Shuffleboard Dude

Well all I can say is that if the comments on here (and other threads on this Cunard board) are anything to go by, then I am seriously concerned over the quality of anything provided as part of my cruise fare and delivered by Cunard for my forthcoming trial of the line. And that is exactly what it is in my view, a trial of what the line can offer me as a discerning cruiser of 6 different lines and 28 cruises over 14 years. So by no means a ‘newbie’ to this kind of leisure activity.

A wise man (or woman or furry creature from Alpha Centauri) once put a comforting message in large friendly letters on the cover of a guidebook: DON'T PANIC.

Cunard is a fine line in general, but they don't hand out Champagne if you just pay for a Château Migraine.

For some reason prices for spa passes on QM2 tend to vary. Have a word with the people in the spa. You can also get a short tour through the facilities before you buy any pass. There has been a six-day pass for Transatlantic Crossings on offer, at around $100.

I never found the spa to be crowded.

We must have been really bad in a previous life because we got not one but two bottles of the stuff last week in our QV stateroom !!

Or good. Depends on whether you have paintbrushes to clean or not.

Ever wondered why they only offer watercolour art classes? If they would do oil paintings, everyone would bring the PA to class.;p

Statistically speaking: A sample of 2000 pax should get you about the same number of rude idiots as on dry land - with an error margin of about 3%.

Nevertheless: I experienced rude guests in the CC too. When one of the waitresses served us a drink, I had a few words with her, as I would do in every bar where I'm a regular. This was enough delay for an elderly fellow, to make him walk over and tell the waitress that she should get his orders immediately. Mind you, this happened at about 11pm and the CC was half empty!

Q&A's are not to answer questions directly. They are useful to bring issues to the attention of the senior management.

I'll have a close look at the Shuffleboard situation on the Queens during the next year...

I would not bet on the 9am ferry - check in closes around 8:15. This would leave you with about 15mins of spare time.

Well, I do tend to take home the paint stripper we commoners get. But do tell me, do you do a lot of paintwork around your house or do you actually get decent whisky in QG? ;p

Otherwise I'd assume that the crew is not allowed to drink hard liquor on board.

You will be traveling on one the most seaworthy objects ever constructed. During the last few years the QM2 has come to the rescue of several other vessels. See for instance: http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-40234274

I would be quite interested to see how bad this storm actually will be. So I'd appreciate it if you could give a short report after your return and/or post some footage.

On Embarkation day ( turn around day) I believe it is Lunch that is severed for Grill guests (in their respective restaurants) Afternoon tea is not served, as crew and joining guests will be preparing for the mandatory muster drill.;)

Oops. My apologies for delivering fake news.

As you can guess, 3rd class (i.e. Britannia, Inside) is what my budget usually gets me.

IMHO I would go for the ocean view - but only if the balcony cabin is more expensive.

Otherwise I'd take the balcony on deck 5. Sheltered balcony means that you can't see the horizon when sitting on the loungers.

Hi, I've never seen any inside cabins with a sofa on QM2 but there seem to be cabins with a sofa on QE and QV (the deluxe insides on deck 1). On QM2 there are three main types of balcony cabins, obstructed, metal sheltered and regular. Having sailed in both insides and metal sheltered balcony cabins I must say that the main difference is made by the sofa and not so much the balcony.

If you are budget conscious though I can recommend an inside cabin on deck 6 which is right below the buffet (for breakfast) and the outside deck with lots of lovely wooden deck chairs. Napping there is highly recommended.

The QM2. Simply because she is very well engineered. Stephen Payne has done a wonderful job with all those architectural quotes from earlier ocean liners. Familiarize yourself with naval architecture and have a look at other ocean liners and you will understand.

It would be interesting to see if those disliking the new rules were older. 70 and over? No offense to anyone in saying that either. It's a generation thing. Like it or not if Cunard doesn't change then in 10 years time you will find they go out of business. The next generation "mostly" don't feel the same about formal clothes being worn all the time. Or a tie etc, and just wait till you get the millennials all grown up and on mass! You may hate it and want to keep it but it is how it is.

Your statement is not based on facts, sorry. When I first crossed the Atlantic on QM2 I was 34 and turned up on informal nights in a proper, tailor made suit and - of course - a tie. I remember a conversation with a guy in his sixties who told me quite proudly that he had to buy a jacket on the boat in order to get dinner.

There is absolutely no reason to change the dress code on any of the Cunard ships. There are dozens of cruise companies who do party cruising with relaxed dress codes, bad music and bad drinks. Cunard Line on the other hand doesn't do these things and this is part of their product. If they loose the dress code, they loose their appeal and they will loose more guests than they will gain.

As I do read the a****** word, I must kindly ask you to watch your language. ;-) This discussion is about civilized forms of travel.

The check-in at the Southampton Ocean Terminal usually runs very smoothly and is incomparable to anything that happens at those places of the aforementioned kind.

If you arrive by taxi at the Ocean Terminal there will be baggage handlers at your taxi at the very moment you arrive.

It's easier to get the things you want to keep in your hand baggage out of your main baggage before you arrive at the terminal. Grills guests also have their own check-in desk.

You will not need any cash on board except for extra tips to waiters or cabin steward/butler at the end of your crossing.

So take a few dollars with you - in case you feel generous. Euros will do the job too, I guess. These tips are by no means mandatory.

On turnaround day afternoon tea is served for grills guests only (usually the Grills Lounge at about 3:30pm).

As your arrival day in Hamburg is a sunday, the harbour ferries won't run and you will need a transfer to the nearest S-Bahn station Veddel. Buses run about every half hour, price is €2.50 p.p. and you will need to book ahead: https://www.hansetix.de/en/cruisegate

Veddel is just a regular S-Bahn station from which you will get to the Hauptbahnhof. Close to Veddel is also the Emigrants Museum (Auswanderermuseum) which is the german counterpart of Ellis Island (though not as big or as spectacular). Its premises are the former emigrant's quarters.

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The 'back of the house tour', as they call it, will not be available on a three night journey. In 2017 they charged $120 for a three hour tour. This is pretty a exclusive event, mainly because many parts of it are done by senior officers (Captain, Deputy, Chief), also you get a glass of paint stripper (i.e. champagne) and an afternoon tea at the Britannia Restaurant.

They don't advertise this tour anymore,they un it once per crossing for about 12 guests.

There will be a UK Customs agent on Board traveling with you from New York. In other words: if the gangway's down you're good to go. Keep in mind that the ship might run a little late (1-2hrs), but that does not occur very often. I always do self-help disembarkation, which speeds up the process. That said: If you also want to have breakfast at the Lido Buffet, you will get off the boat at about 9:00 am and arrive at the railway station by 10am.

There are frequent trains running from Southampton Central to Portsmouth, which cost about £10 per person. So my suggestion is: Take a cab to Southampton Central, get to Portsmouth by train. See: http://www.nationalrail.co.uk This offers the advantage that you don't have to arrange any plans in advance, just get to the station by regular taxi, buy a ticket and hop on a train (if there is no bus replacement service).

That said: If get through Portsmouth, a visit to the Historic Dockyard is almost mandatory. It's one of the most spectacular Maritime Museums in the World. There is Nelson's HMS Victory, the HMS Warrior, the HMS M33 and the remnants of the Mary Rose.

http://www.historicdockyard.co.uk/index.php

I'd recommend you to reserve the rest of your day for this and spend the night in Portsmouth.

This may sound insane, but it's actually quite a smooth way to get to the boat.

If you are able to schlep your bags yourself, then this is the way to get to the Brooklyn terminal by public transport:

Use the Subway to get to Brooklyn (Borough Hall or Jay St.) From there take Bus B61.

If you decide to depart from Borough Hall, Boerum Pl/Joralemon St is the stop you will get on the bus and VAN BRUNT ST/PIONEER ST is the stop you will get off. Turn right onto Pioneer St, and walk towards the boat.

There's a gate at the end of Pioneer St which lets you pass onto the harbour premises.

Google Maps Link Showing The Gate

This plan involves about 6-10mins of walking (0.3mi). We tested this with a grand total of four suitcases and had no problems whatsoever.

PS: If you try to walk off the boat in Southampton in order to skip the line for a taxi: Southampton buses are cash only. The closest stop is: Dock Gate 4 (Stop QA)