Rare Jim_Iain Posted October 21 #1 Share Posted October 21 This post was recognized by LauraS! "And another from Jim_Iain! Thank you for generously sharing your time at sea with everyone at Cruise Critic! See your post featured on our: Click: Cruise Reports page. When you return, please consider submitting it to the site for publication as well: Click: Write a Review" Jim_Iain was awarded the badge '"Live from...."' and 5 points. I will be posting a Live Cruise report for our first Cunard Cruise. I haven't quite figured out how I will be splitting out this Live and I will also be doing a Comparison between QM2 and Celebrity Silhouette. Iain and I have been together for 35 years and cruised almost exclusively with Celebrity for 25. We are 2X Zenith members and until the past couple years were very pleased with Celebrity. I will just say that things have changed and we have begun branching out. We have cruised on Ponant and Oceania and convinced that going forward we will never be tied down to any one cruise line. Be warned that my Live Posts can be rather rambling and I really don't have any requirement that posts stay on subject. Also anyone else on this cruise are welcome to jump in and post their experience. I've learned so much from other CC members. A bit of a back story before we begin. We booked a Celebrity Silhouette Transatlantic for 2024 after Celebrity cancelled a Lisbon to Buenos Aires cruise for a second year in a row. They really screwed us over by cancelling the cruise with no ability to switch to another cruise and bring your perks with you. That was the straw that broke the camels back and we decided to start taking most of our future bookings elsewhere. During a Christmas Sale on Cunard I came across what I considered an exceptional deal and was able to book this Queen's Grill Cabin for $4,000 per person. With the cost of Business Class Air spiraling out of control we thought this would be a great way to both try out Cunard and have a more leisurely crossing. As many who have followed our travels know, Iain is from Ayrshire, Scotland. Since we have 2 weeks between when we arrive in Southampton and when we depart on Silhouette out of Barcelona we will be taking a road trip driving north and spend some time with his family. We booked a one way car rental and will be flying from Glasgow to Barcelona. Please feel free to jump in and I will try to find the answer to any questions. There is so much we do not yet know about Cunard please feel free to correct me if I give a wrong answer or help answer if you know the answer. 17 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Jim_Iain Posted October 21 Author #2 Share Posted October 21 (edited) As an introduction I have created a short video of planned travels. I post some of my videos on my YouTube Channel - Travel with Jim_Iain. I try to keep them short and not one of those who drag on. Edited October 21 by Jim_Iain 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mtn2Sea Posted October 21 #3 Share Posted October 21 Looking forward to reading about your experiences on your first Cunard voyage! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BklynBoy8 Posted October 21 #4 Share Posted October 21 Should be interesting reading by a Cunarder with 40+ years experience sailing from a 1st timer. Will be looking forward. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare NE John Posted October 21 #5 Share Posted October 21 29 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said: As an introduction I have created a short video of planned travels. I post some of my videos on my YouTube Channel - Travel with Jim_Iain. I try to keep them short and not one of those who drag on. Coming solely from my geeky perspective, you may want to swap out the picture of the Manhattan West side piers with a picture of the Brooklyn's Cruise Terminal for total authenticity. Apologies again for me being a geek. Your itinerary looks fantastic: land and sea. Awesome! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Jim_Iain Posted October 22 Author #6 Share Posted October 22 (edited) We are booked in a Queen Grill Suite Couple Specs about Cunard QM2 Built: 2003 Tonnage: 149 Cabins: 1,363 Passengers: 2,729 -3,271 Crew: 1,253 @NE John I probably won't change the video due to the amount of time to re-render it so Here's a picture of the Brooklyn's Cruise Terminal. Thanks for pointing out the error. Edited October 22 by Jim_Iain 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Jim_Iain Posted October 22 Author #7 Share Posted October 22 1 hour ago, Mtn2Sea said: Looking forward to reading about your experiences on your first Cunard voyage! Thanks... really getting excited. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Jim_Iain Posted October 22 Author #8 Share Posted October 22 50 minutes ago, BklynBoy8 said: Should be interesting reading by a Cunarder with 40+ years experience sailing from a 1st timer. Will be looking forward. To be honest, We are coming aboard with an open mind. We have been reading along for almost a year and learning so much. It will be especially interesting to dispel some to the misconceptions many of us have about Cunard. When we first considered Cunard we envisioned a ship full of Hyacinth Bucket's and a strong class separation between room types. My perception from much reading is that Celebrity may well be more class separation with their Ship on an Ship concept. We found Oceania to be very refreshing and really excited to experience Cunard for the first time. BTW --- We also booked a Cunard crossing for October 2025. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Jim_Iain Posted October 22 Author #9 Share Posted October 22 For perspective this is our travel plans thus far - Itinerary so far: 10/23 - SJC to EWR 10/24 - Playing in NYC 10/25 - 11/1 Cunard QM2 New York to Southampton 11/01 - 11/4 New Castle upon Tyne 11/04 - 11/6 Kendal (Lake District) 11/06 - 11/13 Ayrshire, Scotland 11/13 - 11/15 Barcelona 11/15 - 11/29 Celebrity Silhouette - Barcelona to Fort Lauderdale 11/29 Fly FLL to SJC 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare NE John Posted October 22 #10 Share Posted October 22 32 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said: We are booked in a Queen Grill Suite Couple Specs about Cunard QM2 Built: 2003 Tonnage: 149 Cabins: 1,363 Passengers: 2,729 -3,271 Crew: 1,253 @NE John I probably won't change the video due to the amount of time to re-render it so Here's a picture of the Brooklyn's Cruise Terminal. Thanks for pointing out the error. You’ll see some fun and off beat comments on these boards. Some passionate Cunard pax sail on Cunard for the history and tradition but you shouldn’t find much snootiness, Hyacinths, and very little “class” separation. In fact, QM2 has the least separated Grills areas vs what I’ve experienced on Grills on the QE. What QG category did you end up with? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare cavaaller Posted October 22 #11 Share Posted October 22 looking forward to another of your fabulous reviews. I love your attention to detail and cannot wait to hear about your impressions! we too have been cruising with celebrity a lot and will be on our first Cunard cruise in summer so this review is gold for me! thank you! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Napagirl Posted October 22 #12 Share Posted October 22 (edited) I'll be on this cruise and it's also my first on Cunard. At first I thought we were returning on the same cruise too, but we're taking Celebrity Constellation from Barcelona to Tampa departing Nov 7. Editing to add - hey we're practically neighbors! 🙂 Edited October 22 by Napagirl 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carnevale Posted October 22 #13 Share Posted October 22 I am very happy to see you posting about your Cunard cruise experience Jim. We also have sailed (a little) on Celebrity and it was on that CC board that I first found one of your blogs and really enjoyed it (while learning a lot and also having some questions answered - all so very valuable ). I am looking forward to traveling along with you virtually on this voyage. Many thanks in advance for all the great information I know you will share! We cruise a fair amount but also do other kinds of travel so we don’t have your onboard experience. We also cruise on many lines with Princess a current favourite (much to our surprise but it really fits our interests). Lately we had bad sailings on Azamara and Oceania so after two trips on each they are now off our list. We have sailed on Cunard but not for a while. We will be on QM2 on November 20 for the South Caribbean sailing. We love ballroom dancing and are wondering if there are still any afternoon tea dances. If you happen to notice that in the daily program and could mention it I’d appreciate it. Thanks! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Victoria2 Posted October 22 #14 Share Posted October 22 I'm a very loyal Cunard client but not particularly a fan of QM2 [the ship, not the passengers who sail with her] so looking forward to your thoughts and definitely time to dispel any Hyacinth misconceptions for other potential newbies who might think of giving Cunard a whirl. Enjoy. 🙂 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Host Hattie Posted October 22 #15 Share Posted October 22 Thanks for starting this thread, I look forward to reading your first impressions. Have a great trip. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LadyL1 Posted October 22 #16 Share Posted October 22 After a very bad experience on Celebrity Silhouette last autumn, we have decided never to use this line again, having sailed quite a few times over the last 10 years or so. The main problem was the food which was truly below any standard you expect on a cruise. It is also very disappointing that the Aqua and Lumina restaurants close on port days for lunch. When paying a lot for premium cabin/suites one does not really expect to have to take lunch in the buffet or pay for another restaurant or use room service. Your report on Cunard will be very interesting. We find QG food and ambiance the reason to keep returning, but would love a new smaller and modern ship to be added to the fleet. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare DaisyUK Posted October 22 #17 Share Posted October 22 Looking forward to following along 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Jim_Iain Posted October 22 Author #18 Share Posted October 22 In doing the comparison, I'm getting conflicting information on the size of a Q5. Any information from experienced Cunard cruisers is appreciated. I may bring a tape measure and calculate myself. Per Cruise Deck Plans Cabin 386 SqFt 36 M2 Balcony 118 SqFt 11 M2 Per Cunard - Queen Mary 2: Category Q5 Queens Suites on Deck 9 are 506 sq ft and have a 126 sq ft balcony. Some suites can accommodate a third or fourth guest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Jim_Iain Posted October 22 Author #19 Share Posted October 22 (edited) 14 hours ago, NE John said: You’ll see some fun and off beat comments on these boards. Some passionate Cunard pax sail on Cunard for the history and tradition but you shouldn’t find much snootiness, Hyacinths, and very little “class” separation. In fact, QM2 has the least separated Grills areas vs what I’ve experienced on Grills on the QE. What QG category did you end up with? That is what I've read and looking forward to. As you say some of the more passionate can really make one believe the opposite and I look forward to help dispel this myth. Sometimes the more passionate can really make it difficult to understand things like dress code. That subject can be such a hot button I will only be pointing out what we experience and see and stay out of the politics. We will be wear Tux on Formal evenings and probably sports jackets over collared shirts. We often wear bow ties with our sports jackets on Smart Casual. Edited October 22 by Jim_Iain 20 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Victoria2 Posted October 22 #20 Share Posted October 22 If inside area of a QM2 balcony cabin is around 250 sq ft and a Q5 is twice the width...🙂 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Jim_Iain Posted October 22 Author #21 Share Posted October 22 12 hours ago, cavaaller said: looking forward to another of your fabulous reviews. I love your attention to detail and cannot wait to hear about your impressions! we too have been cruising with celebrity a lot and will be on our first Cunard cruise in summer so this review is gold for me! thank you! Looking forward to an enjoyable crossing. I'm really interested in seeing the difference between and Ocean Liner and a Cruise Ship. We enjoy nostalgia. I"m also really looking forward to comparing the food selection and quality. One of my main concerns with Celebrity is that the menu in Luminae is limited and boring. Luminae also takes liberty with descriptions to sound exotic and often looks nothing like the description. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Jim_Iain Posted October 22 Author #22 Share Posted October 22 12 hours ago, Napagirl said: I'll be on this cruise and it's also my first on Cunard. At first I thought we were returning on the same cruise too, but we're taking Celebrity Constellation from Barcelona to Tampa departing Nov 7. Editing to add - hey we're practically neighbors! 🙂 Ahh... That would be interesting for us. We have never been to Tampa. Napa is indeed just a hop and skip away. Hope you are enjoying the weather as much as we are. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Jim_Iain Posted October 22 Author #23 Share Posted October 22 11 hours ago, Carnevale said: I am very happy to see you posting about your Cunard cruise experience Jim. We also have sailed (a little) on Celebrity and it was on that CC board that I first found one of your blogs and really enjoyed it (while learning a lot and also having some questions answered - all so very valuable ). I am looking forward to traveling along with you virtually on this voyage. Many thanks in advance for all the great information I know you will share! We cruise a fair amount but also do other kinds of travel so we don’t have your onboard experience. We also cruise on many lines with Princess a current favourite (much to our surprise but it really fits our interests). Lately we had bad sailings on Azamara and Oceania so after two trips on each they are now off our list. We have sailed on Cunard but not for a while. We will be on QM2 on November 20 for the South Caribbean sailing. We love ballroom dancing and are wondering if there are still any afternoon tea dances. If you happen to notice that in the daily program and could mention it I’d appreciate it. Thanks! I'll let you know about the Tea Dances if they have them. We've never tried Princess and so far booked 2 Oceania, 2 Cunard, 1 SilverSea and 1 Reagent Silver Seas. I was trying to find a Cunard crossing to meet up with our Reagent Silver Seas for 38 day Cape Town to Miami cruise but unfortunately too early by one week for a matching Cunard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Jim_Iain Posted October 22 Author #24 Share Posted October 22 9 hours ago, Victoria2 said: I'm a very loyal Cunard client but not particularly a fan of QM2 [the ship, not the passengers who sail with her] so looking forward to your thoughts and definitely time to dispel any Hyacinth misconceptions for other potential newbies who might think of giving Cunard a whirl. Enjoy. 🙂 Thanks.... I understand that many enjoy the newer ships but looking forward to stepping back in time and enjoy a crossing vs a voyage. I think that Cunard get's the bad rap because of their more formal dress codes. That is one aspect that we are looking forward to. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Jim_Iain Posted October 22 Author #25 Share Posted October 22 8 hours ago, Host Hattie said: Thanks for starting this thread, I look forward to reading your first impressions. Have a great trip. Thanks Host Hattie - It will be interesting having a voyage with no ports. We love sea days so know we will enjoy. We are both big walkers. I walk about 10 miles a day and Iain does about 5. Will really be interesting to see how much we can use the decks vs walking the hallways. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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