Reasonable Grills Premium

[exlondoner]

16 minutes ago, hypercafe said:

Something to figure in is Cunard includes drinks and tips in the price of the grill rooms.

 

Really? I've never experienced this, in quite a number of cruises.

[Underwatr]

I've had daily gratuities included on most of my QM2 cruises in the last five years (in Britannia). Often drinks are on offer in the grills as well.

 

Perhaps it varies with time of year. I usually book in late December and it seems to be included at that time of year.

[BigMac1953]

49 minutes ago, hypercafe said:

Something to figure in is Cunard includes drinks and tips in the price of the grill rooms.

 

Certainly not in the UK.

[exlondoner]

2 minutes ago, Underwatr said:

I've had daily gratuities included on most of my QM2 cruises in the last five years (in Britannia). Often drinks are on offer in the grills as well.

 

Perhaps it varies with time of year. I usually book in late December and it seems to be included at that time of year.

I suspect this is a US practice. We once had a free drinks under $12 offer, over Christmas, and we've often had a decent amount of credit, but never inclusive drinks and gratuities as such.

[Victoria2]

2 minutes ago, Underwatr said:

I've had daily gratuities included on most of my QM2 cruises in the last five years (in Britannia). Often drinks are on offer in the grills as well.

 

Perhaps it varies with time of year. I usually book in late December and it seems to be included at that time of year.

I think it must also depend upon  offers, country by country.

 

We are pretty regular bookers of QG [av 7 weeks a year over a couple of cruises] and have yet to have tips and or drinks included. 

The cabin  provided bottles, yes, but nothing else.

[exlondoner]

I've just checked the brochure for our first crossing on QE2 in 1997,  pre-Carnival, and gratuities were included on that for all grades for all cruises, but not since.

[Neuhoftraveler]

4 hours ago, hypercafe said:

Something to figure in is Cunard includes drinks and tips in the price of the grill rooms.

Depends on the fare you pay.  Some low fares don't include these.  

[bluemarble]

4 hours ago, hypercafe said:

Something to figure in is Cunard includes drinks and tips in the price of the grill rooms.

 

3 hours ago, exlondoner said:

Really? I've never experienced this, in quite a number of cruises.

 

In the US, free drinks ($12 and under) and prepaid gratuities are included under the terms of a promotion called the "Grill Suite Offer". I believe that particular promotion has been running continuously now in the US since at least mid-2018, perhaps longer. So although those perks are not included in all grill suite bookings, they are included for those who book under US terms and conditions that include the Grill Suite Offer. Interesting, a promotion currently underway in the US called the "Chinese New Year Offer" specifically states it cannot be combined with the Grill Suite Offer.

[charlesspinney]

Just booked a westbound TA in May 2021. The offer included an upgrade, free gratuities,  drink package(Grills only) and 1/2 deposit. Great deal!

[oskidunker]

Have you been satisfied with the wines per glass under$12? Have it on next trip. Also I heard somewhere you can now get a glass of champagne? Is this true?

[oskidunker]

Thanks

[charlesspinney]

15 minutes ago, oskidunker said:

Have you been satisfied with the wines per glass under$12? Have it on next trip. Also I heard somewhere you can now get a glass of champagne? Is this true?

We have found our sommelier in grills always kept us satisfied within the package.  We enjoy prosecco, so I'm not sure if there's a real champagne covered.  I don't think so.

[Se1lad]

The UK deals tend to be an offer of more OBC rather than the drinks package.  E.g. for my one way TA in December this year we have got $1200 OBC between the 2 of us ($800 standard offer plus $400 for booking whilst on board a previous cruise.)

 

This suits us more than the drinks package as the wines by the glass which you can get on the drinks package are more limited compared to the full wine list.  Obviously it comes down to personal preference!

[Underwatr]

7 hours ago, exlondoner said:

We once had a free drinks under $12 offer, over Christmas, and we've often had a decent amount of credit, but never inclusive drinks and gratuities as such.

The Grills "inclusive drinks" offer is the same as the "free drinks under $12" offer.

 

On the other hand, UK pricing frequently includes air. I never see that on this side.

[exlondoner]

15 hours ago, oskidunker said:

Have you been satisfied with the wines per glass under$12? Have it on next trip. Also I heard somewhere you can now get a glass of champagne? Is this true?

 

I always enjoy the wines by the glass. There is a selection of about ten of red and white and a couple of rosé. Only the smaller glass (150cc) is likely to be under $12. So I would order a couple of different ones for dinner and perhaps one for lunch. I found the selection extremely acceptable.

[exlondoner]

13 hours ago, Underwatr said:

The Grills "inclusive drinks" offer is the same as the "free drinks under $12" offer.

 

On the other hand, UK pricing frequently includes air. I never see that on this side.

 

Air is much less of an issue for U.K. passengers as so many of the cruises leave from and return to Southampton.

 

i should not necessarily have thought inclusive drinks and free drinks under$12 were synonymous.😀

[david,Mississauga]

19 hours ago, charlesspinney said:

We have found our sommelier in grills always kept us satisfied within the package.  We enjoy prosecco, so I'm not sure if there's a real champagne covered.  I don't think so.

 

A friend was recently on the QM2. He had the Grills drinks package and enjoyed real Champagne, the cheapest of which was $12 a glass. I don't know if that is still the case this year.

[njpln]

We have received the drink package on all the PG suites we have booked for US fares for the past three years.  We even received  it for a 2021 booking that didn’t clearly state it when we booked it. We consider it to be “paid for” in our cruise fare.  But, because we have enjoyed this benefit, we have never sought out a lower fare without the drink package.  
 

I don’t know if Cunard offers the option to book without the drink package, but other American focused mid priced cruise lines do so I can’t imagine Cunard doesn’t.  However, typically  the “included”  drink package is worth it if you drink a couple of drinks a day, and it’s not worth the tiny discount of the fare without drinks.  That’s been my observation when booking other cruise lines who all seem to have these drink packages now. 
 

An additional note, the sommeliers always help us choose by-the -glass wines based on what we like, and we have not been disappointed.  
 

 

[Clagmeister]

On 1/26/2020 at 8:51 PM, Underwatr said:

The Grills "inclusive drinks" offer is the same as the "free drinks under $12" offer.

 

On the other hand, UK pricing frequently includes air. I never see that on this side.

Really? Not out of Southampton. 

[Host Hattie]

47 minutes ago, Clagmeister said:

Really? Not out of Southampton. 

For one way Transatlantic crossings or fly cruises airfare is usually included.

[Bigmike911]

If you book in the US in the grills you receive the free tips and the free $12 and under drinks package. In QG you additionally get the free in suite bar service, which can be very valuable. I have them for both of my next crossings in July of this year and July of next year. In addition I got, a very generous OBC for both crossings, actually amazing for 2021. These are values you can look at in considering a grills premium.

[Neuhoftraveler]

We've been in GQ (Q5) in QM2.  Currently are booked fin PG on our next crossing.  We now have a chance to upgrade to QG for an additional $570 p/p.  After reading all the above, I find myself ambivalent if not confused.  So my question is, do folks think it would be worth it?  All opinions welcome.

 

What if the change also required giiving up a total of $200 OBC (for the cabin)?  Same answer?

[Neuhoftraveler]

2 hours ago, Neuhoftraveler said:

We now have a chance to upgrade to QG for an additional $570 p/p. 

Cunard works in mysterious ways.  Turns out we did not have that chance.  Because our full fare has already been paid, Cunard's policy is to turn down my offer of an additional $1,140 unless I forfeited a 25% cancellation fee and re-booked from scratch.

 

I can understand not allowing paid-up pax to change to a newly reduced fare after final payment.  I cannot understand refusing to accept such a passenger's offer to pay a higher fare, albeit for a different cabin, when its price has come down into the paid-up passenger's acceptable zone.  The only explanation I can think of is so strategic and long-run-based that I cannot believe it's the real reason.

[alc13]

Neuhoftraveler - we’ve done both - PG twice and QG once, and I would stick with PG.  I love the PG stateroom on QM2, and we don’t need the extra space.  The QG dining room is also too brightly lit for my taste.  Finally, and I may be in a minority here, I thought Osman the QM2 Maitre d’ was snooty.
 

The best parts of a transatlantic on QM2 are the ship Itself and being on the ocean.  I’m a bit envious of you right now.

[Neuhoftraveler]

On 1/22/2020 at 10:36 AM, ExArkie said:

We generally book only when there is a good deal, with the prices we have paid ranging from US$290 to US$410 per night.

I have been following QM2 T/A pricing for almost two years now (and actually sailed in December 2018).  Never have I seen PG offered for anything remotely like $290-$410 per person per night.  That is a p/p fare of $2,870.  Where, or better yet, when did you get such fares?