Cunard | QM2 | 13th July 2011 | Fjords | Anyone else onboard?

[goodclicks]

Hello guys and lasses. That's the final payment made so the countdown to my first Cunard Queen cruise is well and truly underway. I'm curious to try Cunard, and see the fjords, but the main draw is the ship herself. Are any of you going to be on this sailing, or does anyone have any Cunard tips to share?

[Whitemarsh]

Hello guys and lasses. That's the final payment made so the countdown to my first Cunard Queen cruise is well and truly underway. I'm curious to try Cunard, and see the fjords, but the main draw is the ship herself. Are any of you going to be on this sailing, or does anyone have any Cunard tips to share?

 

I did a Trans-Atlantic crossing last year from Southampton to New York. The QM2 is amazing and we spent embarkation day and most of the next day exploring the ship. We still didn't see everything and are looking forward to checking out a few things we missed on our next voyage.

 

The Chart room is great at night for drinks and jazz music after dinner. The Commodore Club is also great for late night drinks. The Queens Room is amazing when it's full and you can watch everyone dancing.

 

G32 (night club) was the only disappointment. Not the room, but the music. Not loud enough for me.

 

If you're in the Grills make sure you go the Grills Lounge for your afternoon tea. It's less crowded and the service is better. The Queens Room gets packed for afternoon tea so if you're not in the Grills head their 10 minutes prior to afternoon tea.

 

And take a tux and a suit. They'll stand you in good stead at night. Nearly all the guests follow the dress code. That's what makes Cunard at night very special.

[goodclicks]

Thank you for your advice. I love dressing for dinner on my cruises, it really makes an event of the evening, and isn't something that I'd be able to do anywhere near home without a wedding invitation. I'll not be taking a dinner suit though, I'm packing my kilt. The boyfriend (a first time cruiser) will take his dinner suit, and hopefully not the morning suit! I think I've possibly led him to believe Cunard is even more formal than in truth - that was in my efforts to undo the damage to cruising's reputation that was done in his mind after he saw my Carnival pictures! He points out that Leonardo wore borrowed tales on the Titanic. No doubt he is planning on recreating the bow scene, with me in the kilt taking the role of Kate.

 

Sadly we'll be in steerage, so we'll just have to glance longingly through the doors at the finer fair served to the posh folk in the Grills. I'm sure Britannia won't disappoint however.

[Whitemarsh]

Thank you for your advice. I love dressing for dinner on my cruises, it really makes an event of the evening, and isn't something that I'd be able to do anywhere near home without a wedding invitation. I'll not be taking a dinner suit though, I'm packing my kilt. The boyfriend (a first time cruiser) will take his dinner suit, and hopefully not the morning suit! I think I've possibly led him to believe Cunard is even more formal than in truth - that was in my efforts to undo the damage to cruising's reputation that was done in his mind after he saw my Carnival pictures! He points out that Leonardo wore borrowed tales on the Titanic. No doubt he is planning on recreating the bow scene, with me in the kilt taking the role of Kate.

 

Sadly we'll be in steerage, so we'll just have to glance longingly through the doors at the finer fair served to the posh folk in the Grills. I'm sure Britannia won't disappoint however.

 

It won't disappoint. The Britannia dining room is spectacular and it looks just like you would imagine the dining room of an ocean liner to look.

 

The nights are formal/semi-formal etc, depending on the dress code, but during the day everyone dresses normally - in jeans etc. Having said that it's still a better look during the day than you'd see on other cruise lines. Well, it was on our voyage anyway.

 

You won't be able to recreate the bow scene as you can't get near the the tip of the bow. But you can go for gold with any scene from the stern. One of you can slip and be saved by the other ;).

[severncruiser]

Hi, David & Graham here from Worcester! We sailed on the Queen Mary this time last year on a longer voyage to the Northern Cape! We had a great time,and am sure you both will to.The Queen Mary is unique,and stands apart from any other ship!Both engineering and style! The ports we are visiting are beautiful and easily accessible, perfect for a stress free break.Look forward to meeting up with you both.and anyone else that cares to join our roll call! Regards D & G

[goodclicks]

Good to hear from you, David and Graham.

 

I certainly need a stress-free break after the last cruise. It was perhaps the biggest (mis)adventure i've had in my life and, without exaggeration, I was still having nightmares about it three weeks after returning home.

 

I've been disappointed to discover recently that access to the spa is not included in the fare which I am very disappointed about, especially as the brochure leads one to believe it is. In colder climates especially I'd normally spend hours soaking up the heat. I've not heard back from Cunard as to whether there is a free to use sauna elsewhere (perhaps next to the covered pool?). Did you discover one on your North Cape voyage?

 

I hope we'll meet you onboard.

[severncruiser]

Sorry we never ventured to the spa, but I believe you can buy a spa pass at very reasonable rates for the duration of the cruise! The weather we had last year was great for sunbathing, we came back with a tan!So lets hope for the same this trip! What happened with the last cruise you were on ?? my imagination is running wild! We are trying to arrange a Cruise Critic meet and greet, on the main roll call page! check it out,bit quiet there??Regards Graham.

[goodclicks]

Haha - I'm not sure that your imagination could come up with what i went through on the last trip. It's quite a story so if you wish to hear it we could meet in a bar somewhere as I might need a strong cocktail for the recounting of it.

 

I'll have to check out the price for the spa (I know that a one-day pass costs $40) and decide whether I will make enough use of it to justify the additional expense (probably not). Fingers firmly crossed for good weather. I didn't get it on the last trip and relaxation and the sun were the two main reasons for booking it. The best laid plans...

 

Do you have any tips for the ports we will be in in Norway? I've had a flick through the excursions and nothing i fair grabbing me as being essential to see. I quite like the sound of the glacier however, so i may check out whether it's possible to see it independently. I've read that alcohol is extremely expensive in Norway - and that decent money can be made by selling bottles of malt to pubs. That would help cover my spa cost!

[severncruiser]

Hi, 40 dollars sounds expensive per day for the spa! I know someone who went on the first day of a 14 day cruise and got a special $180.00! The ports of call are all beautiful and within easy walking of the ship, so we just checked them out and didnt do any ship tours! not really into being herded around either!! so we will be doing much of the same,except visiting a few places that we missed last time! Drinks are very expensive in Norway, and especially spirits, so we usually try out the local beers! We received our travel documents Thursday,we opted for a guarantee and was surprised that they gave us a cabin number so early, must be filling up quite quickly. I saw you both signed into the other roll call, lets hope we can sort a meet and greet out! Regards, Graham.

[goodclicks]

It's getting closer! I'm starting to look into independent tours now, and the more i read the more i think we will see most of everything within walking distance and from the ship. The pictures I've seen so far look absolutely stunning (especially of Geiranger Fjord) so fingers crossed for clear weather.

 

SevernCruiser: Have you been on other lines besides Cunard? Besides the obvious how do you find they compare? I will try and restrain myself from making too many comparisons to my other ships - especially when this will be Kevin's first time aboard a ship - but I'm sure I will anyway (annoying as it is) as that's part of the fun.

[martyricky]

Hi Guys,

 

Looking forward to meeting you all, the ship, the fjords and hopefully really hot and sunny weather!

 

Martin and Phillip

[goodclicks]

Hi Martin and Phillip. I see from the main roll call that you are in a balcony cabin... I think a balcony down on deck 4 should be great being closer to the water. I'm quite jealous of that - it'll really connect you with the sea. What were your previous cruises? One a decade - do you only cruise on a birthday/anniversary? :-)

[martyricky]

hi goodclicks!

 

yea sort of birthdays anniversaries. the first cruise was planned that way for our 10th anniversary we went on one of the first RSVP cruises in the Caribbean. fab time and still in touch with our table companions from the cruise. We were the youngest! just about guys on the ship and the only English guys. Then we went again ten years later, not so much fun out of LA I think down to Mexico.

 

This year is our frist 'saga' cruise! lol

 

Will be off line for a while as traveling so catch you in a week or so well before our grand QM2 trip.

 

Should be great!!

 

cheers, Martin

[goodclicks]

I'll be interested to hear how the gay cruises compare. I'm not sure if I'll ever go on one - but it would be a new experience as I run out of fresh ports to visit, I suppose.

 

Have you let Cunard know about the anniversary and birthday? They offer a package to people celebrating around the time of their cruise. I've no idea whether it applies to gay relationships pre-civil partnerships tho. With Cunard's big gay following I'd be surprised if they didnt though.

 

Enjoy your travels.

[goodclicks]

Packing is well under way. I'm sure I'm taking too much as usual, but better to be prepared when weather is unpredictable, even though I'll curse the extra weight as we transfer trains across London. What I'm not so used to packing is so many suits and jackets. They really eat up the suitcase space. How do people who fly out to a Cunard cruise manage?

[martyricky]

and hope the seas aren't gonna be rough, trying to decipher the metoffice forecast. Well hopefully the captain will understand it better than me!

 

weather looks like it could be sunnyish and no rain in Norway too! possibly who knows let's see!

[goodclicks]

I'm hoping for rougher seas! I like my transatlantic and repositioning crossing an enjoy the extra movement of the ship when it's rougher. My last few trips have all been on billiard table smooth seas (enough turbulence and excitement on the last voyage otherwise!). My fisherman friend reports that the seas should be smooth this time. He'll be looking out for us too as he occasionally sees passing cruise ships.

 

I'm looking forward to meeting you and lots of new people onboard. Hope we'll meet at the Friends of Dorothy or cruise critic gatherings but if not feel free to give us a call (room 4160) and we'll arrange to meet in a bar somewhere.

 

I still chuckle at the name 'Friends of Dorothy'. After their last cruise my mother asked if I attended, but Dad asked about the 'Friends of Rachael'! Quite where he got that from, I've no idea. He also said "half the bloody ship were there"!