Selbourne Live from Iona!

[Selbourne]

17 minutes ago, Windsurfboy said:

 

SelBourne.  How did you tot up covers, as tables in pictures are not to scale, just to indicate it's a dining room.

 

As club , QG and PG have a fixed seat for everyone. Also given our experience on QE,  Q.V. and QM2 in both grills they are not more spacious, they still tightly packed. Then looking at square footage of these restaurants and knowing number of cabins can work out density. If you apply  this to other restaurants will have answer to question posed. Does Queen Anne have enough MDR to seat everyone. Depends if one can print and measure plans. Are there any plans with measurements.

The plan that I saw showed tables and chairs, so easy to add up, but I think we are saying exactly the same thing - it’s only indicative and not a precise layout plan, as the number of covers shown on the plan was less than the number of Club passengers so it didn’t make sense .
 

I’m also aware having been in Princess Grill on QM2 that you don’t get any more room (in fact, I’d say that the grills restaurants seemed to have less room between tables than the Britannia MDR), but we were fortunate in that I asked the PG manager if we could have a table for 2 that wasn’t very close to other tables (I didn’t like the one they had allocated us) and he gave me a choice of 2, one of which we were delighted with. We’ve booked Club solely for the dedicated table for all meals and the ability to dine when we want without queues or waits, not because we feel that there will be more space. The slightly enhanced menu will also be appreciated though.
 

As to whether the Britannia MDR in Queen Anne has enough capacity to seat everyone I’ve no idea I’m afraid. We haven’t booked any Cunard cruises in Britannia yet so I’ve not really looked at it. I know that @Megabear2 has raised this same question following her experiences on Arvia, wondering if the same assumption has been made that greater numbers of those allocated the standard MDR will use speciality restaurants than has turned out to be the case. 

[Megabear2]

2 hours ago, Selbourne said:

I’m going to try to have a look today. Club for our first Queen Anne cruise in May was £1k above Britannia in total (for the 2 of us over 14 days), which was a no brainer given that it’s sometimes significantly more. That was booked at launch. It broadly equated to a Suite price with P&O, but as the sole dining privilege on P&O is breakfast in Epicurean there’s no comparison. There are also only 2 accessible Club cabins, so we felt that if we didn’t book at launch we wouldn’t get on the cruise. 
 

However, we booked our 14 night November cruise well after launch (but long before the Sale) and this was considerably cheaper than the May one. We are getting $950 OBC (plus my $250 shareholder OBC) and the net price (fare less OBC) is working out much cheaper than many P&O cruises in standard balcony cabins, and certainly cheaper than 90% of cruises on Aurora and Arcadia. Again, a no brainer. Amazingly we also got one of the 2 accessible Club cabins. I haven’t seen any others at anywhere near that price yet, so we seem to have just struck lucky with that one. 
 

I have a feeling that the MDR plans are just indicative. I think I totted up the covers when I first saw the plans and worked out that it was below the number of Club cabins. Given that everyone has their own table and, as a result, there’s no doubling up per sitting, it didn’t add up. I shall be interested to know whether the response you get when you query the ‘Table of 2 - request’ is the same as I had. 

I think as I mentioned once before to you, the misunderstanding is based around "table". Even in the Grills you may have a "shared" table. They do of course try to accommodate everyone with their preference but on a full sailing it may not be possible for this to happen.

 

I've just been on the telephone to my personal Cunard contact (often calls me to notify of special deals and to see if I'm receiving emails, post etc) - she has worked for Cunard for 17 years and knows the ropes.  I actually wanted to see why my assistance form hadn't arrived but we had a very long chat of nearly an hour about the dining arrangements, Club -v- Britannia "freedom style" dining and who gets priority for what.

 

It is confirmed dining arrangements are just requests, not guaranteed, we will have a table but it is not necessarily an exclusive table.   Again, as I've previously said to you there are most definitely sharing tables in Club and both Grills and the mature d' has the final say on what you are given.  He plans seating about 7-8 days before the voyage and your table allocation is in your room on arrival.  No one apart from him has access to the dining list.  He will look at date of booking but this is not definitive, it was admitted that if he sees a high up Cunard club frequent traveller on the list they may well be offered the better located table within the club restaurant.  The Grills seating priority takes account of the grade of cabin so a Q1 should get higher table priority than a Q6 for instance.  Again I was told there can be favourites amongst the guests.  I'd describe this as being a bit like the table on Iona being reserved for your breakfast every morning if that makes sense, ie not strictly within the rules but no one's any the wiser and no harm done.

 

I know you, like myself, have special reasons for wanting a non sharing table which I fully understand.  I have had a note put on my reservation regarding this and have also been asked to add the details to my assistance form and send it back by email explaining the "problem"/reason.  For full belt and braces it has been suggested I ring my adviser back 7 days before sailing and she will email the mature d' to remind him of the situation.

 

Actually in the discussion it was offered for me to downgrade us to an ordinary Britannia balcony with freedom dining as it would mean we would be able to ensure a table for 2 by choosing to wait for a table to become free - remember we have to eat early for medical requirements and my agent believed using the app did have less problems.  However as I've told my husband he's going club and he's very excited about it (and given my QM2 difficulties with others not using the app) I've chosen to stay where I am and follow all the steps suggested.  My faith in Cunard to assist is far, far higher than my faith in P&O!

 

To the others asking about where the prospective number of tables comes from, that was actually the number quoted to me on Saturday as the proposed ratio of sharing "seats" by the sales lady taking my booking.  My personal agent has said today that's by no way definitive but certainly some banquet type seating within the structure will be there and as such part of the structure so the rough estimate may be more or less right but at this stage no definitive answer is available.  I hope that clarifies the confusion on both points.

[Selbourne]

45 minutes ago, sandancer said:

I can’t find the Cunard sale online. Can you point me in the right direction. We have sailed with Cunard 3 times and although they generally are more expensive, birthday ending with a 0 next year so maybe splash out a little. 

If you just go onto the Cunard website, the home page promotes the Cunard Sale 10% off. When you go on to each cruise the price reductions are clearly shown. From the ones I have looked at so far the headline price is down 10% but OBC is also down, so the net price isn’t really any different (same marketing tactic that P&O use). Both our 2024 Cunard cruises (booked well before the Sale) work out no cheaper, but I need to look at a few more to get a better picture and I’ve only looked at Queen Anne so far. 

[Selbourne]

6 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

I think as I mentioned once before to you, the misunderstanding is based around "table". Even in the Grills you may have a "shared" table. They do of course try to accommodate everyone with their preference but on a full sailing it may not be possible for this to happen.

 

I've just been on the telephone to my personal Cunard contact (often calls me to notify of special deals and to see if I'm receiving emails, post etc) - she has worked for Cunard for 17 years and knows the ropes.  I actually wanted to see why my assistance form hadn't arrived but we had a very long chat of nearly an hour about the dining arrangements, Club -v- Britannia "freedom style" dining and who gets priority for what.

 

It is confirmed dining arrangements are just requests, not guaranteed, we will have a table but it is not necessarily an exclusive table.   Again, as I've previously said to you there are most definitely sharing tables in Club and both Grills and the mature d' has the final say on what you are given.  He plans seating about 7-8 days before the voyage and your table allocation is in your room on arrival.  No one apart from him has access to the dining list.  He will look at date of booking but this is not definitive, it was admitted that if he sees a high up Cunard club frequent traveller on the list they may well be offered the better located table within the club restaurant.  The Grills seating priority takes account of the grade of cabin so a Q1 should get higher table priority than a Q6 for instance.  Again I was told there can be favourites amongst the guests.  I'd describe this as being a bit like the table on Iona being reserved for your breakfast every morning if that makes sense, ie not strictly within the rules but no one's any the wiser and no harm done.

 

I know you, like myself, have special reasons for wanting a non sharing table which I fully understand.  I have had a note put on my reservation regarding this and have also been asked to add the details to my assistance form and send it back by email explaining the "problem"/reason.  For full belt and braces it has been suggested I ring my adviser back 7 days before sailing and she will email the mature d' to remind him of the situation.

 

Actually in the discussion it was offered for me to downgrade us to an ordinary Britannia balcony with freedom dining as it would mean we would be able to ensure a table for 2 by choosing to wait for a table to become free - remember we have to eat early for medical requirements and my agent believed using the app did have less problems.  However as I've told my husband he's going club and he's very excited about it (and given my QM2 difficulties with others not using the app) I've chosen to stay where I am and follow all the steps suggested.  My faith in Cunard to assist is far, far higher than my faith in P&O!

 

To the others asking about where the prospective number of tables comes from, that was actually the number quoted to me on Saturday as the proposed ratio of sharing "seats" by the sales lady taking my booking.  My personal agent has said today that's by no way definitive but certainly some banquet type seating within the structure will be there and as such part of the structure so the rough estimate may be more or less right but at this stage no definitive answer is available.  I hope that clarifies the confusion on both points.

Thanks that’s useful. Our TA (the cruise specialist that many on here use) has notified Cunard that we need a table for 2 due to me needing to assist my wife at times and to avoid embarrassment. This, coupled with the fact that we booked our May cruise on launch day and are in the highest of (only) 2 Club cabin grades leaves me feeling confident. Many will of course want to share anyway and not everyone wants a table for 2. We were 3 couples in 3 cabins last week but wanted a table for 6. We sometimes cruise with friends and want a table for 4 with them. Also, due to my wife’s difficulties, we are happy to have the ‘out of the way’ tables for 2 that many wouldn’t like, such as the one in this photo that we had in Princess Grill on QM2. Many would have hated it as we couldn’t see any windows and were out on a limb, but it suited us perfectly and we would choose it every time 😂 

[Megabear2]

14 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

Thanks that’s useful. Our TA (the cruise specialist that many on here use) has notified Cunard that we need a table for 2 due to me needing to assist my wife at times and to avoid embarrassment. This, coupled with the fact that we booked our May cruise on launch day and are in the highest of (only) 2 Club cabin grades leaves me feeling confident. Many will of course want to share anyway and not everyone wants a table for 2. We were 3 couples in 3 cabins last week but wanted a table for 6. We sometimes cruise with friends and want a table for 4 with them. Also, due to my wife’s difficulties, we are happy to have the ‘out of the way’ tables for 2 that many wouldn’t like, such as the one in this photo that we had in Princess Grill on QM2. Many would have hated it as we couldn’t see any windows and were out on a limb, but it suited us perfectly and we would choose it every time 😂 

I hope you get your wish. I'm not sure the "grade" counts in Club because there are only two grades and they're based on position unlike the Grills where there are massive differences in the cabins together with prices.  Fares of $100,000+ pp for the highest grade Queens Grill on a world cruise will certainly have "bagsy" rights over everyone else!

 

My general impression is they expect every sailing in QA to be at or very near capacity which is to be expected.  Apparently quite a lot of interest from new Cunard cruisers so it will be interesting.  

[Selbourne]

4 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

I hope you get your wish. I'm not sure the "grade" counts in Club because there are only two grades and they're based on position unlike the Grills where there are massive differences in the cabins together with prices.  Fares of $100,000+ pp for the highest grade Queens Grill on a world cruise will certainly have "bagsy" rights over everyone else!

 

My general impression is they expect every sailing in QA to be at or very near capacity which is to be expected.  Apparently quite a lot of interest from new Cunard cruisers so it will be interesting.  

Yes, time will tell. If it doesn’t work out as expected then we will simply vote with our feet and not book anything above Britannia in future. No point in paying a premium if you don’t end up with what you thought you were paying the premium for! We dine late, so hopefully would have less issues with Cunard’s version of Freedom dining, although I’ve not been keeping an eye on the Cunard boards to see how it’s going as I believe it’s a fairly recent thing for them. Hopefully, like with P&O, most of the demand will be early. 

[Megabear2]

5 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

Yes, time will tell. If it doesn’t work out as expected then we will simply vote with our feet and not book anything above Britannia in future. No point in paying a premium if you don’t end up with what you thought you were paying the premium for! We dine late, so hopefully would have less issues with Cunard’s version of Freedom dining, although I’ve not been keeping an eye on the Cunard boards to see how it’s going as I believe it’s a fairly recent thing for them. Hopefully, like with P&O, most of the demand will be early. 

The only thing I didn't like that I was told today is that if you're allocated a shared table and for instance sit down at 6.15 the others allocated your table can stroll in at 7.00pm and start their meal at that time.  I'd find that very offputting and strange being a sort of halfway house!

[Dermotsgirl]

32 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

Thanks that’s useful. Our TA (the cruise specialist that many on here use) has notified Cunard that we need a table for 2 due to me needing to assist my wife at times and to avoid embarrassment. This, coupled with the fact that we booked our May cruise on launch day and are in the highest of (only) 2 Club cabin grades leaves me feeling confident. Many will of course want to share anyway and not everyone wants a table for 2. We were 3 couples in 3 cabins last week but wanted a table for 6. We sometimes cruise with friends and want a table for 4 with them. Also, due to my wife’s difficulties, we are happy to have the ‘out of the way’ tables for 2 that many wouldn’t like, such as the one in this photo that we had in Princess Grill on QM2. Many would have hated it as we couldn’t see any windows and were out on a limb, but it suited us perfectly and we would choose it every time 😂 

Based on my recent table for two tribulations on Saga, I would have loved the table in your photo for the duration of a cruise. 
 

As you booked on launch day, I agree that you can be confident that you’ll get a table for two when you arrive on your cruise 

[Windsurfboy]

I recognise that table,  for us it would be the table from hell. It was empty to start with.  However we chatted to the couple who asked on day two to be moved there from a table in the middle. The gentleman said with his hearing aid being completely surrounded by people just didn't work . They loved it.

 

So we all like different things.

[Selbourne]

11 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

The only thing I didn't like that I was told today is that if you're allocated a shared table and for instance sit down at 6.15 the others allocated your table can stroll in at 7.00pm and start their meal at that time.  I'd find that very offputting and strange being a sort of halfway house!

So would I, and that’s why I think it’s impractical and would only work where people are sharing by choice so dine at the same time. It would also be confusing for the waiters and would make for a very messy dining experience all round.
 

I’m not going to worry about it. I’m feeling confident that we’ll get a table for 2 at initial allocation and if not I will get it changed. I will be very polite but leave the restaurant manager in no doubt that it is a non-negotiable given my wife’s needs. I would even take it beyond the restaurant manager if needs be, but I can’t believe for one minute that this would be necessary. I have always found that restaurant managers want people to be happy and I have never had a battle about this before and very much doubt that my first problem will be on a Cunard ship. It struck me on QM2 that almost all the table in PG were tables for 2 and they just push them together to make bigger tables if required, so I really don’t think it will be an issue. 

[Selbourne]

2 minutes ago, Windsurfboy said:

I recognise that table,  for us it would be the table from hell. It was empty to start with.  However we chatted to the couple who asked on day two to be moved there from a table in the middle. The gentleman said with his hearing aid being completely surrounded by people just didn't work . They loved it.

 

So we all like different things.

For us it was the best table we’ve had on any cruise 😂 The other PG tables were in packed rows just inches apart and the restaurant was noisy. We were in our own little oasis of calm and absolutely loved it. As you say, we all like different things!

[Host Hattie]

25 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

The only thing I didn't like that I was told today is that if you're allocated a shared table and for instance sit down at 6.15 the others allocated your table can stroll in at 7.00pm and start their meal at that time.  I'd find that very offputting and strange being a sort of halfway house!

That's always been the case in the Grills and Britannia Club on Cunard. If you continue this discussion on the Cunard board regular posters will explain that it works well.

[Megabear2]

Just now, Host Hattie said:

That's always been the case in the Grills and Britannia Club on Cunard. If you continue this discussion on the Cunard board regular posters will explain that it works well.

Thank you Hattie. I was aware it was the case in Grills but have had until now no interest in Club. I booked it on impulse because of my concern on how all the extra paid for restaurant options may impact normal dining arrangements.  

 

Selbourne, very much like myself, has a unique circumstance with regard to dining requirements- in my case a medical one associated with mental health issues where my husband will not eat with anyone he does not know and Selbourne's as explained by him in his post.

 

We entered these discussions previously based on who they intend to dine in all these specialty restaurants and how the ratio might be looked at in view of the Arvia dining arrangements being based on figures expected to eat in each one. I understand Selbourne may not have been aware of the sharing tables from his previous posts.

 

Thanks for the info.  Will keep an eye on the situation over on the Cunard board.

[Selbourne]

16 hours ago, Megabear2 said:

The sale for me is pretty good and some of the shorter cruises of 7 and 10 days away from Queen Anne are actually coming in cheaper than some P&O cruises for a solo with nice itineraries. As I said elsewhere Cunard have never in my experience had the P&O style fire sales so I doubt you would find your fare undercut, matched yes but not slashed miles below your fare.

 

I was able to get the double OBC offer combined with the sale so have $600 OBC - I think that's the maximum under the offer at present and definitely the most I've ever had since start Cunard sailings back in 2001.

 

I booked the club based on a lot of dithering by the nice agent on the telephone as there was only £700 difference on the price she quoted me  so adding on the OBC I though I'd give it a go.

 

If you look at the plan the Club dining room has 20 tables which vary between 4 and 8 in size which is why I am querying it.  Normally I'd not consider even looking at the plan but I did think it weird and booked Club specifically to avoid the need to share,  our other QA cruise we are 10 so have requested sharing anyway.  Unfortunately I'm the lead passenger for the 10 as for some weird reason the family believe my diamond status will rub off on them, I think they may be disappointed though!

OK, I have now had chance to have a proper look at the Cunard ‘Sale’, having only had a hurried look previously whilst on Iona. Even allowing for the way that I work out the net price of a cruise (quoted fare less OBC), the two 14 nighters that I’ve booked on Queen Anne would indeed each be a few hundred pounds cheaper if we were booking now. However (and this is a big however) I wouldn’t be able to book either of them now, as both accessible Club cabins are already sold. Now obviously one of the two cabins is my booking, but there’s no point in cancelling and rebooking as the deposit that would be lost is far greater than the saving. If it wasn’t for the fact that we have to have an accessible cabin, I might be regretting booking early, but Sod’s Law if I hadn’t booked and was trying now, both cabins would still most likely be sold. So I’m quite relaxed about it. 
 

I’m going to have a look at the P&O offers next. We wouldn’t be interested in Iona or Arvia and Azura is only doing fly cruises, so that helps to narrow down the search. We currently have no P&O cruises booked beyond next March. Our self imposed P&O price cap may be the stumbling point though. 

[Clodia]

On 8/28/2023 at 10:20 AM, Ilovemygarden said:

Selbourne - thank you very much for your helpful information.  I am seriously considering a solo voyage to the Caribbean on Iona in January 2025.   How do you think that would fit for a (well) over 70 year old female?   

I am a solo cruiser in her late 60s and found it fine. I could have shared tables any night in the MDR but like eating by myself. There were solo meetups in the Crows Nest every day if you want to meet others. I'm  a bit of a loner so didn't bother, but was invited warmly by others to join them on several occasions. 

You could also meet up before going ashore if you felt like company. I felt the service I received as a solo was every bit as good as that received by couples and that hasn't been the case on every cruise I've been on. 

I'm back on Iona in November,  having booked onboard and grabbed the same cabin I had last time. Go for it!

[Angel57]

1 hour ago, Clodia said:

I am a solo cruiser in her late 60s and found it fine. I could have shared tables any night in the MDR but like eating by myself. There were solo meetups in the Crows Nest every day if you want to meet others. I'm  a bit of a loner so didn't bother, but was invited warmly by others to join them on several occasions. 

You could also meet up before going ashore if you felt like company. I felt the service I received as a solo was every bit as good as that received by couples and that hasn't been the case on every cruise I've been on. 

I'm back on Iona in November,  having booked onboard and grabbed the same cabin I had last time. Go for it!

That’s great to hear as I’m travelling solo on Iona next June. Thank you.

[Winifred 22]

1 hour ago, Clodia said:

I am a solo cruiser in her late 60s and found it fine. I could have shared tables any night in the MDR but like eating by myself. There were solo meetups in the Crows Nest every day if you want to meet others. I'm  a bit of a loner so didn't bother, but was invited warmly by others to join them on several occasions. 

You could also meet up before going ashore if you felt like company. I felt the service I received as a solo was every bit as good as that received by couples and that hasn't been the case on every cruise I've been on. 

I'm back on Iona in November,  having booked onboard and grabbed the same cabin I had last time. Go for it!

I so agree with you . I never want to share and never join in solo activities. I prefer my own company. I have never felt lonely.  I just suit myself I have my own daily routine. I have never felt I have had poor service as a solo. Usually the table is only laid for one and the spare chair taken away. Just off 14 night QM2 and back again next week. To be honest if I was only offered a sharing table I would probably go to the buffet instead. I always like late sitting so I suppose that  helps. 

[CocktailPrincess]

Thank you for a great post, I really enjoyed reading it.

 

Am wondering if you can answer a question for me, before I board in 16 days....

Were there any theme nights?

(not celebration night) its mentioned several times on P&0 - see pic but I have tried asking them via email which exact theme will be on our cruise, but they won't give me a direct answer and just tell me to look at my itinerary, but its doesn't say anything, and even though i asked again i got the same answer- so can you help- as i don't want to pack for all possibilities!

[Selbourne]

27 minutes ago, CocktailPrincess said:

Thank you for a great post, I really enjoyed reading it.

 

Am wondering if you can answer a question for me, before I board in 16 days....

Were there any theme nights?

(not celebration night) its mentioned several times on P&0 - see pic but I have tried asking them via email which exact theme will be on our cruise, but they won't give me a direct answer and just tell me to look at my itinerary, but its doesn't say anything, and even though i asked again i got the same answer- so can you help- as i don't want to pack for all possibilities!

Pleased to hear that you enjoyed reading the blog. No, there were no theme nights. There seemed to be quite low participation in the Celebration night as well, when it came to dress code, not that this bothers me as much as it does some others. We went to the 710 Club after dinner on Celebration night and I was the only gent in a dinner suit and there was only 1 in a lounge suit. 

[FangedRose]

33 minutes ago, CocktailPrincess said:

Thank you for a great post, I really enjoyed reading it.

 

Am wondering if you can answer a question for me, before I board in 16 days....

Were there any theme nights?

(not celebration night) its mentioned several times on P&0 - see pic but I have tried asking them via email which exact theme will be on our cruise, but they won't give me a direct answer and just tell me to look at my itinerary, but its doesn't say anything, and even though i asked again i got the same answer- so can you help- as i don't want to pack for all possibilities!

Theme nights were massively in decline prior to covid. Passenger participation was negligible. I have not known any since cruising recommenced. On my most recent cruise my table mates all commented on the lack of theme nights in recent years. I wouldn't bother doing any special packing.

[CocktailPrincess]

17 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

Pleased to hear that you enjoyed reading the blog. No, there were no theme nights. There seemed to be quite low participation in the Celebration night as well, when it came to dress code, not that this bothers me as much as it does some others. We went to the 710 Club after dinner on Celebration night and I was the only gent in a dinner suit and there was only 1 in a lounge suit. 

Thanks, i was starting to guess this was the case, P&Os my cruise site, pretends to be personal to your cruise, but seems to generic, they should delete that section for Iona really, as its obviously not applicable. 

 

I love to get dressed up, as so little opportunity in life these days, our party will be suited and booted on Celebration night for sure! 

 

But good to know I don;t need to pack my flares or Hawaiian skirt for any themes lol

[CocktailPrincess]

14 minutes ago, FangedRose said:

Theme nights were massively in decline prior to covid. Passenger participation was negligible. I have not known any since cruising recommenced. On my most recent cruise my table mates all commented on the lack of theme nights in recent years. I wouldn't bother doing any special packing.

Thanks, its good to know. A bit of a shame, but I just wanted to know in advance.

My first & only previous cruise was Jan 2020, in the Indian ocean with Costa, almost every night was a theme, and I hadn't packed for this, which was a shame as we felt a bit left out- so I was trying to be ultra prepared this time.

What really annoys me though, is p&o wont actually just give me an answer, i am so grateful for these forums to actually get the answer, but ive sent three emails and they just skirt the question!

[Presto2]

2 hours ago, CocktailPrincess said:

Thanks, its good to know. A bit of a shame, but I just wanted to know in advance.

My first & only previous cruise was Jan 2020, in the Indian ocean with Costa, almost every night was a theme, and I hadn't packed for this, which was a shame as we felt a bit left out- so I was trying to be ultra prepared this time.

What really annoys me though, is p&o wont actually just give me an answer, i am so grateful for these forums to actually get the answer, but ive sent three emails and they just skirt the question!

They probably don't know themselves to be honest. It all depends on who you get on the day and what they've been told. Trying to get an answer to a specific question is like juggling jelly .....

Edited August 31, 2023 by Presto2