Steerage class guest dining in the Queen's Grill?

[dtwtraveler]

Interesting that another post mentions how 6 passengers in the Britannia were asked to move from their late to early sitting so that Queens Grill passengers could sit at the table in the britannia in front of the mural! I think ym answer would have been- yes they can take my table and I will take theirs in the Queens grill!

 

When I debated about the A2 Britannia vs Grill, I mentioned to Cunard that I'd still want to be able to sometimes have dinner in the Britannia room. She said that I could dine there whenever I would want to. However, I stayed in the A2 and dined in the Britannia, and 2 tablemates (table #85) were called about switching to the second seating for that evening. He said no, and we thought that they were being invited to dine with the Captain. However, that evening we had strangers at three of the tables on the Britannia main floor under the mural! We heard that that they were from the Grill room and were told that they could have one meal in the Brittania.

 

We're glad that we chose the Britannia and were able to dine in front of the mural. The first time I saw it I knew that I wanted to dine in that marvelous room (especially at Christmas time!).

[dougnewmanatsea]

This would be for the CROSSING, not per day.

Still not as cheap as it sounds, considering that most people today would not endure such conditions if you paid them $200!

 

This past January's QE2 crossing was sold at fares as low as $600 per person including return air - and that included not only a knife and fork, but unlimited access to fresh air ;) !

 

Now, back to the Grills vs. other restaurants discussion. I think it says something really interesting about the decor of the Grills on QM2 that people who book Grill cabins actually ask to dine in Britannia! I must say that the QM2 Grills are some of the least impressive rooms I have seen on any ship - and they certainly do not compare with the Grills on QE2 which are far more elegant spaces. Of course QE2 does not have any dining rooms nearly as spectacular as Britannia on QM2, but even so, the Grills on QM2 are so unimpressive that I'm not sure I'd ever book Grill accomodation on her. Admittedly, they have apparently been redecorated in the latest refit and I'm not sure what they look like now but I can't imagine that they've been improved all that dramatically. I found them terribly anticlimactic and frankly very "tourist-class" looking compared to Britannia.

 

On the other hand, if I could afford it I might book Grill accomodation on QE2 - at least I would like to try it once to see what I'm otherwise missing out on ;) ! Unlike those on QM2, the Grills on QE2 are really elegant spaces that have the effect of making one feel "special". A totally different atmosphere and maybe, just maybe one worth paying for. That said, barring an upgrade I doubt I'll ever the chance to eat in one of the Grills on QE2 so that's that!

 

And as for asking Britannia passengers to move out of the way so that Grill guests could move in - this is very tacky and should not be done. If Grill passengers want to take these passengers' table in Britannia, then the displaced pax ought to be offered the Grill table of the Grill pax who have asked to "slum it"!

[dtwtraveler]

Admittedly, they have apparently been redecorated in the latest refit and I'm not sure what they look like now but I can't imagine that they've been improved all that dramatically.

 

The Grills' decors are still boring! I was on the 12/8 Caribbean cruise and was unimpressed with them in comparison with the Brittania. We've all been to similar chic land restaurants that have monochromatic beige, etc., low lighting and are very quiet. It's chic on land and boring at sea. Maybe they should have the displaced Britannia guests sit at the Captain's table! That might be an acceptable trade off, eh? Two of our tablemates (table #85) were so sweet! A staff member woke the husband up from an afternoon nap, and he said that he'd have to speak with his wife about switching to the second seating. He told them that he wouldn't want to miss dinner with his tablemates, because we had such fun! Tongue in cheek, perhaps, but they told us that they wouldn't trade us for the Captain! Of course, it's great that some folks really like the Grills, so that there's room for the rest of us in the Britannia!

[mufi]

Still not as cheap as it sounds, considering that most people today would not endure such conditions if you paid them $200!

 

This past January's QE2 crossing was sold at fares as low as $600 per person including return air - and that included not only a knife and fork, but unlimited access to fresh air ;) !

QUOTE]

 

$600 - £360 is a price we can only dream about this side of the pond for a crossing!! And I suppose your ancestors had to endure steerage to get to the New World and make their fortunes so that their decendants could cross in luxury for those sort of prices 100 years later lol.

 

David

[dtwtraveler]

$600 - £360 is a price we can only dream about this side of the pond for a crossing!!

 

The US is no longer being offered one-way free airfare. However, someone from the other side of the pond said that you still have offers which include free one-way airfare!

[MollyBrown]

On the other hand, if I could afford it I might book Grill accomodation on QE2 - at least I would like to try it once to see what I'm otherwise missing out on ;) ! Unlike those on QM2, the Grills on QE2 are really elegant spaces that have the effect of making one feel "special". A totally different atmosphere and maybe, just maybe one worth paying for. That said, barring an upgrade I doubt I'll ever the chance to eat in one of the Grills on QE2 so that's that!

 

 

I have never tried the QG dining room on QE2, but did have a QG single cabin on one crossing (I was moved to this cabin due to a problem with my Caronia cabin). I found it to be quite simple, and at about the same level as the Brittania cabins on QM2, perhaps not even (especially as the QM2 cabins are much newer). The advantages were lots of closet space, a fruit basket in the cabin, and coffee served to me every morning. It was very quiet, which was pleasant.

[2moose]

The US is no longer being offered one-way free airfare. However, someone from the other side of the pond said that you still have offers which include free one-way airfare!

i just recieved a brochure for crossings offering free air one way and special pricing for world club members 3 days ago. best regards

[dtwtraveler]

i just recieved a brochure for crossings offering free air one way and special pricing for world club members 3 days ago. best regards

 

I'm going to call Cunard. I haven't received snail mail from them in ages! I just use the web for my info.

[planetcadillac]

The US is no longer being offered one-way free airfare. However, someone from the other side of the pond said that you still have offers which include free one-way airfare!

We are in the process of booking the 2007 Winter Crossing and me and the TA are going toe to toe figuring it all out. I will post results as I get them but yes as of right now Cunard is not offering air at the moment. From the boards Cunard is not offering air packages on the QM2 or the QE2 for any occasion. It has been said that the prices have dropped somewhat accordingly but I have not specifically tracked that phenomenon. I did not know that this year's crossings were so cheap but why? Yes a Winter Crossing is unique and not quite as attractive to many people as a warm weather crossing but still much in demand especially by European World Cruisers who have to get to NYC to start the WC.

[dtwtraveler]

It has been said that the prices have dropped somewhat accordingly but I have not specifically tracked that phenomenon.

 

I checked the 2005 brochure, and the rate for a November crossing was $1869 - 20% Early Bird discount = $1499. and airfare included.

 

The price on the Cunard website for November 2005 is $1539 - 20% Early Bird discount - $999 and no airfare included.

 

Perhaps you can cross the pond for $540 or less (the difference between the two prices above.)

 

However, I received an email and it states that Cunard is going to offer hotel, airline tickets, etc. packages. Perhaps this is a good deal? I haven't looked, but maybe the details of the packages are on their website email brochure that you can download.

[planetcadillac]

 

I checked the 2005 brochure, and the rate for a November crossing was $1869 - 20% Early Bird discount = $1499. and airfare included.

 

The price on the Cunard website for November 2005 is $1539 - 20% Early Bird discount - $999 and no airfare included.

 

Perhaps you can cross the pond for $540 or less (the difference between the two prices above.)

 

However, I received an email and it states that Cunard is going to offer hotel, airline tickets, etc. packages. Perhaps this is a good deal? I haven't looked, but maybe the details of the packages are on their website email brochure that you can download.

 

Yes I can get a RT from Charlotte, NC to London for $312 at the moment if you pick good dates but of course that is subject to appropriate arrangements for the crossing. Of course only one way of that trip will be used and I would just cancel the second leg after purchase. Airlines don't like this but tough s*it since they insist on pricing one way fares outrageous.

 

I just sent a booking request to the Cunard website with my agent's name included and see what they say about the details. I copy and pasted some of this board's snippets for him to read to get an idea of feedback. He books a lot of cruises but not a lot of Cunard specifically so this is a joint affair so to speak. We are both learning as we go. Will be my 3rd crossing on the QE2 but the first that I have gotten this involved in the process and the first during the winter.

 

I would love to be the chap that books an M-guarantee and gets bumped to Princess. A lot of the mainstream 'cruise' lines get into the game of upgrades and upsells but I am not sure how much Cunard does this aside from addressing problems, etc.

[dougnewmanatsea]

$600 - £360 is a price we can only dream about this side of the pond for a crossing!!

Yes, I'm quite well-acquainted with the price differences and it certainly is a lot cheaper over here!

 

If ever I have occasion to reside outside the US, I will have to maintain an address here just to get the cheap fares ;) !

 

The US is no longer being offered one-way free airfare.

Not automatically, but in some cases we still are, as part of special offers. If a crossing is not selling well enough, they will start offering free air instead of or in addition to lowering the price.

 

I just got a direct mail brochure from Cunard advertising free air on "selected" 2006 QM2 crossings, in balcony grades or above (this means Q, P, A, or B grades but not C or D).

 

Of course this "free" air is not really "free"; they'd just lower the fares further if they weren't offering the "free" air.

 

I found it to be quite simple, and at about the same level as the Brittania cabins on QM2, perhaps not even (especially as the QM2 cabins are much newer).

Since when is newer better ;) ?

 

Seriously, I'm not familiar with the Grill singles but they may well be smaller than the doubles. That said, most of the Grill cabins on QE2 are quite lovely - most of them are beautifully furnished with real wood panelling, silk wall coverings, and in some of the more expensive ones, gold leaf and mother-of-pearl trim. They may not be shiny and new, but they are still very nice and quite luxurious.

 

I did not know that this year's crossings were so cheap but why?

The cheap fares for the winter crossing were, quite simply, to fill the ship!

 

This is Princess' yield management strategy at work... Basically, they will fill the ship at any cost. Cunard would not have done this for fear of cheapening their brand. The Princess perspective is a very different one: the way they see it, an occupied cabin will make more mone than an empty one, and so it is absolutely imperative that the ship sail full. (And she did.)

 

Naturally, a winter crossing like this will not fill up as easily as those during the high season, and so they had to drop fares to fill the ship. They simply kept dropping them until the ship was full! It's as simple as that.

 

It seems likely to me that something similar will happen with next year's crossing - whether or not the fares are nearly as cheap as they were this year, unless there is some sudden spike in demand or a change in yield management strategy (backing away from the "fill the ship at all costs" idea), I would still expect fares to decrease significantly as the crossing draws nearer.

 

Sadly, this penalizes those of us who do book early (as the cruise lines implore us to do - "Book Early and Save!" and all that), but that's simply the way the industry works these days. You may indeed save by booking early if you are booking a departure which is likely to fill up months in advance, but otherwise, you may well find yourself spending a lot of money for the privelige of planning ahead. It's counterintuitive, but as long as this "fill the ship at all costs" yield management rules the day, that's how it works.

 

A lot of the mainstream 'cruise' lines get into the game of upgrades and upsells but I am not sure how much Cunard does this

Well, now it is Princess running the show and it seems to me that they do it exactly as much as they do for their own ships.

 

They are not shy about giving upgrades - even big ones - but they will do it exactly as much as they have to. In other words, they aren't going to upgrade people just to be nice; they will upgrade people because they need the cabins that people are being upgraded out of.

 

On this past winter crossing, there was a lot of upgrading going on, including some very big upgrades (the biggest I saw was a C5 to Q4).

[joy2cruz]

I'm curious -- when does all this upgrading happen -- before the sailing or the day we board the ship? Is it always prompted by passenger request?

[dougnewmanatsea]

when does all this upgrading happen -- before the sailing or the day we board the ship?

Ususally, before the sailing.

 

Is it always prompted by passenger request?

No. Sometimes it just "happens".

[MollyBrown]

(Host Doug)

<<<

Since when is newer better ;) ?

 

Seriously, I'm not familiar with the Grill singles but they may well be smaller than the doubles. That said, most of the Grill cabins on QE2 are quite lovely - most of them are beautifully furnished with real wood panelling, silk wall coverings, and in some of the more expensive ones, gold leaf and mother-of-pearl trim. They may not be shiny and new, but they are still very nice and quite luxurious.

>>>

 

Well, you know, QE2 is lovely, but her interiors are becoming slightly worn.

Even QM2 cabins don't look as spectacular as the first time I sailed on her in 2004, her second sailing, I believe.

 

I suppose th QG cabin I had must have been one that was not as nice as the others, because they do vary. It was nice, but I didn't find it particularly luxurious. That said, I was grateful to have been upgraded all the same.

[Colin_Cameron]

Is it always prompted by passenger request?

 

I'd say that was the least likely reason.

 

Regards, Colin.

[2moose]

after 3 sailings with cunard and 2 upgrades there never seems rhyme or reason to upgrades although "I" think new pax are more likely to be upgraded than the loyal pax.???????????????????

[Kindlychap]

.

 

I suppose th QG cabin I had must have been one that was not as nice as the others, because they do vary. It was nice, but I didn't find it particularly luxurious. That said, I was grateful to have been upgraded all the same.

 

I have had a QG cabin on a crossing in 2003 - 2070 - and was very happy with it. Having said that I've since been on the Signal Deck and I wouldn't want to go back to decks 1-5.

 

One of the things I like about the QE2 is the fact that she isn't sparkly and new. My wife and I had a tour of the QM2 in NY in April 2004 and we were not impressed. Tacky and without soul.

 

Someone earlier mentioned Queens Grill accomodation being in the worst postition for movement - not true of the Q3s on QE2 of course, but the Q1s do move (and creak) with the ship even more than the Q2s!

[planetcadillac]

Well, now it is Princess running the show and it seems to me that they do it exactly as much as they do for their own ships.

 

They are not shy about giving upgrades - even big ones - but they will do it exactly as much as they have to. In other words, they aren't going to upgrade people just to be nice; they will upgrade people because they need the cabins that people are being upgraded out of.

 

On this past winter crossing, there was a lot of upgrading going on, including some very big upgrades (the biggest I saw was a C5 to Q4).

 

Some TAs and some cruiselines honor price protection that means that you can get a credit before final payment is due on the reduction in cabin price as time goes on. When we booked our pedestrian 7 night cruise on Norwegian I had a standing booking with the TA but by the time we made final the cabin had dropped about $200 pp. So when we made the final payment we just simply paid less. Right now M-guarantees are running around $750-799pp. no air included.

[dougnewmanatsea]

there never seems rhyme or reason to upgrades although "I" think new pax are more likely to be upgraded than the loyal pax.

Whatever upgrade policy (or lack thereof) that they may have had before has gone out the window now as everything now runs along the same lines as Princess.

 

I have heard lots of theories as to why upgrades happen - but basically, it's all just speculation.

 

Some TAs and some cruiselines honor price protection that means that you can get a credit before final payment is due

Before final payment is due... Well, since that is usually outside the penalty period, if they didn't offer price protection, you could simply cancel and start a new booking at the lower fare!

 

What I am talking about is price reductions after final payment... Very often big fare reductions. In this case, everyone who has already booked is left out in the cold. Since there is a hefty penalty for cancellation after final payment, it's not possible to cancel and rebook at the lower fare, so the cruise line has no reason to offer any kind of "price protection". They've got you between a rock and a hard place.

[wripro]

imo the cruise line certainly has a reason to offer price protection even after final payment and that is to keep you as a happy loyal customer. If they lowered the price on me after final payment and refused to honor the same fare that would be the last time they'd ever see me.

[dtwtraveler]

"wripro" wrote:

imo the cruise line certainly has a reason to offer price protection even after final payment and that is to keep you as a happy loyal customer. If they lowered the price on me after final payment and refused to honor the same fare that would be the last time they'd ever see me.

 

On these boards, the Brits have mentioned many times that Cunard will never honor price reductions after they've paid at a higher rate! One British couple on our 12/8 cruise mentioned that they reserved a P1 before the brochure had been printed. Cunard suddenly offered a 40% reduction and refused to refund them any $$. Shortly before they sailed they were upgraded to a QG suite. They think that Cunard finally felt bad for them. It was a surprise trip for the husband, and I think the first vacation for the two away from their 3-year-old twins! However, the host, Doug, is probably right - Cunard had a buyer for their P1 suite!

 

I learned from this experience to pick an unpopular date (such as ours which was the last cruise before the popular Christmas cruise), or be flexible and available on more than one possible departure date, and/or wait until really late to be able to take advantage of a big price reduction. Also, don't be resolute on the location of the stateroom on the ship! We were on the elevator with a smug couple who told us proudly that they called and booked the 12/8 cruise a week before the departure. I just know that she was going to tell me how cheap it was just as the elevator door opened, and we escaped before she could tell us her depressingly low-price news! And, guess where their table was in the Britannia? They were seated right under the mural across from the Captain's table and next to our table!

[wripro]

Cunard in general has unrealistic price point. I think they actually believe the malarky they advertise about White Star service. Unless you're in one of the Grill rooms, and even then only in the restaurants will you get excpetional service, you get mass market service for luxury prices. The per diem in PG (not to mention QG) is far higher than Silversea or Seabourn and you still have to pay for tips, alcohol, wine, not to mention every coke or bottle of water, all of which are included in the luxury lines

[wynkys]

Wripro is certainly correct in my experience.

I booked a single in an A1 on QM2's World Cruise in 2007 for the Ft Lauderdale-Sydney leg as soon as bookings opened and was charged A$32,000 as a Cunard World Club member, an amount that doesn't include insurance.

Some months later, I also booked a Seabourn cruise from Hong Kong to Dubai which will last thirty days for A$18,000 which also includes Seabourn's insurance and, of course, all drinks, gratutities and two Seabourn special events.

If the expected extra costs on Cunard are taken into account, I will be paying twice the amount on Cunard for a forty day trip than I will be on Seabourn for thirty days.

Although I am keeping both options open for the present, it is a no-brainer as to which trip I am likely to take.

 

Wayne

[dougnewmanatsea]

I think they actually believe the malarky they advertise about White Star service.

I always get a good laugh out of this "White Star Service" nonsense - what makes them think that service on White Star was so wonderful, anyway?

 

It seems that today's Cunard is in some sort of fit of nostalgia for White Star. I guess they have forgotten that when both companies actually existed, they hated each other ;) !

 

Bruce Ismay must be spinning in his grave!

 

The per diem in PG (not to mention QG) is far higher than Silversea or Seabourn

I think this is true of expensive luxury cabins/suites on most large ships... Not just Cunard. Take a look at how much they get for fancy suites on, say, Royal Caribbean - the amounts can be quite staggering.

 

At least on Cunard, if you book an expensive suite you are (theoretically) getting something more than just a bigger, fancier cabin. People pay Seabourn fares to cruise on Royal Caribbean, too, and get the same mediocre food and service as the people paying $599 a week! This I find truly unfathomable. If I had that kind of cash, there's no way I'd spend it on an expensive suite on a mass-market ship - but each to his or her own! Personally I'd go for Grill Class on one of the Queens, or for a luxury ship (if I felt like going on a small ship), or I'd just save my money and book a more modest cabin!

 

To be really honest, I have never been fond of the idea of different restaurants for different cabin classes, but I have grudgingly come to accept it on the Queens only because it is really the only option if one wants something approximating a luxury product on a large ship... And some people do want that.

 

But there's no question that if one is looking for "good value" - in any segment of the market - Cunard is probably not the line to choose. When we sail Cunard we are (usually) paying a bit more for the cachet that comes with their image - and that's fine with me. I guess I must put some stock in that cachet or else I would never step foot on a Cunard ship ;) !