fourmile.ranch

22 hours ago, majortom10 said:

You can no longer buy FCD's onboard anymore you have to actually book a cruise onboard to get the extra onboard spend.

This is not correct.

If you put a future cruise deposit down while onboard QE, $300 pp OBC should be applied to whatever you book. Who is telling you it can't transfer?

1 hour ago, Oca said:

Was this process followed on the recently terminated Caribbean cruise on QM2? Does anyone know if there is a Cunard policy such that, if the cruise were terminated by Cunard and/or we were required to disembark due to COVID test results, Cunard would handle making our air arrangements home, provided we had booked Cunard Air before boarding?  

Perhaps there is someone on this thread who was on the recent QM2 Caribbean cruise and/or others who know if this is the case.

Thank you.
 

I cannot speak for those 10 who were disembarked in NY due to Covid but when the cruise terminated all passengers who boarded in New York were flown back regardless of whether they had Cunard Air or not (I did not nor anyone in my party).

49 minutes ago, welshy74 said:

Hi.  I have a few questions

Can you sit at the bar or are the bar stools off limits?

Is there a kettle still in the cabin?

Are the pool/hot tubs open? (esp indoor)

Hi guys! No, the bar stools were closed. The kettle and accessories were still in cabin. And it's a mixed bag for pools/hot tubs - everything in spa was open first day and then closed, indoor pools were closed on the first day and then opened, same with exterior pools and tubs, splash pool never opened at all. I did not return to the indoor pool after the first day so I'm going on what I heard, someone may correct me on that.

8 minutes ago, johnnylikely said:

Was library/book lending open?

Yes

22 minutes ago, Se1lad said:

Was the casino open?

Yes, until the voyage was stopped. Forget the exact date but friend was asked to come to casino between 2p - 3p to cash out. This was probably Dec. 30th.

2 hours ago, Matelot70 said:

Not on board on this voyage but presumably you didn't have the welcome parties or the World Club parties?

Correct, thank you

Ok, a break from the back and forth about whether the Caribbean Celebration was a disaster or not (spoiler alert... it wasn't). I tried to make a note of what was different onboard and I'll list as many as I can remember. If you were onboard please add on. 

Stateroom:

-Ice bucket and 'Welcome Back' note missing. Pol Acker and 2 glasses in mini fridge.

-Mini fridge empty save for above. Also water bottle 'for purchase' usually found near tea kettle also gone. 

-Cotton balls and ear swabs gone from bathroom

-All Penhaligon mini products removed and replaced with large refillable bottles - no bar soap. Liquid soap, body wash, shampoo and lotion. Heard others had conditioner. 

Mareel Spa (men's locker room)

- Obviously Canyon Ranch soaps and shampoos, replaced with more of those large Penhaligon pumpers

- No mouthwash, disposable razors, ear swabs, lotion or any grooming products available 

- No juices in the 'lounge'/quiet room area, only a water dispenser 

- Techs promoting their pricing (10% off 1st session, 20% off second, 30% off third). Note to these new kids at Mareel: 10% off first session? Just lower your prices 10% and let us get on with life.

- (btw - no noticeable improvements made to spa)

King's Court 

- buffet smaller with only about half the stations open

- you cannot put food on your own plate, fill cereal, etc.

- all drink stations closed. You had to find a manned station and have them make a drink for you

- all juice poured from boxes

- closed at 9:00pm

Golden Lion

- beer list shortened

Tours office

- behind-the-scenes tours not offered during pandemic 

Travel office

- closed, future cruise deposits made over phone.

Kennels

- closed, gates/rail coverings removed and deck space opened to foot traffic

Halls

- games available for checkout, no longer out on tables 

Photographers

- much more toned down presence. No boarding photos, etc.

Shops

- no sales/events in hallway

- liquor could be bought from duty-free and taken to stateroom immediately 

Britannica Dining Room 

(File this under 'What hasn't changed') Asking if you would like to share a table with others while eating was jarring in light of all the social distancing efforts in place elsewhere 

What have I missed?

Thanks Blue Marble, that's what I was hoping to hear!

Boarding QM2 on Dec. 22nd. Just received a passenger contract and Covid risk to sign. Does anyone know if this language about bringing alcohol onboard is consistent with previous language? Seems worded harsher than I remember pre-Covid.

Have these two staterooms booked for Eastern Carribean in December. Both look to be situated between lifeboats, at least on the map. Does anyone have experience with either of these rooms or photos they could share?

I'm not familiar with the term 'dead and alive' port. What does mean?

So this year will be our 3rd in a row on QM2. Am starting to regret not picking up a dated transatlantic souvenir in '16 or '17. Is there any easy way to find such things now? Would the gift shop have some stuffed in the back somewhere?

4. We were really looking forward to using the Sauna/Steam room etc after having seen that area on our ship visit, but I’ve only just found out it’s an extra charge! That’s seems a bit naughty by Cunard IMHO. We will pay the extra but I’m not too impressed about it. I can understand paying for treatments but just to relax in that area it seems a bit harsh to charge for it. Can we just book our weekly pass when we board?

You will want to make your way to Canyon Ranch during embarkation day. Ignoring all the other services, a 6 day pass will be US$105 pp. Out of all the ways to spend money on board, daily access to the spa is the one thing we find worth every penny.

My " best deal" was on my first T/A in Nov of '16. Eastbound ( 7 days ) was $1117 for a balcony with me as the solo occupant. The return, Westbound, that trip, was $1317 for a different stateroom, still a balcony, with me as the solo occupant.

 

Could not " score" such a deal, on the Nov. '17 T/A ( 14 days crossing ) so my travel buddy & I shared a balcony stateroom.

Well then I'll amend my answer. Our best deal was YOUR best deal in '16 as we were plunked down at your dinner table for our first T/A and we got new lifelong friends out of the deal. Best upgrade ever! Hugs!

The cost of the Canyon Ranch Spa Passport is not listed in the Voyage Personalizier but a quick search on Google will bring you to the spa's website where you can view rates at the different locations. The cost of a Spa Passport onboard QM2 is 1 day $40 / 3 day $75 / 6 day $105

I will tell you, when we boarded last November for a 14 day crossing we bought a 6 day pass. At the mid-point we bought a 2nd 6 day pass and the staff asked us why we did not just buy a pass for the entire duration. Apparently, a 14 day pass would have been $200. It seems the staff would be happy to put some package together based on your needs even if it's not listed in the menu.

As for the Passport itself, you get a paper card that should be carried with you and signed by an employee as you enter. Ours was signed the first day, we waited at the counter the and asked to have it signed the 2nd day. From then on we just walked into the spa with a quick wave to the staff. Out of the 14 days we collected 3 signatures. When we bought the 2nd Passport the staff thanked us for being honest.

Recently called the 800 number in the US to make the final payment for our upcoming trip. Called about noon EST and was connected immediately with an agent who handled everything pleasantly. He then volunteered to review the speakers that were scheduled for our voyage and shared some of his own tips and insights. It wasn't a particularly long conversation but certainly he went well beyond the original intent of the call and it was appreciated. This is the norm we've experienced when contacting Cunard via phone. Sorry to hear your experience was different.

This year we are sending our luggage on ahead of us with Luggage Free and checking in the night before departure at The LOOK Hotel in Redhook. At checkout we'll walk over to the terminal to meet the QM2 (and hopefully our luggage). Google says the walk should take 15 mins or so covering 0.7 miles. Has anyone had any experience walking to the ship from this hotel?

We are only three years in to our relationship with Cunard. Last year we booked a BY balcony grade at $1749pp on a 14 day RT crossing. This year I would think our $1999pp for a BF balcony cabin (with $50pp OBC) for the same number of nights was the better deal. But we'll wait til we arrive at our stateroom before saying for sure. This is an interesting question! I always wondered what price point other people jumped at.

Assuming they won't use them, are passengers allowed to have the contents of the fridge removed upon embarkation to avoid this problem?

Our copy arrived today also! Like-new condition from Amazon. For $5 we may leave it for an extra copy in the library. Thanks for the suggestion Kohl57!

Here is a link to a video of disembarking QM2 with dogs, if you have not seen it. It's not comprehensive and it's also Southampton but might help get an idea of how it all works. If the link doesn't work the video is titles 'QM2 Disembark with Dogs'

Bring along a copy of John Maxtone-Graham's "The Only Way to Cross"

Great tip! Picking up a copy off Amazon for our November crossing. Thanks!

I also pre-bought the flower arrangement for our cabin during our first crossing. At some point during the week there was one day when several arrangements were for sale in the Grand Lobby at much more reasonable prices. I assumed they came from the class, but I'm just guessing at that. Since our second crossing was a RT, last year I decided to wait and buy an arrangement in the lobby when they showed up. And of course, they never showed up. This year I'll stalk the Lobby and try my luck again. Is there any logic to it?