LIVE (almost) from QM2 Transatlantic June 23 to June 29

[Host Hattie]

9 minutes ago, Joe33472 said:

 

Sorry about that!

No problem with you posting them ! But they tend to be a disruption 

[Joe33472]

I was able to stroll by the Britannia restaurant and captured tonight's dinner menu.  I know some people have asked for these.  There was nobody in the restaurant, but at some point this week, I'm going to ask for all the menus....

 

 

 

Britannia Menu 6.25.24.pdf

Edited Tuesday at 03:34 PM by Joe33472

[King Amo]

Great work Agent Joe🙂

[D&N]

19 minutes ago, Joe33472 said:

There was nobody in the restaurant, but at some point this week, I'm going to ask for all the menus

You might do better than I did, but suggest asking ASAP.

My waiter could only get me from the day I asked, so I didn't get our first week other than the special Jubilee Gala menu.

[Joe33472]

18 minutes ago, D&N said:

You might do better than I did, but suggest asking ASAP.

My waiter could only get me from the day I asked, so I didn't get our first week other than the special Jubilee Gala menu.

 

I totally agree that getting the menus for Sunday and Monday is going to be tough.  Someone asked for current Britannia menus, but it I think it was late on Monday.  Going forward, I'll make a point to visit and try to get lunch and dinner menus for Britannia.  I'm tied up with work stuff this afternoon, but maybe later tonight or tomorrow morning.   

 

From the sound of things, the menus haven't changed in years.  But it's always nice to have updated samples, so I'll try my best. 

[Judyrem]

47 minutes ago, Joe33472 said:

I was able to stroll by the Britannia restaurant and captured tonight's dinner menu.  I know some people have asked for these.  There was nobody in the restaurant, but at some point this week, I'm going to ask for all the menus....

 

 

 

Britannia Menu 6.25.24.pdf 4.53 MB · 15 downloads

Thanks  Joe, you have been  doing a fabulous trip report!

 

BTW I would be going to a pop up or Buffet.😉

[Joe33472]

Seas are getting a little rough.   If this is accurate, waves are about 10 feet and winds are near gale force.   I think it says Beaufort Scale 8.   We're still at 23 knots and taking a more southerly route to avoid some turbulence north of us.   Things are getting a little rocky.   I'd upload a video I took, but Internet is not cooperating.

 

[Joe33472]

3 minutes ago, Judyrem said:

Thanks  Joe, you have been  doing a fabulous trip report!

 

BTW I would be going to a pop up or Buffet.😉

 

Thanks for the feedback.  I was hoping I wasn't getting to deep into the weeds or too whiny with my complaints on Sunday.  The service and food has gotten SO much better and a good night's sleep does wonders. 🙃

 

I didn't see anything in the pop ups that really interested us.   Although I walked to the Verandah today and it was really nice.   If I weren't in QG, I would definitely have booked the steakhouse a couple of nights.

 

The buffet has looked really nice with a variety of options.  The first couple of days the staff was serving guests, but now it's back to regular buffet style, which I think is much better.  Two desserts on the QG menu for lunch this afternoon were on the buffet.   So, I definitely think that the buffet will have a lot of good things available.  

 

[Joe33472]

We tried to keep to a minimum the number of expensive things we brought on our trip, but we ended up bringing some pretty expensive stuff and I bought something pricey in Italy.  

 

Kudos to Cunard for providing a full sized safe.   Our first full sized safe in all our travels in over 2 months.   None of the hotels and AirBnBs had a full-sized safe. Neither did Royal Caribbean on a newer ship....

 

Thank you Cunard.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited Tuesday at 05:10 PM by Joe33472

[Joe33472]

I did two loads on laundry this morning on deck eight.   The wash took 60 minutes and the dry cycle about 20 minutes.  The dryer works really great.  I think that someone else on board has already mentioned that the dryers work great.   What a treat having that onboard and no charge for using the facilities and soap is included.  I also ironed a pair of pants.   A+ to Cunard on the laundry facilities. 

 

 

[Kordy]

1 hour ago, Joe33472 said:

I did two loads on laundry this morning on deck eight.   The wash took 60 minutes and the dry cycle about 20 minutes.  The dryer works really great.  I think that someone else on board has already mentioned that the dryers work great.   What a treat having that onboard and no charge for using the facilities and soap is included.  I also ironed a pair of pants.   A+ to Cunard on the laundry facilities. 

 

 

 

I think it's the ONLY line that provides free laundry and free ironing to all guests.  Many cruise companies don't even have ability to pay to use an iron.  I think it's a differentiating factor of Cunard, although since Carnival owns them along with other cruise companies, surely we will see consolidation of service levels and less differentiation?

[Joe33472]

Britannia lunch menus from today.   Still working on Sunday and Monday...

 

 

Britannia Lunch Menu 6.25.24.pdf

Edited Tuesday at 07:13 PM by Joe33472

[Joe33472]

Internet has been a little wonky this afternoon, but I still attended a 1.5 hour work meeting on Zoom and opened my camera and it worked.   I'm not sure if weather has anything to do with it, but it's pretty rough day at sea in the North Atlantic.  QM2 is rocking and rolling.  

 

 

 

[Joe33472]

4 meter seas and almost gale force winds.  You don't realize how large the waves are until you get lower in the ship.   The prior video was from deck 2.   I'm feeling okay, but not 100%.  I think it has more to do with my food and beverage consumption, than the rocking and rolling.  I'm glad we're in the QM2 in these conditions.   We're on deck 9 and feel some movement, and the cabin is creaking.   But when we were down on deck 2 and 3 just a little bit ago, there was very little to no movement. 

 

[Kordy]

11 minutes ago, Joe33472 said:

Internet has been a little wonky this afternoon, but I still attended a 1.5 hour work meeting on Zoom and opened my camera and it worked.   I'm not sure if weather has anything to do with it, but it's pretty rough day at sea in the North Atlantic.  QM2 is rocking and rolling.  

 

 

IMG_4015.mov 16.54 MB · 1 download  

 

 

I read somewhere that the QM2 being the only Ocean Liner is built for this and as a result, it's a lot more stable and less rocky than an ordinary cruise ship.  However, then I also read that larger ships like the Icon of the Seas, are so much larger and bigger, and they have the latest generation of stabilizers, and many of them routinely do a cross-Atlantic repositioning cruises, so perhaps, they're also pretty stable?  I wonder if a ship like the Icon of the Seas would do equally well, having the latest generation of stabilizing technology.  Almost every cruise ship - they all cross the Atlantic - and they all manage it, so it's not just the QM2.

[D&N]

18 minutes ago, Kordy said:

I think it's a differentiating factor of Cunard, although since Carnival owns them along with other cruise companies, surely we will see consolidation of service levels and less differentiation?

Wouldn't make much sense. It's market segmentation, and allows them to sell a range of  products to people with different tastes.

Procurement and admin are the areas where efficiencies are best made, but given their global operation that might be limited.

 

[Joe33472]

Just now, Kordy said:

 

I read somewhere that the QM2 being the only Ocean Liner is built for this and as a result, it's a lot more stable and less rocky than an ordinary cruise ship.  However, then I also read that larger ships like the Icon of the Seas, are so much larger and bigger, and they have the latest generation of stabilizers, and many of them routinely do a cross-Atlantic repositioning cruises, so perhaps, they're also pretty stable?  I wonder if a ship like the Icon of the Seas would do equally well, having the latest generation of stabilizing technology.  Almost every cruise ship - they all cross the Atlantic - and they all manage it, so it's not just the QM2.

 

We took Royal Caribbean's Odyssey of the Seas in April to Rome from Ft. Lauderdale and we only had one day that was a little rocky, otherwise, little to no movement.  We've had more movement on this crossing.   I've taken a 1/2 piece of a motion sickness pill the last two days, but didn't take any on our April crossing.  But the weather has been totally different and a different part of the Atlantic.   We have an arsenal to deal with motion sickness, including a prescription, but it's definitely not that bad.  

 

 

[Kordy]

This makes me think if a cruise ship like Odyssey of the Seas, got into rough weather in the Atlantic, that it wasn't designed for, how would it deal with it?  I mean, we know that the QM2 can handle it and it will power through.  But when other cruise ships have repositioning cruises, how do they handle bad weather?  can they cancel the whole cruise if the weather forecast in the North Atlantic is not looking good?  What if they set off and the weather gets really bad unexpectedly - the ships are not designed to handle the full onslaught of the large waves, like the QM2 is designed for.  I wonder if it ever happened that they were close to a disaster.

[D&N]

10 minutes ago, Kordy said:

I wonder if it ever happened that they were close to a disaster.

This is a bit off topic and better discussed elsewhere, but the ships you mention usually cross far further south where the weather is better, take longer so they have time to avoid such weather, and yes disasters are sometimes narrowly avoided. Search for Viking Sky. 

[Judyrem]

2 hours ago, Joe33472 said:

Internet has been a little wonky this afternoon, but I still attended a 1.5 hour work meeting on Zoom and opened my camera and it worked.   I'm not sure if weather has anything to do with it, but it's pretty rough day at sea in the North Atlantic.  QM2 is rocking and rolling.  

 

 

IMG_4015.mov 16.54 MB · 10 downloads  

 

OMG that was amazing, Mother Ocean is all churned up😉!  Loved it~

[Joe33472]

We spent about 3 hours in the casino tonight playing slot machines and had a great time.  It was very quiet when we arrived around 7 p.m. and was packed with people by the time we left just after 10:00 p.m.  Our best casino experience EVER.   With no smoke, we were able to stay for hours.  No offense smokers (I used to smoke about 20 years ago, so I totally understand).  Smoking, gambling, and a drink is probably a trinity for some folks, but for most non-smokers, the ventilation in casinos is usually insufficient to clear the copious billows of smoke.  With my allergies and respiratory issues, I usually last about 15 minutes in a casino.  Three hours.... Thank you Cunard.   And we're both slightly ahead of the house.  😁 

 

The ship is still rocking and rolling.  I thought that the seas had quieted down, but it still sounds ferocious out there. 

[Joe33472]

The Internet isn't cooperating as good as it was the first couple of days!  Must be the storm the captain is avoiding on a more southerly track to NYC.   Not sure if satellites need a clear line of sight or if overcast conditions affect the transmission, but things are not the same.  

 

I was able to scan and upload tomorrow's daily programme. 

 

Day 4 Programme.pdf

 

 

[Kordy]

3 minutes ago, Joe33472 said:

The Internet isn't cooperating as good as it was the first couple of days!  Must be the storm the captain is avoiding on a more southerly track to NYC.   Not sure if satellites need a clear line of sight or if overcast conditions affect the transmission, but things are not the same.  

 

I was able to scan and upload tomorrow's daily programme. 

 

Day 4 Programme.pdf 4.81 MB · 0 downloads

 

 

Thank you Joe, this is useful to plan ahead for the cruise next week. It should be an identical programme. Appreciate all the documentation you're doing. 

[Jim_Iain]

On 6/24/2024 at 7:26 AM, RK-NC said:

 

I am beginning to think it is common to have dining issues on embarkation day. We cruised Celebrity in April and avoided the main dining room on the first night because we had heard of problems similar to what you experienced. Enjoy red and gold night! 

 

I would have to agree with you on many lines besides Cunard the first night is usually a disaster as all the new guests servers settle in and get accustomed to each other.   But in the OP's defense being served cold food is not acceptable.   I'm happy it seems to be tuning positive.

[Jim_Iain]

On 6/24/2024 at 11:00 AM, Joe33472 said:

 

Yes, it's amazing how great the Internet has been (knocking on wood!).  Meeting went great with video sharing.  I didn't open my camera, which likely helped with bandwidth.   Some connection issues when switching devices, but overall A+ with Starlink.   I purchased the two device plan, so we have some issues with switching between devices, but not a big deal.   We just have too many devices we'd like to connect to the Internet all at the same time.   First world problems 🙃

You should have no trouble with Starlink and apps like Zoom.     Celebrity throttles their Starlink on Premium to 5 Down and 2.5 Upload and never had a problem at those speeds with Zoom.   Actually have no problem streaming Netflix.

 

I'm curious about Cunard.   Do they have both a basic and a Premium Internet?   Other question is whether you are able to stream with the internet you have.