New to Cunard with questions about specialty dining on QM2

[JUSRN]

Is the steakhouse the only specialty restaurant on QM2?
is there an Italian one?

can I make reservations online before cruise?

or do I have to wait til we board?

Is there a discount if booking before cruise?

thank you

[TheOldBear]

2 minutes ago, JUSRN said:

Is the steakhouse the only specialty restaurant on QM2?

There are two and a half specialty restaurants on QM2

The Veranda $$$ [steakhouse] for Lunch & Dinner  

The Kings Court 'pop up' $ with a rotating dinner menu

The Chef's Gallery [no additional charge, no reservations; Kings Court, starboard side by the 'C' staircase lobby] with made to order pasta & pizza.

2 minutes ago, JUSRN said:

is there an Italian one?

One of the Pop Up menu choices is Italian themed, plus the Chef's Gallery

2 minutes ago, JUSRN said:

can I make reservations online before cruise?

or do I have to wait til we board?

According to to the personalizer [my.cunard.com] reservations can be made 2 weeks in advance.

2 minutes ago, JUSRN said:

Is there a discount if booking before cruise?

I've got a fair amount of on board credit on my next booking - we will just wing it, and not book in advance.

2 minutes ago, JUSRN said:

thank you

 

[JUSRN]

I am a frequent NCL cruiser.

All specialty dining is booked completely the day of embarkation on NCL. I have frequently missed out!

i don’t want that to happen on this cruise so i think im going to book ahead of cruise.

[exlondoner]

Once you are aboard, you might find you are enjoying the Mdr food and company enough not to bother with the specialties. I believe you can cancel.

[rakkor]

On my many cruises, I'm Diamond and get a free pass for the pop-ups, I've only booked the pop-up restaurant once, Coriander, and it was very nice, but I'm unlikely to rush to book again as I find the dining in the MDR to be excellent and I don't see the need.  

[exlondoner]

1 minute ago, rakkor said:

On my many cruises, I'm Diamond and get a free pass for the pop-ups, I've only booked the pop-up restaurant once, Coriander, and it was very nice, but I'm unlikely to rush to book again as I find the dining in the MDR to be excellent and I don't see the need.  

We’ve used our freebies, but I’ve never bothered to book more than a day in advance. I wouldn’t pay, though I’ve certainly enjoyed the Indian and Italian, even though the portions are huge, so we generally share a starter and desert.

[BklynBoy8]

2 hours ago, JUSRN said:

Is the steakhouse the only specialty restaurant on QM2?

No... there are others known as Alternative Dining which may change cuisine on a daily basis. You will see it announced in the Daily Programme. There is a surcharge for these dining experiences. 

Is there an Italian one?

Yes, it is known as a Alternative Dining Experience held in part of the Kings Court Buffet called La Piazza. There is a surcharge and reservations maybe made in the morning.

 

Can I make reservations online before cruise?

- O -

Do I have to wait til we board?

On our sailings, we have waited till we board to book. We have never had a problem dining. We prefer with Verandah to dine at Lunch time.. Next sailing we are going to try Evening for the first time

 

Is there a discount if booking before cruise?

- 0 - 

 

[tv24]

9 hours ago, JUSRN said:

I am a frequent NCL cruiser.

All specialty dining is booked completely the day of embarkation on NCL. I have frequently missed out!

i don’t want that to happen on this cruise so i think im going to book ahead of cruise.

I understand your concern about restaurant reservations.  Honestly, we have sailed on the QM2 many times and each time we are in the Verandah for lunch or dinner, the place is only 50% occupied at the most.  So there has been lots of room for diners.  And the great pop-up ethnic restaurants in Kings Court at night have been less than 50%.  So no stress, please.

[2Oldpeopleinlove]

Just an opinion here, but I wouldn’t worry about booking Verandah on QM2. We’ve tried it on QM2 and on QE. While it was delightful and well worth the cost on QE, we won’t go back to the Verandah on QM2. Mediocre food, poor and condescending service, and uncomfortable seating were all well below expectations, while our expectations had been exceeded at that venue on QE. Next month on QM2, we’ll stick to the MDR and a pop up or two.

[BklynBoy8]

We have seen many opinions on the subject of the Vernadh Steakhouse.

 

Granted it does not compare to our experiences at our favorite steakhouse at home.

 

But we were happy the two times on separate sailings with our service and food at Lunch at Vernadh's.

 

Even at home we have rarely been challenged at one of our favorite restaurants. But can tell when there is an alternate chef and not the regular one when the food isn't the same.

 

So each experience can be different to the passengers likes. 

[Planning to cruise]

Another issue in Verandah on QM2 is its position next to a pool deck. 

 

At lunch time those in window seats have glass between them and people sitting on the other side by the pool. As there is a door from the restaurant to the outside deck it is not unknown for non diners, some in pool clothing, to enter from outside and use the restaurant as a thoroughfare despite this officialy not being allowed and imo rude.  

 

I agree that Verandah on QE and QV have a better ambience.

[TouchstoneFeste]

17 hours ago, Planning to cruise said:

As there is a door from the restaurant to the outside deck it is not unknown for non diners, some in pool clothing, to enter from outside and use the restaurant as a thoroughfare despite this officialy not being allowed and imo rude.  

The Verandah route is, as far as I know, the only path to that deck that doesn't involve either going outside or using a full flight of stairs.

[BklynBoy8]

20 hours ago, Planning to cruise said:

Another issue in Verandah on QM2 is its position next to a pool deck. 

 

At lunch time those in window seats have glass between them and people sitting on the other side by the pool. As there is a door from the restaurant to the outside deck it is not unknown for non diners, some in pool clothing, to enter from outside and use the restaurant as a thoroughfare despite this officialy not being allowed and imo rude.  

 

I agree that Verandah on QE and QV have a better ambience.

 

I agree with your comments about the rude transiting thru the restaurant when the dining hours ar in progress. 

 

We try to keep it from disturbing our meal when we are there especially at lunch time passing thru to the pool.

 

We were also in the past with the previous restaurant there before viewing the passengers by the pool, some in unsightly bathing garments not pleasant to view while dining. Yes, the glass is one way. They can't view inside during the daytime but we can view out.

 

It's a shame there are two ways to transit from the back of Kings Court, a staircase and a staircase from a above deck. This is causing the disturbance.

 

I never saw how many passengers walk thru during the evening meal time.