Aug 9th crossing comments and Tips for others

[nutmegger]

:)We had a great time. :)

The ship took a more southerly route to avoid the remains of TS Harvey which gave better weather (some to mostly sunny and temps in the 70's) than normal and the seas were very calm (the graph on the cabin TV showed 5 to 6 on the prior crossing versus 1-3 for us both on a scale of 10)

 

The comments on this board really helped us here are a few key tips among them plus mine:

1) Don't miss the restaurant booking table which is in the corner away from the photo id and check in station in NY (we booked a nice dinner in Lotus for the first night which included a sampling 12 Asian dishes so we could see the sailing past NY)

2) If you book connecting balcony cabins you do not have a love seat in the cabin-but, it appears that all balcony cabins connect via a door on the balcony which can be opened by the steward

3) The Zone kids program was a big hit with my 9 year old who was there almost every minute of the day (hours are from 9am-midnight with 2 hour lunch and dinner breaks), my 15 year old went once and decided to do things on her own

4) The Oxford lectures were great my wife and I and our 15 year old attended most of them (in particular Simon Singh did an outstanding job of simplifying complex science and math)

5) Make sure you check out all of the areas in the buffet dining areas for breakfast and lunch-each area serves different foods with different options- for example custom cooked omelets and waffles were only available in one place and the Lotus (Asian area) usual had an assortment of cold seafood (for example: smoked fish, cocktail shrimp, lobster tails and crab)

6) If you want something special for dinner ask- We saw on this board the alternate options of strip steak, chicken breast and salmon, but also saw people with shrimp cocktail at dinner- we asked our waiter and he said he could try to get it for us, but assured us that we would get it for the following night dinner we asked and got it for the next night.

7) We opted for the early dinner which would be a problem if you were on a cruise and needed to get back after a day of shore visits; we found this a better option with our younger daughter-also the seating time is 6 PM, but actual runs until 6:30 and we usually arrived near 6:30.

8) The soda pass was back on our crossing-but we chose to limit our kids to the included beverages with meals (the lemonade was great and other choices generally included iced tea, apple juice, and one or two others)

9) If you want a photo portrait memory make sure you get one taken overlooking the grand lobby, it is a beautiful background compared to the phony backgrounds in the main corridor, the boarding or dining room.

 

If I think of any other comments and tips I will add them to this thread later. Hope these helped and have a great trip.

[gracecarmo]

Nutmegger: thanks for the info.

Questions: is there another restaurant other than Lotus that can be reserved on the first night? We like Asian, but our traveling buddies really do not care for that type of food.

In place of the sofa for a connecting room, what is in place of it?

 

We leave on Oct. 8...can't wait.

Also, thanks for the hint on the door on the balcony that can be opened.

 

Grace

[Seatrvl]

Can you advise the in room amenities, just checking to see if there are irons/and or ironing boards in the rooms. We are traveling Sep 2nd.

Also your take on the evening dress requirements?

[Pincus]

Nutmegger, thanks for your notes; look forward to more...

 

and welcome back!

 

By any chance, do you have any experience with booking a guarantee cabin on this ship?

 

Thanks.

 

Pincus

[atticus]

Can you advise the in room amenities, just checking to see if there are irons/and or ironing boards in the rooms.

 

Irons and ironing boards are located in the laundry rooms found on each passenger deck. I suggest getting your ironing done in the morning if you will need it that night - there tends to be a pile up around dinner time with last minute dressers trying to get at the two irons.

 

Laundry service will press/iron for a fee too.

[nutmegger]

duplicate message deleted

[nutmegger]

In cabins which connect you have a door in place of the loveseat. There are several alternate restaurants available- but some have a surcharges the Asian and Italian do not and I believe there is one other without a surcharge the only one we ate in was the Asian.

[rula40]

Thanks for your tips and I will be taking your advice on a number of things. On the subject of ironing, Is there any point in taking a travel iron, we are in a B3 cabin, so would there be a suitable top to iron on?

 

 

Thanks

[nutmegger]

As I recall, there was a notice in the room that irons were not allowed.

[traveling mama]

There is a laundry room on every deck...I think. And in there you will find an ironing board and an iron to use for free. The washers and dryers are also free AND there is soap available to use as well.

[JGR01]

FORGET about ironing.

 

I bring tux shirts and have the ship laundy do them... men's shirts in general never pack well enough not to require a touching up.

 

I unpacked my luggage. Made piles for the Butler of what I needed done (laundry and ironing) .. I assumed I would need express service . but he told me that I was early enough on sailing day to get 'next day' service anyhow. Saved me 50%!

 

The total bill for like 4 tux shirts, ironing 2 full tuxes and two extra tux jackets and probably 6 dress shirts was under $60. About the price of a bottle of wine or some drinkes and I was set for the WHOLE Crossing.

 

NOT WORTH THE EFFORT. Let someone else sweat the wrinkes. You are on vacation!

 

Correct.. irons are 'not allowed' in cabins because of fire hazzard. You wanna burn down the QM2 just cuz you want to save a bit of money on your laundry bill???

 

PS .. those with Butler Service (Queen's Grill cabins for certain) .. your butler can and will iron for an extra tip! Talk nice!

[mufi]

Of course all this is true, but there may be many on board who (a) do not have a butler or an ocean view and (b) have scrimped and saved for some time just to be able to afford to be aboard, and do not have the cash for extras like laundry and extra tipping above the fixed amount.

 

Takes all sorts to make a passenger list nowadays.

 

David.

[Liv4cruzin]

I carried a hand held steamer which is not considered a fire hazard. Doesn't do as good a job as an iron; but it's better than nothing (& cheaper than laundry service). I've even hung a few things in the bathroom & turned on a steamy hot shower to loosen wrinkles.

[sfo-john]

Of course all this is true, but there may be many on board who (a) do not have a butler or an ocean view and (b) have scrimped and saved for some time just to be able to afford to be aboard, and do not have the cash for extras like laundry and extra tipping above the fixed amount.

 

Takes all sorts to make a passenger list nowadays.

 

David.

 

Yes, I went to the QE2's laundry facilities the first evening before dinner and touched up all of my shirts and suits/tux, went back to the cabin, hung them up and they were fine for the rest of the crossing. It all took less than 30 minutes. I'm sure that my $60 went towards my bar tab...