First QE Cruise Question

We are booked on our first cruise on the QE in June to the Fjords (9 night).

Would be really grateful for some recommendations from experts that have already experienced the QE.

We are looking at booking a wine package but as neither of us are big drinkers we are looking into the 4 or 6 bottle package. Can anyone tell me whether if we only drink part of a bottle one evening whether they will take it back and have it ready for another evening and also whether we can have the wine delivered to our table in both the Britannia restaurant and the buffet?

Also we are considering the soft drinks package as it seems very good value.

Another big decision seems to be which excursion...if any to book. Can anyone recommend any trips and do all passengers book the Cunard excursion or venture out on their own and what are the pitfalls? We have looked into the Flam railway trip and Cunard are charging $120 per person and the Railway direct seems to be approx £34 per person.

Many thanks

You don't say which ports you are visiting in Norway. We have cruised there three times. We usually do a mixture of ship's tours and do it ourselves.

Bergen lots to do without the need for a tour:

The Floibanen funicular railway which goes to the top of Mount Floyen for spectacular views

Bryggen - UNESCO heritage site of Hanseatic wharf and buildings

The huge Fish Market

There's also a land train that takes you on an hour long ride through the streets

It depends where your ship is docked as to whether you can walk to the above or you may have to take the shuttle bus which will drop you off near some shops. Ask the driver which way to get to any of the above which are all fairly near each other.

Stavanger you can also walk round without the need to take a tour.

Geiranger we took the ship's tour to the Briksdal Glacier. We have also taken the ship's tour up Mount Dalsnibba

Flam we did the railway ourselves.

Minnie29 ~ In answer to your question about wine, yes, they will put away any bottle that you haven't finished at dinner and will have it ready for you the following evening in the dining room. I'm not sure if they can get to the bottle from the Lido/buffet area as it's quite a distance away. Maybe someone else can answer that question.

We are booked on our first cruise on the QE in June to the Fjords (9 night).

Would be really grateful for some recommendations from experts that have already experienced the QE.

We are looking at booking a wine package but as neither of us are big drinkers we are looking into the 4 or 6 bottle package. Can anyone tell me whether if we only drink part of a bottle one evening whether they will take it back and have it ready for another evening and also whether we can have the wine delivered to our table in both the Britannia restaurant and the buffet?

Also we are considering the soft drinks package as it seems very good value.

 

Another big decision seems to be which excursion...if any to book. Can anyone recommend any trips and do all passengers book the Cunard excursion or venture out on their own and what are the pitfalls? We have looked into the Flam railway trip and Cunard are charging $120 per person and the Railway direct seems to be approx £34 per person.

 

Many thanks

We have considered the wine package but frankly prefer to order from the wine list as required - potentially a lot greater choice. You can certainly have the wine put away until the following evening but I doubt you can have it transferred to the Lido buffet. You can always take it back to your room.

As Ray 66 suggests - a mixture of both forms of tour is our choice too - if you do your homework you can easily ascertain the best value.

The main pitfall of doing non-ship excursions is that the ship will not wait for you if you are late. If I am out exploring on my own in a port, I always make sure that I will be back on the ship at least an hour before "all on board" time just to be careful.

I have found the soda card to be a great deal on Cunard. I like that you can get a variety of juices as well as sodas with the card.

Thanks for the replies.

We are docking at Bergen, Stavanger, Geiranger, Alesund and Flam.

Any excursion recommendations would be gratefully received.

Can anyone tell me what the Lido Buffet Theme nights are like and whether its worth the additional cost?

Thank you

We are booked on our first cruise on the QE in June to the Fjords (9 night).

Would be really grateful for some recommendations from experts that have already experienced the QE.

We are looking at booking a wine package but as neither of us are big drinkers we are looking into the 4 or 6 bottle package. Can anyone tell me whether if we only drink part of a bottle one evening whether they will take it back and have it ready for another evening and also whether we can have the wine delivered to our table in both the Britannia restaurant and the buffet?

Also we are considering the soft drinks package as it seems very good value.

 

Another big decision seems to be which excursion...if any to book. Can anyone recommend any trips and do all passengers book the Cunard excursion or venture out on their own and what are the pitfalls? We have looked into the Flam railway trip and Cunard are charging $120 per person and the Railway direct seems to be approx £34 per person.

 

Many thanks

Yes, they will label your wine and bring back partially consumed bottles at dinner the next night. You can also arrange to have your bottle meet you at a specialty restaurant, if you decide to dine away from the main dining room.

There are port-specific Cruise Critic message boards that have postings we have found helpful in the past. You can learn which tours were particularly nice and if you can have a good port visit without booking a tour. Also, there are voyage specific boards where you can link with other passengers (if you wish) and book a tour that is not arranged by Cunard. There is usually cost saving in this, but booking a tour through the ship, also has advantages.

Sounds like you will have a very nice cruise!

A little word of warning: your partially used bottle of wine can certainly be stored to the following evening - we always have to do this as I enjoy a white or rose wine, whilst my husband only drinks red. It's worth making a mental note of how much wine you have left in the bottle as on different cruises I have three times been told that my bottle had been emptied the previous night when I knew that it certainly hadn't and when I confidently told the somellier this was the case they have magically managed to find my bottle from the previous evening and apologised for the bottle being mislaid in storage. It's actually become a bit of a joke as it always happens to me, perhaps I need to drink the bottle faster but often one glass of wine is all I need having already had a G&T followed by a cocktail or two :D

The Flamsbahn can be had for a lot less than the Cunard price and it's a very short walk from the quay. However, there's only room to moor one ship, so if there are two in the fjord it's wise to be sure that yours is the ship docking, not the one that will be tendering. The queue builds quite quickly, so unless you can get off the ship and to the ticket office smartly you might be frustrated.

Aside from that, I can recommend the coach tour up in to the mountains for the pancakes and jam. The food is just okay but the views are magnificent.

Bergen is the second largest town in Norway so there's plenty to see. It gets about 320 days a year of rain so take something waterproof. The fish market is good (crab and lobster is terrific). The view from the top of the funicular railway is very good but again, get there early because it fills up fast. The walk along the quayside past the old shops is pretty if the weather is in your favour.

Stavanger is nice enough for a walk around but nothing too exciting. There's a fish canning museum (I joke not) but the north sea oil museum is a bit more interesting. Or else walk along the quayside form the ship and you can get a ferry trip to the Pulpit Rock. Probably the next boat out after the ship rour and half the price. There's also an old fashioned hoho bus going around town.

Alesund is big on it's unusual architecture, all pretty much new after it burned down a century ago. It's a very pleasant walk around if the weather is good but a bit hilly. You could try the noddy train or just climb the hill to the viewing point at the top of the mountain by the aquarium from where the view is terrific. The ship's tour seemed reasonable value when we took it (it also went to the aquarium) but we got stuck in traffic on the way back and the ship was waiting so as others have said, beware.

Gerainger used to be a tender port but now they have a jetty depending on the size of the ships and if there is more than one in port. The place is absolutely beautiful, second only to Flam in my eye.

Enjoy Norway. It's one of the few voyages we've done more than once and the scenery is utterly beguiling.

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Can anyone tell me what the Lido Buffet Theme nights are like and whether its worth the additional cost?

 

 

 

Thank you

I only went to one of the theme dinners in the Lido - the Asian one. I didn't care too much for the food but that was a personal opinion because my dining companions enjoyed it. As I recall, there were three choices for the entree and a sampler for the starters and dessert.

Oops! I hit reply before my last picture.

Thanks for the replies.

We are docking at Bergen, Stavanger, Geiranger, Alesund and Flam.

 

Any excursion recommendations would be gratefully received.

 

Can anyone tell me what the Lido Buffet Theme nights are like and whether its worth the additional cost?

 

Thank you

Hi there!

We've done 3 Fjords cruises with Cunard and have only taken a couple of excursions (of which more in a moment).

On our most recent visit to Bergen, we carried on past the Bryggen round to the Bergenhus fortress, which we had missed on our previous visits. If you like jewellery, there is a fantastic shop called "Juhl's Silver Gallery" on the waterfront at the Bryggen. Been there 3 times and they always have something beautiful. You can also claim back the sales tax if you spend over a certain amount: Norwegian tax officials come on board the ship at the last port of call to provide this service. Sorry, but I can't remember what the minimum spend is, though Cunard will advise you. Unless you really want to do one of the Cunard tours, I'd recommend planning your own time to explore the city.

In Stavanger, Gamle Stavanager, the old town, is situated literally just above where the ship docks. It's worth an hour or two wandering around and you could combine that with a half day tour.

The first time we went to Geiranger, we did a tour called Hiking the Westeras. The required fitness level was fairly significant and if you were thinking of doing that I'd strongly advise taking proper walking boots and poles. Of course, the beauty of a Southampton roundtrip is that you can take all these extra items without worrying about luggage limits!

It is easy to make your own way up Mount Aklsa to the top of the viewpoint in Alesund and you'll be rewarded with great views of the harbour and any ships in port. As already mentioned, there's a sort of mini train which will take you to the top if you only want to walk down.

On our first visit to Flam, we did a tour "Walking the Flam Valley", which was an utter waste of money. You can easily do this on your own - basically turn right out of the port and if you've done a bit of research beforehand you'll get as much information as we were provided with. Moreover, when we did the tour (in 2009, admittedly, there were no headsets, so you could bearly here the guides). Another option is to walk to the Brekkefossen waterfall/viewpoint. This is less demanding than hiking the Westeras (it was genuinely a hike and not for the faint-hearted). You can download a map from the Flam tourist website - we found it by simply walking in the opposite direction from the Flam Valley tour and that's what we did on our second visit to the Flam.

The one piece of advice above all others which I'd give to anyone visiting the Fjords for the first time, is try to spend as much of your time in port, exploring and seeing the fantastic scenery. Assuming you don't need to take mobility factors into account, you should really aim to maximise your time on foot and minimise any time spent inside and not really experiencing the breathtaking views.

I notice you are from my favourite part of the U.K.! If you spend any time walking the coast path, you'll probably be up for lots of independent exploring on your own and I hope you have a great time.

You also asked about the Lido evening alternatives. We tried Aztec, which is the Mexican option. It was good, not too hot or spicy, which was a bit of a disappointment, but certainly worth the $15pp cover charge. I don't think it was as good as Asado, which was South Amercian grilled meats and fish, but Cunard seemed to have pulled it from their schedules. We haven't seen it on either of our two most recent QE trips.

Whatever you decide to do, the Fjords are stunning. The weather can be unpredictable so take layers and something waterproof/an umbrella. And if you do plan to do any serious walking, then definitely take the right footwear too. You won't possibly see everything in one trip - so be prepared to come back wanting to make another booking.....

We rarely have the problem of left overs wine.

The only exception, is that sometimes at lunch in QG, her indoors demands a light white for lunch (Gavi di Gavi e.g.) and I mostly like a heavy red. In that case, our sommelier would always re-present our lunch wines.

I also enjoy a nice wee cheese selection after dinner. and right on cue, our sommelier always turns up at the right moment with my bottle of port and my port glass.

It's hard to beat, and believe me, I've stayed at some of the best hotels you could think of.

We are booked on our first cruise on the QE in June to the Fjords (9 night).

Would be really grateful for some recommendations from experts that have already experienced the QE.

We are looking at booking a wine package but as neither of us are big drinkers we are looking into the 4 or 6 bottle package. Can anyone tell me whether if we only drink part of a bottle one evening whether they will take it back and have it ready for another evening and also whether we can have the wine delivered to our table in both the Britannia restaurant and the buffet?

Also we are considering the soft drinks package as it seems very good value.

 

Another big decision seems to be which excursion...if any to book. Can anyone recommend any trips and do all passengers book the Cunard excursion or venture out on their own and what are the pitfalls? We have looked into the Flam railway trip and Cunard are charging $120 per person and the Railway direct seems to be approx £34 per person.

 

Many thanks

I see you have received a lot of advice and I can't really add much more. I have been to Flam twice and each time went up on the railway. The scenery is stunning and the train does stop for a few minutes at the waterfall. I did it once under my own steam, you need to get off very quickly and get to the railway station early to get tickets. The second time I took the Cunard tour. The one thing with this is if there is a problem with the train or anything, Cunard will wait for you.

I have sailed round the world on Queen Elizabeth and I just love the ship. No problem with buying one and they bring it back to the table the next evening. Here's wishing you a wonderful trip.

Regards Pat

Hello Minnie29, Just to clarify ;

You can arrange for a bottle of wine from your wine package delivered to the Lido for 'Evening Alternative Dinning' only. In other words you can't have wine sent up to the lido for the 'Self Service Buffet Dining.

Wine from a wine package ,can be delivered to any of the Alternative dining venues i.e. Lido Alternative dining or the Verandah (Todd English QM2)

To ensure your wine is readily available at your table, it's best to arrange this at least an hour before you dine, perhaps before you go for your pre dinner cocktail. Visit the MDR and arrange this with your sommelier ( hand him/her a coupon) they will arrange for the wine to be 'sent up to the Lido' for when you arrive.

Don't wait until you arrive at your table in any of the Alternative dining venues,as requesting wine from your package and handing a coupon to your waiter will cause you a huge hassle, in other words you'll have finished your meal before it arrives .;)

Hi Minnie29,

We had originally hoped to be on your cruise but have now booked on the July trip instead. It will be our third fjords cruise. Here is a list of what we have done in the ports you are visiting before.

Stavanger - our first ever port on a cruise. The old town is literally next to the ship and is lovely for a wander round but there are no shops or cafes in this area. The centre of the town is really close to the ship and has an interesting church. We have been to the fish canning museum - it was interesting! On our last trip we did a boat trip to the pulpit rock which was very enjoyable.

Bergen is a nice place. We have moored in two different places, both within walking distance of the centre. The bryggan old part near the old harbour is my favourite. It has a Christmas shop and a sewing shop - heaven! We have been on the little train and on the cable car, both of which are good. We have never done a ship's tour here.

Alesund is quite interesting. We have been on the little train here and have also used local buses to reach an interesting museum of old Norwegian building as just out of town. On our last trip we went on a ship's tour that took us through tunnels to three islands, which included a snack and a visit to a lighthouse. We enjoyed this trip.

We have only visited gierenger once. We joined with another couple we met through the roll call and booked a taxi which took us up above the fjord into the snow (it was May) and to several viewpoints, etc. It was a really good trip.

We have not yet visited flam but we will do (hopefully) on this trip. We were supposed to go on our previous trip but the itinerary was changed and we went to Olden instead. We want to go on the railway and will probably go with the ship's tour as it will be easier and we will not have to worry about rushing off to get tickets.

I hope this is of help to you and that you have a fabulous trip. It will be a stunning cruise, enjoy.