rj1227

My current plans are to leave on October 14 and return on November 5, which would be 21 nights away. My sweet spot with trips to Europe is 20-24 days. If I take the literary festival crossing, I will have to push back my departure date and change hotel reservations, but that can be done.  

Last December, I spent my last night at the Hampton Inn near Waterloo Station near London and took the train that morning to Southampton. I saw something of Southampton because I walked from the train station with my bags to the ship. I will not do that again. Portsmouth the night before sounds interesting.

A subject that goes well beyond my original post is use of a travel agent rather than booking directly with Cunard. I sent an email yesterday to an agent I have used regarding what on-board credit her agency might provide and am awaiting a response. (Coincidentally, Queenvee, she could be your neighbor, and I suspect you are familiar with agency. Under the forum rules, I can say only so much. But unless the on-board credit is more than modest, I prefer to deal dealing with the cruise line.) 

This thread may prove an instance where the responses to an original post not only provided much pertinent information but changed the travel plans of the OP.

If I had had earlier the information about this festival crossing that I have now, I would have booked this sailing months ago--and made very different plans for my October and early November trip. I have some decisions to make. I am not sure that on this forum the literary festival crossing has ever before been discussed in such depth. 

It is fitting that we are having this discussion on a day when Penguin Random House fired its top people at Alfred A. Knopf and Pantheon and Schocken. . 

I obviously blew it in 2023 because the festival program looked very good. I surely would have enjoyed it more than the mid-December westbound crossing I was on.

Queenvee, I keep saying thank you and then imposing. How long before the sailing does the festival brochure listing the presentations and classes come out? One can readily access online those who will be speaking. But as of this time, Cunard does not have a festival brochure for the 2024 program.

Queenvee, not long-winded at all and extremely helpful. NancyDrew, thanks for the different perspective. 

A challenge is that I have plans to be in England and France in October and early November and would have to rearrange and fill up days before the ship leaves Southampton.

Disclosure: I was on a westbound TA crossing last December and really did not enjoy it. But I do not blame Cunard. A few reasons I did not care for the crossing: I was in Europe for an extended period before sailing, was exhausted when I boarded the QM2, and was ready to be home. My companion for the trip had something arise so she had to cancel; I sailed solo and felt awkward as a solo male passenger. And I am not good at relaxing, have to stay busy, and found only so many activities on the daily program that interested me. I was admittedly thrilled when we arrived in New York and decided that as a solo passenger, I would never sail again on a TA crossing and most other cruises. And again, I am not critical of Cunard, which I thought delivered on what it promised. It was simply that, at least as a solo passenger, I was looking for something different from what Cunard was offering and from the experience so many of you enjoy.

But because for personal reasons I am very interested in the process of writing and the process of getting published (both are much more difficult than many believe), the festival crossing has some appeal. Again, I would have to make major changes to and extend the trip I have planned.  

A last question for anyone who knows: What are the writing workshops for which one must pay like? And what are the costs?

Thanks to all for providing your thoughts. And I certainly welcome any other comments anyone would care to offer. Bluemarble, the programme you attached was especially helpful.

To those who have sailed on a Literature Festival TA crossing on QM2, what is the crossing experience like? Doing a quick forum search, I have seen a post that a higher percentage of Brits are sailing and that the median passenger age is lower. My guess is that the festival makes for a more active crossing with more programs during the day that one can attend (I am assuming that any passenger can attend the festival events). Any comments anyone would care to offer would be appreciated.

My experience cruising pales compared to that of those who have already responded.

My gut feeling is that the preference should be as follows: 

 1. A travel agent with whom you have a relationship, who will be responsive to your questions, who has experience dealing with the cruise line, and whose agency may be able to offer some special credit.

 2. The cruise line. 

 3. Other travel agents 

If you don't have a travel agent who meets the criteria in the first category, then dealing directly with the cruise line seems a legitimate option.

A dark blue or gray suit is fine. Though most men wear a tuxedo, not all do. I wore a midnight blue suit and never felt uncomfortable for a moment.

Thanks to all for the thoughtful comments. There are some things I should have done differently. I was uncomfortable about attending the solo-traveler gatherings--I was thinking these are probably easier for the ladies--and I should have given them a shot. And I boarded the ship physically exhausted after two weeks of hard travel in Europe and was at that point ready to get home (and I was also determined with the holidays approaching not to put on weight).

And were I to do it again, I would choose for three reasons an eastbound passage, which I know is the minority position on this forum. First, flying over to Europe is tougher than flying back home. Second, I would have begun the crossing ready for an adventure, rather than ready for the adventure to end. Third, the almost daily time changes are tough, but I think I would actually prefer the 23-hour days than the 25-hour days because I personally did not find enough on the ship to keep me busy. 

There was music in the different clubs during the day, but it was more pleasant background music than anything else. The lectures overall were good, though I did not religiously attend them. The lectures by Stephen Payne on the sinking of the Titantic and his design of the QM2 were outstanding. He should be a frequent speaker because his topics are perfect for a TA crossing and he is an excellent speaker. The last Dodd lecture I caught was very good, and I wish I had attended his other talks. I caught the first presentation by McCarthy, and it was interesting. And I enjoyed a lecture by Gunn on the causes of crime, but hearing about prisons and then prisoner life during the holidays was depressing. 

I actually tried to do some work during the trip, but after laptop issues and the disappearance of a document, eventually recaptured through the help of an IT friend in calls made in the middle of the Atlantic, I set the work aside. 

A TA crossing on QM2 lends itself to any number of fascinating subjects for lectures and presentations-- naval history, the architecture and history of London and New York, the museums of those two cities, travel talks on the places Cunard will be sailing to in the next two years. A serious talk on the Battle of the Atlantic would have been ideal, even or especially on a ship with so many who are British and German. 

 And again, I failed to take advantage of the many bridge lessons being offered during the trip. That's on me.

I have been on other cruises, though some time ago. Oceania and Azamara. A very different experience. Those cruise lines are more expensive. Their ships are smaller. Their cruises tend to be port-heavy, especially Azamara. The dress in the evening is much more relaxed on both. And the food on Oceania was exceptional. 

Again, I am not critical of Cunard's execution, though there are areas where Cunard can improve. After having experienced the TA crossing, I probably would shy away from a cruise with a high number of sea days and from Cunard because of the dress code, and I would not go on any cruise as a solo traveler unless I knew others sailing.

I did try the MDR. And again I am not trying to be critical of Cunard, which largely delivered on the product it offered. I just learned that I would prefer a different product. The ship, incidentally, is beautiful. I do think that the type of wine and whiskey classes offered by Total Wine would be ideal for QM2 on TA crossings.

A few comments in response:

1. If it brings the above poster any sense of relief, I wore the mock turtleneck with sports coat in the evening to attend the entertainment events in the theater, not to dine in the Britannia restaurant.  

2. I think wearing a mock turtleneck in the summer months inappropriate in any setting regarding of the air conditioning. It is winter clothing.

3. Yes, I was expressing my opinion. That seems to be the purpose of this forum.

4. I do not wear dirty or soiled clothing. 

5. If someone with Cunard had asked me to change my clothing, I would have done so without complaint. And if others would not have noticed anything amiss about my dress, then I certainly did not diminish the evening for anyone who thought my dress did not literally comply with any Cunard requirement that men wear a collared shirt. 

6. As evidenced by the measured tenor of this response, I try to be considerate of others.

I just completed the westbound TA crossing on QM2. I found it not my "cup of tea," but I do not blame Cunard. It is an iconic trip, and I checked it off my list. The experience just confirmed that I do not like cruising nearly as much as most who contribute to the forums on this website, and unless you love cruising or just want to eat and drink constantly for seven nights, this is not the trip for you. I will also note that I boarded the ship tired because I had just spent two weeks in Europe and that someone was not able to join me so I made the trip as a solo traveler and not surprisingly found the crossing to be a "couples" event.

I do have some critical comments to offer that are hopefully constructive: 

1. Unlike many of you who do TA crossings, I found relatively little to do during the day except eat and drink, which I did not want to do too much of, especially during the holiday season. And in part for that reason, I hated the 25-hour days on the westbound crossing. I found two of the lecturers excellent. I should have taken the bridge lessons offered. But line dancing, ballroom dance classes, bingo, and trivia do not appeal to me. I would have welcomed classes or events featured on cooking, wine, and certain types of whiskey.

2. I did eat at night in King's Court. I found the selections less attractive than at lunch, which is to be expected because more people eat there for lunch than for dinner. But I found the meat and fish selections substandard--the beef was tough and the fish was not tasty and once tasted off. I love smoked salmon, which is featured at every meal. You can make a tremendous salad there. And it sounds so minor, but the scrambled-eggs choices in the morning are perfectly done. 

3. I found some of the sandwiches at afternoon tea to be dry and mainly bread. 

4. The evening entertainment was hit-and-miss.

5. Is it necessary to sign a statement after every drink? Why not just show the card and get the drink? I would rather Cunard charge a tad more for the drinks than make you sign a statement so the server can get a tip. 

6. Is it really necessary in the library to keep the books in locked selves? 

For whatever it is worth, I just completed a TA crossing. On the "smart attire" nights, I wore several times a light mock turtleneck with sports coat and dress pants. One, my dress looked just as nice as that of anyone wearing a collared shirt. Two, my dress was never questioned. Three, others wore a turtleneck. Four, because you can wear a mock turtleneck repeatedly, you save money and packing space by bringing it rather than a number of collared shirts. An option for men to consider on Cunard in cool-weather months.

Jack, I would be remiss if I failed to respond to your gracious post. I am originally from New Orleans, lived in Lafayette for 40 years, and moved to Mandeville almost three years ago. I actually live five minutes from Pontchartrain but have never eaten there. Because of a health issue to someone else, I will actually be making this trip solo and have some reservations, but given your kind response, I am hoping this will be the first of many TA crossings.

Is the Golden Lion Pub open for dinner at night?

Since I started this thread, which has veered in directions I was not anticipating, I guess I can comment. 

These days how many are actually working in an office? 

I will confess that when I was working over the last 10 years, I had reached the point where I preferred  not wearing a coat and tie--unless I was seeing clients or venturing outside the office for professional reasons.

However, I do think that there is some connection between how we dress and how we act, and that the lowering of dress expectations has adversely and sadly affected manners and common courtesy.  

Finally, though some of you obviously "like" to dress up in the evening more than I do, I will say that if one is going to do it, one should do it the right way, which for me means only black or cordovan shoes--never brown--with a navy suit. That should kick off a new thread.

Chryso, thank you for your edited response. It certainly enhances the anticipation of sailing on Cunard and joining for six days those who sail on it.

Victoria2 is right. My two specific questions regarding dress jeans and a collared sweater were addressed. My thanks to all who contributed, and please keep debating the dress code. 

When I booked the Transatlantic crossing, I largely knew what I was signing up for. As a result of your responses, I will bring a sports jacket. Now I still think a nice turtleneck and sports coat is more dressy than a dress shirt and a sports coat, but I will bring a few dress shirts and keep the cleaners on the ship busy.  

My purpose in posting was not to challenge the rules but to understand them. I am actually going to be in Europe for two weeks before the crossing with one carry-on suitcase. I will shipping to Southampton the dress clothes and shoes for the crossing but will be using a second carry-on suitcase to keep the expense down.

And to avoid confusing anyone further, I believe Victoria is right about the men wearing chinos in the photograph I saw.

Victoria2, thanks again. I will assume that collared shirt is a hard rule and pack accordingly, which means also a sports jacket because in my view a collared shirt without more is not dressy enough and in the winter is not warm enough.

And what about a nice turtleneck sweater and sports coat? 

Victoria2, exactly.

The Cunard website says little--"dress shirt and trousers" with the aspirational statement that the dress should be appropriate to a "stylish restaurant" or theater on a special evening. 

I just saw a photo, probably from Cunard, of two couples dressed in smart attire. The two men were wearing a collared shirt and a sports coat, but their trousers looked denim. 

I also just read a travel agency website addressing evening attire on Cunard--it talked about slacks and a sweater or a collared shirt and sports coat.

Look, this is my first Cunard experience, and I knew before signing up that Cunard was a formal cruise line. I am not debating what the dress code should be--again I think a collared sweater is more dressy than a collared shirt without a sports coat. Whatever the rules are, I will comply with. But I have limited luggage space for evening clothing. To those who have been on winter Cunard sailings, I am just trying to find out whether the four-word website statement of "dress shirt and trousers" is literally the rule or whether it is somewhat a guide and aspirational.