Free Sparkling Wine on Arrival – Alternative

[Soptim]

Hello we are going on a short trip with the QM2. I know that there is a bottle of sparkling wine in the cabin on arrival. Is there a possibility to get a non-alcoholic alternative? If so, can I order this in advance or should I inform our cabin steward of my wish? Thank you very much for your answers.
Soptim 

[Host Hattie]

As far as I know the alternative is not to drink it.

[exlondoner]

Just now, Host Hattie said:

As far as I know the alternative is not to drink it.

 

Which is also the procedure adopted by many who do drink alcohol, so I've heard.

[Host Hattie]

38 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

 

Which is also the procedure adopted by many who do drink alcohol, so I've heard.

True !

[majortom10]

For free it is not that bad, they dont have to give it you.

[lissie]

1 hour ago, majortom10 said:

For free it is not that bad, they dont have to give it you.

Yes given the level of whinging about Pol Acker I thought it would be undrinkable - it was perfectly fine - I've had a lot worse - in France no less. 

 

Its free - drink, don't drink the choice is yours 

[techteach]

I have to tell all of you that I am really looking forward to getting to taste this controversial sparkling. I freely admit to being a wine snob…my son makes wine here in Washington state, and we have a large cellar. I plan to taste it, but have orange juice handy. December, 2022, TA and I’m counting down the days!

[lissie]

9 minutes ago, techteach said:

I have to tell all of you that I am really looking forward to getting to taste this controversial sparkling. I freely admit to being a wine snob…my son makes wine here in Washington state, and we have a large cellar. I plan to taste it, but have orange juice handy. December, 2022, TA and I’m counting down the days!

I did exactly the same thing - drank the orange juice separately in the end. 

[2Oldpeopleinlove]

You know, these complaints about free wine no one’s forced to drink and which does just fine in OJ remind me of the wine salesman we met at Christmas dinner with friends this past December. We had brought a couple of bottles of 19 Crimes wines…inexpensive, decent reds…and then listened to him talk about how such wines are “crap dumped in the CNY market.” Just remember: de gustabus non disputandem est.

[Victoria2]

7 hours ago, 2Oldpeopleinlove said:

You know, these complaints about free wine no one’s forced to drink and which does just fine in OJ remind me of the wine salesman we met at Christmas dinner with friends this past December. We had brought a couple of bottles of 19 Crimes wines…inexpensive, decent reds…and then listened to him talk about how such wines are “crap dumped in the CNY market.” Just remember: de gustabus non disputandem est.

 I'm of the  'non connoisseur but I know what I like' fraternity and frequently enjoy wines some more knowledgeable than I, dismiss as 'average'. Great. More for me!  I remember being served a very fine Vintage Krug priced at gazillions of $$$. Nope. Sorry, wasted on me,  and no Reds are worth a fuss as far as I'm concerned so I agree, no accounting for taste! 😄

 

I have drunk Pol Aker occasionally when invited to friends' cabins for a drink and have yet to grow two heads. 🙂

[bunny76]

The Pol Acker welcome drink is served in a bucket of ice on QM2  (we have always found it  a refreshing and enjoyable start to the cruise).

 

 You could replace it in the ice bucket with your own bottle of non-alcoholic drink?

I can't see any restrictions on bringing non-alcoholic drinks on board but check with Cunard?

 

I think there is nothing to be lost by asking Cunard if you could have a bottle of something non-alcoholic as your welcome drink.  

[majortom10]

There is a lot of snobbery with regards to wine drinking and I bet half of the "connoisseurs" couldnt tell difference between cheap and expensive if they did a blind test. I know what I like and I know what I dont like and cost is irrelevant just because it costs more doesnt make me like it.

[ExArkie]

3 hours ago, majortom10 said:

There is a lot of snobbery with regards to wine drinking and I bet half of the "connoisseurs" couldnt tell difference between cheap and expensive if they did a blind test. I know what I like and I know what I dont like and cost is irrelevant just because it costs more doesnt make me like it.

A local wine store (Charlotte, NC) runs a "taste test" every year, doing a blind comparison between some $15 - $20 cabernets and some $75+, all from California. Pretty routinely, one of the lower priced ones comes in first or second in the customers' preferences. Price is most definitely not a reliable indicator of quality.

 

If one were to Google the ratings for Pol Acker, you'd find most sites give it a rating of around 3 to 3.5 (on a scale of 1 to 5), which doesn't indicate "undrinkable" to the majority of reviewers. I do not find it particularly abhorrent - not the greatest sparkling wine ever, but I'm not paying for it, either. If one doesn't care for the taste, one shouldn't consume it. Doesn't mean others shouldn't.

[techteach]

How about a French 75?

[Megabear2]

As a matter of interest how does Cunard deal with Friends of Bill ? Assumedly there is an alternative for them so perhaps the OP could follow that route?

[navybankerteacher]

1 hour ago, ExArkie said:

A local wine store (Charlotte, NC) runs a "taste test" every year, doing a blind comparison between some $15 - $20 cabernets and some $75+, all from California. Pretty routinely, one of the lower priced ones comes in first or second in the customers' preferences. Price is most definitely not a reliable indicator of quality.

 

If one were to Google the ratings for Pol Acker, you'd find most sites give it a rating of around 3 to 3.5 (on a scale of 1 to 5), which doesn't indicate "undrinkable" to the majority of reviewers. I do not find it particularly abhorrent - not the greatest sparkling wine ever, but I'm not paying for it, either. If one doesn't care for the taste, one shouldn't consume it. Doesn't mean others shouldn't.

The simple explanation is that most people prefer to buy inexpensive wine when they are paying for it themselves - it becomes familiar to them.  So, when offered taste tests, they are likely to prefer what they are familiar with over the unfamiliar — ergo: the cheaper wines do well.

 

But then, a lot of people are also a bit pretentious — so they will jump on the bandwagon of sneerers when given the opportunity.

[navybankerteacher]

22 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

As a matter of interest how does Cunard deal with Friends of Bill ? Assumedly there is an alternative for them so perhaps the OP could follow that route?

They provide free tea, coffee, etc. to everyone.

[Megabear2]

5 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

They provide free tea, coffee, etc. to everyone.

I appreciate that but what I meant was if asked by a Friend of Bill they presumably would not put the Pol Acker in the cabin as a welcome gift.  So the question was do these people get anything as a replacement or is it just removed?

Edited February 25, 2022 by Megabear2

[ExArkie]

1 hour ago, navybankerteacher said:

The simple explanation is that most people prefer to buy inexpensive wine when they are paying for it themselves - it becomes familiar to them.  So, when offered taste tests, they are likely to prefer what they are familiar with over the unfamiliar — ergo: the cheaper wines do well.

 

But then, a lot of people are also a bit pretentious — so they will jump on the bandwagon of sneerers when given the opportunity.

The actual explanation for this shop is that the owner (a Master Sommelier) stacks the deck in favor of the lower price point wines, which are deliberately chosen as well-balanced, not overly tannic, and more subdued fruit character than the huge fruit bomb cult California cabernets. The comparison is reasonably priced, balanced wines as compared to the very popular high-priced variety that rely more on name recognition and cult status than drinkability.

 

He is making the point that quality can be obtained at a lower price point. Hasn't reduced the number of cult Cabs he sells, though.

 

[Soptim]

Thank you for all the replies and discussions. I am pregnant and would like to toast the cruise with my partner, but not with alcohol. 
We'll see - maybe we'll ask our cabin steward. 

[techteach]

For me it is a matter of quantity. I am diabetic so I limit what I drink. I am going to choose what I drink for instance avoiding sweetened drinks and even orange juice. I appreciate Cunard providing a sail away bottle.  No pretensions, no snobbish behavior, but I’ll have a nice glass of wine of my choice. I just think it is funny how many in this group make fun of Pol Acker, and look forward to a sip or two so I can have context and choose to agree or disagree with you.  Almost noon here in Vegas, so time for a glass of rose.

[D&N]

Assuming we finally get to our cabin on QM2 at end of May, just about the first thing I'll do is place the flutes upside down in the ice bucket. If there's no space, the P.A. will go into the fridge. I'm confident it'll taste just fine in the chilled glasses.

[bluemarble]

1 hour ago, D&N said:

Assuming we finally get to our cabin on QM2 at end of May, just about the first thing I'll do is place the flutes upside down in the ice bucket. If there's no space, the P.A. will go into the fridge. I'm confident it'll taste just fine in the chilled glasses.

 

Of course this didn't really require a response but I couldn't resist. It will likely be a tight fit, but your strategy just might work without having to remove the bottle. Here's a photo of the ice bucket with the "Welcome Aboard" Pol Acker and one of the flutes provided at embarkation in a QM2 Britannia balcony cabin in 2019.

 

[Kristal Blade]

23 hours ago, 2Oldpeopleinlove said:

You know, these complaints about free wine no one’s forced to drink and which does just fine in OJ remind me of the wine salesman we met at Christmas dinner with friends this past December. We had brought a couple of bottles of 19 Crimes wines…inexpensive, decent reds…and then listened to him talk about how such wines are “crap dumped in the CNY market.” Just remember: de gustabus non disputandem est.

We are big fans of 19 crimes! Easy drinking, inexpensive and reliable on taste. We always buy when they are on offer for £7 a bottle in Tesco. We are obviously crap wine connoisseurs!

[2Oldpeopleinlove]

37 minutes ago, Kristal Blade said:

We are big fans of 19 crimes! Easy drinking, inexpensive and reliable on taste. We always buy when they are on offer for £7 a bottle in Tesco. We are obviously crap wine connoisseurs!

Love that! We’ve been getting rebate offers on cases that bring the cost per bottle down to $4.50. Amazingly cheap for a good everyday wine. I suspect that this second case will be our last crack at that, but we’re stocked up now.