Cunard drinks are such a rip off..

[English Voyager]

What you get onboard these days is of a lot lower standard to justify the low cruise fares. The midnight buffet used to be a more lavish affair than the snacks available now and in general the food served throughout the ship was of a higher standard.

 

The current 'Traditional Afternoon Tea' is a pale imitation.

[Solent Richard]

Is Grill Class 'all inclusive'?

 

 

There is no 'Grills Class' on Hapag-Lloyd.

[English Voyager]

Not sailed with Cunard yet (going in December on QE) but I've looked at the prices and compared both with other cruises I've been on and with decent hotels, the prices are not too bad at all.

 

I think the point is if you want cheaper drinks prices, go on a cheaper cruise line.

 

A 10 night cruise on the Queen Victoria from £794pp.

 

Any cheaper, one would be rowing in a galley!

[English Voyager]

There is no 'Grills Class' on Hapag-Lloyd.

 

Of which I am well aware, having cruised on the Europa 2 several times.

 

 

It was a response to your comment that high per diem rates as on Hapag-Lloyd were on Cruise Lines that were 'all inclusive'.

[PORT ROYAL]

A 10 night cruise on the Queen Victoria from £794pp.

 

Any cheaper, one would be rowing in a galley!

 

£5.00 less than we paid for our first cruise on the Cunard Countess in the Caribbean.

[majortom10]

A 10 night cruise on the Queen Victoria from £794pp.

 

Any cheaper, one would be rowing in a galley!

 

We did a 12 nts QV cruise last year in May and paid £695 for a Saver fare and had a great time even though the bars were empty at night except for Queens Room and a lot of those in there werent drinking.

[makemwilts]

Cunard wine prices are ridiculous especially as 15% is added to the list price. There were several wines at £30+ per bottle that were comparable £5 per bottle supermarket offerings. My wife and I enjoy wine with meals but we don't NEED it so we simply stick to water and still enjoy ourselves. If more passengers did this the prices would come down.

[BklynBoy8]

The current 'Traditional Afternoon Tea' is a pale imitation.

 

Ditto...

 

We do like the Traditional Afternoon Tea...but not to eat too much before Dinner time. But there were more offerings as pass arounds.

 

Our first sailing was on the QM2 in 2006 and remember how extensive the Old Kings Court had offering at the Midnight Buffet. Now sandwiches, some hot offerings, sweets etc....including cold/hot beverages. Looking for a small bite not Spaghetti & Sauce at 11:30/Midnight.

 

We remember sailing on the QE2 many, many times with the Midnight Buffet held in the previous Columbia Restaurant with so, so many stations. Cheese Board, Beef on Carving Board, Fish Special on Carving Board, Flambé, Sweets, Cold Meats, Bread & Roll Display with even Ice Carving. Tastefully displayed with Ascent Lighting.

 

Miss the Old Days.....

[Whaleofatime]

Mixed feelings about this topic because I like my cruises to be totally different to the everyday life I lead at home and if that means setting aside a huge wedge of cash for drinks served in lovely surroundings and the washing up done by somebody else then so be it, I do think 15% gratuity on everything is a bit rich though and would be more comfortable with 10-12% (UK usual level for tipping).

[laktex]

Mixed feelings about this topic because I like my cruises to be totally different to the everyday life I lead at home and if that means setting aside a huge wedge of cash for drinks served in lovely surroundings and the washing up done by somebody else then so be it, I do think 15% gratuity on everything is a bit rich though and would be more comfortable with 10-12% (UK usual level for tipping).

 

I could not agree more.

[david,Mississauga]

And what were the equivalent fares at the time ?

I will give just three examples. Our first crossing on the QE2 in 1973 cost Can. $363 pp for a basic Tourist Class cabin - outside, two lower beds. The voyage was five days. Even the Tourist Class restaurant served meals in silver service style, although I can't say the meals were any better then than they are today on Cunard. The current equivalent is $2057. For that I can easily get a balcony stateroom for a seven-day crossing on the QM2.

 

 

For the 17-day Union-Castle voyage from Port Elizabeth to Southampton in 1977 the fare for a basic First Class cabin was £900 (Can. $1530) which would now be $6457. (It is interesting that the exchange rate between the £ and Can. $ was the same then as it is today, although it has fluctuated widely over the 45 years.)

 

One more example: a two-week cruise on P&O's Canberra in 1989 cost us £1200 (at that time the exchange rate wasn't so good for us so that was Can. $2472.) Today that would be $4403. That was a "court cabin" which was basically inside but had a small window that looked out to a courtyard which had a sea view.

 

So, as others have said, cruising/crossing is generally cheaper today than it was many years ago and the lines make up for it by charging higher prices for drinks and shore excursions as well as other ways.

[Windsurfboy]

Cape town to Southampton in 2019 in QG, i.e. First is £6000 . Which is a lot more than 1989 even taking into account inflation.

So not all prices are cheaper .

[Host Hattie]

Cape town to Southampton in 2019 in QG, i.e. First is £6000 . Which is a lot more than 1989 even taking into account inflation.

So not all prices are cheaper .

What would the 1989 price for QG have been ?

[david,Mississauga]

What would the 1989 price for QG have been ?

By luck I have some brochures from 1989, both in US $ and £. I must have picked up the latter on a visit to Britain. Comparisons can be difficult because the cheapest Queen's Grill cabins did not have a balcony, a butler or complimentary in-room bar. Also, in that era the basic fares included a "free" flight across the Atlantic in the opposite direction of the QE2 crossing. One-way fares without the air were available, but fares for this were usually available "on application." In the 1988 brochure there was an air allowance from most eastern U.S. and Canadian cities of between U.S.$ 450 and 550, so this may help make a comparison.

 

The fares I quote are from the intermediate season rates; these were the most common crossings. The cheapest QG was US $4665, which according to an on-line calculator is equal to $9480 this year.

 

The UK brochure quotes £2655 for the same category. The Bank of England calculator says this is equal to £6267 in 2017.

[English Voyager]

Cunard wine prices are ridiculous especially as 15% is added to the list price.

 

Is there still a, to my mind, a cheeky space in the bill headed gratuity?

[Host Hattie]

By luck I have some brochures from 1989, both in US $ and £. I must have picked up the latter on a visit to Britain. Comparisons can be difficult because the cheapest Queen's Grill cabins did not have a balcony, a butler or complimentary in-room bar. Also, in that era the basic fares included a "free" flight across the Atlantic in the opposite direction of the QE2 crossing. One-way fares without the air were available, but fares for this were usually available "on application." In the 1988 brochure there was an air allowance from most eastern U.S. and Canadian cities of between U.S.$ 450 and 550, so this may help make a comparison.

 

The fares I quote are from the intermediate season rates; these were the most common crossings. The cheapest QG was US $4665, which according to an on-line calculator is equal to $9480 this year.

 

The UK brochure quotes £2655 for the same category. The Bank of England calculator says this is equal to £6267 in 2017.

Interesting thank you

[SALAD MUNCHER]

Surely the best way to stop passengers believing drinks are too expensive is to remove the 15% grat on every drink. Some of you may say that's not fair as not everyone uses the bars, but hey, you still pay 15% grat whether you order a bottle of champagne or one cup of tea and most, if not all, people use the bars every day for a drink of some sort, be it tea, soft drink or alcohol.

In fact the whole idea of 15% of the total drinks bill is obnoxious as the service given is the same regardless of what you order i.e. take order - give order to bar - collect order - take to table. For this small exercise the waiter could receive anything between 42 cents for a bottle of coke to $11.25 for a bottle of champagne! Is this in fact fair? Just because you treat yourself to something pricey doesn't mean you want to pay more to order it than the chap on the next table who''s ordered something cheaper.

 

Surely if the ship is full (and most times it is) the $11.50/13.50 pppd should be enough to give every single crew member a reasonable amount of 'extras' - because that's what it is 'extras'! We should not be responsible for the crew's basic wages, this should be the responsibility of the cruise lines and to be honest I really am against the notion of 'passengers grats have to make up the wages'.

[Solent Richard]

Of which I am well aware, having cruised on the Europa 2 several times.

 

 

It was a response to your comment that high per diem rates as on Hapag-Lloyd were on Cruise Lines that were 'all inclusive'.

 

Excellent. You will know what I am talking about then.

[Solent Richard]

£5.00 less than we paid for our first cruise on the Cunard Countess in the Caribbean.

 

Wow, don't we go back a long way with Cunard. :D

[Solent Richard]

Cunard wine prices are ridiculous especially as 15% is added to the list price. There were several wines at £30+ per bottle that were comparable £5 per bottle supermarket offerings. My wife and I enjoy wine with meals but we don't NEED it so we simply stick to water and still enjoy ourselves. If more passengers did this the prices would come down.

 

 

If I had a glass of wine for every occasion I've read a comparison of Cunard wines with supermarket prices I could open a wine bar myself.

 

My wife and I also enjoy wine at home most evenings and most often than not wines that come in over £8.00 a bottle.

 

To break that habit while on a cruise would be tantamount to throwing one's toys out of the pram. For us it's all part of the cruising experience and as I often say, the moment one worries about onboard costs then the personal enjoyment barometer goes into free fall.

[Solent Richard]

Mixed feelings about this topic because I like my cruises to be totally different to the everyday life I lead at home and if that means setting aside a huge wedge of cash for drinks served in lovely surroundings and the washing up done by somebody else then so be it, I do think 15% gratuity on everything is a bit rich though and would be more comfortable with 10-12% (UK usual level for tipping).

 

 

Hear hear.

[makemwilts]

If I had a glass of wine for every occasion I've read a comparison of Cunard wines with supermarket prices I could open a wine bar myself.

 

My wife and I also enjoy wine at home most evenings and most often than not wines that come in over £8.00 a bottle.

 

To break that habit while on a cruise would be tantamount to throwing one's toys out of the pram. For us it's all part of the cruising experience and as I often say, the moment one worries about onboard costs then the personal enjoyment barometer goes into free fall.

 

Fair enough. As I said, we do not NEED wine to enjoy ourselves, so we'll stick to Adam's Ale in the Dining Room.

[cougaraz]

I live in Southern California and couldn't get any of the Cunard drinks (beer, cider and cocktails) for reliably less than the price onboard (even with the 15% gratuity) in a comparable venue within a 30 minute drive of my home. True, I could find some specials at Happy Hour or on a special night of the week, but even if I can find $4 or $5 pint, I still have to pay the tax and don't come out much ahead.

 

Honestly, I will pay less for a couple of drinks before and after dinner on a Cunard ship than I would anywhere local with a similar ambience and clientele.

[majortom10]

I live in Southern California and couldn't get any of the Cunard drinks (beer, cider and cocktails) for reliably less than the price onboard (even with the 15% gratuity) in a comparable venue within a 30 minute drive of my home. True, I could find some specials at Happy Hour or on a special night of the week, but even if I can find $4 or $5 pint, I still have to pay the tax and don't come out much ahead.

 

Honestly, I will pay less for a couple of drinks before and after dinner on a Cunard ship than I would anywhere local with a similar ambience and clientele.

 

I must be lucky because where I live (Midlands) I can go in some pubs and get a pint for under £3 and it is not a Wetherspoons or local flea pit and even if I go in a decent hotel it wouldnt be more than £4-50. Like I have said before it is obvious that alcoholic drinks are generally cheaper in the UK than in the US with a few exceptions i.e. London that is why IMO drinks on Cunard are extortionate.

[majortom10]

Looking atCunard's website if accurate and up to date, if not will only be dearer, a pint of Marstons Pedigree in Golden Lion is $6-25 + 15% which when converted to UK sterling is approx £5-75 to £6 which around where I live this is easily purchased for £3-50 and in decent hotel lounges no more than £4-50.