Lakesregion

Back in the day Cunard seeed to be very good at placing solo passengers at large table (at their request) with other solo passengres of close to similar age and not with groups of couples or one large group that is not really interested in outside guests.

How is the current mix being handled on the QA for such solo folks (Males in particular). On my last two cruises on other lines, I have ended up dining solo because the diningroom could not find sufficient other guests to join in the fun of a large table.

a nail cost a shoe and for want of a shoe a horse was lost and the lost horse caused the battle to be lost and the lost battle caused a nation to be lost. So while the small things appear small at the time when they all are added up they will eventually amount to the sun setting on the empire called Cunard.

One must consider that I function on shore very well with a flip phone that can receive texts but does not ciprecate. Having set the stage, I have enjoyed a world cruise and numerous 14 day to 30 cruises with nary a need to reach out to anyone. If htere is an on shor emergency, they can call the ship and I can respond. Othewise it is blissful not to one pay for and to use te wi fi.

7 hours ago, david63 said:

Oh no - not another dress code topic😉

Until Cunard lowers their standards to the rest of the cruise lines that cater to the anything goes crowd, there will always be another thread asking can I do this or do that?

On the very last world cruise of the QE2 there aas a well known Hollywood person who was seen on several occasions wandering the public rooms in a bathrobe around early afternoons.

Also on this same trip a male passenger who embarked in Southampton and began drinking his way arould the world made the mistake of moving his harrasment of the female employess to harrasement of female passengers. At that point he was invited to have a chat with the Captain in the Captain's office cabin. The visit did not go well and the passenger found himself standing on the shore of Easter Island along with his luggage. And back then there was only one plane a week out of Easter Island to the mainland and it was three days away. So people can be removed from the ship on the word of the Captain.

"One too many". Large numbers of ships under a single flag tend to end up with no identity at all.

1 hour ago, Cruise Liner Fan said:

What ever happened to Bea Muller who was the lady who lived aboard the QE2? The last I heard of her was when the QE2 was sold, she was not happy about that and wrote a letter to Micky Arison who is the chairman of Carnival Corporation the parent company that owns Cunard. Bea was offered cabin space aboard either QM2 or Queen Victoria but she turned down both ships. I did see her aboard QM2 in 2010. And does anyone know what ever happened to another elderly woman known as the QE2 Diva? She was very talented in singing opera and it was the wife of one of the Cunard captains that gave her the name QE2 Diva.

I do believethat both ladies have passed on. Bea was a real kick. You had to handle her with kid gloves but if you worked it right she was  fun for afternon tea. Particularly ifyou got to share with her AND the Opera Diva at the same small table, they had a love hate relationship. Bea's two sons had to book passage if they wished  to visit with her. The only time she left the QE2 was when it has to be drydoced. Whe the ship was taken out of seivice Cunard did offer her space on the QM2 and the Victoria but not at the seriously low bargain rate she enjoyed on the QE2. On that ship she had an inside cabin that was made up more like a studio. One of the beds had been removed and a sofa placed in the cabin along with a floor lamp.

The Opera Diva lived in Berkeley Heights NJ in a large mansion that has since been taken down. Her parents sent her to Europe evey summerto study opea but she never perforemed professionaly. She never married. The QE2 was her stage and she preformed at every passenger talent show. Very difficult to get her offstage and she would always carry plastic roses that she would throw into the audience.

Sadly,with the changes in cruising from a more traditional luxurious way to travel vs the more casual way of today, there are very few if any "Characters" left on the high seas. The QE2 had several other regular passenegrs. One of the largest share holdres in Disney would book two of the largest Queens Grill suites for the annual world cruise. and many of the gentlemen hosts over the years managed to catch a wealthy single lady while doing the world cruises. Cunard had to institute a 30 max on the hosts to stop this "love boat" set up.

21 minutes ago, geeeep said:

I’ve been on 18 cruises…Holland America, Celebrity, Princess, Royal Caribbean.  I’ve decided to take a solo cruise on Queen Mary 2.  I never considered Cunard until I started looking for solo cruising and, surprisingly, Cunard has solo accommodations. Are there any major differences between Cunard and the previous cruise lines that I sailed on?  

A more traditonal formal atmosphere. Way better enrichment lectures. Very attentive to solo passengers. Buffet is open 24 hours  rather than in short spurts. Night life ends around 3 am rathe than 10:30 pm on Holland America. NO rolelrcoasters, bumper cars etc as on Royal Carib.

Probably one of he worst things cruise lines ever did was to try and define a dress code without defining a dress code by calling clothing "Smat" be it casual or attire in general. Ask for a definition in each of the 50 US states and in each of the economic demographics within those states and you will get totally different definitions. Then expand that to all cultures in the world and all countrys in the world and one can see that it is hopeless to hang a satisfactory definition of a phrase that has all the substance of fog.

The best solution for those who are uncertain would be to look at the photos of passengers on the line's advertising and brochures and follow what those people are wearing.

5 hours ago, exlondoner said:

I always wondered what pot holders were.

For gentlemen they are called suspenders.

2 hours ago, Kordy said:

I just did Open Seating in Britannia on gala night June 30. It was not good at all. Line far too long, up to after Golden Lion, and people turned away and asked to come 1.5 hours later. We were told - restaurant full.  Virtual line closed also. 

Such is the problem when you offer too many choices for dining and then have a gala evening with the "possibility" of an extra good menu. The buffet crowd and those that partake of the extra charge places will flock to the "better" menu free place. Speaks well for having an assigned table at an assigned time. No lines. 

2 hours ago, Pushpit said:

I go back to RMS Carinthia, Liverpool to Montréal, as my first Crossing a scary number of years ago, so I'm not exactly a newbie, but I am not sure I would go along with a logic that we all naturally resist change and adaptation. In a sense I would quite like to go back to the QE2 days where almost every night was formal. And in those days the code was enforced somewhat ruthlessly.

 

But I also see the point of making it "special" by being less regular and it's great to see the youngsters usually completely going for it, and with more enthusiasm than "oh we have to dress up to eat" when it was a daily affair. It's remarkable that Cunard is still with us, on many levels, and the Line would only be able to do that by adapting and embracing change. As have all longstanding institutions in good health, from the monarchy downwards. People who book Cunard knowing it's not just another floating barge appealing to the lowest denominator.

One can only imagine the angst should Cunard revert to the days of the QE2 with formal on all sea nights and tie and jacket for the gentlemen on all "casual" port days. As to change yes most everyone in the world of business has changed even though the addage "if it is not brokern do not try to fix it" is a solid statement and one The NewYorker Magazine has held with since its beginning 100 years ago. Same type style same layout same wondful criculation, even though the readers are not the sme people..

3 hours ago, Pushpit said:

To be fair, in the wider world, having FIVE gala nights over 5 weeks is probably not considered to be dumbing down in the great scheme of things. I'm sure it will work out wonderfully for all concerned. And naturally you and your companion can make EVERY night a gala night if you wish.

17 day QA NYC to SF in Jan 2025 lists five gala evenings out of 17, so it would appear that Cunard is all over the lot trying to decern what to do andwhen. 

52 minutes ago, Jack E Dawson said:

MAYBE 6 inched Kordy

Jack

 

Having be in the restaurant business, one of the reasons for putting the two tops so close together is it allows for a fast change over to a four or six top with out having to carry chairs and tables all over the dining room.

4 hours ago, Pear Carr said:

Recently on QV 27/5-10/6 and had requested fixed late dining which was noted on our booking confirmation - on embarkation allocated open dining.  We went to speak to Maitre’d who was openly encouraging all who approached him to embrace open dining, we were  not swayed.  We got the impression that this was actively being encouraged with a view to eventually removing fixed dining as an option.

I sense this as the ultimate plan for all Carnival owned lines. HAL will be in my opinion be all anytime dining within two to three years. With QA in the mix,Cunard has more room to experiment. What causes this shift is the adding of multiple dining choices and the daily uncertainty of who will show up in assigned seating and who will be gone in favor of an alternative venue. Such uncertainty wrecks avic on the wait staff and the kitchen. So buckle up folks, it may be two years or five years but look for the elimination of fixed seating somewhere down the line.

On 6/15/2024 at 5:53 AM, LouChamp said:

Aloha. Born and raised in Manhattan and blessed to cruise since 1971.  I respect everyone has different opinions and also opinions formed based on where they live, etc.  Having done business in NY and Las Vegas I can tell you that tipping is the norm to get the best tables, service, shows, rooms and the list goes on and on. That is the reality. I do not always agree that it should be the norm but unfortunately that is the way the world works.  I have had my choice of table locations, waiters, parking lots suddenly have a space available, front row seats, etc.  I'm not bragging but it is naive to believe that it is not the way the wheels turn. I also agree that in some cultures and countries that is not the way it works so I am also respectful of where I am and who I am encountering.  

Give the lower level of attire most foks seem to enjoy these days, I find dressing a few notches above the norm gets me a better table, better service and on my travels better attention to luggage etc. And it costs nothing more than the usual tip. No bribbing just a little satorial effort.

On 6/14/2024 at 3:38 PM, stan01 said:

Hypothetically speaking, a first time Cunard cruiser in QG Q5 on QM2 wants a cherished window table.

 

Do they:
1) ask nicely

2) slip 20 or 50 to matire' d and get table

3) ask and get told "so sorry,  those go to people who paid more and who have been on many cruises"

4) know their place and accept that these aren't for them

I  would say ask nicely while dressed in your best We do fit the image" without any airs attireand then go with whatever is allocated. 

I have for most of my life said if Designers and Enginers had to live with the products they designed or enginered for six months, we would seldom have issues because the original people would realize how poorly they had made the dsign in the first place. and would correct it pre-production.

I ahvealways thought that one should expect the butler on board any ship would perform the same things that your butler at home does.

33 minutes ago, NE John said:

Cunard seems to fit your cruising style very well. It’s true that Cunard’s marketing is sometimes wordy without getting to the point about Grills benefits. Attached is a brochure form the website. 

The only problem I see about your mealtime arrangements is it would be hard to change seating because every passenger has an assigned table for the voyage and it’s “anytime” dining. It may be difficult to eat solo one night then change tables to eat with others the next. Solution - request a table to sit with others as your main table then on solo nights, order room service from the same menu in the QG and eat in your suite. Just communicate with the M’d or head waiter. You still then have the whole ship and Grills Lounge at your disposal. 
Others who have a more Grills experience than I can add more. 
Also remember that Cunard is more formally attired than Celebrity so try to embrace that attire. However, it’s not as formal however as years past and there is a calm and relaxed vibe onboard. 
Sounds like you’re making a great choice. 
 

Grills .pdf 29.11 MB · 2 downloads

If you book a grills suite, you can dine down stairs so to speak in the main Britannia dining room at a table for one using the newish anytime dinig option (Reservation required) Ambiance is excellent, food good but not as varied nor will there be table side carving etc. But you will get the quiet table in a very fine dining space on a very fine ship.

How is the afternoon tea in the Queens room going given a smaller room and more passengers than the other ships? 

Do they continue to pass the sandwiches and the sweets throughout the time of the tea? White gloves? easy to obtain more tea?

47 minutes ago, HaveDogWillTravel said:

Thank you to all who have been posting and taking us along on this voyage. I’ve read all 13 pages and my apologies if I’ve missed what I’m looking for.  I’m interested in a picture of the port side balcony cabin 4174 and 4176. They appear on the deck plans to have a double wide deck due to the white space. I’m also curious what that white space is. I’ve booked this cabin for 21 days in August 2026. Many thanks for any help you can provide. 

If such a space also occurs on the deck above and below this deck then it could be a crew service elevator. If it only occurs on this deck then it might be a room service kitchen food warming etc. space.

2 hours ago, Colin_Cameron said:

1: 2x blackjack, 2x poker, 2x roulette.  Will check minimums.

2: Twice a day. Not sure what you mean by how many stewards. We’ve only ever had a single steward. I'm sure if they were unavailable for some reason someone else would cover but in 30+ years of Cunard  cruising I've never known that to happen.

3: Yes

4: Depends on your check-in time and cabin grade. Probably Lido/buffet or Golden Lion.

Thank you for the quick answers. The reason I asked about the number of stewards was to plan on tipping. Both HAL and NCL use two person teams hence double the tips, even though only one person really works a cabin at any one time.

Couple of questons that have not be addessed.

1. Black Jack table minimum bet

2. Staterooms being serviced once or twice a day and by how many assigned stewards?

3.Chocolate on the pillow and turndown every evening?

4. What is available for lunch on embarkation day?

1 hour ago, Colin_Cameron said:

And then there's the bad news.

 

The Queen's Room.

 

A "Grand Ballroom", it is not. It's not just the dance floor, though that's bad enough. It's the whole room. It feels like a hotel function suite. I had written 'corporate hotel', but it doesn't even aspire to that. Think cheap wedding venue. When you walk in from the aft end the first thing you see is the bar (which does have bar seating!), it's the focal point of the room. And the size! A quick scan around today at afternoon tea, a port day and overflowing,  suggests it has maybe a bit more than half the seats of QE or QV. On a ship that has 50% more passengers.

 

I've tried taking some photos to illustrate but none of them really show the true picture.  I'll keep trying.

Beginning to wish I had waited to book my 17 days from NYC to SF in Janaury until the reviews were in. But such is life and I look forward to a full day in SF as I have never been there and then a restful ride back home on the train. I am far from Cunard's target market at the age of 85 so maybe the ride will be geat or maybe it will be a final episode in an otherwise wonderful number of experiences on the QE2 and the QM2 and let it go at that.