Buying wine package on board v in advance

Is there any advantage to buying a wine package in advance as opposed to buying it on board, assuming it is possible to buy one on board?!

Also, does anyone know if Cunard lists the fare you've paid anywhere on your paper work or in the voyage personaliser? I'm pretty sure we paid the Cunard fare but cannot see it listed anywhere. Seems a bit silly not to list it as people will always be wondering if their shuttle fares are included, especially if they booked a long time in advance!

If you booked a long time ago then I am sure that you paid the Cunard fare as Saver fares only come in at a later stage, Another clue is that with the Cunard fare you can pick your cabin number but with the Saver fare you can not.

Read the forum and you will find out, Yes that is not only what you could have saved if you read the Cruise Critic forums.

see

http://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2390757&page=8

Yes Cunard do show the price you have paid on your booking confirmation, if you print it out.

Is there any advantage to buying a wine package in advance as opposed to buying it on board, assuming it is possible to buy one on board?!

 

Also, does anyone know if Cunard lists the fare you've paid anywhere on your paper work or in the voyage personaliser? I'm pretty sure we paid the Cunard fare but cannot see it listed anywhere. Seems a bit silly not to list it as people will always be wondering if their shuttle fares are included, especially if they booked a long time in advance!

Hi crt8. My experience is that if you book a wine package (or anything else) in advance of your cruise/voyage, your credit card will be charged.

But if you purchase on board, those charges will be applied to your on board credit.

Just to mention that last time I was on board QM2, the sommelier gave me a wine menu that included wines of limited quantity (not on the menu, prices reduced). I forget what the menu was called, but I did enjoy a bottle or two from that menu :)

Just to mention that last time I was on board QM2, the sommelier gave me a wine menu that included wines of limited quantity (not on the menu, prices reduced). I forget what the menu was called, but I did enjoy a bottle or two from that menu

We experienced this on our second QM2 trip, I think my husband asked for a particular bottl we had had in our first voyage ........ the sommelier told us that the wine supplier was changing .......we had a couple of bottles at a reasonable reduction if I remember ........

Thanks. I think that link must be wrong as it doesn't talk about savings?

Another clue is that with the Cunard fare you can pick your cabin number but with the Saver fare you can not.

Not always so. Last year we booked a Saver Fare on QE, but we were allowed to choose our cabin number from quite a few. Even our TA was surprised.

Thanks. I think that link must be wrong as it doesn't talk about savings?

crt8, To answer the first part of your question re Wine Packages.

Buying a wine package 'in advance' saves you the 15% service charge you'd normally pay when purchasing onboard.

Over the last few weeks a number of people on this board, including myself have taken the advantage of pre purchasing a wine package at the favourable dollar rate to the pound sterling, which Cunard are offering at the moment. ( please be advised that pre purchasing 'OBC' at Cunard's favourable rate is no longer available)

How long will this favourable rate on 'wine packages' last ?, we don't know. So at the moment pre purchasing a wine package offers you a considerable saving, considering the US dollar to the pound is weak.

If you go back to the above link, towards the end of the thread you'll see that a few people have made a considerable saving. You simply telephone Cunard and tell the agent you wish to pre purchase a wine package and that you are paying in pounds sterling. I can recommend the Captains collection it's quite reasonable. What you don't consume at the table you can take away with you, either to your stateroom or home. :)

....Buying a wine package 'in advance' saves you the 15% service charge you'd normally pay when purchasing onboard....

I am a little confused by this statement Bell Boy. My understanding is that if you purchase a wine package in advance, then the price paid includes the 15% service charge. Are you saying that if you purchase the same package on board that 15% service charge is added?

ie for a 6 bottle Captain's Collection package:

In advance - US$260 including 15% service charge

On board - US$260 PLUS 15% service charge

This does not seem right to me, but I don't have any personal experience. I am hoping that the cost in advance and on board are the same for wine packages, as I would prefer to buy on board.

Of course if you buy your wine individually, bottle by bottle, then a 15% service charge will be added to cost of each bottle.

Having just read details on Voyage Personaliser, I see no mention of the 15% service charge being removed when pre-ordering wine packages. However, there is this:

"For your own tailor-made selection, why not choose either the Commodore's Collection or the Captain's Collection? Each of these feature 12 different wines from around the world and you can opt for either 6, 9 or 12 bottles from each and enjoy savings of up to 15% when compared to buying each bottle separately."

Pre-order and it will be charged to your credit card. Purchase on board and it will be deducted from your on board credit, if you have any.

Edited to add: Apparently, whether you order a wine package on board or in advance, the 15% service charge is included.

"...Terms & Conditions. All prices are quoted in US Dollars, are inclusive of 15% service charge and are subject

to change. Your selected wine packages will be added to your on board account and you will receive a voucher

booklet to redeem your purchases. Bottles from your wine package can be enjoyed in any restaurant on board

or delivered directly to your stateroom. Please advise your preference when booking.

Items featured in the The Wine Collection are only available to purchase either prior or during the voyage"

click on the link here for wine purchases: https://ask.cunard.com/help/life-on-board/drinks_package

I am a little confused by this statement Bell Boy. My understanding is that if you purchase a wine package in advance, then the price paid includes the 15% service charge. Are you saying that if you purchase the same package on board that 15% service charge is added?

 

ie for a 6 bottle Captain's Collection package:

In advance - US$260 including 15% service charge

On board - US$260 PLUS 15% service charge

 

This does not seem right to me, but I don't have any personal experience. I am hoping that the cost in advance and on board are the same for wine packages, as I would prefer to buy on board.

 

Of course if you buy your wine individually, bottle by bottle, then a 15% service charge will be added to cost of each bottle.[/QU

 

Sorry if my post is confusing, as I understand it, buying the wine package in advance already includes the 15% ......buying onboard will incur an additional 15% on the onboard statement . rakkor in 'post 10' on another thread ( see the link suggested by pennbank) explains it more clearly than I can.;)

 

Having said that, these savings that we mention, are only of value to Brits, they would be of no value to our American cousins who already use the dollar.

 

re the 15% saving, hopefully I'm correct ? otherwise someone with the correct information will come along and correct me. :)

Hi crt8. My experience is that if you book a wine package (or anything else) in advance of your cruise/voyage, your credit card will be charged.

 

But if you purchase on board, those charges will be applied to your on board credit.

 

Just to mention that last time I was on board QM2, the sommelier gave me a wine menu that included wines of limited quantity (not on the menu, prices reduced). I forget what the menu was called, but I did enjoy a bottle or two from that menu :)

Bin Ends.

I shouldn't give my secrets away like this but you can ask for it.

I am a little confused by this statement Bell Boy. My understanding is that if you purchase a wine package in advance, then the price paid includes the 15% service charge. Are you saying that if you purchase the same package on board that 15% service charge is added?

 

ie for a 6 bottle Captain's Collection package:

In advance - US$260 including 15% service charge

On board - US$260 PLUS 15% service charge

 

This does not seem right to me, but I don't have any personal experience. I am hoping that the cost in advance and on board are the same for wine packages, as I would prefer to buy on board.

 

Of course if you buy your wine individually, bottle by bottle, then a 15% service charge will be added to cost of each bottle.

Good morning minz 56,

I stand corrected :o The price for Six bottles from the Captains collection is $226.09 + $33.91 = $260.00 . Whether pre purchased or purchased onboard

Just had this confirmed by friends onboard Q.V at the moment. Apologies for the confusion, however, at the moment we Brits are still making a saving for the time being.:)

Good morning minz 56,

I stand corrected :o The price for Six bottles from the Captains collection is $226.09 + $33.91 = $260.00 . Whether pre purchased or purchased onboard

 

Just had this confirmed by friends onboard Q.V at the moment. Apologies for the confusion, however, at the moment we Brits are still making a saving for the time being.:)

Good morning Bell Boy.

This may help. It is an explanation of costs of the Commodore's Wine Package I purchased last month in preparation for my upcoming QM2 Voyage...

The £227.33 figure is what I paid and what appeared on my Amex statement. Checking out today's exchange rate, had I paid in US Dollars, it would have been £286.15.

Add to my savings the 1% cash back and I consider the deal a good one.

When pre-purchasing the wine package we only paid the stated cost, there was no 15% charge added. 18 bottles of the Commodor's collection cost 995 USD which was charged in sterling to my credit card at an exchange rate of 1.54. If I had bout the same package on board it would have been the same cost, but charged to my account in USD and the current exchange rate is 1.22 - 170 GBP more expensive

We're half way through the package and very pleased with our choice.

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I have just purchased 12 bottles of the Captains selection for £321.

I was hoping to purchase OBC later, but I see from earlier posts that it is no longer available at the favourable rate. Shame

Thank you for the thread and advice.

Thought I might order the wine package for our Dec TA.

Spent 40 minutes on hold then gave up. Asked for a call back. That was 6 hours ago.

Not great customer support.

That's very unusual on a Saturday. What number are you using. No one is ever kept kept waiting '40' minutes on hold.

0843 something that they have on the website. At least they made 7p a minute out of me.

Not impressed.

No call back yet.

Paying £400 a night each for the privilege of not getting through to customer service. Shockingly bad.

0843 something that they have on the website. At least they made 7p a minute out of me.

Not impressed.

No call back yet.

Paying £400 a night each for the privilege of not getting through to customer service. Shockingly bad.

Try using:

02380 655000

andhow

Try using:

 

02380 655000

 

andhow

I will give that a try. Thank you.

They rang back!

Bought the 4 bottle Captain's package (we aren't big drinkers and 1/2 bottle a day is plenty). On board with gratuity that would have been $201 or £165 at today's exchange rate.

I was charged £113. That's a saving of £52. Worth making a 'phone call for.

Incidentally, I was quoted the price in £££s , I didn't need to ask.

I'm glad it worked out for you, I'm still debating whether to buy a package or not. We have quite a lot of OBC on our next cruise but we also have a couple of ports in Spain so it would avoid the 10% if that is going to be a problem.

So I have pre purchased the 6 bottle Commodore package today and was charged £227.00. I didn't have to ask for the price in sterling it was offered to me on that basis. At current exchange rate $350 would have been £284 so a significant saving. Use the 0800 number given earlier in this thread. Thank you for the heads up guys.

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