QE 2023 Newbie Questions!

[BeachTunes]

Greeting From Canada! 

 

As promised from my recent posts, I'm now about to bombard everyone with questions about our first Cunard cruise! 🤪

 

For some context, my husband and I have been on several cruises including 3 with Crystal, 3 on Celebrity, and one magical sailing on the Paul Gauguin. I'm also personally familiar with Disney! We appreciate premium/luxury experiences but itinerary is paramount. I've been interested in Cunard for several years and am thrilled that the right itinerary at the right time found us! 🙂 We enjoy formal nights so no questions there! LOL! 

 

On to today's questions: 

 

OPEN vs LATE FIXED DINING: We typically opt for open dining because we like the flexibility. When we cruise, we usually make our way to the dining room around 7:30pm. I'm leaning toward "Late Fixed" for this QE cruise. We have "Open" booked at the moment. We will be booking the full drink package that includes a good variety of wines by the glass. I would hope the sommeliers would catch this and give us some nice pairings as we have experienced on other lines. Will we miss anything important entertainment-wise by dining late vs around 7:00pm or 7:30pm? (Note: We will be a table fo 2 and don't need to converse with others while dining. We prefer to socialize in the lounges/public areas.)

 

EMBARKATION WINE AND BEER - BARCELONA: I'm not a rule breaker so please make note of that before proceeding to read! LOL According to what I've read, guests may bring 1 bottle of wine per person per stateroom upon embarkation. I'm fine with that. Again, we'll be buying the full drinks package. Thus, anything brought on board will be for in-room enjoyment only. BUT, I've read that others have recently brought on beer! That would be music to my husband's ears! Again, not trying to trick the system but if anyone has any experience successfully bringing, say, 6 beers and maybe 2 bottles of wine on board in total, that would be helpful to know. 

 

MATTRESS TOPPERS: Oh my goodness, this headline make me sound like a Prima Donna! Not the case! Just excited and asking ALL the questions! We have a balcony stateroom that has been reviewed on YouTube and the bed was described as firm. (I know, I know, don't believe everything you read online and our mileage may vary!) However, should we find the bed stiff would it be OK to ask our room steward for a topper? Just curious. I know we'll make do no matter what. 

 

TOULON: Has anyone done the St Tropez excursion? We booked it and are looking forward to it! 

 

LIVORNO: We're planning to do Pisa on our own. Pisa tips - and lunch recommendations - would be appreciated!

 

IBIZA: Any beach restaurants we should check out? I know there are many all over the island. We're willing to go off the beaten path and explore!

 

VALENCIA: The birthplace of Paella! Please feel welcome to share your fave spots and sights!

 

GENERAL TIPS AND MUST DOs: We have a 2-hour Spa slot booked. We know to hit up Afternoon Tea in the ballroom and have our formal wear (with themes in mind) on our packing list! Our room is about 2 doors away from the Launderette so we know about that perk! Haha! We're grateful for any other tips Cunard experts wish to share. 

 

Thank you all so much! I'm almost embarrassed to post this as it seems a bit indulgent and trite. Planning provides *almost* as much fun as the vacation itself so I thank you all in advance for your responses! 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 3, 2023 by BeachTunes

[alibabacruisers]

I love your enthusiasm and love it when people ask for tips and hints!  

[BigMac1953]

You can bring as much beer, wine and spirits as you can carry. We always bring half a dozen bottles of champagne. You can also "top up" at each poer of call.

 

The mattresses are made by Sealy and are most comfortable. There are no toppers available.

[LittleFish1976]

You'll find the sommeliers well versed in making sugestions for pairing wines with your various courses. The wine list is very good and the package allows for some very good wines by the glass.

[NE John]

As I mentioned in previous Valencia posts, go to the Paella joints that are off the main piazza/main square area. You’ll get a better chance of a less touristy and more authentic experience. 
The selection of wines by the glass that fall under the Drinks package are fairly limited for bigger pours (250 vs 150 ml pours). Cunard wine is very acceptable though. Don’t forget the 20% discount of bottle wines. Soms will make sure your wine orders fall within in the limit and I believe the wine prices overall are very fair. 

[Poole Boy]

Barcelona, - There is a duty free shop at the port, good selection of beer and spirits and more importantly tonic water.  Also a couple of supermarkets at within walking distance of the shuttle bus drop off if you would like a wider selection ( assuming you don't buy  at Airport  duty free on the way to Barcelona)

 

[Whitechapelgirl62]

Hi we’re on QE on 9th October with same itinerary. We have booked a trip to Aix en Provence via Cunard (Toulon) as thought it was a good price & also wanted to visit here. I would say that France has great train links & you might want to look into getting a train to St Tropez which is very pretty. Also in Livorno we have booked the trip to villages/wine tasting. For Pisa & assume you want to go to leaning tower this is “out of the way” & has a few restaurants around it but is in quite a residential area. I’d recommend going to Lucca which is a beautiful walled city, very atmospheric & great restaurants, very walkable on yr own. I think there is a trip there via Cunard. Ibiza we plan to do on our own as can just walk the old town & have an early dinner as think we leave late evening. Valencia is a great city & you can get the local train from port (its about a 20 minute walk from dock area) into the city. Lots of things to see/do. We booked a walking tour (privately) last year which was great. Toursbylocals is a good one to look up. Alternatively if weather great walk along the beachfront to a restaurant for paella. 

[D&N]

4 hours ago, Whitechapelgirl62 said:

France has great train links & you might want to look into getting a train to St Tropez

France has a reputation for having great train links. The reality can be somewhat different.

 

The rail lines don't go near St Tropez. Scheduled buses from Toulon are likely to take nearly 3 hours each way. By car it's about 1h40m provided the roads aren't saturated. October would probably be ok, unlike now at the height of the holiday season.

[nightfires]

Regarding early/late dining, the early show time on my Alaska cruise was 8:30 so you would miss that if you opted for late dining. There is the late show. 
 

I said on another thread I’m considering fixed dining on my next cruise. I like sharing a table and I found open dining meant I was often eating alone. Tables for 2 were much easier to find. This is the opposite of my experience on P & O.

[moses0]

Lovely ship. We do late dining so we can enjoy Afternoon tea. A must for us every day,

[3rdGenCunarder]

On 8/8/2023 at 7:39 PM, nightfires said:

Regarding early/late dining, the early show time on my Alaska cruise was 8:30 so you would miss that if you opted for late dining. There is the late show. 
 

I said on another thread I’m considering fixed dining on my next cruise. I like sharing a table and I found open dining meant I was often eating alone. Tables for 2 were much easier to find. This is the opposite of my experience on P & O.

 

As a solo, I always do fixed dining and ask for a large table. I don't mind breakfast or lunch alone, but I don't like having dinner on my own.

[NYCSev20]

1 hour ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

As a solo, I always do fixed dining and ask for a large table. I don't mind breakfast or lunch alone, but I don't like having dinner on my own.

What size table for the dinner do you suggest?  I am taking my first ever cruise, a TA solo on QM2, and have no idea if it should be a 6, 8, or 10.  Also, what are the pros/cons of early/late?

[exlondoner]

Late dining gives you time for a nap (dangerous sea air, you know) and leaves you some room for tea.

[3rdGenCunarder]

1 hour ago, NYCSev20 said:

What size table for the dinner do you suggest?  I am taking my first ever cruise, a TA solo on QM2, and have no idea if it should be a 6, 8, or 10.  Also, what are the pros/cons of early/late?

 

Welcome to cruising and to Cunard! A TA on QM2 is a wonderful experience (and purists here will tell you it's a "crossing," not a cruise). There will be plenty to do, both during the day and in the evening. Cunard attracts many solos, so you won't feel like you're the only one traveling alone. 

 

Large tables are usually 6 or 8. I think 10 is too large, and conversations get fragmented. My travel agent usually requests 6, but I've been put at an 8 anyway, so ask for either 6 or 8 and Cunard will take it as an indication that you want to sit with others. On two of my last four voyages on Cunard, I've been at tables where we were all single and probably within a 10-year age range. On the other two, the table was a mix of couples and solos. 

 

It's true that late seating allows you to eat more at tea, but I prefer early. I don't sleep well if I eat late, so that's best for me. And despite having early dining, I can still do justice to a cucumber sandwich and a scone. 

[Pushpit]

7 hours ago, NYCSev20 said:

What size table for the dinner do you suggest?  I am taking my first ever cruise, a TA solo on QM2, and have no idea if it should be a 6, 8, or 10.  Also, what are the pros/cons of early/late?

The other option if you don't mind a random factor is to go Open if in Britannia, if not in the Grills or Club. That way you'll rotate around different people. Also note that if you are put on your own table, a table for 2 in other words, there are usually people next to you, on separate tables, but sufficiently close to have a good dialogue. There's a bit of an art for solo passengers in terms of how to handle this, and no perfect solution possibly, but you will soon find your style and will be able to perfect it with experience.

[elmsliebev]

Valencia is one of my favourite cities. We went for 1 day from a cruise and loved it so much we went back for a week. It's quite spread out, from beach to the Arts and Science park and the old town so probably best to focus on 1 area. There is a local bus that runs the whole way from the old town to the beach and past the Art and Sciences park though. The old town has a great indoor market where you can eat and drink. There was a good traditional tapas bar opposite the main entrance (Bar Central, if it's still there). There's a small but lovely botanical gardens, the railway station has the most amazing tiles. There's an amzing church St Nicolas de Bari, which has stunning frescoes. Enjoy!

[chryso]

On 8/2/2023 at 11:55 PM, BigMac1953 said:

You can bring as much beer, wine and spirits as you can carry. We always bring half a dozen bottles of champagne. You can also "top up" at each poer of call.

Is this correct?  The web site claims you can bring one bottle of wine per person.

[Pushpit]

3 hours ago, chryso said:

Is this correct?  The web site claims you can bring one bottle of wine per person.

Yes it is correct, the website is not enforced. Cunard does not do the security screening, it's via the port authority, and their concern is purely security. I guess there is an element of Cunard having the right to do something in an extreme case, but I am not aware of this happening.

[BigMac1953]

7 hours ago, chryso said:

Is this correct?  The web site claims you can bring one bottle of wine per person.

 

We're on board QM2 at the moment, and brought 6 bottles of champagne (as usual).

[BeachTunes]

On 8/3/2023 at 12:40 AM, alibabacruisers said:

I love your enthusiasm and love it when people ask for tips and hints!  

Thank you so much! 🙂

[BeachTunes]

Wow, thank you all so much for the helpful replies! 🚢

 

It's great to hear about everyone's preferred dining times. We are going to stick with open for now. It's also nice hearing about the drinks package, sommeliers and option of bringing beer and wine for the room on board! (Not to sound like a lush, but we won't be driving on vacation, after all! LOL!)

 

@Whitechapelgirl62 We're on the same sailing! 🙂

 

@elmsliebev and @NE John Thank you for the Valencia info. I just booked a 2 hour Tuk Tuk tour that will take us around the waterfront, the modern part of the city and to Old Town with stops at some of the markets. Indeed, it is a diverse city so I couldn't decide on one area alone! The ship's Tuk Tuk shore excursion is sold out but I found another one via Get Your Guide. We'll ask our guide to recommend a good paella spot for lunch.                

 

We leave on October 6th for an overnight flight to Barcelona where we will spend two nights pre-cruise. Have I mentioned how excited we are? Thanks again, all!    

 

PS: I just bought a red gown for the red and gold gala. I don't wear a lot of red normally but this dress gave me Pretty Woman vibes! Can't wait to wear it! 💃                                                                                                                       

Edited August 13, 2023 by BeachTunes

[Winifred 22]

12 hours ago, BigMac1953 said:

 

We're on board QM2 at the moment, and brought 6 bottles of champagne (as usual).

Same here my haul was 3 bottles of rosé Prosecco and a bottle of cream Sherry 

[david,Mississauga]

On 8/13/2023 at 1:43 AM, Pushpit said:

Yes it is correct, the website is not enforced. Cunard does not do the security screening, it's via the port authority, and their concern is purely security. I guess there is an element of Cunard having the right to do something in an extreme case, but I am not aware of this happening.

 

Until recently the small print about bringing alcohol on board said (after mentioning the so-called limit of one bottle per person) that it is not our intention to enforce this unless we feel we must do so in the interest of safety - or words to that effect. I notice the current  terms and conditions don't mention that. 

 

It can be amusing going through security at Vancouver when there are often three ships at the terminal. The security area is common for all ships. One time our bottles were noticed by security. We were told: "You have to go over there to that table and declare them." I knew that wasn't the case, but there was no queue so I humoured them. I was about to show the two bottles to the chap at the desk and as soon as I said we were going on the QE he said: "Oh, that's all right. Cunard doesn't care how much you bring on." 

[3rdGenCunarder]

55 minutes ago, david,Mississauga said:

 

Until recently the small print about bringing alcohol on board said (after mentioning the so-called limit of one bottle per person) that it is not our intention to enforce this unless we feel we must do so in the interest of safety - or words to that effect. I notice the current  terms and conditions don't mention that. 

 

It can be amusing going through security at Vancouver when there are often three ships at the terminal. The security area is common for all ships. One time our bottles were noticed by security. We were told: "You have to go over there to that table and declare them." I knew that wasn't the case, but there was no queue so I humoured them. I was about to show the two bottles to the chap at the desk and as soon as I said we were going on the QE he said: "Oh, that's all right. Cunard doesn't care how much you bring on." 

 

Was it HAL? I've seen their "booze table" in some terminals.

[david,Mississauga]

On 8/14/2023 at 9:35 AM, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

Was it HAL? I've seen their "booze table" in some terminals.

 

I think the table was shared with HAL and Disney. A few years before that experience we did board a HAL ship in Vancouver. It was so different than boarding Cunard. The man at the desk looked carefully at each of the two permitted bottles of bubbly, checked that the corks were intact, made notes in a ledger, had us fill out and sign a form. Thankfully Cunard is still civilised.