QE2 - January 3, 2006 - Six Day Crossing

[eroller]

Dup Post

[eroller]

Peter, no not at all. I objected to them selling this trip cheaper in America than in the UK.

 

 

 

Unfortunately this happens all the time at almost every cruise line, not just Cunard. Prices vary from the US to the UK, and nine times out of ten the price will be lower in the US. Even in the US, cruise prices will vary from state to state, as many lines will offer "regional promos" that are only offered in certain states. You must be a resident of that state in order to receive the promo. Florida residents are notorious for receiving lower cruise rates.

 

Most major lines also offer last minute promos which are not available to those already booked. It's an aspect of the cruise industry that contradicts itself. They strongly encourage you to book early, then they screw you in the end with lower rates that you can't obtain. What are the chances you will book early next time, unless you truly have to? The luxury lines tend to steer clear of this practice, but Cunard is not a luxury line so the practice is alive and well, especially since Princess took over inventory management.

 

Basically, cruise line yield management is becoming more and more sophisticated as the lines adopt the software and practices that airlines have used for years. As you know, very few passengers on an airplane are paying the same fare. The person sitting on either side of you has likely paid a different rate for the same seat. This same yield strategy is becoming more and more common at cruise lines ... where the person in the very next identical cabin as yours is paying a completely different rate (could be cheaper, could be more expensive).

 

I can tell you this practice is not going away, so you have two choices. One .. you can boycott all the major cruise lines if you want to give up cruising all together. Two .. you can book your cruises at a rate and value acceptable to you, and not worry about what everyone else is receiving. There will always be benefits of booking early (prime cabin location, dining choice. etc) but one of those benefits may not be the lowest rate on the sailing.

 

Ernie

[Cruising Ken]

Ernie, I almost never book early, choosing to cruise on a ship when the price is right. Rather than for a specific itenery.

 

I was just annoyed that had Cunard given me this offer when I rang them 3 weeks ago, I would now be looking forward to joining you for this winter crossing.

[Calliope]

Once we've all got our allocations we'll have to do some sort of comparison between what we booked, what we got, and whether we were past pax.....and see whether there is ANY rhyme or reason to how it gets worked out.....over a Dry Martini or three, I think.....

 

Peter

 

I would think that Cunard's rhyme or reason will become much more apparent over three dry martinis or more! That is provided that they are properly shaken not stirred.

[NewtoQE2]

Hi. Thanks for the good wishes!

 

I haven't received any documents or any information so know very little about the trip. My brother called me a couple of weeks ago, told me about the fantastic fare, and talked me into going. He made all the arrangements. He has sailed on the QM2, but this will be the first time on the QE2 for all of us - my brother, his partner, my step-mom, and me. It's a motley crew, but we have a good time. :)

 

I have been told that I should expect four nights of formal wear (long dresses and tuxes) for dinner. It has been mentioned that the other two nights are casual, but what exactly is "casual" these days?

 

Thanks,

Christy

[Calliope]

Welcome, Christy and family!

 

You're right about the four formal nights and what you should wear. The first night out and last are less dressy, but a jacket and tie for men and a nice dress or pantsuit for the ladies would be appropriate. On the first night though, I wouldn't sweat it if your luggage doesn't make it to the room by dinner. There will be others in the same situation. If it happens to me, you'll see me at table in the Caronia wearing the same pants, collared shirt and sweater I left from my home in the day before.

[eroller]

 

I was just annoyed that had Cunard given me this offer when I rang them 3 weeks ago, I would now be looking forward to joining you for this winter crossing.

 

I totally understand. It's completely frustrating. I was just stating that almost all cruise lines do it, not just Cunard.

 

I'm sorry you won't be joining us.

 

Ernie

[NewtoQE2]

Thanks, Calliope! That's the dress code that I imagined. The luggage situation should be interesting. :rolleyes:

 

Another question...which may sound extremely silly....

 

I will be staying with some family on Hayling Island before we sail. Because of this, I will definitely have English pounds with me. On the ship, however, is the currency assumed to be pounds, also? I've assumed so but wanted to make sure.

 

Thanks again for the advice!

--CJ

[juliecat]

CJ,

 

The currency onboard QE2 is the US dollar. Doesn't make a lot of snse anymore, but there you go.

 

Packing all those gowns is always a challenge. My rules are no full skirts and all the dresses must coordinate with two pairs of shoes! The airline lost my luggage on my way to the Caronia two years ago, so I know I can make due with much less, but I do so enjoy getting glammed up in the evenings!

 

Julia

[Ab Ovo]

Does this make sense? Cunard told me "some" cabin assignments of this crossing were going to be made later rather than earlier .... something about in the lower-priced grades the "better" or "more-requested" cabins therein were always kept assigned to those on the World for the longest time. You know, if a single in an inside cabin, you might get a cabin way toward the bow or stern, rather than mid-ship....

 

You might try to book the inside with a tub for the SOU-NYC crossing a year out, might ask for it, but it seems that cabin would go to one on for the full World.

 

It sounded as if that was what they were doing with the lower Cs ...all grades, actually, giving the "best" space to those on for the longest time. (I did ask three people, this time got similar answers.)

 

The more I talk to them, they do seem to know what they are doing.

[NewtoQE2]

CJ,

 

Packing all those gowns is always a challenge. My rules are no full skirts and all the dresses must coordinate with two pairs of shoes! The airline lost my luggage on my way to the Caronia two years ago, so I know I can make due with much less, but I do so enjoy getting glammed up in the evenings!

 

Julia

 

Thanks, Julia! I like your rules...my skirts are all straight, and I may be able to get away with one pair of formal shoes (black, of course). The next trick will be to pack for casual/informal wear for a winter crossing. I've only ever sailed in July! Although I'm terribly casual on a daily basis, I'm looking forward to dressing for dinner.

 

Thank you for indulging my questions!

--Christy (CJ)

[juliecat]

CJ,

Think Cashmere; it takes up so little space and is nice and toasty for breezy evenings. I always pack a black cashmere cardigan just in case the dining room is chilly. I don't really do casual in the dining room, so I'll pack two cocktail dresses. The evening wear always seems easier than the daywear.

 

I tavel alone, so I have to limit myself to one checked bag and one carryon both of which I can lift easily by myself (we won't talk about the extra weight from the bottles coming back!)

 

Can anyone tell me if there are US type electrical outlets in the cabins (outside of the bathroom)? I need to carry my laptop this trip.

 

Julia

[tandemtourer]

Julia,

 

I seem to recall that an adequate number were available in our cabin when we crossed in 2003. My "toybag" weighed approximately 16 pounds and contained all the chargers for the cameras and the Palm Pilot.

 

Rebecca

[travel-to-go]

CJ,

 

 

Can anyone tell me if there are US type electrical outlets in the cabins (outside of the bathroom)? I need to carry my laptop this trip.

 

Julia

I haven't been on the QE2, but my experience with other Cunard vessels was that there was 1 outlet on the desk. It was round (110 V) and slightly inset. So my recommendation (I always do this. It packs small and if you don't need it it's no big deal) take along one of those small plugs which has three female outlets and one male- It's a compact unit. Then I always always always bring a six position surge protector/ outlet strip. I have never regretted that. There are always several things you need to charge at once- camera batteries, hot rollers, laptop battery, etc. Better safe than sorry. One year my father brought along a CPAP machine (for sleep apnea- a mask with forced air you wear at night to keep the breathing passages open.) Turned out HAL had only outlets in the bathroom and no extension cords available!

 

We had to cobble together our surge protector outlet strips for dad to use his machine. Then do without til we reached St Thomas and hit the Radio Shack there.

So that is my suggestion. You can never be too thin, too rich, or have too many extension cords!

[starbug]

Hi juliecat,

 

We were on the QE2 recently, in cabin 1019 and there was one 240V UK socket and one 110V US socket on the chest of drawers beside the double bed.

 

Hope this helps,

 

Starbug.

[juliecat]

Starbug,

 

That sounds perfect! Thanks for the electric confirmation.

 

Julia

[Ken_W]

Jus spent some time catcing up on the last several pages, seems like a remarkable group of travelers! I too would dearly like to see those deckplans mentioned earlier... pages and pages ago it seems. It just dawned on me that I'm leaving one month from today (spending a week in London prior to boarding) and I'm not packed yet. I've started, of course, but I'm not done...

 

I've gleaned two items of information that may be of use for those staying in London pre-voyage; the Jubilee line on the tube will be closed between Christmas and New Year's for track upgrades, and the gem show at the Natural History Museum has closed three months early as the police caught wind of a planned robbery attempt. Oh, and December the 28th is the 940th anniversary of the dedication of Westminster Abbey. Happy 940th!

 

PS Calliope, glad you finally got your cabin assignment!

[eroller]

FYI for anyone still interested in booking this crossing, the "Flash Promo" starting at $599 is still be offered, with one major change. The price originally included one-way air to London from the East Coast, but the air offer has been retracted. Basically, Cunard has run out of their cheap seats and can no longer afford to offer air. Even at cruise only $599 is cheap for QE2, but getting air to London at this point will not be inexpensive (it will be more than the cruise). Most transatlantic flights on January 2nd are near sold out.

 

Ernie

[juliecat]

If you're flying from the West coast of the US take a look at Virgin Atlantic. They have a flight Jan 2/3 from San Francisco to London one way (no return purchase required) for $338 including all taxes. I just pulled it up on Orbitz a couple minutes ago; there are 22 seats left on the flight including a few aisle seats. Between the $599 cruise and the $338 airfare this could be a very inexpensive holiday!

 

Julia

[eroller]

If you're flying from the West coast of the US take a look at Virgin Atlantic. They have a flight Jan 2/3 from San Francisco to London one way (no return purchase required) for $338 including all taxes. I just pulled it up on Orbitz a couple minutes ago; there are 22 seats left on the flight including a few aisle seats. Between the $599 cruise and the $338 airfare this could be a very inexpensive holiday!

 

Julia

 

 

That's an amazing price ... especially considering the next cheapest option from SFO is on AA and the price is $1004.

 

From Atlanta the best price is $888.

From JFK it will set you back $704, but that is on MAXjet. Not sure how comfortable I would be traveling on them. I believe they only have one jet.

 

Ernie

[guernseyguy]

...three dry martinis or more! That is provided that they are properly shaken not stirred.

 

Nooooooooooooooo! Yuk Yuk Yuk....... I wonder if the QE2 holds the Martini Classes they run on the QM2.....? Well, I guess one mans shaken is another man's poison......;)

 

Peter, Changi Airport, SQ Lounge

[dougnewmanatsea]

I'm not packed yet. I've started, of course, but I'm not done...

Of course??? I haven't even started thinking about packing yet, let alone actually doing it :) !

 

there are 22 seats left on the flight including a few aisle seats.

22 seats left on that flight doesn't mean 22 at that fare.

 

You can check fare class availability for most flights here, if you know what fare code you want. Unfortunately I can only find the fare you mentioned on Orbitz, which doesn't tell you what fare code a given fare is, so I can't check availability for that fare class on that flight. Surprisingly most fare classes are wide open, but I suspect many of those fare classes would require a round-trip purchase.

 

Anyhow, just by virtue of the fact that there are any inexpensive seats open, this flight is definitely the exception to the rule. Most flights to and from London on 2 Jan will be quite expensive. Depending on where you live, you might be able to do better by flying out a day early (1 Jan). Clearly availability on 2 Jan is pretty limited if Cunard can't offer an air-inclusive fare any longer. So if anyone on this side of the pond is still thinking of booking, do it soon or you may find yourself with no way to get to London.

 

I suspect for those in the UK, the problem is less severe as there should be pretty decent availability on 9 Jan from NYC (Newark or JFK) to London and other major UK cities.

 

From JFK it will set you back $704, but that is on MAXjet. Not sure how comfortable I would be traveling on them. I believe they only have one jet.

I agree with you on that... As long as they only have one aircraft, I personally would feel a little jittery flying them if I had a ship I had to catch the next day.

 

If going to, say, spend a week in London, I might go for it as the fare is good and the product is business-class. But for this trip I wouldn't, not unless I were flying in several days early.

[transat_jon]

Good advice from Doug, with the transats there is no option of catching the ship the next day at the next port if your plane does not fly!

 

I am always pessimistic about airlines (especially in winter) myself so either arrive in port the day before or ensure there is more than one way of getting to my destination (even with the latest European laws about air delays, I have had to wait around for 3 hours for a flight in June this year).

 

The cost of needing to get a transat ticket on the day because your airline does not fly is not worth contemplating.

[guernseyguy]

...unlike Ruth Brown, they're not going to sit on it, but they ARE going to give it away! Cunard emailing announcing new online booking system:

 

"The offer runs for 7 days from 24th November - 1st December 2005. Each day, the first person to make an online booking on QE2 in 2006 of 12 nights or more will win a complimentary Transatlantic Crossing for 2 on QE2 from Southampton to New York departing January 3 2006. "

Peter, Jakarta

[eroller]

...unlike Ruth Brown, they're not going to sit on it, but they ARE going to give it away! Cunard emailing announcing new online booking system:

 

[/font]

 

 

Poor Cunard, they can't seem to give this sailing away. People don't know what they are missing!

 

Ernie