Newbie to Cunard--Dining and Drink Questions

[lovetotraveltx]

We are new to Cunard and sailing on the TA crossing NYC to SOU the end of August this year.

 

Regarding dining. We will be in Britannia. Having trouble deciding between Early and Late seating. Which do you prefer and why?

 

Is the drink package worth the price? Also, does it cover all drinks, specialty coffees and water bottles? Do you get any coffees with meals without a plan?

 

Or, is the wine package worth it?

 

For our first time, do you recommend booking a Specialty Dining Room or just stick with our dining room each time.

 

Where and what are the differences in the two afternoon teas? Do you need reservations?

 

Anything I need to prebook before our voyage?

 

Thank you very much!

[Lanky Lad]

6 minutes ago, lovetotraveltx said:

We are new to Cunard and sailing on the TA crossing NYC to SOU the end of August this year.

 

Regarding dining. We will be in Britannia. Having trouble deciding between Early and Late seating. Which do you prefer and why?

 

Is the drink package worth the price? Also, does it cover all drinks, specialty coffees and water bottles? Do you get any coffees with meals without a plan?

 

Or, is the wine package worth it?

 

For our first time, do you recommend booking a Specialty Dining Room or just stick with our dining room each time.

 

Where and what are the differences in the two afternoon teas? Do you need reservations?

 

Anything I need to prebook before our voyage?

 

Thank you very much!

 

I always go for early sitting, but I don't like to eat late and like to be in bed before midnight. 

 

I can't say about the drinks packages, but I think you need to drink quite a bit to get value for money.

 

Afternoon tea is in the Queens Room.  This is included in the price, but they will try to sell Champagne.  They also offer on in the Golden Lion and Veranda for a price.   No Reservation for normal afternoon tea, but if you arrive at 3.30 you might need to wait for a table. 

[Lanky Lad]

Main afternoon tea is not like that in a hotel etc.  You don't get a pot of tea and a cake stand.  The staff offer tea /coffee first, then you will be offered a choice of sandwiches then cakes and finally scones.  There is no limit on how much you can eat or how much tea you can drink.

[Fairgarth]

Afternoon tea in the Queen's Room is always a bit of an 'occasion', especially if they have a live band and dancing too.  I just discovered on our last crossing that the sandwiches, cakes and scones with clotted cream are also available in the King's Court. Go help yourself.

 

We prefer early dining.  I don't like the idea of finishing dinner at 10:30pm.  Your choice.

[MarkBearSF]

We prefer late seating. 6:00 is just too early, and we usually are at a regular LGBT get-together at 5:00, so the timing can be difficult for early eaters. Note - early seating is more popular that late (mostly due to the older demographics), so if you're unsure, it's easier to switch from early to late than vice-versa.

We generally don't find the drink package all that worthwhile on Cunard. (On Celebrity, yes, but due to the rules, not Cunard)

 

Generally, we will eat once outside Britannia. We find the alternative dining in the Kings Court ($19) to be a wonderful option, and well worth the price. You must make reservations for this onboard, they cannot be preordered.

 

Edited May 20, 2019 by MarkBearSF

[Underwatr]

If you can manage eating at (after) 8:30 PM, I think the ship is set up to accommodate second seating a little better. The means your dinner will run to about 10 PM unless you are at a small table and don't carry on like our tables seem to.

Pre-dinner drinks seem nicer after 6PM when everyone's dressed up.

First seating dinner comes very close after lunch + tea, especially on an eastbound TA when they set the clocks ahead at noon.

On most nights there is a second show that starts after second seating dinner (occasionally its at 7 and you'd go before your dinner). 

 

Having said that, we always eat first seating.  DW can't stay up late enough for second seating.

[exlondoner]

Also, on the eastbound crossings, the days are only 23 hours, so late sitting is not that late. And, if necessary, there is time for a nap between tea and dinner to get your strength up. I would always choose late to spread the meals out a ibit.

[Tonopah]

 

 

We chose early seating because we dance in the Queen’s Room most evenings and it was nice to get in early and find a table near the dance floor, plus, our meal would have time to settle. The meals were amazing and we felt no need or desire to pay for other dining. You can get coffee with meals and all day in the King’s Court. We never had a problem getting a seat for tea. The food in the pub was delicious and worth the very short wait.

 

There are so many options. You will be fine. There will be time on board to make reservations if you choose to have a specialty meal. 

[TheOldBear]

We've always chosen late seating for dinner - late seems to fit our 'vacation schedule' better. With 19 nights on our next cruise, we probably will try the Kings Court pop up dining at least once.

 

We will be bringing on a fair amount of wine, and paying corkage for a few bottles. I do not feel that any of the current drink packages [soft drink, coffee or mixed drinks] are a good value for our level of consumption. I've noticed that the Captain's Collection wine is now up to $50 / bottle - it looks like bring+corkage will be a better value for us.

[bluemarble]

I prefer second sitting on an eastbound crossing like yours (for the reasons Underwatr and exlondoner mentioned) because the clocks are advanced an hour at noon on five of the sea days. That compresses the time between lunch, tea and dinner.

 

Here is a link to the brochure about the drinks packages.

 

https://www.cunard.com/content/dam/cunard/marketing-assets/pdf/life-on-board/drinks-packages/world-of-drinks-drinks-packages-brochure.pdf

 

As you can see, there are several options depending on whether you are looking for alcoholic drinks, specialty coffees, or soft drinks. You'll see the alcoholic drinks package includes alcoholic beverages up to $11 (with a 20% discount on drinks over $11) as well as what's included in the other premium soft drinks and specialty hot drinks options (including small bottles of water).

 

You might want to try one of the alternative dining options about half way through your voyage just for a bit of a change, but of course that's entirely up to you. The Britannia dining experience is very good in my opinion. We never tried the alternative dining options until somewhere around our third or fourth crossing.

 

Not entirely sure about the reference to "two" afternoon teas. The main afternoon tea with waiter service that Lanky Lad described is in the Queens Room. There is also a self-service version in the Kings Court buffet and also some self-service afternoon tea style items available in the Carinthia Lounge. Those are free alternatives.

 

There is also a "Godiva Chocolate Afternoon Tea" for an extra charge in Sir Samuel's. On some days there is a "Champagne Afternoon Tea" in the Champagne Bar, also for an extra charge. I'm not sure if they still have it, but for awhile they were also offering something called the "Lion's Share" afternoon tea with a beer flight in the Golden Lion Pub, again for an extra charge.

 

Not really anything happening on board that you need to prebook before your voyage in my view. There isn't really all that much you can book before the voyage anyway. You could book the Verandah Restaurant ahead of time, but that's not really necessary unless there is a specific date you would want to book to celebrate a special occasion.

Edited May 20, 2019 by bluemarble

[TXCruzer]

Hi LoveToTravelTX,

I think we will be on the same crossing, Aug 18th? We did our first crossing on the Queen Mary last August and couldn’t wait to do it again. What part of Texas are you from? 

[lovetotraveltx]

4 hours ago, TXCruzer said:

Hi LoveToTravelTX,

I think we will be on the same crossing, Aug 18th? We did our first crossing on the Queen Mary last August and couldn’t wait to do it again. What part of Texas are you from? 

Yes, August 18. We live outside of Houston, you? What are you doing afterwards?

[TXCruzer]

34 minutes ago, lovetotraveltx said:

Yes, August 18. We live outside of Houston, you? What are you doing afterwards?

We’re from Odessa. My husband has 2 brothers in the Houston area. We’re going to spend a couple of weeks seeing Nice, Rome, Venice, Milan and Zürich before we head to Copenhagen to catch the Regal Princess TA back to New York. What about you?

[lovetotraveltx]

22 hours ago, TXCruzer said:

We’re from Odessa. My husband has 2 brothers in the Houston area. We’re going to spend a couple of weeks seeing Nice, Rome, Venice, Milan and Zürich before we head to Copenhagen to catch the Regal Princess TA back to New York. What about you?

We are traveling around the UK for about a week then have a flight back to Texas from Dublin. I see you took this same crossing last year. We are new to this any pointers on packing, eating, things to do? When are you getting to NYC?

 

[TXCruzer]

12 hours ago, lovetotraveltx said:

We are traveling around the UK for about a week then have a flight back to Texas from Dublin. I see you took this same crossing last year. We are new to this any pointers on packing, eating, things to do? When are you getting to NYC?

 

We will be getting to NYC on Friday. We did sightseeing there last year, so we just wanted one day there in case of weather or flight delays. 

As far as packing tips, I need some of those. We always take too much, but this trip we are going to have to take less as our time in Europe will involve several flights and train rides. Last year we had perfect weather and smooth seas. Hoping for the same this time, *knock on wood*! Before 6pm, you can wear what ever you want. It can be a little cool out on deck, so think light jacket. 

We thought the food in the Brittania dining room was good, certainly better than most other cruise lines we usually sail with. We did late seating and agree with previous posters that losing an hour at noon and going to afternoon tea made it not seem so late. We ate at the Verandah steakhouse one night.  It was good, but we’ll probably not do it this time as we eat enough steak at home. We might try one of the specialty dining nights in the Kings Court this time, if we want a change from the dining room. I’ve heard it can be pretty good. 

Things to do? Lots! Some tips I got from other CC members - On embarkation day, be on the top deck to watch as QM2 goes under the Verrazano Bridge. It only clears the bridge by about 10 feet and is great fun to see. Should happen about 45 min after we push away from the dock in Brooklyn.  There’s a bridge viewing area on deck 12. It’s normally open from 9am to 4pm. The entrance is on the port side, deck 12 accessed via the ‘A’ stairway. 

The lectures are very good and seats can fill up quickly for some of them. Here’s a link to who will be on our sailing. 

https://book.princess.com/pdf/onesource/cu/CU_QM2insights_0426.pdf

We spent time walking around the promenade deck and exploring the ship. So interesting and different from any other ship we have been on. The best thing about a crossing is the people. Everyone we met was interesting and had a story to tell, where they came from to where they were going. 

When we booked this crossing last year, we weren’t sure what we were getting into or even if we would like it, but it turned out to be one of the best trips we have done. 

[lovetotraveltx]

On 5/22/2019 at 11:22 AM, TXCruzer said:

We will be getting to NYC on Friday. We did sightseeing there last year, so we just wanted one day there in case of weather or flight delays. 

As far as packing tips, I need some of those. We always take too much, but this trip we are going to have to take less as our time in Europe will involve several flights and train rides. Last year we had perfect weather and smooth seas. Hoping for the same this time, *knock on wood*! Before 6pm, you can wear what ever you want. It can be a little cool out on deck, so think light jacket. 

We thought the food in the Brittania dining room was good, certainly better than most other cruise lines we usually sail with. We did late seating and agree with previous posters that losing an hour at noon and going to afternoon tea made it not seem so late. We ate at the Verandah steakhouse one night.  It was good, but we’ll probably not do it this time as we eat enough steak at home. We might try one of the specialty dining nights in the Kings Court this time, if we want a change from the dining room. I’ve heard it can be pretty good. 

Things to do? Lots! Some tips I got from other CC members - On embarkation day, be on the top deck to watch as QM2 goes under the Verrazano Bridge. It only clears the bridge by about 10 feet and is great fun to see. Should happen about 45 min after we push away from the dock in Brooklyn.  There’s a bridge viewing area on deck 12. It’s normally open from 9am to 4pm. The entrance is on the port side, deck 12 accessed via the ‘A’ stairway. 

The lectures are very good and seats can fill up quickly for some of them. Here’s a link to who will be on our sailing. 

https://book.princess.com/pdf/onesource/cu/CU_QM2insights_0426.pdf

We spent time walking around the promenade deck and exploring the ship. So interesting and different from any other ship we have been on. The best thing about a crossing is the people. Everyone we met was interesting and had a story to tell, where they came from to where they were going. 

When we booked this crossing last year, we weren’t sure what we were getting into or even if we would like it, but it turned out to be one of the best trips we have done. 

 

Where are you staying in NYC? How are you getting to the port in Red Hook, Brooklyn?

[TXCruzer]

31 minutes ago, lovetotraveltx said:

 

Where are you staying in NYC? How are you getting to the port in Red Hook, Brooklyn?

We’re staying at the Courtyard Manhattan/Central Park.  It’s a short walk from Central Park. Last time we stayed at the Luma Hotel near Times Square and Bryant Park. We’ll probably just take a cab to the port. 

[lovetotraveltx]

1 hour ago, TXCruzer said:

We’re staying at the Courtyard Manhattan/Central Park.  It’s a short walk from Central Park. Last time we stayed at the Luma Hotel near Times Square and Bryant Park. We’ll probably just take a cab to the port. 

 

Is that how you traveled last year? Thanks!

[TXCruzer]

3 minutes ago, lovetotraveltx said:

 

Is that how you traveled last year? Thanks!

Yes, we just asked the hotel desk the night before and they had it waiting at the time we asked for. 

[Jules1]

Hi,

We're new to Cunard, and will be sailing on a transatlantic and have a couple of questions:

1)  if you purchase the drinks package at $69 pp/day, can you order wine by the glass on the package at dinner in the dining room?  

2)  I haven't been able to find the embarkation alcohol policy on the Cunard website.  I've read that you can bring 1 bottle of wine or champagne at embarkation (presumably per person), and yet I see people posting that they will be taking much more wine onboard with them.  Can someone please clarify for me? 

Thanks!

[exlondoner]

11 minutes ago, Jules1 said:

Hi,

We're new to Cunard, and will be sailing on a transatlantic and have a couple of questions:

1)  if you purchase the drinks package at $69 pp/day, can you order wine by the glass on the package at dinner in the dining room?  

2)  I haven't been able to find the embarkation alcohol policy on the Cunard website.  I've read that you can bring 1 bottle of wine or champagne at embarkation (presumably per person), and yet I see people posting that they will be taking much more wine onboard with them.  Can someone please clarify for me? 

Thanks!

 

1) Yes, several glasses, if you want. In fact you'll need to to get your money's worth.

 

2) Cunard don't seem to be much fussed about how much booze you bring on board. Some people seem to bring quite a quantity. So you can probably bring enough to negate the need for the wine package.

[Ynox]

9 hours ago, Jules1 said:

Hi,

We're new to Cunard, and will be sailing on a transatlantic and have a couple of questions:

1)  if you purchase the drinks package at $69 pp/day, can you order wine by the glass on the package at dinner in the dining room?  

2)  I haven't been able to find the embarkation alcohol policy on the Cunard website.  I've read that you can bring 1 bottle of wine or champagne at embarkation (presumably per person), and yet I see people posting that they will be taking much more wine onboard with them.  Can someone please clarify for me? 

Thanks!

 

I've never made the drinks package numbers work for me. You're limited to $11 and under drinks if I remember right - this will only get you a small glass of wine, and most of the good cocktails are outside this price range. I like a few Sierra Nevada beers ($8.05 with service) but even then, I'd be drinking pretty heavily to make the numbers work (and then probably forget that I can't have drinks over $11!).

 

Cunard have a good policy on taking drink on board. No problems taking beer, wine, spirits or champagne on for consumption in your own stateroom. I've walked on with all of them in the past. Security in some ports can sometimes be a little dodgy about it (I had some trouble bringing beer on in Kiel), but usually there's no problem. Definitely no problem in Southampton or NY.

[Jack E Dawson]

When I am on vacation I tend to be a moderate to heavy drinker. A beer at lunch, a cocktail/wine before dinner, a couple of glasses of wine at dinner then a couple of drinks in in the evening. Sometimes even a very late nightcap. All this puts me right at the break point or better for signing up for the drink package. Most of the cocktails I drink, such as a Manhattan or Jack&Ginger, do fall within the price range. So while this seems like a good deal for me, I choose to pass for the same reason I've stopped going to Chinese Buffets. I tend to feel self pressured to "beat the house". And I can tell you, in 69 years, I've never felt bad in the morning for under drinking.

 

Jack

[Se1lad]

12 hours ago, Jack E Dawson said:

So while this seems like a good deal for me, I choose to pass for the same reason I've stopped going to Chinese Buffets. I tend to feel self pressured to "beat the house". And I can tell you, in 69 years, I've never felt bad in the morning for under drinking.

Wise words!  I think I could beat the house on maybe 2 or 3 nights of a 7 night cruise, but not every night.

 

I would also miss out on some of the more interesting bottles of wine on the wine list.

[BigMac1953]

Don't forget, the drinks package limits you to a maximum of one drink per 15 minutes. If it's a hot day and you down a beer quickly, then you have to twiddle your thumbs for a while before you can order another.