gengens

1 hour ago, Host Hattie said:

It's probably too late but this is what My Cunard says 

 

 

 

Thank you so much for posting that. I complained to the pursers office but might go and show them this as proof

I'm on board now and had booked a massage on MyCunard. It says somewhere on there that if you book a massage you get free entry to the Aqua Therapy Centre on the day of your booking but we went a few hours before and were told this is not the case and we weren't allowed in. I now can't get back on MyCunard as our trip has begun. Very annoying! 

I'm going on QM2 on Sunday and our boarding time is 3.30pm for deck 5 so definitely one of the later ones. I expect they must do it top to bottom. 

In terms of the food, you'll find sample menus for Bamboo, Coriander and La Piazza (the Asian, Indian and Italian evenings you mention) in the useful links topic which is pinned near the top of the board 😊

22 minutes ago, bluemarble said:

The five standard themes in the Kings Court Alternative Dining venue used to be Coriander (Indian), Bamboo (Pan Asian), La Piazza (Italian), Smokehouse (American) and Aztec (Mexican).

Recently I saw the themes for Kings Court Alternative Dining listed in a Cunard FAQ as "Nordlys (Norway only), Riviera (Mediterranean only), La Piazza, Bamboo, Coriander." The Nordlys theme was introduced recently on a QV Norway cruise (although it sounded like that was in the Verandah). I haven't heard if the Riviera theme has been introduced on Mediterranean cruises.

 

Now I can't find that FAQ talking about the Nordlys and Riviera themes anymore. The FAQ I think I was looking at is back to listing the five standard themes from the past, including Smokehouse and Aztec. I don't know if that's an indication Smokehouse and Aztec are coming back or if that's just old information that has resurfaced.

Thank you. Could you link to the FAQ where they're listed? 

Yes it was on my Nov 2019 cruise 

Ah thank you both! I'll have to keep my fingers crossed. That one and Aztec are the two which must appeal to me and neither are on those lists haha 

Just wondering if anyone has had Smokehouse, the American alternative dining, on one of their recent QM2 voyages. I've only heard people mention Bamboo and Coriander recently. Due to travel next week and hoping it might be on as it was one of my favourite meals I've ever had when I did a crossing in 2019.

20 minutes ago, BigMac1953 said:

A few years ago, my wife and I had a couple of gins sitting at the bar in the Grill lounge on QE with a very well known speaker. He told us that when he fancies a holiday, he phones Cunard to see if they need any speakers, often at short notice. His condition is that it must be QG. It seems to work.

Haha that's the life! 

3 hours ago, Host Hattie said:

It's also a post Covid change, I suppose the possibility of having speakers cancel at short notice makes it easier not to publish the details at all.

If you weren't expecting someone you can't complain when they aren't there.

Yes I think this is probably why they're avoiding it but if they make it clear that speakers may be unable to attend, I'm sure people would understand. And would be even more likely to be understanding now in these Covid times. We did a crossing a few years ago and Lesley Nicol was supposed to be a guest but cancelled and while we were disappointed, I would take knowing in advance and that little bit of disappointment over not knowing at all. 

4 hours ago, WestonOne said:

Cunard is a business, we must remember.  Unless the guest speaker is a particularly famous name, they are unlikely to make more people buy the cruise.   If they are not well known, they will probably have no influence at all.  So while Cunard does list some of its more notable speakers on the website,  it doesn't see much value in letting everyone know who is speaking on which cruise (unless it is an 'event' cruise.)

That's marketing for you.  Some lines, including Cunard, make having good guest speakers part of their sales pitch.  It would be disadvantageous if you saw the list and thought 'who?'

I actually work in Marketing and this is not a great strategy. You're not going to lose anyone by announcing guests that people might not have heard of but you may gain people who are interested. Plus, those who don't know them may do their own research into the person or their field and get even more excited for the cruise. It just comes off as poor organisation and not thinking about the customer's experience. I know that my father who I'm travelling with would have been boning up on all the fields being discussed but now if we're turning up cold so to speak will probably be less interested. 

So do you just not find out who the guest speakers are until you board and get your daily programme now? On QM2 on the 4th Sept and still nothing on the My Cunard site or anywhere. So strange. 

I'm on the QM2 in September and just got an email advertising Afternoon Tea in the Queens Room

56 minutes ago, D&N said:

I've just got round to scanning and posting the menus we brought home, here:

 

This is really helpful, thank you! 

Yes, there are a few on their website for the different restaurants at https://www.cunard.com/en-gb/activity-types/dining

I wondered if anyone had more recent ones to share though. There don't seem to be any QM2 ones more recent than 2019 on the main links thread. 

Getting 6.30pm as departure time for our cruise on the 19th from Cunard's UK mobile site. This is a bit disappointing as we're on early dining so will miss sailaway. If we made alternative dining arrangements that night would we potentially get a not great table in Britannia the next night?

Hi, just wondering if anyone could tell me if cabins on QM2 (Britannia BC Balcony) have magnified mirrors for make up? First time TA this November. Thanks in advance. 

21 hours ago, Camgirl said:

You receive a sticker if you win a quiz or a sport competition that is marked on the daily program as one where stickers can be won.

 

I think it is either thirty or thirty five stickers for the binoculars. We noticed that the 8pm quiz is now a bottle of wine, as is the later 9.45 quiz. They appeared to have cut back on events that you could win stickers on during our cruise last week. 

 

Good luck with your quest for the big prize, we only managed 8 stickers (a Cunard glass) on our 14 nights!

Any idea if there's an alternative to the wine for non-drinkers?