Joe33472

3 minutes ago, Kordy said:

That is pretty good... I pay $40 on land + tip, so this is only around $20 more!  Not overpriced, which is great.  And probably a good quality barber - thank you.

Yes, I thought the price was very fair for on board.  I pay $35 on land + tip, but I get my hair cut in FL and not NY.    And YES, he did a great job.  I couldn't have been happier with the cut.  I was  little concerned when he started, but in the end it was perfect.  Rohit was the guy who cut my hair. 

7 minutes ago, stan01 said:

The biggest things Cunard needs to work on are IT issues. The bartenders use the contactless payment built into the room key to tap their tablets, so why do we also need to sign a paper slip and write in room number?  Service charge is included. This also seems to be inconsistent between bars and maybe servers. Maybe some servers are hoping for more tip or some passengers are demanding paper receipts?  The duplicate work slows everything down. 
 

Internet requires logging in again about every five hours which is annoying. Navigating through the internet login and my voyage sites is tedious with unnecessary form filling. They need an app with a persistent login.  
 

Up until yesterday, the Internet has been working fine for us.   I've been using a remote desktop program to access my computer back home since Sunday, but yesterday that stopped working.  Uploads and downloads became difficult.   But, there was a big storm, so maybe that had something to do with it.  I'm wondering when our IP address will change to something on the east coast of the US.

Totally agree about the antiquated IT system.   Drinks on the Grills Promo are charged to your onboard account and refunded the next morning.  That's weird to me.  Signing all those receipts is a little old school.  I feel funny not putting a tip on the receipt.   But I always tip in cash and never add a tip to a tab.   

Y

2 minutes ago, Kordy said:

This is great - if you don't mind, how much is a men's haircut on-board?

This was including a gratuity that was auto applied.  I tipped on top of the auto-gratuity.  

The BEST money I ever spent.   The time says 7:34 on embarkation day, but it was really 4:30 p.m. 

QG menus for today.  6.26.24 Queens Grill Menus.pdf

Just noticed this this morning.   The butler places a white towel bedside each night.   We thought that was a nice touch.  What I noticed this morning is that on one side it says, "Good Morning" and the other side "Good Night".  The words are positioned the way you would enter the bed.  How cute is that? 

I also forgot to mention that the water is super hot and almost instantaneous in our stateroom.  Our neighbors at dinner also commented on this same thing.   They must use a recirculating pump or something.  It's really great.  At home, we have to wait about 5 minutes in our master bedroom for hot water as the water heater is far away.  

15 minutes ago, Mudhen said:

Next on dining....I will often do a salad and then a couple of apps and/or soup if the mains don't suit me. Then I might actually have some room for either dessert or the wonderful cheese cart. Hoping that it's still there and hasn't been cut....

Good morning!  Hope you have a great trip in July/Aug.  Sounds like a good amount of time on board.  

I'm thinking that it's probably the same in PG, but in QG there is definitely still a cheese cart.   There have been some comments in the forum about a downgrading of the quality and selection of the cheeses offered, but I can't comment on that because we've failed to make it to that course. 

We generally are so full that we barely finish our desserts.  And no room for even coffee or tea.  We don't see a lot of things on the dinner menu tonight that we like, so we'll probably order off the a la carte menu and I'm going to ask for some cheese either for my appetizer or after the appetizer course.  I realize that it's not the proper timing, but I'd like some cheese 🙂 I'll report on my success.  If I remember, I will pop into PG to scope out the cheese situation. 

As far as appetizers and salads for entrees or whatever.  Yes, the wait staff has been really accommodating and bring us whatever we want.  Last night I had two appetizers (along with my entree) and the waitstaff sequenced the food really well.

5 hours ago, vieux_carre said:

Curious if you have visited the Mareel Spa and aquatherapy center yet.  Before the refit last fall, there were reports of various areas not working or in need of a good sprucing up, but I suspect that this was addressed.  Do you know what the charge is for a full voyage pass to the aquatherapy center would cost?  I've heard that the price for such a package sometimes varies as Mareel, being a separate entity, sets their own rates...

I only been to the Spa to get a haircut, but it was really nice in there.  I also got a great haircut.  I arrived with some really big hair and left looking like a normal human. 😃

I'll do some investigation and see if I can find any pricing.  I think my SO wants to look at some products on sale there, so I'll inquire when we're there. 

6 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

Other question is whether you are able to stream with the internet you have.

I just tried, and at least with the premium package, streaming is very possible.  Definitely enough to stream. We've actually have found the channel lineup on this cruise to be pretty good.  

Just keep in mind that some streaming services have geo-blocking for locations outside the US.  Right now the IP address that Starlink is using is still in England.  I'm using a VPN, which directs traffic through a US based server.  I'm sure at some point we'll change to IP addresses out of Canada or the US.  At least that's what happened on our way to Europe.  Everything was great with streaming as we were connected via a Florida IP Address.  Mid-way through the crossing, the IP address changed to a Spain location.  At that point, the Roku I had brought was essentially useless as most channels said that we couldn't watch from out of the States.   I connected an iPad to the stateroom TV and used the VPN and all worked great.   I'm sure that would work on Cunard too, but I haven't had to be the "tech guy" since we've found suitable US programming.  

This is Xfinity Stream of Modern Family just a few minutes ago.  Using a VPN. 

The Internet isn't cooperating as good as it was the first couple of days!  Must be the storm the captain is avoiding on a more southerly track to NYC.   Not sure if satellites need a clear line of sight or if overcast conditions affect the transmission, but things are not the same.  

I was able to scan and upload tomorrow's daily programme. 

Day 4 Programme.pdf

We spent about 3 hours in the casino tonight playing slot machines and had a great time.  It was very quiet when we arrived around 7 p.m. and was packed with people by the time we left just after 10:00 p.m.  Our best casino experience EVER.   With no smoke, we were able to stay for hours.  No offense smokers (I used to smoke about 20 years ago, so I totally understand).  Smoking, gambling, and a drink is probably a trinity for some folks, but for most non-smokers, the ventilation in casinos is usually insufficient to clear the copious billows of smoke.  With my allergies and respiratory issues, I usually last about 15 minutes in a casino.  Three hours.... Thank you Cunard.   And we're both slightly ahead of the house.  😁 

The ship is still rocking and rolling.  I thought that the seas had quieted down, but it still sounds ferocious out there. 

Just now, Kordy said:

 

I read somewhere that the QM2 being the only Ocean Liner is built for this and as a result, it's a lot more stable and less rocky than an ordinary cruise ship.  However, then I also read that larger ships like the Icon of the Seas, are so much larger and bigger, and they have the latest generation of stabilizers, and many of them routinely do a cross-Atlantic repositioning cruises, so perhaps, they're also pretty stable?  I wonder if a ship like the Icon of the Seas would do equally well, having the latest generation of stabilizing technology.  Almost every cruise ship - they all cross the Atlantic - and they all manage it, so it's not just the QM2.

We took Royal Caribbean's Odyssey of the Seas in April to Rome from Ft. Lauderdale and we only had one day that was a little rocky, otherwise, little to no movement.  We've had more movement on this crossing.   I've taken a 1/2 piece of a motion sickness pill the last two days, but didn't take any on our April crossing.  But the weather has been totally different and a different part of the Atlantic.   We have an arsenal to deal with motion sickness, including a prescription, but it's definitely not that bad.  

4 meter seas and almost gale force winds.  You don't realize how large the waves are until you get lower in the ship.   The prior video was from deck 2.   I'm feeling okay, but not 100%.  I think it has more to do with my food and beverage consumption, than the rocking and rolling.  I'm glad we're in the QM2 in these conditions.   We're on deck 9 and feel some movement, and the cabin is creaking.   But when we were down on deck 2 and 3 just a little bit ago, there was very little to no movement. 

Internet has been a little wonky this afternoon, but I still attended a 1.5 hour work meeting on Zoom and opened my camera and it worked.   I'm not sure if weather has anything to do with it, but it's pretty rough day at sea in the North Atlantic.  QM2 is rocking and rolling.  

Britannia lunch menus from today.   Still working on Sunday and Monday...

Britannia Lunch Menu 6.25.24.pdf

I did two loads on laundry this morning on deck eight.   The wash took 60 minutes and the dry cycle about 20 minutes.  The dryer works really great.  I think that someone else on board has already mentioned that the dryers work great.   What a treat having that onboard and no charge for using the facilities and soap is included.  I also ironed a pair of pants.   A+ to Cunard on the laundry facilities. 

We tried to keep to a minimum the number of expensive things we brought on our trip, but we ended up bringing some pretty expensive stuff and I bought something pricey in Italy.  

Kudos to Cunard for providing a full sized safe.   Our first full sized safe in all our travels in over 2 months.   None of the hotels and AirBnBs had a full-sized safe. Neither did Royal Caribbean on a newer ship....

Thank you Cunard.

3 minutes ago, Judyrem said:

Thanks  Joe, you have been  doing a fabulous trip report!

 

BTW I would be going to a pop up or Buffet.😉

Thanks for the feedback.  I was hoping I wasn't getting to deep into the weeds or too whiny with my complaints on Sunday.  The service and food has gotten SO much better and a good night's sleep does wonders. 🙃

I didn't see anything in the pop ups that really interested us.   Although I walked to the Verandah today and it was really nice.   If I weren't in QG, I would definitely have booked the steakhouse a couple of nights.

The buffet has looked really nice with a variety of options.  The first couple of days the staff was serving guests, but now it's back to regular buffet style, which I think is much better.  Two desserts on the QG menu for lunch this afternoon were on the buffet.   So, I definitely think that the buffet will have a lot of good things available.  

Seas are getting a little rough.   If this is accurate, waves are about 10 feet and winds are near gale force.   I think it says Beaufort Scale 8.   We're still at 23 knots and taking a more southerly route to avoid some turbulence north of us.   Things are getting a little rocky.   I'd upload a video I took, but Internet is not cooperating.

18 minutes ago, D&N said:

You might do better than I did, but suggest asking ASAP.

My waiter could only get me from the day I asked, so I didn't get our first week other than the special Jubilee Gala menu.

I totally agree that getting the menus for Sunday and Monday is going to be tough.  Someone asked for current Britannia menus, but it I think it was late on Monday.  Going forward, I'll make a point to visit and try to get lunch and dinner menus for Britannia.  I'm tied up with work stuff this afternoon, but maybe later tonight or tomorrow morning.   

From the sound of things, the menus haven't changed in years.  But it's always nice to have updated samples, so I'll try my best. 

I was able to stroll by the Britannia restaurant and captured tonight's dinner menu.  I know some people have asked for these.  There was nobody in the restaurant, but at some point this week, I'm going to ask for all the menus....

Britannia Menu 6.25.24.pdf

1 hour ago, Host Hattie said:

Can we please keep this live report for posters currently on board rather than links to others' videos?

Thank you 

Sorry about that!

This was delivered last night and I totally missed it.   A super cute thing to do and very much appreciated as we've been totally out of touch on what's happening at home.  We knew about the heat wave from family and sports information, but not too much US news in our travels, which is probably a nice thing....

4 hours ago, Jack E Dawson said:

Don't hold out on us Joe

I didn't post his name, because we wanted to confirm it's him, but he wasn't at dinner last night, but I'm 100% sure its him, because he's on board with his mother again.  I remember seeing a social media post on one of the platforms that he's on the QM2, but can't find it anywhere right now. 

I think on this past trip in this video he was in PG with his mom, but in QG this trip, again with his mother.  He blogs on luxury travel.  Maybe they moved him to a better table, which is why we didn't see him last night...  

3 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

I agree on portion size. Who needs to be  wheelbarrowed off for disembarkation!!!

 

The only pud I have is the occasional Crepes Suzette. I'm a cheese fan but am very particular and once staff get to know your likes, you find 'your' cheese has been carefully brought out of the fridge to let it 'mellow', just as I like it.

That's great staff for you. 🙂

We're big bread and butter fans when we dine out, it's really embarrassing, because we don't have bread at home (we just don't buy it) so we go a little crazy. 

We asked for extra butter at lunch yesterday and at dinner there was four servings of butter.   Very nice not to ask for extra butter and that they remembered our preference.  Although I'm not sure if we should be eating that much butter 😃, so YES, great staff.  I think that things are finally normalizing. 

3 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

If you want more, ask for more.  I often  end up with double appetisers if they are tasty. It just means any carbohydrates with the entrée are ignored!🙂

We've been so full with all the courses that we haven't made it to the cheese course (and I love cheese). We skipped dessert last night.  It's probably a good thing that the appetizers are so small, otherwise we wouldn't be able to eat 1/2 our dinner and would miss dessert.  And we love desserts after a meal.   We don't do that at home, so it's a real treat.