Queenvee

As a side note to @Underwatr's comments about changes to the staterooms, not all the changes he noted (post #149) were made in my interior Deck 11 stateroom. Thermostat is the same as always (no separate fan controls); shower controls are the old ones; fridge has shelf on door however I think the interior shelf was removed and there were no pre-stocked canned sodas - the only items in the fridge upon arrival were the two glass flutes and the small bottle of Pol Acker; the 2nd small bottle of Pol Acker from the Cunard World Club arrived midway through the crossing. These are minor points but wanted to clarify that not all updates occurred in all cabins, so that folks know what to expect. @moses0 Interesting that you mention Carinthia since I attended all the progressive trivia and early evening events in there and we commmented on one of the ivory, armless chairs (with brass tacks) that where the entire side had the leather badly scraped off. I didn't notice any shabbiness of the other furniture in Carinthia which probably means it was updated and that one chair somehow missed updating or was damaged in the process. Note that Carinthia was overflowing for progressive trivia and the evening events associated with the Literary Festival; twice they had to bring in stacks of black plastic & metal office chairs for the extra people so the scraped chair I saw may have been placed in storage due to its' condition and brought out for the need.

Hi John! Now that I'm back from the UK and QM2, I'll start planning my pre- and post-cruise activities for the March 2024 QE Sydney to Tokyo. See you on board😁

Since OP specifically mentioned a winter crossing, I'll contribute my thoughts since I just disembarked from QM2 yesterday in Brooklyn. Jeans are not considered "Smart Attire"; I heard staff in the Chart Room and Commodore Club suggest to two patrons who's attire did not fit the dress code that they might be more comfortable in the Golden Lion pub (one man was wearing neat jeans and the other time a man was wearing a polo shirt, e.g. a short sleeved shirt with a collar and several buttons). In general, I thought the women were much dressier than normal every night - on Smart Attire evenings a lot of women wore some sparkle, lace or chiffon in a knee length outfit. Very nice to see! Not a lot of floor length gowns on Gala nights but if not floor length, the overwhelming majority were dressy w sparkles, etc.

I forgot to mention that the dance floor in the Queen's Room was redone. Parquet in different wooden shades, I think the design is a compass and the QM2 logo appears in the center (maybe 10 inches in diameter?). The captain commented that the floor was slippery but I didn't try it out! (Only one dance host on board, the husband of a couple.)

Disembarked yesterday in Brooklyn. The refit updates I noticed were in the Commodore Club: all chairs have been re-upholstered and the carpet was replaced. Chairs are covered in lux velvety fabric in either a soft blue jacquard pattern or gold jacquard (the pattern is diagonal lines - modern but not jarring). The overall effect is elegant. Carpets in Royal Court Theater were also replaced. Note that in my Deck 11 inside cabin, there are no USB ports; the same sockets/outlets as they've always had (a US version and a UK version); so I used my iPhone charger and cable in the US socket.

Re: OP's original question: I was on QE for a 9-day circumnavigation of Japan just pre-pandemic and while there were Japanese passengers on board, I didn't notice changes to the normal Cunard processes, etc.. Specifically, there were no changes to entertainment that could be traced to the Japanese pax. The Lido buffet has always offered a specific section of Asian dishes and that may have been expanded somewhat but there were plenty of the standard European/UK/American dishes as usual. Of course, there may have been some changes but they weren't significant enough to bother me. After multiple sea voyages, I've experienced various tweaks to daily schedules, meals, etc and I go with the flow. Because more and more voyages are packaged/sold as one longer trip comprised of a 9 day plus a 14 day or something similar, there are often passengers on board for a longer duration than others. I'm often onboard for a shorter leg and have never experienced any "second class treatment". As someone mentioned further up in the post, the reason some newly embarked passengers received flower arrangements was likely due to them being part of a group with the group paying for the flowers in each passenger's cabin (my TA has done that).

Don't confuse FCD with shareholder benefits which are only available to people who own stock shares in Carnival (must be owned at the time the cruise is booked). This site explains the benefits: https://www.carnivalcorp.com/shareholder-information/shareholder-benefit

OP asked about quickstep - yes indeed, much of the ballroom dancing features quicksteps. Along with cha cha, rumba, swing, and samba. No American style foxtrot.

@bluemarble thank you for posting the daily programs! I'm on the 11/19/23 QM2 crossing and can't wait to be on Cunard again (been on 2 HAL voyages this year which were fine but for me, nothing beats Cunard). Seeing the activity and entertainment listings is a teaser😁

Update regarding @frankp01's comment about whether shareholder benefit OBC would still be granted for "discounted" fares, I submitted my request for shareholder benefit OBC for the 3/10/24 QE voyage and already received acknowledgement from Cunard that the OBC has been applied to my accounts. Glad that having a discounted fare doesn't prevent shareholder benefits from being used.

Just a quick note to thank you for creating and maintaining this! It's very helpful and I love the spreadsheet format.😁

I did see the caveat at the bottom of the FCC letter (the one i received when I purchased the FCC) but I didn't think that booking a cruise literally more than six months before sailing date would be considered "Last Minute Deals, Sailing Soon Savings and other fares offered inside final payment". I will contact the Diamond World Club desk (more to voice my unhappiness than to expect that the FCC will suddenly be granted) and I have just submitted my shareholder benefit request for my Nov 2023 QM2 crossing and my March 2024 QE voyage. I'll report back on the results of both!

I just ran into the same situation frankp01 describes; I'm Diamond level and have always bought an FCC onboard and have had no problems using it on any type of fare. Today, I booked a QM2 trip for March 2024 - not part of the Labor Day Sale - but my agent was told it's a deeply discounted fare so I cannot get the OBC that came with the FCC. I do think it's a bait and switch but we seem to have no leverage over the corporate behemeth. Although I have two FCCs, I opted not to use it for this booking since I would not receive the OBC and instead wouldn't have to pay a deposit (using the FCC as deposit). I guess I'm hoping that somewhere along the line, they'll change their policy back to what it was or else I'll wait for them to get refunded back to me.... I've been on HAL and Cunard a lot in the past two years and have decided it's time to try Windstar or return to Azamara. While no cruise is perfect, the negatives on HAL & Cunard are getting too large for me. Sigh...I really Cunard.

Just got off the Nieuw Statendam and the ballroom dancing music was recorded, played by the ship's DJ. Took place in the BB King's Blues club. Only a few couples dancing each night. No instruction.

I am an experienced solo cruiser (52 cruises, the last 20 have been on Cunard or HAL) but I’ve become frustrated with both of them lately so I'm considering MSC. I found a 15 day Iceland/Greenland cruise on the Poesia starting August 4 which appeals to me for the destination. To get a sense of the ship, I’ve watched multiple You Tube videos and read lots of Cruise Critic reviews, all of which provided widely varying opinions about MSC. I take other peoples’ opinions with a grain of salt and will make my own decision...but I wanted to check with the CC folks about a few things: (1) does the Poesia's promenade deck have room for deck chairs? I've looked at deck plans and it's hard to tell from them, and the only video I found showed a wide but empty prom deck. I love to sit on deck and read, watching & hearing the waves (even in cool weather, it's my happy place). (2) One video said that the smell of smoke was very prevalent in hallways and public areas (well beyond the specified smoking areas) so would appreciate your input on that. (3) I love playing team trivia since it's a great way to meet people - HAL & Cunard offer trivia 3 or 4 times a day on sea days; does MSC do the same? Thank you for any input! And if you have any favorite quiet spots for reading (on deck or in a lounge) or any tips (did I hear about caramel sticky buns somewhere?), I would appreciate them.

BklynBoy8 - thanks for the info! I called them and they still operate but only to support/resolve questions with World Club profiles (e.g. missing cruise credits, update personal info, assistance with logging in, etc.). I was hoping they could step in to resolve a pricing/cancellation issue since I'm Diamond level, but they suggested I contact the Reservations Dept. (Who provided helpful info).

I seem to remember that there used to be a unique phone number for world club members - not the standard customer service number. I've searched the Cunard website and the internet and can't find - does anyone have that phone number? Thanks.

i interpreted the articles to mean that LCS would not be available on every cruise, nearly every day but INSTEAD would be available in the Main Stage venue a few times during a voyage IF the ship you were on happened to have a traveling LCS ensemble. If in fact each ship will have an LCS ensemble and the only change is their location, I'm fine with that....but am not optimistic that is the correct interpretation. I'm on the Oosterdam in April and will be eager to find out more info.

I have sailed on Celebrity (4 or 5 times) but don't like the style of their ships these days and their entertainment options don't appeal.

Agreeing with the majority that I will miss the availability of LCS shows each day (versus hoping the traveling LCS is scheduled for the HAL voyage I'm on). Also agree that HAL desperately needs to improve their enrichment program; presentations by REAL experts (not the cruise director reading from a main office script & video about cycling for example) is one of missing ingredients for me. The talks don't have to be "stuffy or pedantic" - a sports or entertainment figure (on Cunard, they've had the man who ran the behind-the-scenes at Wimbledon; sports journalists; set designers; etc). These would appeal to a wide range of passenger ages, nationalities, etc. and would make use of the World Stage during days. I sail primarily on HAL and Cunard and felt HAL's Music Walk was a differentiator between the mid-category lines but with these changes to LCS and BB Kings, I will try Oceania & Viking instead.

Another thought....(this got me thinking😆). I doubt there's any way to identify cruises that the type of dance group I mentioned in my earlier post....the "not for profit" dance club of ballroom enthusiasts...are sailing on. They don't have websites; the members just email or maybe Facebook. I spoke to a lot of the members of Baltimore dance club and one of their members takes the lead in planning their cruise(s); all communications about the dates, fares, etc is done via email. I think members book their cabins directly w Cunard or travel agent; once they know how many members are going, they figure out hosts (often a dance teacher that a lot of members know) and then the members pay an additional amount that is used to book cabin(s) for the hosts.

Note: I just did an internet search on "ballroom dance cruises" which got a lot of results. I do not think using "vintage" in the search phrase will identify the groups that this message string is focusing on. In looking at the results of my search, I see that I had forgotten to include another category of dance groups on cruises: individual dance studios often plan one cruise a year for their studio; I've been on two of these (both on Princess); the pricing for students included cabins for the studio dance instructors; there may have been one special dance session in an unused lounge during an afternoon but the dancing was usually in the "nightclub" and whatever lounge had a dance floor, however small and hard (e.g. marble). Both the trips I went on were low-key and the dancing was primarily Latin (rumba, cha-cha, swing, salsa) since that's what the bands played and what the other passengers requested, which often became "club-style" dancing - no arm styling, minimal traveling on the floor, etc.

I (American) just returned from a crossing on the QM2 and am passing along this bit of dress code info that I learned from my English and Australian tablemates: "Masquerade" does not mean to wear full costume, e.g. a chef, Star Trek, etc - instead, normal formal wear is worn with a mask. My tablemates described people on the prior segment who had not understood that and wore a full chef's outfit and someone else who wore a Star Trek captain's costume, among others. These folks were perplexed why people kept looking and asking why they were dressed up.... I wear gowns on the formal aka gala nights instead of following the themes (except B&W) so never paid attention to the "Masquerade" theme. Just a bit of info for those who wonder what "Masquerade" entails.

Also, since there were questions way back in these postings about the Literary Festival at Sea, I just dis-embarked from that crossing. I specifically chose the crossing for literary aspect but many of the passengers were not aware it was happening; those that I spoke with said they were happy to have the authors on board (or else, were being polite and not complaining....) ALL THE LECTURES, PANELS, QUIZ, READINGS, etc were open to everyone on the ship!!! The only events which you had to register for were writing workshops held in the various Connexions conference rooms which have space constraints. The daytime literary events were held in the Royal Court and Illuminations (planetarium), usually 3 events per day in each location. However, there were planetarium shows scheduled for late afternoons and evenings which were highlighted in the daily newsletter. There were Festive Readings held in Carinthia several nights at around 5:00 or 7:00. Note that all events were strictly kept to a 45 minute timeframe. The literary trivia quiz was held in Carinthia at 10:00 pm. Book signings were set up in the Deck 2 hall & lobby area on specific days, highlighted in the newsletter; all literary events were listed in the daily newsletter so that everyone on board would know where, when, what, etc.

Some further info about the experience of being on Cunard ships with dance groups (based on my time sailing with one of those groups - never again!! and my multiple experiences being on the ship when they are on board): Types of dance groups: I've experience two types: (1) a ballroom dance club from Baltimore, MD who have anywhere from 20-40 members on the ship, couples and singles. They are not a business and do not make money from having their members sail on the ship - they may negotiate some kind of group discount from Cunard based on the number of cabins but there is no profit involved. They do bring 1-2 of their own hosts who only dance with their members (assume that the amount each member pays is increased to cover the cost of the hosts' cabin). This group is respectful of other passengers and do not monopolize the floor or do "showy", space intensive moves (such as traveling movements or large arm styling). In the Queen's room, they tend to sit in the area to the right of the band; if you're facing the band, they sit directly to the right of the stage, so not in the front of the room as you enter. The ship's hosts dance with their members and some of their club's male members (solos or husbands) will ask other, non-club women to dance. This group is fine and does not impede on the enjoyment of other dancers. The type which causes problems for many dancers are what I call the "for profit companies". I sailed with one of the them once and have been on voyages with them, but I now check their web sites to avoid any ship they're on. All the for profit dancing at sea companies seem to act the same way on board, which makes sense since they are selling their customers on dance, dance, dance. I won't re-state the issues noted in the posts above such as taking over huge, "prime" seating areas for the group; monopolizing the dance floor with choreographed dances; not adjusting their dance style for the number and ability of other dancers on the floor; etc. At times, they tend to be vocal about their presumed dance skills versus the other people on the floor who are "in their way". Ship locations used by dance groups: Certainly, their prime reason for being on the ship is the Queens Room; they typically take advantage of the nightly taped ballroom music sessions in Queens Room (usually around 7-7:45). They don't continue the evening in G32 or the Yacht Club. During the day, they will sometimes reserve the Yacht Club (QV or QE) for a private event where they play their own music and dance. I have NEVER seen them in the Queens Room during the day. On the QE, I had a single cabin behind the casino and was bemused to see that the "for profit" hosts were using the marble floor area at the foot of the staircase (between the casino and the pub) to give their customers dance lessons. It wasn't obtrusive but struck me as odd - as a student, I certainly wouldn't want to take a lesson there! There were times during the day that I noticed a couple in the Yacht Club either practicing or perhaps having a lesson but the YC wasn't closed to others.