NE John

35 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

The joy of QG is the much larger cabins and extra light from the two sets of windows. Also ours had a nice long bath to read in. The banquettes, while silly, aren’t as bad as I had feared, providing one has an accommodating companion who is willing to share.

The Q4’s do look attractive and spacious. 

47 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

Or you could avoid it by not travelling in the Grills. 😀 Actually, I’m amazed nobody has said this to me. Much of the rest of the ship is very nice.

To me, the sweet spot of this new ship, as an armchair pax, is BC. Even with the BC’s less intimate dining room. The new balcony rooms look good with the massive upgrade of bathrooms and getting an Illy coffee machine. The next would be PG, even with smaller bathrooms vs other ships, the PG living space looks very livable. Not sure about the value of the QG premium on this one with a chance of sitting in those banquettes. 
I am sorry to hear about those suffering with the omissions to the accessible cabins; I hope it’s back to the drawing boards for Cunard to resolve this issue. 

No tea bags at all.
Tea is served via tea pots by white gloved servers with all the savories and sweets. It’s a nice experience but busy and you have to get to the QR early. Tea in Grills Lounge is quieter with more personal service. It’s good to experience both teas. 

The Grills Lounge is not as bad as many have mentioned. The afternoon tea is nice there served with loose tea. Ask your sommelier if there are any wine events going on. 

1 hour ago, techteach said:

@NE John I gave you a ❤️, but not sure after reading your description. I hope it works out well for you.

I’m sure we will do just fine! Thanks!! Someone in Cunard likes me…

On 5/28/2024 at 6:09 PM, Wedgie Wedgie said:

That's a bet! 

We always make friends with the staff. It's a given.

I see you're from CT. While I'm originally from Miami, most of my roots are from New Haven and Hartford- a lot of Pratt and Whitney employees.

Just listen for the Loud McNultys!

We just got our cabin assignment for our Q420 voyage Alaska voyage and upgrade gods struck again. Q4 Penthouse. We started at P2.
The Q4 is midships and has a nice balcony and bath, but tight living area with no armchair unlike Q5/6’s. Not as much hanging wardrobe space either it seems. Interesting…

2 hours ago, Selbourne said:

We’d do well with that cover on this cruise. From just the first week;
 

Sunday - advertised cruise past Bass Rock and Isle of May - both invisible due to driving rain and fading light. 

Thursday - advertised scenic cruise around Skye. Didn’t see any of it due to getting there too late when evening mist was settling in, plus we were far too far from shore to see anything even if it hadn’t.
 

Friday - advertised scenic cruising around Scottish Isles. Reality - a sea day off Ireland with no sign of land whatsoever for the entire day.
 

I’m seriously beginning to wonder if the Captain is working to a different itinerary to what was advertised. She seems to know what the ports of call are, but then seems completely oblivious to what was advertised for the rest of it! It’s not even been close. We’ve not even had any explanation as to why. Maybe I’m naive, but I expected better from Cunard. 
 

 

This sounds like a good argument for FCC, if that’s an option for you. I’d be unhappy with this chain of events. 

Here’s my PG review from June 2023. Not too recent so go to CC reviews and filter QM2 and Transatlantic and you’ll see more reviews:

https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=702265
 

I believe the “Grills” experience may give you that small ship personalized service while you are in the Grills areas, along with giving you access to all the activities and venues on a real ocean liner. To me  - the best of both worlds. There is no “ship within a ship” system with the Grills or rigid class based system that you may read about or see on YouTube vlogs. While you get priority embarkation, there is no separate Grills seating at a theatre nor do butlers escort you to cut the line for an activity. I would have nothing to with that type of experience. Most people have no idea what “class” of person one is sitting next while at the pub, a show, or when dancing in the Queens Room. 
We really enjoyed our PG experience and thought the service was kind, plenty of theater tableside service, and the PG suites on QM2 are very livable for a TA or even longer. 

Wait…Cunard just fixed the broken seats during last Fall’s refit and now it’s closed. The planetarium show is dated and any update would be welcomed by me. Illuminations is a nice space for Insight lectures though. 

Arrived in the mail today. Nice cover. 

If you get to the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal area early…a big if with immigration/traffic as mentioned…you can have an early lunch at one of the Italian restaurants on Court Street in Carroll Gardens, a neighborhood that’s a 5-10 minute Uber ride to the Terminal. 
What cabin grade are you sailing? If Grills, you may not have as much time to kill as you may think. If you board after 2pm, then Google some of those restaurants. Marco Polo is an old school classic and next door is a more casual Enoteca owned by the same family. Disclaimer: I’ve known the family for 30+ years. 

6 hours ago, WantedOnVoyage said:

QV Grills Lounge last three weeks was ace.... the best bartender on the ship and Reyland, the steward, is a jewel. It was hard to find a seat.  And those views... like having morning coffee as you transit the Messina Straits. Exceptional. Gives new meaning to the term "Vista".  

 

Sometimes the Grills Lounges do assume a faculty lounge in some boarding school quality and we skipped it in the middle week for evening cocktails and enjoyed the Gin & Fizz and Chart Room instead especially with superb string music most cocktail hours.  

 

I love "the hell hole" description (!) of QA's Grill Lounge but I could not possibly comment further....

I trust the views from QG lounge for Alaska would be stunning. Especially in rainy weather. 

I don’t think Midge Ure has received this much attention since Live Aid, 1985!

37 minutes ago, david63 said:

I believe that there is a discount (20%?)

 

One other things that annoy me is that if you have a drinks package then each passenger has to order their own drink - unlike Princess where the Medallion sorts it out.

The 20% discount is nullified when they then add the 15% service charge on each drink. 
Some have mentioned Virgin’s “Bar Tab” policy and I like that idea. Gives more flexibility to pax who don’t drink alcohol (or as much as the other in a cabin) and makes the server’s job easier. 
Cunard needs to change their outdated drinks package programs: for both full paying pax and the now useless US Grills “promo”. 

1 hour ago, elmac40 said:

Just an update to the post that I started…….we’re now booked on the QM2👍

We also celebrated our 30th anniversary last year on a QM2 TA in PG coming back home last year. You’ll feel a nice sense of space and calmness onboard. Good choice!

1 minute ago, Globaliser said:

 

Being on a cruise, rather than anything to do with the destinations - much like most cruises everywhere. There are relatively few places around the world where "scenic cruising" makes being on a cruise ship worthwhile from a destination point of view, although there are a few destinations which are interesting by-products of being on a ship but to which one probably wouldn't go to otherwise.

I have been on both Transatlantic crossings and regular cruises and appreciate the difference. I am wary of overcrowded cruise ship calls that spend such a short time in port looking at: Rome/Barcelona/Santorini.  Going to those calls is more hassle than it’s worth. I am also wary of land tours that do the same thing with activities centered on shops, etc. However, I would imagine many of the UK port calls would be perfect to spend a day or hopefully an overnight stay for a bigger city. 
And yes @Pushpit- no unpacking! I do like being at sea and Cunard has, so far, been great for us. 

49 minutes ago, Tattycoram said:

NE John--A few years ago my family of history buffs, museum-goers, and nerdy readers mixed train travel with a car service to see a bit more of the stuff north of London, though never enough, of course!

 

We took the train from London to York, where my children (then 12 and 21) had never been.  For two full days we stayed near the Cathedral in a quirky hotel with gardens for reading (short walk from the station).  We walked everywhere--plenty for everyone together and separately to see for a few days; I love going to Matins and Evensong; kids could safely walk about on their own.  

 

Then we took the train to Edinburgh (which again the children had never seen) for about 5 days.  Another day we hired a car and guide to take us across the Borders to two places along Hadrian's Wall:  Housesteads and Vindolanda.  I really wish we'd spent the night at an inn by Vindolanda--I knew I'd love the site, but the new museum was one of the most engrossing I'd ever been in and I felt a little rushed for time by our guide.  The drive (partly along a Roman road) was quite straightforward as soon as we were out of central Edinburgh, and if I were doing it again I think I would try to drive it myself, although I'd need an automatic.  Some of the streets through towns like Melrose and Jedburgh are fairly narrow, and even in July there was frost at the top of Carter's Bar, but it seemed less nerve-racking than narrow country roads in Kerry and West Cork or the hedges in Devon.

 

We had been planning a return to more northerly places, flying directly into Scotland, with more local driving and stays, but then Covid happened and the family schedules have become a bit more complicated.  One day!

Thank you fellow Nutmegger! 

So what would be the benefit (besides being onboard a Cunard ship) of taking a UK Isles cruise?  (Outside of this specific cruise with the naming ceremony in Liverpool). Mainly scenic cruising?

24 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

Interesting that you enjoy driving in the UK as most of us Brits don’t as our roads are now so overcrowded.

I found there is little road rage and crazy driving in the UK as is around here. British drivers are far more polite too. I love driving stick shift and had no problem with that left-handed feature either. The narrow B roads around Glastonbury were a challenge with hedgerows, sheep, and lorries. 
Ironically, the toughest city I drove in was in Southampton dropping luggage off at our hotel and then dropping the rental car off near the docks. Lots of odd intersections in that area. 
I’d love to spend some real time in Scotland!

Allow me to barge in with a question regarding a future UK trip from an American. All these great stories and pictures have me planning a next trip. Last year, we spent 10 days on land and drove around England and Wales while using London and Bath as bases. Then we took QM2 back home. Loved driving in the UK.  
As for seeing the rest of the UK, is it worth taking a cruise like this one and making many day stops around the Isles or, as mentioned, going by car or train? Sometimes I feel you don’t get a real flavor of an area with a one-day port stop. Maybe an around a UK cruise is different. Any feedback?

4 hours ago, exlondoner said:

Well, I was actually on that voyage, and I have still never heard or heard of whoever he or she is. So, clearly a small part of life. I was much more irritated by the celebrity guest speaker who was the only male I saw without any sort of tie in the restaurant on formal night. Not that I care as such, but because I think, if you accept these gigs, you should conform.

Was the tie-less one Midge Ure?…😁
 

21 minutes ago, e&mcruise said:

Why no Gnocchi?

It was horrible. Like bazooka bubble gum. 

19 minutes ago, foodsvcmgr said:

NE John - everyone has convinced me to try my G&T this way if this indeed is the normal/correct presentation on QV this September.

Clearly I spent too many years focused on the food and operations side of the F&B industry and should have paid a bit more attention to beverage lol… 

I also pack my cocktails with ice which I’m sure many here will disagree with also.

Just a matter of taste and what one is accustomed to really.

Thanks all for the interesting discussion!

Don’t forget plenty of lime. 

7 hours ago, foodsvcmgr said:

Perhaps the new drinks menu was created by the same individual who changed the G&T glass to a red wine balloon as I experienced on QV last year!

I was able to request the proper tall glass however and the staff in Commodore quickly remembered to serve mine accordingly.

I’ve been serving them at home in a nice red wine glass (with Fever Tree Indian tonic water of course) and it’s made a difference in enjoying a G&T. @Host Hattie maybe I was born on the wrong side of the Atlantic?  I actually knew who Midge Ure was!

13 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

Just don't bang on how easy to operate the coffee machine is in the cabin...perleeeeeze.

Never more the issue…