wenlyn

In some ways we could do worse than just adjust to living with increased risk. 13 out of 712 people died of CV19 on Diamond Princess. I'm sure there will be treatments and vaccines developed over time but the more understanding we gain about this the harder it seems to be to pin it down. It's not really highly lethal (well it is but a 95% survival rate is a lot better than some cancer & strokes) it seems perhaps more likely it causes death by  triggering underlying problems that people may or may not have been aware were weaknesses? Given the speed at which we can grow population these days it might be we just have to adjust to living with the expectation and respect for death that we lived with 50 or so years ago before we had defeated and contained so many diseases. 

Do you have things you want to do in London? Only asking because you can get a direct train to Cardiff from Southampton and it would mean less travelling time and I should think it could be done cheaper too.

Arriving in our cabin to a "welcome back" note  and the knowledge we've got a week to enjoy everything on offer. Pre dinner drinks & nibbles in the Commodore Club. Sitting reading while listening to some live music being played in the Carinthia Lounge and also being tempted by the breakfasts & snacks they offer.  Watching the sunset. Meeting people who are on their first Cunard voyage and hearing them love it as much as we do. Seeing everyone dressed up and feeling elegant, especially on formal nights.  

While its possible for things to go wrong I never understand how people can have such awful experiences on board as everytime we've travelled with Cunard we've been enjoyed the experience. Maybe we are just easily pleased. The sheltered balconies on QM2 usually have some rust marks but I expect that on an ocean going liner. The crew are always out on deck cleaning painting and repairing various things so if anything is amiss I pur it down to the rigours of the location. Occasionally you'll see plates or cups left outside by inconsiderate guests and depending on the weather and what else is going on they sometimes loiter longer than you might expect but if it bothered me I'd take them in myself or mention it to a crew member. 

Food in Britannia is always good, sometimes the beef is a bit tough in our opinion and if something is particularly delicious I might think the portion too small but with so much to eat all day I welcome the fact I would have to ask for extra if I wanted to over indulge - I'm sure the scales thank me for it 🙂 

The bathrooms are nothing to write home about but given the available space theres not a lot to be done, I suppose they do look a little "tired" if comparing to the newer cabins on the top deck & the singles by the casino (not that I've stayed in one but going by pictures) but they are no worse than when we first sailed on QM2 7 years ago so I don't register any disappointment. Our cabin stewards have always kept our room clean & tidy. 

I'm pretty sure you'll have a great trip. Theres nothing like wandering around the ship on formal nights and seeing everyone looking so lovely while hearing live music being played in so many places.

We arrive on QM2 and stay stateside for a week -10 days flying back from DC. It would be quite possible to do this the other way round. Just make sure you get the ESTA for when you arrive in the States not when you board the ship. As Underwatr states ESTA's are good for 90 days continuous stay (but valid for 2 years overall so you can make more trips of up to 90 days within that period)

Interesting answers so far. We echo the thoughts of ClipperSFO

13 hours ago, ClipperinSFO said:

 

Quote: I think to be a "Cunarder" in the human sense, means to be someone who values the transatlantic crossing and the more traditional ways of ocean travel, even as applied to cruising.  It's a bit about  being a traditionalist, appreciating moving more slowly through the world, and experiencing the beauty of the sea and sky in all their manifestations.  I would also add, it's someone who is a bit formal, thinks that being attired to match the beauty of a ship is an appropriate thing to do, and someone who is probably a bit more cerebral and apt to entertain themselves more than needing organized entertainment.  I would also add that a "Cunarder" has a sense of history of the who, what and how that has come before in terms of ocean travel between Europe and North America.  Thus, they can provide their own "augmented reality" to any voyage by being able to see (feel even?) the layers and layers of human, cultural and technological history that Cunard in general, and Queen Mary 2 in particular, represents.   

For myself I wonder if it is something to do with the availability of the transatlantic crossings that keep us coming back. Are there many people who regularly sail Cunard but don't do/enjoy the TA? We've mainly done TA ourselves,  though we did honeymoon on Queen Elizabeth in 2018 and enjoyed that experience too. I think the dinner formality is one of the key things  that makes the line feel so special - it feels like people mean it rather than just playing at dress up as on other lines (I should say our only other cruise experience was P&O Ventura and we had nothing to compare that to - outside the local pub 🙂so thought it was nice dressing up on that) We have no cruise or crossing booked at the moment as we have a long planned trip to see friends in Australia that we're looking forward to but are both starting to feel quite edgy about needing a Cunard fix and I think that craving for all that the line offers is what makes a Cunarder of the human variety 🙂 

We bought a 7 day pass on our crossing last April, it was our 6th crossing & we thought we really should try it out and we thought it might be a wet crossing so we wouldn't do as much deck walking (they were only offering full week passes then) While its a nice spa I wouldn't bother spending the money to do it again - I might consider a 3 day pass if it was on offer & the weather was bad. The pavilion pool is fine for swimming on a crossing though doesn't have the water features of the spa pool but its 1 hot tub gets a lot of use. I'd suggest you do a spa tour when you board having had a quick look at the other pools on offer and decide if its worth it to you. That said if you want sauna/steam on QM2 thats the only option unlike the other ships where a same sex sauna is available in the changing rooms. Gym is fine though can be busy in the mornings. Haven't done yoga though my son took the fencing classes & enjoyed them. My husband wears short sleeves around the ship I tend to wear a cardigan/ long sleeved top during the day. In the evenings he often feels too warm in his jacket if a room is full but we know cooler corridors  or a brief step outside will cool him down. I usually take a chiffony type wrap to be on the safe side but rarely feel I need it - and I usually feel the cold. In the cabin I set the temp a couple of notches above midway. You'll need a coat for walking round outside (& should take hat & gloves in case of needing to abandon ship it says in the brochure!) though weirdly you may get a day you feel you can sit in the outside hot tubs 🙂 I'm sure you'll have a lovely time exploring the ship & gazing out across the ocean. Congratulations on your anniversary. 

Arecibo, when you book, tell you to call when you are through & they'll be there in 5-10 minutes. Dial7 you book a time and I'm sure you could call them if you were seriously delayed. As you walk out of the customs building the taxis are across the road ahead of you and the car services are pulled up to the kerb along to the left, near the ferry pier. Depending on the day you arrive and time you disembark agreeing a price with a taxi can be as good as anything else. Dial 7 have always been good for us, we self disembark & so are through customs and in the car before 8am. The worst thing cost wise we ever did was get a green taxi to JFK. But we've used the limos to Penn station and Dial 7 to Newark & Hells Kitchen with no problems.

3 hours ago, luckymal said:

We find the main dining room can be cool, many females bring a shawl with them.🍷🥃

 I tend to feel the cold in day to day life but have rarely felt cold inside on board and my husband who generates lots of heat tends to find it too warm for comfort on occasion - more noticeable when rooms have lots of people in them the dining room included. Only once has he felt so uncomfortable he had to ask our table mates if they objected to him removing his jacket though he has been keen to leave the table to cool down at other times. Temperature is so subjective and I hate places with icy AC  especially if I'm eating as food goes cold so fast.

We always think this fits the mood and start playing it at odd moments in the run up to a crossing 🙂 Or when we feel the need to book another - which I now feel I need to do having played it just now!

My husband proposed to me on QM2 a couple of years ago,  very unexpectedly as we'd been together almost 10 years by then and it we were both quite happy with that arrangement (you can guess what I said 😊) We were in a sheltered balcony cabin and as sailaway approached we opened a bottle of champagne as is our habit on board and I suggested we drank it on the balcony as it was a relatively warm day - he demurred, strangely I thought at the time,  and said lets stay in the cabin and by the time I came back in he handed my my glass and the ring was in it at which point he got down on one knee. I liked the privacy of being in our cabin and I'm sure in a Grills cabin it would be even lovlier (& have a little more room for kneeling 😄) It was lovely when we went up to the commodore club later and one of the bar staff remembered us from before so we could share our news with him. That said it was our 3rd time setting sail with QM2 and had it been our first I think it might have been nicer to have fully enjoyed the excitement of just being on board and looking around and orientating ourselves for the first time and then had the proposal the following day as someone else suggested, perhaps after dressing for dinner which would be a formal affair so giving a good excuse to look smart for any pictures being taken. In your case I would think getting the butler & photographer to liaise to ensure a seamless surprise if you wanted to be in your cabin or the champgne bar or elsewhere if the congratulations of your fellow travellers would add to the joy of the moment. That way you get to savour the enjoyment of each moment rather than filling one moment so full memories of it get blurred by the intensity. You'll have to judge which you & your intended will treasure more. Good Luck & let us know how it goes.

On 9/18/2019 at 3:54 PM, liberty64 said:

I'm trying to convince my husband that there will be enough to do 😊

First time we did a TA my now husband worried he'd be bored but he found it deeply relaxing and kept taking naps 😂 (he was only just in his 40's!) for the first 3 days. We've we've don'e 6 more crossings since then (we do head onwards on arrival to visit friends). and still haven't got round to doing everything on offer nor have we felt bored. We aim to do 1-2 miles walking round the promenade deck a day, we enjoy cocktails before dinner. The lectures are usually very good so if we are vaguely interested we might stick our heads through though we also catch up with them on the in cabin TV the following day. We read or play ipad games and wander round the shops. We chat with other passengers. Sometimes on more recent crossings we'll do a quiz.   We'll sit and listen to various musicians around the ship. We look at the gym & say we'll go there at some point (other than just to weigh ourselves!) In between all this we sample the food and drink offerings.  Our most recent crossing had a 24 hour photo treasure hunt which was fun to do & quite challenging for a couple of things, its also a good way to familiarise yourself with the ship make you aware of how many artworks and staircases there are! You do need to know how to relax and fill your own time to enjoy a TA or be a joiner inner and partake of the more organised activities but if neither of those options appeal it might not be for you - though still worth doing once if you can get a good price because there is something about NY in relation to a crossing that makes you feel connected to all those who've made that journey in tha past.

23 hours ago, majortom10 said:

£100pppn in the cheapest inside cabin on QE2 in 1997 with inflation in 2018 is equivalent to £180 and I do not think many would pay £2500 per person for cheapest inside cabin for a 14nt cruise on current Cunard ships so like I said before something has to give.

Nonetheless there has been a marked increase in cabin pricing. in the 5 years we've been travelling with Cunard I've seen the best priceI can get our balcony cabin on a crossing rise by around £300. On our second crossing our table mates had an inside cabin that had cost them £600 each (very last minute) which looking at this years prices for insides suggests there has been a 50% rise in price over 4 years (though I guess a bigger discount may be available at another given moments search). Drinks pricing has gone up significantly in that time too, I know the exchange rate hasn't helped in the last couple of years but the changes to measure & mixers is a noticeable extra cost. That said I still enjoy sailing with Cunard and hope it will remain enjoyable and affordable to do so for many years to come (and definitely until the share price picks up!) I see some of it as swings and roundabouts I miss the hot canapes and dislike olives so little changes like impact my enjoyment somewhat - I'm quite happy with crisps though so as long as they remain on offer all is well. Being fortunate enough to have sailed each year since the first trip I have become familiar with some offerings & know which my favourites are but that does mean I am less excited about trying all the different things.  I don't have wide ranging experience of other lines but reading other boards everyone seems to say the same things about "it was better in the past"

Not sure where the megabus picks up butthink its about a mile away at the station. We self disembark & go to the carpark just off the ship and are driving through the port gates between 7.45/8.00 am. Even with luggage I would think you could reach the bus pick up point on foot well before 9.20. Though there should be taxi's around too. Or a fellow traveller who could drop you in the vicinity.

Yours seems like a good way. We live in Suffolk so do one way car hire to the port and National express back from the airport and have family take us the last 8 miles (or we could get a taxi). Theres a coach that leaves just about as we clear customs that we usually make  though we always book the later one and change to the earlier one just in case of delays en route. 

We self disembark so are off early, we had a car booked for 7.45 to Newark - this time we used arecibo and have used Dial 7 with no problems in the past. There were plenty of cars/taxi's waiting. My son & mum used Uber there with no problem just over 18months ago. hth

We usually go deck 4 balcony & have never had any issues with noise (only time we had an issue was deck 8 with a connecting door - though there are solutions to the door) These days we tend to go forward though in the past our cabins have been mid aft and aft. I'd probably take 4 over 6 as I think there is more likelihood of noise from the promenade deck coming through than drifting up from corridors & restaurants. Inside cabins may be different being situated directly over theatre or illuminations. 

I would think on a contained environment like a ship the tetrapak packaging could be collected up & shipped to a specialist recycling place in the same way the other recyclables are currently collected & off loaded.

How quickly the human mind forgets the negatives 😁If I had to I would far rather ride a bike in  New York on a day they close the roads over a normal day! (I saw your ferry passing as we arrived - though I couldn't see anyone taking pictures)

Looking very dedicated. It really was horribly wet. 

Thanks for all the replies I have to say I am pleased to report there was no funny tang to the kettle this time so perhaps we've just been unlucky in the past. Sorry for not responding sooner have had limited email access and haven't been getting mailing list updates.

(It is the Cunard kettle I would never take my own electrics)

Hi hope someone can help. We're sailing later today, yay! I was thinking as I've woken early due to excitement about the fact I find the kettle seem to taste of descaler even after I've boiled it a couple of times. I'm sure I read a comment on here where someone suggested boiling something in the kettle to take the taste away but despite several variations of searches I've had no luck. Google only tells me how to descale a kettle & not how to get rid of the chemical aftertaste so I'm hoping someone might read this before we board & I can get the necessary supplies!

I'm sure it will be fine. Obviously you have asked for various extras & I can't speak to that as our needs have fortunately been simple enough to do an online booking - perhaps they are just not used to talking to people in this day & age?. Nonetheless Dial7 consistently rate highly when you search NY transport and everyone can't be lying. Sounds like you are paying enough to ensure good service. The only bit thats hard to gauge is the time it takes to get through customs & immigration and unfortunately no one can know how that will pan out and what effect that has on plans. I'm pretty sure even if everything went wrong despite your plans there would be someone who'd step in & help your friend out, people are generally good.

4 hours ago, Bell Boy said:

Well you must have exceptional hearing . I don't know how you could stuff socks around around any gaps ( that are not even there ?)  and then replace the heavy duty curtain that had been fixed up by maintenance.. 

 

 

The curtain was a magnetic one and he honestly managed to squeeze stretched out socks in all the way round! He can be very focussed if a noise bothers him 😁He's also fixed rattley balcony gates  in the past - I think its the builder in him. I'm far less sensitive to noise - possibly cos I had children so got used to blanking out noise that I didn't need to react to  😂

Thanks Stewart. I will make sure their number is in my phone!