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Cunard Drinks Prices


CABINET
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I am aware that quite a few people in the past have commented that drinks prices on Cunard are pretty high. I have also, on occasion, noted (possibly not on the Cunard forum) people's attempts to smuggle booze on board and thought that, if you can afford to cruise, then you can afford to pay for drinks rather than sit on your own in your cabin drinking.

 

However, we have just returned from a transatlantic and, for the first time, I had a glimmer of sympathy.

 

On a recent QE cruise (December 2016) we noted that, if you wanted a branded tonic with your gin, you had to pay a considerable amount extra (around $4 dollars once gratuity was taken into account) - tonic from a gun was included in the price.

 

On this trip my OH ordered a gin and tonic in the Commodore lounge and was surprised to see that he had been charged $1.75 for tonic from a gun (not including gratuity). He brought this "mistake" to the attention of the waiter who informed him that now tonic is an extra charge despite the drinks menu showing it as included in the price. The waiter became very agitated and begged us not to bring it to the attention of the manager because he himself had already raised the issue and had been told that Southampton had instructed them to continue the charge even though the drinks menu was wrong. He said he was afraid for his job and that he had a young child to support.

 

We checked the menus in other bars, saw that this mistake applied only to the Commodore lounge (all other lounges have removed tonic from the price list and just list the price of the gin with mixers priced separately) and, because of the waiters attitude, decided to let it go.

 

When we first cruised with Cunard in 2010 it was possible to enjoy a Kir Royale made with champagne or if you are a cheap date (as I am) you could have it with sparkling wine at about half the price. By the time we cruised last December that option had been removed and I had to ask for a sparking wine with a dash of cassis for which they charged an extra dollar (fair enough). This time around that option has been removed. The bar staff now have no mechanism for giving you a flavouring in your sparkling wine but the barman said that he could charge me for an ounce of Chambord instead (or put an ounce of Cassis through as Chambord). I opted for Chambord (yum) but was horrified when we received the bill to see that we had been charged $6.25 (before gratuity) for it making the drink just a few cents short of a proper Kir Royale made with champagne!

 

Call me tight but I think this is just going too far. They have all the ingredients to hand for providing a sparkling kir and I cannot understand why they won't.

 

We did raise this with the Food and Beverage Manager. He confirmed that his staff have been on the receiving end of complaints/abuse and that he is planning to make this clear to the management bods in Southampton but I have to say I won't hold my breath!

 

We really enjoyed the crossing (probably our most enjoyable ever) but this just took the edge of that enjoyment a little bit.

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We too have just returned from our first Cunard cruise on QM2 and were surprised to be charged 1.75 dollars for our Pepsi, from the pump, mixer added to 3/4 of a glass of ice and rum!!!! But our main complaint was that we were given, and charged for, doubles when we did not ask for them so 24.95 dollars (£20) for 2 rum and pepsi!!!!!! Very underhand we felt and the waiter who served us in Queens Room disappeared from view after our purchase so we couldn't question why he had done it........so that was the last alcohol we bought !!

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If you drink spirits then the soda package is a good idea only $6.50 a day and includes lots of mixers etc.

 

Our soft drinks package includes Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Lemonade, Soda, Tonic Water (from the soda gun only) & fruit juices (Orange, Apple, Grapefruit, Pineapple, Tomato & Cranberry) for $6.50 a day (+15% gratuity charge).

 

You can purchase this package once on board and the package is for the duration of your cruise.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

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I am aware that quite a few people in the past have commented that drinks prices on Cunard are pretty high. I have also, on occasion, noted (possibly not on the Cunard forum) people's attempts to smuggle booze on board and thought that, if you can afford to cruise, then you can afford to pay for drinks rather than sit on your own in your cabin drinking.

 

However, we have just returned from a transatlantic and, for the first time, I had a glimmer of sympathy.

 

On a recent QE cruise (December 2016) we noted that, if you wanted a branded tonic with your gin, you had to pay a considerable amount extra (around $4 dollars once gratuity was taken into account) - tonic from a gun was included in the price.

 

On this trip my OH ordered a gin and tonic in the Commodore lounge and was surprised to see that he had been charged $1.75 for tonic from a gun (not including gratuity). He brought this "mistake" to the attention of the waiter who informed him that now tonic is an extra charge despite the drinks menu showing it as included in the price. The waiter became very agitated and begged us not to bring it to the attention of the manager because he himself had already raised the issue and had been told that Southampton had instructed them to continue the charge even though the drinks menu was wrong. He said he was afraid for his job and that he had a young child to support.

 

We checked the menus in other bars, saw that this mistake applied only to the Commodore lounge (all other lounges have removed tonic from the price list and just list the price of the gin with mixers priced separately) and, because of the waiters attitude, decided to let it go.

 

When we first cruised with Cunard in 2010 it was possible to enjoy a Kir Royale made with champagne or if you are a cheap date (as I am) you could have it with sparkling wine at about half the price. By the time we cruised last December that option had been removed and I had to ask for a sparking wine with a dash of cassis for which they charged an extra dollar (fair enough). This time around that option has been removed. The bar staff now have no mechanism for giving you a flavouring in your sparkling wine but the barman said that he could charge me for an ounce of Chambord instead (or put an ounce of Cassis through as Chambord). I opted for Chambord (yum) but was horrified when we received the bill to see that we had been charged $6.25 (before gratuity) for it making the drink just a few cents short of a proper Kir Royale made with champagne!

 

Call me tight but I think this is just going too far. They have all the ingredients to hand for providing a sparkling kir and I cannot understand why they won't.

 

We did raise this with the Food and Beverage Manager. He confirmed that his staff have been on the receiving end of complaints/abuse and that he is planning to make this clear to the management bods in Southampton but I have to say I won't hold my breath!

 

We really enjoyed the crossing (probably our most enjoyable ever) but this just took the edge of that enjoyment a little bit.

 

Hi Cabinet

No need to "smuggle" alcohol on board the Queens, Presently they allow you to take aboard as much as you can carry for your own use in your stateroom.

 

Yes I agree this latest effort to squeeze the passenger out of more $ is not good and can possibly result in a decline in sales and as a consequence, reduced staff wages, Bar Staff presently receive the 15% service. If you have unhappy staff you are not going to get the required service. I have not compared the prices but until the refurbishment of QV alcohol was supplied in 1,5oz measurements 44ml as against a uk measurement of 25ml, now after refurbishment, it is supplied in 1oz or 2oz measures classified as a Single of Double with an additional charge for the Soda gun, which used to be free. Even if you wish to have a lemonade top on your bier they are trying to make the customer pay the additional fee which used to be free. Be interesting to see in time if the customer will play ball with this or just reduce their consumption.

Edited by Pennbank
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They probably hope passengers wont notice until they get their final statement....I must admit we were shocked and even the Americans on our table at dinner brought the subject up so its not just us 'moaning' Brits!

We did notice a few not so happy bar staff, in the Commmodore club particularly.

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They probably hope passengers wont notice until they get their final statement....I must admit we were shocked and even the Americans on our table at dinner brought the subject up so its not just us 'moaning' Brits!

We did notice a few not so happy bar staff, in the Commmodore club particularly.

 

Yes our experience in the Commodore was, for the first time, a little strained. On our first night we picked up the drinks menu only to find that it had only one page of drinks in it, in addition to the information pages about previous Commodores (I think, I must admit I didn't actually read them). When a waiter approached my husband said that it wasn't the "proper" drinks menu. The waiter told us "you;re wrong" and smirked at him. My husband took exception to his attitude and assured him that there really wasn't the full range of drinks available in our menu to which the waiter replied "if you say so" and then picked up another menu to give to us. I'm afraid at that stage we decided to go to the Chart Room instead. We left, followed out by two other waiters anxiously asking us what was wrong and would we stay to talk to the manager. We did not and had a pleasant time in the Chart Room instead. It is the first time we have ever had such "service" and I'm glad to say it did not happen again.

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Hi Cabinet

No need to "smuggle" alcohol on board the Queens, Presently they allow you to take aboard as much as you can carry for your own use in your stateroom.

 

Yes I agree this latest effort to squeeze the passenger out of more $ is not good and can possibly result in a decline in sales and as a consequence, reduced staff wages, Bar Staff presently receive the 15% service. If you have unhappy staff you are not going to get the required service. I have not compared the prices but until the refurbishment of QV alcohol was supplied in 1,5oz measurements 44ml as against a uk measurement of 25ml, now after refurbishment, it is supplied in 1oz or 2oz measures classified as a Single of Double with an additional charge for the Soda gun, which used to be free. Even if you wish to have a lemonade top on your bier they are trying to make the customer pay the additional fee which used to be free. Be interesting to see in time if the customer will play ball with this or just reduce their consumption.

 

Thanks Pennbank. I hadn't realised that you could take more than just a couple of bottles of wine on so that is interesting.

 

Truth is though that we prefer to sit with others in the bars/lounges and do a bit of people watching. We can drink alone at home any time.

 

 

I must admit that, for the first time ever, we attended two cocktails parties specifically for the free drinks to make up for our disappointment at the pricing. Rather sad I know but there it is.

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Last time we were in QV - last September - we sat at the bar a lot and saw the Kir Royale's being ordered and made. They did indeed use Kir but not champagne - instead they repeatedly used Pol Acker! Yet the charge was for a proper Kir Royale which means champagne!

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Last time we were in QV - last September - we sat at the bar a lot and saw the Kir Royale's being ordered and made. They did indeed use Kir but not champagne - instead they repeatedly used Pol Acker! Yet the charge was for a proper Kir Royale which means champagne!

 

The Kir Royale on the Bar Menu has always been with sparkling wine

 

 

 

 

Kir Royale

$7.75

This popular French cocktail made with Crème de Cassis (Blackcurrant Liqueur) and topped with sparkling wine, is purple hued, subtly sweet and fruity fresh.

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Has this change in drink pricing occurred in the last month on all ships? We disembarked QM2 on 8 May and it was still the previous drinks menu. The old menus are also still shown on the FAQ part of the web site which is extremely misleading if the change described has happened across the fleet. Perhaps they are too embarrassed to publish the new menus!

Edited by Sail the seas
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Thanks Pennbank. I hadn't realised that you could take more than just a couple of bottles of wine on so that is interesting.

 

Truth is though that we prefer to sit with others in the bars/lounges and do a bit of people watching. We can drink alone at home any time.

 

 

I must admit that, for the first time ever, we attended two cocktails parties specifically for the free drinks to make up for our disappointment at the pricing. Rather sad I know but there it is.

On our last trip we took quite a few bottles of wine and champagne with us and paid the $20 corkage to drink it in the dining room. It works out better value and we have a better choice of wine. We will be doing the same on our crossing in August. Our children (now 16 and 18) will have the soda package for convenience as much as anything but maybe we should all think about having it.

 

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You can bring on as much wine and booze as you want and can carry. IMHO this is very generous and much different than other mass market lines like HAL, Celebrity and Princess which have strict limits. And we find the drink prices to be comparable to the other mass market lines and quite a bit cheaper than some others like Oceania. Granted Cunard makes a lot of money off of drinks, but that is normal for lines that are not all-inclusive. Be careful what you order and if you don't like what you've been charged, speak up.

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It helps to get to know the barmen if you want those little "extras" like a drop of Cassis in your sparkling wine/champagne.

 

On my recent QE cruise on a couple of occasions I expressed interest in cocktails he was making for other passengers and he made enough for me to have a sample (ie the leftovers!). On one occasion it was almost a full drink! Definitely a case of an extra tip at the end of the cruise!

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On our December 2016 crossing we used the Commodore Club most evenings.

 

The only thing we noticed in costings was that my wife's 'Slimline' tonic was obviously bottled and therefore cost more than my 'regular'.

 

On checking my onboard statement I note the joint cost for each round, including the gratuity, was £20.30.

 

But hey, we were on the finest ocean liner, being served warm seafood canapés, listening to an excellent pianist and, one often wonders, being watched.:halo::halo:

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The Kir Royale on the Bar Menu has always been with sparkling wine

 

 

 

 

Kir Royale

$7.75

This popular French cocktail made with Crème de Cassis (Blackcurrant Liqueur) and topped with sparkling wine, is purple hued, subtly sweet and fruity fresh.

 

Hi Hattie

 

How strange, I don't think I have ever seen that description before. Although, since I know what I want, I don't actually read it all that thoroughly.

 

It was confirmed to us by the bar staff on both QE (in December) and QM2 that they no longer do a kir with sparkling wine.

 

Edited to add: I have just had a quick google and page 10 of the bar menu shows:-

 

 

Kir Royale

$15 .95

Crème de Cassis de Dijon Edmond Briottet,

Champagne.

 

That isn't the current menu though because they are still showing gin as being served in 1.5 ounce measures and, has been pointed out above, they are now doing either 1 or 2 ounce measures at different prices.

Edited by CABINET
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Has this change in drink pricing occurred in the last month on all ships? We disembarked QM2 on 8 May and it was still the previous drinks menu. The old menus are also still shown on the FAQ part of the web site which is extremely misleading if the change described has happened across the fleet. Perhaps they are too embarrassed to publish the new menus!

 

We were told that the menus have been changed very recently. We were on the 15 June eastbound crossing and I had the impression that the new menus took effect from the 8 June westbound.

 

I think the bar staff had been getting a fair amount of flak from their attitudes when talked to them about it.

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On a recent QE cruise (December 2016) we noted that, if you wanted a branded tonic with your gin, you had to pay a considerable amount extra (around $4 dollars once gratuity was taken into account) - tonic from a gun was included in the price.

 

On this trip my OH ordered a gin and tonic in the Commodore lounge and was surprised to see that he had been charged $1.75 for tonic from a gun (not including gratuity). He brought this "mistake" to the attention of the waiter who informed him that now tonic is an extra charge despite the drinks menu showing it as included in the price.

 

 

I am sat on QE at the moment and can confirm this is the case.

 

Drinks are sold in 1oz or 2oz, and the menu in the Commodore advertises "Gin and Tonic" but shows the price charged just for gin in the other bars.

 

Below it gives descriptions of the various Fever Tree tonics available, but shows no price next to them ($3.25 in the menu in the other bars) and nowhere in the Commodore menu does it show the $1.75 price of a mixer.

 

The waiters also don't mention there is a charge for the mixer or a higher cost for the Fever Tree, but actually 'upsell' the Fever Tree to customers (although I can understand why as the post-mix stuff out of the tap is disgusting).

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Here's a link to a new bar list (from the 'new' Chart Room on QV): http://www.cunard.co.uk/Global/Images/Ships/QV/QV_refit/Chart_Room_Night_Menu.pdf

 

Here's the old bar list for comparison:

http://www.cunard.co.uk/Documents/Menus/NEW-Menu-Drinks-Menu-Main-Bar.pdf

 

From a quick scan, it looks like the changes in prices affect spirits the most. Apologies in advance but I though I would do a bit of a comparison from the old to new lists (I am an accountant so like working with numbers!) based on a Bombay Sapphire and a fountain tonic:

 

- on the old list this was $7.95 plus tip (1.5oz pour).

- on the new list a double works out at $11.70 plus tip (2oz pour) ($9.95 for the gin and $1.75 for the mixer)

 

For a direct comparison, if you theoretically scale up the old list to a 2oz pour, that would have cost $10.60 so you are paying $1.10 more for the same sized drink on the new list.

 

It's even worse if you drink single measures (1oz) as this costs $8.70 on the new list ($6.95 for the gin and $1.75 for the mixer)but, if you theoretically scale down the old list to a 1oz pour it would have cost you $5.30 so you are paying $3.40 more for the same sized drink on the new menu!

 

The moral is: if you want to drink spirits; drink doubles (2oz pours)! Especially if you don't drink mixers (as you save $1.75 per drink on the new list).

Edited by jonnoguy
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The apology isn't necessary, like you l'm fond of numbers. A further observation is that it is quite clever to introduce a single and double choice for spirits. The bar crew now have a very easy way of up selling by offering a double as part of their sales pitch in addition to pushing the more expensive Fever Tree mixers.

 

On a related point, they were also said to changing the wine list concurrently with the bar offerings, it would interesting to learn about the changes in choice and pricing but as usual the website is lagging a long way behind what is happening on board.

 

M-AR

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A further observation is that it is quite clever to introduce a single and double choice for spirits. The bar crew now have a very easy way of up selling by offering a double as part of their sales pitch

 

That is exactly what they were doing on the QE last night - "two for 50% extra" was the line.

 

in addition to pushing the more expensive Fever Tree mixers.

 

And they were neglecting to mention there was a charge.

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That is exactly what they were doing on the QE last night - "two for 50% extra" was the line.

 

 

 

And they were neglecting to mention there was a charge.

 

 

 

That is not good practice.

 

We will bring a nice whiskey as a night cap with us.

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I agree. Bar prices on Cunard have gone a bit "overboard"... pun intended.

 

When last onboard QM2... I ordered a glass of red wine; the waitress asked if I wanted a "large" or a "small". Naturally, I was surprised, then ordered the "large". And thank God I did, because the "large" had less wine than one would receive when ordering ashore.

 

Sad this... but no doubt a Carnival implementation. Lower cruise fares; higher onboard pricing.

 

 

 

I am aware that quite a few people in the past have commented that drinks prices on Cunard are pretty high. I have also, on occasion, noted (possibly not on the Cunard forum) people's attempts to smuggle booze on board and thought that, if you can afford to cruise, then you can afford to pay for drinks rather than sit on your own in your cabin drinking.

 

However, we have just returned from a transatlantic and, for the first time, I had a glimmer of sympathy.

 

On a recent QE cruise (December 2016) we noted that, if you wanted a branded tonic with your gin, you had to pay a considerable amount extra (around $4 dollars once gratuity was taken into account) - tonic from a gun was included in the price.

 

On this trip my OH ordered a gin and tonic in the Commodore lounge and was surprised to see that he had been charged $1.75 for tonic from a gun (not including gratuity). He brought this "mistake" to the attention of the waiter who informed him that now tonic is an extra charge despite the drinks menu showing it as included in the price. The waiter became very agitated and begged us not to bring it to the attention of the manager because he himself had already raised the issue and had been told that Southampton had instructed them to continue the charge even though the drinks menu was wrong. He said he was afraid for his job and that he had a young child to support.

 

We checked the menus in other bars, saw that this mistake applied only to the Commodore lounge (all other lounges have removed tonic from the price list and just list the price of the gin with mixers priced separately) and, because of the waiters attitude, decided to let it go.

 

When we first cruised with Cunard in 2010 it was possible to enjoy a Kir Royale made with champagne or if you are a cheap date (as I am) you could have it with sparkling wine at about half the price. By the time we cruised last December that option had been removed and I had to ask for a sparking wine with a dash of cassis for which they charged an extra dollar (fair enough). This time around that option has been removed. The bar staff now have no mechanism for giving you a flavouring in your sparkling wine but the barman said that he could charge me for an ounce of Chambord instead (or put an ounce of Cassis through as Chambord). I opted for Chambord (yum) but was horrified when we received the bill to see that we had been charged $6.25 (before gratuity) for it making the drink just a few cents short of a proper Kir Royale made with champagne!

 

Call me tight but I think this is just going too far. They have all the ingredients to hand for providing a sparkling kir and I cannot understand why they won't.

 

We did raise this with the Food and Beverage Manager. He confirmed that his staff have been on the receiving end of complaints/abuse and that he is planning to make this clear to the management bods in Southampton but I have to say I won't hold my breath!

 

We really enjoyed the crossing (probably our most enjoyable ever) but this just took the edge of that enjoyment a little bit.

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