Queenvee

Disturbed to hear about the dogs in common areas, particularly the larger barking dog on Prom deck.  If dogs are booked into the Kennels on Deck 12, I don't know if their owners can take them on a walk around the Prom deck. 

If that barking white dog was in a cabin next to me, and barking ensued, I'd be at the Purser's Deck in no time requesting to be moved.  I understand the rules about "support/comfort" dogs and recognize that some people seem to abuse the concept or mislead the cruise line about their dogs.  But that would not stop me from being a persistent, but polite, presence at the Purser's Desk until it was resolved.  The separate issue of people on the Prom deck having to listen to a barking dog or avoid possible nipping is harder to solve but I would be a regular reminder to the Purser's Desk of any incidences of poor dog behavior I saw.

Regarding drinking beverages you've brought on board...as another poster mentioned, I very often drink a can of my "own" soda on the Promenade deck.  But I don't drink them anywhere inside or at any outside areas that have a ship's bar (any of the pool decks).  If I run out of my own sodas, I buy a couple cans of Coke/Pepsi at one of the ship's bars to keep in my cabin fridge and drink before bed or on the Promenade deck the next day.  

My two cents:  As a soda drinker, the caveat is that the drinks packages only cover soda from the bar "gun" - I think that's what it's called; in other words, I don't believe cans of soda are included in the packages.  I do not like the taste of soda from the gun or the smaller portions (one glass versus 1.5 from a can).  Also, they do not have Coke Zero (or Pepsi Max - I forget which brand Cunard uses) which is my drink of choice.  So, I've taken to bringing two 6-packs with me at embarkation and then I buy a few more whenever we're in port.  I would NEVER bring a full case (or 2 or 3) onto any ship.  

I'll report back once I return.  😃

I'm sold!  Thanks for all the thoughtful responses.  I'm booking the August TA right now and looking forward to experiencing this ship.

I'm glad I was able to provide useful information about the Literary Festival at Sea!  I've enjoyed trans-atlantic crossings on Cunard (QE2 and all their subsequent ships) for 30 years and am happy when other people do also.  There are various ins & outs so why not share the info!  As we get closer to sail date, I'll post a message in the roll call about a casual, non-hosted get together in the Commodore Club so anyone who's interested can put a face to the name.

Richard - you mentioned an interest in WWII; prior to the 2023 Festival, I spent a few days on the English coast and in the Hove museum met a couple with a fascinating story about his father's experience at the Battle of Oran (Algeria) and Operation Torch.  I don't think it involves the specific US troops you mentioned, but my point is that I was not familiar with the Algeria battles and US involvement...so I suspect you've been discovering many similar stories.

deckchair - your 40 day voyage sounds wonderful, especially spending so much time on the promenade deck.  Thank you for sharing your experience and info about music on board; that is one of the things I very much enjoy but varied and quality menus are also important.  I'm pondering the differences between Cunard & Oceania to decide how important each is to me. 

😃 I figured the shower couldn't possibly be that bad and appreciate all your comments.  I'm used to small showers with clingy fabric curtains on Cunard & HAL, so I'm sure Insignia's would be fine.

I appreciate the info about the promenade deck - I also like to walk daily laps on the prom deck and my research showed that the prom deck does not go all the way around but I've cut through the inside to reach the other side on similar ships so not a deal breaker but the width and closure possibility will require more thought on my part.

CurlerRob - thank you for posting the link to your review (it's often hard to track down relevant posts using the CC search function).  Objective and detailed so very helpful.

Thanks for your insights. I don't get seasick and always book interior cabins so am not worried about that.  LOL re: shower - I'm sure I'll be fine with them.  Glad to hear the confirmation about deck chairs on the promenade deck since I can while away hours watching the water, clouds, dozing and reading.  

I am an experienced solo female traveler (50+ voyages), age 66.  Although I've sailed on many lines, for the last 12 years or so I've only sailed on Cunard and HAL since their passenger demographic is a good fit for me (friendly, generally well traveled, enjoy art/music/culture, and not looking for parties).  I have been intrigued by Oceania but the high solo prices were out of my budget.  However, I just ran across a reasonable fare for an interior cabin on the August 17, 2024 London/NYC crossing which I am seriously considering.  I've read the reviews which I take with a large grain of salt.  Since CC folks are always helpful, I wanted to get your thoughts.  These are the things I enjoy on a ship:  reading on the promenade deck watching the waves; enrichment lectures daily (on sea days) with knowledgeable speakers; finding quiet, comfy spots to read inside on cool/wet days; playing team trivia (it's a great way to meet people); and ability to eat with other people at dinner in the main dining room (I do open seating with the "share a table" option on Cunard).  

The ports on this crossing are interesting, I like a smaller ship (used to sail Azamara before they priced out) and I'm not looking for partying, gambling or loud/rowdy groups.  So....it seems like this crossing could be a good way to test the waters (so to speak 😉).  I've read about tiny showers but I can't believe they're any smaller than Cunard's QV or QE showers and I guess I could always shower in the fitness/spa!  I always do my own excursions so not fussed about the shore team.  I'm not asking for guarantees that I'd have a great time on Insignia, just your thoughts if this crossing experience is likely to be the same or better than on Cunard or HAL.  I appreciate your comments, suggestions, etc.  Thank you!

rj1227 - Re: your pre-cruise travel....I always plan several weeks of land travel before sailing back to the US.  It's a great way to end a trip!  This year I'm spending time in France but other years have done Glasgow, London, Basel, Stockholm, Copenhagen and Barcelona as pre-crossing vacations.  A tip - I always plan to arrive in SOU the day before the ship sails since these days air travel & weather can be uncertain.  I stay at the Premier Inn West Quay which is reasonably priced and near a large shopping center if you need to buy anything before boarding the ship.  A LOT of cruisers stay there, so don't wait too long to make a hotel reservation!  If you haven't been to Southampton before, there's enough to do for a day - walk the old city walls, go to the Titanic museum (it has a new name & location but is well done) and more.  Could always go to Portsmouth for the day.  (I just returned from a QE voyage, SYD-TOK, which I bracketed with a week in Sydney before and two weeks in Tokyo after; I wish I had been sailing home from TOK!)

rj1227 - I'm glad you raised the topic since I think it is a great offering by Cunard and they don't do a good job at publicizing their event voyages (and their website makes it difficult to find anything....😞).  They offer about six themed cruises including the National Symphony Orchestra, Theatre at Sea, English National Ballet, wellness and culinary - I just google Cunard theme cruises to get to the Cunard site.  

You may also want to visit the Roll Call for this cruise; Roll Calls on listed on the Cruise Critic main board site toward the bottom; select Cunard, then QM2 and you'll see a specific post for this cruise (I think that because it's part of a 4 week roundtrip from SOU, this one leg is included in the post for the full 4 week trip - just look for the post with the Nov 13, 2024 start date in the title).  Roll Calls are useful spots for exchanging info about ports, logistics, specific questions and meeting people; some Roll Calls are more lively than others but all are worth checking out.

Agree with bluemarble that I received a link to the program schedule about a month before embarkation date.  Every passenger received a hard copy booklet of the program by the first evening on board.  Just a side note that although the initial Festivals were westbound (NYC to SOU), they changed the Festivals to eastbound.  This was discussed in a panel and the Times folks explained that the time changes (losing time going east) caused too many problems with scheduling events so they made the decision to have all Festivals be westbound.  

The current list of speakers for the 2024 Festival includes wording such as "currently scheduled" because apparently there are changes in speakers up to a few months before sail date. 

Attached is the Literary Festival at Sea program for the 2023 crossing.  It's not nearly as nice a scan as bluemarble's 2019 program (attached above) but I have an inexpensive scanner!  Hope this is helpful anyway!

QM2_Lit_Fest_2023.pdf

rj1227 - I'll find the Festival program from 2023 and will scan/post the relevant pages tomorrow.  The costs are minimal - I feel like they were $35 or so but the prices are in the program.  BTW, I'm a solo traveller and enjoy the ability to meet people easily for a chat OR get away from everyone and find a spot to read or stare at the water.  While the ships do offer "solo get-togethers", I don't find them worthwhile (although I give them a try every 7 cruises or so) - and as a solo male traveller I think you would be twittered over at those events 😉.  But crossings are not for everyone.  Sometimes I've found that on a given voyage, I just don't click with the passengers - don't know why, but I just don't, so I accept that the voyage will have more "me" time and that the next cruise will be a different experience...and it invariably is.  

In a sense, you can think of the Festival crossing as not having sea days since you can be busy attending Festival sessions from 9:00 am to 4:30, with a brief break for lunch.  That's what I do, to the point where I feel like I'm missing out on my normal TA activities such as trivia and staring at the water.  

Hello Daisymabel 😁!!  I agree, QM2 is the best dance floor at sea.  I think you'll be on her again soon, so enjoy those crossings.

I am a solo traveller and ballroom dancer so here's my two cents:  Most nights, there is pre-recorded ballroom dance music played in the Queens Room for 45 minutes, starting at 7:30 or 7:45 (I forget the specific time).  During this period, it's never crowded so you would have plenty of room; there may be 5 or 6 (at the most) other couples on the floor but that leaves plenty of room. (Some of those other couples are beginners and others are experienced dancers.)  During the main ballroom dancing session with the band, there are two quieter times - when the session begins and the final 30-45 minutes.  Any "Gala" night - whether Big Band, Red & Gold, Black & White, Roaring 20's, etc - is always more crowded so I avoid those nights!!

In terms of dance hosts, QM2 does have hosts whose remit is to dance with solo female travellers or ladies who's partners don't/can't dance.  You'll recognize them because they wear name tags (and at the beginning of the evening, they stand at the back of the Queens Room).  It's absolutely fine to approach them, say hello and explain that your husband may not be able to dance often, but that you would love to dance with the hosts.  (The reason I suggest this approach is that the hosts tend to focus on unaccompanied women when asking someone to dance - that sounds creepy, which I don't mean!  It's just that in the 30 seconds between the end of one song and the beginning of another, they scan the crowd so if you've met them, they'll remember you.  😁

I have been on all four of the Literary Festivals at Sea and am going on the 2024 festival.  My experience has been that a majority of the passengers are British, perhaps because this is the first leg of a 4 week round trip voyage that includes 2 weeks in the Caribbean (SOU-NYC-Caribbean-NYC-SOU).  Over the 4 literary crossings, I've met many people who didn't know about the literary theme - some were very happy to attend some or all of the lectures and others didn't care one way or the other.

To correct a comment made above, lanyards are NOT issued to "those that were booked as part of the Literary Festival".  As on any cruise, there are some passengers who choose to wear a lanyard: people who book with any travel group, employees of the Sunday London Times (a co-sponsor of the Festival) and just random passengers.  There is no way to book "as part of the Literary Festival" - that simply doesn't exist.  (Other than booking through the Sunday London Times which It believe is only available to UK residents).  All Literary events are open to all passengers, with the exception of writing workshops typically held in the Connections room or surrounding meeting rooms which require a small fee and are usually filled up the first day (you cannot reserve them in advance).  As can happen on any voyage, sometimes lounges or rooms are reserved for a private events.  On the 2023 Literary Festival, Cunard made a specific point to make Constellations (the planetarium) available to all passengers for planetarium shows, which were listed in the daily program (in prior years, that room was used exclusively for Literary events but due to complaints Cunard changed that for 2023 and going forward).

Since there are no specific "Festival participants", I didn't have the unfortunate experience that a previous poster mentions about passengers only being willing to speak with other participants.  On the past 3 Festivals, I had assigned Britannia seating with people who were aboard for the full 4 weeks, not interested the Literary events and we had very interesting, lively conversations on a wide range of topics.  

As can be seen from the Festival program posted above, the program topics are quite varied and I wouldn't categorize them as authors promoting their books.  Topics in the past have included Role of the Sidekick in Detective Novels, Is the Setting/Location Critical?, How Authors Got Started, Historical Research.  One of the things I particularly enjoy is the chance to hear from well-regarded best selling authors AND authors I haven't read in addition to poet laureates, Man Booker Prize judges, book critics, authors who are also celebrities (e.g. Prue Leith, Alan Titchmarsh, Paterson Joseph).  I enjoy some sessions more than others, but I like having my mind opened.

So, rj1227, that's a long-winded response but I think these Literary Festivals are great and hope you enjoy this year's!

Hear, hear for book lovers!  As other cruise lines (e.g. HAL) eliminate their libraries, I'm so happy Cunard not only maintains but enhances their libraries.  Like other posters, I can always find an interesting book on their shelves; one of the things I particularly like is that they have books by UK authors that aren't commonly found in the US.  And another great resource is the librarys'  "paperback exchange" section where passengers leave books they've brought on board and finished reading.  Those have a huge range of genres; tip:  go the first day you board and, if you have room in your carryon or luggage, late on the day prior to disembarkation, you can usually find an intriguing title for the trip home.  

I've stayed in the forward interior cabins on Deck 9 several times and really like the location.  As Pushpit noted, they're located on a short interior hallway between the starboard & port hallways, so are very quiet since the only people who use that interior hallway are the people in those cabins.  Churchill's doesn't get much use and I've never smelled cigar smoke in those interior cabins. 

Just chiming in since I disembark the QE on March 28th at the Tokyo International Cruise Terminal, not Yokohama.  So confirming that yes, the OP's voyage leaves from the Tokyo terminal.  Note that there is a Hilton hotel within less than 10 minutes walk from the Tokyo International Cruise Terminal.  You can google the location of the terminal and see all that's nearby, including transportation options.

Since it appears that Cunard has cancelled all NZ cruises/ports for 2025 (as discussed in the other CC thread), I suspect that IF they resume NZ cruising, bookings would be open to everyone at the same time so you would not receive first chance to book. 

Glad to see that the change to a solo pianist has actually happened!  Lots of seats around the piano, which are always popular.

I sail on HAL and Cunard and like both. In general, these are some similarities: fellow passengers are generally well traveled and enjoy the arts; the lines' focus on their maritime history; understated yet elegant decor; and wide promenade decks (on the smaller HAL ships).  Differences: more international mix of passengers on Cunard; in general, passengers dress better on Cunard both during the day and evenings (on HAL, there's a lot of more casual "outdoor" style clothing worn during the days, and sometimes at night); on Cunard's non-Formal/Gala evenings, a sizeable percentage of women are dressed up - not in long gowns but what I would call cocktail dresses and many men wear a sports jacket/blazer, often with an open-necked shirt (no tie).  Daytime attire for a north Atlantic TA is usually slacks for women (sometimes nice jeans) and a tailored top - not a sweatshirt or flannel shirt.  If you're walking the decks, you wear warmer clothes!  When reading in a lounge, attending a lecture or playing trivia, slacks and a nice top (when I say nice, I mean a bit fashionable, decent condition (no rips or pilling) and something that shows a bit of effort has been taken.). I often wear a sweater with a scarf, along w black pants.  When I walk on the decks, I wear EMS wind-resistant pants and a fleece jacket.  Formal evenings I wear long gowns and dressy/cocktail dresses each night.  But, that's me.  It sounds like you enjoy dressing up so I say go for it! On Cunard, you won't be overdressed. (Whereas on HAL, I was often one of about only 10 women in total wearing a long gown.)

Great info - thanks everyone!  I'm a solo traveler so will only have the $135 credit to work with but I like the idea of planning carefully to use my 24 hour period over 2 days (e.g. 3:00 to 3:00 the next day).  Six days should work for me.  I like disconnecting as much as possible, and will use WIFI in ports too.