Pre-Cruise Concierge

I am embarrassed to admit that I don't recall if Cunard has a pre-cruise concierge who calls in advance of a cruise to inquire if there is anything that can be done in advance to make your cruise more enjoyable. I remember getting such calls on some other lines. I was on my only QM2 transatlantic two years ago, in QG, but I really couldn't have anticipated any requests, since I never had experienced Cunard before. So perhaps the call just slipped my aging mind? (I did my due diligence and searched for a relevant thread, but found nothing helpful.)

We leave in a little over six weeks, and we are excited to be in QG again. This time, I have a list of items I very much would like to discuss with a concierge in advance of embarkation. Can anyone tell me if I should expect a call? If not, can you recommend who I might call to inquire about these details? I have a TA, but frankly, she doesn't seem to know much or to be motivated to meet my needs, now that I have made final payment.

I've never received such a call.

I am embarrassed to admit that I don't recall if Cunard has a pre-cruise concierge who calls in advance of a cruise to inquire if there is anything that can be done in advance to make your cruise more enjoyable. I remember getting such calls on some other lines. I was on my only QM2 transatlantic two years ago, in QG, but I really couldn't have anticipated any requests, since I never had experienced Cunard before. So perhaps the call just slipped my aging mind? (I did my due diligence and searched for a relevant thread, but found nothing helpful.)

 

We leave in a little over six weeks, and we are excited to be in QG again. This time, I have a list of items I very much would like to discuss with a concierge in advance of embarkation. Can anyone tell me if I should expect a call? If not, can you recommend who I might call to inquire about these details? I have a TA, but frankly, she doesn't seem to know much or to be motivated to meet my needs, now that I have made final payment.

I would say that you should not expect a call. If you have concerns that you need to discuss in advance of embarkation, my suggestion would be to call Cunard directly.

I've never received such a call.

Me neither. Maybe because they figured that if you had concerns, you would call them.

;)

Given that the OP booked via a TA Cunard will expect at last some (if not all) requests to be communicated via the TA, won't they?

Thanks, everyone. Who would I call at Cunard?

Try this:

Concierge@cunard.co.uk

andhow

Thanks, everyone. Who would I call at Cunard?

Sorry, but I'm not clear as to whether or not you booked directly through Cunard. Did you book directly?

If you booked through an independent travel agent, you need to direct your questions to that person.

We've traveled Queens Grill twice in 2016 and never received a call from Cunard. My recommendation is to be prepared to discuss your needs with your butler once you arrive. Your butler, if he is good, will come to your stateroom shortly after you arrive, introduce himself, and ask you what you want. He may be able to help you, but I caution you to not expect the moon. I also recommend the concierge who staffs the Grills concierge lounge (Deck 9 on the QM2). She will be able to help you, within certain bounds. Again don't expect the moon. If all else fails, consult the Purser's Office, but be prepared to get in line with all the other passengers who have issues. As a Queen's Grill passenger, you get sone perks, but they may not be all that you anticipate.

Sorry, but I'm not clear as to whether or not you booked directly through Cunard. Did you book directly?

 

If you booked through an independent travel agent, you need to direct your questions to that person.

As I stated in the opening post, I booked through a TA but I don't think she will be much help. She is a TA we have used for other cruises on other lines, but my conversations with her lead me to conclude that she is not particularly knowledgeable about Cunard. I will start by contacting her, and if that doesn't work, I will try the concierge email that TV24 suggested.

Here are my questions, in case any of you have any other suggestions.

First, we have two suites that are only four doors apart (9080 and 9065). I would like to have the same butler serving both suites, as I think it will be easier on everyone including the butler. 9080 is a much larger suite, and the four of us will be eating breakfast together there every day, and possibly doing other activities, such as a small cocktail party, there. We will gather there every night before heading out for the evening's entertainment and dinner. I just wanted to ask for the same butler to make everything simpler for us and for that butler.

Second, we are on the Fashion Week cruise, and my sister and daughter very much would like to meet one of the presenters. Several of them are hosting dinners during the cruise, and I wanted to find out if we could possibly "score" one of those hosted dinners.

Third, we are interested in doing the wine seminar, but I don't want to book that if it is going to conflict with any of the scheduled Fashion Week activities. So I wanted to find out if those FW activities already have been scheduled, so that we can go ahead and book the wine seminar with confidence that we will get to do all of these things.

So you see, even if my TA were very experienced with Cunard, I don't think she will be of much help with these questions. (But maybe I am wrong about that.) I wasn't planning to contact anyone about these questions until about two weeks before the cruise.

Oops! It was AndHow that suggested the concierge email address. My apologies.

Well, Mr. or Ms. Peas, you have special needs that mostly relate to the Fashion Week events. I think you all will have a terrific time as the QM2 does a good job with these special sailings. We were on the Blue Note Jazz crossing in October, 2016 and had a splendid time with all the special events.

That said, I think the combination of your butler and the Concierge in the Concierge Lounge can help you out a lot. Be prepared that all of your needs may not be perfectly met; there will be some hiccups.

Oh and I doubt if your TA will be of much help with your requests, but you should give it a go and place a phone call just in case. And I seriously doubt if the Cunard HQ will be able to help you. If you have patience, give it a try, but I wish you luck.

Whatever, I am sure you will have a terrific crossing. The events will range from interesting to superb. You'll have great fun in Queens Grill. And don't forget to hang out in the Grills Lounge, on Deck 7, just across from the Queens Grill dining room. It's our fave place for free lattes late morning, totally undisturbed with reasonably good WIFI access.

Good Afternoon Whirled Peas, your 'Solent Concierge' here.

I just thought you would like to see a preview of your gorgeous Windsor stateroom onboard Queen Mary 2.

Last December my wife and I shared a table in Queens Grill with a delightful young couple who were occupying said stateroom.

They kindly invited us, and the other couple on the table, to join them for pre-lunch drinks one day.

I managed a few photographs knowing they would come in handy one day. So here goes...

The Main Living Room...

The stairway to the bedroom...

...and the bedroom...

Nice Pad :evilsmile:

I knew Richard was a very important man, but now I'm really impressed that you had Donald Trump in your suite:

I was guessing Steve Bannon... :)

Although my impulse is to respond to the notion that Mssrs. Trump and/or Bannon might have slept in MY BED, :eek: suffice to say that I am sure the linens have been changed!

I am very excited about this cruise and this suite. I doubt I ever will be in a position to travel in such accommodations again. But this is a special celebratory cruise. My daughter has lost 175 pounds since March, 2016. She has gone from being morbidly obese and miserable to being an athlete with a growing sense of self-confidence. Indeed, this past weekend, she completed her first half marathon in remarkable time. This cruise is to celebrate her victory and to acknowledge that she is now a beautiful, strong woman. I chose the Fashion Week cruise because it seemed appropriate, given that she is now a gorgeous 5'11' woman who wears a size small or medium and who looks like a blond model!

Before the cruise, we will spend four days in London sightseeing and shopping. We are staying in a Belgravia suite at The Goring. Reservations for high tea on Sunday and dinner in their Michelin starred restaurant already are confirmed. I have told my daughter that I am spending her inheritance to take her on this luxurious trip, and she says she is just fine with that! If any of you have suggestions as to what to do in London, please feel free to share. If it were up to me, I would never leave The Goring (my favorite hotel in the world), but she wants to sightsee and run each morning in the nearby parks.

Thank you again for the help you already have provided. I am pretty sure my special requests will have to be addressed with the concierge and butler once on board, although I will ask the travel agent to inquire about assigning the same butler to both suites in advance. Couldn't hurt to try.

I know it sounds as though I am being a demanding, entitled American by making such outlandish requests of Cunard. In "real life," I am neither. But I want this trip to be memorable and special for my wonderful, deserving daughter, and I will go to any lengths to insure that everything is even better than she might wish for.

175 pounds !! 12.5 stone (I know you don't do stones in the US !) in just over 12 months.

That is highly impressive indeed.

By the way, I think Solent Richard is much more attractive than either Trump or Bannon. I am sure we all can agree on that! Thank you, Richard, for the beautiful pictures of our amazing suite. I pinch myself every time I think about it!

175 pounds !! 12.5 stone (I know you don't do stones in the US !) in just over 12 months.

We Americans are about as familiar with a Stone as we are with a Firkin. :)

Or a hogshead.

For what it's worth, we booked princess grill may 2017 and June 2017 directly from the Cunard web site. We DID get a phone call from a concierge some weeks before asking if we had any special requests- they left a message on our answering machine with a phone number to call back. We did not make any special requests, so did not call back.

We previously sailed in PG in 2015 and never received a phone call prior to this year, so perhaps this is new.

It is possible you may already be assigned the same butler, but if not, it does seem likely that once on board, you could request this. I have never been in QG, so don't know how the butlers are assigned...

Oh, and congrats to your daughter!!!

I have received this type of pre-cruise call from a land based concierge when booked on NCL and Celebrity. I never have the presence of mind at the time I receive the call to think of anything special I might want. This cruise is different. So I am hoping that I get the type of call that Hawaii 136 is describing. I will report back if I do.

And what the heck is a "firkin"??????

And what the heck is a "firkin"??????

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/firkin

For what it's worth, we booked princess grill may 2017 and June 2017 directly from the Cunard web site. We DID get a phone call from a concierge some weeks before asking if we had any special requests- they left a message on our answering machine with a phone number to call back. We did not make any special requests, so did not call back.

We previously sailed in PG in 2015 and never received a phone call prior to this year, so perhaps this is new.

It is possible you may already be assigned the same butler, but if not, it does seem likely that once on board, you could request this. I have never been in QG, so don't know how the butlers are assigned...

Oh, and congrats to your daughter!!!

I doubt very much one would be successful in requesting a particular Butler 'once onboard', however, it is possible to arrange this 'well in advanced' ( I've managed to do this on two occasions)

Trying to arrange a particular Butler and their assistant crew member once onboard, could cause quite a hassle. He/She may have already been allocated suites at the far end of the ship or even on a deck above. Not only that, it would appear to look like a snub to the crew member that has already been allocated to take care of you. ;)