Lakesregion

8 hours ago, Fox trotter said:

On our last QM2 cruise in Queens Grill, back in July, we were so what disappointed and felt that we didn't get the QG experience we had enjoyed previously on Queen Elizabeth.

 

I wrote a letter of complaint to Cunard Customer Services. The letter was posted 2nd of August. It is now two months and had no reply from Cunard.

 

Very disappointing, I don't think we will be cruising with Cunard again.

 

 

What were you seeking from Cuard in the way of aesponse. If your complaint was simply that, then it hasbeen filed in the no response required as the incident is now over and can not be fixed. If you expected some form of refund or future credit you need to aks fr it and then they can either grant the request or deny it. I amsure they are swampedwith all manner of corespondancethat has no solution possible and they are just filed.

9 hours ago, Host Hattie said:

It doesn't seem to showing for us in the UK so can you provide a link please? (As long as it doesn't lead to a Travel Agent.)

Information originlly showed up on a CC HAL post a few weeks ago.

Started to read the QA reviews on CC yesterday and got through around 35 of the 63 posted. Not what one would hope for if one was Cuard management. That many bad reviews in one place would put a smaller busines out of business in short order. However, one must parse the reviews to see what are the issues. Many are not happy with the design of the ship and that is not something that can be remedied easily. When the ship has its first dry dock, they shuld be able to rip out the terrible clothes storage areas in the cabins and replace them with something useable but until then plan accordingly. As to lifts, that is not possible to solve except to remove the sofas that are acting as football linemen preventing easy cross lobby dashes for closing doors and extend the door closing times. And maybe get different luggage carts that can fit around the corners and into the service lifts. If you are sailing steerage you can ignore the grill reviews of which of late seem to be the majority of Cunard CC posts as they will not affect your trip. Best way to naviagte the small menu signage and lines in the buffet is to make a visit during a slow time (Not to eat but to inspect) learn where the stations are and what they offer and scope out where to place your book, jacket etc before heading to the food lines so you will have a table to return to with your full plates. As most of the reviews are from early sails, one can hope that by 2025 most of the Bitannia dining room issues will have been solved. Entertainment is personal, as to sun lounger hogs, just sit in one that is empty until the hog shows up and then rise and smile and move to the next empty but reserved one.And above all do not do the "do you know who I am" routine but do be asertive when you need an issue solved and the staff is trying to put you off. Overall, it would appear the QA is something of a mystery to even Cunard as they try to thread their way from a traditional luxury line with old fashioned standards to this new "modern" world. Even the  venerable St Regis hotel in NYC has basically for this traditionalist trashed their iconic Astor Court restaurant done away with their exceptional afternon tea and made the dining room into a "Lounge" with small plate servings. After years of trying to fight the holding pattern at the age of 85 I have given up. I dress in my finest even if my tablemates are in lesser garb, seek the best that I can afford and smile at what is left knowing that I will enjoy while the newbies are trying to figureout what it is all about.

16 hours ago, MozzaG said:

That's great news. Can I please ask where you found this information.

 

 

Just googled with the question. Carnival OBC for 2025 and the news article about the board of directors extending the credit to 2025 came up along with the proviso that one had to wait until Nov to apply.

The Board of Directors has approved extending the stockholder OBC into 2025 but one must wait until Nov to apply for it. A tad tight for the QA worldcruise but well worth the $250 for 14 days or more.

13 hours ago, Log Flumer said:

 

I have recently booked my first ever 'cruise' (crossing), on QM2 next summer. I'm looking forward to it and have carried out plenty of research both prior to and subsequent to my booking. I've noticed quite a few comments (including in this forum) about some staffing issues, including - but not limited to - decreased standards/competence among waiting staff in the main dining room (being served the wrong meal, food being tepid, lower quality ingredients, unhelpful attitude etc.), and staff appearing overworked/unmotivated (standing around talking at the bar and not being responsive to guest needs etc.). I wondered what could explain this apparent deterioration and noticed that in 2019 the Cunard website showed the following information in relation to QM2: 2,691 Guests, 1,292 Crew, but the website now shows 2,691 Guests, 1,173 Crew: a reduction of 119 crew members. Obviously there was some serious cost-cutting post-pandemic (and my guess would be that such a reduction in staff would result in savings of perhaps $2m a year on just the QM2 alone), but is it ultimately to the detriment of both passengers (who understandably expect high standards, especially if they have travelled with Cunard pre-pandemic) and even more so to crew members (who may face longer-shifts and more demanding working conditions with responsibility for an increased number of passengers)? Has anyone noticed a clear deterioration in service standards, whether in terms of the dining experience, quality of food, stateroom maintenance etc? Has this affected Britannia more than the Grills? Thank you in advance for your thoughts and observations!

The world is rapidly changing.Even in Europe where service was a sought after life time position. When all of the world  shut down for Covid. the service industry lost thousands of excellent employees. The quest to replace them with equallydedicated knowlegable folk has not gone well be it on the sea or on land. So one must accept what one gets, it is not the cruise line fault that education and desire has provided the world witha lower quality replacement staff.

2 hours ago, ernnnn said:

Hi there!

 

We are a Spanish couple thinking about reserving a Mediterranean cruise for next August on Cunard´s Queen Victoria. It would be our first time with them, as we always sail with Holland America Line and Princess. How do they compare to each other? Also, even when we are on our mid 40s, we like Holland America for not having many kids onboard.

 

What about Cunard at the Mediterranean? Too many kids? Are they usually well behaved? What about the food options? We have seen we have available the Lido and the Main Dining Room. Is there any other complimentary option apart from those?

 

Finally, formal nights. Are they as formal as they say? I mean. On Holland America Line, I usually wear jeans and a t-shirt or a polo t-shirt, and that's enough for a normal night when going to the Main Dining Room. On formal nights, trousers, a shirt and a jacket without a tie. Is that correct or not enough? I know that's going to be a difficult question to answer.

 

Too many questions, I know. Also, any other recommendation for a newby would be much appreciated. Best regards!

In short while Cunard would love your business, you will not be happy on board. While Cunard has relaxed their dress code a lot, it is consideraby better than Holland America. I did 30 days on Holland America this past winter and was borded out of my mind. Great ship, good food terrificstaff. Boring passenger mix and zero rating for the entrtainment. And while I saw no dirty folk I did see a lot of "out of the garden" attire. Please reconsider.

Back in the day Cunard seeed to be very good at placing solo passengers at large table (at their request) with other solo passengres of close to similar age and not with groups of couples or one large group that is not really interested in outside guests.

How is the current mix being handled on the QA for such solo folks (Males in particular). On my last two cruises on other lines, I have ended up dining solo because the diningroom could not find sufficient other guests to join in the fun of a large table.

a nail cost a shoe and for want of a shoe a horse was lost and the lost horse caused the battle to be lost and the lost battle caused a nation to be lost. So while the small things appear small at the time when they all are added up they will eventually amount to the sun setting on the empire called Cunard.

One must consider that I function on shore very well with a flip phone that can receive texts but does not ciprecate. Having set the stage, I have enjoyed a world cruise and numerous 14 day to 30 cruises with nary a need to reach out to anyone. If htere is an on shor emergency, they can call the ship and I can respond. Othewise it is blissful not to one pay for and to use te wi fi.

7 hours ago, david63 said:

Oh no - not another dress code topic😉

Until Cunard lowers their standards to the rest of the cruise lines that cater to the anything goes crowd, there will always be another thread asking can I do this or do that?

On the very last world cruise of the QE2 there aas a well known Hollywood person who was seen on several occasions wandering the public rooms in a bathrobe around early afternoons.

Also on this same trip a male passenger who embarked in Southampton and began drinking his way arould the world made the mistake of moving his harrasment of the female employess to harrasement of female passengers. At that point he was invited to have a chat with the Captain in the Captain's office cabin. The visit did not go well and the passenger found himself standing on the shore of Easter Island along with his luggage. And back then there was only one plane a week out of Easter Island to the mainland and it was three days away. So people can be removed from the ship on the word of the Captain.

"One too many". Large numbers of ships under a single flag tend to end up with no identity at all.

1 hour ago, Cruise Liner Fan said:

What ever happened to Bea Muller who was the lady who lived aboard the QE2? The last I heard of her was when the QE2 was sold, she was not happy about that and wrote a letter to Micky Arison who is the chairman of Carnival Corporation the parent company that owns Cunard. Bea was offered cabin space aboard either QM2 or Queen Victoria but she turned down both ships. I did see her aboard QM2 in 2010. And does anyone know what ever happened to another elderly woman known as the QE2 Diva? She was very talented in singing opera and it was the wife of one of the Cunard captains that gave her the name QE2 Diva.

I do believethat both ladies have passed on. Bea was a real kick. You had to handle her with kid gloves but if you worked it right she was  fun for afternon tea. Particularly ifyou got to share with her AND the Opera Diva at the same small table, they had a love hate relationship. Bea's two sons had to book passage if they wished  to visit with her. The only time she left the QE2 was when it has to be drydoced. Whe the ship was taken out of seivice Cunard did offer her space on the QM2 and the Victoria but not at the seriously low bargain rate she enjoyed on the QE2. On that ship she had an inside cabin that was made up more like a studio. One of the beds had been removed and a sofa placed in the cabin along with a floor lamp.

The Opera Diva lived in Berkeley Heights NJ in a large mansion that has since been taken down. Her parents sent her to Europe evey summerto study opea but she never perforemed professionaly. She never married. The QE2 was her stage and she preformed at every passenger talent show. Very difficult to get her offstage and she would always carry plastic roses that she would throw into the audience.

Sadly,with the changes in cruising from a more traditional luxurious way to travel vs the more casual way of today, there are very few if any "Characters" left on the high seas. The QE2 had several other regular passenegrs. One of the largest share holdres in Disney would book two of the largest Queens Grill suites for the annual world cruise. and many of the gentlemen hosts over the years managed to catch a wealthy single lady while doing the world cruises. Cunard had to institute a 30 max on the hosts to stop this "love boat" set up.

21 minutes ago, geeeep said:

I’ve been on 18 cruises…Holland America, Celebrity, Princess, Royal Caribbean.  I’ve decided to take a solo cruise on Queen Mary 2.  I never considered Cunard until I started looking for solo cruising and, surprisingly, Cunard has solo accommodations. Are there any major differences between Cunard and the previous cruise lines that I sailed on?  

A more traditonal formal atmosphere. Way better enrichment lectures. Very attentive to solo passengers. Buffet is open 24 hours  rather than in short spurts. Night life ends around 3 am rathe than 10:30 pm on Holland America. NO rolelrcoasters, bumper cars etc as on Royal Carib.

Probably one of he worst things cruise lines ever did was to try and define a dress code without defining a dress code by calling clothing "Smat" be it casual or attire in general. Ask for a definition in each of the 50 US states and in each of the economic demographics within those states and you will get totally different definitions. Then expand that to all cultures in the world and all countrys in the world and one can see that it is hopeless to hang a satisfactory definition of a phrase that has all the substance of fog.

The best solution for those who are uncertain would be to look at the photos of passengers on the line's advertising and brochures and follow what those people are wearing.

5 hours ago, exlondoner said:

I always wondered what pot holders were.

For gentlemen they are called suspenders.

2 hours ago, Kordy said:

I just did Open Seating in Britannia on gala night June 30. It was not good at all. Line far too long, up to after Golden Lion, and people turned away and asked to come 1.5 hours later. We were told - restaurant full.  Virtual line closed also. 

Such is the problem when you offer too many choices for dining and then have a gala evening with the "possibility" of an extra good menu. The buffet crowd and those that partake of the extra charge places will flock to the "better" menu free place. Speaks well for having an assigned table at an assigned time. No lines. 

2 hours ago, Pushpit said:

I go back to RMS Carinthia, Liverpool to Montréal, as my first Crossing a scary number of years ago, so I'm not exactly a newbie, but I am not sure I would go along with a logic that we all naturally resist change and adaptation. In a sense I would quite like to go back to the QE2 days where almost every night was formal. And in those days the code was enforced somewhat ruthlessly.

 

But I also see the point of making it "special" by being less regular and it's great to see the youngsters usually completely going for it, and with more enthusiasm than "oh we have to dress up to eat" when it was a daily affair. It's remarkable that Cunard is still with us, on many levels, and the Line would only be able to do that by adapting and embracing change. As have all longstanding institutions in good health, from the monarchy downwards. People who book Cunard knowing it's not just another floating barge appealing to the lowest denominator.

One can only imagine the angst should Cunard revert to the days of the QE2 with formal on all sea nights and tie and jacket for the gentlemen on all "casual" port days. As to change yes most everyone in the world of business has changed even though the addage "if it is not brokern do not try to fix it" is a solid statement and one The NewYorker Magazine has held with since its beginning 100 years ago. Same type style same layout same wondful criculation, even though the readers are not the sme people..

3 hours ago, Pushpit said:

To be fair, in the wider world, having FIVE gala nights over 5 weeks is probably not considered to be dumbing down in the great scheme of things. I'm sure it will work out wonderfully for all concerned. And naturally you and your companion can make EVERY night a gala night if you wish.

17 day QA NYC to SF in Jan 2025 lists five gala evenings out of 17, so it would appear that Cunard is all over the lot trying to decern what to do andwhen. 

52 minutes ago, Jack E Dawson said:

MAYBE 6 inched Kordy

Jack

 

Having be in the restaurant business, one of the reasons for putting the two tops so close together is it allows for a fast change over to a four or six top with out having to carry chairs and tables all over the dining room.

4 hours ago, Pear Carr said:

Recently on QV 27/5-10/6 and had requested fixed late dining which was noted on our booking confirmation - on embarkation allocated open dining.  We went to speak to Maitre’d who was openly encouraging all who approached him to embrace open dining, we were  not swayed.  We got the impression that this was actively being encouraged with a view to eventually removing fixed dining as an option.

I sense this as the ultimate plan for all Carnival owned lines. HAL will be in my opinion be all anytime dining within two to three years. With QA in the mix,Cunard has more room to experiment. What causes this shift is the adding of multiple dining choices and the daily uncertainty of who will show up in assigned seating and who will be gone in favor of an alternative venue. Such uncertainty wrecks avic on the wait staff and the kitchen. So buckle up folks, it may be two years or five years but look for the elimination of fixed seating somewhere down the line.

On 6/15/2024 at 5:53 AM, LouChamp said:

Aloha. Born and raised in Manhattan and blessed to cruise since 1971.  I respect everyone has different opinions and also opinions formed based on where they live, etc.  Having done business in NY and Las Vegas I can tell you that tipping is the norm to get the best tables, service, shows, rooms and the list goes on and on. That is the reality. I do not always agree that it should be the norm but unfortunately that is the way the world works.  I have had my choice of table locations, waiters, parking lots suddenly have a space available, front row seats, etc.  I'm not bragging but it is naive to believe that it is not the way the wheels turn. I also agree that in some cultures and countries that is not the way it works so I am also respectful of where I am and who I am encountering.  

Give the lower level of attire most foks seem to enjoy these days, I find dressing a few notches above the norm gets me a better table, better service and on my travels better attention to luggage etc. And it costs nothing more than the usual tip. No bribbing just a little satorial effort.

On 6/14/2024 at 3:38 PM, stan01 said:

Hypothetically speaking, a first time Cunard cruiser in QG Q5 on QM2 wants a cherished window table.

 

Do they:
1) ask nicely

2) slip 20 or 50 to matire' d and get table

3) ask and get told "so sorry,  those go to people who paid more and who have been on many cruises"

4) know their place and accept that these aren't for them

I  would say ask nicely while dressed in your best We do fit the image" without any airs attireand then go with whatever is allocated. 

I have for most of my life said if Designers and Enginers had to live with the products they designed or enginered for six months, we would seldom have issues because the original people would realize how poorly they had made the dsign in the first place. and would correct it pre-production.