Bookings which include drinks package?

[exlondoner]

2 hours ago, Victoria2 said:

Most definitely, and having had others' drinks somehow finding their way onto our account, we WANT to sign. At the very least we could prove in the past, the signature wasn't ours. Might be slightly more difficult if [when?] it happens again but, we will be asking for a receipt for every purchase.

 

Signing paper receipts seemed to have been fully reinstated last week. I have a handbag full of copies.😀

[Petulia]

15 hours ago, bluemarble said:

 

Was your QM2 voyage during 2015 by any chance? If so, perhaps you managed to book under the terms of "The Grills Suites Inclusive Package" introduced in 2015 in connection with Cunard's 175th anniversary. That package included bottles of wine from the Captain's Collection (4 bottles on voyages of 13 days or less, 6 bottles on voyages of 14 to 20 days, and 9 bottles on voyages of 21 days or more).

Hi, this cruise was in mid July 2017, an 8 day Fjords cruise. Looking back at the emails from our agent, it rather looks like the ‘package’  was courtesy of the TA rather than Cunard. 
 

But I do recall sailing on Celebrity in 2015 when we did receive a free drinks package and gratuities. Happy days! 😊

[Bell Boy]

4 hours ago, exlondoner said:

 

Signing paper receipts seemed to have been fully reinstated last week. I have a handbag full of copies.😀

 Oh no  🤬.  The only good thing that came out of the recent post pandemic onboard procedures was the contactless payment in the various Bars . Much quicker, done & dusted and no problems with other guests accidentally signing their drinks to another guest stateroom ,

[exlondoner]

6 minutes ago, Bell Boy said:

 Oh no  🤬.  The only good thing that came out of the recent post pandemic onboard procedures was the contactless payment in the various Bars . Much quicker, done & dusted and no problems with other guests accidentally signing their drinks to another guest stateroom ,

Completely disagree. Love the paper receipts.

[Bell Boy]

2 hours ago, exlondoner said:

Completely disagree. Love the paper receipts.

You have a handbag to stuff them in , I don't want my expensive tailored suit pockets bulging. 

 

[tv24]

1 hour ago, Bell Boy said:

You have a handbag to stuff them in , I don't want my expensive tailored suit pockets bulging. 

 

Bell Boy:  Wear a cheaper suit!  Just kidding...

 

Yes, paper receipts are back.  I just make a habit of emptying my pockets on a regular basis.

[exlondoner]

2 minutes ago, tv24 said:

Bell Boy:  Wear a cheaper suit!  Just kidding...

 

Yes, paper receipts are back.  I just make a habit of emptying my pockets on a regular basis.

 

What I was going to suggest, make a pile of them on the desk in your cabin. 

[Victoria2]

18 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

 

What I was going to suggest, make a pile of them on the desk in your cabin. 

A bit mundane, but along with the coins sellotaped to the inside of a see through 'pouch' I have in my carry on stuff for any 'to pay for' trolleys,  I also have a couple of paper clips. Jolly useful for receipts.

 

I wasn't a Brownie [and for a short while, a Guide] for nothing!! 😀

[Solent Richard]

16 hours ago, Bell Boy said:

 Oh no  🤬.  The only good thing that came out of the recent post pandemic onboard procedures was the contactless payment in the various Bars . Much quicker, done & dusted and no problems with other guests accidentally signing their drinks to another guest stateroom ,

Well said Bell Boy. 

 

Sometimes I do wonder, particularly about those folk who sail Grills,  really spend time checking and rechecking their paper receipts.

 

One of the joys on my recent MSC Yacht Club experiences was, when outside the confines of the Yacht Club,   once you'd showed your Diamond card it was never required again for any additional drinks.

 

Also, as you have said elsewhere, the problem doesn't arise on Seabourn or Silversea.

 

On a lighter note of course, the only 'check' I'm particularly interested in would be  my final onboard account to ensure my full OBC had been used.😂

 

[exlondoner]

14 minutes ago, Solent Richard said:

Well said Bell Boy. 

 

Sometimes I do wonder, particularly about those folk who sail Grills,  really spend time checking and rechecking their paper receipts.

 

 

 

 

Well, I certainly do. After all, it probably averages out at a minute a day over a cruise, and I like to know I've been charged for what I've had. I'd much rather spend time over that than worrying about how my expensive clothes looked, if I had any.

[Victoria2]

19 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

 

 

 

 

Well, I certainly do. After all, it probably averages out at a minute a day over a cruise, and I like to know I've been charged for what I've had. I'd much rather spend time over that than worrying about how my expensive clothes looked, if I had any.

So do we. Even though we're Cunard loyalists, I'm not blind to the fact mistakes are made and our own  past experiences have shown that. Not only do we keep the receipts, I get an account printout every couple of days and check them off against that. Belt and braces. It's easier to sort out a mistake when onboard than afterwards and we have had one or two quite expensive mistakes on our account.

 

Unless you have complete faith in 'the system', or you have money to burn, neither of which we have, checking the receipts, as we do with credit and debit statements when at home,  is the sensible thing to do.

 

 

[majortom10]

Sorry but there have been too many regular erroneous charged on a counts that I prefer paper receipts to prove what I have purchased. Having been charged in Grills lounge for an expensive bottle of wine that I never had proves it does happen. On going to speak to manager of grills lounge bar about it after a long and confusing talk with unreasonable excuses of why I had been charged eventually had the charge removed. Anyone who goes on holiday and never checks their account regularly on Cunard has either more money than sense or is foolish. Happening all to often so I like the return of paper receipts.

 

[Solent Richard]

1 hour ago, majortom10 said:

Sorry but there have been too many regular erroneous charged on a counts that I prefer paper receipts to prove what I have purchased. Having been charged in Grills lounge for an expensive bottle of wine that I never had proves it does happen. On going to speak to manager of grills lounge bar about it after a long and confusing talk with unreasonable excuses of why I had been charged eventually had the charge removed. Anyone who goes on holiday and never checks their account regularly on Cunard has either more money than sense or is foolish. Happening all to often so I like the return of paper receipts.

 

Each of course to their own Major.

 

Not of course recognising myself in either of your categories I would  probably speculate that it's one of the reasons I seem to extract so much more enjoyment from my cruising - no matter who I cruise with.

 

And as for having regular printouts of ones account - God forbid the effect on forestation - well I'm shocked. My recollection is that I've only ever received such when they are automatically sent out when on the longer cruises.

 

Just saying but its interesting to hear how others pass their time onboard. 😀

 

[Solent Richard]

4 hours ago, exlondoner said:

 

 

 

 

Well, I certainly do. After all, it probably averages out at a minute a day over a cruise, and I like to know I've been charged for what I've had. I'd much rather spend time over that than worrying about how my expensive clothes looked, if I had any.

 

Each of course to their own. 

[majortom10]

2 hours ago, Solent Richard said:

Each of course to their own Major.

 

Not of course recognising myself in either of your categories I would  probably speculate that it's one of the reasons I seem to extract so much more enjoyment from my cruising - no matter who I cruise with.

 

And as for having regular printouts of ones account - God forbid the effect on forestation - well I'm shocked. My recollection is that I've only ever received such when they are automatically sent out when on the longer cruises.

 

Just saying but its interesting to hear how others pass their time onboard. 😀

 

Not about how I pass my time onboard but due to many recent reports and personal past experience I cannot afford to have incorrect charges put on my onboard account and paying for items I have not received and why should I. If you are in a position where you do not check your onboard account regularly and just pay the bill at the end without checking then you have more money than sense.

 

[North West Newbie]

37 minutes ago, majortom10 said:

Not about how I pass my time onboard but due to many recent reports and personal past experience I cannot afford to have incorrect charges put on my onboard account and paying for items I have not received and why should I. If you are in a position where you do not check your onboard account regularly and just pay the bill at the end without checking then you have more money than sense.

 

 

That very much depends on how one evaluates sense versus money.

 

It seems to me that @Solent Richard is too busy ensconced enjoying himself and, to him, it makes more sense not to waste valuable onboard holiday time worrying about potential issues that are relatively miniscule when one looks at the overall cost of the cruise.

[BigMac1953]

My final bill has often gone straight into the bin bags in the corriodor without being opened.

 

The alternative is to risk an ear bashing if her indoors sees it.

[Victoria2]

2 minutes ago, North West Newbie said:

 

That very much depends on how one evaluates sense versus money.

 

It seems to me that @Solent Richard is too busy ensconced enjoying himself and, to him, it makes more sense not to waste valuable onboard holiday time worrying about potential issues that are relatively miniscule when one looks at the overall cost of the cruise.

It took me ten minutes or less to go down the the Front Desk to get a printout, twice a week.

That's twenty minutes out of a week. Huge amount of time, I quite realise when I could have been enjoying myself but help is at hand.

Apparently, one can check for nefarious additions to one's account on 'My Cunard'.

 

So for me, that will probably involve more time taken in trying to get my head around something technical but hey, never mind, I'm saving the planet! 😄

 

Seriously now though, I completely agree a $100 here and there isn't a lot at all when the price of the cruise is taken into consideration but it's annoying and I, like Major T, do not appreciate being debited for an expense I didn't make  so I check.

[exlondoner]

15 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

It took me ten minutes or less to go down the the Front Desk to get a printout, twice a week.

That's twenty minutes out of a week. Huge amount of time, I quite realise when I could have been enjoying myself but help is at hand.

Apparently, one can check for nefarious additions to one's account on 'My Cunard'.

 

So for me, that will probably involve more time taken in trying to get my head around something technical but hey, never mind, I'm saving the planet! 😄

 

Seriously now though, I completely agree a $100 here and there isn't a lot at all when the price of the cruise is taken into consideration but it's annoying and I, like Major T, do not appreciate being debited for an expense I didn't make  so I check.

 

And even if a mere $100 here and there isn't a lot (it seems a lot to me), wouldn't you rather it was disposed of as you chose, rather than through an accounting error. Perhaps to a seafarers' charity?

[Victoria2]

32 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

 

And even if a mere $100 here and there isn't a lot (it seems a lot to me), wouldn't you rather it was disposed of as you chose, rather than through an accounting error. Perhaps to a seafarers' charity?

Mistakes have only happened a couple of times over the decade we've been cruising with Cunard to be fair but they have happened.  I think everyone should check all expenditure statements, land and sea and each to their own but that's the way I was brought up.  It's only a £ or two but I'm the one who gets CC slip for a newspaper. And I check it against my statement!🙂

 

One cruise, a shortish one by our standards, we ended up with thousands of $$OBC and even though relatives and BFFs were recipients of Cunard's largesse that Christmas, we still had some $$ left and rather than let the company have them, I had them assigned to the staff grat. pot.  As you say, my choice as to where 'my' money went.

 

 

[majortom10]

4 hours ago, North West Newbie said:

 

That very much depends on how one evaluates sense versus money.

 

It seems to me that @Solent Richard is too busy ensconced enjoying himself and, to him, it makes more sense not to waste valuable onboard holiday time worrying about potential issues that are relatively miniscule when one looks at the overall cost of the cruise.

Sorry but being charged over $70 for a bottle of wine in Grills lounge when we weren't even in there that night never mind ordered wine. Also being charged nearly $40 by room service for steak and chips after midnight when we were in bed by anyone's mind is not a miniscule amount.

Edited August 2, 2022 by majortom10

[North West Newbie]

36 minutes ago, majortom10 said:

Sorry but being charged over $70 for a bottle of wine in Grills lounge when we weren't even in there that night never mind ordered wine. Also being charged nearly $40 by room service for steak and chips after midnight when we were in bed by anyone's mind is not a miniscule amount.

 

So, continue to scrutinise your onboard account. That is your prerogative.

[majortom10]

24 minutes ago, North West Newbie said:

 

So, continue to scrutinise your onboard account. That is your prerogative.

I don't scrutinise I check my account occasionally during the cruise to make sure it is correct and has no impact on the enjoyment of my cruise and only takes a few minutes.

[North West Newbie]

12 hours ago, majortom10 said:

Sorry but there have been too many regular erroneous charged on a counts that I prefer paper receipts to prove what I have purchased. Having been charged in Grills lounge for an expensive bottle of wine that I never had proves it does happen. On going to speak to manager of grills lounge bar about it after a long and confusing talk with unreasonable excuses of why I had been charged eventually had the charge removed. Anyone who goes on holiday and never checks their account regularly on Cunard has either more money than sense or is foolish. Happening all to often so I like the return of paper receipts.

 

 

8 hours ago, majortom10 said:

Not about how I pass my time onboard but due to many recent reports and personal past experience I cannot afford to have incorrect charges put on my onboard account and paying for items I have not received and why should I. If you are in a position where you do not check your onboard account regularly and just pay the bill at the end without checking then you have more money than sense.

 

 

1 hour ago, majortom10 said:

I don't scrutinise I check my account occasionally during the cruise to make sure it is correct and has no impact on the enjoyment of my cruise and only takes a few minutes.

 

Well, according to your posts at #37 and #40, anyone who doesn’t check their account regularly has more money than sense.

[Solent Richard]

15 hours ago, North West Newbie said:

 

That very much depends on how one evaluates sense versus money.

 

It seems to me that @Solent Richard is too busy ensconced enjoying himself and, to him, it makes more sense not to waste valuable onboard holiday time worrying about potential issues that are relatively miniscule when one looks at the overall cost of the cruise.

 

Exactly. We all receive, or should do, a final onboard account. A cursory glance would or should soon indicate whether any erroneous charges may have appeared.

 

As I have previously stated, 'each to their own'. 

 

And as a 'Grills' guest the last thing I'd want to be doing is heading down to reception and going the queue. If needs be surely that's the job of the concierge?

 

Still, this been a most interesting thread. It had never occurred to me previously that so many billing errors had been experienced onboard Cunard ships. 🤭