jimmybean

Nonetheless, Cunard (thank you)--- I echo Happy Birthday to us!

We remain Yankee Doodle Dandies.

In 2009, we were on a 28-day Cunard cruise (booked and paid for as a single voyage) that counted as a single voyage.

In 2013, we were on a 36-day Cunard cruise (booked and paid for as a single voyage) and it was counted as two voyages.

In both incidences, there were "segments" of within these voyages, sold separately. We didn't understand why the voyage in 2009 seemed to be handled differently than the one in 2013, but we didn't argue the fact.

We happily became Platinum mid-voyage in 2013, receiving some additional perks (like more internet time). Not only did our Platinum pins arrive in our stateroom, we also had our identification card/room keys replaced with a Platinum ones : )

Happy Sailing!

We typically book directly with Cunard, looking for good prices when we are booking. We live in the USA.

Comparing fares with people who live in the UK (after we are all onboard during a voyage), it seems like we all do about the same.

We did dine (on one voyage) with two people (she an American and he from England) who told us that he bought both of their tickets in England and they ran into Visa problems. Brazil requires a Visa from US citizens, but not from UK citizens. Because her ticket was purchased in the UK, there was no information passed on and she wasn't allowed to board the ship from Florida--because she didn't have a Visa. The QM2 sailed without her and she had to go to Miami, get an expensive "rush Visa" then fly to Grenada to board the ship two days later….

If her ticket had been purchased in the country where she was a citizen, the information about needing a Visa would have been passed on to her.

I think it can sometimes be very important to buy tickets in one's own country. Cost is one issue but there can be other issues regarding your country's relations with other countries, which a "foreign travel agent" will not understand…. May not apply to all situations, or all sailings, but could be an important factor on some voyages...

I understand one advantage to Cunard, when they re-registered, was the added ability to perform weddings onboard as a new revenue producing offering.

I wonder if those Princess ships, then, gave up the ability of their captains to perform marriage ceremonies by re-registering to England…

tjcox9, did you notice whether, or not, weddings took place on your recent voyage?

 

During my quick walk though deck 2 towards Illuminations I didn’t immediately notice any evidence that the windows were leaking.

.

BlueRiband, do you think previous talk (in a much earlier posting) about leaking windows was really about the salt accumulation on those low windows on deck 2? How dirty the windows get between the dual-panes of glass? That is what I wondered when I read the leaking-window post….

Have a wonderful time! Thank you for taking us all with you by sharing details of your voyage!

I'm catching up with this thread---appreciating BlueRiband's descriptions :)

and interested in Deckchair's concern regarding first-time Cunardists misunderstanding the use of "steerage" and "rower" terminology to describe Britannia passenger categories. That never occurred to me and I thank Deckchair for this insight.

My use of the term "steerage" has always been a tongue-in-cheek self-description. In the future, I will be careful to clarify it's use is cheerful jest as well as testament to my ancestral immigrants, who really did travel steerage once upon a time… I hope their ghosts can see me sailing eastward from whence they came--in style IN BRITANNIA : )

Jim's Girl: I do think one would have to be in an outside cabin to be a rower. Those of us in inside accommodations are too far from the oars to assist with rowing---So, we tend to stoke the coal furnaces, instead. Fortunately ; ) the coal furnace is very convenient to most steerage locations.

Joking aside, DH and I are very happy in an inside cabin on Cunard ships. So happy that repeat voyages have compiled into Platinum status.

We have nothing negative to say about the choice of sailing in a Grills stateroom (or that lovely people we have met who have made that choice) but we are happy in "steerage", because Britannia class is also a wonderful way to travel.

DH and I try to distribute weight evenly between the bags, so that no single bag is especially heavy. We try to stay at, or below, 50 pounds, but occasionally a bag has been a few pounds over that weight. Like others, there has never been an issue, or comment, at any cruise terminal, but we have also tipped extra as would-be compensation.

I agree with T5LHR---the more important issue isn't whether we can "get away" with a overweight bag. It is about the health and safety of the workers handling the bag. That is the reason a weight limit is imposed on a per bag basis and not on the weight of your total luggage.

I think 61 pounds is really too much for a worker to have to lift. My recommendation would be to remove some heavier items from that suitcase.

DH and I have used small hand-carries for a few heavier objects---like books we bring on longer voyages and donate to the ship's library after reading. I have used a paper shopping bag from a department store for this purpose, then disposed of the bag immediately after boarding.

Hope you have a wonderful and memorial voyage! Happy Sailing!

Also, I believe the male dress code requires a jacket---not just a sweater--on non-formal nights...

I don't believe jeans are acceptable for dinner in the dining rooms of Cunard ships (neither of the Grills nor the Britannia) according to the stated dress code policy (which is available on the Cunard website).

Your photos are stylish, but stylishness isn't the same as conformity. There is a dress code, which the majority of passengers believes should be followed. So, although jeans can be stylish, I have to say "no jeans" on Cunard ships in the dining rooms at dinner time.

Happy Sailing and have a great voyage!

A great post. We did grand princess to the carribean in january 13 and loved every second , even though on the day of my special birthday in aruba , it poured down! As first timers we had no frame of reference but were more than satisfied with everything. We have skipped a year this year, despite getting the bug, we had other holiday plans for this year. However we have just booked a week on the QV next June to Italy, Corfu and the Dalmatian Coast. So your comparison was fascinating. Its a long time to wait but we are so excited and love the look of the Victoria . I'm devouring any related posts at the moment.

Maria, Your upcoming (next June) cruise on the Victoria sounds wonderful! DH and I typically book cruises quite a while in advance and then enjoy anticipating the voyage. Our longest-in-advance booking was 18 months out… It is great to have something (like a cruise) to look forward to doing. Also, it is good to have plenty of time to plan the port days. Depending on the port, DH and I sometimes take a tour and other times we plan our own activities. There are cruise critic boards that describe specific ports and details of cruise critic members' experiences on shore. Also, on the cruise critic roll call for your cruise, you can find other people with whom to arrange private tours. ….I've learned so much--both about ship life and also about specific ports--- reading cruise critic!

We have not been on the Victoria yet (we loved the Elizabeth, though, which is very very similar in design) and we have haven't taken a Mediterranean cruise yet. So, I will be looking forward to reading YOUR review after you return home. : )

Have a spectacular second cruise (hopefully the second of many many many)!

Thanks for spending the time to write such a knowledgeable and comprehensive article. I enjoyed reading it.

 

We will be traveling on Royal Princess in Sept. this year. It is a 17 days TA cruise. We also just got our assigned cabin from a Guaranteed cabin. The cabin is "Right Underneath" the Buffet Restaurant. Does anyone have any experiences with their cabin right below the Buffet Restaurant. We are light sleepers and with 17 days cruise, I do want to get good sleeps.

Please advice. Stephen

Hi Canter168,

My dear husband is careful to check what is above and below our cabins, but sometimes we book in a location where there might be some occasional noise. Our remedy has been to always include earplugs in our packed supplies. I've never seen them for sale in any ship store. We have only had to use them on one occasion, but they contributed greatly to our ability to relax and sleep well.

We have slept under the buffet on the QM2, never on a Princess ship, and the noise we heard was during the night, when they must have been cleaning the floor with some machine. We never heard any "passenger noises" when the buffet was used during mealtimes. The night noises were not disturbing to us---not that loud and not that long in duration. Nothing that required us to pull out the earplugs.

Have a wonderful 17 day cruise : ) How wonderful!

Oahucruiser, pmb1, DreamflightPat, Rileyspike, safarigal and maria1963--thank you for your kind comments regarding my posting.

Chunky2219, bananavan, pris993, and DWhit thank you for expanding discussion to the other end of the spectrum --suites and grills. Your insights were very interesting to me!

keithm, I wholeheartedly agree with your advice to "read about the details on each cruise line in the brochure beforehand"--This is both fundamental and extremely wise. I appreciated learning your experiences have much in common with my own.

Keith1010--you are always the voice of reason. Preference IS highly individualized. I agree it is great to have some many choices : )

Yikes - those limo drivers are lucky the cab drivers didn't get out of their cabs and 'object' to them poaching fares. (I've seen that happen once on 5th Ave and it got so nasty the cops had to intervene!)

Salacia, probably, the limo drivers were so brazen because there weren't taxis waiting at the time they were hawking. We were maybe 7th or 8th in line and waited 10 minutes for our cab. Taxis arrived at intervals, but filled quickly and were off. The limo's offers came when no taxis were there to overhear.

On our two previous Cunard westbound crossings, we returned to our own car, which we had left in the port parking lot before sailing east. This trip started with us sailing from Florida and involved rental cars and need for taxi service.

So, we have had little experience with either taxis or limos conducting business at the Brooklyn port…

Happily there was no nasty business during our wait for a taxi. Had there been, I would have been both shocked and surprised. Thanks to your information, if there is a "next time" I will be prepared to duck!

New York! A fascinating place! Just like River City, you gotta know the territory!

Thank you also, Jimmybean. Hubby has 2 categories of clothes, suits he wears to work with dress shirts, cuff links. And then nice dress shorts and button down shirts. He feels comfy in both.

 

I apologize for not mentioning it, we are going on the July 4 cruise. We will be out to dinner in Boston on July 4, casual, so is it ok if he wears NICE shorts out and if we want to have a drink at around 11 pm, is he still ok in those shorts?

 

 

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So, out and about in Boston and returning to the ship for a late drink?

I really don't see how shorts would be an issue at that hour (even if it had officially been a formal night onboard). Dinner will be over and dining rooms closed. Theater performances finished. Summertime in Boston will be warm weather. You don't plan to go to the ballroom, just have a relaxing drink...

My feeling is that dress codes apply to dinner in the dining rooms and for entertainment areas in the evening. Many of us "old fogies" go to bed relatively early. By 11 pm, I don't think nice shorts should create any reaction. I doubt all public areas of the ship will be tremendously busy at that hour. Certainly, not overflowing with judgmental fashion police.

The Golden Lion (deck 2) is a more casual bar, in my opinion. There is also a bar by the pool on deck 12 and a bar in the winter garden, although I'm not sure what their hours are. You could also get a drink and go out and sit on the deck, your husband comfortable in his weather appropriate attire.

Or, you could go to the Commodore Lounge on deck 9 and probably no one would care. If you peeked in and saw a crowd of "all dressed up" people, you really could just move on to another location. No big deal. There are lots of places to have a drink on the ship.

Common sense also tells us that people, reboarding after a port-day, will be wearing shore appropriate clothing upon return. Many people choose to stay in casual clothing, avoiding the dining room etc, because they prefer not to change. No one will be shocked to see a man in shorts under these circumstances. After a port day, is the time when one sees the most people on the ship wearing "more casual clothing."

From your description, Boston will also be a long port day with evening time reboarding. I would think this would bring a number of passengers back on the ship, after the dinner hour, still wearing shorts.

In addition, you will observe that people initially boarding the ship at the start of a voyage (after their pre-ship travel) often don't look quite as spiffily dressed as Cunard brochures might imply. I have seen collarless tee shirts and blue jeans in the mix! Certainly cropped trousers with "go to the grocery store" tops on ladies. Depending on pre-ship travel and the weather, a number of people do seek comfort in their clothing, even on the QM2. I'm not advocating for sloppy boarding clothes, just telling you what I have observed.

When it is dinner time, however, people going to dining rooms and to evening entertainment do take the trouble to conform--en mass-- and do follow the dress codes--which really is nice. One of the things we value about sailing on a Cunard ship.

Fun that the two of you will be taking a nice voyage together!!! It is a vacation and not any cause for worry. Enjoy the ship! She is a beauty, but sailing is meant to be relaxing and you can relax on the QM2.

Do post after your cruise and share YOUR own observations and opinions.

This is a long posting. Just ended up that way and I apologize. Please go on to something else, if you are short of time or devoid of interest. It is just the sum total of my observations and thoughts, not required reading. Possibly of interest to someone. Possibly would be sleep-inducing for someone with insomnia. I just have to acknowledge it is a very long post, which isn't ideal on any message board. But, here goes...

We have taken three cruises (so far) in 2014.

A seven-day Caribbean cruise in January on a Princess ship. A thirteen-day repositioning on Celebrity in April (Florida to Spain). A seven-day transatlantic on Cunard QM2 in May (Southampton to Brooklyn).

On each voyage, our accommodations were midship, inside cabins.

We were very happy with each experience---"what it was" "for what it cost".

Naturally, there were differences among the ships… I'd like to share some of my impressions of how each ship compared.

Best price goes to Celebrity. Of course, repositioning cruises can be a great bargain and this cruise was not representative of typical Celebrity fares. We paid about $800 per person (13 days). Also, Princess offered a very, very good price--about $550 per person (7 days). Cunard wasn't a bad fare either, since we booked early--about $1,000 per person (7 days). We were happy with each fare "for what we got."

Best cabin goes to Celebrity. Larger. Better layout. Bigger bathroom. Very attractive.

Worse cabin goes to Princess: outdated decor, clean, but worn and tired. On the Princess, we had to put the small occasional table in the closet area to keep from tripping over it. The shower in the Princess bathroom was teeny tiny!

While an inside cabin on the QM2 is nothing to brag about, it was cozy, workable, and had adequate storage. I have nothing negative to say about our Cunard inside cabin.

Only, in comparison, the Celebrity cabin was just plain nicer!!!

All three cabins were quiet and peaceful. All were adequate for our needs and comfort.

Best overall service in terms of communication goes jointly to Princess and Celebrity. Their staffs were not only cheerful and eager to please, they were informed and were able to answer questions accurately and with ease.

Cunard (from my experience) does not invest enough time educating staff, so staff doesn't answer questions consistently and/or accurately. Compared to Princess and Celebrity, Cunard service always seems somewhat lacking to me, in general. Not for want of "trying"---more, I believe, from lack of Cunard investing in staff training and/or having adequate numbers of staff for each particular job.

Notwithstanding, I did overhear a very valiant delivery of outstanding service on the QM2.

A couple, when seated for lunch in the Britannia (out of sight from the restaurant entrance), told the person seating them that they had told their (teenage) children to meet them at the table where they were assigned for dinner, which turned out to be unavailable and was far across the room, So, could their children be informed where they had been seated instead?

Through untold effort I'm sure, word must have been passed among waitstaff, since the family was reunited 10 minutes later, when the children arrived for lunch.

I was impressed!

The waitstaff, who seats passengers at lunch, often become servers themselves as the restaurant fills. So, the person this couple asked to look for their children was unlikely to have remained by the door himself. Consequently, this message had to have been passed on, the children had to have been recognized, and their parents' location remembered. It had to have been a coordinated team effort and it came across as effortless. THAT is service!

Best steward: All three of our stewards kept our cabins tidied and restocked in a timely manner, remembering special requests and preferences.

...Interestingly, when asked about their work load, the Celebrity steward explained that she worked as a team with another steward and that the two of them were responsible for 20 cabins. I asked the same question on QM2 and learned that our female steward had 12 cabins to clean, all by herself.

The steward on Celebrity would open our room for us with her pass key, when she saw us coming down the hallway. She made towel animals (using my husband's eyeglasses) to surprise us. The Cunard steward had no time for such extra niceties and always looked tired and harried.

I didn't think to ask about work assignment on the Princess, but --although no towel animals created-- the Princess steward never appeared overworked or struggling to keep up.

Granted, the job was done correctly on each ship and we were satisfied and without complaint, but I have issue seeing stewards appear overburdened. Honestly, I don't care about the towel animals kind of "extras" but I wish Cunard would decrease the stewards' workload to something more humane.

...I have no idea how stewards who service Grills staterooms appear--whether overworked or not-- but the task seems unnecessarily grueling for the Britannia cabins.

Just my ongoing opinion (after over 100 days on Cunard ships), but one which the numbers (10 cabins per steward on Celebrity vs 12 on Cunard) seems to support.

Maybe, the Britannia stewards are paid more generously by Cunard than by other cruise lines---I have no way of knowing---but by all appearances (in my opinion) our Cunard steward certainly had to work much harder than stewards on other ships.

The daily gratuity charge was slightly higher on the Celebrity. Maybe, $12 per day instead of $11.

Best food. Really a wash in my opinion. I read on CC that beef was not good on Celebrity, nor on Princess, so I avoided it on those ships. DH ordered a few beef meals and was disappointed. Cunard and Princess offered more and better fish meals, which I prefer anyway, given the choice. Princess did shine in the department of desserts, which was dangerous, since I have a sweet tooth, but they were delightful.

I never went hungry nor had a "bad meal" on any of the three ships. There were always lots of choices. Yes, over 10 years of cruising, we have seen changes in food served in the MDRs. Yes, it can be more like very good cafeteria food, in many instances, than food prepared in a top-quality restaurant. In general, however, food was tasty enough, pleasing to the eye, and never created any gastric distress. Solidly in the "good" category, but few items to rave about. Still nothing whatsoever to warrant complaint.

I didn't gain weight on any of these the voyages. But, I might have, if I had stayed on the Princess ship much longer!

…My guess is that the Grill and Blu offer much better food (they ought to !!!), but I lack first-hand experience from which to make comparisons. Not the point of this thread, anyway.

The buffet on Princess ran more smoothly because passengers were given large plates to carry, instead of bulky trays, and were served beverages by waitstaff at their tables. On both Celebrity and Cunard, in the buffet there were SELF-SERVE beverage stations located away from food stations, requiring a second trip, after dropping one's tray off at the table---not as smooth nor as well thought out as on Princess. Physically, the buffet on the Celebrity was a larger area, so that gave an advantage for maneuvering about, foraging, without coming shoulder to shoulder with masses of other passengers, squeezed into a smaller area (like on the QM2). The buffet on the QM2 is cumbersome, particularly for first-time passengers.

Best Dinner Service: The Princess ship provided the best-paced, all inclusively superb dinner service. Not obtrusive, but extremely attentive. Of course, looking around, many of the surrounding tables were empty (people, no doubt, choosing "anytime" options, instead, or the buffet), so our waitress had fewer people to serve, making her job easier. Still, she put time and effort into providing service, not chatting with other servers or daydreaming in the background.

Celebrity packs tables and passengers in like sardines in their MDR. The waiters hustled to serve and worked very diligently, which resulted in solidly very good, if not excellent, service. Many (Celebrity) MDR tables were massively long, not conducive, I would think, for any table-wide conversation.

Cunard waitstaff didn't refill our water glasses during our first two dinners. Didn't check back, after service, to see if "everything was alright." This improved, leading us to wonder if there had been a waiter shortage (maybe due to illness) at the beginning of the voyage.

Service areas on the QM2 don't seem well-placed and the kitchen was a long distance from our assigned table. Service in the Britannia seems to involve staff struggling with poor design, rather than having bad attitudes. I don't know if it is my imagination, but I felt like I remembered more food "drop-off stations", when we first traveled on the QM2. Or, maybe, there used to be additional staff, who bought food to the waiters' stations. Or, maybe, they have decreased numbers of waitstaff. Maybe, different areas of the Britannia benefit, or suffer, from their distance to the kitchen and our latest table was on the far-side of the dining room.

Whatever, something was wrong (on the QM2) when, at a table for eight, there was often 7-10 minutes between the time when the first tablemate was served until the last person also received his plate.

Best Dinner Companions We had great companions at our assigned tables on all three ships. Very different people, but all nice and friendly and interesting. Dinnertime can be a highlight of ship travel.

Easiest boarding experience. Celebrity was an immediate "walk on" winner. BUT, going onto the ship very early (11:30) didn't mean access to our cabin, which wasn't ready for two more hours. Princess and Cunard don't invite new passengers onboard until all cabins are prepared. Given the choice, I really prefer being able to go to our cabin, immediately, and drop off hand-carry-ons and my purse, but sitting and waiting onboard the Equinox was easier than standing in a cruise terminal queue for an hour (as we did boarding the Crown Princess)…. So, Celebrity is the winner...

Best laundry goes to Cunard. Free usage --with supplied soap-- and all machines in running order on our deck during our May 9th crossing.

Celebrity has NO self-serve laundry on any of their ships! We brought Woolite and washed socks et cetera in the bathroom sink on Celebrity (a story in itself).

Princess has self-serve laundry rooms onboard, but charges for machine use and for soap. On a seven-day cruise, however, we had no need to use their laundry.

After a busy 12 days traveling through Spain and France, we were VERY happy to spend time in the QM2 laundry. It is a great ship for people who have been traveling before boarding (as compared to the folks who just left home and board with a suitcase full of clean clothes).

Best entertainment: scant opinion, but Cunard comes up on top. We skipped most offerings on all three ships and found much evening entertainment descriptions to be similar to cruise ship industry standards, in general.

Classical music, however, was best on Cunard. Love the harpist, Fiona. Enjoyed the violinists on stage in the Royal Court Theater.

...Interestingly, one subtle difference between Cunard and Celebrity passengers was evidenced in the response to a string quartet performing in the main lobby of each ship. On Celebrity, no one applauded. Reaction was no different than if canned music was being played over a loudspeaker. On Cunard, the string quartet in the lobby was rewarded with applause at the end of a piece. They seemed to be recognized as performers, not merely creators of background music.

Celebrity offered a multiple-deck-down egg drop (with a prize) as Easter entertainment in their lobby. Cunard's entertainment offerings seem more subdued and (perhaps) cerebral. Maybe it is my age (over the hill) but I prefer the tone of Cunard activities. I don't condemn less subdued activities on Princess or Celebrity, I just don't prefer them, personally.

Daytime lectures: Cunard is head and shoulders above other cruise lines. Hands down, this is the area where Cunard shines and one of the reasons Cunard is our overall favorite cruise company. We attended lectures faithfully and they were a highlight, for us during the May '14 crossing.

Library The library on Princess was small and dismal in appearance with the cases holding books locked, every time we wandered in there. On Celebrity, the library was a pretty room with very few books on their open bookshelves. Fortunately, we brought a number of books, ourselves, when on those ships.

In comparison, the QM2 library was quite large and a very pleasant space as well as filled with a great selection of books. QM2's library is one of her greatest assets! I read two books during our May 9th crossing.

Ship layout and appearance: Cunard (QM2) was classy and beautiful. An absolute pleasure! Grand! Spacious! With two theaters (the Royal Court and the Illuminations) the QM2 had wonderful options for comfortably seating large groups for performances, lectures, movies, as well as a maximum of (I think) five different planetarium shows. The Queens Room was a beautiful space for dancers. The Commodore Lounge was magnificent for viewing the sea, reading a book, or (even) having a drink.

Celebrity (Equinox) was very, very attractive. Very nice. One problem we had, though, was trouble finding comfortable chairs, where we could read our books during the daytime. Chairs in every location had such a large scale (in their seat depth) that our backs were never supported. (We are 5'4" and 5'10" so not unusual in our heights) We joked that Celebrity didn't want people sitting too long in any particular location and made their chairs uncomfortable to assist with this goal.

Another drawback on the Equinox was only two banks of elevators on the entire ship. The Celebrity Equinox had an adequate number of individual elevators, they just weren't spread through the ship--just clumped together in only two locations. Passengers at one end of the ship had to walk quite a distance to get to the elevators-- which would be troublesome for someone with difficulty walking.

In comparison, the Princess has three banks of elevators and the Cunard QM2 has four. Lesser numbers of elevators in one place, but more locations that offered elevators.

Princess (Crown Princess) decor was very outdated and uninspired, but ship space is functional and furnishings very comfortable. In my book, "comfortable" outranks "pretty" after a very short time. Give me a chair when I can sit for more than 20 minutes before my back begins to hurt!

Fitness Facility: All in all, the fitness facilities on all three ships were adequate and my husband enjoyed using them. Asked to rank-order them, DH ranked (1) Princess (2) QM2 (3) Celebrity.

He found fault with the Celebrity gym, because half of the treadmills were unavailable until after 9 a.m. These treadmills were located over cabins and would have disturbed sleeping passengers. This created a situation of fewer treadmills available than were in demand by people, like my DH, who liked to exercise early. This is nothing that could be rectified. It was shortsightedness in the ship design and ability to soundproof. And, certainly, my DH didn't want his exercise to create noise for cabins below…. But, with too few treadmills, exercise needed to be abbreviated, since others were queuing to use the machines. Didn't make my DH happy!

There were adequate numbers of treadmills on both the Princess and Cunard ships. The only (not terribly significant difference) was that the Princess treadmills were placed with a view of the ocean, which DH enjoyed, while the banks of treadmills on the QM2 faced mirrors.

Finally, the QM2 gym lacked space for floor stretches--requiring a bit of creativity. Not insurmountable, but lack of thoughtfulness in design.

I have to mention the magnificent mural by the treadmills on the QM2… which shows runners running from England to New York. It's clever and attractive. Even if you don't exercise, stop in the Fitness Room, next time you are on the QM2, and check it out.

Passengers: There were different vibes on each of these ships. Not better or worse, just different. Cunard passengers are more subdued and Princess less so. Celebrity somewhere in the middle. We made "friends" on all three ships and had good times socializing. Cunard passengers as a totality were definitely more compliant in regard obeying the formal dress code. A number of Princess and Celebrity passengers were more relaxed in their interpretation of "what is formalwear." There were more gamblers on the Princess ship--the casino was busier.

I felt that some Celebrity passengers were less well-traveled than passengers on Cunard, but that could have been overhearing a couple on Celebrity complaining because (they learned at one of the ship's "lectures") shops in Cadiz, Spain weren't going to accept American cash (as if everyone, everywhere in the world should!)

We talked to people on each ship who were taking their first cruise and we talked to people who were very experienced travelers. People on each ship appeared to be having a good time. Different vibes, but much in common, too. Sea life.

Disembarkation We did self-disembarkation at the end of each of these cruises. Celebrity was very early---BEFORE 7 o'clock--kind of a shock! Otherwise, self-disembarkation was pretty much the same --- equally easy from each of the ships.

Conclusions DH and I book first according to itinerary and price and secondly by cruise line. Cunard is our favorite, because it meets a standard which makes us comfortable, because we dearly enjoy the daytime enrichment lectures, and because we love sailing on the QM2, whenever possible.

The Celebrity sailing was a first for us. We liked it. We have sailed on Princess five times, all in the Caribbean (in the winter).

We would take each of these cruises, again, for the reasons we booked them in the first place. Was the anniversary cruise of the QM2 "better" than a cheap week on Princess in January? Not necessarily. Princess took us to Aruba when it was minus-something at home (and the QM2 was off on her world cruise unavailable to take us anywhere).

Different cruises at different times for different reasons. Not without some faults. But, basically: all good. Good voyages. Good ships.

Yes, we also enjoyed Halifax and Peggy's Cove. Lovely weather too. Thursday also.

 

Yesterday in NY was very heavy mist/fog, followed by rain, followed by very hot sunny weather, followed by a thunderstorm when leaving. But we managed to dash out onto the top deck for the sail under the VZ bridge!

 

It was so strange at 4.30am yesterday (Friday) getting up to look out of the hull balcony and just seeing a blanket of grey! It was like someone had pulled a roller blind down.

 

We have a starboard room and our view all day long was of the Statue of Liberty to the left and the Manhattan skyscrapers to the right. The view from the port side of the ship - not so nice!

Thank you for your vivid description, Ray. Off you go, out into the Atlantic…Please keep your commentary coming!

At the risk of being the contrarian I'd vote for a six day crossing. An ocean liner is supposed to take people someplace in a reasonable amount of time. Now that some crossings are eight days (or nine if there is a call at Halifax) QM2 is a mustang with her legs tied.

 

I wonder if passengers would spend a premium for a six day crossing? From the chatter I read here - about waiting out for deals - probably not too many.

We did pay less for our last '14 crossing than we paid for our first in '07, which was a six-day voyage.

When the ship crossed in 6 days, talk on CC was about how balconies (except the sheltered in hull ones) made no sense, because it was too windy on the QM2 to go out on them. DH and I ventured out on deck once, briefly, on the 6 day '07 crossing and the wind was extremely unpleasant (and my hair-do "ruined").

In comparison, in '10 (two autumn crossings) and '12 (two autumn crossings), we walked the deck enjoying sun and warm weather every single day.

I wouldn't disagree with a short burst of speed, for the sake of enjoying the speed, during a voyage, but going at full-clip the entire time is not conducive to enjoying time on deck or most balconies. In my opinion.

Plus, DH and I appreciate the cost saving. We are happy with slower and less expense. But, we are retired and not in any hurry when we travel. I'm sure there are people for whom a one day shorter voyage would be a positive.

You can have my upgrade. Just received an "upgrade"? To a cabin right across from the laundry room. Don't understand how that can be an upgrade ?? So upset :(

 

 

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Once, we were on the QM2 for a segment of a world cruise, so doing laundry was a necessity. The queue for the laundry extended into the hallway and people, waiting in line, were very chatty and loud. The people in the cabin opposite complained and there was a handwritten sign placed on the laundry room door, saying it wouldn't open until 9 (instead of 7:30).

If laundry noise is a nuisance, don't hesitate to complain. Cunard staff can, at least, delay laundry opening time.

Also, pack ear plugs and beware of future offers to have an upgrade.

But, have a great sailing! Don't let this ruin a lovely voyage for you. We have only needed ear plugs once on the QM2, but they made all the difference.

This is my advice as a native New Yorker: do not get in a any car hawking fares, be it a limo or a sedan, (either at the pier or on in Manhattan) as that practice is illegal in NY. Only use licensed Yellow cabs or a pre-arranged car service with good references and a license to operate a car service, several of which has been recommended on this forum. -Salacia

We were in the taxi line, Salacia, which the limo drivers approached, asking if people wanted to go to JFK (shouting out $35 as the fare). We had no idea this was illegal! Good information to have. Thanks for sharing.

Nclbella, You didn't mention where you (and the QM2) will be traveling.

Shipboard dress in the daytime varies with climate and location.

DH and I have both worn shorts ("nice, presentable shorts") to the MDR for lunch many times… On segments of world cruises. While in warmers water. Transatlantic travel tends to have people dressed in longer trousers during the day. I'm not sure about Mediterranean cruises, but if the weather is warm, you will see shorts on board in the daytime.

Male dress code for the evening is well spelled out. Ladies have a range of choice on non-formal nights. You see "cocktail dress" listed as suitable for both formal and non-formal evenings. This is because some women (but not all) want to dress to the nines every single night.

On the other hand, many of us want to be less formal on non-formal nights and save the cocktail dress for formal night. That works, too.

Generally, people who travel on Cunard ships respect the idea of dressing appropriately for dinner and the overall effect is pleasing. You don't see the odd outlier who comes to dinner on formal night in a collarless tee shirt, no tie, and a sport coat--- which we have on Celebrity and Princess.

But, it isn't really a mysterious or intimidating situation. You have cruised a lot and already are familiar with human behavior and apparel.

You should enjoy the ship---she is a beauty.

Shorts in the evening? No.

Gentlemen wear a jacket in the evening on non-formal nights in the dining room.

Exactly! My early crossings were 6 days. Now they are seven - yeah!

Ditto.

We have never minded the "extra day" onboard the QM2.

During a Sept '12 westbound, the weather was beautiful---warm and sunny. Captain slowed the ship to even less than the typical crossing speed. The deck was almost wind-free and unbelievably pleasant.

Sometimes, slower is better.

My observations were centered around transportation available, not a prediction of being able to make a morning flight. I haven't been on an airplane in almost 30 years. I have no experience leaving a ship with the intention of boarding any plane within a certain time span.

Yes, there will be taxis waiting by the terminal, but Keith and Pepper make very good points about the possibility (if remote) that the ship could arrive late. This could happen. We were once delayed boarding because the QM2 arrived late in Brooklyn. Late by several hours.

Also, traffic could get snarled and driving time get be longer than anticipated.

Wishing you the best of luck.

Hi jimmybean,

 

Thank you :) . Sadly, this won't be a crossing, merely a Southampton to Hamburg and return trip. However, it is a mini-cruise that I've not done since 2008 and I am very much looking forward to it. So six days to go and then four nights on board.

 

I'm also booked on a mini-cruise in September, but this is to spend time on board QM2 with a very special friend; so I get to see two gracious and wonderful ladies on one voyage :) !

 

Thank you again, with all best wishes :) .

My misunderstanding, but still a lucky devil ; ) I am jealous, jealous, jealous. We have never taken a mini-cruise, but sounds like you will have a wonderful time.

What are the chances of making an 1130 flight with early disembarking.Are there taxis that early at the cruise terminal Thanks

We self-disembarked on May 16th in Brooklyn and were off the ship by 7:15. There was a queue for taxi service, which took us about 10 minutes.

At the same time, there were limo drivers trying to arrange car service to JFK. I heard them say "$35" (hawking to the crowd in general) but have no idea if that was per person or per couple. It's New York, so probably per person <??> They were trying to fill up before leaving for the airport…

We weren't going to an airport, so waited for a taxi. (Taxis would also take you to the airport, but the limos seemed to be waiting that morning and ready to go sooner)

You don't need to arrange car service in advance when self-disembarking. There will be limos and taxis waiting to offer service.

Have a wonderful sailing.