First Time on Cruise - misc questions - QE in Norwegian Fjords - July

Hello!

My husband and I will be joining my father and his partner on a cruise in the Norwegian Fjords on the Queen Elizabeth this July. We are first time cruisers. My dad is not. We will be in the Princess Grill suites. I have a few questions, please:

-Should we be prepared for swimming? Sunbathing? Just curious - either way is fine.

-How formal should we get? Tux or nice suit for my husband? Long gowns or cocktail dresses for me?

-Any tips on what to be sure to do on this ship, cruise, etc for someone who has NO idea? (I have never been on any cruise ever.)

Of course, my dad is providing tons of info, but I wanted to shout out to this group as well for what you all can share in terms of advice, tips, etc.

Thank you!

Hi Caroline,

We are also on this cruise, there is a roll call started for it in the roll call section.

We have been to the fjords twice before. It will be a beautiful cruise. We will certainly be expecting to swim during the cruise, sunbathing will depend on the temperatures but we have had good sun in Norway before so it is possible.

As for the evenings, just about everyone dresses up every night. On the formal nights most men will wear dinner suits (tux) whilst the ladies wear long dresses or cocktail dresses. Men need a jacket every evening unless eating in the lido.

There are so many things to do on QE. Don't miss afternoon tea in the Queens Room. Also ballroom dancing in the evenings to a live band, or dancing in the night club. Quizzes, croquet, lectures, productions in the theatre, walking the promenade deck, swimming in the outdoor pools, the spa, the library, deck games like deck quoits, shuffleboard and baggo etc, etc. The list goes on and on! Not to mention the lovely ports we will be visiting. And the pleasure of just sitting on a deck or on your balcony just watching the sea or reading a book.

We often find there is so much we want to do that we never get time to rest!!

It should be a lovely cruise.

How wonderful for you to be having your first voyage on such a marvelous ship! I know the four of you will enjoy yourselves immensely !!!!

My advice is to listen to your father's advice. : )

He is familiar with ship travel as well as things that will entertain you and your husband--your personal tastes.

Also, there is a daily Programme, left in your cabin each evening, which gives a schedule of ship's activities and entertainment. You will find that days pass quickly, even if your main goal is just to relax. There are spa services, walks on deck, recently released movies and just time for your family. In port, there will be tours to take, things to see, and probably some shopping.

Time will fly by and you will disembark with wonderful memories.

Congrats on picking a terrific ship, great itinerary and a very comfortable cabin for your first ever cruise. Sadly, every other line will now feel not quite as good and no matter how many you try you are likely to hanker for the Queens.

Dress code probably prompts more threads here than any other subject and the views vary from people who would happily dress in top hat and tails every evening to the people who have clearly booked the wrong cruise line because they want to wear shorts and flip flops all day and all night. Most of all, you need to dress to feel happy and comfortable yourself. If this means tux/evening dress or else cocktail dress/dark suit on formal nights doesn't matter the slightest so long as you enjoy the cruise.

As Camgirl says, it's a good idea to join the roll-call. You will find lots of advice available that's specific to your cruise and you might even find some friends for life. If you ask for general ideas there (or here) you'll probably get bombarded with all sorts of suggestions, but if you ask something a bit more focused the answers will flow.

Most of all, welcome to the Cunard family and thoroughly enjoy your cruise. The Norwegian fjords is our favorite itinerary, so you've certainly set the bar quite high. Oh, and enjoy the PG food. That's something else you're going to struggle to beat elsewhere.

.

Welcome to Cruise Critic and the Cunard board, what a great choice for your first cruise.

We went to the fjords in June (unfortunately not on Cunard) and it was warm enough to swim on one of the 7 days.

Cunard is the most formal of the cruise lines so if you have enjoy dressing up, go for it.

There is lots to do on the ship, it just depends what you enjoy.

Have a wonderful time

We took this cruise on the QE in 2013 in Princess Grill. Although we prefer the PG staterooms on the QM2, we were certainly comfortable. The balcony was, as we knew it would be, rather tiny for a Grills accommodation. The location of the Grills restaurants and lounge made up for this.

The Grills Lounge is usually full at tea time. The overflow is directed into the PG. We took tea half the time in the Queens Room where the ambience was more traditional, especially when the string quartet or harpist was playing.

On our cruise just about every man wore a dinner jacket on the three formal nights. The women were dressed in either long dresses or cocktail dresses or the occasional dressy pant suit. On the informal nights when gents require a jacket a large number also wore a tie even though that is not required.

Thank you all so much for the great advice! I actually love opportunities to dress up, so am quite happy to do so. Not sure I want to lug a long gown with me, plus I'd have to buy one, but I've got plenty of very nice evening suits and cocktail dresses. I did join the roll call as well - thank you for that recommendation!