Complimentary wine tasting and senior officers party

[Oldcruiser99]

I am a Cunard World Club Platinum member. Does anyone know if you can bring a non-Platinum guest to the complimentary wine tasting and senior officers party. Do the invitations include a guest. Thanks.

[pepperrn]

I am a Cunard World Club Platinum member. Does anyone know if you can bring a non-Platinum guest to the complimentary wine tasting and senior officers party. Do the invitations include a guest. Thanks.

Hi Oldcruiser99,

 

Others may have had different experiences to my own, but these were mine on a QM2 transatlantic a couple of years back.

 

Wine tasting: Yes. However the "other" person was charged (don't remember the fee, sorry but I'm sure I've seen it on the Cunard website as an on board "gift" package).

 

Senior Officer's Party: No. In a party of four, three of us (Diamond) were allowed to attend (with invites), the fourth (Gold) was not.

(the person who wasn't allowed to attend was sharing a cabin with a Diamond Member)

 

As I said, others may have had different experiences, however those were mine.

 

Best wishes to you.

Edited August 12, 2016 by pepperrn

[gentlemancruiser]

From my experience both events were only for the guest named on the invitation. Wine tasting - only the invited guest. Officer party - only platinum/diamond guests- gold level were not permitted even when travelling together.

Edited August 12, 2016 by gentlemancruiser

[BigMac1953]

I am a Cunard World Club Platinum member. Does anyone know if you can bring a non-Platinum guest to the complimentary wine tasting and senior officers party. Do the invitations include a guest. Thanks.

 

I seem to remember, the wine tasting would cost $35 for a non qualifying partner.

 

We actually turned up once, but on entering were faced with dozens of screaming hordes, and walked back out.

 

You won't be missing much.

 

A bit like the champagne tasting that used to held in the Champagne Bar. Now they hold it in the Britannia MDR and have taken away some of the varieties.

 

Nothing like how it used to be, except the price remained the same.

 

Stewart

[Pennbank]

I am a Cunard World Club Platinum member. Does anyone know if you can bring a non-Platinum guest to the complimentary wine tasting and senior officers party. Do the invitations include a guest. Thanks.

 

The Wine Tasting Invitation for a guest is $30.50

In my opinion it is not worth the cost. If I did pay for a guest I would be embarrassed taking them to it.

It is that dire !:eek:

 

Personally I have found taking a guest to the Captains Cocktail evenings were they have not had the CWC status no problem.

Edited August 13, 2016 by Pennbank

[maggiemou]

Wine tasting come with your name on the invite. We never attend as I do not drink wine and never pass on my invitation to someone else as it is a named item.

[pepperrn]

Just found an unused wine-tasting invitataion in my box of Cunard "things".

 

It was on a QM2 WB transatlantic...

 

"For your enjoyment Yoyo and Petra, your Cunard World Club Representatives, invite you to an exclusive Wine Tasting Event on 21st December 2013 at 2.30pm in the Britannia Restaurant Upper Level.

If your travelling companion is not a Platinum or Diamond Member of the Cunard World Club, they are welcome to join you. A Charge of $30.50 will apply"

 

(fee as stated by Pennbank).

 

I have attended, and may do so again on a future voyage... maybe. As Pennbank suggests, they aren't the best thing to do on board.

Down side; I did feel I was being processed and "moved along" (given the numbers involved). Up side; they didn't try to hard sell any of the wines to me. Next time, if there is a next time... I'll take a pen and paper with me, in case I discover a truly exceptional wine.

Edited August 14, 2016 by pepperrn

[Pennbank]

I am a Cunard World Club Platinum member. Does anyone know if you can bring a non-Platinum guest to the complimentary wine tasting and senior officers party. Do the invitations include a guest. Thanks.

 

Cunard say

While your spouse/travel companion may join you at the Cunard World Club Party, in the Disembarkation Lounge and/or at the Senior Officer's Party as your guest, unfortunately we are unable to extend all benefits to guests who do not yet qualify for them.

 

https://ask.cunard.com/help/returning-home/cwc_different_tiers

[castlewood]

Aboard the QM2 8 or 9 years ago, the complimentary wine tasting featured well thought-out comparison tests of four ultra-expensive wines and similar California wines. it included full discussions of the famous wines and the California wines. Everyone tested each pair, not knowing which was which, and then voted (using a nice Cunard pen which we got to keep). The votes were tallied and the results given. Wonderful canapés and cheese and crackers were served throughout

 

At last week's wine tasting aboard the QE, the attendees were divided into four groups and the groups rotated around the Britannia MDR. At each station, a different sommelier discussed a different wine. There seemed to be no overarching theme to justify why a given wine was chosen. At one station only, cheese and crackers were on the table. A waiter came by and tossed some toothpicks for us to retrieve the scraps.

 

It would have taken just a miniscule effort and a micro-investment to make last week's wine tasting a far classier and much more educational experience. Such an unwise decision by Cunard to scale back on one of the very few special benefits it offers its repeat passengers.

[pepperrn]

Well said castlewood. Couldn't agree more.

[Host Hattie]

We had the experience you describe first at a paid for wine tasting but the complimentary ones have been uninspiring, especially as they have been the same wines every time.

[BigMac1953]

Well said castlewood. Couldn't agree more.

 

Now you know why we "Diamonds" walked out.

 

Stewart

[david,Mississauga]

On my most recent crossing I considered giving our wine tasting invitations to our tablemates. The method of check-in at the event has not been consistent. Some times the steward at the entrance wants to scan our cruise cards (perhaps to make sure we were the recipient of the invitation?) and other times he just took the invitations without looking at them and tossed them in a pile. To avoid possible embarrassment to our tablemates I decided not to give them the cards.

 

As others have said it is no big deal. The only memorable tasting session was when we tasted two wines which were the cheapest on the list. The sommelier said he chose those two to prove to us that cheap wines can be surprisingly good. That may not have been good for business, but we were impressed and ordered those wines for dinner on two nights.

Edited August 18, 2016 by david,Mississauga
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