BeachTunes

@sucramdi Thanks for this! I think I'll call back and share our pre-cruise Barcelona hotel info just to cover all of the bases! Thanks everyone for all of your input on this. Sounds like we're set. I was told by the agent that everything was checked off and good to go in their systems so I won't fret.

FYI, for anyone sailing on the October 9th sailing from Barcelona and is curious about our new October 12th port times, I just spoke with a Cunard agent and we are currently scheduled to be in La Spezia from 7am to 7pm with an all aboard time of 6:30pm. Lots of time to explore!

Thank you for the reassurance! I called Cunard again to be safe and the agent said everything looked good on her end so it must indeed be an IT glitch. I did notice that the option of including our province wasn't on the address form so I added that beside our city just in case. 🙂

@Pushpit It is for a cruise departing from and returning to Barcelona that also visits France and Italy. We are Canadians.

Hello, Our first Cunard cruise is now excitedly less than 6 weeks away. 🙂 On August 11th we received an email from Cunard titled "Missing Immigration Notice". I called Cunard and the agent told me nothing was missing as our passports, contact info, etc were all uploaded correctly. She didn't know why the email had been sent. On August 26th I got the exact same email. I'm planning on calling Cunard again but am expecting the same scenario as two weeks ago. Has anyone received such an email before? My fear is that something is askew and we won't be allowed to board on October 9th. Thanks for your input!

UPDATE: I just used YYZ Express this morning for a domestic flight. I chose a time slot of 6:30am which allows 15 minutes on either side. In theory, it was valid from 6:15am-6:45am. Because I had to wake up at "Ridiculous O'Clock", I ran late leaving the house and got to the line at 6:55am. I told the Express agent that I was a bit late for my time slot and she kindly let me through anyway. Not sure if that's the norm but I was so relieved as the regular security line would have taken at least 25 minutes while I was through in less than 5 with Express! 🙂 Happy Travels!

I believe it's worth it! It doesn't take much time to book and can save quite a bit of time in the potentially busy "public" security line. I booked it for a domestic flight in March but the regular security line was short so I was directed there. Because of that experience I didn't bother booking it on a domestic flight last month and regretted the decision! The Express line was virtually empty while I had to spend about 20 minutes in the regular security clearance line. (Admittedly, 20 minutes wasn't the worst of wait times but it was 5am and I wanted coffee! LOL) The Bottom Line: It's free and easy to book plus you won't be penalized should you end up going the regular route! 🙂

Hello! We will be cruising on the Cunard Queen Elizabeth this October with a stop in Toulon. We have booked the ship's "St Tropez on Your Own" excursion, a 7.5 hour tour that departs Toulon at 8:30am. It ends with a stop in Port Grimaud before the bus transfer back to the ship. Just wondering if anyone (on any cruise line) has taken a similar excursion? I'm mostly curious to know how much time is actually spent in St Tropez so we can make appropriate lunch reservations. I almost wish they'd scrap the Port Grimaud part and just let us explore St Tropez town and a nearby beach longer but it is what it is. I have shortlisted several St Tropez restaurants for lunch so input on where to have a nice or unique experience would be appreciated. We know this area is pricey so we're "budgeting to not budget" that day! LOL! I haven't heard many reports from Cunard cruisers or other lines about this tour so any input is appreciated! Thank you! 🙂

Thank you for this! Our plan is to do exactly that... Get ourselves to Pisa by train to see the tower followed by a pizza lunch. (Because both of us have dreamed of having pizza in Pisa since we were kiddos! LOL!) I'm happy to read it won't be much of a hassle getting there and back. While we'd love to combine Florence or Lucca with Pisa, we're going to keep the day simple to allow us more time on the ship that afternoon as it will be our first Cunard experience. We'll save Florence for a longer land-based stay. 🙂

Thank you for the Livorno shuttle information! This is definitely helpful as we plan our day! :)

@MeredithFairfax Thank you very much for this tremendously helpful info! 🙂

Hello! Cunard newbie here and also a newbie to cruising the Med! We've been on several cruises to tropical, Caribbean and South Pacific ports, where the towns are usually close to the pier or a short walk away. This will be our first cruise to more "industrial" ports that will likely involve shuttle buses to the city centres. Just wondering if anyone can chime in about what to expect from Cunard regarding port shuttles in Livorno, Ibiza and Valencia. How often do the shuttle buses run? Should we expect line ups? If there is a cost, should we have Euros ready or may we charge the fare to our stateroom? Assuming guests booked on ship sponsored shore excursions get priority, should those exploring independently expect long wait times? Is there a way to find out the city drop off locations in advance? Are taxis typically readily available at these three ports as an alternative? (As an example, I read somewhere that taxi drivers in Livorno often reject short haul trip requests in favour of more lucrative full day tours.) I have strategically booked our private tours at least two hours after arriving in the ports to account for potential delays and navigating the shuttles and public transit. We almost always strive to be back on board at least an hour earlier than required, just to be safe. I realize I could post this in the ports of call forum for each location, but from what I've read, it seems that each cruise line handles these shuttles differently and independently so I figured I'd reach out to the experts here first! The daily program will undoubtedly have all the particulars for each port and I'm probably overthinking this but would like to be prepared. I'm a planning fanatic! LOL! Thank you all in advance for your assistance!

Wow, thank you all so much for the helpful replies! 🚢 It's great to hear about everyone's preferred dining times. We are going to stick with open for now. It's also nice hearing about the drinks package, sommeliers and option of bringing beer and wine for the room on board! (Not to sound like a lush, but we won't be driving on vacation, after all! LOL!) @Whitechapelgirl62 We're on the same sailing! 🙂 @elmsliebev and @NE John Thank you for the Valencia info. I just booked a 2 hour Tuk Tuk tour that will take us around the waterfront, the modern part of the city and to Old Town with stops at some of the markets. Indeed, it is a diverse city so I couldn't decide on one area alone! The ship's Tuk Tuk shore excursion is sold out but I found another one via Get Your Guide. We'll ask our guide to recommend a good paella spot for lunch. We leave on October 6th for an overnight flight to Barcelona where we will spend two nights pre-cruise. Have I mentioned how excited we are? Thanks again, all! PS: I just bought a red gown for the red and gold gala. I don't wear a lot of red normally but this dress gave me Pretty Woman vibes! Can't wait to wear it! 💃

Thank you so much! 🙂

Greeting From Canada! As promised from my recent posts, I'm now about to bombard everyone with questions about our first Cunard cruise! 🤪 For some context, my husband and I have been on several cruises including 3 with Crystal, 3 on Celebrity, and one magical sailing on the Paul Gauguin. I'm also personally familiar with Disney! We appreciate premium/luxury experiences but itinerary is paramount. I've been interested in Cunard for several years and am thrilled that the right itinerary at the right time found us! 🙂 We enjoy formal nights so no questions there! LOL! On to today's questions: OPEN vs LATE FIXED DINING: We typically opt for open dining because we like the flexibility. When we cruise, we usually make our way to the dining room around 7:30pm. I'm leaning toward "Late Fixed" for this QE cruise. We have "Open" booked at the moment. We will be booking the full drink package that includes a good variety of wines by the glass. I would hope the sommeliers would catch this and give us some nice pairings as we have experienced on other lines. Will we miss anything important entertainment-wise by dining late vs around 7:00pm or 7:30pm? (Note: We will be a table fo 2 and don't need to converse with others while dining. We prefer to socialize in the lounges/public areas.) EMBARKATION WINE AND BEER - BARCELONA: I'm not a rule breaker so please make note of that before proceeding to read! LOL According to what I've read, guests may bring 1 bottle of wine per person per stateroom upon embarkation. I'm fine with that. Again, we'll be buying the full drinks package. Thus, anything brought on board will be for in-room enjoyment only. BUT, I've read that others have recently brought on beer! That would be music to my husband's ears! Again, not trying to trick the system but if anyone has any experience successfully bringing, say, 6 beers and maybe 2 bottles of wine on board in total, that would be helpful to know. MATTRESS TOPPERS: Oh my goodness, this headline make me sound like a Prima Donna! Not the case! Just excited and asking ALL the questions! We have a balcony stateroom that has been reviewed on YouTube and the bed was described as firm. (I know, I know, don't believe everything you read online and our mileage may vary!) However, should we find the bed stiff would it be OK to ask our room steward for a topper? Just curious. I know we'll make do no matter what. TOULON: Has anyone done the St Tropez excursion? We booked it and are looking forward to it! LIVORNO: We're planning to do Pisa on our own. Pisa tips - and lunch recommendations - would be appreciated! IBIZA: Any beach restaurants we should check out? I know there are many all over the island. We're willing to go off the beaten path and explore! VALENCIA: The birthplace of Paella! Please feel welcome to share your fave spots and sights! GENERAL TIPS AND MUST DOs: We have a 2-hour Spa slot booked. We know to hit up Afternoon Tea in the ballroom and have our formal wear (with themes in mind) on our packing list! Our room is about 2 doors away from the Launderette so we know about that perk! Haha! We're grateful for any other tips Cunard experts wish to share. Thank you all so much! I'm almost embarrassed to post this as it seems a bit indulgent and trite. Planning provides *almost* as much fun as the vacation itself so I thank you all in advance for your responses!

Thank you @Host Hattie and @alibabacruisers! I will definitely post a recap and photo review when we return. (In the meantime, I will likely have a bunch of questions before departure. LOL!) Wishing those who choose to make upgrade bids all the best! 🙂

What a surprise it was this morning to open up an email stating our upgrade bid from an obstructed view guarantee balcony stateroom to a Britannia Balcony was accepted! We have been assigned a nicely located stateroom on Deck 6 midship and are very pleased. This was unexpected as we don't sail until October. For those who are curious, we bid the maximum amount of $120 Canadian per person. We felt this was a good value if accepted, as it would give us peace of mind leading up to the cruise. We will no longer be sitting around worried about being assigned a less than desirable cabin with an obstructed view! 🙂

Hello! We booked an obstructed view guarantee balcony stateroom for our upcoming October 7-night cruise aboard the QE. The price at the time was too good to resist. Last weekend we were offered options to bid on an unobstructed balcony starting at only $50 Canadian per person up to $120 per person. We put in a bid because it's such a nominal uncharge for the potential of being assigned a nicer balcony. (We know the risks of not choosing a cabin but since we booked a guarantee anyway, we have nothing to lose, aside from the small financial investment.) Bidding for a Club Balcony is being offered at $270 per person up to $975 per person Canadian. We're taking a pass as I'd like to test out the Britannia dining room and the savings will be put towards shore excursions, drinks and shopping! 🙂 Our first Cunard experience can't come soon enough! At least we should have several weeks nice, summer weather to enjoy while we wait! Happy Bidding!

I was in a similar situation last month when booking our October 2023 QE cruise in and out of Barcelona. The only Balcony rooms available were Guarantee Obstructive View or Britianna Club Balcony rooms for more than double the price. Our Canadian dollar is performing poorly against the USD right now so... We chose the Guarantee Obstructed View Balcony option and are hoping for the best. We feel that, no matter which balcony we are assigned, that it is worth it to be able to easily duck outside and check out the temperature to assess what to wear for the day in port. With temperatures potentially varying for our cruise in October, having any type of balcony seems worth it. I would imagine the same might be true for a May sailing. That said, I definitely won't be thrilled if we're assigned one of those cabins fully blocked by lifeboats! Fingers crossed!

Hello Jack! We appreciate this tip as we will be staying in Barcelona for two nights prior to our first Cunard cruise on the QE. We made note of it after your previous recommendation. Looks to be right up our alley! According to Google, they're closed on Sundays and Mondays. Fortunately we fly in on Saturday morning so we'll be able to visit. We also plan to snack our way through the Boqueria Market. Two days in Barcelona won't be nearly enough time for us to eat all the delicious things we wish to try! Host Hattie, thank you for sharing your journey with us! 🙂

OH MY GOODNESS! THIS FORUM AND ITS PEOPLE ARE THE BEST! Thanks to each of you for your incredibly helpful replies and detailed info. I appreciate your time and input so much! You've made us feel even better and more excited about our decision to cruise with Cunard! I will send more detailed thank you notes and replies this weekend when I will have a little more time. Again, I'm blown away by everyone's helpfulness. Thank you, thank you, thank you! 😊

Greetings From Toronto, Canada! My husband (54) and yours truly (47) recently booked our first Cunard cruise! Our last cruise was a Southern Caribbean/ABC Islands itinerary aboard the Celebrity Millennium in March. (Loved our first visits to Aruba and Bonaire!) It was blissful to be at sea again since our last cruise in 2019, before the woes of Covid. The Millennium and her crew were wonderful but fate has us trying something new! Our October 9th-16th Queen Elizabeth sailing will mark our 8th cruise together. Along with three different Celebrity ships, we've sailed aboard the Crystal Serenity and the Paul Gaugin. I've also cruised on the Disney Wonder and Magic. The Paul Gaugin voyage was our favourite cruise overall for its incredible itinerary and immersive culture. We fell in love with Crystal for their all-inclusive, luxurious yet approachable experience. (We adored Crystal's piano bar!) While Crystal is hopefully making a comeback with new owners, we were gobsmacked by their introductory pricing. Our Canadian dollar has been brutally low compared to the US and Euro for a while but Crystal's current pricing for a one week sailing in an ocean view stateroom could almost afford us a bathroom or kitchen renovation! LOL! I like their concept of luxury but I appreciate value, especially during these unusual times. So this brings us to Cunard! I was desperately trying to knock Alaska off my bucket list this summer and was eyeing a few of Celebrity's itineraries on the Millennium. Dates weren't working out for us work-wise so I got looking at other lines out of curiosity. That's when I spied Cunard's 10 and 11 night sailings to Alaska from Vancouver! Wow! While Cunard's Alaskan dates didn't work out, I was instantly smitten by all things Cunard and probably watched every YouTube video posted about the QE since her Christening! From the ballroom to the nostalgic atmosphere, the itineraries, the decor, the pub, the dining menus to the quality of live music... I could tell this would be a line we would "get". I convinced my husband to book a Med itinerary out of Barcelona and couldn't be happier with our decision! We're young at heart but I am also an old soul. We had a big band at our wedding 12 years ago so I think we'll have a bit of fun on the QE! We're not dancers but we will happily dress to the nines on gala nights and observe the revelry from the sidelines. I might even convince my DH to take one of the included classes! Alright, that would likely be a stretch but a gal can dream. 😉 So that's us in a very longwinded/large nutshell! On to my first set of questions... RED AND GOLD BALL? Thanks to those who have updated the theme schedules on this site, I see we have a Red and Gold Gala on our cruise! I don't have much red in my wardrobe let alone a red formal gown. I do, however, have a gold one. Would that suffice? The photos I've seen online tend to lean more on people sporting red attire than gold. I know the themes are less important than adhering to the overall gala night dress code but I'd also like to have fun with the themes if I can. (OK, not going to lie, I'm actually looking for an excuse to buy a red ball gown because that would be fun! LOL! But if I don't find one I like, would a gold or black gown do? My husband will wear his black tux.) BARCELONA EMBARKATION TIME? Realizing that no one has a crystal ball, and confiding that I saw the recent thread about QM2 late embarkation times, I'm not looking to start more fires but can anyone with experience speculate what time embarkation might be for say, someone in a Britannia Balcony Stateroom on the Queen Elizabeth in Barcelona? October is a long time from now but I'm a planner so I'd love to sort out lunch plans on land on embarkation day should we be assigned late afternoon boarding. Otherwise, we'll try to hit up the pub onboard! 🙂 BARCELONA DISEMBARKATION? Would we be crazy to think that we could disembark in time for a direct flight that departs BCN to Toronto at 11:55am? (That flight would get us home to see our fur baby by 4pm local time. Leaving our beloved dog behind is the worst part of traveling for us!) TOULON EXCURSIONS? Has anyone taken the excursion to St Tropez with Cunard? We have this reserved and are hoping to enjoy a nice leisurely lunch on the beach, weather pending! (There isn't much about Toulon on the port forums.) LIVORNO TOURS? We're planning to head to Pisa on our own, enjoy a pizza or pasta lunch followed by enjoying the ship for the rest of the afternoon. OR, should we include Florence? There is also a Cinque Terre tour that looks phenomenal but it's over 9 hours with a several hours of time in transport. If others agree it's worth it we'll look at it further! (We took a land based vacation to Rome and Positano last fall and became enthralled with Italy! I'm thinking more time on shore in Italia is a good idea!) IBIZA? This will be a lunch on the beach day for us with some shopping in town. Advice is welcome! (I sense the ship docks far from port so perhaps a proper shore excursion is in store? Or are taxis readily available a the pier? I'll look at other sites/boards for ideas too!) VALENCIA? Cunard excursion advice is welcome! We know this is the city that invented Paella so a lunch stop is on the radar! I also read this is home to what *some* believe is the true home of the Holy Grail and that it can be viewed at a church in the city. I find this intriguing. My husband is skeptical. LOL! BARCELONA GOTHIC QUARTER HOTEL? I have a few hotels shortlisted for our two-night pre-cruise stay (Kimpton, Neri, Wittmore) but if any "Cundarders" (Is that a thing?) have ideas, please feel welcome to share. Our hotel preferences lean towards those of the smaller, boutique, design-focused variety, but location is imperative. Right now the Kimpton is on top of our list for its location, the option of balcony rooms and our familiarity of the brand in the US and Caribbean. BARCELONA TIPS? We plan to check out Park Guell and Sagrada Familia on our first full morning. (We have a private tour on hold.) The rest of our two pre-cruise days will be spent wandering the Gothic Quarter including the Boqueria Market and perhaps the beach area of Barceloneta. I have already reserved a dinner at Canete (Did I mention I'm an obsessive planner? LOL!) and am welcome to other dining suggestions as this will be our first visit to Barcelona and Spain! GENERAL CUNARD AND QUEEN ELIZABETH TIPS? Bring them on! We booked an obstructed view balcony guarantee so our fingers are crossed for a nice assignment. The price on our voyage was reasonable and we plan to book the $70/day per person drinks package to have access to unlimited bottled water, specialty coffees and of course beer and wine. We're open to any and all insider tips! If you read all of this, thank you! I follow other websites and forums but especially value the input we gain from others on Cruise Critic! We know our first Cunard cruise will be a very special one and appreciate everyone's insights here tremendously! Happy Travels! E & J To say we are excited to board the Queen Elizabeth is an understatement!

That bear (and his pup) are adorable. And the story is great! Thanks for sharing. I foresee a Cunard Bear donning the bed in our guest bedroom post-cruise! 🙂

We will be first time Cunard cruisers in October. I'm not usually one to collect stuffed animals but considering our dog's nickname is Bear, this concept is very alluring! Would someone mind sharing some photos of previous Bears and the stories behind them? (Selfishly looking for ways to bide our countdown time. We have too many months to go! LOL!)

Thank you very much for your helpful reply. 🙂