"Virgin" to Cunard

Hello there,

I'm a "Virgin" to Cunard.

So far I only cruised with NCL.

Can anyone give me some Insider tipp or General tipp?

I will be on the QV in October.

Anything I must do while onboard?

thanks a lot

Well "must do" really depends on what you like to do - here are a few of mine -

Pre-dinner drinks in the Commodore club and/or Chart Room

Afternoon tea in the Queens Room

Dancing in the Queens Room (even if you don't partake it's great for people watching)

Dancing in Hemispheres

Sitting on aft watching the wake

Enjoying dressing up and getting ready for formal nights

Lunch in the Golden Lion

I'm sure people will be along with more imaginative ones, have a wonderful time.

Hello there,

 

I'm a "Virgin" to Cunard.

So far I only cruised with NCL.

 

Can anyone give me some Insider tipp or General tipp?

I will be on the QV in October.

 

Anything I must do while onboard?

 

thanks a lot

Which cruise? We are on board 22 OCT---29 OCT. :)

Might we see you? It is our first Cunard as well.

Cheers!

Well "must do" really depends on what you like to do - here are a few of mine -

Pre-dinner drinks in the Commodore club and/or Chart Room

Afternoon tea in the Queens Room

Dancing in the Queens Room (even if you don't partake it's great for people watching)

Dancing in Hemispheres

Sitting on aft watching the wake

Enjoying dressing up and getting ready for formal nights

Lunch in the Golden Lion

 

I'm sure people will be along with more imaginative ones, have a wonderful time.

Quite surprised that Hattie didn't remind you to stick a jacket on after six pm;) ( even on informal nights) that's if you want to enjoy the public venues (Restaurants,Bars, and lounges) Otherwise enjoy the Carinthia Lounge on QM2 or Winter Garden on Q.Vic/QE fleet .;)

I don't think cruisejunkie76 will be needing a jacket ;)

Well "must do" really depends on what you like to do - here are a few of mine -

Pre-dinner drinks in the Commodore club and/or Chart Room

Afternoon tea in the Queens Room

Dancing in the Queens Room (even if you don't partake it's great for people watching)

Dancing in Hemispheres

Sitting on aft watching the wake

Enjoying dressing up and getting ready for formal nights

Lunch in the Golden Lion

 

I'm sure people will be along with more imaginative ones, have a wonderful time.

Do not forget the wine pairing dinner in The Verrandah :)

Must do it at least once on a formal night :)

On QV the Commodore is usually the best spot for enjoying pre-dinner drinks. Lunch in the Golden Lion Pub is nice. Most guests adhere to the dress code. Not sure if this will be the same for October, the QV is doing several smaller voyages in October.

One of my favorite things is booking a box in the Royal Court Theatre on one of the special nights. The staff dressed as Bell boys will take you to a reception area give you chocolates and champagne, and then escort you to your box where another bottle of champage will await you for the show. You cannot beat the experience.

One of my favorite things is booking a box in the Royal Court Theatre on one of the special nights. The staff dressed as Bell boys will take you to a reception area give you chocolates and champagne, and then escort you to your box where another bottle of champage will await you for the show. You cannot beat the experience.

can this be pre booked?

You can't book before boarding, there will be booking details in the daily programme.

We are travelling in Europe for three weeks prior to our week cruise so wondering about what type of clothes are really necessary as will only have one suitcase! Do men need a jacket or suit nightly? For women does dressy casual work? Thanks.

We are travelling in Europe for three weeks prior to our week cruise so wondering about what type of clothes are really necessary as will only have one suitcase! Do men need a jacket or suit nightly? For women does dressy casual work? Thanks.

Men need a jacket every night for the MDR, bars, entertainment, etc. They will also need a tie on formal nights. Ladies are a little easier because a LBD and/or dressy slacks with a pretty top/scarf/jacket can cover formal or informal. The Lido Deck has the buffet and a bar for those who do not wish to dress for the evening.

It has been suggested on this forum that a gentleman could purchase a jacket or suit in a secondhand shop prior to boarding.

If luggage space is a real issue, you can always hire a DJ on board, I assume it's not cheap though.

What do they call that theater box experience? I don't recall seeing it in the programs.

Not sure if this will be the same for October, the QV is doing several smaller voyages in October.

We are sailing QV from 29 October to 15 November. Dress code is 5 formal, 10 informal (jacket required) and 2 informal (jacket optional).

Going from NCL to Cunard might prove a shock to your system. Aside from being on a ship, there really is no comparison between the two lines. Bring some nice clothing for the evenings, as they do enforce the dress code. On formal nights, Cunard can be "tuxedo central".

A couple of other ideas for newbies: Play a game of darts in the Golden Lion Pub. Look into the pop-up restaurants (there is a fee) in the evening in the buffet. My favorites are the Indian cuisine (Coriander) and the Pan-Asian cuisine (Lotus).

We are travelling in Europe for three weeks prior to our week cruise so wondering about what type of clothes are really necessary as will only have one suitcase! Do men need a jacket or suit nightly? For women does dressy casual work? Thanks.

As mentioned in other replies, women have more latitude with "dressing up" a dress. (Still not really dressy casual)

For men, yes you will need a dark suit with tie or tux for formal evenings. (A sport coat with tie would be a stretch but you'd most likely be admitted to the dining room.)

Besides renting the tux (expensive) onboard, another not cheap option is shipping a suitcase to the ship, so fresh dressy clothes are waiting for you when you arrive - and you don't need to schlep them around on your Europe vacation. We've done it a couple of times and it's really convenient. There are a few companies that will handle it and Cunard offers their own "White Star Luggage Service."

One more thing we've done in the past and which may not be possible post 9/11 is meet the ship in advance and have a bag stored for you. In 1997, we met the QE2 in NY as she was leaving on a crossing followed by a 10 day European itinerary before crossing back. We flew over and had a great vacation in Europe, our bag had its own holiday and we met back up when we boarded in Southampton.

Like I said, after 9/11, most likely it's no longer possible to do this, but sometimes Cunard will make exceptions to their rules for passengers, if a real good travel agent knows who to ask. ...and if it would work for you, it might not hurt to ask.

Cunard also excels at their lecture series. Be sure to check your programme for the guest speakers.

Also, their Afternoon Tea (not "high tea") is exceptional.

Agree about lunch in the Pub. In general, I prefer it to the dining room (for lunch)

Although their lectures are excellent, and there is live music throughout the ship - their shows are not their strong point (although they DO feature a live orchestra, increasingly rare these days)

As mentioned in other replies, women have more latitude with "dressing up" a dress. (Still not really dressy casual)

 

For men, yes you will need a dark suit with tie or tux for formal evenings. (A sport coat with tie would be a stretch but you'd most likely be admitted to the dining room.)

 

Besides renting the tux (expensive) onboard, another not cheap option is shipping a suitcase to the ship, so fresh dressy clothes are waiting for you when you arrive - and you don't need to schlep them around on your Europe vacation. We've done it a couple of times and it's really convenient. There are a few companies that will handle it and Cunard offers their own "White Star Luggage Service."

Thanks Mark Bear! I was thinking of having one stored at the Rome airport, This gives me another option to checkout! Appreciate the ideas. On one Mediterranean cruise my husband took his kilt etc. But all we were doing was a long cruise so it was easier! Trying to pack clothes for heat, and cooler weather and than dressy... :eek:

In re: the question of booking a box in the theatre on QV (or QE), the last time, the concierge in the grills booked it for me as soon as I boarded. I had already experienced it and wanted to do it again. I don't think it can be pre-booked though before boarding.

In re: the question of booking a box in the theatre on QV (or QE), the last time, the concierge in the grills booked it for me as soon as I boarded. I had already experienced it and wanted to do it again. I don't think it can be pre-booked though before boarding.

From another first-timer ...

As I, too, wish to book a theater box, where might I find the concierge in the grills upon embarkation? Won't there be a line? TIA!

Cheers!

From another first-timer ...

 

As I, too, wish to book a theater box, where might I find the concierge in the grills upon embarkation? Won't there be a line? TIA!

 

Cheers!

You'll find the Grills Concierge desk up on 'deck eleven' in the Grills Lounge/Cocktail area. On embarkation morning you may find that there is no one at the desk until after sail away,however, you can also book a theatre box at the Purser's desk on deck one any time.

There may be a line at the Purser's desk but things move quickly, there is always more than one receptionist dealing with requests .

You'll find the Grills Concierge desk up on 'deck eleven' in the Grills Lounge/Cocktail area. On embarkation morning you may find that there is no one at the desk until after sail away,however, you can also book a theatre box at the Purser's desk on deck one any time.

 

There may be a line at the Purser's desk but things move quickly, there is always more than one receptionist dealing with requests .

Thanks Bell Boy! This area requires the QG key card for access, true? (Sorry, 1st time.:o) And is that the same as our room key-card?

Do the boxes quickly sell-out or is there time to figure what the shows are and which night? Thanks again.

Cheers!