ClipperinSFO

We all have a very strong interest in others having a great experience with Cunard and seeing it thrive as a result. Long may we sail!

Once we started doing repeat crossings, I developed a packing list in spreadsheet format (with two tick boxes: "take" and "packed") to help get everything sorted by day (1st/last) time of day (day/evening) formality (gala/non-gala). Being a guy on a relatively predictable as a TA vs a cruise, this is not a very hard list to put together. I would imagine for a woman on a cruise, it's somewhat more multi-dimensional. Now when I go to pack for a TA, there is a formula that results in 1 suit case and 1 roll aboard, and my back pack. What I have yet to achieve is translating that *packing* list into a *wearing* list. Things get a bit jumbled in the unpacking, so I am usually bumping around a darkened cabin to get dressed in the morning (OH sleeps in), hoping I am coming out of the cabin reasonably coordinated.

Agreed — we are huge fans of using Luggage Forward (available through the Cunard website, whether you book your crossing through them or not) to send the fancy clothes to/from the ship so we can travel Europe around unhindered. Also, I heartily endorse using an agent. There are great programs out there available through agents for US POS that provide, among other perks included drinks packages for Grills passengers.

Thanks— this does back up my suspicion. One crossing in QG last year, due to special ordering for dinner the night before, we missed much beloved Chicken Kiev. Solution? We ordered Chicken Kiev for “breakfast” the next day and Osman was happy to oblige, even with a note of curiosity in his voice. It seemed wonderfully decadent and pared nicely with black coffee.

Thanks for posting all these @Jack E Dawson - reminded me why I like PG so much. But here’s something I have always wondered: are QG/PG breakfasts and lunches pretty much identical to Britannia? My unofficial tests while on board QM2 (looking at the menus and/or lunching in Britannia), is that they are almost 1:1. The real difference between the Grills and Britannia comes at dinnertime, and with the service levels. Any thoughts?

When I have had “drinks included” fares (I am assuming the same system as a drinks package) I soignée for drinks, and they hit my onboard account, only to be manually removed within 12-24 hours. It makes for an awkward Final Bill, as that will inevitable contain drinks consumed on the last night out, which are charged to my CC on file, only to be refunded separately a few days later. I read elsewhere on this board that QM2 may have gotten a new POS system in the bars as part of the re-fit, so hopefully this will eliminate the kludgy nature of of how they handle “free drinks”.

Thanks for the info and pictures. Cranky Old(-ish) Man Alert: I know all the table-side flambéing is old school and "fine dining" high drama but increasingly I just want my dishes served without theatrics. I like the idea that your Indian meal was served with minimal fuss.

This sounds excellent. Was your meal prepared table-side with great fanfare a la QG, or more discreetly served?

Part of me says go for it, as long as you are prepared for the likely bumps and imperfections. How many people in the 21st century can say they have been on the maiden voyage of a Cunarder? The bragging rights alone would be worth it. 🙂 We are booked on QA's first TA in Jan '25 and super excited for that.

The most recent Chris Frame videos covering QA construction on Youtube discuss the Chart room in great detail, there will be three Chart Room interconnected sections with different intended "energy" levels. Sounds like it's going to be an amazing space.

Agreed! Have the foyer carpets been changed??? I sincerely hope not.

While we are on the subject of QM2 corridors, the one thing that does kind of bug me (although until now I have “suffered” in silence) is the limited width of the corridors. Using them to travel fore and aft, esp in the morning with the housekeeping carts positioned in them can be a claustrophobic game of dodge ‘em. Also I have to pause or turn sideways when encountering people traveling in the opposite direction. This, far more than the carpet pattern is an annoyance. This was called into stark relief on a recent cruise I took on a Carnival ship, the Elation, built in 1998. Her cabin corridors seemed at least 25-30% wider than on QM2, and thus it was far less stressful to use them as a quick means of fore/aft travel. I realize that the corridor widths are fixed, but on the list of corridor grievance, the width issue eclipses the carpets, and even that annoying missing lampshade on Deck 9 Forward!

When was the last time you sailed on her? We were last on in December of ‘22 and she didn’t look all that worse for wear. Maybe I always see QM2 through rose colored (or Cunard red in this case) glasses.

Am I the only one who is not offended by the corridor carpets? There was a missing lampshade from the sconces along the starboard Deck 9 corridor that drove me batty OTOH. Hopefully *that* has been remedied!

Thank you so much for all the details. Sounds like an eventful and thrilling crossing. Very envious, and glad it didn't put you off winter crossings. We have done both, and there is no comparison. Each has their charms, but the winter ones are the ones we prefer by far.

Looks amazing! My kind of crossing! When in the voyage did the snow occur? Closer to land, mid ocean, in port before you left?

I am in the same situation with my husband, but let me warn you if you haven't discovered already, this can be a very expensive pastime. Now about that Hapag-Lloyd cruise on Europa 2 to Norway...

These are my two main go-to's as well, along with "Paul and Carole Love to Travel". UK-based as well, and somewhere in the middle between Gary and Emma in terms of style and what they cover. Not gay, but certainly very gay friendly as they hang with all the other gay vloggers on some cruises and seem to be having a whale of a time. Just something about those British cruise vloggers tickles me...

This is the most exasperating aspect of a rough/windy crossing: just when the "fun" starts they close Deck 7 promenade, the glory of QM2. A couple of years ago we had a wonderfully rough winter crossing and Deck 7 was closed for almost 4 days. After three days, I just went outside via the stern just to be outdoors! I attempted a loop or two when others were doing it as well, fearing getting admonished (or worse) by the crew. Nothing happened, but I did feel like a miscreant.

Yes! Repair! It will have even more meaning for you despite (because of?) any lingering scars or imperfections. Were we closer, I would offer the services of my husband, who is a superb modeler and never shies away from a repair/rehabilitation. I am sure there are many like him in your corner of the UK.

Ouch! I would try to repair, as this is a model pre-remastering in 2017 and thus has the ship's original configuration. The new models may have the post 2017 config with the added BC cabins on Deck 13.

I am fully expecting the sartorial vibes/standards for a early an Spring cruise around Japan on QE to be different from our usual winter TA's on QM2, where there seems more reason to be more formally dressed every night almost. Will seem slightly odd packing a dinner jacket for such a cruise, but here's hoping it it won't be out of place. As an FYI we love the Cunard dress code, and are drawn to QM2 for that very reason, usually wearing some form of formal dress 5 out of the 7 nights, with the first and last nights excepted of course. As for a Japan cruise on QE it will probably just be in black tie the formal nights and jacket and tie (?) for the others.

Excellent. I know QE has done Canal transits before, now it looks like there will be more in her future. Count me in, especially since she fits through the old locks!

Being a "hardy soul" helps you to relish the drama of a winter crossing.

Is QE Panamax, i.e. able to fit through the original locks?