harpy3

On 9/9/2022 at 5:45 AM, tonyd285 said:

We have just returned from the August 28th sailing from Brooklyn to Southampton, followed by a few days in London.  First off, the embarkation process was utter chaos.  Cunard blamed the fiasco on US Immigration but who knows?  The ship itself was a mixed bag for me, a once in lifetime trip to say I had done it.  The cabin, a sheltered balcony, was pretty much standard cruise ship, on the small side compared to Celebrity or Holland America, and not at all plush.  The food in Brittania Restaurant was sometimes quite good and others seemed to represent a chef trying too hard.  The salads were weird, especially the Waldorf - a few grapes some walnuts a smidgen of greens in some kind of sauce.  The casino used a system I have not seen anywhere else for slots and I never quite figured it out.  On the other hand, the public spaces were very nice, the music was the best I have heard on a ship.  Both the classical musicians and the ship's band were top-notch.  The entertainers were very good.  Better than most in the cruise industry.  The lectures were very interesting.  The Tea, served every afternoon at 3:30PM was a lovely touch.  Only, Viking Ocean seems to do it as well.  Most guests followed the rules for proper attire but there were some who ignored compliance, T shirts, jeans and baseball caps on this ship, especially during lunch, dinner and Tea seemed very inappropriate.  If you are going up to London after the cruise I do recommend National Express coaches, inexpensive, prompt, and good service.  Overall, we did have a pleasant sailing and for a bucket list vacation I would recommend it.

We were on QE in June for Alaska cruise RT out of Vancouver.  Embarkation was a huge mess--worst I've ever been through.  So its not US Immigration--at least not just US.

On 5/18/2022 at 5:43 PM, Jack E Dawson said:

The drinks package, at $69/person/per day is pretty stiff for us and we drink a lot. Both passengers in the cabin must sign up for it. Don't forget Cunard allows you to bring unlimited wine, spirits, soda and water onboard.

Jack

Not according the Contract we must accept before online booking is complete.   But maybe that is just for US citizens and Brits get a different contract,

On 2/20/2022 at 2:42 PM, JSR said:

Thank you everyone for the Very helpful information. The dock info, dress, and about the cabin. 

 

@Kohl1957 Yes my husband was very fortunate to have those experiences. While he won't be sneaking into the engine room or shooting skeet off the back of the ship nor traveling with his dog, or watching the family car being loaded into the hull,  it will be a lot of fun. I also noticed you are from DC. My husband and I were born and raised there. He left in the 80s and I joined him early 90s. 

 

I was born in DC.  And now live in New Mexico.  I assume the NM means you live here also.

On 1/14/2022 at 10:48 AM, Host Hattie said:

@harpy3 I've merged your 2 threads asking about quarantine. If you want an official answer you will need to contact Cunard directly.

When are you due to sail ?

 

Tried that. They don't seem willing to respond to what I consider a reasonable question.

20 hours ago, Lesanne said:

Just back off QM2 there are isolation cabins which you are moved to, however we were positive and stayed in our cabin, Meals served to you we had a call at 830pm for our breakfast order and during the night the lunch and dinner menu was posted under the door. Then called mid morning to order, you can also use the room service menu

Did you mean  to say you tested negative?

24 minutes ago, Host Hattie said:

@harpy3 I've merged your 2 threads asking about quarantine. If you want an official answer you will need to contact Cunard directly.

When are you due to sail ?

 

Alaska in June 2022 (and hopefully things well be much better then).  However, we are taking our family--3 married children and 2 grandchildren.  With that many (10 of us) I'm trying to answer all concerns and issues that might arise.   Will try to contact Cunard directly.

Will anyone in authority with Cunard comment on the current quarantine policy on the QE if one tests positive while onboard.  Can one stay in their stateroom with person(s) they are booked with in that stateroom?    I find it quite annoying that management is not willing to be transparent about this very important concern for many of us.  I don't want to pay lots of money (we have booked 4 Queens Grills staterooms for a long postponed family reunion) and then, through likely no fault of mine,  test positive (I realize there is a risk) because I was "in contact with someone else" (who I may or may know) and be moved to a much less desirable stateroom--alone.

Cannot find the answer--maybe cannot find the right search words.  If one were to test positive while onboard, do you quarantine in your stateroom or are you sent to a Red Zone?

4 hours ago, Host Hattie said:

This article is dated early last year but the refit it's talking about was in November 2018

 

Queen Elizabeth In Dry Dock

Nice to see....thank you.  

 

When was the QE last refurbished?

I certainly hope the dress code does not change.  There are lots of cruise lines where nearly anything goes for those who don't like dressing for dinner.  We enjoy a chance to dress for the evening.  It will be a nice change after these pandemic years.  Even all our children and grandsons--millennials and younger--find it great fun.  We are taking them on another cruise next summer; did QM2 in 2019 and QE next in 2022, and they are already planning.  

I know for sure (because we just this week went through this).  We wanted to book a specific cruise (only one that matched everyone's work/school schedules) for summer family reunion requiring 4 staterooms.  Not enough availability in Princess for all, so we thought we'd book 2 Princess and 2 Queens--and "dine down" to Princess Grills.  Nope.  Only option was to all  "dine down" to the Britannia Dining Room.  So ended up with 4 Queens Grills rooms.  And everyone will have a really good time.

Thank you. 

Are there formal nights on QE cruise in Alaska.?

Is there a walk-through metal detector now?  It is a problem if one has an implant--like a hip replacement?

Just returned from the 7-day Independence Break cruise.  We took all of our family--4 married children, 2 grandchildren and ourselves (obviously).  It was somewhat different than a TA in overall feel, but still a great experience.  The ship looked grand and all were suitably impressed.  We were in Princess and the staff in the dining room especially could not have been better.  Traveling with 2 people with Celiac disease (1 in a wheelchair), a 7-year old, and a 15-year old with a serious nut allergy could have been a trial.  However, the wait staff were always wonderful, making sure everyone had delicious food that that was OK for them to eat. The waiters especially catered to the grandkids---knowing what they liked and bringing it without them asking.  Lots of chocolate ice cream and wafers.   Everyone on the ship was very nice.  I do think the level of dressing up was not quite like on a TA, but we did our bit to hold up the standards as all of us felt the "dressing up" was part of the fun.  Our family (first cruise for all but us) has been raving about the great time they had.  The QM2 is large enough provide something for everyone to do, yet to seldom seem crowded.  Kids Zone was a great hit with the 7-year old.   The 4th of July Party up top was fun--music, drinks, ice sculpture, hot dogs and burgers, and huge TV screening the Pops Concert and fireworks--which could also be seen from the ship.  Good job on Cunard's part.  I would do it again and recommend it.

What I don't understand is why people insist they want to sail on Cunard, but don't care to follow the traditions of dress that make it different and want it changed to suit them.  Are they just determined to  be perverse.  There are hundreds/thousands of cruise ships out there all the time that do not have the great traditions--and wonderful opportunities to "dress to the nines"-- that make Cunard a special event crossing.  Or are these folks just trolls.

19 hours ago, BlueRiband said:

 

I don't doubt what you saw, but I've never seen this on my sailings.  Yours is the only mention that I've seen of this practice.  Perhaps there was an outcry and it was quickly abandoned?  I must admit that I've not attended many of the big production shows but tend to gravitate towards the small ensemble performances.

Just to clarify:  I didn't "see" I took part in as we were in the Grills.  And it wasn't a huge area  

and, as I said, it was just in the evening for the big production shows.  See no reason for an outcry.  Most things are the same for everyone; however, there are a few perks for those who pay the higher fare.  

We did two TAs in 2017.  We were in Grills and for the shows in the evening there was a roped off early-seating area for Grills passengers (at least those Princess and Queens) but never saw or experienced that for any other event on the ship.

And going eastbound you can send the extra "dress up clothes"  home and not have to lug them around on your other travels.  We went over and back (a month apart) and I never noticed any difference--other than not experiencing jet lag on arrival either way.  In Princess or Queens Grill, your table is your table for entire journey and you can eat anytime during their meal hours..  The tables for two are close enough/far enough apart that you can/or not chat with the diners near you.  The best of all worlds in my opinion. 

There is for many (like my very motion-sickness afflicted husband) a miraculous device called the Relief Band.  Not the cheap pharmacy store one, but the $160+ one.  He said he'd never go on a ship--and we've now done 10, including two TAs.  Everyone I know who has used it is now a true believer.  And it doesn't have the side effects of drowsiness caused by some medications.

On this cruise and actually the 2nd formal night is Roaring Twenties.  

On 5/2/2019 at 5:47 PM, 3rdGenCunarder said:

When we were in PG a few years ago, our waiters showed us the next night's menu so we could decide if there was something we liked or if that would be a good night to order from the "advance notice" menu. Over the course of 2 weeks, I think some or all of us had most of the advance notice items. Many of them were flambeed--we were the pyromaniac table!

 

Thank you.  

Actually I'm always very nice to the staff

We are in Princess Grills.  At dinner, can we order an item that is on another menu (Brittania, Verandah).  Or do we have to order just off PG menu?