It's so good to be back on Cunard!

[MarkBearSF]

We just boarded QE yesterday for a short jaunt to SF.
It's SO good tone back on Cunard. We've been on other lines recently (including Princess in January) - they've been great, but they ain't Cunard. It's all the little things and moments of grace that make Cunard special. I've missed them.  Looking forward to a NY- Quebec cruise on QM2 in September.

One note - I was apprehensive about dining, having read the late, flexible seating on QM (and perhaps QE). Happily, they're back to traditional dining and two seatings. 

And our service has been wonderful!

[Host Hattie]

That's good to hear, enjoy the rest of your trip.

[carlmm]

Great news, thank you.

[jimdee3636]

@MarkBearSF

My wife and I get on the QE Tuesday (July 26) in L.A. I know your time on the ship is limited, but anything---and I mean anything---you can post about the ship would be gratefully received.

 

For example, it was good to learn that they're back to two dinner seatings. But if you learn how many guests are on board, that would be helpful, too, as well as whether the ship is obviously short-staffed in the restaurants and bars.

 

Have a great time!

 

Jim

[elmsliebev]

19 hours ago, jimdee3636 said:

@MarkBearSF

My wife and I get on the QE Tuesday (July 26) in L.A. I know your time on the ship is limited, but anything---and I mean anything---you can post about the ship would be gratefully received.

 

For example, it was good to learn that they're back to two dinner seatings. But if you learn how many guests are on board, that would be helpful, too, as well as whether the ship is obviously short-staffed in the restaurants and bars.

 

Have a great time!

 

Jim

I’m on board as well. I don’t know how many guests are on board but it does feel less than full. We are on late dining and there are plenty of empty tables. The service is excellent, I can see no obvious signs of being short staffed. 

[jimdee3636]

@elmsliebev

Glad to get this information. We're late dining too, so maybe we'll meet onboard.

Jim

[MarkBearSF]

Assorted notes
- Unfortunately, I forgot to ask about the passenger count. It seems to be pretty close to full.

- As others have noted, the WiFi is not good. It seems to be worse than I'd expect, given my experience on QM2. I notice a difference depending on the time of day. In the past, this was not as big a factor - I expect that the omnipresence of the Internet and the end of per hour charges means that the WiFi and intranet is facing capacity issues that were less of a factor in the past.

- Connexions is no longer the Internet area - that is now on the second floor of the Library. 
And only one computer is connected to the printer, and I was unable to bring up a PDF on that computer. The Library staff was wonderful as always and helped as they could.

- The Lido is self-service, except for beverages. We normally eat in Britannia, but this lunch we wanted a little bit of light snacks since we were planning on Afternoon Tea. I must say that I was NOT impressed with the limited offerings today at lunch.

- Alternative dining in the Lido is back.

- They had hot hors d'oeuvres in the Commodore Club at 5:30 or so

- Cunard IT is as screwed up as ever. We had checked in and registered the credit card months ago, but got to board in Vancouver and they said we hadn't checked in yet, so they took our passports and did it. No biggie but.... 
This morning, we received cards inviting us to register a credit card. I went to the Purser's Desk and did so this morning. This afternoon, our cards were not accepted in the Commodore Club. I headed back down - it turned out that the card was registered, but they neglected to "open an account" for us to use it. Happily, it was ultimately cleared up, but it was NOT their finest hour.

- Last night was Red & Gold gala night. There was much more emphasis on the theme than in the past. I expect this may be one of the most popular themes these days, because what woman doesn't love wearing a red dress!

- Although we cleared US customs in Vancouver before boarding, today we were told that we must do it again and all passengers, including those in transit must appear to the customs officers in SF and leave the ship until it is cleared (much like Red Hook for round trip crossing passengers) In Vancouver, I asked if this takes care of customs for SF, the agent told us that we were all cleared so there would be nothing in SF.

Edited July 24, 2022 by MarkBearSF

[lissie]

3 hours ago, MarkBearSF said:

- Although we cleared US customs in Vancouver before boarding, today we were told that we must do it again and all passengers, including those in transit must appear to the customs officers in SF and leave the ship until it is cleared (much like Red Hook for round trip crossing passengers) In Vancouver, I asked if this takes care of customs for SF, the agent told us that we were all cleared so there would be nothing in SF.

I was hoping that was the case  we have a boarding time of midday in SF - but probably won't get there until 1pm or later and hoping the queues will have gone by then. 

[techteach]

@lissie What did you do in SF? I hope you had a good trip. Best of luck boarding today and happy sailing.

[MarkBearSF]

12 hours ago, lissie said:

I was hoping that was the case  we have a boarding time of midday in SF - but probably won't get there until 1pm or later and ho ping the queues will have gone by then. 

Good luck getting through the marathon which is running on the Embarcadero, cutting off access to the terminal. We grabbed a cab across the street (actually our porter did) and had to cross through them. There was a phalanx of busses for excursions and transfers which were queued up and finally allowed through - but it's a mess. Hopefully by noon or so, it should start clearing up.