Queen Elizabeth - First time tips

[notwhoiam]

Hey guys 

 

Not sure where to put this one but I'd appreciate any advice. 

My wife and I are going on our first cruise on QE From Melbourne to Sydney next year (short 2 night cruise) 

 

I've a couple of questions, 

 

I believe check-in commences at 12pm for a 6pm departure. Are you able to jump on board the boat at 12:30 and have lunch, and go to your cabin? 

 

Any advice on what to avoid/try on the ship? We're both first time cruisers and first time on Cunard, so we're keen to make as much of the experience as we can in the timeframe we've got. 

 

Thanks In advance! 

[majortom10]

You will be given an embarkation time prior to your cruise which Cunard ask you to adhere too you cannot just embark at a time to suit yourself. You will be able to have lunch in the buffet restaurant and it is not always guaranteed that your cabin will be available as soon as you get onboard but usually they are.

[lissie]

Well when we embarked her in Sydney just prior to Covid - we  were given a boarding time of  about 11am - unfortunately so were about 2000 other pax. It was a very very long line. Once you get on board our new friends we'd met in that line told us to go to the Golden Lion pub - we made it just before it finished  serving lunch (2pm  I think). By the time we'd done that the cabin was ready.  You can check  your large luggage in at hte terminal though - so basically you can do anything you like on the ship while you wait for the cabin. 

 

Watch for prices and if you see a lower one rebook - they won't tell you the price has dropped you'll have to check 

[starquake]

Recently we (as new to Cunard) got a later time, it seems based on Cabin class, so if you eat in Brittanica, expect a 3-4pm boarding time if you don't have status.  That was case in UK departures last month, with Grills going on first at 12:30 ish, then status guests (2pm), then finally Brittania guests (at 3-5).  If you have status with Cunard you WILL be on earlier based on what they doing at Southampton.

The Goldon Lion shuts serving food at ~ 4pm these days (December cruise last month), so it's pot luck if you don't get on fast.    About half of Brittania guests missed that, and the PUB was busy, with people waiting for tables     THey also don't serve lunch on embarkation at the moment, only Golden Lion, Buffet was open (both until 4pm).  

 

It's worth noting Dining table preference was allocated by the Maitre'D based on time of your original booking (rough equiv to booking order), so thus by cancelling and rebooking you *may* get a less good table than someone who booked within weeks of the cruise being "released".   The people we spoke to who on board were disapointed with their tables had booked within "weeks" of departure.   We booked on day 1 of a cruise going on sale for this December, and ended up with a wake view table in Britannia in middle of ship (ie, pretty much the best table in house).   We did not request this, we just requested 6pm dining and were allocated that "excellent" table on day one without anything special on the booking, and as a first-time cruiser to Cunard.

[starquake]

It's also worth noting that the room service is available all the time, so if you miss the short outage of dining from 4-6pm, you can still get stuff in room if you hungry.

[PORT ROYAL]

5 hours ago, notwhoiam said:

Hey guys 

 

Not sure where to put this one but I'd appreciate any advice. 

My wife and I are going on our first cruise on QE From Melbourne to Sydney next year (short 2 night cruise) 

 

I've a couple of questions, 

 

I believe check-in commences at 12pm for a 6pm departure. Are you able to jump on board the boat at 12:30 and have lunch, and go to your cabin? 

 

Any advice on what to avoid/try on the ship? We're both first time cruisers and first time on Cunard, so we're keen to make as much of the experience as we can in the timeframe we've got. 

 

Thanks In advance! 

Not to be missed experiences for the first time cruiser.

The (2 share) Seafood Platter in the Verandah

Wagu Beef in the Verandah

The Special Cunard Pasta Dish (forgot the actual name) in the Lido Alternative on the La Piazza nights.

Evening Cocktails in the Commodore Club

Working with one’s Sommelier over Dinner, especially with Bin Ends.

 

 

 

[starquake]

Agree with the Sommelier suggestion, ask for reccomendations on desert wine and port AS well as the dinner wines.     Cunard have GREAT wines, in fact some of best I've personally drunk when you get a deal on a bin-end, but do bear in mind there are many that are VERY high priced on a by-glass basis, and you often better buying a bottle -> where the port/dessert wines by glass are quite reasonable.

Top tip is to ask the head waiter for your area if you can see the next days menu, to pre-plan if you want to visit Brittania for lunch (but you may want to say for diatry restrictions, wife is lactose intolrant, so finding things with a sauce she can have).   But at lunch there were some AMAZING dishes, especially Thai/Asian/Japanese styles ONLY served at Lunch on QE on our last sailing, best was a Thai style spicy peanut noodle starter.          

 

[majortom10]

Embarkation is not just down to which staterooms are booked. QG/PG always are allowed to embark first but you also get priority boarding at loyalty level in Cunard World Club whatever stateroom you have booked. But being your first time chances are it will be later rather than earlier.

[jimbo1683]

6 hours ago, majortom10 said:

Embarkation is not just down to which staterooms are booked. QG/PG always are allowed to embark first but you also get priority boarding at loyalty level in Cunard World Club whatever stateroom you have booked. But being your first time chances are it will be later rather than earlier.

How is britannia club treated in the running order?

[lissie]

Remember that all of the post covid advice re embarkation is from the UK. It seems that the chaos of boarding everyone with the same time (I think there was a priority line for grills) in Australia seemed standard before Covid - and until they restart in Australia we really have no idea on how it will work. 

[majortom10]

11 hours ago, jimbo1683 said:

How is britannia club treated in the running order?

I do not think Britannia Club has any preference in embarkation times only the Grills.

[majortom10]

11 hours ago, lissie said:

Remember that all of the post covid advice re embarkation is from the UK. It seems that the chaos of boarding everyone with the same time (I think there was a priority line for grills) in Australia seemed standard before Covid - and until they restart in Australia we really have no idea on how it will work. 

Perhaps that is how they embarked in Australia but with regards to those embarking in Southampton in the UK they have always even before covid adhered to an embarkation time on your boarding pass to stop overcrowding at earlier times.

[LadyL1]

I don’t think at present the loyalty holds too much status with early boarding in UK.  After the Grills are through for COVID testing the Platinum and Diamond pax would be far too many converging very early, for so called “priority”.

Let us all remember that boarding is easier, faster and safer if one can stick to given times as near as possible! This is being done for our own benefit. The testing site at Southampton does work efficiently, and we should support the arrangements.

[majortom10]

6 hours ago, LadyL1 said:

I don’t think at present the loyalty holds too much status with early boarding in UK.  After the Grills are through for COVID testing the Platinum and Diamond pax would be far too many converging very early, for so called “priority”.

Let us all remember that boarding is easier, faster and safer if one can stick to given times as near as possible! This is being done for our own benefit. The testing site at Southampton does work efficiently, and we should support the arrangements.

It doesnt make any difference when you are actually at Southampton but when e-tickets/boarding passes are completed by Head Office in Southampton prior to the cruise they should take into account Diamond/Platinum status and give earlier embarkation times. On our Seacation in August we received our boarding pass with a boarding time of 3pm and I contacted Cunard and asked shouldnt we have an earlier time being Platinum. I was told yes it was a computer error that they were aware of and she sent me a letter by e-mail to confirm my Platinum status and that I could embark anytime after 12-30pm to show check in staff.

[notwhoiam]

Thanks everyone. 

 

One last question if I may, is it possible to order "off menu" in Britannia Club or is this a perk for the grills? 

 

 

[lissie]

22 hours ago, majortom10 said:

Perhaps that is how they embarked in Australia but with regards to those embarking in Southampton in the UK they have always even before covid adhered to an embarkation time on your boarding pass to stop overcrowding at earlier times.

The  OP is embarking in Melbourne not Southampton. We had a boarding time too 11am from  memory - the only problem was 2000 other people had the same time 

[PORT ROYAL]

3 hours ago, notwhoiam said:

Thanks everyone. 

 

One last question if I may, is it possible to order "off menu" in Britannia Club or is this a perk for the grills? 

 

 

True “Off” is Grills.  However, in Club as in Britannia, if there is something special one would like which can be prepared from ingredients commonly available, then ask your MD if this could be arranged.  

[majortom10]

1 hour ago, lissie said:

The  OP is embarking in Melbourne not Southampton. We had a boarding time too 11am from  memory - the only problem was 2000 other people had the same time 

I realise that as my reply in #12 I was responding to LadyL1 in #14 who was commenting on UK embarkation.

[Crusit]

My husband and I are also first time Cunard cruisers. We sail in Sept 2023 on Queen Elizabeth from Ft Lauderdale to Barcelona. Appreciate this topic for first time cruisers.

[barrymx5]

Hi Crusit. We will be on this cruise too except we board in Los Angeles. Look forward to seeing responses. We too are first time on Cunard. 

[Mosttoyswin]

Must be a popular first timer cruise we will also be first time Cunard boarding in Fort Lauderdale exiting in Barcelona in 2023.  

[kjc852]

Boarding in L.A. on 7/26 and this will be our first Cunard cruise as well!

[kiwiuk4]

On 7/18/2022 at 3:36 AM, Crusit said:

My husband and I are also first time Cunard cruisers. We sail in Sept 2023 on Queen Elizabeth from Ft Lauderdale to Barcelona. Appreciate this topic for first time cruisers.

We board at LA thru to Barcelona, like Barry MX5.  
 

First “long haul” cruise, and was last on a Cunard back in 1965 😂  so expecting to notice quite a difference 😉

 

Pam