Returning to my favorite ship!

[JT1101]

I'll be on QM2 Westbound TA December 14th. Actually I'll be flying in the previous day so I can spend a day at Stonehenge and Salisbury then hang out overnight in Southampton. The big difference this time will be I got talked into allowing a Travel Agency to handle it  - I usually do it myself. Let's see what the difference is.

 

If you haven't done it, to me the perfect time to do a TA is December because of the ship being decked out for Christmas and I love being out on the Atlantic in winter. 

Edited June 9 by JT1101
forgot "to"

[Winifred 22]

How lovely . I spent my childhood and  most of my working life in Salisbury and as a child used to go to Stonehenge for a car ride on a Sunday.  In those days you could sit and climb all over the stones. 

[ExArkie]

We have done a westbound December TA a few times. I had a contract to teach in the UK and Ireland a few courses, which ended a week or so before the TA. These December TAs are generally the lowest prices during the year, which allowed us to book PG. 

 

The Christmas decorations are definitely a strong point.
 

Only issue I found was the sunset time at the end of the year means you are entering the Solent in the dark. Not a big deal for us on board, but my mother (around 85 years old at the time) complained it was not as exciting to watch us on the Isle of Wight Web cam as it had been for our late Spring departure. 

[TouchstoneFeste]

The only negative aspect of this crossing is that you arrive just a few days before Christmas. Not a negative in itself, because New York at Christmas can be fun, but your onward travel can get complicated.

[JT1101]

Well I got to see a difference using an agent made today!

 

I was resigned to flying into Heathrow using American Airlines coach (not a pleasant experience). Well, the agent did some checking, used some of (I guess) her agency powers and parleyed my willingness (indeed preference) for flying redeye as well as my having forgotten my BA Executive Club status and instead I am flying in on British Airways Business Class (Club World). And the fare is only a couple of hundred more than American's Premium Economy. 

I like BA so this was definitely good. American is alright but United is in my NO book. 

Edited June 11 by JT1101

[JT1101]

Also, we were both impressed by how easily the Cunard booking was executed - everything just clicked right in and by World Club number allowed my FCC from the shutdowns to be applied. My Cunard is already up and populated and so everything is in place except Travel Insurance - I will have rates and plans to select from tomorrow. 

[JT1101]

And the agent got me travel insurance with higher coverages than CunardCare at the same premium. Can't complain. 

 

This is a good TA I found - she also has been making sure the little details are covered. She got me a good price on a Stonehenge tour that departs from Heathrow and puts me in Southampton when all is said and done. 

[JT1101]

And...the TA strikes again! I asked her about these drinks packages and added I was a teetotaler so at the current price none of them made sense unless I proposed to drink Hot Chocolate and mocktails nonstop every day. She agreed and said let her see what she can do. So I let her.

 

She got back to me today. She was able to get me the PREMIUM NON-ALCOHOLIC OPTION for about 70% of its normal cost (I don't want to know how). At that price I could justify it on the theory that a mocktail every dinner and coffees and teas earlier create a breakeven. At that level it seemed worthwhile. 

[moses0]

On 6/9/2024 at 2:17 PM, JT1101 said:

If you haven't done it, to me the perfect time to do a TA is December because of the ship being decked out for Christmas and I love being out on the Atlantic in winter. 

What has the state of the seas been like in your experience in December?

[JT1101]

5 minutes ago, moses0 said:

What has the state of the seas been like in your experience in December?

The seas can be energetic and the temps will be in the 40s (Fahrenheit). It can be windy. Generally a good water resistant jacket and cap will do for it. 

[Wagtail adventures]

This crossing (normally 15th December) was our first ever Cunard (indeed our first ever voyage) and we loved it.  The Christmas decorations are lovely.  We got lucky on our crossing with the weather (Dec 2022), mostly calm or moderate seas.  Agreed to the poster who said about onward travel being tricky - our Christmas Eve flight to Palm Springs got cancelled and rebooking was a nightmare - in the end we were able to get there on Christmas Day instead if we flew to LA and hired a car.  In this instance, the agent at American Airlines was brilliant.  We'll also be on this crossing this year and are very excited about it.

[ExArkie]

23 hours ago, moses0 said:

What has the state of the seas been like in your experience in December?

I went back and counted - we’ve done four QM2 December crossings, all westbound. Generally, there are maybe a couple of days of relatively rough seas, which QM2 handled beautifully. Most of the trip is in the Gulf Stream (heading into the current), so a lot of reasonably calm water. 
 

One trip did have almost two days of 8 to 10 meter waves (about 30 to 40 feet), that were noticeable even on QM2. The waves were splashing over the top of the windows on deck 2 where the jigsaw puzzles are set up. One trip, I don’t think the waves ever got above about 2 meters. 
 

So, my answer to your question is: “All over the place.”

[Covepointcruiser]

We are also on this crossing.   We have seat reservations on Amtrak and we are having our luggage shipped to our home from the port.    We did the same crossing in 2022 and loved it.

[JT1101]

Excellent. I was also considering using Amtrak to head for home. 

[Jack E Dawson]

JT1101,

If you do decide to take the train, would be very interested hearing about your experience. We live in Chicago as well (Riverwoods) and have thought that taking the train might be a nice change. 

Thanks

Jack

[JT1101]

I would be taking either the Lake Shore or the Cardinal to do it. 

[paulco]

Love Amtrak!  Do it!

[Covepointcruiser]

Since this is the weekend before Christmas, be sure and reserve a seat on the train.   It will be their busiest weekend but still a much better experience than the airport at Christmas.

[JT1101]

I would get a roomette

[JT1101]

Got my tickets from English Heritage for my sightseeing places! As I am a member tickets are free. My planned itinerary is Stonehenge, Avebury, Salisbury then in Southampton Solent Sky. As I have to be at The Grapes in the evening to meet friends I will need to watch the time. 

[Winifred 22]

4 hours ago, JT1101 said:

Got my tickets from English Heritage for my sightseeing places! As I am a member tickets are free. My planned itinerary is Stonehenge, Avebury, Salisbury then in Southampton Solent Sky. As I have to be at The Grapes in the evening to meet friends I will need to watch the time. 

Are you that all in one day ? How are you getting between places ? 

[JT1101]

7 hours ago, Winifred 22 said:

Are you that all in one day ? How are you getting between places ? 

Well I will be wheels down at Heathrow at 5:55am. figure an hour to get through customs. I'm being picked up at the airport by someone and then we're off to the races. The nice part is Stonehenge, Avebury and Salisbury are in a line and Solent Sky is right close to my hotel. All I really need to do at the hotel is a fast freshen up and drop my bags then head to The Grapes. 

[exlondoner]

3 minutes ago, JT1101 said:

Well I will be wheels down at Heathrow at 5:55am. figure an hour to get through customs. I'm being picked up at the airport by someone and then we're off to the races. The nice part is Stonehenge, Avebury and Salisbury are in a line and Solent Sky is right close to my hotel. All I really need to do at the hotel is a fast freshen up and drop my bags then head to The Grapes. 

Customs is very unlikely to hold you up, immigration might, as you are arriving at such a busy time. I think the order is Avebury, Stonehenge, Salisbury, Southampton.

[JT1101]

27 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

Customs is very unlikely to hold you up, immigration might, as you are arriving at such a busy time. I think the order is Avebury, Stonehenge, Salisbury, Southampton.

Yes that’s the correct order.

[exlondoner]

2 minutes ago, JT1101 said:

Yes that’s the correct order.

Just out of interest, have you got somewhere nice lined up for lunch?