chloe kitty

All of you that have stated sparkly tops and the like, with smart trousers, great.... I have no issues. It is just that I observed a lot of ladies on formal nights just in an ordinary pair of trousers and plain top. To be honest the sort of outfit that one would see at the local supermarket. I believe on Cunard formal nights one should make more of an effort.

Agree

We have sailed often on Holland America and Princess. We fully expected the food on Cunard to at least equal them in the main dining room. Sadly, that was not the case and we were often disappointed by the lack of selection and quality in Britannia. We enjoyed the teas and found the buffet great. The only explanation that I can offer is because of the Grills. They offer a class system in dining. This is not the case on Princess or HAL. Whether you are in a suite or an inside cabin,the food offered is the same. While we enjoyed a lot about Cunard the food quality leaves a lot to be desired and will be a big factor in deciding on future cruises.

Please take me back to Princess, Celebrity, or RCCL. No Cunard.

Yes, I suspect it applies equally to all cruise lines. People are very loyal to their favourite brand and will not have a thing said against them, so they continue to show them patronage no matter the level of arrogance shown towards them.

Agree

Make no mistake, I love Cunard (as a scan of my past cruises in my sig will verify) but feel that they are in danger. Not only from the aging of their customer base, but from falling behind the competition. No, not in razzle-dazzle, but in other ways.

 

Internet. More lines are offering high-speed Internet. These have also been accompanied with a variety of plans, many not timed. As we all know, that is not the case with Cunard. Improvements have been mentioned with no specifics and no dates. It's not just millennials who are tied to their phones. (Of course, given this platform, I'm clearly preaching to the choir here). It's becoming more common for cruisers to have expectations for something better than two-generations-old connectivity.

 

Related to this, I think every line exceeds Cunard at providing access to reservations and folios and ability to order and manage excursions and dining, before and during the voyage. Literally. I haven't encountered a website which lacks so much information and is so limited in over a decade. Bottom of the pack. Login? Creaky. Advance reservations for excursions, transfers, and dining? Limited. In cabin online reservations? Nope. They certainly must have a review of charges?? No such luck.

Literally, the worst in the industry.

 

What once had been sufficient or even leading (I remember the original QE2 Computer Learning Centre before they could be connected to the Internet or anything else and I went up to the radio room to enter an email on their equipment) - is now woefully out of date. And these aren't frills. They have become expectations.

 

Likewise the food is missing the boat for many. For years, the cuisine was international "country club fancy" dining, as we'd refer to it in the states. And budgets have been shrinking on all lines. In this case, Cunard Britannia is certainly far from the worst amongst its competitors, but Britannia falls short of the consistently luxurious experience that is sold. Perhaps more often a factor of unrealistic expectations, but a cause for disappointment nonetheless.

 

Additionally, today's new passenger profile has different expectations. They like having different experiences and options. With the explosion of food programming and interest in cooking, there's interest in cuisine that goes beyond the old standards. (Dining in foodie San Francisco, I think many restaurant menus come from a "Chopped" mystery basket.) Personally, I found that Celebrity went too far to the trendy in that the best part of some of my meals was the description in the menu. Adding a "Something different" daily dinner option would be helpful for those growing numbers of foodies. On the other end, I think all the other lines offer a standard list of basic items which are always available. Adding these items explicitly to the Britannia menu would help here. (Especially if a new cruiser is feeling "trapped" by fixed dining and few menu choices) I'd also consider adding a truly good burger with good fixins (not the usual preformed patties with a thin slice of pale tomato). Yeah, it's downmarket - but it's also found at some of the top restaurants in New York. I'd also make the alternative dining option more well known. Not only can you not make reservations before boarding, and again, not from the TV either, but if you want to know the schedule for the week, you must chase down the Maitre d' upstairs.

 

Finally, Cunard REALLY needs to step up its presence and interaction with its customers.

 

Note, these are different from the ever-present difficulty reconciling the expectations of ultimate luxury with the reality of being one of 1500 (?) passengers in Britannia - at a per diem of as little as $150. Also none of these suggestions disturbs Cunard's niche and special traditions of formal dress code and fixed dining assignments.

 

I fear that Cunard is sitting on its laurels and has missed how customers have changed and how the rest of the travel and hospitality industry has moved forward and left them behind.

 

Reading the reviews can be enlightening.

EXCELLENT! Well said.

How true! Unfortunately there are people who enjoy to complain all the time - I ignore them because they do not only spoil the time of other guests but their own time as well. To me it has never happened before that the food was as bad as described, and if it was, there are plenty of other places on the ship to go to.

The ship itself is of high quality, elegant and solid and represents what one expects from a true ocean liner.

Full stop.

Obviously you would like to think it is an elegant ship, but it isn't. It has a loyal following who see no evil. I usually don't complain, but this cruise needed to be addressed.

Clearly you and I have been sailing on very different QM2s; you should try the one I sail on sometime.

 

Great quality food, lots of choice each evening. Marvellous live entertainment in all areas of the ship.

 

After many, many voyages, I am looking forward to my next voyage on QM2 :) .

 

Next trip; Queen Elizabeth later this month (2nd cruise on her) can't wait :)

Too bad the ship you describe isn't the one I was on. I will not try yours, as I will never book Cunard again. Too many good cruise lines out there.

There are women who have osteoporosis or rheumatoid diseases and dresses present insurmountable dilemmas - (not to mention the flat heel, comfortable shoe that must be worn to ward off pain and hidden) and the dressy pants fulfil the need to dress with comfort and style.

So many of us are much more than the dress you think you see - we are just enjoying the cruise and have every right to enjoy a CUNARD cruise too.

Cheers, Rose

 

 

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There is still no reason why someone can't put an evening (dressy) top with those pants. Stores sell formal pants and there is nothing wrong with wearing them.

I agree with you and I've made that same observation on here myself in the past.

 

As you say, nearly all men with wear a suit/black tie. But a lot of women just wear trousers and what they laughingly often refer to as "a nice top". And that's what they wear on formal nights - and it's not formal wear at all.

 

It's also relates to the age of the lady; younger ladies will wear cocktail dress/evening gown, but older ladies will be in trousers and a blouse.

I mostly agree with you. However, dress or formal pants are fine as long as the top is formal or semi formal. I have frequently worn crepe pants with a sequin formal top. I am a senior, but still feel good about looking good, which to me means formal is formal, not a house dress.

Just off the QM2. We have done dozens of cruises, but this was our first time, and LAST time on Cunard. The food was of low quality. Steaks in the dining room were mostly grizzle. Choice of food was extremely limited. Entertainment was fairly good. Tour desk was lacking. It was a very sick ship. Not a top ship my any means,

We just disembarked from the QM2. Prior to sailing, I referred to this site about the dress standard. Please stop giving misinformation. Men for the most part looked good, but many of the women wore house dresses to dinner on many evenings . It was embarrassing to wear good dressy evening clothes.

Thank you for all the help.

We have been told that parts of the city are unsafe. Can anyone tell us where to avoid?

Thank you

We were looking at hotels just outside the waterfront area. Would that be a safe area? Also, is the CBD a good area to stay in?

Thank you

We were on the Majestic Princess from Dubai to Singapore in May. We loved the ship. Entertainment for the most part was very good. Food was also very good. It is a typical Princess ship, only larger and newer.

Would the opposite work if we are arriving in Perth, Fremantle, off a cruise ship, and going to the CBD with two large pieces on wheels and two carry=on size with wheels? We can easily handle our luggage.

Thank you for all your replies.

I would appreciate some help. We are ending a cruise in Perth. If they allow luggage, we will probably take the bus #910 to East Perth. A few days later, we need to go from East Perth to the Airport. What is the least expensive way to go?

Thank you

By minutes only, no unlimited packages.

 

Basic package prices are (approximately):

120 minutes - $47.95

240 minutes - $89.95

480 minutes - $167.95

 

You get a few extra minutes (maybe 20 on the 120 minute package) by signing up on the first day.

Connections are a little faster if you connect early am or late night when others aren't using the service as much. It's not fast but not really unbearable.

Thank you. How many days usage is this rate? So, they don't offer any unlimited packages, is that correct?

Would someone please advise us of the internet packages usually offered on the QM2. Do they have entire trip packages, or is it a daily rate only? Do they offer unlimited, or is it only by minutes? On other cruise lines, they offer a first day special, does Cunard usually do that too?

Thank you

My wife and I did a world cruises in 2007 and 2008 calling at Cochin for which we needed a visa, we also called at other Indian ports, we thought Cochin was a waste of time, and would have been furious if Cochin was the only stop in India. Paying over £100. each for the visa, just easy money for the Indian government.:evilsmile::evilsmile:

Completely agree about Cochin!

Be careful Gill and triple check. It wasn’t an option on Aurora as you are still in Indian waters. Cochin is nothing like Mumbai, more like Sri Lanka.

On Princess a few months ago, it wasn't an option either. Sri Lanka is much better than Cochin.

We were on the Majestic Princess a few months ago that had a one day stop in Cochin. We were required to obtain a full Visa. We were not happy about that, but what can you do. Even if we chose to stay onboard, which I would have (and after going there, should have), we needed the obtain the Visa. Obtaining the Visa was not difficult for us. We did everything online. Passports were returned in 9 days.

Once you arrive in India, that is when it becomes more difficult. Our tour was suppose to leave at 8:30 AM. We sat in the auditorium for more than an hour while the Indian Govt. got themselves ready for us. Then when you leave the ship, at least 4 people look at your passport and Visa. It was a frustrating experience. On the return, 3 people had to check our passports and Visa. Not our favorite place to visit!! Good luck.

Where would I find the list of keynote speakers on the QM2 in Jan and Feb?

Thank you.

Thank you for your helpful info.

We are seasoned cruise traveler, but this is our first time on Cunard. I love to dress up, so that is not a problem. My husband usually wears a striped collared golf type shirt, Chaps type shirt, with nice trousers for dinner on other lines on smart casual nights, which is much nicer than most people. He thought he would just add a blazer to his normal type of dress. Is that a problem on Cunard?

Thank you