Pol Acker

[NancyDrew1953]

Tried the Grand Imperial Brit in my QE cabin last night. My tastes may not be very sophisticated, but I actually enjoyed it.  Plus part of the appeal is just that it feels special to have it in my cabin.  I much prefer a bottle in my cabin to a glass of something as I board when I am weighed down with carryons, a practice that I have experienced on other ships.  

[NancyDrew1953]

On 5/6/2024 at 7:17 AM, NancyDrew1953 said:

Tried the Grand Imperial Brit in my QE cabin last night. My tastes may not be very sophisticated, but I actually enjoyed it.  Plus part of the appeal is just that it feels special to have it in my cabin.  I much prefer a bottle in my cabin to a glass of something as I board when I am weighed down with carryons, a practice that I have experienced on other ships.  

Today a second bottle of Grand Imperial Brut appeared in my fridge!

 

I thought maybe it was in lieu of the Captain’s World Club reception, but just received an invitation to the reception.  So, I’m surprised to receive the second bottle two days after the first one.  It’s great that I’m enjoying it.

[*Miss G*]

On 5/5/2024 at 9:03 AM, NE John said:

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

I didn’t know the crew could accept alcohol from passengers. That would be nice if they could since we left a bottle of Prosecco on our last voyage. 

[Selbourne]

26 minutes ago, *Miss G* said:

I didn’t know the crew could accept alcohol from passengers. That would be nice if they could since we left a bottle of Prosecco on our last voyage. 

I very much doubt that they can and strongly suspect that if a passenger does this they smile appreciatively and put the bottle back into stock. Even if they wanted the bottle (unlikely I should imagine) I doubt they would risk taking it back to their cabin. They would be terrified that it could be perceived that they had stolen it from the stocks that they distribute, which would result in instant dismissal. They would have no receipt for it or definitive proof that it had been gifted to them.  

[elmsliebev]

I noticed from a Commodore Club drinks menu that someone has put up on another forum that they also have ISH alcohol free fizz which is a really good AF alternative. I've asked for our free fizz to be replaced with an AF alternative, so we'll see what comes - in Alaska in 2022 on QE we got a very nice AF rose instead. 

[Winifred 22]

23 hours ago, NancyDrew1953 said:

Today a second bottle of Grand Imperial Brut appeared in my fridge!

 

I thought maybe it was in lieu of the Captain’s World Club reception, but just received an invitation to the reception.  So, I’m surprised to receive the second bottle two days after the first one.  It’s great that I’m enjoying it.

I have had extra bottles delivered from World Club part way through cruises before but I can’t remember  if that was post shut down or how long the cruise was. 

[Ray66]

Last week on QM2 there was a half bottle of Pol Acker waiting in the fridge. Not the usual full bottle in an ice bucket we have received before.  Then on the first Gala night in Britannia everyone got a glass of PA on their table and also, for the first time for us, black table napkins. Back in our cabin another half bottle of PA was waiting.

We drank one of the bottles mixed with orange juice we had brought with us, but left the other bottle in the fridge. Not worth bringing home IMO.

[3rdGenCunarder]

On QA, I had a full bottle of Cunard Prosecco on boarding. A half bottle of PA showed up at some point. I don't think there was any sort of card explaining why. It just materialized. I drank the prosecco, left the PA.

[JT1101]

I've always had a half of Pol Acker in an ice bucket waiting for me in my stateroom. The irony of this is I am a teetotaler so I generally put in the cooler, bring it home and give to others. They really like it. 

[zoomerica]

On 5/4/2024 at 8:22 PM, bluemarble said:

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

 

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

 

This is an amazing thread, back when this board was popping off with some very witty members. Miss a lot of those folks

 

[elmsliebev]

On 6/12/2024 at 12:37 AM, JT1101 said:

I've always had a half of Pol Acker in an ice bucket waiting for me in my stateroom. The irony of this is I am a teetotaler so I generally put in the cooler, bring it home and give to others. They really like it. 

I don't drink anymore and last time on QE in 2022 I asked in advance for the usual fizz to be removed and an alcohol free alternative to be provided instead. TBH, I was expecting maybe orange juice or cola but we had a bottle of alcohol free rose wine waiting for us, which was very good. On QA shortly so I've asked for the same. We'll see what happens! 

[exlondoner]

6 minutes ago, elmsliebev said:

I don't drink anymore and last time on QE in 2022 I asked in advance for the usual fizz to be removed and an alcohol free alternative to be provided instead. TBH, I was expecting maybe orange juice or cola but we had a bottle of alcohol free rose wine waiting for us, which was very good. On QA shortly so I've asked for the same. We'll see what happens! 

Yes, it is strange how often people don’t ask for something, then complain later they didn’t get it. Of course it doesn’t always work, but asking is certainly a helpful first step towards getting.

[elmsliebev]

3 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

Yes, it is strange how often people don’t ask for something, then complain later they didn’t get it. Of course it doesn’t always work, but asking is certainly a helpful first step towards getting.

Exactly. On QE I asked for a Moscow Mule without the alcohol. Thereafter the fabulous Commodore Club staff referred to it as a Moscow Donkey! 

[*Miss G*]

I finally found out what Pol Acker is like and have answered my original question!  There was a split inside the fridge, along with two white wine glasses:

 

 

It was definitely superior, by far, to Holland America’s god-awful “champagne”:

 

 

 

HAL used to provide actual champagne, but have slashed that budget to smithereens and are now embarrassing themselves with the above.  It retails near me for $5.99 a bottle, which probably puts them at an industry price point of $2.00 per bottle.  The first time we encountered it, we each had a sip then dumped it down the drain where it belonged.  It was a brut but my husband called it brutal.

 

Pol Acker, on the other hand, was quite drinkable.  For some reason, I received a second bottle midway through the journey.  I drank that too.  🥂

[Host Hattie]

Thank you for reporting back, I'm glad it was better than you expected. 

[JT1101]

This is where being a teetotaler is a disadvantage. I've gathered that Pol Acker is a sparkling white wine? 

[D&N]

Perhaps surprisingly Wycliff gets a higher rating from drinkers on Vivino than Pol Acker.

 

Judging by it's taste profile, which most rate as being towards a more fruity flavour I'd probably prefer Pol Acker too. If I want something sparking and fruity I'm probably better off with a soft drink.

[*Miss G*]

1 hour ago, JT1101 said:

This is where being a teetotaler is a disadvantage. I've gathered that Pol Acker is a sparkling white wine? 

 

Yes, a sparkling white wine from France.

 

1 hour ago, D&N said:

Perhaps surprisingly Wycliff gets a higher rating from drinkers on Vivino than Pol Acker.

 

Judging by it's taste profile, which most rate as being towards a more fruity flavour I'd probably prefer Pol Acker too. If I want something sparking and fruity I'm probably better off with a soft drink.

 

“Surprising” is a good word.  😂  A few people on the HAL board like it, but most do not. I admit to being surprised when one person said they loved it.  It is definitely on the sweet side, so I had to recheck the bottle to see if I’d read it wrong.  Two lies on one label.  What could go wrong?  

[lincslady]

I notice the Californian wine is labelled 'champagne'. I thought it was illegal to call anything champagne unless it came from the real champagne region in France?

[exlondoner]

5 minutes ago, lincslady said:

I notice the Californian wine is labelled 'champagne'. I thought it was illegal to call anything champagne unless it came from the real champagne region in France?

Perhaps not in California?

[Host Hattie]

It can be called Californian Champagne but not simply Champagne. 

The loophole that makes Californian Champagne legal

[*Miss G*]

7 hours ago, Host Hattie said:

It can be called Californian Champagne but not simply Champagne. 

The loophole that makes Californian Champagne legal

 

That was an interesting read.  Thank you.

 

I would like to further note that the bottle of Wycliff, pictured above, has a twist-off cap; not a cork.  It may come as no surprise that there was no pop and no fizz.  That was the third lie on their label; it wasn’t “sparkling” at all.  “Lifeless” would be a more apt description.