Has "ask.cunard.com" bit the dust?

bluemarble · February 20, 2019

It looks like our dear friend, the old UK FAQ at "ask.cunard.com" is no more. I know for a while after the new Cunard website was introduced, it was producing some wacky looking pages as if it were on life support, but you could still find the questions and answers on "ask.cunard.com" if you worked at it.

Now, what I'm seeing is all references to "ask.cunard.com" are automatically being redirected to the new UK website's FAQ at "https://www.cunard.com/en-gb/frequently-asked-questions". Unfortunately, it looks like that now means all the links to the FAQ in the sticky "WELCOME TO THE CUNARD BOARD ... Here are some useful links" no longer take you to the answer to the specific question mentioned in the link. Instead they all just take you to the main page for the FAQ.

Now, I'm in the US and using a vpn to pretend I'm in the UK, so maybe the behavior is different for those of you actually in the UK. Are those of you in the UK seeing what I'm seeing with regard to "ask.cunard.com"? If so, I suppose it was inevitable. It will be missed since the new website's FAQ does not appear to be anywhere near as comprehensive as "ask.cunard.com" was.

Host Hattie, I'll be happy to assist with providing new links you can post in the sticky, for those questions that can still be answered using new FAQ.

Host Hattie · February 21, 2019

Thanks, that would be great, I've been meaning to update the sticky, hopefully I'll get chance this weekend.

bluemarble · February 21, 2019

3 hours ago, Host Hattie said:

Thanks, that would be great, I've been meaning to update the sticky, hopefully I'll get chance this weekend.

Ok, I'll get right on it. I'll probably end up suggesting incorporating material from the new FAQ along with additional information from the voyage personaliser for those who haven't booked yet (especially about the dress code) along with what I may be able to salvage from the old FAQ and other sources from my archives.

Since there is nowhere I can find on the new Cunard website that provides lists of speakers or dress code schedules anymore, do you think we should we skip those, or keep updating those lists in the sticky every few months as new versions become available from other sources?

bluemarble · February 21, 2019

Here's a start for what the beginning of the "WELCOME TO THE CUNARD BOARD ... Here are some useful links" sticky might look like now following the demise of "ask.cunard.com". This is only for the top portion of the sticky prior to the contributions from others including photos, daily programmes, and lists of activities. I left out the deck plans for now, since only QM2 currently has a deck plan that can be downloaded from the Cunard website. Let me know if you find any broken links or think I have missed something useful that could easily be added.

==================================================

Welcome to the Cunard board, here are some links which you may find useful when planning your trip. Of course, nothing can substitute for personal experience so please feel free to post questions on the board and someone will be along to answer.

Cunard has a “Frequently asked questions” section which may help with some of your questions.

UK: https://www.cunard.com/en-gb/frequently-asked-questions

US: https://www.cunard.com/en-us/frequently-asked-questions

For best results when searching the FAQ, limit your search to a single word (such as “drinks”) or a couple words that are normally used together (such as “New York”). Note your particular question could show up within any one of the following subsections of the FAQ after you have submitted your search.

“Before you sail”, “Life on board”, “Going ashore”, “General query”, “Ceremonies at sea”

Bear in mind that answers in the UK FAQ regarding terms & conditions, insurance, etc. will not be relevant if you are booking from outside the UK. Also be aware that even within the new US FAQ, unfortunately some of the answers there pertain specifically to the UK market as well.

Here are some popular examples from the frequently asked questions.

How much are the drinks on board?

UK: How much are the drinks on board?

US: How much are the drinks on board?

Please note as of February 2019, the link to “Carinthia Lounge Day Menu” on QM2 is broken in the FAQ. For reference, here is a working link to a previous version of that menu.

Carinthia Lounge Day Menu

Do you offer a drinks package?

UK: Do you offer a drinks package?

US: Do you offer a drinks package?

Please note as of February 2019, the UK FAQ provides links to various drinks package brochures while the US FAQ does not. Here are links to those brochures from the UK FAQ.

Cunard World of Drinks brochure

Beer and wine package brochure

Hot drinks brochure

Premium soft drinks brochure

Standard soft drinks brochure

Beer and wine package terms and conditions

Hot drinks terms and conditions

Premium soft drinks terms and conditions

Standard soft drinks terms and conditions

Wine packages

Can I see an example of a menu?

UK: Can I see an example of a menu?

US: Can I see an example of a menu?

Please note as of February 2019, the US FAQ simply lists the various menus without actually providing links to them. Here are links to the menus from the UK FAQ.

Britannia Restaurant Breakfast

Britannia Restaurant Lunch

Britannia Restaurant Dinner

Britannia Club Restaurant Breakfast

Britannia Club Restaurant Lunch

Britannia Club Restaurant Dinner

Princess & Queens Grills Lunch

Princess Grill Breakfast

Princess Grill Dinner (QE/QV)

Princess Grill Dinner (QM)

Queens Grill Breakfast

Queens Grill Dinner (QE/QV)

Queens Grill Dinner (QM)

Do you offer shuttle services at ports of call?

UK: Do you offer shuttle services at ports of call?

US: Do you offer shuttle services at ports of call?

Can I hire formal wear?

UK: Can I hire formal wear?

US: Can I hire formal wear?

Is there a dress code on board?

The FAQ does not currently provide any specific details about the dress code. Those details can best be found in the voyage personaliser, but that is only available after you have booked a voyage. Here is what the US voyage personaliser says about the dress code.

What to wear

To help with your packing, the Voyage itinerary section highlights our much anticipated gala evenings. Every night on board we ask that you wear smart attire in most of our bars, restaurants and entertainment venues. On Gala evenings, we invite you to dress to impress and celebrate with us. The below descriptions will give you an idea of what to pack for each evening.

During the day, feel free to relax and dress as you please in all areas of the ship.

From 6pm every night on board, we ask that you wear smart attire in most of our bars, restaurants and entertainment venues. On our much-anticipated Gala evenings, we invite you to dress to impress and celebrate with us. There are two or three of these special Gala evenings for every seven days of your voyage.

Smart Attire: Gentlemen, every night we request you wear smart trousers with a shirt and jacket; tie is optional. Ladies, blouses and skirts or stylish trousers and dresses are welcome.

Gala Evenings: It’s Showtime. Dinner jacket, tuxedo, or dark suit for the men with a regular tie or bow tie. Evening or cocktail dress, smart trouser suit, or formal separates for the ladies please.

Of course, if you prefer to spend your evenings in more relaxed attire, feel free to dress casually as you visit any of the following venues: Kings Court or Lido Buffet, Golden Lion, Casino, Carinthia Lounge, Winter Garden/Winter Lounge and G32 or Yacht Club. Non-ripped jeans are appropriate, but please refrain from wearing shorts, sports attire, swim wear or sleeveless t-shirts outside of the gym, spa and deck spaces.

Additional information about the dress code can also be found on the main Cunard website on its “What to Pack” page.

UK: What to Pack

US: What to Pack

Do be aware though that the “What to Pack” page on the US website refers to the “Smart Attire” dress code as “Formal” which could cause some confusion.

What do the obstructed balconies look like?

As of February 2019, information about the views from obstructed balconies is non-existent on the US FAQ and is confined to only the Queen Victoria on the UK FAQ. Here are details showing the views from the obstructed balconies on each ship.

What do the obstructed views look like on Queen Mary 2?

Please click on the stateroom numbers below to see the view from the selected stateroom. Views from staterooms on the opposite side of the ship are similar to those listed below.

8014 - A life boat is visible to the left of the balcony.

8016 - A life boat causes a major obstruction to the view.

8018 - A life boat causes a major obstruction to the view.

8020 - A life boat causes a major obstruction to most of the view.

8022 - Life boats cause a major obstruction to most the view.

8024 - A life boat causes a major obstruction to the view.

8026 - A life boat causes a major obstruction to the view.

8028 - Life boats cause a major obstruction to most the view.

8030 - Life boats cause a major obstruction to most the view.

8032 - A life boat causes a major obstruction to the view.

8034 - A life boat causes a major obstruction to the view.

8036 - Safety equipment and a life boat cause an obstruction to most the view.

8038 - Life boats cause a major obstruction to most the view.

8040 - A life boat causes a major obstruction to the view.

8042 - A life boat causes a major obstruction to the view.

8044 - Safety equipment and a life boat cause an obstruction to most the view.

8046 - A life boat Life boats cause an obstruction to the view.

8048 - A life boat Life boats cause an obstruction to the view.

8050 - Life boats on either side of the balcony cause an obstruction to the view.

8052 - Safety equipment and a life boat Life boats cause an obstruction to most the view.

8054 - A life boat causes a major obstruction to the view.

8056 - A life boat causes a major obstruction to the view.

8060 - A tender and some safety equipment cause an obstruction to most of the view.

8062 - A tender causes an obstruction to majority of the view.

8066 - A tender and some safety equipment cause an obstruction to most of the view.

8068 - Tenders on either side of the balcony obscure most of the view.

8070 - A tender and some safety equipment cause an obstruction to most of the view.

8072 - A tender causes an obstruction to majority of the view.

8074 - A tender causes an obstruction to majority of the view.

8076 - A tender and some safety equipment cause an obstruction to most of the view.

8078 - A tender and some safety equipment cause an obstruction to most of the view.

8080 - A tender causes an obstruction to majority of the view.

8082 - A tender causes an obstruction to majority of the view.

8084 - A tender causes an obstruction to majority of the view.

8086 - Tenders at either side of the balcony and safety equipment obstruct most of the view.

8088 - A tender and some safety equipment cause an obstruction to most of the view.

8090 - A tender causes an obstruction to majority of the view.

8092 - A tender causes an obstruction to majority of the view.

8094 - A tender and some safety equipment cause an obstruction to most of the view.

8098 - A life boat causes a major obstruction to the view.

8100 - A life boat causes a major obstruction to the view.

8102 - Safety equipment and a life boat cause an obstruction to most the view.

8106 - A life boat causes a major obstruction to the view.

8108 - A life boat causes a major obstruction to the view.

8110 - Safety equipment and a life boat cause an obstruction around half of the view.

Obstructed view staterooms are classed as DB, DC or DF grades, which can be found on Deck 8.

What do the obstructed views look like on Queen Elizabeth?

To see the views from various staterooms, please click on the links below. Staterooms on the starboard side of the ship have very similar views.

4002 - This is a metal fronted balcony. Staterooms 4004 through to 4042 are similar to this.

4054 - Life boats are visible when looking towards the rear of the ship from the balcony.

4055 - A life boat fully obstruct the lower half of the view.

4056 - A life boat and ship structure obscure the view considerably.

4057 - A life boat fully obstruct the lower half of the view.

4058 - A life boat fully obstructs the lower half of the view.

4059 - A life boat fully obstruct the lower half of the view.

4060 - A life boat fully obstructs the lower half of the view.

4061 - A life boat fully obstruct the lower half of the view.

4062 - A life boat and ship structure obscure the view considerably.

4063 - A life boat and ship structure obscure the view considerably.

4064 - A life boat and ship structure obscure the view considerably.

4065 - A life boat fully obstruct the lower half of the view.

4066 - A life boat fully obstruct the lower half of view.

4067 - A life boat fully obstruct the lower half of the view.

4068 - A life boat fully obstruct the lower half of view.

4069 - A life boat and ship structure obscure the view considerably.

4070 - A life boat and ship structure obscure the view considerably.

4071 - A life boat and ship structure obscure the view considerably.

4073 - A life boat fully obstruct the lower part of the view.

4074 - A life boat and ship structure obscure the view considerably.

4075 - A life boat fully obstruct the lower part of the view.

4076 - A life boat fully obstructs the lower half of the view.

4077 - A life boat fully obstruct majority of the view.

4078 - A life boat fully obstructs the lower half of the view.

4079 - A life boat and ship structure obscure the view considerably.

4080 - A life boat obstructs a majority of the view.

4081 - A life boat fully obstruct the lower part of the view.

4082 - Ship structure and safety equipment obstructs a majority of the view.

4083 - A life boat fully obstruct the lower part of the view.

4085 - A life boat fully obstructs the lower half of the view

4086 - A life boat fully obstructs the lower half of the view.

4087 - A life boat and ship structure obstructs the view considerably

4088 - A life boat obstructs a majority of the view.

4092 - Life boats are visible when looking towards the front of the ship from the balcony.

4103 - Although looking forward, the view is unobstructed, looking right (towards aft of the ship) safety equipment and tenders block the view. Additionally, the window view is obstructed.

4108 - Although looking forward, the view is unobstructed, looking left (towards aft of the ship) safety equipment and tenders block the view. Additionally, the window view is obstructed.

4110 - A tender and some safety equipment obscures a majority of the view.

4112 - A tender fully obstructs the view from this stateroom.

4114 - A tender fully obstructs the view from this stateroom.

4116 - A tender and some safety equipment obscure almost all of the view.

4118 - Safety equipment obscures a majority of the view.

4120 - A tender and some safety equipment obscures a majority of the view.

4122 - A tender fully obstructs the view from this stateroom.

4124 - A tender obscures a majority of the view from this stateroom.

4126 - A tender and ship structure obscure a majority of the view.

4128 - A tender and ship structure obscure a majority of the view.

4130 - A tender obscures a majority of the view from this stateroom.

4132 - A tender fully obstructs the view from this stateroom.

4134 - A tender obscures a majority of the view from this stateroom.

4136 - A tender and some safety equipment obscure almost all of the view.

4138 - A life boat and some safety equipment obscure almost all of the view.

4140 - A life boat obscures the lower half of the view.

4142 - A life boat obscures more than half of the view.

4144 - A life boat and some safety equipment obscure most of the view.

5112 - Safety equipment from the deck below can be seen through the balcony glass.

5114 - A life boat on the deck below can be seen through the balcony glass.

5116 - A life boat on the deck below can be seen through the balcony glass.

5118 - Safety equipment from the deck below can be seen through the balcony glass.

5120 - Safety equipment from the deck below can be seen through the balcony glass.

5122 - Safety equipment from the deck below can be seen through the balcony glass.

5128 - Safety equipment from the deck below can be seen through the balcony glass.

5130 - Safety equipment from the deck below can be seen through the balcony glass.

5136 - Safety equipment from the deck below can be seen through the balcony glass.

5138 - Safety equipment from the deck below can be seen through the balcony glass.

Obstructed view staterooms are classed as CA or CB (balcony) or FB or FC (ocean view) grades, which can be found on either decks 4 or 5.

What do the obstructed views look like on Queen Victoria?

The pictures below are all port side staterooms as the opposite starboard staterooms will have a mirror view of the obstruction. For example, for the obstruction of 4057, please see 4058.

Please click on the link to see a picture of the view:

4058 - Life boat

4060 - Life boat

4062 - Life boat and equipment

4064 - Life boat and equipment

4065 - Life boat

4066 - Life boat

4067 - Life boat

4068 - Life boat

4070 - Life boat

4074 - Life boat and equipment

4076 - Life boat

4078 - Life boat

4080 - Life boat

4082 - Life boat

4084 - Life boat and structure

4086 - Life boat

4088 - Life boat

4103 - Although looking forward, the view is unobstructed, looking right (towards aft of the ship) safety equipment and tenders block the view. Additionally, there is an obstruction to the window view.

4108 (Similar to above) - Although looking forward, the view is unobstructed, looking left (towards aft of the ship) safety equipment and tenders block the view. Additionally, there is an obstruction to the window view.

4110 - Tender boat and structure

4112 - Tender boat

4114 - Tender boat

4116 - Tender boat

4118 - Tender boat equipment

4120 - Tender boat

4122 - Tender boat

4124 - Tender boat

4126 - Tender boat and equipment

4128 - Tender boat and equipment

4130 - Tender boat

4132 - Tender boat

4134 - Tender boat

4136 - Tender boat and equipment

4138 - Life boat

4140 - Life boat

4142 - Life boat

4144 - Life boat and equipment

5107 - Life boat and equipment

5112 - Life boat equipment

5114 - Life boat equipment

5116 - Life boat equipment

5118 - Life boat equipment

5122 - Life boat equipment

5128 - Life boat equipment

5130 - Life boat equipment

5136 - Life boat equipment

5138 - Life boat equipment

Obstructed view staterooms are classed as CA/CB (balcony) or FB/FC (ocean view) grades, which can be found on either decks 4 or 5.

Who will be the Guest Speakers on board?

There is no longer a dedicated page on Cunard's website providing lists on guest speakers for the Insights programme on board. Here are links to documents showing the schedule for 2019.

Queen Elizabeth 2019 Insights Guest Lecturers

Queen Mary 2 2019 Insights Guest Lecturers

Queen Victoria 2019 Insights Guest Lecturers

What is the suggested attire for the Themed Balls?

Here is a link to a document listing the ball themes for 2018 and through the 2019 world voyages with suggested attire for each.

Royal Night Theme Balls Suggested Guest Attire

Edited February 21, 2019 by bluemarble

Underwatr · February 21, 2019

3 hours ago, bluemarble said:

Cunard has a “Frequently asked questions” section which may help with some of your questions.

UK: https://www.cunard.com/en-gb/frequently-asked-questions

US: https://www.cunard.com/en-us/frequently-asked-questions

It may not be necessary to provide both links like this. At least in the US the Cunard website redirects the "en-gb" links to "en-us" and I suspect the reverse is true as well.

Edited February 21, 2019 by Underwatr

bluemarble · February 22, 2019

1 hour ago, Underwatr said:

It may not be necessary to provide both links like this. At least in the US the Cunard website redirects the "en-gb" links to "en-us" and I suspect the reverse is true as well.

Yeah, most of the time that's true. That's definitely true for the case of the main "Frequently asked questions" page and the "What to Pack" page where the URLs are identical except for the "en-us" or "en-gb" part. Those in the US will have the "en-gb" changed to "en-us" and those in the UK will have "en-us" changed to "en-gb" and all will be well.

Unfortunately this gets a bit dicey for some of the individual questions within the FAQs. Believe it or not, some of the same questions actually have different URLs depending on whether they reside in the US FAQ or the UK FAQ. A couple examples of this are the questions "Do you offer a drinks package?" and "Can I see an example of a menu?".

In the UK FAQ, the URL for the question "Do you offer a drinks package?" is:

"https://www.cunard.com/en-gb/frequently-asked-questions.life-on-board.FAQ49.summary".

In the US FAQ, the URL for the question "Do you offer a drinks package?" is:

"https://www.cunard.com/en-us/frequently-asked-questions.life-on-board.faq335.summary".

In the UK FAQ, the URL for the question "Can I see an example of a menu?" is:

"https://www.cunard.com/en-gb/frequently-asked-questions.life-on-board.FAQ335.summary".

In the US FAQ, the URL for the question "Can I see an example of a menu?" is:

"https://www.cunard.com/en-us/frequently-asked-questions.life-on-board.FAQ50.summary".

For some reason, the developers of the US FAQ decided to go their own way for at least these two particular questions. The end result is that the answers in the US FAQ are deficient for these two questions as noted in my previous post above.

Because of these differences between the FAQs, I chose to keep the format consistent by offering both UK and US links for each question. For some questions either link will work, so having both links is redundant. But for other questions, the UK and US URLs are different so both links are needed.

I am perfectly OK with only having both the UK and US links listed when that's required and otherwise sharing a single link without a country identifier, if that seems to make more sense. Any and all additional thoughts and opinions about this particular detail are very welcome.

Edited February 22, 2019 by bluemarble

Host Hattie · February 22, 2019

Just to confuse things my work PC thinks it's in Holland and makes a mess of some the US links !

Thanks for all this, it looks a lot of work

bluemarble · February 22, 2019

1 hour ago, Host Hattie said:

Just to confuse things my work PC thinks it's in Holland and makes a mess of some the US links !

Thanks for all this, it looks a lot of work

I just tried connecting to Australia and noticed at least one thing works better there. In the question "How much are the drinks on board?", the link to the "Carinthia Lounge Day Menu" actually works. That link within the Australia "en-au" FAQ contains a "-" while the links in the "un-gb" and "en-us" FAQs contain a "_" which is what makes those UK and US links broken.

Interestingly, in Australia, following the US link for the question "Do you offer a drinks package?" (faq335) actually takes you to the question "What are the restaurant opening hours?" rather than producing the expected error "The page that you are looking for cannot be found." The UK link to the question "Do you offer a drinks package?" (FAQ49) works correctly in Australia as do the other UK links.

cruiseluvva · February 22, 2019

It’s just a joke, and shocking that they do not appear to care.

bluemarble · February 22, 2019

Here's another version for the beginning of the "WELCOME TO THE CUNARD BOARD ... Here are some useful links" sticky. In this version I have taken Underwatr's suggestion and removed redundant UK and US links when one link (the UK link) will work in either location. This does help make an already very long post just a bit shorter and a bit easier to deal with. Host Hattie, feel free to add, subtract, or edit any of this as you see fit for incorporating into the sticky.