ClipperinSFO

One option to burn some time is to ride the NY Ferry Service that docks right next to the Brooklyn cruise terminal in Red Hook. You can drop your bags and go for an inexpensive cruise (tickets sold on the dock or on the NYC Ferry app) and get wonderful views of NY and the QM2 herself.  Have done this once and loved it:  I rode the Ferry down to the Sunset Park/Brooklyn Army Terminal and then jumped in an Uber back, but it easy to do a round trip depending on how much time you have.  

Depending on how much luggage you have (or if that has been sent on ahead), its also a great way to get over to the cruise terminal from lower Manhattan.

1 hour ago, jaypo63 said:

I really like the man who greets you at the queens grill restaurant,for the life of me I can't remember his name,big fella,appears grouchy but once you get to know him,he is lovely,always gets us a decent table ☺️

Vasant perhaps?  Great guy.  He is usually one of the section heads in QG and is often at the front desk.  

41 minutes ago, D&N said:

I spotted one of their luggage labels, and they were on M412B sailing on 16th May.

I think they've made several mistakes. Booking for when so many staff have been transferred to QA, picking the connecting cabin, and open dining in Britannia. Don't think I'd have picked the Gnocchi, but I've had that Cod dish and it was tasty when I had it.

I watched the whole B&D review. It as painful. They themselves admitted their day got off to a rocky start (moving houses, long trip to SOU via LGW, etc) but they just seemed in a foul mood, and everyone and everything was out of sorts. I shudder to think their Day One negative opinions will have on potential future cruisers/crossers.  

We also completed a Japan cruise on QE last month.  Loved the ship and the food, but we were in Grills so that may have skewed our view.  We have crossed several times over the years in QM2 Grills and found the food on QE almost identical.

I will say, however, it was a struggle to get a decent (gin) martini on QE.  You could go to any bar on QM2 and they were consistently perfect with minimal fuss and direction.  

If you were disappointed with QM2, I am not sure QE would change your opinion much. 

Personally I don't think people write enough about how addictive Cunard is.  You seem to have found out early.  Worry not, you have a wonderful set of cruises ahead !

I am guessing the stop in GIB was planned -- the port is known as a cheap(er) source of (tax-free) fuel, so  the pit stop would be baked in to the overall voyage plan.   Or maybe a last minute decision?  Oh to have been a fly on the wall of the QA bridge. 

@MylesS, yes, I just noticed the GIB stop for QA on Marine Traffic.  Was hoping someone on here  would have insight into the reason. This was not planned afaik.   

Has been down since this afternoon PST as well. Figured maybe there was some system maintenance going on since it was 0001 GMT. 

8 hours ago, martinmct said:

On the QM2 world voyage at the moment, there was a tour offered earlier in the voyage and another is imminent. $120 USD

Nice to know these are back on QM2. On our last TA in December 2022 they still were not being offered and they have been high on my list of things to do aboard!

If it can't be the Ocean Terminal, at least it should be the QEII.

I hope at least that the maiden TA sales from the Ocean Terminal.      

4 hours ago, tacticalbanjo said:

I hope Cunard continue to be able to bring in new passengers who are willing to overlook the stereotypes - so long as they're willing to abide by the dress code!

Amen to that!  

Big fan of Allan Cumming since he was Emcee in Cabaret way back when - and so nice to read his advocacy for slow travel, Cunard and crossings on our beloved QM2. I hope this article (despite the fact that it’s in Town and Country which probably already has many Cunard passengers on its subscriber list) will draw in more people and help overcome preconceived notions about Cunard, cruising and crossings. The more the merrier! 

As a big Cunard fan, I like the additional touchpoint with the company, and the resulting  gamesmanship of seeing how much OBC I can get against the price paid for the shares. It kind of adds to the fun of traveling with them and fuels the intention to have a long(er) term relationship with the company. I am sure I am not the only one who thinks this way, so when the Carnival Corp execs are weighing the pros and cons of the current program, they may factor in this resulting "stickiness".  How much it's worth to them versus the cost I have no idea.   Probably not all that much since anyone that holds shares is probably also an elite level in their various loyalty programs of their brands. 

@david63 exactly. We bought our shares with the idea that regardless of what the share price did, with enough cruises and resulting OBC they would eventually be at zero cost.  A lot harder to do when the shares are at 50 than when they are at 15. 

10 minutes ago, BigMac1953 said:

 

Surely the share price makes absolutely no difference?

 

If somebody bought 100 x Shares at £50, then sold them at £10 then they would have made a £4000 loss, not Carnival.

 

The exact same number of shares are in circulation. Supply and demand just change the price.

I think @david63 is on to something and that it’s more the sheer volume of OBC requests that a low share price generates (more people owning shares) in terms of workload for CCL. In addition to the amount of money that they then have to dole out in OBC from all those requests. I could see why the accountants would raise an eye brow. Perhaps as well they think the stock will stay relatively low for the foreseeable future and so this “problem” won’t abate anytime soon. 

Noted in my calendar now, thanks. So looking forward to actual pictures of her and her interiors!

This was a wonderful post -- thank you so much @sfred for your imagination.  I think part of the charm of Cunard, especially on a QM2 TA is envisioning just what it would have been like to be on the Mauretania -- and its not all that far off, esp if one eschews many of the "modern" "improvements" that have been instituted since those days -- en suite bathrooms excluded of course!

I remember early in my crossing career someone told me that the view of the skies and seas on North Atlantic mid-ocean is the same today as it would have been for all those who crossed on earlier liners, and thus in a way the crossing is timeless.  That resonated deeply, and still does.

Thank you again.

Hmmm. After having declared above  "Yokohama" so confidently,  I am now looking around for actual cruise documentation that states it departs from Yokohama, and I'm coming up empty handed.   Maybe it's an erroneous assumption/belief on my part!  Will revert if I find anything one way or the other.  

UDATE:  Just looked at Cruise Mapper, and it looks like we are indeed out of Tokyo. Yokohama has two other big cruise ships in on the 28th, and QE is shown as sailing out of Tokyo. Oh well, will have to make Yokohama a day trip then to explore, as I was really looking forward to it.

Thanks so much for calling this into question - we would have looked kind of silly showing up at the Yokohama terminal for the wrong ship!  

We are on that cruise as well and it sails from Yokohama.  We are booked in at the Intercontinental in Yokohama the night before sailing to give us a chance to explore the port prior to sailing. Staying in Tokyo itself the night before would be fine as they are so close.  

40 minutes ago, ex-koelner said:

another first time cruise here with a stupid question... is it really neccessary to have the baggage tag laminated or placed in a plastic cover? I never thought about that. Is there any other way to attach it?

We fly to our Cunard cruises and crossings, so I like to have everything printed and secured in the plastic sleeves ready for attaching on sailing day, rather than fuss with the folding and scotch taping, but it is indeed a matter of individual preference.  

@D&N has some sound advice about adding details about the QM2 times, dates and locations, since invariably what is checked in as airline luggage are the cases with all the "party clothes" needed for a Cunard crossing/cruise.

We bought the 6.5-inch length x 3.5-inch width and they work fine, without any tweaks to what comes off the printer other than a bit of trimming -- although I really like the 130% idea - if for no other reason tan to make it easier on the baggage handling crews.  

One does wonder how much of a "consideration" (maybe in the form of a charitable donation?) that Cunard/Carnival has to pay for royal participation in the christening -- or is it all brought to us by the British taxpayer?  

Never considered Catherine as an option. That is indeed a great idea. Queen Camilla already christened Queen Victoria.

Hmmm.  That's a toughie: Queen Camilla vs Princess Anne. It's a partial "hit" (or miss) with either choice.  Much as I am more of a fan of the Princess Royal, a Cunarder does warrant a Queen imo.  As long as whoever christens her is a member of the royal family, I am good.  

It's moments like these I really miss QEII.    

1 hour ago, seasickphil said:

If you asked your butler he would provide you with them, if not then just ask at any bar for two martini glasses or any other type of glass come to that.

Excellent idea!  We generally underutilize our butler.