BrisbaneR

I last rented a tux on QM2 in 2018. They supplied jacket, shirt and trousers (which they helpfully adjusted for my height). However, they did not supply a bow tie, which I had to purchase. So, assuming things haven't changed, it would be an idea to bring your own bow tie - at least it won't take up much room!

Thanks for your replies. I'm more confident now that I can book independent tours and make the ship's departure times. But I'll check the port times when I board QA, just to make sure.

I'm greatly looking forward to my QA cruise in the Norwegian Fjords in June and am wanting to book some excursions. However, I can't find the arrival and departure times in the ports. The Cunard website seems to give approximations only. However, I can find specific times on websites like Venture Ashore and Shore Excursions e.g. for the visit to Bergen on June 25, Cunard simply says...Arrive early afternoon, Depart early evening. The other websites say... Arrive 1.30pm, Depart 8pm. I'm not sure what to believe and this makes it tricky to book independent tours that start later in the day. I am wondering if I have missed something on the Cunard website that will indicate more specific times? Perhaps it is not their policy to do this, or perhaps I haven't clicked the right button. Can anyone advise? Thanks!

If no member of the actual Royal Family is available for the naming, they could always get creative and ask Olivia Colman, who won an Oscar for playing Queen Anne. She, at least, is acting royalty!

I had an enjoyable champagne tasting on a QM2 TA crossing just last month. It was held in the champagne bar and had a good range of Laurent Perrier with some snacks to match. From memory the cost was $63. They advertise them in the daily program. I hope you can find one on your Norwegian fjords trip.

This thread has alerted me to some of the frustrations we have in Oz. I also have a payment due shortly but have given up on the credit card link and also want to avoid expensive phone calls to the UK. So I emailed Cunard and asked for their direct transfer banking details.. I hope this might help in the future..... Here are our details to make a bank transfer, please quote your booking reference in the narrative:- Account Name: CARNIVAL PLC IBAN: GB11 RBOS 1604 0020 1051 88 IBAN BIC (SWIFT): RBOS GB 2L Sort Code: 16-04-00 Account No.: 20105188

This interesting thread has got me wondering whether to buy the Essential or Premium plan for my upcoming QM2 voyage. I'm Gold so will have $45 to use. I like to watch various things on YouTube (e.g. documentaries, some music clips, etc.) so I am guessing that this is only possible with the Premium Plan. Or can I still use the Essential Plan but have to accept slower connection speeds? Can someone with recent experience ;et me know? Thanks in advance!,

I'm enjoying this thread and am wondering if people suggest a preferred time of day for taking the roundtrip on the train? I'll be in Flam late June 2024 and currently the ship is offering only 3 possible timeslots: 9.15am, 1pm and 2.15pm. Does anyone have experience with these times or have a view (e.g. weatherwise) on which is better to take or avoid?

Firstly, thanks to Buchanan101 for alerting us to the shore excursions. I'll also be on QA for the fjords cruise in June and will be visiting Flam. I want to take the Flam Scenic Rail trip, either with Cunard or DIY. I've noticed that Cunard is offering three possible time slots for the trip: 9.15am, 1pm or 2.15 pm. I'm wondering how to decide. Is it much of a muchness or are there factors that might make one slot better or worse than the others? I'd welcome anyone's experience of this.

Thanks everyone for your thoughtful comments and suggestions. I'm now more aware of the various scenarios I could encounter. I'll probably stick with the guarantee cabin for financial reasons and because it is a relatively short (7 day) cruise. But I am also eyeing a longer cruise of 18 days for early 2025 and for that one I think I would like to know exactly where I'll be!

I have just booked my first Seabourn cruise for a 7 night Mediterranean Gems itinerary in October 2024 and am really looking forward to it. I got a good discount on the understanding that I wouldn't know my actual cabin until a week or so before departure. I know it will be a V1 on deck 5 and I have the choice of accepting this or paying more to book a specific cabin. I'd like to ask the advice of experienced Encore travellers. Does this seems a good idea or are there some cabins you think I need to avoid?

Very helpful and thanks also from me. I tried the Seabourn Source app and initially had the same experience as Canturk - a blank page for the reserve Wine List. But if you click on the link above it - The Club - you can find a list of drinks. Hope this helps also.

I have dined alone at the Verandah on both QM2 and QE. No problems reserving a table for one.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. Much appreciated. I took the advice to check on the temperatures and they seem to be fairly similar for the cruises I am considering. Seabourn seem to have got the timing right. Piraeus to Dubai goes from Nov 3 - 21, 2024 and and Dubai to Piraeus from March 19-April 6, 2025. So, on balance, I think I am inclined to the latter because there is more port time in the places that interest me most.

Advice please! I am vey tempted to book the 18 day Holy Land, Egypt and Arabia cruise on Encore. This is a part of the world where I have never travelled and the itinerary looks appealing. However, I notice that it can be done in two directions: Piraeus to Dubai or vice versa. And when I compare the itineraries they are not identical, with some port times being quite different, depending on direction. I can't seem to find any reviews of this cruise in either direction, and am wondering if anyone can help?.

Lots of interesting options have been mentioned but I wouldn't rule out hiring a tux on the ship. I have done this on three TA voyages. They seem to have a large range of sizes and will make adjustments to things like trouser lengths. And as there will only be a couple of formal nights you wouldn't have to rent it for long. One thing to be aware of (unless things have changed in the last couple of years) is that they only rent the jacket, shirt and trousers. You have to supply your own shoes and bow tie I have a 'versatile' pair of black shoes that I can wear both in the street and on the ship. It might be worth checking with Cunard about sizes and costs, etc. Good luck with whatever options you choose and have a great trip.

The QM2 was the first cruise ship that I ever took and I didn't have anything to compare it with (nor did I realise that it was actually an ocean liner). Then I started to read reviews from experienced cruisers and realised how 'quirky' it was. They would point out how narrow it was compared to other ships and that it lacked things like water slides which seem to be everywhere else. And you couldn't walk from one end to the other but had to go up and down and through the art gallery to get to the Queens room, etc. Then last year I took a cruise on QE. It was during the covid restrictions and passengers were asked to go to the Queens room for some procedure (I've forgotten the details - perhaps I have repressed it). But I can clearly recall a Cunard staff member quipping that "at least you aren't on QM2 so you'll be able to find your way there easily." But though I enjoyed the QE - and some of the spaces liked the Commodore Club and the Golden Lion seemed more capacious - I still prefer the quirkiness of QM2 and am looking forward to another TA crossing in December. And the Iberian spirits bar in the Corinthia Lounge!

I'm wondering if the restrictions on entry to the fjords may be as much to do with the specific ships as with the ports themselves. I am booked on Queen Anne for the Norwegian Fjords in June 2024 (H415). I mentioned this in another thread early this year and one of the respondents reckoned that QA, with the latest technology, would probably be a 'cleaner' ship emissions-wise than the other Queens. I'm hoping it works out this way, as Flaam is on the itinerary and is a place I very much want to go revisit.

I'm not sure which cruise you are taking to Southampton, but if it is a transatlantic voyage, if will arrive overnight and then offer coach transport to London. This might take a couple of hours (depending on traffic) and will drop you at St. Pancras station. I think you should be there by midday, so should be fine for an afternoon arrival. Mind you, I haven't done this trip since 2018, so I assume nothing has changed. I'm sure that others on this list will point out if things have.

Thanks Bluemarble. You're right - it's more than I wanted to know, but fascinating nonetheless. You seem to able to fill in so many gaps in Cunard history. I always enjoy reading your contributions.

Thanks esrs for pointing this out. I can now see the small triangle symbol on the actual room numbers. Mystery solved. What this means for me is that I will make sure not to book one of these room as I obviously wouldn't want to take up a space meant for passengers with special needs.

I've been looking to book a 2025 TA voyage when the new schedules go on sale in a few days. Looking at the deck plans of QM2, I notice that they now include a Q7 room category for Queen Suites. I'm wondering if this is a recent change or whether I just haven't looked for a while? None of the other Cunard ships have a Q7 category. Presumably this means that Q7 would be the lowest level of Queen suite. Yet the location is interesting. They are midship on Deck 9 or aft on Deck 8. You would think that midship on Deck 9 would be desirable (Q6 is forward on the same deck). I presume there must be something not so good about this location. Has anyone heard anything about Q7 rooms or travelled in them? While I could probably only afford the least expensive QG suite, I'd like to be confident that they are worth having - especially if the trip is now going to be 8 days!

Assuming that 8 night cruises might become the new normal for TA voyages, I'm hoping that someone can clarify something else for me. l've been looking at a particular westbound cruise: M506A listed as 8 nights from 8-16 March 2025. Here is a screenshot of the itinerary. It suggests that we would actually arrive in New York in the early afternoon of the 15th March. Does this mean that we would then spend the rest of that day and night at Red Hook before disembarking early on 16th March (day 9). Have I read this correctly? If so, I'm wondering why we couldn't disembark later on 15th March.

I've been looking at TA voyages for early 2025 and noticed that the majority of QM2 trips are now listed as 8 nights rather than 7. And the maiden Queen Anne TA crossing is listed as 9 nights. Does anyone know the reason for this? I'm wondering if I may have missed some communication from Cunard. One thing is obvious though: the prices are clearly higher for the extra day.

Thanks Bluemarble. I have Gold status but obviously want all my future voyages to be recorded. So I will email both Cunard sites to see if I can get a uniform number.