MalibuCA

Thank you so much for your suggestions.  I will try calling One World Spa tomorrow!

I want to pre-reserve manicures and pedicures on the Queen Elizabeth.  In the past, Cunard partnered with Canyon Ranch and I was able to call them and pre-reserve my appointments long before embarkation for our cruise.  Apparently Cunard no longer partners with Canyon Ranch.  Instead they partner with Mareel Wellness and Beauty.  I was told by Cunard that pre-reservation is not available with Mareel but perhaps it would be at some unknown future time.  I am unable to find a phone number or email contact for Mareel to reach out to them for clarification and perhaps even some appointments.  Cunard has no contact information to share.  Do you?  If you have been on the Queen Elizabeth recently, were you able to pre-reserve appointments in the salon prior to getting on the ship?  If you have any information at all on how I can make some appointments prior to my cruise and/or connect to Mareel by phone, email or otherwise, please share with me.  Thank you!

Shelley

Thank you for your help.  If we can have a rental car brought to us at the ship, I think that would be the easiest and most time efficient solution.  I will definitely pursue that and also check out CVS Tours.

If anyone else has another solution to offer, please send it my way.  

Thanks.

We will be visiting Victoria in July 2022 on Cunard's Queen Elizabeth.  We want to visit the Butchart Gardens and prefer to do so as an individual couple rather than on a ship's shore excursion.  Unlike many sights, the Gardens are not located in walking distance from the dock.  What is the best way to get to and from the Butchart Gardens on our own?  We are fine with renting a car if the rental agency and car pick up is conveniently located.  Please share your recommendations for the best way to access the Butchart Gardens from the ship.  

Thanks,

Shelley

Thank you.  Our Day 8 is in Ketchikan and Day 10 is Victoria with Day 9 being a Sea Day.  I expect that we will have our formal nights on Day 2, when we cruise the Inside Passage, and Day 9 at Sea as you suggested.  Thanks!!

Thank you, kmerlin14, for your reply.  You said that the first formal night was on Day 2 of the cruise.  Do you recall which "Day #" your second formal night was?  You said it was between Sitka and Victoria, but without access to your full itinerary, it's difficult to determine which "Day #" of the cruise the second formal night was held.  Thanks for your help!

Thank you, Bluemarble.  I just saw your reply, and this information helps me tremendously.

Thank you, David, for your reply.

How many formal nights should I expect on a 10-day Alaskan cruise on the Queen Elizabeth?  On which days should I expect the formal nights to be, Days 1-10?

Thanks for your help.

Shelley

Sounds like you're treating yourself well in retirement, Bigmike911!  That's so important.  We, too, are retired, and our policy has been to do all we can before we can't.  So far, it's working for us.  We have cruised many times, also, and if you have any questions about Crystal, I can probably give you plenty of answers.  We are really looking forward to our first Cunard cruise.  We chose the crossing because it easily transports us to Great Britain without the long, long, long red-eye flights from Los Angeles to London.  I'm definitely over those!  New York and London are two of our very favorite cities, so it makes sense to spend a week in NY, cruise the QM2 for a week, and then, complete our "favorites" with nine days in London.  I'm really looking forward to cross the sea on the QM2!!!  It can't come soon enough!

Thank you, Bigmike911.  You have provided me with really valuable information.  I feel that I know what we can expect in both the spa and embarkation.  You sure have this cruise line figured out!  Thank you!

Shelley

Thanks again, Bigmike 911, for your helpful information.  We are in Queens Grill, so I will head to the spa asap when we board.  I must say that you impress me with your daring to get a haircut on the ship.  I've had hair color (that I bring from my hairdresser at home!) applied in the spa on the Crystal ships, and they've done a fine job, but I don't think I'd have the courage for a haircut.  I usually ask for my bangs to be trimmed, but the last time . . . let's just say it took about two months for them to grow back properly!  I think, however, that a mani/pedi is very safe.  I couldn't agree with you more on the "push" to purchase products.  Totally turns me off.  I'm packing everything I need in the way of products!

I have another question for you regarding boarding time.  We have been given an embarkation time of 12:30 pm, which is the earliest they are allowing anyone onto the ship (according to our paperwork).  In your experience, does Cunard begin embarkation close to the designated paperwork time?  Should we arrive earlier?   Any chance of embarking earlier?

Thanks so much for your help.  It's very much appreciated!

Shelley

Thank you, Bigmike911.  Not a great endorsement for Canyon Ranch, but my phone calls with them left me without a warm cozy feeling as well.  I guess I've been grandly initiated to what you describe.  If the passengers visit the Spa on embarkation, does that create a long line of people waiting to make appointments, or does it move quickly?  The only appointments that I am trying to secure during the crossing are a manicure and pedicure.  Any particular techs that you could recommend?  Thanks again for your advice.

Shelley

My husband and I are taking a transatlantic on the QM2 in May.  This is our first Cunard sailing.  We are extremely experienced cruisers most of which have been with Crystal.  I have made my advance spa reservations for our cruise, but I was quite surprised when Canyon Ranch informed me that the reservation/"request" is not confirmed until I embark the ship because "there may not be a technician available at the time you are requesting," and Canyon Ranch "does not want to be liable for that situation."  Whenever I have booked an advanced online spa appointment on other cruise ships, the reservation is immediately confirmed and secured for me when I arrive on the ship.  For those of you very savvy and experienced Cunard passengers, what is your experience with spa reservations vs. confirmations on board?  Are reservations honored and confirmed accordingly on board?  Or have you found that when you embark the ship you have either no confirmed reservation or a different substitute time for your reservation?  Can I depend on the reservation that I made to be confirmed?

Thanks,

Shelley

Thanks again, BigMike911.  Our plan for dining is similar to yours.  Since we are in QG, I'm figuring that we should be able to get the best meals and the best special choices there.  We plan to eat all of our dinners there.  We eat a light breakfast and an even lighter lunch so that we can really enjoy ourselves at dinner.  I think that QG will definitely satisfy our needs. 

As for the Planetarium on Embarkation Day, I never expected that there would be a show on that day.  The crew is so busy with delivering luggage, cleaning rooms from previous passengers, greeting new passengers - the job is overwhelming, and I didn't expect a show then.  I was just asking whether or not I should be requesting tickets then for a subsequent day.  You have proven most informative, and I really appreciate that.

It's good to hear about the specials in the Spa on Embarkation Day.  I'm encouraged reading about so many specials during the cruise, too.  I guess it really does pay to be patient and book onboard.

Thanks again for your help.

Shelley

Thank you, BigMike911 for this treasure trove of information!  The more we know, the easier it will be. 

Shelley

I went to the section on the website for Booked Guests (or something like that).  Then, I looked at the Itinerary, and the dress attire for each night is listed on the itinerary.  I'm with you - waiting for experienced Cunard passengers to enlighten us newbies!  Thanks for your help.

Shelley

Thank you, Ann, for the Concierge tip.  I will look to the Concierge Lounge for tickets.  Is this something that we should do on Embarkation Day, or a different day?  Is there a place on the Cunard website where I can see what's going on during my cruise?  We don't sail until May 5, so maybe I'm just too early, but all I've been able to find is the itinerary and the schedule for gala and smart attire evenings.  If anyone has a schedule from a past cruise, I'd really appreciate if you could share it here so that I can get an idea of what typical days are like on a crossing from NY to Southampton.

Thank you!

Shelley

My husband and I are newbies to Cunard, although we are very savvy and experienced cruisers.  We are really looking forward to the QM2.  We will be in QG for our crossing from NY to Southampton.  Can you explain the procedure for getting Planetarium tickets?  Is this something automatically reserved for QG guests, or is it necessary to secure tickets when we embark the ship?  How, where and when do we do this?  Is this something that our butler can arrange for us?  In explaining the procedure, please also describe the schedule when the Planetarium shows are offered.  Are there any other events during the crossing that we will want to secure tickets to attend?  If yes, please share the "how, when and where" for each.

Thanks,

Shelley

Thank you for the theme descriptions. I'm not sure that I will have exactly the right thing for every night, but I will be in formal attire, and I'm really looking forward to watching all of the beautiful outfits!

Shelley

Thank you so much for this fabulous information. This is exactly what I was hoping to find. One more question . . . I understand what to expect for a Roaring 20s theme (and I have the perfect black sequin "shimmy dress,") but I don't know what to expect for a Royal Cunard Ball. Is there something in particular that I should include in my suitcase, or is it simply the formal standard of attire? Will a description appear on my Voyage Personaliser beyond just the name of the theme? Our cruise isn't until next June, but with the need for some very dressy clothes, I want to be sure that I bring just the right things. Thanks again for all of your help!

Shelley

One more question . . . I've read that the QM2 has theme formal nights. Is there a way that I can determine what the themes will be?

Thanks again . . .

Shelley

This is our first Cunard cruise, but my husband and I are very experienced cruisers, primarily on Crystal. We are taking a transatlantic crossing in Queens Grille, New York to Southampton. On Crystal's website is the PCPC, where passengers can find the exact calendar schedule for Black Tie Optional (aka formal) nights and Crystal Casual (aka informal nights). Is there a way that I can determine the calendar schedule for Gala formal nights and informal nights on Cunard's website for my cruise? I would like to know how many nights will be formal and which nights on the cruise those formal nights will be.

Thank you to all of the experienced Cunard passengers!

Shelley

Thank you for your honesty about the Blue Lagoon. I doubt we will spend the time driving there. I agree that there are so many incredible sights in Iceland. This is our second trip to Iceland, and I felt we should see the Blue Lagoon since we didn't go there on our first trip. Sounds like it's an easy miss if we're not going in the water.

Thanks,

Shelley

Thanks for your replies. Looks like we will target for noon.