Bell Boy

I Certainly witnessed just one couple given one on the itinerary of 11th December ( Q.V) Had a wonderful Birds Eye view of all the goings on below , most evenings from my dedicated table (Fixed dinning late) upper level 😅 Pagers or standing line 'in the evenings' is not my idea of premium dining .

Confused with your post , Queen Victoria guests were invited to a cocktail reception on the 25th January . The venue was out on the Lido deck 9 . The Captain and senior officers were present . When you refer to no Bar service are you referring to 'Sitting at the Bar Top'

Good Luck ! come back and tell us if you were successful.

Nothing has changed for the worse. I've lost count of how many Cunard cruises I've take over the last five years and I've several others booked, taking me well into 2024 . I'm quite satisfied with the onboard product and the Cunard brand. Laundrettes are still complimentary & soap is included. Entertainment & Insight lectures are still as good and professional as they have been for years. When you find a cruise line that has excellent Wifi please let me know.

And quite rightly so ! Several years ago I witnessed an awful saga whereby grandparents left a 12 year old boy onboard ( in the care of another couple and their young son) whilst they the grandparents went ashore. They didn't managed to return back to the ship on time and there was quite a commotion on the aft deck. Eventually the elderly couple were brought out to ship by a local pilot , goodness know how they managed the difficult boarding procedure .

Well ! Good news ! The cocktail receptions are to be resumed onboard the 'World Cruises' as we speak. For Queen Victoria the Captains reception will take place during the first week in February , other receptions are in the pipeline for those on the full voyage , possibly out on the open decks. Can't comment on QM2.

The main 'onboard product' when traveling in PG is 'The Restaurant' that you will be allocated, unlike the main entrance level ( Britannia category ) The Grills concept both QG or PG offer any time dining in the evening that will include a dedicated table and wait staff for all meals ,eg breakfast, lunch & dinner ( the same as Britannia Club dinning ) .The Grills concept across the fleet will offer you a 'High End dinning experience'. Your stateroom ( they like to call them suites -although it's nothing like a suite ) no larger or impressive than a balcony Britannia stateroom - expect the usual complimentary sparking wine, however, it's the same as all Britannia guests receive ( no Champagne I'm afraid) Other than that, you can experience the Grills Lounge/Bar ( exclusive to Grill guests) adjacent to the restaurant, it's a dreary place no live music and atmosphere at all , one of the reasons folks head to the Commodore Bar . On Queen Mary 2 there is life outside the Grills after you have dinned . 😉

Actually no , in the end I managed to change to a higher category (PG) and ended up paying more 😅

I'm afraid none of these youngsters would qualify for a Commodore Club Coaster. The Cocktails and coasters are about celebrating those Golden Days of the 'Ocean Liners'- 1930's etc

Sir James Bisset is another one , I can't recall the other six 🤔

He's quite right , however anyone of us here could have told you that 😅

Show times are 8pm & 10.15pm 7pm and 9pm are Far too early for Cunard dining

Yes you should have received a second bottle compliments of Voyage sales/CWC Hopefully the CWC & Captains cocktail receptions will return soon, I understand some time mid year .

Don't get me started on the disappearance of the 'Embarkation Ice bucket' ! (Britannia category) Since Cunard returned back to service , post pandemic I've taken six cruises ( 3 club dining -3 Britannia category ) On all six voyages the embarkation fizz has been in the fridge . I've had numerous conversations with housekeeping to help me understand the logic of this but to no avail, however, finally (just recently 11 December ) they took onboard my suggestion for the card you post above, as many of those new to Cunard were unaware the Fizz was indeed complimentary. Unbelievable it has taken housekeeping several months after the example I gave of a guest in the next cabin ( new to Cunard) asking were they could find the price list for the alcohol in their fridge 🤦‍♂️

Yes, several months ago I was waitlisted for Club Dining , that category was completely full , 72 hours before departure I was given the opportunity to transfer the booking to a lower category or cancel the booking I'm afraid.

Since 9/11 there has been no opportunity to leave guest luggage onboard any Ship in the Cunard fleet . (an exception to this was in 2020 when the QM2 world cruise was aborted and many guests had to return home by Air) There are arrangements to leave luggage shoreside ( at the port authority) If one is re joining at the same embarkation point .One example is Brooklyn , if one takes a west bound voyage and returning some weeks later from the same port for their east bound crossing . You mention you 'disembark in Perth' and rejoin the ship in Singapore . No doubt someone will come along and correct me . 😉

Hi BigMac , the Pol Acker has now defiantly gone for good since our trip in October/November. The Italian Spumante is now the additional complimentary bottle as of the other week (Dec 11th) even two for those of us in the CWC. I have to admit for the first time I opened the bottle and enjoyed a glass before hitting the Bar at 7pm My neighbours are not too pleased that I didn't manage to take the complimentary PA home for them as I usually do for keeping an eye on the house ..😉

The complimentary embarkation Fizz ( in Britannia category & PG) is still being offered ( and long may it last - even though I don't drink it) However, it is NO LONGER Pol Acker it is now a new brand. The bottle I received recently is 'Contessa' Vino Spumante , apparently it's Italian and surprisingly it's quite drinkable. An additional bottle was received compliments of the world club to make up for the lack of the CWC parties.

I book onboard (Cunard voyage sales office) The benefit is that the deposit is low and the OBC is often 'very generous' and as a return guest a 5% discount is offered . The voyage sales office transfer the booking to my preferred 'CRUISE SPECIALIST' here in the UK ( who is a Cunard preferred agent) This cruise specialist in turn offers me a further discount ( approx 3%) from the original booking invoice .

I do have to smile at our American Cousins who go on & on about their Coffee when in Europe or when cruising. If only you could 'brew Tea' as well as we Brits do. lol 😉 I've recently stepped off a Silversea cruise , don't get me started on their service delivery of a simple pot of Tea. They offer a pot of warmish water with the Tea Bag 'On the Side'. I had to leave an additional comment on the Breakfast Card each evening , to the effect of "Tea Bag in the POT boiling water over the top ' 😅

There is no Coffee maker in the standard Britannia category only in 'Britannia Club'. You will have to rely on the kettle and bringing your own, or use what is provided.

You will arrange this with the duty Maitre 'D well in advance on the afternoon of embarkation day. Visit the main Britannia Restaurant ( usually between 1pm - 2pm) and make your request known. DO NOT wait until the evening as you will need to arrange the additional seating in advance, it may need a table change to accommodate all your group.

For Gentlemen they most certainly do. Queen Mary 2 Transatlantic crossing are far more dressy ( I've lost count of how many I've done, so speak with a wealth of experience 😉) Cruising in warm weather ( eg Caribbean ) is a different matter .

Assuming you were booked on this cruise , would you rather have had Cunard cancel your 'entire Christmas Cruise' and dead head the ship to Cadiz and back in time for the World Cruise .

So apparently, and this must be a first, Q.Vic will go into dry dock ( in Cadiz Jan 4th ) over night to get that blessed Azipod/ Prop Blade fixed. Whilst I was there the other day ( 11th Dec itinerary ) overnight in Cadiz with divers under the vessel but to no avail, they couldn't removed the blade to replace a new one. The saga about this Azipod blade has been going on for a couple of months or so with the vibrations at the 'rear of the ship' unbearable with many guests on my two previous itineraries requesting stateroom changes towards mid ships. Anyone onboard now for your Christmas cruise, do keep us updated with how thing are going on .