Se1lad

9 minutes ago, groryjm said:

Monday was a late day after such a heavy couple of nights hunting the lights so we set no alarms and woke only just in time to still get breakfast in the QG. My dearest Gastrognome had headed up a few minutes ahead of me and when I arrived at our table she had managed to get me a Bloody Mary

 

Based on your extensive cocktail knowledge I’m sure you have already tried these previously - I love a traditional Bloody Mary with about 10ml sherry added, or alternatively substituting the vodka with gin - ie a Red Snapper.

33 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

Because they choose not to, perhaps. And different people give different names to different meals. My northern relatives would have called a 6.30 pm meal tea, for instance.

I’d have thought that for people with limited English calling them Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner would be easier to understand.

Edit: I obviously mean people travelling on Cunard where English is not their first language - I am not referring to people from Northern England!

On 10/16/2022 at 9:21 PM, Host Hattie said:

Congratulations, this is Queen Victoria but QE should be similar for QG 

 

 

Why don’t they just say Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner instead of ‘In the Morning…’ etc. 🙂

20 hours ago, groryjm said:

 I will write a summary of QG and its food in more detail towards the end of this cruise but in a general in comparison I prefer QG.

 

The venue is lighter and more airy with lovely sea views as opposed to Murano’s dark though elegant corners. Murano’s menu is good and well presented with wonderful table side service but QG has a menu that changes every day and I would not hesitate to say that the service is far better in QG especially the tableside service.

 

They are both of an era as to dishes and I would probably put them in the peak of haute cuisine from the 1970s and 80s. Not to knock the food as for both it is excellent, QG having the advantage of changing every day as opposed to Murano’s fixed menu.

 

The one thing I feel both lack is any modern twists and adventurous elements from around the world. Luminae does offer a bit more but it’s menu has relatively few options each day and as there are only 14 menus in it’s cycle if you cruise more than a two or three times a year does get a touch boring.  QG is new to us so at the moment that is not a problem for us here but may happen if we took many QG cruises. I don’t know how often the QG menus cycle.

 

 

Have you made any special requests in QG yet?  I normally request a steak tartare at least once per voyage - this will a normally prepared table side.  Peking duck and cherries jubilee are another couple of favourites of mine. You can also then to prepare you a Chinese or Indian banquet one evening - provided you give a bit of notice of course!

Drinks wise I got them to make me a passable Ramos Gin Fizz one evening in the   grills lounge - and they make a nice Stinger as well (but of course that’s really easy to make!)

Looking forward to reading the rest of your review - I’m really enjoying this thread!

The food looks great - apart from the cheese which looks rather disappointing!

21 minutes ago, LadyL1 said:

Interestingly, a few were being refused entry to the MDR, if inappropriate clothing was being worn.

Good to hear they were ensuring the dress code was adhered to

On 10/6/2022 at 10:18 AM, Underwatr said:

So tell me more about the worst table in QG.

On QM2 in May they had added extra space between the tables for 2 that fit between the tiled walkway through the restaurant and the windows.  This meant that the tables for 2 furthest from the windows were half on the carpet and half on the tiles - and the 2 legs of each chair were on the carpet and the other 2 on the tiles.  I wouldn’t have been particularly happy on one of those tables.

Just now, Victoria2 said:

Six weeks ago

Excellent - I was worried you were going to say six years ago!

17 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

Cheese trolley is definitely hit and miss.

 

I've had [or didn't as it turns out]  Cambozola which almost needed carving and yet at the same time, Munster which was ready to run off to sea. Munster 5 Cambozola 0.

 

 I always ask for the soft ones to be knife pressed now to see how ripe they are but if not ready, they shouldn't be offered.

 

I notice the Stilton is now crumbled, or was on QV, in a bowl. Much easier and quicker to serve and  always a good stand by for me if nothing else appeals.

I’ve never seen anything interesting on the cheese trolley - the Munster sounds great though!  I’ll try again in November!  
 

How long ago did you have the Munster on the trolley?

1 hour ago, PORT ROYAL said:

Typically, they are low/mid range, say $60 upwards.  
Hopefully, one will be able to discover an absolute gem, being at a price one would never dreamed possible.

Sommeliers are usually kind and helpful when being asked for the list of Bin Ends.  It shows one understands the game.

 

The Bin Ends list is well worth perusing- as Port Royal mentions there are some gems to be found.

2 hours ago, Jonem2001 said:

I would recommend the cheese trolley, if you can - and definitely enquire whether flambé desserts are available. I did a two-night crossing to Hamburg earlier this year on the QM2 and the Crepes Suzette was exquisite. It’s an ‘off menu’ item but very commonly requested I believe. And the waiting staff were very happy to fire up the table-side burners with a bit of notice!

 

The hot tub on the Grills Deck is also worth attempting for the view, if nothing else, but I must confess in February it was a brief attempt on my part! 

Crepes Suzette is well worth requesting- it’s often on the menu anyway, but if you order it as a special request on an alternate night you tend to get a more generous portion!  Same applies if you order Caviar on nights it’s not included on the menu.

Cherries Jubilee is another good dessert to put a special request in for.

I was underwhelmed by the cheese trolley in QG - it was identical to the one in BC and lacked any interesting choices.

15 minutes ago, Glenndale said:

Returning to QV after a 3 year absence. Can you watch the evening shows live on the in-cabin tv?

 

Wasn’t possible in QM2 in May.  some of the insights lectures were repeated though.

10 minutes ago, Host Hattie said:

I didn't notice anyone that's why I am puzzled why people are claiming that they weren't mandatory. Anyone who heard the Captain's announcements and read the letter would have understood that it was an instruction not a suggestion.

At this stage I had to wear a mask outside my cabin any way.

I did see someone wearing a face visor with a sunflower lanyard saying he was exempt.

 

Thanks Hatty.  If I was being cynical I would think that Cunard deliberately phrased the letter in a way that could be open to interpretation - knowing that the majority of people would assume we ask means the same as you must.  It still then allows for a few people not wearing them without the crew having to get involved - for example the person with the sunflower lanyard.  
 

Of course there is the always the possibility that the employee at the Pursers desk gave out incorrect information!

Hatty - last question on the mask topic I promise!  You mentioned that there was very high compliance after the letter on masks was sent out - did that a mean a few people on board weren’t wearing them?  On my TA in May they were super strict - so much so that they were stopping people walking into the Chart Room on a few occasions if they didn’t have a mask on.

Just now, Host Hattie said:

Let's not disrupt this Live from please. I have posted a copy of the letter and the Captain's words on my thread. There was very high compliance so everyone understood the intent.

 

Sure - though it would be good to hear from the OP if masks are required or not on the current trip!

 I will ask my other question on the previous thread.

23 minutes ago, Host Hattie said:

There is no need to rely on Facebook, I was on the previous cruise and posted regularly on this board. There was no vagueness, masks were required.

Another person on board queried this  at the pursers desk who advised it wasn’t mandatory.  

I’ve no reason to doubt either of you - Hatty did you confirm with any of the staff if the letter meant it was mandatory?  I would have probably assumed that’s what the letter meant - but it was a bit vague.  They should have really said ‘You must wear a mask..’ if that’s what their intention was.

56 minutes ago, baw53 said:

Thanks for posting .Has the mandatory mask protocol been removed? 

From what I’ve read on Facebook it wasn’t mandatory on the previous cruise - part way through the trip everyone received  a letter that said ‘We now ask you to wear a mask…’ on clarification at the Purser’s desk it was confirmed that this didn’t mean it was mandatory.

I’m not sure if it was accidental or deliberate that Cunard were a bit vague in the wording!

Ramos Gin Fizz

• 2 ounces gin

• 1/4 ounce simple syrup

• 1/2 ounce heavy cream

• 1/2 ounce lemon juice, freshly squeezed

• 1/2 ounce lime juice, freshly squeezed

• 3 dashes orange flower water

• 1 fresh egg white

• Club soda, chilled, to top

2 hours ago, Host Hattie said:

I agree, they shouldn't have done away with the pre-boarding testing. We did test and were asked at the terminal but nobody wanted proof.

He's just a bit bunged up, his LFT yesterday was a thicker red line than his original test but he's feeling well enough to be miffed that his breakfast was late this morning.

I've been as far as the Duty Free shop in the terminal !

 

Is there a good selection of alcohol available, and what are the prices like in the duty free shop?

As they don’t mention an extra charge I would expect the same corkage fee to be applied.

1.5L bottles can sometimes cost surprisingly more than 2 x 0.75L bottles of the same vintage so double check you’re still going to make a saving first!

There’s a bit more info here:

https://www.cunard.com/en-gb/activity-types/dining/al-fresco-dining
 

there’s also The Courtyard available (at no additional cost) for al fresco dining if you are in QG or PG.

Discussed last month:

https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2880183-does-cunard-still-offer-120-tours-of-areas-of-the-ship-us-passengers-normally-dont-get-access-to/

10 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

The only time our cabin hasn't been ready is when early boarding [11.30am] , for some reason, was allowed. We waited in the Grill's lounge until it was released. Although the cabin wasn't officially ready, I dropped our carry on stuff in the cabin.

 

Although we had noon boarding, the ship wasn't released until 1pm on our August trip and we went straight to our cabin.

 

Edit

Our cruise card was issued at check in pre Covid. This August, it was in our communication 'fan' outside the cabin so whether that will have any influence on cabin availability, I don't know. These days, I imagine if the ship is released, the cabin will be ready.

 

This happened to me too in 2019 on QV - we boarded at 11.30 and the room was ready at 12.15ish.  We had some sushi in the Lido while we waited.

8 hours ago, exlondoner said:

Especially when , apparently, lots more drinks have been sold. Many/most passengers may not have much interest in football. They may prefer the quizzes and music and other things that go on in the Golden Lion.

Playing all 4 daily matches in the Golden Lion during the Group Stages would seem excessive, however one daily seems reasonable- premiership matches have always seemed popular when shown there previously.  If they keep it to one match daily it will still allow plenty of time for other daily activities in the pub!

On 9/29/2022 at 1:41 PM, Host Hattie said:

I was woken up at dark o'clock by an announcement apologising for a previous announcement which was the result of a technical error. As I hadn't heard the previous announcement I didn't need the apology and Mr HH tried to convince me that I'd dreamt the whole thing ! When the Captain started his noon announcement by apologising again I realised I hadn't been dreaming. We had a light breakfast and a very lazy morning before a wonderful wine lunch in the Veranda restaurant.

 

The food looks great apart from the cheese!

if you don’t mind me asking, what was the charge for the lunch?  Did you get both wines with each course or did you have to choose one?