BobBranst

Just keep in mind that if there is a problem on your 3rd party tour and you are unable to get back to the ship by departure time, the ship may not wait for you.

 

We had a incident with a non-Cunard tour in Costa Rica a few years ago. The tour's van broke down and they had to call and wait for replacement that was located 40-50 miles away. We did make it back to the ship - just barely! That was enough of a scare for us to be very careful when booking tours since then.

Bob

The current QM2 deck plans shown on the Cunard website shows the Deck 4 IC class inside cabins as being located in Mid-Fwd and Mid-Aft. The Mid-Fwd inside cabins are located above the Royal Court Theater. The Mid-Aft cabins are located over the Britannia Restaurant. However, I've had friends stay in both locations and never found noise to be a problem.

Since you plan to take a bus/coach, is there a reason not to just take the Cunard coach service to London?

On one of our east bound crossings there was a medical emergency that required helicopter evacuation while the QM2 was too from the nearest medical helicopter facility . The captain increased the speed of the ship through out the night to get to within the range of helicopters. I believe that was the only time that the gas turbine engines were used while we have been on the ship. When the helicoper arrived, the captain asked that everyone stay inside their cabins while the transfer was being made. I supose because of the danger from the down draft. The whole process took less than 15 minutes. We never heard anything about the patients condition after leaving the ship.

Bob

If our table doesn't work out next month, I fully intend to ask for a table for 2 or, worse comes to worst, eat in the buffet every night, I can't imagine dreading dinner every night for a week.

You may need to rethink plan "B" (table for 2), since they are very popular and seldom available after embarkation :(

 

Bob

If I buy ££ from Travelex and pick up from their store in downtown Chicago, I can buy £40 and only overpay by about $5. I recommend that option for anyone looking to obtain ££ before arrival.

 

We usually try to get into to NYC at least a day before an east bound crossing. There are many walk in places there (especially in tourist areas) that exchange money at competitive rates.

 

Some have suggested getting foreign currency through a local (US) bank, but at least in our part of the country, there is a fairly high minimum which is frequently more than we need since most places in the UK and the rest of Europe take US credit cards.

Forget the rumour, let's make it real.:D

I'll second that! :D

Why this should be difficult is a mystery to UK dancers because the Quickstep in its basic form is quite easy to learn by anyone who knows the fundamentals of dancing. A mixture of just progressive chasse/locksteps/spin turns etc is all that's needed to get a beginner around the smallish Cunard dance-floors. One can easily pick this up from Youtube. Yes, of course, there are many tricky advance movements but on crowded floors you rarely need them. Cunard play a lot of up-tempo music so it's well worth picking up the basic Quickstep.

I don't think that it is a question of difficulty, but more of demand. While I'm sure there are exceptions, I personally have never been to a American ballroom dance where the Quickstep has been performed. Our first experience with the Quickstep was on our first QM2 crossing. After that, we bought a Quickstep DVD and learned enough to get around the floor for our next Cunard voyage.

I have a friend trying to plan her first cruise. She wants to be able to take dance lessons on the cruise and then dress up for formal night and go dancing. Does Cunard have these types of dance lessons on their cruises?

If your friend is not an experienced ballroom dancer, I would suggest that she take some private lesson at a local dance studio prior to the cruise. There are private dance lessons available on board , but the cost is likely to be much higher than at home.

 

The free dance lessons taught on board are normally International Ballroom Style as opposed to the American Smooth Ballroom Style which is usually found in American venues on land. However, we have found the classes to be good for those wishing to try some International steps not usually taught in the US. Finding dance teachers in the US who can teach the Quickstep can prove to be somewhat difficult.:D

Hi, we are considering doing the transatlantic round trip on QM2 next year. Firstly is there enough to do onboard to keep 2 40 somethings amused for 12 days at sea

We have previously taken 5 TA crossings on the QM2 and will be taking back to back crossings from NY this December. There are usually many different activities occuring at a given time during the day, so you will have to choose. There never seems to be enough hours in the day to do everything you would like to do. The ship's Daily Programme for the next day is brought to your stateroom in the evening so you can decide what to do the next day before going to bed. Be sure to bring along a high-lighter pen.

I'm not paid to post. The headline writers, on the other hand, are.

I'm sure the person who corrected the headline shortly after it was posted was also being paid.;)

Typos happen, but that's why stories need to be fact-checked and proofread. The story should be corrected BEFORE it goes out.

Perhaps in a perfect world where time is no object, but it simply not going to happen all of the time in today's fast paced world. People who post on Cruise Critic or other public forums should also fact-check and proofread whenever they post, but how many times have we seen the QE mistakenly referred to as the QE2 on this forum? Mistakes occur all of the time on the internet, but unlike the printed media like newspapers, mistakes can be corrected quickly when the mistakes are found.

I saw a Fox News headline claiming it was QM2 herself (complete with photos of the one in Long Beach). The article was more specific.

 

Queen Mary 2 in urgent need of repairs to prevent sinking, experts warn

That story was corrected by the time I looked at it this morning. I guess some people think that the media never makes a typo. :eek:

On a transatlantic crossings, we usually chose to get an obstructed view balcony. They are frrequently cheaper than a sheltered balcony and offer all the advantages of a regular balcony with the exception of view. There really isn't much to see once you leave New York until you approach Southampton, and you can get a better view then by going up to top deck or down to deck 7. Obstructed views are all located on deck 8 and mostly mid-ship, which can cut down on motion in rough seas.

While any line at arriving or departing from a port call is bound to result in complaints, my recollection is that in both directions, the security lines were endless in our Chilean port calls (Punta Arenas & Puerto Montt). Hopefully your experience will differ.

It appeares that your experience with security in Chile was far different ours. However, I know from past experience that security delays can and do occur in many, if not most, international ports. One of our longest security delays ever occurred in Fort Lauderdale and it has been one of the fastest on other cruises. You never know ...

 

Bob

I'm certain Cunard will provide a shuttle. This is a case where I might recommend taking a Cunard transfer excursion. We took a cruise on Celebrity a couple of years ago. We had booked an overnight at a small B&B and expected to take a cab from the terminal.

 

To be frank, the Valparaiso cruise terminal is chaos. Everybody had something pre-booked. Complicating things, I believe, is that in Chile all taxis are privately owned and negotiated. Also English is NOT commonly spoken.

 

So, at a minimum, I'd recommend pre-booking and if not with Cunard, make sure you have firm commitments and clear communication on meeting your ride.

 

And njkruzer is right. Chile is very persnickety about its forms - and port calls all had security bottlenecks.

 

I also believe most flights are red-eyes, so it's common for transfers (cruise line and independent) to include a bit of sightseeing including the vineyards north of Valparaiso before arriving at the airport. (the area is VERY similar in geography and climate to the SF Bay Area).

 

By the way, if extending is an option, we REALLY enjoyed spending a couple of nights in Santiago. Very vibrant, artistic and beautiful. We really didn't know what to expect, but prefered it greatly over Buenos Aires.

 

When we were on the QM2 WC (segments) last year, I could be wrong, but I do recall Cunard offering a transfer to Santiago. We arranged transportation to Santiago with a tour of Vina Del Mar with About Chile Tours. We had a tour guide who spoke excellent English. After touring Vina Del Mar, the guide took us to a local restaurant where we had very good food and waiters who also spoke good English. They are very flexible and will tailor the tour to your wishes. The really nice thing was that if you can find some other passengers who would like to join you - the price goes down accordingly.

 

We didn't find the paper work or security to be particularly difficult. Unlike Argentina and Brazil, there is no Reciprocity Fee in Chile.

 

Santiago is beautiful city with a population of over 6 million. Like many cities in Europe, there are so-called "free" walking tours where you just pay what you think the tour was worth. We took one there that was excellent.

 

If you can arrainge the time, a few days in Santiago is a great place to experience before the long flight back to the USA.

You got that right, didn't see those folks on Cunard. We did, however, meet a member of our diplomatic corps being rotated back to the States along with her family and dogs on the QM2. It led me to believe that I was in the wrong business.:rolleyes:

Glad to say that I've never seen kids running around on the Queens Room dance floor on either the QM2 or QE. I did however, once see a mother dancing (well, sort of dancing) with her 8 year old boy immaculatley dressed in a Tuxedo with patent leather shoes.

 

Bob

But, families would allow their young children to cavort on the dance floor while we were dancing.

Cavorting children aren't much for line of dance!!

 

Score another one for Cunard!

 

Bob

I like a supper club concept, but I recall one ship, I think Carnival that had a dance combo in the specialty dining room.

We'd have go there for drinks and dancing.

I've never been real fond of venues that have food and dancing in the same room. Invariably, little remnants of the food ends up on the dance floor and onto your dance shoes. Don't even get me started about drinks spilled on the dance floors.

 

Bob

Gee Bob working a Playboy Club for 11 years, what a hardship!!:D

I hadn't thought about it in terms of supper clubs, but like the QM2, the old Playboy Club had 3 separate entertainment rooms that featured a good jazz trio in one (much like the Chart Room), a showroom like the Royal Court Theatre with a good show band, and and a separate room for dancing like the Queens Room with a dance band. Of course, the QM2 doesn't have the "Bunnies" …

 

Oh well, you can't have everything :p

DW and I are of opposite political persuasion, and we make it a point to never tune to any news channel while we are on board. It makes for a more enjoyable voyage.

It's a shame that being a musician is a tuff way to make a living.

What venues, symphonic, big band, jazz combos?

Do you also play the "Thud Staff" bass guitar? I'll bet that you have some stories to tell.

 

Sorta like you, I have a Martin Guitar and a nylon classical sitting beside my desk in my home office, but nobody want's to hear me play and sing.

I did them all at one time or another, although my symphonic experience was limited. Kansas City is known as a Jazz town, so I grew up playing jazz in clubs and in concerts. I worked in the showroom at the old KC Playboy Club for 11 years. That was great experience, backing "name" and "semi-name" singers & comedians with a brand new show to learn every week. It's sad that those kind of places no longer exist for the young players of today.

 

As far as electric bass is concerned, I have always hated the sound they produce and I only played Fender bass only when a particular show absolutely demanded it. I sold the Fender shortly after I left the Playboy Club and never touched one again.

 

Bob

I don't think that I've ever met a professional musician who could afford to retire; did you marry well?:D

What did you play or still do, did you teach or have a 2nd career?

Actually, I was able to make a very good living playing full time for about 25 years. However, there reached a point where I could see that the music business was changing due to various life style, economics and technology factors, so I went back to college for a business/computer science degree.

For many years I worked in data processing/programming during the week days and played music on the weekends.

 

Even though I no long play, I make double basses (bass viol, upright bass) as a hobby. I married well :) to a former high schol English teacher (married 41 years). We started dancing just before our first QM2 TA in 2012 and usually go dancing, to live music, at least twice a week plus lessons. Since I was always playing when I was younger, I had never, ever, danced prior to that.

 

Bob

In our part of the UK most of the best ballroom-dancing venues vary the dance nights between recorded strict-tempo CDs, live music on keyboard or organ, and occasionally a 'big band' night.

However, it has to be said that some of the 'big bands' are not always consistent at strict-tempo and, for this reason, many experienced ballroom dancers prefer to dance to strict-tempo recorded music. This also rings true for some of the dancers on the various Cunard ships.

 

Of course, it's always nice to hear the 'big-bands' and many people feel that the band's cavalier attitude (and sometimes sheer lack of knowledge) is a small price to pay for the pleasure of live dance-band music. Never the less we have a few specialist dance-bands that really know their business and these are often used for the top competitions.

Yes, I understand that many dancers with far more experience than myself insist on "strict tempo" music. However, having a real live dance band in the Queens Room is one of our top reasons for cruising with Cunard. It doesn't bother me if the tempos are not absolutely metronome perfect. I can always adjust my dancing to the music - live or recorded.

 

Bob

Bob,we have attended some senior dances that were subsidized by the community with 20 piece orchestras and Dance Weekends in the Texas Hill country(our Cotswolds:D) for a fair sum of money, to dance with the Glenn Miller rendition, and Sentimental Journey Orchestras. The latter all wore WWII Army Air Force uniforms, a nice touch.

We have similar weekly senior dances here too sponsored by the various community centers in the metro area. Unfortunatley, most of the "dancers" that attend these dances tend to be more elderly and seem to have no concept of real ballroom style dancing or of ballroom dance floor etiquette. However, we are fortunate that several of the area dance studios and ballrooms regularly feature live dance bands in addition to the usual recorded dance music. Being a retired professional musician, we try to support the places that hire live musicians for their dances.

 

Bob