JT1101

Pity we can’t move the scone posts to their own thread as they are interesting in terms of how people like their scones.

Hi! Sorry I did not respond sooner. I misspoke here about my allergy reporting being inside My Cunard. What happened was I was in My Cunard, looked in the FAQW using another tab and saw allergies needed Contact Us. Which I promptly did and got an email response adding it to my profile within a day. I do plan to also remind the Britannia Maitre'd on my first night - on other voyages what they did is give you the menu for the following night with any allergic items marked. On one trip my table played a nightly game called "preview of tomorrow" using my early access 😄

I've attended it after dark both in NYC and Southampton. In a way the winter party is a bit more fun because of the chilly weather and everyone on deck being in our coats with our drinks.

As I posted about earlier, I will be in the December 14 Transatlantic aboard QM2. This will be my fifth Transatlantic. Some thoughts: First, so far the Cunard end of the process has been flawless. Their interactions with my new Travel Agent (who is herself a gem) were extremely helpful and assisted in a VERY smooth booking. I know Travel Agents help in this but she remarked to me how easy and smooth Cunard made it for them. Second, as my last voyage was 2019 I had not seen the new My Cunard. Now that I have it I can say it is a considerable improvement. I have drinks packages, internet signup, gifts, specialty dining and other items at my fingertips. Also it was easy to put in my information including my dining allergy situation (shellfish allergy). Obviously I can't have done much more but I also have things I look forward to already. Like... Boarding her. When you step into the Grand Lobby on QM2 especially at Christmastime it is a visual that like no other ship. Regal, elegant and the mix of Christmas decorations, live music and all the trophies and honors the ship has earned displayed has a bit of a magical feel to it. Being greeted by not only hotel staff but an actual officer. This has happened every year. I confess I allowed my impish nautical side to emerge on year and saluted and requested permission to come aboard - he returned the salute and crisply said "Permission Granted". Getting settled into my stateroom. I've ridden sheltered balcony before and am doing so this time also. I like the sheltered balcony. Being on deck for the sailaway party. It is both fun and bracing. First dinner on board and first after dark laps on promenade. Some of these are things that make Cunard well...Cunard. At least to me.

Cunard does the traditional afternoon tea and IMHO they do it better than any other line. And yes all the scones and indeed all the baked stuff is made on board. And as a result the taste is great. Also, storing the raw ingredients is easier and more efficient than trying to store short shelf like finished products.

I won't use United ever again either. Different reason though. Flying from Chicago to Heathrow in 2018 I specifically noted allergic to shellfish on my forms and everything. They then proceeded to serve me a dinner on flight which (little did I know) had Oyster Sauce in it. By the time I touched down at Heathrow I was having a full blown reaction and had to be treated onsite by NHS (thank the Lord they had Epinephrine right there. United likewise offered perks to get me to fly again - nope...

Cunard is doing just fine, remember they already attested to record high bookings. As to internet cruise vloggers I am picky about who I'll trust exactly because some of them make no effort to know anything about what sort of ship/line they are on and then basically bash the ship/line (or gush) for clicks. That's why I mention Tips for Travelers, Emma Cruises, Ritzy Travel Guide and TravelTouristVideos as good ones - they DO take the time to understand what the ship, line and trip are about and adjust their mindset accordingly. Yes there were some maiden voyage hiccups on QA - they will pass. All new ships have some hiccups especially in service as the new crew gets used to working together. I will note I think Cunard erred by pulling over so many experienced staff from the other three Queens to get QA started up - all that did was cause disruptions fleet wide instead of just one ship. But again give it time and it settles down like it is already. As to dress code, it will work also. Those of us (me included) who prefer dressing all the way up will do so. And remember there are still reasonably dressy minimums. Even Smart Casual requires a collared shirt and dress pants. I would also note that the TAs and especially the winter ones seem to stay dressier.

I've chatted with my waiter/sommelier before as well as with my room steward. The steward talk was fun as we shared tea (I was brewing and offered a cup) and he was with Cunard 22 years at the time and came over from QE2. Cunard has always had this way where the touch of formality stays while you can get chummy with the crew at the same time.

It makes sense for 2026 to be a bigger drydock. Cunard typically services their ships in a "tick tock" or "big little" sequence where they alternate major and minor refits. Last October was the minor she was supposed to have in 2020 but the shutdowns happened. It was the "little" so the next one is a "big".

Yup! They will tear down the diesels, overhaul the azipods and also refit the electrical systems. Really big jobs like new generators or new azipods would be both time consuming and crazy expensive, taking her out of service for months and the bill would be enormous since both would need to be custom built.

I agree that we need to take internet sources with a HUGE grain of salt. Overall QM2 propulsion has been pretty reliable. She had a couple of episodes early which were down to the Rolls Royce Mermaid Azipod units and which actually caused a lawsuit by Cunard (Carnival) against RR. That finally got addressed and since then the only major issue was in 2023; which I suspect could be attributed to the missed 2020 refit (which happened later in the year). Now if we see a gap suddenly appear in her schedule then we can assume they are going to put her in for additional work.

Well I'm partly color blind, so I stick to blacks, whites and grey lest I accidentally wind up looking like The Joker...

I used a travel agent this year for the first time. The fare did not change but they secured me more perks (higher On Board Credit, complimentary Verandah dinner).

The problem is this type of "internet mob" response is a social media phenomenon. ALL new ships have maiden voyage hiccups. Check back in 3-6 months once QA is fully shaken down and I expect the impressions will be very different.

I get it but it is just going in circles at this point.

Good Golly Miss Molly... 226 posts and counting on this? Methinks we have talked it to death.

Business units by definition are separated because they have their own internal operations. Carnival Corporation (sorry LLC is my error) is comprised of several such units. One is Carnival Cruise Lines (which causes confusion sometimes). Another is Carnival UK. Costa is another again. Cunard and P&O as Brands jointly compose Carnival UK. P&O Australia despite the name was part of Carnival Cruise Lines.

P&O Australia is a completely different animal than Cunard. Also Cunard and P&O comprise Carnival UK - a separate unit within Carnival LLC. P&O Australia is part of the main Carnival Cruise Lines unit. Costa is in its own unit also.

QA wil be allright. I do have a feeling the first minor refit she gets (in 2026) will add some more Cunard memorabilia to make her feel more connected to Cunard's traditions and heritage.

Point taken.

Well thats a change.Maybe the policy was always this but since the theme of the night is gala or smart attire that is what you'll see most everyone do anyway? I know I've been in King's Court on gala nights and everyone was dresses or suits. Perhaps my penchant for sailing in winter also affects this?

Actually yes they do maintain code; the only difference is on gala nights you can go to some exempt places but even there smart dress is in effect.

They aren't stopping having gala nights. And Cunard still maintains dress code shipwide at night, be it smart dress or formal.

I'm more than happy to dress up in a black suit, white shirt and black bow tie. I don't own a tux but the black suit has always met with approval on gala nights as it is a formal cut as opposed to a sport or casual cut. For the non gala nights I typically stay with the jacket but skip the tie.

All iPhones later than the 8 support fast charging. So do more recent (last 4-5 years?) iPad and iPad Pro. All Apple Silicon Macs also do.