Bringing a bottle of Spirts on Board

[pinkpanther52]

I read somewhere that you are allowed to bring a bottle of spirts (in this case whisky) on board when you embark the ship. Is this still the case?

 

If not I know you can buy a bottle to enjoy in your stateroom and, on the old website I could find this information but on the new website I cannot find this information nor can I find the food or drink menus 🙄

 

Does anyone know if they are on the new website or if not have any links.

 

Many Thanks 

Jackie

 

Right off to start making my gown for the black and white ball 😁

Edited February 9, 2019 by pinkpanther52

[Bigmike911]

It is possible to bring a bottle aboard, Cunard will not confiscate it, and you can drink it in your stateroom. It is probably not wise to bring more than one though. Remember one of their lines of business is selling spirits, but they will likely let one bottle slip by. Other lines are not as nice and will take the bottle from you and return it on the last night of the trip. My Princess Cruise experience. 

[bluemarble]

53 minutes ago, pinkpanther52 said:

... nor can I find the food or drink menus 

 

Does anyone know if they are on the new website or if not have any links. ...

 

I have not been able to find any menus on the new website, either restaurant or bar menus. There is a link to "How much are drinks on board?" within the FAQ for the question "Do you offer a drinks package?", but that link is broken on the new website.

 

Here are links to menus from the FAQ for the old website that may be of some help. Reports indicate the drinks prices have increased from what are shown in these bar menus and that the room service menu has changed from what's shown here. The format of the main restaurant menus has changed as well, so take these with a grain of salt.

 

Main Restaurants On All Ships

Britannia Restaurant Breakfast

Britannia Restaurant Lunch

Britannia Restaurant Dinner

Britannia Club Restaurant Breakfast

Britannia Club Restaurant Lunch

Britannia Club Restaurant Dinner

Princess & Queens Grills Lunch

Princess Grill Breakfast

Princess Grill Dinner (QE/QV)

Princess Grill Dinner (QM)

Queens Grill Breakfast

Queens Grill Dinner (QE/QV)

Queens Grill Dinner (QM)

Vegetarian Menu

Children's Menu

Room Service 

 

Steakhouse at The Verandah 

Verandah Dinner menu

Verandah Bar card

Verandah Lunch menu

  

The Lido Restaurant & Kings Court

Aztec - Interpretations of Mexican classics

Bamboo - Asian flavours

Coriander  - Indian Bistro

La Piazza  - Italian cuisine

Smokehouse - American cuisine

 

Sample Bar Menus - Prices are subject to change

Queen Mary 2

Carinthia Lounge Day Menu

Commodore Club Menu

Wine list

Queen Victoria

Gin & Fizz

Chart Room Night Menu

Wine list

Queen Elizabeth

Deck menu

Golden Lion

Cunard Coffee

Wine list

Edited February 9, 2019 by bluemarble

[BigMac1953]

1 hour ago, bluemarble said:

 

Bring on board as much as you like.

 

We usually take 6 bottles of champagne.

 

Top up at the ports if necessary without any problems.

 

Stewart

[ivanidea]

From my experience of Southampton and New York, hand baggage is taken through port security, and they probably don't care what liquids you take aboard, since Cunard do not prohibit.

We have taken 1 bottle of spirits and several bottles of wine on board this way, for consumption in our cabin.  We do enjoy lunch on the balcony with a glass of wine, and a Cognac after dinner.

We still purchase drinks in the restaurant and bars, but do like the option of taking our favourite drinks for in the cabin.  This is something we miss when looking at other cruise lines.

[Jack E Dawson]

On our first Cunard cruise I think we had 6 bottles of wine and 1 bottle of JD in our carry on. At the security checkpoint I must have appeared a little nervous (our perhaps it was the clinking coming from our bags) because a Cunard representative walked over to me and with a big smile said, "don't worry sir, we are only checking for weapons on spirits." You will have no problem Pinkpanther52. 

[AspirationalFlyer]

Hello 

 

No problem at all. I took four bottles of champagne and wine on a 3 night trip recently. Probably says a lot about me! 😜

 

I don’t see why spirits should be treated differently. 

 

I’ve always packed them in my checked-in on luggage and not in my hand luggage - I make sure they are in bubble wrap etc. 

 

I think as mentioned above, it’s important to be discrete and keep in mind that a key part of the Cunard business is selling (overpriced) drinks. 

[Underwatr]

Sometimes it's unavoidable but the first time a bottle breaks you might reconsider placing them in checked baggage. 

[majortom10]

Certainly wouldnt pack any glass bottles containing alcohol in my checked in luggage having seen hhow the luggage gets thrown about. Continue to do this and will only be a matter of time before one or more breaks and ruins your clothes and your cruise.

[tfred]

buy local from a store and carry on or purchase this.  I have used these and they are good

 

https://www.amazon.com/Reusable-Wine-Bottle-Protector-Travel/dp/B01M5HXOBJ

[BigMac1953]

Incidentally, champagne bottles are really hard to break. That's why it's normal to weaken them before using them at a ship launch.

 

In over 20 trips with Cunard, we've never had one break, and we take half a dozen in our checked luggage.

 

Stewart

[AspirationalFlyer]

14 minutes ago, BigMac1953 said:

Incidentally, champagne bottles are really hard to break. That's why it's normal to weaken them before using them at a ship launch.

 

In over 20 trips with Cunard, we've never had one break, and we take half a dozen in our checked luggage.

 

Stewart

 

I agree with Stewart. 

 

It is, of course, always a risk they could smash but I always ensure they are in tissue paper, bubble wrap and are otherwise wrapped securely. Never had an issue to date. I’d be less comfortable with flying with bottles in my case; as a general rule I wouldn’t run the risk. 

 

Also, I don’t think a bottle of smashed wine would ruin my cruise! 😜 

 

Worst case scenario I would have a dry cleaning bill and might need an hour in the laundry! Again, never happened to date. 

 

Happy drinking everyone! 

[Jack E Dawson]

Over the years we have gotten smarter about this. 

Take one bottle of wine and one pair of mens socks. Slip one sock over the bottle of wine from the bottom up. Slip the matching sock over the same bottle of wine from the top down. Its a win-win proposition. Lots of wine and a clean pair of socks every day.

[brian1]

Bring onboard,room service an arm and leg.On some cruises they have duty free sales halfway thru and allow you to bring back to room straight away.

[tv24]

We are on the Victoria right now.  Yesterday they had a duty free sale day in which one could purchase a bottle from the duty free store and consume it in one's stateroom.  Otherwise I have often brought wine on board Cunard without a problem.  Not so with other lines (Celebrity, Princess).

[luckymal]

On 2/9/2019 at 6:28 PM, BigMac1953 said:

Bring on board as much as you like.

 

We usually take 6 bottles of champagne.

 

Top up at the ports if necessary without any problems.

 

Stewart

I think it is about time Cunard fell in line with other Carnival ships, and stopped passengers taking drink on board, I can not understand why people want to lugg around bottles of drink. Yes I do have a drink in the bars, and true they are not cheap, but while passengers are bring their  own drink on board  prices will never drop. It amazes me, people spend thousands of pounds, dollars or whatever on a cruise for the sake of trying to save  a few pounds etc. If you Could buy drink in the duty free shop to drink on board, that would not work,the profit would go to Harding Bros Ltd, who run the shops.

I do not doubt  for one minute that this comment will be poplar, but I do think it would fair.😇🥃🍷

[PORT ROYAL]

46 minutes ago, luckymal said:

I think it is about time Cunard fell in line with other Carnival ships, and stopped passengers taking drink on board, I can not understand why people want to lugg around bottles of drink. Yes I do have a drink in the bars, and true they are not cheap, but while passengers are bring their  own drink on board  prices will never drop. It amazes me, people spend thousands of pounds, dollars or whatever on a cruise for the sake of trying to save  a few pounds etc. If you Could buy drink in the duty free shop to drink on board, that would not work,the profit would go to Harding Bros Ltd, who run the shops.

I do not doubt  for one minute that this comment will be poplar, but I do think it would fair.😇🥃🍷

 

Agree with your premise but with a small exception.  

For my part I bring in board, a single bottle of a high end Cognac and Rhum/Rum which are not available in the bars.  In addition a couple of bottles of fine wine from one's own Cellar on which corkage is paid in the Restaurant .  Just a personal tradition for the first and last Formal Evenings.

Would be happy to pay a premium to allow one's choice of spirit to be consumed in stateroom, say around $50 per bottle, thereby giving revenue to the ship in exchange for permission. 

Bar and Wine spends always exceeds the OBC.

 

Agree with blocking the Cheapos bringing on "Cheap Bottles of Spirit"  just to save money.  Think a RCL enforcement protocol with a premium will concentrate minds.

 

[Host Hattie]

Personally, I'm glad that Cunard continues to treat it's passengers as responsible adults.

P&O introduced some restrictions last year but even they seem to be more generous than other lines.

 

[Underwatr]

Would you stay in a hotel that examined your suitcases and confiscated any alcohol you intended to carry to your room?

[PORT ROYAL]

3 hours ago, Underwatr said:

Would you stay in a hotel that examined your suitcases and confiscated any alcohol you intended to carry to your room?

 

Let's clarify.  If the hotel's rules on alcohol were published, and one booked, abiding by their regulations, then no problem with any search.

[Jack E Dawson]

Luckymal, I take you at your word that your comments are based on fairness. I also understand your logic; if those people who bring their own spirits onboard instead drank in the bars and restaurants, the added volume of business might result in lower prices by Cunard. However, to your point let me make a few comments.

1. This is a hard number to quantify, but I would bet that less than 10% of the passengers bring on more than one bottle each of wine or spirits. 

2. In comparison to any fine restaurant or hotel bar, Cunard's spirit/wine prices are competitive. I doubt that even if carry-on restrictions were imposed and unit sales went up that Cunard prices would go down. Why would they do that instead of making their stockholders happy.

3. Allowing passengers to bring on spirits and wine generates a lot of good will for Cunard. In comparison, just look look at what the airlines are doing. In both cases, once you step on board you become a captive audience. The airlines have chosen to hit their passengers with never ending fees. I really appreciate Cunard's attitude and try to show it by being a loyal customer.

 

I guess my wife and I are two of those people that PORT ROYAL refers to as Cheapos and would like to see "blocked". He's probably right about me but my wife is a really nice person and I wish he wouldn't say that about her. On our last crossing we brought on board three bottles each, a mix of wine and champagne. It was very easy to do. We bought the wine at the wine store two blocks from the Cunard bus terminal in London before boarding the bus and slipped them into our bags. A transAtlantic crossing on the QM2 is very special for us. One of our favorite things to do is take an hour and a half or more to dress for formal nights and enjoy a bottle of wine while doing so. We also enjoy a glass or two of champagne while dressing for the non-formal nights. We are retired and live on a budget. If we had to buy these six bottles of wine/champagne on board, we probably wouldn't. Even with bringing our own liquor on board, we still drink in the restaurants and bars. Typically we each have a pint of London Pride with lunch at the Golden Lion. There is always a drink while dancing in the evening and usually a nightcap in the Commodore's Club. 

[2Oldpeopleinlove]

I don't understand the judgmental comments about people who choose to do what Cunard itself has no problem with. What we do in our cabin is our business...in all ways!

[exlondoner]

13 hours ago, 2Oldpeopleinlove said:

I don't understand the judgmental comments about people who choose to do what Cunard itself has no problem with. What we do in our cabin is our business...in all ways!

 

Not really. Obviously, drinking a glass of your own wine is no problem, but smoking, playing the bagpipes, or smearing the walls with green paint would all be other people's business.

[Host Hattie]

22 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

 

Not really. Obviously, drinking a glass of your own wine is no problem, but smoking, playing the bagpipes, or smearing the walls with green paint would all be other people's business.

 I can't see anything about green paint but Cunard would have a problem with smoking and playing bagpipes in your cabin so I don't really understand your point.

 

"Can I take a musical instrument on board ?

Yes, however it will not be possible for you to play them within your stateroom.

For bagpipes, it would be preferable if you use a chanter to practice on.

It will be possible for you to play them in a show lounge or other such room from time-to-time pending that no shows or activities are scheduled there, and only between the hours of 10am and 10pm.

Please contact the Voyage Director when you embark and they will be able to advise you on which venues and what times would be most suitable for your practising. Please be aware that there may, on occasion not be a location available to you.

Please note that your instrument will contribute to your luggage allowance where applicable and should be stored in your cabin."

[AspirationalFlyer]

K

On 2/17/2019 at 11:17 AM, luckymal said:

I think it is about time Cunard fell in line with other Carnival ships, and stopped passengers taking drink on board, I can not understand why people want to lugg around bottles of drink. Yes I do have a drink in the bars, and true they are not cheap, but while passengers are bring their  own drink on board  prices will never drop. It amazes me, people spend thousands of pounds, dollars or whatever on a cruise for the sake of trying to save  a few pounds etc. If you Could buy drink in the duty free shop to drink on board, that would not work,the profit would go to Harding Bros Ltd, who run the shops.

I do not doubt  for one minute that this comment will be poplar, but I do think it would fair.😇🥃🍷

 

I obviously fully respect the poster’s contribution and view, but do not agree at all or follow their logic. It’s worth thinking about behaviourial economics, which I’m sure Carnival knows more about than almost anyone posting on this forum! 

 

A few thoughts: 

 

1. I, like other posters, only drink the alcohol I’ve brought onboard when getting ready in the evening. I highly doubt I’d go to a bar to order a bottle of (overpriced) Cunard wine to bring it back to the room. 

 

2. I still buy drinks in the bars, pub and restaurant. Also, I wouldn’t replace the champagne and nice wine while I’d brought onboard with an equivalent Cunard product; I’d probably drink less and trade down. 

 

3. There might be people who buy no alcohol onboard and rely solely on supplies they’d brought onboard. That seems pretty miserable to me. I’d imagine the number of people in this category are limited in practice. 

 

4. If Cunard got very strict about taking alcohol onboard, I’d start getting strict about taking my money elsewhere!