Pol Acker

[*Miss G*]

23 hours ago, Host Hattie said:

 

 

 

So my question is…  what is Pol Acker?  Surely it can’t be as bad as the Wycliffe “champagne” on HAL?

 

Or is it?  Will now google it since my phone won’t allow me to do that in the middle of a post. 🤨

 

[D&N]

5 minutes ago, *Miss G* said:

what is Pol Acker?

It's a sparkling wine that makes no claim to be champagne.

It's a "blanc de blancs". That means it's made from white grapes, most champagnes/sparkling wines include some red grapes with their skins removed. Some blanc de blancs are made exclusively from chardonnay grapes. Pol Acker doesn't claim that, so it must be a blend.

 

It's perfectly drinkable if served very well chilled in chilled glasses or used with another liqueur in a spritz of some sort.

 

It probably tastes awful if someone finds it in their cabin and serves it semi-chilled in room temperature glasses, but you could say the same for most champagne.

[cshim]

20 hours ago, *Miss G* said:

 

 

So my question is…  what is Pol Acker?  Surely it can’t be as bad as the Wycliffe “champagne” on HAL?

 

Or is it?  Will now google it since my phone won’t allow me to do that in the middle of a post. 🤨

 

Paint stripper comes to mind 🤣

[Selbourne]

32 minutes ago, cshim said:

Paint stripper comes to mind 🤣

That was the conclusion that we came to as well. Surprised that Cunard don’t provide Champagne. P&O U.K., a more budget brand within the Carnival group does. 

[Host Hattie]

I've moved the Pol Acker discussion to a separate thread ....

[Winifred 22]

2 hours ago, Selbourne said:

That was the conclusion that we came to as well. Surprised that Cunard don’t provide Champagne. P&O U.K., a more budget brand within the Carnival group does. 

I have never had champagne on P &O offered free in my cabin on embarkation day. I really like Pol Aker. Have noticed recently it’s only a half bottle though. 

[Selbourne]

28 minutes ago, Winifred 22 said:

I have never had champagne on P &O offered free in my cabin on embarkation day. I really like Pol Aker. Have noticed recently it’s only a half bottle though. 

We get it due to loyalty status and also if we use Superior Deluxe Balcony Cabins. 

[Winifred 22]

39 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

We get it due to loyalty status and also if we use Superior Deluxe Balcony Cabins. 

Oh I see everyone on Cunard regardless of cabin or loyalty status gets the same except for Queens Grills guests who do get Champagne. Prefer the Cunard way. 

[Selbourne]

56 minutes ago, Winifred 22 said:

Oh I see everyone on Cunard regardless of cabin or loyalty status gets the same except for Queens Grills guests who do get Champagne. Prefer the Cunard way. 

Each to their own. We get champagne every cruise with P&O, regardless of cabin type, and enjoy that, whereas we weren’t at all impressed with the Pol Aker we had on QM2. I just find it odd that the more upmarket cruise line offers what most would consider to be a far inferior product to champagne. If I was paying Queens Grill prices I’d expect complimentary Champagne on tap for the duration of the cruise. I know that QG suites have a complimentary bar. Does that include champagne?

[D&N]

3 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

Each to their own. We get champagne every cruise with P&O, regardless of cabin type, and enjoy that, whereas we weren’t at all impressed with the Pol Aker we had on QM2. I just find it odd that the more upmarket cruise line offers what most would consider to be a far inferior product to champagne. If I was paying Queens Grill prices I’d expect complimentary Champagne on tap for the duration of the cruise. I know that QG suites have a complimentary bar. Does that include champagne?

What is the champagne that P&O provide?

 

We don't drink the Pol Aker on board. If anything we take it home. We simply don't eat or drink in our cabin. We like going to lounges and restaurants for that. Our cabin is for sleeping, showering and changing in.

[Selbourne]

5 minutes ago, D&N said:

What is the champagne that P&O provide?

It seems to change quite often. Most recently it was G.H. Martel & Co Prestige Vintage Champagne, which I’d never heard of. Not the best I’ve had, but still tastes much better than Pol Aker IMHO. Like you, we don’t drink in the cabin so we take it home. 

[david,Mississauga]

1 hour ago, Selbourne said:

Each to their own. We get champagne every cruise with P&O, regardless of cabin type, and enjoy that, whereas we weren’t at all impressed with the Pol Aker we had on QM2. I just find it odd that the more upmarket cruise line offers what most would consider to be a far inferior product to champagne. If I was paying Queens Grill prices I’d expect complimentary Champagne on tap for the duration of the cruise. I know that QG suites have a complimentary bar. Does that include champagne?

 

In our experience only the welcome aboard Champagne is included.  We have also been given a bottle of Pol Acker from the Cunard World Club.  We usually bring on board a bottle or two of Champagne or even a decent faux-champagne such as Cava.

[NE John]

We donate PA to the crew. The cabin steward said the crew appreciates it. 

[Essiesmom]

Where is that endless thread that was resurrected last year?  EM

[Austcruiser84]

1 hour ago, NE John said:

We donate PA to the crew. The cabin steward said the crew appreciates it. 

They must use it to clear rust off the sides of the ship. 

[bluemarble]

1 hour ago, Essiesmom said:

Where is that endless thread that was resurrected last year?  EM

This one, started in 2007, with #405 comments?

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/586622-what-exactly-is-pol-acker/

[exlondoner]

11 hours ago, Selbourne said:

We get it due to loyalty status and also if we use Superior Deluxe Balcony Cabins. 

You earlier gave the impression it was standard issue.

[Victoria2]

5 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

You earlier gave the impression it was standard issue.

I must admit, I got that impression too.

[safarigal]

Interestingly enough, I was quite excited when we entered our stateroom on Queen Anne, and saw an ice bucket with a bottle in it. Yay, the Pol Acker is there! But no, it was a bottle of Cunard Prosecco instead. 

 

It was very nice, but lacked that familiar rust taste.

[NancyDrew1953]

Currently on the QE in Japan.  In my cabin (Club Balcony), was not Pol Acker, but instead 750 ml of Grand Imperial Brut from France.  It is described as a white sparkling brut, but I haven’t tried it yet.  No ice bucket, just sitting in the fridge.

[Selbourne]

42 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

You earlier gave the impression it was standard issue.

Apologies if I gave that impression. You get Champagne in all Superior Deluxe and above cabins (quite a few grades) and everyone who is in the top 3 loyalty tiers, regardless of cabin type. My point being that this is still better than Cunard’s offering, which seems odd given the very different market positioning and pricing. 

[Winifred 22]

1 hour ago, NancyDrew1953 said:

Currently on the QE in Japan.  In my cabin (Club Balcony), was not Pol Acker, but instead 750 ml of Grand Imperial Brut from France.  It is described as a white sparkling brut, but I haven’t tried it yet.  No ice bucket, just sitting in the fridge.

We had that in Europe for a while while Pol Acker was resting.Last cruise back to Pol Acker though as you say was a full bottle not a half. 

[3rdGenCunarder]

9 hours ago, safarigal said:

Interestingly enough, I was quite excited when we entered our stateroom on Queen Anne, and saw an ice bucket with a bottle in it. Yay, the Pol Acker is there! But no, it was a bottle of Cunard Prosecco instead. 

 

It was very nice, but lacked that familiar rust taste.

 

Something to look forward to! I wonder if it's the same prosecco they serve at the bars? I like it better than their posh fizz (Perrier Jouet?). Bring back the Veuve Cliquot!!!

 

[3rdGenCunarder]

8 hours ago, Winifred 22 said:

We had that in Europe for a while while Pol Acker was resting.Last cruise back to Pol Acker though as you say was a full bottle not a half. 

 

I had a bottle of Italian sparkling wine on QE in Alaska right after the restart, when they somehow couldn't get Pol Acker. I liked it, and was disappointed on my next cruise on QM2, when the dreaded PA had returned. 

[david,Mississauga]

3 hours ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

I had a bottle of Italian sparkling wine on QE in Alaska right after the restart, when they somehow couldn't get Pol Acker. I liked it, and was disappointed on my next cruise on QM2, when the dreaded PA had returned. 

 

We had the same in June 2022.  I believe the brand name was Contessa.  It was quite pleasant.