Wordzz

I'm inclined to agree. I do love beer and it's fun to taste a flight, but at afternoon tea, I believe that one should drink TEA. And maybe a flute of bubbly.

I agree. Doesn't appeal to me at all. It does just make you wonder, though, whether there will come a time when afternoon tea in the Queens Room is no longer 'free' but also comes at a charge...

Not sure when that happened - we had slippers on QM2 over Christmas.

We also had them on QM2 (Britannia) in February/March this year.

Oh what a storm in a teacup! This is a site for diehard Cunard fans, who will want to resist any change that Cunard tries to make. However what you are unlikely to see is any comment from those people who do not cruise with Cunard because of the dress code. We live in a more casual, unstructured society where people no longer have Sunday best clothing and the cruise lines know this and will have done their research carefully. Okay they lose a few diehard cruisers, but they stand to gain these numbers over and over again from that sector of the marketplace which will not presently cruise with Cunard because of the restrictive dress code. Some you win, some you lose, but you can bet that Cunard are stacking the odds in favour of their balance sheet, where losing some loyal passengers is merely collateral damage.

You may be right, but I'm not so sure. The dress code, and the elegant/traditional decor of the ships are what set Cunard apart from the rest of the mass market. They tend to be more expensive than some other lines and, given that they only have 3 ships, their itineraries are more limited. I don't see the commercial advantage in getting rid of their USP and simply joining the crowded arena of other brands offering the same, non-formal experience. Cunard had something that made them stand out from the rest; soon they won't. Why would one bother booking Cunard if it's no different from any other line, except that it's more expensive? Doesn't make sense to me.It will be interesting to see whether they change their marketing strategy to reflect the new, dumbed-down experience.

I agree with others that this is likely the thin end of the wedge, and that things are changing. The slide has begun. At the very least they are blurring the edges, with people dressed 'formally' and 'informally' henceforth using some of the same venues. Apart from changing the ambiance, that will make it pretty difficult to enforce any kind of dress code around the ship, seems to me.

What I don't quite understand is how they are going to reconcile these changes with their marketing of Cunard. As an example, the lavish ads they take out in the UK press aimed at a particular readership (e.g. the Daily Telegraph on a Saturday) play heavily on the tradition, grandeur, history, glamour and elegance of sailing with Cunard. Some of the ads are linked to journeys on The Orient Express, which uses a similar marketing strategy. The whole focus is on projecting an upscale, special, glamorous experience. In the light of the changes made so far, let alone any gradual slide into further dumbing down, that advertising pitch doesn't make sense to me.

I'd love to believe that this is all some glitch or April Fool joke. Sadly though we have seen things show up in the system before there was a formal announcement - like deck 13 statesrooms online before it was announced that there would be any up there. I'm so mad I want to cancel my June sailing because what they are delivering is a substantial departure compared to that at time of booking. I'm stuck unless I want to eat a huge cancellation penalty. Not too late to cancel my later sailing however.

I share your pain, BR; we have just made final payment on our upcoming cruise on QM2 in June. We will wait to see what happens in the reality of being on the ship, but like you we feel we are being sold something that is different from what we booked and paid for. Of course we will still enjoy the destination, but the main reason we switched to Cunard in the first place was our perception of the elegance, ambiance and style, especially on QM2, and for us the dress code is a very big part of that.

We were planning a number of future cruises, which we were intending to book whilst on board in June. We also had ambitions for a future World Cruise with Cunard, but I’m feeling less confident about that now. Not that Cunard/Carnival will care, but I do feel disappointed. I also don’t quite get the logic behind it, if it truly is a dumbing down; wilfully removing your USP as a business makes no sense to me. It’s a huge part of their marketing, though perhaps that will change now. If it does, like others I’m struggling to see what differentiates Cunard from any other mainstream line.

I’ve not noticed this video before, or haven’t watched it, but I guess Cunard need to update the wording used in it:

 

https://ask.cunard.com/help/cunard/mini/cunard/life-on-board/dress_code

 

The next voyage we’re booked on, in December, is now showing 3 Gala Evenings but everything else is blank. If the dressing up on Cunard is dumbed down too much we’ll do other holidays which will also be cheaper!

I'm totally with you there. Our upcoming cruise in June now also states 'Gala Evening' and 'Smart Attire'. I agree that it sounds very much like a change in the dress code, and not a good one as far as I'm concerned. We can't be the only ones who value the dress code, surely? We choose Cunard for specific reasons to do with the ambience and elegance, and the dress code is very much part of that for us. Take that away, and we have much less incentive to sail with Cunard.

I wonder if the change will also apply to TAs? End of an era? Just as we've made it to Platinum, too!

We've done this several times. In our case we always drive to Southampton the day before the ship sails, and stay in a hotel which hasa parking deal (usually the Holiday Inn). We arrange for a car service (we use Smiths for Airports) to pick us up at Heathrow on our return. It's obviously not the cheapest option, but we think it's good value (especially compared to the cost of the cruise/crossing), and to us it's worth it just to have someone waiting for us in the arrivals lounge at Heathrow to whisk us back to Southampton with no fuss, no hassle, no stress.

You make a legitimate point but some of us don't want to sail those lines because they 1) don't have real formal nights and 2) don't have a real ocean liner in their fleet. For those of us find these two points to be important criteria when considering a sailing there is no other choice than Cunard.

Thank you, BlueRiband, for saying exactly what I was thinking. We have indeed tried other lines, and it's really a little patronising to suggest or imply that people who prefer Cunard to other lines only do so because they haven't tried other options. We have, and we prefer Cunard.

I also find the idea of 'many regular Cunarders' being in bed by 9.00 pm interesting. We always have second seating for dinner, and generally don't leave the dining room until around 10.45 pm, after which we spend some time digesting our dinner in the Chart Room or the Commodore Club. I guess it goes to show that there is something for everyone.

That may be it then - two successes with Cunard direct, three failures on a TA booking.

 

Just out of interest I did the numbers and we'll still be better off with the lower price I got for the booking with a TA and paying credit card rates for on-board spend. Unless we really hit the wine list hard, in which case it will be borderline.

 

I can't even contemplate the impact of which way the US election will fall. A week is a long time in politics as a great Yorkshireman once said.

 

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We booked direct with Cunard, as always (by phone). Didn't make any difference - I tried umpteen times, but despite posts on here from people who happily managed to get the OBC at the great rate, I was constantly knocked back and told that yes, I could buy OBC (as a gift or otherwise), but it would be at the exchange rate set by my credit card. So I have no idea what the key to the mystery is. On the plus side, once we were on board, as always, it really didn't seem to matter so much...

As others have said, it seems to be inconsistent. We boarded for the crossing on 18 October and were resigned to using the buffet. However, we checked on the off-chance, and the pub was indeed serving the full pub lunch menu. Result!

On our previous crossing that wasn't the case, but on the one before that it was (all Southampton embarkation). I'm sure there's a reason for the lack of consistency, but I have no idea what it is, nor whether there is any way of predicting it

Wonderful! I've also just managed to prepurchase 6 bottles from the Captain's Collection for £168.87. It was really simple: I just aasked and was quoted that price in sterling straightaway. It all took less than five minutes and was very different from the innumerable times I've attempted to prepurchase OBC in recent weeks!

Thanks for the heads up, Bell Boy!

I'm probably in a minority, but for me one of the joys of cruising, and especially of a Transatlantic, is that I am freed from constantly having to check my phone, my emails, the news, etc. Sheer bliss for me. Just like being on holiday used to be.

Because the OBC perk has been withdrawn.

No, that's not the reason. I've been trying to get the OBC (paying in sterling) for weeks, with no luck. And minniecawdwell posted that she managed to get the wine package yesterday, after the OBC perk had been pulled. So whatever the reason is, it isn't that.

Hi Bell Boy,

I'm obviously doing something wrong, because I've just phoned Cunard (in the UK) re wine packages and been told exactly the same thing as when I tried (multiple times) to book OBC, namely that I would be billed in US dollars and that the conversion would be carried out by my card/bank, not by Cunard. No chance of paying in pounds sterling. So whatever I'm doing or asking, it doesn't work. I'm not too fussed, and I'm just going to drop it now. There may be deals on wine packages when we're on board, but if not I'll just buy as we go along. I do find it all very strange, though.

Hey ho

Hi Minnie,

Were you able to pay Cunard in pounds? I ask because the package is priced in dollars on the website, and I failed time and time again when trying to pay for OBC in pounds (which is also priced in dollars).

Thanks!

We have 4 formals on QM2, Syd-HK, 16 nights. You can have my formals, I don't much care for them. Two would be adequate. OK for the Brits who embark and disembark at ye olde Port of Southampton, but we colonials have to use those infernal flying machines at some point, weight restrictions !!

As for reducing dress codes in the future, removal of the tie requirement on non formal nights was a start, hate those ties, they strangle moi !!

 

Stand by for incoming !!! LOL.

OK, I'll bite. Assuming you're being serious rather than joking, this really is such a hackneyed argument, and simply doesn't stack up. A few years ago we sailed from Vancouver to Alaska, which involved flights from Heathrow and a change of flights in Seattle on the way back. I took a tux, my wife took her formal dresses, and we managed perfectly well with a check-in case and a carry-on each, and that included all the different kinds of clothes you need for Alaska. And when we go to Sydney and New Zealand on QM2 in Feb 2018, we will again be flying from London, and again taking formalwear. It's not about luggage or flying, it's about a mindset.

I think I hear the sound of a goose being killed....

I went to book two evenings in Verandah for our forthcoming roundtrip TA, expecting it to cost $35 pp each time. However, at $49.95 pp that would be almost $200 for a table for two on two evenings. That is a lot! I have decided that Britannia is really very good after all.

If my arithmetic is right, that's a price hike of over 40%, virtually overnight. I wonder whether it will put others off as it has me. If so, there may be some deals to be had after we board. In any case, I'm not going to book at that price, so we'll wait and see.

Hi Bell Boy and Pennbank,

That's good to hear, thank you - I'll be down to see them once we are on board!

From our own experience, if you are dealing with a reputable local tour company to book your own shore excursions, they will know when the ship is coming in and leaving, and will advise you of timings accordingly, and adjust them as necessary if the arrival and departure times change. That might vary from port to port and from company to comany, of course, but it has certainly been our experinece, e.g. in St. Petersburg, Norway, Iceland (and Alaska, too, though that wasn't with Cunard). The companies we have used have communicated with us in advance and kept us informed of all we needed to know. Of course, there is still always the responsibility of getting back to the ship on time, which isn't a risk if you book through Cunard, but our personal experiences have been good in that regard, too.

It depends. The second part of the information quoted above from the Cunard website states that:

If you have booked a Logical voyage, which is when you book two or more separate voyages as detailed in our latest brochure under one booking reference you will receive one set of benefits for the duration of your voyages.

I rang Cunard to find out what that meant, as we are booked on the Oct 18th roundtrip TA. It turns out that a 'logical voyage' is one that is sold as one voyage, with a single voyage number (in our case M623B). In that case it's classed as a single voyage, and you only receive one set of CWC benefits. The EB and WB legs then count as sectors of the roundtrip, not as individual voyages in their own right (unless you've booked them separately, of course).

Hope that makes sense! The upshot for us is that we will receive only one set of benefits. On the other hand, we got the roundtrip for such a good price that it's really not an issue for us (though counting it as two trips would have been handy, as it would have taken us to platinum level). I might still go and ask when we're on board, just to check!

I'm on holiday when I'm on board, so the staff can call me anything they want, as long as they don't call me early. :)

You must have noticed that most posters on this large thread favour the tips being added to the fare.

 

David.

So you're saying that 'customers' who sail on Cunard are all posters on this forum. Really?

You make an interesting point about the tips being included in the fare on the World Cruise. Effectively this works just like most customers would like it to work by including them in the fare for all voyages. Why do it just on the World Cruise?, because of the shock many would have when they saw the total on their account. And no I don't believe you would be permitted to remove them, any more than the refuseniks would be able to if the system was changed.

What do you base that on?

Just booked $300 of OBC for £194.85 = 1.5396 exchange rate for a cruise in November but booked in April.

:):):):)

Well I don't know how you guys are doing it....I've spoken to three different people at Cunard since yesterday, and they've all told me the same thing - they will sell me OBC in dollars, but won't quote me a price in pounds. Instead they say the conversion will be made at whatever rate my CC uses. I'm either missing something, or i'm just being unlucky!

Anyway, good for you if you've managed it - I wish I had your touch!

It leaves me a little bewildered to see how aeriated some posters get about this, tbh. As if there aren't enough things for us all to be concerned about in this world we live in. Just sayin' :)