity) and we’re excited for that too.    The two cruises will definitely be different experiences.   Royal has one drink plan and you only pay the difference plus gratuity if the drinks are more than $14 or something, which makes much more sense to me.   Our QM2 crossing isn’t until the end of June.  

If you like wine, on the first day onboard, ask the Grills Sommelier if he is offering any tastings during the Crossing. We had a great experience on ours and it’s a good way to use your OBC. ($120 pp for high end Chardonnays and canapés). There were only 10 people at the tasting so ask first chance you can.
Please also write a review of your Crossing too. 

[WantedOnVoyage]

The drinks menu is what I recall from our September QV Med/Aegean cruise... there's precisely one gin martini and one vodka one under $12. I did find the bar staff sufficiently fed up with these duelling drinks packages that one could, at the onset, say "I want this and I have a $12 limit" and they got on with it.  Not the sort of thing I like having to do as a premium passenger but shipboard staff can play the game better than the shoreside penny counters I find.

 

It is amusing though how the shipboard staff just roll their eyes if you mention shoreside "management"... Cunard ships are so much better run and organised than the supposed people managing any of it... from Southampton or California. Or indeed, "working from home" in wherever.  They've been that way since my first dealings with Cunard, dating to 1977. So it's worthy of the "Cunard Heritage Trail". 

[D&N]

@Joe33472, @BellaAnna,

Note that the Main Bar Menu may be current. The Deck Bar Menu is not.

The key is in the measures. The main bar menu shows spirits in 25ml and 50ml servings, sparkling wine in 125ml, and still wine in 175ml and 250ml.

The old deck menu shows sparkling in 150ml and still in 150ml and 250ml. It doesn't show spirits but they used to come in 1oz (30ml) and 2oz (60ml).

 

You'll see in the file names that one is from May23 and the other Aug 2022.

[Joe33472]

12 minutes ago, D&N said:

@Joe33472, @BellaAnna,

Note that the Main Bar Menu may be current. The Deck Bar Menu is not.

The key is in the measures. The main bar menu shows spirits in 25ml and 50ml servings, sparkling wine in 125ml, and still wine in 175ml and 250ml.

The old deck menu shows sparkling in 150ml and still in 150ml and 250ml. It doesn't show spirits but they used to come in 1oz (30ml) and 2oz (60ml).

 

You'll see in the file names that one is from May23 and the other Aug 2022.

 

I saw that one of the menus was dated 2022, so I asked the Cunard representative if the menus were current, her response was to provide a link that didn't work.  Here is the correct link that would bring to you the menu dated 2022. 

 

https://www.cunard.com/en-us/activity-types/bars-and-lounges/terrace-bar

 

The other links on Cunard's website also brings up these menus dated 2022. 

 

qv_chart_room_menu_aug_2022a-1.pdf qm_carinthia_lounge_menu_02a.pdf

[D&N]

1 minute ago, Joe33472 said:

 

I saw that one of the menus was dated 2022, so I asked the Cunard representative if the menus were current, her response was to provide a link that didn't work.  Here is the correct link that would bring to you the menu dated 2022. 

 

https://www.cunard.com/en-us/activity-types/bars-and-lounges/terrace-bar

 

The other links on Cunard's website also brings up these menus dated 2022. 

 

qv_chart_room_menu_aug_2022a-1.pdf 438.44 kB · 0 downloads qm_carinthia_lounge_menu_02a.pdf 376.62 kB · 0 downloads

They aren't very good at keeping the website updated.

The measures are the key.

You'll also find in the terms and conditions of the paid for drinks package mention of the new measures 25ml/50ml spirits and 175ml small wine.

There is a YT video kicking about as well, where the vlogger goes through the Commodore Club menu showing the new measures.