First Cruise in 40 Years

[walksonwater]

Hello All,

 

Two weeks Mediterranean, QE, September, Princess Suite.

 

1. What is the absolute minimum we can wear during the day and for dinner and not feel underdressed?

 

2. What parts of the trip can we comfortably and safely wing? Transportation to and from Southampton/ excursions? What is essential to book/reserve/pay for in advance?

 

3. We arrive in England from the States several days before the cruise and remain a few days after. What if anything will this affect?

 

4. Will a cell phone and "Tablet"with an international calling and data plan added suffice for emails and emergency only calls from family or is the ship's internet usage essential?

 

4. What have I missed for important information and super helpful hints before we travel?

 

Thank you all in advance.

[hihilo]

RE: # 4

Your tablet + cell ( as described with the international plan) ought to suffice.

If you can afford "PRINCESS" you can afford the ships internet charges.

I find all "Q" ships have excellent internet coverage.

[wenlyn]

Hi

 

I think we'll be sailing with you, though we're just in a Balcony so won't be eating with you.

 

Shorts (reasonable length not the supershort cut offs in fashion atm) & a nice t shirt are ok for lunch.

For dinner a dark suit & a long dress respectively should get you through the gala nights (though I've not done Grills so you may feel you need more variety or up your game!). and the jacket from the suit could be worn on the smart attire nights with a shirt & trousers and a shorter but still fancy dress or skirt/trousers with a sparkly top. If you are happy to eat in the Lido then you'll still be OK in the lunchtime clothes but that would seem a waste of your fare.

 

If you are spending a few days in the UK before you should be able to arrange your own transport to Southampton without undue stress - unless you get very anxious over planning or have mobility/health issues that limit you. I've only done a cunard excursion in NY and expect we'll wing it at the port stops.

 

Cell & tablet will be fine

 

If I think of any I'll post :D

[walksonwater]

Thanks for the info wenlyn. Helpful and goood to know I can relax now about details I choose not to worry about.

 

Bill, I'm hoping these 2 retired grandparents who seem never to have a day alone have wisely spent the extra for a suite in order to experience quiet on the sea. And some attention paid to us for once!

[Host Hattie]

I hope you enjoy your first cruise in 40 years, things may have changed a bit !

When you say "wing it" for the transfer to Southampton, what do you mean ? You will need to make some arrangements.

[MarkBearSF]

Some more advice

 

2. What parts of the trip can we comfortably and safely wing? Transportation to and from Southampton/ excursions? What is essential to book/reserve/pay for in advance?

It depends upon your comfort level. You may want to book excursions for ports far from the important cities (Rome, Florence) for peace of mind - although there are many alternatives. When you're docked in a city (Barcelona, Venice, Greek Islands) third party tours are almost always superior to any line-sponsored excursions.

Check for a roll call here to see if others have organized excursions and check the port of call boards for advice on alternatives. There's a LOT of information there.

 

3. We arrive in England from the States several days before the cruise and remain a few days after. What if anything will this affect?

Not really sure of your question. Unless you're booking a hotel for the extra days through Cunard, you will need to book your own hotel and transfer to/from Southampton. Over the past decade I have yet to see a decent price on pre/post hotels in their offerings. (They often look good until you realize the charge is

per person.

)

I haven't used Cunard Air since 1999, so I don't know if you'll need to pay a "deviation charge" to book alternate dates of your choosing.

 

 

4. Will a cell phone and "Tablet"with an international calling and data plan added suffice for emails and emergency only calls from family or is the ship's internet usage essential?

Needless to say, International Coverage doesn't help in the open seas. I also wouldn't count on it being usable when docked in ports either. (The onboard coverage may overwhelm signals from elsewhere and you may end up paying ship phone rates - which are MUCH more expensive than the internet charges). Of course, there are cheaper options IN the ports - if you want to spend port time dealing with it.

Bottom line - you'll likely need to buy into the internet plan. (Sign up on the first day for bonus minutes)

Also - for general advice, check out more threads in this forum. There was one within the past few days which was packed with advice.

Welcome back!

[autumn lass]

We have just returned from QE in the Grills. Wenlyn is spot on with advice, on Gala nights most men were in Tuxedos or a dark suit. Ladies wore long dresses or skirts with sparkly tops. On the other nights men wore jacket, smart trousers and shirt, or a suit, some wore ties some didn’t. Ladies wore dresses, skirts or trousers and sparkly or smart tops. We were on board for 12 days and I took too many clothes! As we were in Norway I wore trousers and long sleeve t shirts during the day, my husband wore lightweight trousers and casual shirts. Neither of us are shorts wearers but lots of people did.

 

We really enjoyed Queens Grill dining, I have allergies and the staff made sure I had a good choice of food. This is the main reason we have started sailing in the Grills.

 

As we had lots of OBC we didn’t book any tours until we were on board and then the Grills Concierge booked the three we wanted to do for us. There was a major issue for participants on one tour and she sorted that for us too. Most ports we did our own thing but in the Mediterranean as others have said some of the ports are a long way from the key scenic areas so planning ahead is essential.

 

The Grills Lounge and terrace are excellent with covered loungers on the top terrace on deck 12. Coffee and tea are freely available in the Grills Lounge between certain hours with waiter service, there are also alcoholic drinks served during those times but these are charged to your account.

 

Afternoon tea is served in the Princess Grill every day.

 

Enjoy your trip and the Grills experience.

 

 

 

 

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