Winifred 22

2 hours ago, e&mcruise said:

We are in QG.

Grills are always 200% charge for single occupancy but only I set of gratuities charged 

5 hours ago, Shingles Mark said:

Thank you for your replies everyone. 
Bell boy no I am not in Grills and I can assure you I paid twice the per person price for the cabin . Perhaps it’s 175% if one is able to book a rare solo occupancy cabin.

Mark

In U K 175% if booking with Cunard direct is the standard calculation for solos . I have always paid that rate regardless of cabin grade except grills. Solo cabins are priced differently and come up cheaper. I have several cruises for 2024 and 2025 and have been charged 175% I suggest you contact Cunard as there may have been a mistake or contact you TA if  you used one and query it as it’s not the norm. Same rate as for P&O so presumably a Carnival U K pricing structure. 

I see a Cunard cruise is for anyone who can afford it. It’s not for me or anyone else to decide or judge who is allowed to be on board. Whatever your socioeconomic background is, is irrelevant. 

So pleased to read such a positive review. Thank you. 

Parking at West Quay has gone up to £7 a day from yesterday.

11 minutes ago, rog747 said:

Thank you all, I haven't booked yet.
There are still a few inside cabins left at a good price.
Lots' of those sideways cabins which I think are better.

I see my Spinal Team today (post-op) and I'll book later this week if I think I am OK to go.

My sister, is happy she only has to do a handful of blingy nights LOL.
She does love dressing up tho' she is a very smart lady almost 82....and she is fitter than me!

I went on a tour of QA on Sunday. I was very impressed with the sideways insides and would definitely prefer one if was booking an inside. I like the way the bathroom and wardrobes were off to the side. Thought it was lovely cabin. I am also on this sailing. 

4 hours ago, e&mcruise said:

Our lovely attendants in both our Cabin & the QG restaurant tended to call us Miss Emma & Mr Michael (having different surnames but being married nearly 20 years, we can appreciate they were being delicate in the modern world and not assuming we were married) and this was lovely as it showed they knew our names yet it was not as formal as sir or ma'am. Seemed to us to be a sweet spot between too formal and too informal.

 

On the main topic, have never had a survey but would love to complete one. 😉

I was always addressed on QM2 by waiters as Mrs + first name  last summer I thought it also charming. I met one of them again on my last QM2 cruise in May and they remembered and again said hello Mrs…. 

1 hour ago, exlondoner said:

I realise back was an inappropriate term: towards the stern would have been better. 😀

Happy with towards the back I can cope with that to work out where I am going. 

Thinking a bit more. When I am not playing musical sun beds and fancy some lunch I can’t remember from my tour yesterday, is there an outside grill bar like on QV and QE ? I saw the wellness cafe but I am thinking more burger and fried chicken type fayre? 

3 hours ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

This is a new one for me. I've received post-cruise surveys and an occasional random survey about some aspect of Cunard. But this morning, I received a link to a survey related to the fact that I just booked a cruise on Cunard. Has anyone had this? The email specified that it was about that recent booking. 

 

It asked about how I researched, what I looked for in making my decision, the sort of questions you'd expect. And then it had a scale of 1 to 7 (I think) questions about Is Cunard different? Is Cunard a Trend-Setter? I hate the trend-setter question. How do I know if what they do now will become a trend or fizzle as a fad? 

 

And of course, the stupid opera question. But not the question about enjoying dressing up to "make an occasion."

I get that survey after every booking and have done since restart. The questions never change. I have never had a post cruise one. 

31 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

Annie is sailing full June onwards this summer so maybe we'll have some more hoi polloi to keep us company.

 

Maybe they will be discerning hoi polloi too. What a treat for us non discerning hoi polloi. 😀

Do I need a special lanyard yes I wear 😂one saying I am not discerning hoi polioi as I wouldn’t want to give a false impression of myself. 

2 hours ago, blonde-cruiser said:

I'm mid 40's. I've now completed a total of 52 nights on all 4 queens. For sure I'm not a Cunard regular BUT I feel like I've cruised enough to voice my thoughts here. My most recent cruise on Queen Anne has me genuinely confused and wondering how to cruise next.

 

 Sadly I found the clientele on QA a little too, dare I say it, P&O'y. Lots of loungers being moved half way across the deck for bronzing, men in budgie smugglers and too many pint glasses being carried on lifts and through corridors. Short-sleeved shirts and tattoos on display at night and even t-shirted guests with a screaming baby allowed in Sir Samuels at 9pm. We witnessed a couple asking for their tips to be removed and instead $30 be added as 'that was plenty enough for their cabin steward' - the Purser allowed this, didn't explain the work of all the buffet and behind-the-scenes staff. Frankly this annoys me. The staff work incredibly hard (apart from the young entertainment team who just slouch about the buffet or clogg up the pavillion grill queue like bored teenagers, faaar too cool for school to be onboard).

We joined the lift from embarkation muster point and a woman shouted 'don't drink the bar dry' at my elderly parents as they exited on their deck. It was a packed lift with arriving passengers and no one had yet felt the need to exchange such pleasantries. One drunk chap later was shouting 'no room at the Inn' and immediately hitting the doors close button when people tried to come in the lift.

Maybe its the new ship effect but this cruise was very heavy on the drunk 50 - 60 year olds who wanted to dance to sub-par musicians like they were the hottest thing ever to board a ship. We found the entertainment woeful - why on earth does Cunard have a so-called comedian? Blackpool at sea didn't spring to mind when I saw their latest ad. So, WHO does Cunard want to attract with Bingo and free drinks at the slot machines??? Is there no longer a big-ship line for the discerning cruiser?

I move my sun bed all the time along with most other people on the decks as well. 

Can I put my hand up for moving my sun bed around as the sun moves?  I spend as much time as weather allows on a sun bed with either my kindle, a puzzle book or my knitting. I am also a big fan of Pol Acker. I sometimes order steak sand chips with tomato soup for my meal. I reckon I would be way down on the list of desirable passengers before we get started on my M and S clothes. Don’t have any tattoos but do have dyed blond hair.  Joking apart in my opinion everyone who has paid for their cruise has a right to onboard and it’s not for me to judge who should and who shouldn’t travel. Some people need to get over themselves. Who people telling of cancellations and not booking  think they are impressing I am not sure, certainly not me. 

Would have enjoyed both the of the Insights talks 

48 minutes ago, Ricardo_S said:

Thanks, @jazzyboom, that sounds like the ideal trip! And also thanks,  @exlondoner and @Winifred 22 - much appreciated.

 

As it happens, I am slowly losing the will to live with the Cunard web site right now... previously it gave me the price for a b2b TA just fine ... today, when I go to do the comparison between that and two one ways, the site prices up in $s, as if I'm in the USA (I'm not); and then when I proceed as if to make a cabin selection there's an odd looking error in the browser window, and I can't continue.

 

I've done the usual - closed the browser, waited and then tried again. Same thing. I love the internet, and think it's great. When it works. 

 

Sigh. 

 

I will try again later, and perhaps go via the travel agent I used to book my QA trip. I have yet to pay for that but now need to tell them I am cancelling. I know I will lose the booking deposit (except perhaps unless I rebook for a different Cunard trip; but even then I understand there is a one year limit, and I'm really only thinking of travelling at the back end of 2026).

 

Second sigh.

 

 

It’s one year from the original booking date not the date you try and move it. Don’t know if this helps. 

Price wise it may be cheaper to book 2 separate voyages that is only something you can find out if you do a dummy booking. I have lost the plot which crossings are 6/8 days as opposed to the standard 7/7 which may influence price. At the end of the day it would be down to cost and cabin availability. 

8 minutes ago, Pushpit said:

It's a very good point. There is a permanent tension here - on the one hand the less money one spends on cruise X, the more funds for cruise Y and Z. On the other Cunard is very, very aware of monetising umpteen various uplifts, whether the Club or Grills option, alternative dining options, Plusgrade, a better stateroom, drink packages, tour fees, spa bookings - and before you know it the total bill has doubled. The rule I try to stick to is to pay extra for things where my enjoyment is definitely going to justify the spend without having to question it, so I don't often go without at least a balcony. Unfortunately I occasionally break that rule if tempted too far. In the case of QA, the extra size of Club and PG will change some of the calculations simply because Cunard will have to dilute their price to fill up the ship.

Yes I agree my sweet spot for an inside is anything less than 7 nights anything over it’s a balcony or sea view at least.  I am not there ideal guest as I am not persuaded to purchase any extras such as spas speciality dining . I have a steel resolve not to be enticed into these extras and my enjoyment would not be enhanced thinking of the extra costs. I enjoy myself perfectly fine with everything that is included. It will be interesting to see how dynamic pricing works as I was quite shocked how small the Princess cabin was I was shown around yesterday compared to a standard Britannia. 

5 hours ago, 2Oldpeopleinlove said:

Sorry about the lack of editing. You’d never believe I was a college English teacher most of my professional life, would you? Now it’s too late to edit.

It’s so easy to make a spelling or grammar mistake, isn’t it like sending text messages where you haven’t spotted predictive text has changed the words. I wouldn’t worry I can remember my grandmother regularly using a very old saying  “cobblers children are the worst shod” I didn’t teach in college but was a school teacher for over 30 years and still need to make edits. 

20 minutes ago, Pushpit said:

The other difference, in addition to the à la carte menu, is that you get the fixed table and staff, like Britannia, but can turn up at any time, like Open dining. But right from day one of BC, the main menu is the same as Britannia. I've put the à la carte menu (and this evening's main menu) in today's (30 June) H416 thread.

 

Bottled water is chargeable as far as I know, but obviously there's plenty of free iced water, as with Britannia. 

 

There is though a big difference with BC from the other ships - it's twice, three times as big. QM2 has a relatively uninspiring room towards the stern, whereas QE and QV have lovely and quite intimate dining rooms. BC on QA is just massive - which also meant it was more affordable due to the usual stuff on supply versus demand, and clearly part of the financial calculations from Carnival's perspective.

Yes I am fully aware of all the other so called advantages but I  hadn’t realised the menus were so similar but I have now had that explained. For me  personally I think the premium charged is not good value for money especially as a solo. I don’t drink water in my cabin so that is of no interest to me. I can’t see any way of justifying the added  premium which I could put towards another cruise. 

6 minutes ago, Host Hattie said:

For Dinner Britannia Club has the same menu as Britannia with a separate selection of a la carte items. 

Oh I see I wondered what the difference was . Thank you. 

I left the ship today at about 1 30 and there was a long queue waiting to get in the terminal.

5 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

Now, if Cunard made there own jam, that would be different.

Well yes I would go for that. It’s annoying the Cunard beer is brewed at a local artisan brewery In Salisbury that is open to the public for on and off sales but the Cunard Beer is not available for public  sale which is a shame as it’s a big favourite of both my son in laws. 

Just now, exlondoner said:

I too think she is lovely - apart obviously from the Grills Lounge.

Yes just had a peek in there and could see how it could disappoint. 

Was invited onboard for a few hours today. I am stunned by how beautiful she was. Yes she is different but I am sorry I couldn’t find anything not to like. I am not a big Queen’s Room  fan anyway, I don’t dance and only sometimes watch the professionals when they do a demonstration, but I could see how it may disappoint some. I thought the outdoor spaces were amazing. So many different areas to choose from.I  found  a really sweet little deck  near the funnel. With so many outdoor areas to chose from,I didn’t think a lack of a traditional  promenade deck was as awful as people have made out. I shall looking forward to walking round first thing in the morning. I saw some cabins and agree that the inside sideways cabins really are very nice and if I was booking an inside would definitely opt for one. Thought Britannia restaurant was stunning and thought there was a good variety of table sizes for all groups. Picked out several single two tops I would like 😂😂 later on. Loved all the other bars and lounges. To me it was all lovely. Obviously it’s very different walking around with few guests onboard. It certainly has me excited for my Med Cruise in the summer. One thing did surprise me the menu for Britannia Club was identical to one I had had in Britannia on QM2 in May, so would have been disappointed as I thought Club offered an enhanced menu. Couldn’t see any difference in the cabin either except a coffee machine and a free pen as opposed to a pencil. Well I am prepared for plenty of folk to shoot me down but hey ho I loved her and don’t get me started on the pretty little dishes for the self serve ice cream. Roll on August. 

I prefer my jam/ marmalade/ honey in the individual sealed  glass pots.Tip Tree is a brand I buy regularly at home and probably wouldn’t eat it if it  just came in generic open pots without knowing the origin/ brand.