New Grills suites brochure , Grills dining

[Windsurfboy]

Bluemarble in another thread has pointed out there is a new Grills Suites brochure .

 

 

https://www.cunard.com/content/dam/cunard/marketing-assets/pdf/us-brochures/2019-Grill-Suites-Overview.pdf

 

It is interesting to note that it only talks about Grills Suites dining as a single entity . No differentiation between the Princess and Queens restaurants. I noticed on my recent trip the menus are now identical .

 

There is also no mention of off menu dining in Queens Grill in this brochure . The only mention left of off menu dining in Queens Grill is in the FAQ "what's the difference between Princess and Queens Grills" in the Cunard website.

 

On my recent cruise our table companions who were new to Cunard knew nothing about ordering off menu until they saw me doing so on the third night. Cunard does not seem to want to publicise off menu dining.

 

If the mention of off menu dining in the FAQ disappeared, then off menu dining will become an unwritten benefit. I know many seasoned Cunarders , which I'm not, will say we've never had any issues,  and neither did I last month. But is the writing on the wall for the end of off menu dining sometime in the future  

 

 

 

 

 

[wripro]

So sad. When we sailed QM2 twice in her maiden year of 2004 the maitre d' would come to our table every day at lunch to inquire what we would like to special order for dinner. If we said nothing he was disappointed and urged us to reconsider, making suggestions. I won't even go into the special orders on the QE2. The times have certainly changed.

[Host Hattie]

49 minutes ago, wripro said:

So sad. When we sailed QM2 twice in her maiden year of 2004 the maitre d' would come to our table every day at lunch to inquire what we would like to special order for dinner. If we said nothing he was disappointed and urged us to reconsider, making suggestions. I won't even go into the special orders on the QE2. The times have certainly changed.

Not really, there are plenty of recent reports of off menu ordering in the original thread. There's no evidence yet of any change of policy.

 

 

[roger3858]

Had you ordered anything particularly interesting or unusual off menu Windsurfboy? First QG in December coming so I’ve been scouring the different threads seeing what people have ordered and getting ideas!

[Windsurfboy]

Can  I make it clear off menu ordering is currently very much up and running. It is safe for as long as it is written in the FAQs and for sometime after, as if it was there when you booked you should be entitled to it. So don't worry for a few yeard

 

However I am asking a question  about the implications of the new brochure. 

 

I know many people believe that Cunard's right hand doesn't know what it's  left-hand is doing. But Carnival hasn't become the biggest cruise line in the world by accident.  The wording of the new brochure would gave been checked by senior management. The lack of reference to off menu dining isn't an accident,  neither is the lack off distinction between the grills restaurants.

 

So my question is the writing on the wall for the future. 

[Windsurfboy]

3 minutes ago, roger3858 said:

Had you ordered anything particularly interesting or unusual off menu Windsurfboy? First QG in December coming so I’ve been scouring the different threads seeing what people have ordered and getting ideas!

 

In July  I  ordered Peking duck, Osso Bucco and a classic Saffron risotto , a seafood pasta. Lobster as a starter, fois gras. My wife had sword fish, Seared Tuna,  also sea bass which was on the first weeks al carte, but not on second. I don't like cold deserts so had souffles or another special hot dessert every night. Had Sushi for lunch in our room many times, I ordered my own favourites the day before.

 

The table next door Tvdad had caviar most nights.

 

At the moment they are very flexible

[david,Mississauga]

6 hours ago, wripro said:

So sad. When we sailed QM2 twice in her maiden year of 2004 the maitre d' would come to our table every day at lunch to inquire what we would like to special order for dinner. If we said nothing he was disappointed and urged us to reconsider, making suggestions. I won't even go into the special orders on the QE2. The times have certainly changed.

 

Although I never travelled in the Grills on the QE2, we were encouraged to make special orders in the Columbia restaurant, which was the First Class single-seating dining room. In the later years of the QE2's service, the restaurant had been renamed Caronia and there was no longer any special orders encouraged. I'm not saying the staff wouldn't prepare something special, but by the last year (2008) that didn't appear likely to me. (It was still  a lovely room with single-sitting and flexible times, like the Grills and Britannia Club is now.)

[mzungu369]

3 hours ago, roger3858 said:

Had you ordered anything particularly interesting or unusual off menu Windsurfboy? First QG in December coming so I’ve been scouring the different threads seeing what people have ordered and getting ideas!

 

We asked for rabbit pie, which was made ok. Also tried to get freshly shaved black truffle over scrambled eggs for breakfast but they didn't have fresh truffles, only the soggy preserved bits.

[kentchris]

2 hours ago, Windsurfboy said:

Can  I make it clear off menu ordering is currently very much up and running. It is safe for as long as it is written in the FAQs and for sometime after, as if it was there when you booked you should be entitled to it. So don't worry for a few yeard

 

However I am asking a question  about the implications of the new brochure. 

 

I know many people believe that Cunard's right hand doesn't know what it's  left-hand is doing. But Carnival hasn't become the biggest cruise line in the world by accident.  The wording of the new brochure would gave been checked by senior management. The lack of reference to off menu dining isn't an accident,  neither is the lack off distinction between the grills restaurants.

 

So my question is the writing on the wall for the future. 

Off-menu ordering wasn't mentioned on cunard.co.uk either in a downloadable brochure or in the FAQs a couple of years ago and it was still a thing on board. Between my booking QG three years ago for a cruise in late 2017 I scoured the UK web site for information what I would receive and the only mention of off-menu I found was on this forum. The brochure you're talking about was and is a US sales document with no links to it from the UK site (the URL gives a clue) so I wonder why you're placing so much significance on it. The FAQ didn't mention off-menu ordering at all a couple of years ago so again I wonder why it's so significant now.

[Bigmike911]

Way back in my University days, a half a century plus ago, I took a marketing class. One of the discussion that came up, still stays with me. If you are marketing to a set (I think we used the dreaded word Class) of people be careful to only include information that is available to each subset in the class. In this case since off menu ordering is not a well known perk in Princess Grill, it should not be mentioned in the general Grills marketing. Perhaps that is what Cunard had in mind. Of course, I also agree with the "left hand not knowing what the right hand does" as well, as they seem to have that situation often. 

[roger3858]

10 hours ago, Windsurfboy said:

 

In July  I  ordered Peking duck, Osso Bucco and a classic Saffron risotto , a seafood pasta. Lobster as a starter, fois gras. My wife had sword fish, Seared Tuna,  also sea bass which was on the first weeks al carte, but not on second. I don't like cold deserts so had souffles or another special hot dessert every night. Had Sushi for lunch in our room many times, I ordered my own favourites the day before.

 

The table next door Tvdad had caviar most nights.

 

At the moment they are very flexible

Thanks- osso bucco sounds like a good idea! I’m using cruise critic board to convince my wife that it wouldn’t be viewed as me being ‘awkward’ if I venture off menu. Soufflés and the flambé desserts high on the list so far as well as addition of lobster or scallops to dishes.

 

7 hours ago, mzungu369 said:

 

We asked for rabbit pie, which was made ok. Also tried to get freshly shaved black truffle over scrambled eggs for breakfast but they didn't have fresh truffles, only the soggy preserved bits.

Shame as I enjoy truffle. My wife has two pet rabbits so I’d ordered the pie divorce would be beckoning !

Edited September 1, 2019 by roger3858
Typos!

[Windsurfboy]

9 hours ago, kentchris said:

Off-menu ordering wasn't mentioned on cunard.co.uk either in a downloadable brochure or in the FAQs a couple of years ago and it was still a thing on board. Between my booking QG three years ago for a cruise in late 2017 I scoured the UK web site for information what I would receive and the only mention of off-menu I found was on this forum. The brochure you're talking about was and is a US sales document with no links to it from the UK site (the URL gives a clue) so I wonder why you're placing so much significance on it. The FAQ didn't mention off-menu ordering at all a couple of years ago so again I wonder why it's so significant now.

 

Before Cunard updated thier website in mid 2017 , there was the same statement about off menu dining  that appears now only in the FAQs in the main body off the website in the section describing Queens Grills. 

[TV Dad]

You may absolutely order almost anything off the menu in the Queen's Grille. We had veal parmesan, caviar, crepes suzette, shrimp cocktail, bananas foster, lobster just to name a few of our choices. And yes, we had caviar 8 out of 9 nights!

 

[Windsurfboy]

8 hours ago, Bigmike911 said:

Way back in my University days, a half a century plus ago, I took a marketing class. One of the discussion that came up, still stays with me. If you are marketing to a set (I think we used the dreaded word Class) of people be careful to only include information that is available to each subset in the class. In this case since off menu ordering is not a well known perk in Princess Grill, it should not be mentioned in the general Grills marketing. Perhaps that is what Cunard had in mind. Of course, I also agree with the "left hand not knowing what the right hand does" as well, as they seem to have that situation often. 

 

As the head of Marketing Science for one of the world's big multinational corporations for 20 years , I think I can Trump (nothing to do with the Donald) your marketing class. Describing the extra benefits of QG in a Grills brochure would not put people in PG off but may make some of them think about upgrading.

 

The previous (North American) Grills brochure rightly described PG as special whilst describing  QG as extra  special  the ultimate in cruise luxury,  including the benefit of  off menu dining..  it was not difficult and was there for a purpose. 

 

Anyway we can but wait and see.

 

[Victoria2]

1 hour ago, Windsurfboy said:

 

Before Cunard updated thier website in mid 2017 , there was the same statement about off menu dining  that appears now only in the FAQs in the main body off the website in the section describing Queens Grills. 

It's certainly mentioned in a 2017 Exotic Cruise and World Voyage brochure I have kept, for some reason. It states

 

''But should you not see what you want, our chefs will do their very utmost to create whatever you fancy.''

 

A bit left of field here but maybe some passengers might start thinking t&cs not being met and/or litigious thoughts if written experiences are slow to appear, and so some things are best to be prompted by restaurant staff.

I think it presumptuous to think off menu availability will vanish, just because it's not mentioned in the main literature. 

Edited September 1, 2019 by Victoria2

[Windsurfboy]

My line of thinking about off menu ordering or anything else  is

 

If it's in the literature it can't just  Vanish

 

If it's not written down anywhere you don't have that guarantee.  

 

I'm not saying it will vanish,  but wonder what's the reason for it's disappearing from literature ?

[Host Hattie]

9 minutes ago, Windsurfboy said:

 

I'm not saying it will vanish,  but wonder what's the reason for it's disappearing from literature ?

Nobody here can answer that question, have you tried asking Cunard ?

[Adammara]

Just read the brochure. Just wondered if anyone has had a liveried flukey carrying their cases for them?  We found that they were the photographers trying to con you for a picture!

 

[Windsurfboy]

3 hours ago, Host Hattie said:

Nobody here can answer that question, have you tried asking Cunard ?

 

You can't get answer out of customer services they wnt know, but if you have the email for someone in senior management I will ask them.

[Host Hattie]

38 minutes ago, Windsurfboy said:

 

You can't get answer out of customer services they wnt know, but if you have the email for someone in senior management I will ask them.

No, I don't, I don't have any contacts or insider knowledge.

[Windsurfboy]

Thanks , I'll try and searcg one out.

 

[Neuhoftraveler]

On 9/1/2019 at 8:31 AM, Adammara said:

Just read the brochure. Just wondered if anyone has had a liveried flukey carrying their cases for them?  We found that they were the photographers trying to con you for a picture!

 

Boarding Queeen's Grill on QM2 in Southampton last December, a red-liveried flunky (looking like someone out of an old Philip Morris cigarette ad) carried our cases from the on-board boarding lobby to our cabin.  No photographers were visible, nor did any subsequently appear with such a photo.

 

As to off-menu ordering, can anyone top our observation one night (in QG) of an entire roast suckling pig (apple and all) being served to a convivial table for eight?  I am not making this up.

[resistk]

Princess Grill is far inferior to Queens Grill.  On the July Iceland crossing, it was nothing more than Britannia grub with addition of duck, dover sole, and lamb which were not all that good.  The breakfasts haven't changed in 15 years and are not the best.  Getting a plain croissant most most mornings was an ordeal and required asking several times. Atilla has been sent down below and service was not up to par IMO.

[exlondoner]

10 hours ago, Neuhoftraveler said:

Boarding Queeen's Grill on QM2 in Southampton last December, a red-liveried flunky (looking like someone out of an old Philip Morris cigarette ad) carried our cases from the on-board boarding lobby to our cabin.  No photographers were visible, nor did any subsequently appear with such a photo.

 

As to off-menu ordering, can anyone top our observation one night (in QG) of an entire roast suckling pig (apple and all) being served to a convivial table for eight?  I am not making this up.

 

I have seen sucking pig too, for a table of eight Thais at lunch. Very kindly they gave us some, as we were at the next table. It was very nice. I assume it had been arranged before they boarded.

[Windsurfboy]

9 hours ago, resistk said:

Princess Grill is far inferior to Queens Grill.  On the July Iceland crossing, it was nothing more than Britannia grub with addition of duck, dover sole, and lamb which were not all that good.  The breakfasts haven't changed in 15 years and are not the best.  Getting a plain croissant most most mornings was an ordeal and required asking several times. Atilla has been sent down below and service was not up to par IMO.

 

 

The Princess and Queens dinner menus ard now identical they use the same kitchen same chefs for menu items

 

Except for off menu ordering there is no difference between QG and PG restaurants,