Bring Soft Drinks On Board

[pilotman151]

Hi All,

 

It's our first time on Cunard, and I'm extremely excited about our coming crossing. That said, the setup around the drink packages is making things a bit painful for my wife and I (I drink a good number of soft drinks; meanwhile she definitely drinks the hot drinks more).  To try to manage around this, I'm trying to figure out how we can eliminate one or the other.  Are you allowed to board with a case (or three) of soft drinks for your consumption on board?  I appreciate anyone's insight!

[e&mcruise]

You would probably be best to buy both the soft drink & the hot drink packages.....it works out cheaper than the premium non-alcoholic package. At under $30 a day, it won't be hard to make the package economical. For example, if you drink 6 or more glasses of soft drinks/juice etc and your wife drinks 6 or more hot drinks (or a mix of hot drinks and soft drinks) then you will come out ahead once you factor in the 15% service charge for a la carte ordering.

[Winifred 22]

2 hours ago, pilotman151 said:

Hi All,

 

It's our first time on Cunard, and I'm extremely excited about our coming crossing. That said, the setup around the drink packages is making things a bit painful for my wife and I (I drink a good number of soft drinks; meanwhile she definitely drinks the hot drinks more).  To try to manage around this, I'm trying to figure out how we can eliminate one or the other.  Are you allowed to board with a case (or three) of soft drinks for your consumption on board?  I appreciate anyone's insight!

You can only drink the drinks you bring onboard in your own cabin. The soft drinks package is very reasonable if you like many during the day. Remember too that both people in the cabin have to have the same package so you can’t mix and match. 

[Pushpit]

I'm teetotal, and I get a decent OBC due to being a soldier and shareholder. I drink hot and cold soft drinks but I'm very much of the view that the soft drink packages are far from bargains unless there was one drink that wasn't cheap and you have around 6 times a day. If there are many port days then the scope for drinking on board may be reduced. These packages essentially make money to Cunard (so as a shareholder I say go ahead!!) and are not bargains. You should see what the pursuer staff think of this voluntary contribution to the company's profits. These drink packages are heavily, heavily marketed - so why do you think that would be? It's not out of consideration to the guests, that's for sure.

 

But do the sums for yourself, if your wife starts to drink a lot of soda /well drinks - and they work for you too - then the basic soft drink package has Cunard's lowest markup (8% I reckon).

 

So to answer the question, yes you can bring as many soft drinks, coffee jars, tea, Ribena as you want with you, for drinking in your stateroom. There is a fridge that can take bottles up to 1.5 litres, in terms of height. For a 7 night Crossing I normally bring a six pack of sparkling water (since I'm a bit OCD about the taste of sparkling water and Cunard don't have my favourite brands) and there's no issue with that. I also bring a jar of Gold Blend coffee and Thompson's Tea from Belfast, as drunk by the Harland & Wolff shipbuilders. And a carton of fresh milk.

 

Note also the water package for Harrogate, 6 x 1 litre bottles, still, sparking, or a mix - $20. Also note that $4 for a 1 litre bottle in bars and restaurants is pretty good value, the well pump soda water is only a few cents cheaper for a large 0.5 litre glass. 

 

Coffee, tea and a kettle are in your stateroom, plus always available in the Lido/Kings Court/Artistans' Foodhall. As is still water and some low spec. fruit based drinks. You can take drinks away to (e.g.) drink on the promenade deck. Some staterooms and suites also have a coffee machine. On QM2 there is a coffee machine in front of Connexions 4 on deck 2. Water coolers are in the gyms too.

 

Coffee and tea is also available free with meals in Britannia and the Grills - it comes from a machine but it is a bean to cup machine. Premium coffee and tea is free in the Grills lounges for Grill passengers. It is, strangely, chargeable in the alternative dining locations.

[Ocean_Liner_Traveller]

As to cases of soft drinks for consumption on board, incidentally the only time we did it was on Holland America (another historic line favourite to us) years ago, when we brought two really large cases. We informed them in advance and they were so kind, that they even allowed us to drink them with meals in the main dining room. I don't know if it is possible anymore, but those were the days...

[Queenvee]

My two cents:  As a soda drinker, the caveat is that the drinks packages only cover soda from the bar "gun" - I think that's what it's called; in other words, I don't believe cans of soda are included in the packages.  I do not like the taste of soda from the gun or the smaller portions (one glass versus 1.5 from a can).  Also, they do not have Coke Zero (or Pepsi Max - I forget which brand Cunard uses) which is my drink of choice.  So, I've taken to bringing two 6-packs with me at embarkation and then I buy a few more whenever we're in port.  I would NEVER bring a full case (or 2 or 3) onto any ship.  

[57eric]

12 hours ago, Winifred 22 said:

You can only drink the drinks you bring onboard in your own cabin. The soft drinks package is very reasonable if you like many during the day. Remember too that both people in the cabin have to have the same package so you can’t mix and match. 

Is everyone on board with the first sentence here?  Certainly wine can be taken to the dining room for a corkage fee.  And while I would never take a soft drink into a lounge or the theatre, I have never felt any guilt about consuming them on deck, at the Boardwalk Cafe or in the buffet.

[Pushpit]

21 minutes ago, Queenvee said:

My two cents:  As a soda drinker, the caveat is that the drinks packages only cover soda from the bar "gun" - I think that's what it's called; in other words, I don't believe cans of soda are included in the packages.  I do not like the taste of soda from the gun or the smaller portions (one glass versus 1.5 from a can).  Also, they do not have Coke Zero (or Pepsi Max - I forget which brand Cunard uses) which is my drink of choice.  So, I've taken to bringing two 6-packs with me at embarkation and then I buy a few more whenever we're in port.  I would NEVER bring a full case (or 2 or 3) onto any ship.  

 

It's got various names: soda gun, bar gun, siphon (but that is misleading), well, draught, nozzle. It's Pepsi in that soda package, from the soda gun, or Diet Pepsi. So yes, what you get in that package is only what is in the soda gun.  You can get bottles of Diet Coke but not in the cheaper soda package. 

[Pushpit]

7 minutes ago, 57eric said:

Is everyone on board with the first sentence here?  Certainly wine can be taken to the dining room for a corkage fee.  And while I would never take a soft drink into a lounge or the theatre, I have never felt any guilt about consuming them on deck, at the Boardwalk Cafe or in the buffet.

I think the first sentence is broadly correct, if you set up camp in the Commodore Club with a stack of your own drinks then at some point the supervisor will come over to have a word with you. But no-one is going to stop you taking a drink on to the promenade deck, people do it from the Lido (etc). Equally many people arrive in the theatre with a drink in hand, often unfinished from the Golden Lion on QE and QV since it's next door, and you can be assured that Cunard has better things to do then launch an inquiry as to its origins. So it's not black and white (well, it could be on Gala Night).

[Queenvee]

Regarding drinking beverages you've brought on board...as another poster mentioned, I very often drink a can of my "own" soda on the Promenade deck.  But I don't drink them anywhere inside or at any outside areas that have a ship's bar (any of the pool decks).  If I run out of my own sodas, I buy a couple cans of Coke/Pepsi at one of the ship's bars to keep in my cabin fridge and drink before bed or on the Promenade deck the next day.  

[Lee Jones Jnr]

The premium alcohol free package isn't wild in cost and covers everything you'd both want

[old fool]

On 6/2/2024 at 10:42 PM, pilotman151 said:

Hi All,

 

It's our first time on Cunard, and I'm extremely excited about our coming crossing. That said, the setup around the drink packages is making things a bit painful for my wife and I (I drink a good number of soft drinks; meanwhile she definitely drinks the hot drinks more).  To try to manage around this, I'm trying to figure out how we can eliminate one or the other.  Are you allowed to board with a case (or three) of soft drinks for your consumption on board?  I appreciate anyone's insight!

We ALWAYS bring our own soda on board. Usually 24 cans. No problems!

[BigMac1953]

A teetotal soldier?

 

Now there's a first.

[exlondoner]

Montgomery possibly?

[BigMac1953]

okay, a second.