Jack E Dawson

Nickjones088, For a QM2 Crossing last May I ordered the European Vase flower arrangement for Dee as Mother's Day fell during the voyage. The flowers were amazing and lasted the entire 7 days. In fact, blooms were still opening on the last day but Customs would not allow her to take them from the ship. We are on a Panama Canal cruise on the QE in August during which Dee's birthday will fall so I ordered them again. I had to call Cunard directly to get the cost ($55) and place the order. I hope they are as beautiful as last time. Hope this helps Jack

The masquerade gala evening is a lot of fun with very little effort. However, quite a few passengers really go all out on their mask creations. About halfway through the evening in the Queens Room there will be a mask review so to speak. The band will play a catchy tune and everyone with a mask will form kind of a conga line on the dance floor and pass before the entertainment host who will judge the masks. No easy task as the mask cover a broad range from highly creative to elegant to satirical to silly. But eventually, one gentleman and one lady are chosen for best mask and each receives a bottle of champagne. It's all a lot of fun. Jack

Host Hattie, I strongly recommend visiting the Can Paixano (La Xampanyeria) tapas/cava bar in Barcelona. We think it is a most exciting and fun place with quite the international reputation. It is right near the port. I have recommended it before on the Cunard Board but can't seem to get any takers. I hope you and Mr. HH will give it a try. Can Paixano (La Xampanyeria) Avinguda Meridiana 71, 08018 Barcelona

Thanks HH, The activities list looks awesome. It also sounds like the new Starlink wifi system is a big improvement. A few of questions please: Did you see any evidence that passengers arriving before their boarding time were being kept out of the building? Is there a planned CC gathering at any point? Does it look like there was any freshing-up of the ship during her brief layup following the WC? Thanks Jack

For me, stepping from the gangway into the hull of the QM2 is definitely a high point of the day. All of the stress, anxiousness and worries of getting to this point suddenly disappear. A weight is lifted from my shoulders in an instant only to be replaced, just as instantly, with a feeling of excitement, adventure and anticipation of what is to come. I've only spent 21 nights on the QM2 but there is this feeling that "we're home". Another high point is when we pop the cork on the bottle of Pol Acker and toast the QM2 and all the people who make it so great. How fortunate am I to have, obviously, an unsophisticated palate the lets me thourghlhy enjoy this this wonderful sparkling wine and enhance the moment. Jack

Having spent 27 years in international sales, I would advise NO. I could only find 1 nonstop flight that might work and its tight. BA 8:00PM - 1:15PM. Since you would be flying west to east you would likely have the jet stream in your favor and likely land 30-45 minutes early. But you would still have to clear customs, gather your luggage and get to your transportation. Not much margin for problems. I definitely would not try a connecting flight, even though they would get you in much earlier. That's just tempting the airline gods too much. Jack

Conan, Have you or your TA contacted Cunard directly? A crossing on the QM2 is an amazing experience, you will NOT be disappointed. I would suggest a west-bound crossing in the May through September time period. Jack Jack

Thank Victoria2, I appreciate the you sharing your experience. However, when I looked at the deck plans, 7070 did not containe the curved portion of the balcony. That was part of the balcony of the cabin next to you. Here is a screen shot from a YouTube video taken from the balcony of 8033. As you can see it looks right onto the balcony of 8035. If one were to stand right at the rail of the balcony you could easily see into the adjacent cabin (8035). Jack

Thanks David, I think we will try to move cabins. Nothing available right now but perhaps something will open up soon. Jack

We will be sailing on the QE in August from LA to Ft. Lauderdale via the Panama Canal. It will be our first time on the QE and on this route. I have a few questions. Is there a preferred side, port or starboard, when passing through the Canal? Also, about how long does it take to traverse the isthmus? I know it will be hot and humid in August but will being on the water make it cooler, especially after sunset? We always bring 6 or so bottles wine/champagne onboard (never a problem) but have only sailed out of Southampton. Will this be an issue boarding in LA? Since we have already made the final payment, is it too late to buy Carnival stock for the OBC benifit? Our current cabin assignment is 8035 which is adjacent to 8033, a cabin that extends out farther than our cabin. On the deck plan it appears that from the balcony of 8033 one would be able to look directly onto our balcony and even into our cabin. Has anyone had any experience with this and is it an issue? We would prefer not to be having breakfast on the balcony and have someone ask if we can please pass the Gray Poupon. Thanks Jack

Please tell me that someone was not wearing a baseball cap to the dining table at dinner. Jack

It looks to me as if the new blades are slightly different in shape but perhaps that's just the camera angle. Jack

I often wonder if anyone from Cunard actually monitors this Board but I couldn't help but notice that the banner ad on the home page is for Cunard which indicates to me that they do think that CC is an important web site. Ditto on the shower curtains. At least finish out the rest of the Britannia Club cabins and make it consistent. I think the Champagne Bar is an underutilize space which is a shame because it has such a great location. Even when Veuve Clicquot sponsored it and had it looking really special, I never saw that many people using it. I would suggest making it into either some other type of specialty drink bar or opening it up into the Chart Room.

Thanks NE John. I looked at #9 but don’t see where they addressed the question about blue jeans, polo’s & runners in PG dining room for breakfast and lunch. It’s probably right there in front of me but not seeing the answer to OP’s original question. Thanks Jack

Just curious, now that you have completed the voyage, how would you answer your own question? I would have assumed that it would be fine but would value your take based on your experience. Thanks Jack

If you wanted to add a second passenger before final payment you might want to cancel and rebook. I believe that as a solo passenger in a balcony cabin you had to pay an up-charge (75-80%???). If you rebooked then both you and the second passenger would pay the normal fare. You, or your TA, should be able to do this pretty easily and even keep your same cabin assignment if you wanted. Not sure how this would best be handled after final payment. In either case, contacting Cunard for clarification would be your best bet. Jack

I found this on the Cunard website under FAQ's. I thought it was interesting that Cunard states that the assigned boarding time is a "guideline only". I think the question assumes that one is arriving by Cunard coach and not just any public coach. Jack

Wow, great review, really liked the way you approached it. Jack

Except for perhaps the shop/restaurant owners, the people who work at the shops, the city that taxes what's sold at the shops, the cruise lines that are asking passengers to wait outside the building or jam into the building and that rare passenger who likes to shop (could Dee be the only one😃). I just can't imagine passengers sitting in a beautiful terminal, well lit, with restaurants, shops and nice facilities saying, "gosh, I really miss the old Mayflower terminal experience, now that was a building you could stand outside of." Cruising is booming right now, the number and size of ships is growing as are the pressures on boarding. It seems like delayed boardings, for whatever the reason, are happening more frequently. The terminal facilities in Southampton have not kept up.

I'm curious Winifred, when did you sail? My experience with boarding in SH is that it is less of a "policy" then it is the discretion of whoever is in charge that day. Very inconsistent. Cunard does so many thing very well but embarkation, website and onboard wifi are not in that group. I find this odd because 2 of those 3 are "first impression" items. If we are taking the Cunard bus service from London, which we have done twice (and find it very satisfactory), we really have little control as to when we arrive the port terminal. However, in Cunard's defense, they can only work with what they are given by the Southampton port authority. The terminals facilities are really lacking. They've got a captive audience of thousands, you think they would offer some restaurants, club rooms and shops and make some revenue. It's a win/win opportunity. As much as I dislike airports, at least there are restaurants, shops and bathroom facilities near the gates and I've never been asked to wait outside the building. These are huge revenue generators for the airports. We are embarking the QE in August from Los Angles. I'm curious as to what the terminal situation will be like here. Jack

So I'm a bit confused, when/where is the maiden voyage? When I go on the Cunard web site the first offering I see is a cruise to the Canary Islands departing SH on May 10th, 2024. I thought there was a short 3 or 4 day voyage before that to Spain I think. Did that get cancelled or is it not showing because it is already filled. Thanks, Jack

oskidunker We are booked on the reverse cruise, Ft Lauderdale to Los Angles in August on the QE. That is probably too late to provide any useful information in helping make your decision but I will be posting a review. While there are few stops, the ones that the ship will make do sound interesting to us. We have already booked the Rainforest In the Clouds tour in Costa Rica. It is a 6.5 hour excursion and the description sounds interesting. We also have friends who have a place in Cabo and they have given us ideas for places and things to see and do. We looked at doing this cruise on Viking in January of 2024 as it has 3 additional stops and is 16 days vs 14 days. However, when we got into the details we noticed that the Viking ship has shorter (much shorter in some cases) port times and one of the stops is Cozumel which is not a big interest point for us. The other issue was the cost. We are spending ~ $5,000 for the Cunard trip vs ~ $13,000 for the Viking, same type cabin. With the savings we will do a QM2 Crossing next year plus possibly the NYC to Quebec cruise on the QM2 this Fall. I do agree with Host Hattie that you have to let YOUR goals, concerns and issues be the decision drivers not somebody else's. Jack

Thank D&N but even with the 15% service charge wouldn't still only be $55.20? Of course I'm drinking some wine as I write this so I could be wrong. Also, thanks for the updated wine list. Mine was out of date. Jack

May math may be wrong here but wouldn't a 20% discount on a $60 bottle of wine bring it down to $48 since the service charge is included in the package? Jack

We are booked on the August 22nd LA to Ft. Lauderdale Panama Canal cruise that stops in Puntarenas Costa Rica. Does anyone have any experience with either the Walk In the Clouds excursion or the Forest Sky Walk excursion? We are looking for the one that offers the best rainforest experience. Fitness is not an issue. Thanks Jack