Feedback on Britannia restaurant open dining

[Kynance]

Thanks to everyone who replied in response to my post #45. Really interesting thoughts & observations. We normally eat at home around 7 and I would rather eat later than earlier than that, so we’ve always had late sitting and go for pre-dinner drinks in the Commodore Club. If we did opt for open dining, we would want to dine around 7 or 7.30. Any later and I think we might as well just stick with the late sitting.
 

We rarely go the shows - they are just not normally to our taste, so not bothered about dovetailing with those, but we do like the live music around the ship and generally drinking in the atmosphere (perambulating as I call it).  I did wonder whether there would generally be a lack of atmosphere with open dining, and that seems borne out by the comments but I suppose one person’s lack of atmosphere is another person’s quiet and relaxing dining experience. We have done Britannia Club on QV which was pretty quiet and we did enjoy that. As I said, as it’s just a week and we won’t be in the restaurant every night we may give it a go but I shall have another discussion with Mr Kynance first. Thanks again all. 

[bluemarble]

1 hour ago, ex-koelner said:

So, did I get it right, that on QM2 open dining is always on the lower level and fixed dining, both the early and late sitting, is always on the upper level?

 

On QM2 it's actually the opposite. The fixed sittings are on the lower level of Britannia (deck 2) and open dining is on the upper level (deck 3) on QM2.

[Pushpit]

11 minutes ago, bluemarble said:

 

On QM2 it's actually the opposite. The fixed sittings are on the lower level of Britannia (deck 2) and open dining is on the upper level (deck 3) on QM2.

I've not done QM2 yet on Open, that's going to have to wait until December (unless a good bargain comes up......). But for QE and QV it was on the lower deck 2, but I remember a senior staff person saying that they in theory could/would swap decks depending on numbers choosing fixed versus Open on any given cruise. He also said that in theory they could run 19:00 hrs Open arrivals in the Fixed areas, since the early first sitters would have gone and they often have spare tables for the second sitting, so they could spread the workload around.

 

I think there are some really good points made above about atmosphere - and that's going to vary according to taste. So if you like have a convivial time with a group of people on your table and/or the next table, with wait staff knowing your preferences, then that is lost if you go Open. But Open gives flexibility and I still found myself chatting away to some neighbours on Open, you just know you're unlikely to see them again! Plus you may on one night get a really fabulous window table with great views.

 

I don't think there is a global right answer here, it's something different, a new option. But there probably is a right answer for you.

Edited May 11, 2023 by Pushpit

[gentlemancruiser]

Can anyone onboard QM2 comment about the current open seating at dinner in Britannia?   

Still have issues with lone waits on deck 3?

[BouncingWheel]

I have been on QM2 twice this year and the flexible dining, and dining in particular in Britannia, is very flexible. In theory, Deck 2 is fixed dining with two sittings and Deck 3 is open (flexible/freedom) dining. In reality, this is what happens. The Deck 2 is either oversubscribed and/or there have been "complaints" about the table allocated (location, table companions etc...) and therefore some fixed diners have deck 3 tables allocated due to lack of room on Deck 2.

Similarly, some open diners end up on Deck 2 on some evenings. This has happened to us when we attended dinner shortly after the fixed dinner service started and there were no shows for tables. Quite a few couples were redirected downstairs.

 

The thing to remember for open/freedom dining is where you sat last time so that you can tell your wine waiter where to find any left over wine you may have.

 

We never had to wait for a table though some nights service could be slow. All in all, I think the system worked very, very well.

Edited May 16, 2023 by BouncingWheel
typo

[GonzoWCS]

2 hours ago, BouncingWheel said:

I have been on QM2 twice this year and the flexible dining, and dining in particular in Britannia, is very flexible. In theory, Deck 2 is fixed dining with two sittings and Deck 3 is open (flexible/freedom) dining. In reality, this is what happens. The Deck 2 is either oversubscribed and/or there have been "complaints" about the table allocated (location, table companions etc...) and therefore some fixed diners have deck 3 tables allocated due to lack of room on Deck 2.

Similarly, some open diners end up on Deck 2 on some evenings. This has happened to us when we attended dinner shortly after the fixed dinner service started and there were no shows for tables. Quite a few couples were redirected downstairs.

 

The thing to remember for open/freedom dining is where you sat last time so that you can tell your wine waiter where to find any left over wine you may have.

 

We never had to wait for a table though some nights service could be slow. All in all, I think the system worked very, very well.

Thanks for this.

 

Cheers

[Bedruthen]

We were on fixed early dining on QM2 this month. As the people on the tables either side of us didn’t come to dinner every evening, on the nights they were absent, the tables were reallocated to open diners after 6.30pm. So open dining does take place on the lower level.

[canoncruiser]

I and some friends are on QM2 now, at LeHarve and on our way to New York. Anytime dining is NOT QUITE Anytime. We asked for a table at 7  and we were told that ship is full so we could come at 8and a table would be held-Indeed the ship is full and she is in grand shape😊. So far the cuisine is far better that it was on QV earlier this year on the World Cruise. Lot’s of new staff b ut they seem to quite up to the mark. 

[BouncingWheel]

I think the challenge on QM2 is that there are not many large tables in the Britannia restaurant on deck 3. Most are for 2 though many can easily be set together for 4 or 6 as they are only separated by a small amount. Therefore, unfortunately, I think anytime dining is more flexible for smaller numbers but it sounds like you are still enjoying the cruise and the food despite this setback which is great to hear. 

[Slugsta]

We disembarked QV 2 days ago (still dealing with the washing mountain) and open dining worked well for us. 

 

Some friends had booked a time on the first night but were told they had to queue with everyone else, so didn't bother again. As it happened, the only real queue was on that first night, I think we might have waited about 10 minutes. After that, we were seated quickly each night. We tried to use the app on the first night but got a message saying that we could not be accommodated so just went along to the Britannia. We didn't even try to use the app for meals on other occasions.

 

We like to share tables and deliberately dined with the same people several times - we all turned up together and requested a table for 8. 

 

The dining room was pretty full most times we were there, although numbers dwindled after about 9pm. We found that eating around 7.30 got us to the theatre in good time for the 10pm show. Leaving it til 8pm was a bit of a push when we had a large table but we still got seats. We didn't rush through the meal and spent a lot of time chatting, we could have been faster if we had chosen to do so.

 

In summary, the open dining worked very well for us.

 

 

 

 

[Host Hattie]

Thank you for reporting back, it's good to hear it's working well.

[NavyPanda]

What time does open dining begin each evening? I've seen references to 6pm or 6:30pm. Does it vary by ship? 

[Pushpit]

1 hour ago, NavyPanda said:

What time does open dining begin each evening? I've seen references to 6pm or 6:30pm. Does it vary by ship? 

QE and QV have/had the same times: 17:45 hrs to 21:00 hrs, with 18:00 to 19:00 hrs being peak times from what I've made out. I'm not sure one should appear at 20:58 hrs looking for the full experience, but that's what the Daily Programme said.

 

Hopefully someone on QM2 at the moment can confirm the timings from the QM2 programme.

[exlondoner]

3 minutes ago, Pushpit said:

QE and QV have/had the same times: 17:45 hrs to 21:00 hrs, with 18:00 to 19:00 hrs being peak times from what I've made out. I'm not sure one should appear at 20:58 hrs looking for the full experience, but that's what the Daily Programme said.

 

Hopefully someone on QM2 at the moment can confirm the timings from the QM2 programme.

I’m not sure anyone appearing at 20.58 will get or deserve the full experience in any of the restaurants, though I’ve certainly seen people do it in the QG. They were apparently still on California time. 🙂

[Host Hattie]

Currently on QM2  -

 

First Sitting: 6.00pm

with last call by 6.15pm

 

Second Sitting: 8.30pm

with last call by 8.45pm

 

Open seating from

6.00pm to 9.00pm

 

[Host Hattie]

On 5/11/2023 at 9:17 PM, bluemarble said:

 

On QM2 it's actually the opposite. The fixed sittings are on the lower level of Britannia (deck 2) and open dining is on the upper level (deck 3) on QM2.

Except if you're really unlucky and end up on Fixed Dining on Deck 3.

[naturelovergirl]

We have made the choice today to switch from Late seating to Open seating for our Alaska voyage later this summer- and it truly came down to the idea of making the most out of scenery and scheduling with our port activities- some of our morning excursions are quite early.

We typically prefer traditional seating on a cruise- but in the end, we discussed it, and we decided that early seating was too early and late seating was too late.

We have done open dining on other cruises- and I will certainly miss having the same wait staff in the dining room on this upcoming Cunard voyage.

Still, in the end I think it is the right choice for us with our plans.

 

I’ll make sure to let you all know what my experience in Open is like for us on Cunard after the August Alaska cruise.

Crossing my fingers!

[addo]

We returned from QE Japan/Alaska last week and chose open dining.  This allowed us to make the best use of the evening entertainment which would not have been possible if we had chosen late sitting. 

 

Dining at 7.45pm was ideal so we could attend the late quiz and then the show. We noted many late arrivals in the theatre after 10pm showtime from those who chose the later dining.

 

This is our third cruise where we chose open dining, including the World cruise and as it suits our needs better intend to continue choosing this option.

[Jenny Bond]

16 hours ago, addo said:

We returned from QE Japan/Alaska last week and chose open dining.  This allowed us to make the best use of the evening entertainment which would not have been possible if we had chosen late sitting. 

 

Dining at 7.45pm was ideal so we could attend the late quiz and then the show. We noted many late arrivals in the theatre after 10pm showtime from those who chose the later dining.

 

This is our third cruise where we chose open dining, including the World cruise and as it suits our needs better intend to continue choosing this option.

 

Wait. Is there a Japan to Alaska voyage?!?!? I owe my parents an Alaskan Cruise as they canceled theirs to be here when my daughter was born. My daughter is now 19 and wants to go to Japan for her 21 bday. It would be too neat to be able to take us all to Alaska then to Japan on the same trip!

[bluemarble]

1 hour ago, Jenny Bond said:

Wait. Is there a Japan to Alaska voyage?!?!? I owe my parents an Alaskan Cruise as they canceled theirs to be here when my daughter was born. My daughter is now 19 and wants to go to Japan for her 21 bday. It would be too neat to be able to take us all to Alaska then to Japan on the same trip!

 

Yes, QE's next Japan-to-Alaska cruise is scheduled for May 24 to June 11, 2024. The itinerary is Yokohama, Hakodate, Aomori, Kodiak, Seward, Hubbard Glacier, Icy Strait Point, Glacier Bay, Victoria, Vancouver.

 

There is also the option to depart May 14, 2024 to add a 10-night Japan/Korea/Taiwan cruise before the cruise to Alaska. You can also add an additional 10-night Alaska cruise to extend the cruise to June 21, 2024.

 

It hasn't been announced yet, but the schedule for 2025 is likely to be similar.

 

Note the direction is always eastbound from Japan to Alaska. There isn't a westbound cruise from Alaska to Japan. After QE finishes her Alaska season, she repositions to the Mediterranean, then Australia/New Zealand, and then back to Japan.

Edited June 18, 2023 by bluemarble

[Jenny Bond]

28 minutes ago, bluemarble said:

Note the direction is always eastbound from Japan to Alaska. There isn't a westbound cruise from Alaska to Japan. After QE finishes her Alaska season, she repositions to the Mediterranean, then Australia/New Zealand, and then back to Japan.

 

This is wonderful! I am going to research it. I was originally planning a Japan cruise only but this would be even better to "make up" for ruining their Alaska cruise all those years ago!

[sfred]

7 hours ago, Jenny Bond said:

 

This is wonderful! I am going to research it. I was originally planning a Japan cruise only but this would be even better to "make up" for ruining their Alaska cruise all those years ago!

 

There are a number of threads here in the Cunard Crise Critic board about QE's voyages around Japan, eastbound transpacific, and Alaska.  Several of us here did some or most of the segments this year, or previous years.  Try a search for "Japan" and "Alaska" and you'll find lots of photos, and descriptions of QE port and onboard experiences.  Let us know any questions - happy to help.  Good luck with your research!

[martinmct]

QE has the current timings for her dining as per this photo of the Daily Programme for Monday 19th June - although this is a port day in Victoria, the only variation to a ‘normal’ day being that there is no lunchtime service in the Steakhouse, normally 12.00pm to 1.30pm.

Regards, Martin

[Kynance]

Currently on QV and had decided to stick with fixed sitting and late dining, despite having pondered a change to open. However, on boarding, discovered we had been assigned to open anyway, despite having confirmation of being on late sitting once we’d made our final payment in March. It’s only been 2 nights so far but I can’t say we’re enjoying it. I just don’t like the uncertainty surrounding where you will be sitting, the queuing, the lack of engagement with waiting staff and trying to get a drink from the sommelier. (The first evening we failed to get a drink other than water at all.).  I’ve twice raised the issue with assistant restaurant managers but as yet have not achieved a resolution - or at least had an understanding about why the booking confirmation was clearly nothing of the sort. A bit fed up to be honest so we’re upping sticks and gong to the Verandah tomorrow.  To provide a completely fair and full review, I will post more thoughts at the end of the trip. Food has been fine overall - but I don’t think much has moved on since we last cruised in October 2019. The dishes all feel very familiar. 

[Pear Carr]

How very disappointing for you.  I am surprised that you have not been able to change to fixed late sitting and can only assume you must be sailing at full capacity.