I think we are going to have to pony up for the drink package. Not being able to bring our own drinks into bars, entertainment, casino, dining room is a big drawback.
Thank you all for your help. I'll just go pick a few bucks off the money tree in my backyard. :eek:

Are you sure you can bring bottles of alcohol on Cunard? I thought they were the standard "2 bottles wine per cabin" line?

https://my.cunard.com/en-us/mycruise...ul-informationAlcohol Policy

Duty- and tax-free alcohol is available for purchase and will be delivered to your stateroom on the last day of your voyage. You may bring one bottle of wine or champagne per person on board to celebrate special occasions (no larger than 750ml). If consumed in restaurants or bars, each bottle will be subjected to a corkage fee. Guests who are under 18 years of age are not permitted to purchase or consume alcohol on board. In U.S. waters, Cunard abides by the U.S. legal drinking age of 21 years.

Any wines purchased via the Little Luxuries Collection are not subject to the on board $25 corkage fee

Ah, but another link says 1 bottle up to 750 of "alcohol". OK, sorry! https://www.cunard.com/en-us/cunard-...barkation-day#

• Something to drink – most terminals have a café or somewhere to get some refreshments, but to avoid disappointment or queuing, you might like to bring your own drink to keep hydrated while you wait. If you want to bring alcohol on board, Cunard permits you to bring one bottle per person up to 750ml (remember that if you are flying before your cruise, hold luggage must be used to store liquids). You can consume this in your stateroom for no additional charge, or in one of our restaurants (a corkage fee will be applied in this instance).

You can bring as much as you can carry. Wine and spirits. They have that clause to have something to fall back on if a passenger gets drunk and belligerent and can confiscate their liquor. But nobody cares how much you bring because it's not a "Carnival Caribbean" cruise.😄

If it's more economical, do it! It's never a deal for me. But guess what? I just book another transatlantic/Caribbean cruise for 2026 and got a $850 obc this time. So, I plan on using those funds to eat in the specialty restaurants most of the time and have a few drinks there too, And on off days drink my own liquor that I will bring onboard, in my cabin. Win Win!👍

*just a side note.....check with your agent and see if they could increase your OBC. I did that on my last cruise and they increased it. I simply sent them an email and they responded the same day. All they can say is no.

corky I'm not sure if it could help you, but you can order drinks in your cabin too. I only ordered water packages. But they have liquor packages and you don't have to feel like you have to over consume to get your money out of it. This is the only video I found that goes over the Stateroom Menu. I can't remember, but I believe you can go into the dining rooms with your drink already poured into a glass. The thing is, many people have a before dinner drink and walk to their table with wine or champagne from the bars. I just thought about this since I'm planning my next voyage.

Go to the 2:20 minute mark:

Thank you. In retrospect it was probably a mistake to order the drinks/internet package but thats a lesson learned for any future cruises. I didn't take into account that most days we will be off the ship during lunch etc.
this all one big learning experience!🤑
That video confirmed that I would not be happy in an inside cabin. Too claustrophobic...thank God we have balconies.
where is your next trip?

The big one (25 nights) is next year on QM2 Southampton round trip, but I have a couple of 7 night cruises later this year from Dubai round trip. And will also be on the permanently docked Queen Elizabeth 2 for 3 weeks.

*If it matters, you could probably get a refund on anything you purchase "before" the cruise if you change your mind.

**And for two people I agree that an inside cabin would be stretching it.

Here's the cabin I always pick, except for when I splurged for princess suite. They only had one available so that's why I booked it now. Perfect for single cruisers.

corky Another thing I forgot to tell you but a little off topic. See if your travel agent is part of "Distinctive Voyages" group. With Cunard they can offer you all kinds of benefits that are complimentary. I received complimentary Canapes and an all day port excursion totally free except for tipping. If you are selected the offers will just magically show up in your cabin. Good luck 🤞

"Distinctive Voyages is a program offered by Travel Leaders Network that provides exclusive, complimentary amenities to cruisers, like hosted cruises with concierge service, private welcome receptions, and exclusive shore excursions. These perks are designed to elevate the cruise experience beyond the standard offerings.

Key features of Distinctive Voyages include:

• Onboard Host:
  A dedicated concierge who assists with questions, provides advice, and helps coordinate Distinctive Voyages benefits.
• Private Welcome Reception:
  A cocktail reception for the Distinctive Voyages guests to meet and socialize with fellow travelers.
• Exclusive Shore Event:
  A specially chosen excursion, often led by local experts, that provides a unique and intimate look at the destination's culture.
• Additional amenities:
  Some sailings may offer additional benefits like shipboard credits, prepaid gratuities, or private car services.
• Access to a wider range of travel options:
  Travel Leaders also offers added amenities on a large number of other cruise departures, potentially including shipboard credit or additional benefits.

Yes
 

Good call. If the TA dosn't know, ask if they are part of Travel Leaders Netwrok, which is the large travel consortium that offers this. I find some newer TAs are not always aware of this program. It also provides the opportunity add on board credit and other perks on thousands of cruises.

We just did a 7 day trip with 2 days in port and went back and forth about this a lot beforehand. Ultimately we decided to not get the package and do pay as we go and it worked in our favor. On a 3-4 day trip we could probably make the drink package work but not for 7 days in a row with 2 in port. I think you need to find a current price list and be honest with yourself about your drinking habits and see if it makes sense. I actually drank less than I thought I would since we were so busy with other activities. I also don't drink specialty coffees and the water filling stations were fine for me.

Also glad we didn't get the soda package because the 12 packs we brought on board were enough.

Same with me. I've added it up and I drank half of what the package cost and that was trying hard to make it work. I eventually got tired of drinking beer and coffee was complimentary with breakfast. So a waste of money for me to get the drinks package.

We're new to cruising and have taken a Cunard QM2 TA, a 2 week Oceania Caribbean and 3 week Azamara Asia cruise already this year. Drinks are included on Azamara but on the other two we drank whatever whenever we liked although we rarely drink alcohol in the day. Our tab was approx half of the drinks package cost.

We did discover that a very generous tip (by UK standards, ie $20/30 a day) to our waiter in the bar facilitated free flow drinks and no check to sign on lines that normally charged. I chatted to a mate who works for RCCL HQ and he said this is normal expected behaviour. The staff get more income and the customer is happy thinking they got one over the cruise line. In reality the line pays a little over $1 a bottle for liquor so their costs are minimal.

Regarding this point: Basic drinks are, but fancy ones, call drinks, etc., are not. We like an Aperol Spritz in the afternoon, so we paid for them. For our modest habit, that was a lot cheaper than getting a package, and no sense of leaving money on the table by not getting smashed. (If you'll be on the Azamara Onward, now based in the Med year-round, look for Charmaine in the Deck 5 Mosaic bar. She's great, She was there in late July 2025, though of course might not be by the time you cruise.)

Sounds like maybe Corky's cruise is done, but in case anyone else is reading and wondering the same thing: remember that everyone in the same cabin must have the same drinks package (well, minors won't be forced into the alcoholic beverages). If you have one drinker and one non-drinker, it's almost guaranteed to be better to skip the packages.

My one and only cruise was from New York to Southampton in 2008, on the next-to-last transoceanic sailing of QE2. I did get the soft drinks package, and one of my dinnermates and I claim we drank the ship dry of ginger beer (preferred drink for both of us, and they ran out on day 4). Definitely worth it for me, since there were no limits, but (a) I don't drink coffee, tea, or other hot drinks, and (b) these were the days before everyone drank water all day long.

No, I am leaving on Sunday. We are both drinkers and we might as well get our money's worth. ;)