Updates from the Queen Mary 2

[MicCanberra]

Les

 

You can't use the words POSH and Aussies in the same sentence!!!

 

Barry

 

I think he did make the distinction.

'as a lot of posh people cruise on QM2 and of course quite a few well heeled Aussies'

[GUT2407]

Cunard being Cunard, they have called the QM2 refit/refurb 'REMASTERED.'

 

Work that one out, sounds more posh as a lot of posh people cruise on QM2 and of course quite a few well heeled Aussies !! LOL.

 

 

And next year three broke Aussies too Uncie Les

 

 

But they tell me I gotta dress all POSH like a P*x Dr's Clerk as me Grandad used to say.

[NSWP]

And next year three broke Aussies too Uncie Les

 

 

But they tell me I gotta dress all POSH like a P*x Dr's Clerk as me Grandad used to say.

Indeed Mr Gut, I could have bought a big Winnebago with what I have spent on cruises, airfares, land travel in the past 10 years since retirement. But enjoyed it all, as you will on QM2. You cannot use that Visa card in heaven old son.

 

Yes, dress posh on Cunard old chap, blazer, old school tie and flannels for promenading, flash tuxedo for din dins and none of this shorts, t shirts and thongs stuff, the poms don't care much for that clobber.

Edited March 20, 2016 by NSWP

[NSWP]

Les

 

You can't use the words POSH and Aussies in the same sentence!!!

 

Barry

A few posh Aussies around Barry, those who hail from the likes of Toorak, Pymble, Vaucluse and talk with a Bollinger cork in their mouth. LOL.

[NSWP]

Huh, I have never shown you my heels, how did you know.;)

 

No heels on thongs :p

Mic, I thought you posh Canberrans did not wear thongs, just Gucchi shoes? Not seen Little Johnny Howard or flash Malcolm Turnbull in thongs.

Edited March 20, 2016 by NSWP

[GUT2407]

Indeed Mr Gut, I could have bought a big Winnebago with what I have spent on cruises, airfares, land travel in the past 10 years since retirement. But enjoyed it all, as you will on QM2. You cannot use that Visa card in heaven old son.

 

Yes, dress posh on Cunard old chap, blazer, old school tie and flannels for promenading, flash tuxedo for din dins and none of this shorts, t shirts and thongs stuff, the poms don't care much for that clobber.

 

I suspect if we like her it won't be our last.

 

I wear a suit every day I go to work, and the dinner suit a half dozen or so times a year, so I have no concerns about that. But no thongs, what's a man supposed to wear with his dinner suit??:confused::confused:

[NSWP]

I suspect if we like her it won't be our last.

 

I wear a suit every day I go to work, and the dinner suit a half dozen or so times a year, so I have no concerns about that. But no thongs, what's a man supposed to wear with his dinner suit??:confused::confused:

Perhaps Crocs? or K Mart Sandals? LOL. Nah, go upmarket, pair of Lowes plastic joggers old son, that will set the Cunarders tongues wagging and make them choke on their G&T's. LOL.

 

Anyway, in trouble, where are all the updates from QM2 on this thread? Has she sunk or something?

Edited March 20, 2016 by NSWP

[Kiwi Kruzer]

They are still traveling through the Spice Islands and probably out of range. We have not heard from our friends for a few days now. Another day at sea and then at Kota Kinabalu on Tuesday.

We have heard that there are some "celebrities" on board though ;) ..:):)

 

 

 

[MicCanberra]

Mic, I thought you posh Canberrans did not wear thongs, just Gucchi shoes? Not seen Little Johnny Howard or flash Malcolm Turnbull in thongs.

 

That is because you aren't invited to the lodge or Kirrabilly for a pool party.:p

[MicCanberra]

They are still traveling through the Spice Islands and probably out of range. We have not heard from our friends for a few days now. Another day at sea and then at Kota Kinabalu on Tuesday.

We have heard that there are some "celebrities" on board though ;) ..:):)

 

 

Really, who were these celebrities apart from Stu of course?

[NSWP]

Really, who were these celebrities apart from Stu of course?

The Royal Family perhaps, I mean they lost their own little cruise ship 'Britannia.' She is open for tours now, parked up in Scotland.

 

Charlie for King !!

Edited March 22, 2016 by NSWP

[Kiwi Kruzer]

Really, who were these celebrities apart from Stu of course?

 

My lips are sealed...:D:D

Could only be a ship board rumour....Who knows.???

When we cruised on QM2 in the Med the word was that Rod Stewart was on board.......funny though...No one ever saw him:eek:

Cunard are very adept at preserving privacy.:rolleyes:

 

 

[Pushka]

If you have seen them then it isn't a secret. There were some well known Aussie performers on our cruise - sadly not Hugh Jackman! - plus Jackie Stewart (Formula 1) plus a whole lot were entertained on the day we were in Melbourne port. I took great delight in strolling past Red Symonds to board while he had to queue up!

 

 

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[MicCanberra]

If you have seen them then it isn't a secret. There were some well known Aussie performers on our cruise - sadly not Hugh Jackman! - plus Jackie Stewart (Formula 1) plus a whole lot were entertained on the day we were in Melbourne port. I took great delight in strolling past Red Symonds to board while he had to queue up!

 

 

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Surely he would have just used a Skyhook to get aboard.:p

[Pushka]

Surely he would have just used a Skyhook to get aboard.:p

 

 

Clearly his Ego was a dirty word! :[emoji38]

 

 

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[MicCanberra]

Clearly his Ego was a dirty word! :[emoji38]

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

 

LOL,:D

Lucky it he saw some women in Uniforms or it would have been a Horror movie.:eek:

[Pushka]

LOL,:D

 

Lucky it he saw some women in Uniforms or it would have been a Horror movie.:eek:

 

 

Right there on my TV.

 

 

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[GUT2407]

Right there on my TV.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

 

Or maybe on his Jukebox in Siberia even.

[Tara Jane]

Just back this after from my brisbane to HK on QM2. We stayed an extra couple of days in HK.

My very brief comments as I am currently very much on the ailing side due to the cunard cough.

Ship - elegant would be my description.

Outdoor deck areas very plain and very uninviting. Sure a few pools and spas and deckchairs but otherwise very uninteresting.

Staterooms - We had a sheltered balcony on deck 6 but some in our group also were in insides and also a disabled inside. We were happy with the room as the weather wasn't all that balcony time friendly. We did find the air con not comfortable. We had to have it very low due to the heat and woke up each morning with very sore throats. It was not possible to turn the air con completely off. The only way we were half comfortable was by leaving the balcony door open about 45cms overnight.

Had to phone 3 times over 2 days to finally get the tv remote batteries replaced.

Bathroom wasn't huge but plenty big enough. Wardrobe/storage space less than we are used to, don't know where those who take their ball gowns and 5 suitcases would store their clothing. We take one suitcase between us.

Staff - not the initial friendly welcome which I am used to. it took a couple of days before we felt our dining room waiters felt relaxed enough to smile.

Food - how could anyone complain here? food food food and more food, always fresh, always cleanly presented and monitored. The first few days staff were at the door of all dining areas to ensure the hand wash was used but that didn't continue. Perhaps they think after a few days most guests are trained, unfortunately that wasn't the case. We often had breakfast in the dining room and every evening except the last. I think it was a bit over the top to expect suitcases to be outside the doors from 6pm and requesting it be done as early as possible, and yet still expect the men to wear a jacket to dinner that night. 3 couples in our group of 12 people decided to go to the kings buffet for that reason. We had a lovely Easter chocolate buffet and once again the timing wasn't great as it was our one and only long day and many were out on excursions or enjoying shanghai by night. I understand it was Saturday night before Easter and perhaps they don't think its an issue that many guests would miss the lovely display.

Laundry - We had mmmm 5 or 6 washers and same number of dryers. Always on the go but no domestics in the laundry that I was aware of. The washers take 45 mins per cycle which seemed to be the downside. I was pleasantly surprised at the number of men using the laundry and particularly ironing. They were all rather proud of their ironing.

Entertainment - 90% excellent. Pity there were a couple who felt that a show couldnt be a show without dirty jokes and suggestions. The others all proved them wrong. Sadly many had booked an optional dinner and acrobatic show at $125US plus for our day in Shanghai. This was the same day the evening entertainment were an acrobatic show. Many unhappy at not only missing the ships show but also paying so more for an excursion. We only learned the night before what the show was and by then it was too late to cancel the excursion. I don't like acrobatic shows at all so didn't bother attending.

Celebrities on board - didn't see any unless I am just not "posh" enough to recognise any!!! There was one lady who certainly considered herself way up and above everyone else and my opinion is that she was making a total idiot of herself but others might differ. Funny enough for all her boasting of her wealth and talents and status in society she was in an inside room on deck 5. I know that as she was in the room next to my sister!!!

Sadly we had a medical emergency and about 12.30am ish the morning after we left yorkeys knob I think it was an announcement came through to all rooms asking for any blood donors of 2 particular blood types who were carrying their blood group cards and were prepared to donate to please attend an area near the medical centre. The following midday announcement included a thank you to all those who answered the call. I cant recall if it was 40 or 50 who attended. Naturally for privacy reasons we were told no more about the situation but just have to hope it had a happy ending.

This did prompt me to think why wouldnt they have a list of staff on board, their blood groups and room numbers of those prepared to donate when needed. Not that I objected to be woken in the middle of the night for such a need but my thinking is that it would be a much faster way to access blood. As is expected the majority of passengers are in their elderly years so not too many fit youngsters amongst the 2618 passengers on board. It is also a reminder to those who do travel and are blood donors to bring their cards along with them.

So much for a brief response to someone's query if the ship was still afloat!!

It was when we got off on Tuesday in HK. By the way, yesterdays HK english newspaper had an article about noro on the QE which was in HK on Wednesday. Tuesday had both QM2 and Queen Victoria in HK and Queen Elizabeth on Wednesday.

Oooops cant forget to mention afternoon tea in the Queen's room. Not a high tea as we are used to but I guess thats why they don't call it a high tea.

All very nice, white gloved waiters walking around with pots of tea, platters of sandwiches, little tarts/cakes and scones. The scones are much more like an aussie scone than the rocks we have been served on Celebrity and RC as scones.

Would I go Cunard again? Sure if I got another great deal like we did I would. Not being drinkers I must say we had difficulty spending our $350 each OBC, the shops were very disappointing. Most jewellery was in the $1000 plus price range, or the costume jewellery which was very nice but some falling to bits even when on the display stand. A bit of cunard logo and some ladies clothing but nothing that would fit anyone over an aussie size 14 even though they were sized XL. Harrods bags but they were all the cheap plastic made in china stuff. They did have some lovely world globes we wanted to buy but were told 4 different stories why they weren't available to buy. If they aren't for sale, why not put a sold or not for sale sign on the things! rather than some made up excuse like already sold, cant find the boxes, cant sell without warranty. What the heck is the true reason? Even asking for the shop manager didn't help he had given us 2 of the conflicting answers. Katie in the costume jewellery and bags area, and Amy in the alcohol/chocolate area were the exception to the other couldnt care less staff in the shops. Katie and Amy were very helpful, pleasant and smiling young girls.

I have always thought that a Cunard ship was way way way up there, and we would never be in the position to experience it, sure it was great, but I have been there done that, and will no longer live dreaming of one day being about to do a cunard cruise. i am equally happy to go back on Celebrity, particularly the Solstice. Itinerary and price will continue to be how I choose my cruises.

Over and out from me, time to take more panadol, antibiotics, asthma medication and drown my "cruise over sorrows".

Edited April 1, 2016 by Tara Jane

[GUT2407]

Thanks Tara Jane.

 

Just read it to Mrs and Miss Gut.

 

Probably shouldn't have as now they are even more excited than we already were.

 

The baggage out at 6:00 but needing the fancy gear for din dins is a bit of an issue, so it may be the buffet last night for us too.

[MicCanberra]

Excellent, thanks for the review.:D

[Kiwi Kruzer]

Thanks Tara Jane. Great review. One lot of our friends also arrived back yesterday from the cruise and their reports follow your thoughts almost word for word. They loved the cruise. One of them is also down with the Cunard Cough. Another lot of friends are staying on till Singapore, also enjoying the experience and also suffering the Cunard Cough..:eek:

[MicCanberra]

Thanks Tara Jane. Great review. One lot of our friends also arrived back yesterday from the cruise and their reports follow your thoughts almost word for word. They loved the cruise. One of them is also down with the Cunard Cough. Another lot of friends are staying on till Singapore, also enjoying the experience and also suffering the Cunard Cough..:eek:

 

Cunard Cough was rampant on our sailing last year but we managed to avoid it, we were lucky.:D

[Tara Jane]

Hi Kiwi Kruzer, I was wondering if I was being a bit too negative due to my feeling so sick and jetlag yesterday, interesting that your friends felt the same about the cruise. Mic you were one lucky lad avoiding the cough. Even though I feel like I want to curl up sleep for a month I would prefer to get the cunard cough than any form of gastro. I am a pollyanna, trying to find the positive in the situation. Having gastro would be the ultimate.

Last nights dinner was a frozen quiche, no breakfast this morning, and mr heinz tomato soup for lunch.............. oh how spoilt we are on a cruise, any cruise, any line to have our beds made, rooms cleaned, food on tap 24/7.

 

I did forget to mention about the coffee on board. The coffee in the restaurant and machines in the buffet were far toooooooo strong. However a very pleasant surprise was at each coffee station there was a huge jar of nescafe 43 blend which was always replaced as needed. Also a jar of horlicks maybe the Brits like their horlicks, doesnt seem to be big in Aust.

When dining in the dining room you could ask for cappuccino which was provided at no extra cost. They just dont want it advertised. Our waiter was overheard mumbling to his assistant that one wants cappuccino now they all want cappuccino not happy! Well if the coffee provided was drinkable we would have happily drunk it. I took a snap lock bag of maccona with me as I had expected the coffee to be too strong for me.

The Sir Samuels coffee was ok tried it a couple of times.

Had lunch in the pub think it was Golden Lion or something along that name. Enjoyed it, not too large serves and nice piano music.

Also the smog in most ports was very bad, I dont know how people can live in those cities and sadly they just have to deal with it.

I do wonder how much the pollution has to do with the cunard cough as it didnt seem to start amongst our group until after our stop in KK and just got worse at the following ports.

Edited April 2, 2016 by Tara Jane

[MicCanberra]

Yes, We avoided the buffet (Kings Court) and also when in the theatre or such if anyone around me had a cough (especially a wet sounding one), we left or moved to another area.

Edited April 2, 2016 by MicCanberra