Jump to content

Cunard playing silly buggers with CONFIRMED dining


phillipahain
 Share

Recommended Posts

Does it change every night, or is it a kid-friendly standard menu?

No it does not and it is the same menu that they offer at lunch. This was one of my complaints about a recent cruise. The offerings on the menu could be broader, for both the entrees and sides. And it would be nice if they offered a different menu at lunch and dinner.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Does it change every night, or is it a kid-friendly standard menu?

 

I haven't travelled since my son was born (first trip with him in November) so cannot confirm if it changes every night. However Cunard did also offer that they are happy to puree anything on the adult menu for a young child if they would prefer that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No it does not and it is the same menu that they offer at lunch. This was one of my complaints about a recent cruise. The offerings on the menu could be broader, for both the entrees and sides. And it would be nice if they offered a different menu at lunch and dinner.

 

Thanks for the info :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We once had a very difficult weeks dining with a gentleman, and his wife who had dementia. Looking back should I have had a quiet word aside with him explaining why we were moving to another table. How would have this distracted man reacted. Was he wrong not to taken a double table rather than choosing, as he had, a table for four. In the end we stuck it out, having identical conversations every evening but it ruined our dining experience during that cruise.

 

What would I do now. Have the conversation definitely.

 

David.

 

My family went on a cruise 20 years ago and ended up asking to switch from a table of at least 8 (maybe more) to a table of 4 (just ourselves) when the shared table ended up not living up to our expectations. Come to think of it, I think the entire table disbanded! We never saw the other diners again and never explained to them why we were changing tables; then again, other cruisers left the table after the first night and never explained to us why THEY were leaving.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Having heard from my daughter today i am very disturbed at the entire level of service throughout the ship

Dare to ask for a clean fork ....you get rudeness

Shsmpoo ,etc not been replaced in 3 days despite empty bottles and a polite request

Milk cartons not replaced in cabins

Crew doors propped open very early morning and cold air blasting the cabin along with non stop noise as a result

And repeated door slamming

Peaceful holiday =not on your life

Yes i know it was a guarantee and up front but where is consideration for guests at 6 or 7am

As Diamond members we are on there from 25th i am more than concerned

 

Mostly Phillipino staff who i normally think are great so wonder if they are being badly treated by Cunard and dont care

How sad that White Star Service seems to be non existant now

One thing is now certain it will be first snd last cruise on Cunard for daughter and grandaughter

Link to comment
Share on other sites

CUNARD QM2 was the best! I love the idea of limiting the number of children that are allowed. Average age is 50. No complaints at all; 5 star service at all times. Food service was definitely white glove!

Peaceful and quiet. Be sure this is what you are looking for in a cruise. Cabin attendant was always available. Balcony was so roomy and the view was outstanding. No wonder they book a year in advance. Already booked for next year.

If you are looking for class and refinement, this is the cruise for you. No wild water slides and children all over the place.

Cannot say how impressed I was with the service and politeness of everyone; passengers and crew!

Thank you for a wonderful experience and looking forward to the next cruise!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Having heard from my daughter today i am very disturbed at the entire level of service throughout the ship

Dare to ask for a clean fork ....you get rudeness

Shsmpoo ,etc not been replaced in 3 days despite empty bottles and a polite request

Milk cartons not replaced in cabins

Crew doors propped open very early morning and cold air blasting the cabin along with non stop noise as a result

And repeated door slamming

Peaceful holiday =not on your life

Yes i know it was a guarantee and up front but where is consideration for guests at 6 or 7am

As Diamond members we are on there from 25th i am more than concerned

 

Mostly Phillipino staff who i normally think are great so wonder if they are being badly treated by Cunard and dont care

How sad that White Star Service seems to be non existant now

One thing is now certain it will be first snd last cruise on Cunard for daughter and grandaughter

 

Does not seem good at all, but you don't say what efforts have been made by your daughter to improve the situation. I can sympathise about the staff noise, as we had just the same problem once and had to have a face to face with the Hotel Manager who moved us to another cabin, after being fobbed off by Purser staff. Also a quiet word with the room steward and MD in the dining room could be helpful.

 

The worst thing you can ever do is do nothing.

 

David.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The problem I am referring to is if Cunard set running times don't align with when your child wants to eat. You could opt for late sitting, feed your child whenever (room servicw/kings court) and so long as they were asleep before 8.30 you can enjoy dinner in peace. Families should do what's best for them. The only childcare Cunard offer for the under 2s is the night nursery so I can understand people making use of it. Spending time with kids is great but some time as a couple is nice too.

 

You say many are familiar with children and while I sure this is true your post specifically referenced an experience you have had with kids at late sitting. I thought it was worth pointing out this could occur just as easily at early sitting.

 

 

Hi Ben,

Personally I prefer CUNARD because of their policy on limiting children. It really is not a cruise for under 18.

At the B&W Ball they specifically said keep children in the center of the dance floor. Of course the parents did not and tripped up the dancers.

I am not a snob, but children / toddlers do not belong at such a formal occasion. They were cranky, jumping all around, and disturbing everyone.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Ben,

Personally I prefer CUNARD because of their policy on limiting children. It really is not a cruise for under 18.

At the B&W Ball they specifically said keep children in the center of the dance floor. Of course the parents did not and tripped up the dancers.

I am not a snob, but children / toddlers do not belong at such a formal occasion. They were cranky, jumping all around, and disturbing everyone.

 

Sorry I am confused by all this talk of limiting children? Children are permitted on all Cunard ships, the restrictions i know of is that children must be over 6 months to travel and over 12 months for a transatlantic. They cannot enter the nightclub in the evenings or the casino at anytime. Children that aren't toilet trained cannot use the swimming pools and kids aren't permitted in jacuzzis but this is the same on virtually every cruise line. No major restrictions here.

 

Cunard provide facilities for kids, including kids clubs for various ages from 2-17 years old, night nursery for 6 months-2 years, cots, bottle sterilisers and bottle warmers. Cunard permit children to eat anywhere adults can eat and they provide children's menus, puree'd food, hipp & hipp baby food as well as the option for them to order from the adult menu. These all indicate they are in fact trying to encourage families with kids, not discourage them. There are other lines that allow kids but offer no kids facilities at all, this would seem aimed at discouraging them. Some ships are restricted to those over 18 (P&O Arcadia for example), but Cunard has no such age restriction.

 

In your opinion it isn't a cruise for the under 18s, you are entitled to your opinion, but I disagree. If you want a cruise with no kids then I would suggest you check out ships with age restrictions. Cunard is for anyone who enjoys the sort of experience they offer and can afford to pay for it. Sure the lack of waterslides etc may put some young families off, but personally that sort of ship isn't for me - I will stick with Cunard thanks. You give an example of a parent not properly controlling their kids at a ball, does the action of one parent tar and feather all parents in your eyes?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Having heard from my daughter today i am very disturbed at the entire level of service throughout the ship

Dare to ask for a clean fork ....you get rudeness

Shsmpoo ,etc not been replaced in 3 days despite empty bottles and a polite request

Milk cartons not replaced in cabins

Crew doors propped open very early morning and cold air blasting the cabin along with non stop noise as a result

And repeated door slamming

Peaceful holiday =not on your life

Yes i know it was a guarantee and up front but where is consideration for guests at 6 or 7am

As Diamond members we are on there from 25th i am more than concerned

 

Mostly Phillipino staff who i normally think are great so wonder if they are being badly treated by Cunard and dont care

How sad that White Star Service seems to be non existant now

One thing is now certain it will be first snd last cruise on Cunard for daughter and grandaughter

 

Sorry your Daughter & Granddaughter are still having problems, hope these issues are also resolved.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sadly issues not resolved and they tried not to spoil thrir break with constantly ljning up at pursers

Had we envisaged the problems they face we would have given them a string of recomendationx to follow

As new cruisers they hated to complain and did not like to escslate things

But clearly they needed to

When communications are limited to cellphone use onshore but also try and enjoy what ports u can its not easy and they do not like to be moaning minnies

But for sure cabins up right forward are not to be recomended

Heaven knows if the folk in large Suite next to them experienced the same problems

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Having heard from my daughter today i am very disturbed at the entire level of service throughout the ship

Dare to ask for a clean fork ....you get rudeness

Shsmpoo ,etc not been replaced in 3 days despite empty bottles and a polite request

Milk cartons not replaced in cabins

Crew doors propped open very early morning and cold air blasting the cabin along with non stop noise as a result

And repeated door slamming

Peaceful holiday =not on your life

Yes i know it was a guarantee and up front but where is consideration for guests at 6 or 7am

As Diamond members we are on there from 25th i am more than concerned

Mostly Phillipino staff who i normally think are great so wonder if they are being badly treated by Cunard and dont care

How sad that White Star Service seems to be non existant now

One thing is now certain it will be first snd last cruise on Cunard for daughter and grandaughter

I am so sorry to read that things have declined even further for your family, how dreadfully upsetting for them.

I hope they get some enjoyment (if only from being in each each other's company) during the remainder of their cruise.

 

I was on board QM2 in November & December last year, and am also a Diamond member of the Cunard World Club. Nothing in your post quoted above reminds me of that cruise or of the four Cunard ships I have had the pleasure of travelling on (including the three current queens). Nothing is perfect, but I have never experienced 1/10th of the issues you are posting...

 

Mind you, on even my favourite & most outstanding Cunard voyages in the past I have met one or two people on board who tell similar terrible stories and of equally bad experiences (including one lady on a crossing who told me firmly "never again!". I saw her the following year on another QM2 crossing).

 

Best wishes to you and your family. I hope they find a line next time that gives them everything they are looking for in a holiday, and that this trip hasn't put them off cruising.

Edited by pepperrn
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I reread my response to Sheteck and want to make it clear I am not knocking your desire to have a child free holiday. I am simply pointing out that Cunard do allow and provide for Children, if the complete absence of kids is important to you then maybe you will find other ships even more to your taste. I do accept that the age profile on Cunard is generally high and think your average age of around 50 estimate may be close to true, but this don't think this means it is a place where kids aren't welcome. My wife and I have enjoyed holidays in the Caribbean in 5 star resorts that don't allow kids and our first cruise together was on the Arcadia, we had a brilliant time - so i am not knocking kid free holidays at all.

 

We have also encountered bad parents as many others have. On one holiday, also in the Caribbean, there was a couple who allowed their son (about 12) to run riot around the pool on a daily basis. At one point i remember joking with my wife about drowning him to shut him up - not nice on my part but it was in jest. Unfortunately the following day he nearly did drown in the pool, his parents did nothing (they hadn't noticed) and my wife jumped in and saved him. The parents reaction was to glare at my wife and then scream at their son, who was crying and coughing up water, for interrupting their poolside nap. From that point on we simply felt sorry for the kid.

 

Even well behaved kids will act out from time to time as I'm sure everyone here knows, it's how the parents deal with it. There will always be parents who see holidays as "time off" and let kids run riot but they really aren't the majority - it's just the bad experiences that we tend to remember. A few bad apples don't in my view mean kids should be banned from formal events.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We are boarding tomorrow, I'll be interested to see if our experience is as bad as your family seem to be having.

Have a great time, please let us know how you get on. Reports from QV this summer have certainly been mixed. My ex-boss was on board recently and seemed to have a wonderful time (not a CC member).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If our table doesn't work out next month, I fully intend to ask for a table for 2 or, worse comes to worst, eat in the buffet every night, I can't imagine dreading dinner every night for a week.

You may need to rethink plan "B" (table for 2), since they are very popular and seldom available after embarkation :(

 

Bob

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Tangoqueen and cruiseluvva...I will eagerly await your experiences and feedback. (Onboard next month!)

Do enjoy every minute...as we expect too.

 

 

 

Thanks Caravancruisers. I am going to do a little blog which you may be interested to look at. Unfortunately I usually get carried away enjoying myself and don't finish them off but will try harder this time

 

https://lindalea1.blogspot.co.uk/

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Our friends disembarked QV in Venice today and are staying there for a couple of nights before returning home. I look forward to hearing from them as to what the last 2 weeks on board were like too.

 

Cruiseluvva - wishing you all the best for your cruise.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sorry I am confused by all this talk of limiting children? Children are permitted on all Cunard ships, the restrictions i know of is that children must be over 6 months to travel and over 12 months for a transatlantic. They cannot enter the nightclub in the evenings or the casino at anytime. Children that aren't toilet trained cannot use the swimming pools and kids aren't permitted in jacuzzis but this is the same on virtually every cruise line. No major restrictions here.

 

Cunard provide facilities for kids, including kids clubs for various ages from 2-17 years old, night nursery for 6 months-2 years, cots, bottle sterilisers and bottle warmers. Cunard permit children to eat anywhere adults can eat and they provide children's menus, puree'd food, hipp & hipp baby food as well as the option for them to order from the adult menu. These all indicate they are in fact trying to encourage families with kids, not discourage them. There are other lines that allow kids but offer no kids facilities at all, this would seem aimed at discouraging them. Some ships are restricted to those over 18 (P&O Arcadia for example), but Cunard has no such age restriction.

 

In your opinion it isn't a cruise for the under 18s, you are entitled to your opinion, but I disagree. If you want a cruise with no kids then I would suggest you check out ships with age restrictions. Cunard is for anyone who enjoys the sort of experience they offer and can afford to pay for it. Sure the lack of waterslides etc may put some young families off, but personally that sort of ship isn't for me - I will stick with Cunard thanks. You give an example of a parent not properly controlling their kids at a ball, does the action of one parent tar and feather all parents in your eyes?

 

Hi Ben. I don't like to see age restrictions either, but from what I've read, there are legitimate reasons ...

Only a certain number of children can be accommodated in the various day/evening care facilities for children and teens.

There are also limited cabins for passengers with limited mobility.

Even our faithful friends have limited capacity in the kennels (and only for trans-Atlantic crossings).

Not to mention us Rowers are delegated to Deck 6 or below:)

 

Anyway, it's a big ship and there's room for us all (if we book early, apparent$y).

 

Cheers,

Salacia

Edited by Salacia
Link to comment
Share on other sites

We are boarding tomorrow, I'll be interested to see if our experience is as bad as your family seem to be having.

 

Please do post whilst on board if you can. We have 2 voyages booked in the next 5 months and would be devastated if there has been a huge downtown in service and ambience.

Enjoy you cruise.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Caravancruisers. I am going to do a little blog which you may be interested to look at. Unfortunately I usually get carried away enjoying myself and don't finish them off but will try harder this time

 

https://lindalea1.blogspot.co.uk/

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Have a great time, I look forward to reading your blog

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We spent 18 nights on QV right after refit. Not one problem with service, food or crew. Only problem team from shoreside putting pressure on waiters by asking what people were ordering in the new Chart Room instead of getting feedback from the paying customers and deeming that 'cucumber water' should be given out, it was tepid, horrid and wasn't fit to wash your feet in! We passed comments on our questionnaire, email and phone call that if feedback is wanted harrying busy waiters is not the way to get it, ask the paying guest but we received no response, obviously don't like hearing the truth!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...