RJChatsworth

Interesting! On QM-2 a couple of weeks ago we had the QG restaurant invitation card in the cabin with no table number on it and there were no numbers on the tables the whole time we were on the voyage.

I should have perhaps mentioned in the previous post that a long time ago there was a card in your cabin which you took to the restaurant and the card had a table number on it.

That's an interesting question. Whenever I have mentioned loyalty status in QG they don't seem interested. Perhaps it's the same in all the restaurants. They say it is all to do with when you booked, but I can't believe cabin category doesn't comes into the mix. On our recent B2B to New York in QG there were no numbers on the tables. On arrival at the podium on the first day the relief Maitre d' fiddled with his computer and instructed a waiter to take us to a particular table.. We were one of the first in the restaurant and we were taken to an area where there were five tables of two in a row and the last one was up against the wall. The other tables in the row were occupied and each was served in turn from the centre of the room to the wall. Could it be a coincidence in an empty restaurant we all turned up in turn in this one row from the centre of the restaurant to the wall. It seemed quite strange at the time. With no numbers on the tables gives the Maitre d' much power in allocation by seeing whether he likes you, perhaps what nationality you might be and whether you are known to him - the so called family/club factor.Does it matter, I don't know. It did at the time and we asked to be moved but that's another story mentioned elsewhere.

This rings a bell from a previous theme a long time ago. Does there come a point in the booking procedure that they say we can’t take anymore bookings for wheelchair passengers because in a real emergency we wouldn’t have the crew to cope with the lifts not working. Presumably for Health & Safety reasons there must be an upper limit on each voyage. Does anyone know what the H&S implications are?

If they tell everyone in advance about the off-menu meals the kitchen might be overloaded. Perhaps they hope you find out slow-time! It’s like caviar - they don’t advertise that and I’m told if you request it you are restricted to the number of times you can have it. Depending on who you are!! Reminds me of the old times on P&O. They had Stilton but only on request if you knew about it!!

Victoria2 - Andrew Naylor, now you are going back. He was the real deal! For years he was in charge of QG on QE-2. And do you remember the lovely Michael who took a kip every afternoon when QG closed by laying on the settee type seating in parts of the restaurant. He had a favourite spot. He didn’t seem to want to go back to his cabin.

Agree Windsurfboy. The two tables next to us were astounded when I told them we’d ordered curry off-menu. They started to do it with steak pie mentioned earlier.

Following on from #51 we had a great rapport with our Head Waiter who came to table to chat regularly. We even met him in Kings Court where I told him not to answer when I asked why Md always went to certain tables only and he gave a knowing laugh!

Agree do it all the time especially with Md if he comes to table which he didn’t in two weeks on last voyage!

majortom10 - we have travelled in all categories many times as you might guess with 53 voyages. I couldn’t really say there is a lot of difference in the service we have received in all categories. They all have their slow moments but the staff are generally all caring. Having said that both my wife and I find PG on whichever ship have mostly had the best atmosphere. I can’t explain it and is better than we have found in QG, particularly on QM-2. On this ship there are areas in QG where the tables are really sqeezed in and worse than in PG or Club Britannia. In PG the menu is almost identical to that in QG if not identical, but I do enjoy the off-menu aspect in QG. On our recent QM-2 B2B to New York I could see the relief Maitre d’ buzzing between certain tables at lunchtime asking them what they wanted, but he never came to the back of the restaurant so you had to request his presence from a waiter. On one occasion he didn’t come so I went looking for him and he’d gone off duty. A head waiter sorted it for us but they were reluctant to if the Maitre d’ was about. Nevertheless, in the first week I was able to order a chicken jalfezzi and in the second week a lamb bhuna! Both were great. On another, three of us on separate tables, with all this fancy food about, said tonight we could murder steak pie (no kidney), wilted spinach, chips and gravy. We all thoroughly enjoyed it! I think you might have to go on bended knee a bit for caviar, we didn’t!

No, only on the last morning, but I’m reluctant to jump to any conclusions because their gesture might be one of good to meet you and have a safe journey home. Could be seen as good Cunard PR!

When we left the QG restaurant after breakfast on disembarkation day there were two head waiters either side of the walkway to the exit. Was that a friendly and polite goodbye to departing passengers or hovering. I wouldn’t have a clue.

I noticed in the QG restaurant the passing of tips was less discrete and in the form of rolled up notes rather than envelopes. I seem to remember in years gone by it was always envelopes!

Just off QM-2. I was told that Head Office was holding the details close to their chests and the only thing they have been told is that the internet was to be improved involving wiring each cabin. Not sure whether I can believe that internet point.

Indian guy I guess. We didn’t know him. He was rarely at the entrance podium when you arrived or left. Didn’t look at you and muttered a low level ‘Hello’ if he spoke at all. I was told he was a relief Maitre d’ to cover all restaurants. On outward journey there were many Americans where we were seated but they all disembarked in favour of Brits on the way back from NY and then he was rarely seen. The US citizens might have a different view as he was probably quite visible to them. I don’t know why. I didn’t hear the rumour about Osman moving to QA. However, one of the Head Waiters (I won’t identify him) with whom we got on very well said he’d had enough after a long spell on QM-2 and had been accepted for a transfer to QG on QA next year. He might be following Osman or fed up he wasn’t asked to act up to Maitre d’ in QG. Who knows! The acting M d’ is, in my opinion, certainly no Osman who is away until September!

Yes, I agree, even though a bit squeezed in. Don’t remember about the medals but there were many and the bar was level with the end of his shoulder. We were first allocated a not very nice table in the indentation, particularly so we considered, because of the number of times we’d been on Cunard. I requested a move by the relief Maitre d’ but perhaps I made a mistake in asking the whereabouts of Osman. He said he’d look into a move for us. A day later I reminded him as we hadn’t heard from him. We then turned down a share and accepted a table for 2 at the rear of the restaurant. A few days later he told us we would be moved in NY as he was changing two tables for 2 with a round table for 6. In NY we were moved a row forward but the table for 6 didn’t materialise. Instead 3 tables for two spaced so you couldn’t walk between them. We therefore benefitted from that move.

There was a concentration of Q5’s at rear of restaurant by the open deck. Interestingly on the way out to NY in the corner table by the open deck was a guy who on formal nights was displaying about a 12 inch bar of medals. He also had a large Star shaped medal around his neck. He was getting the attention and we wondered whether he was a knight of the realm.

This is a tricky subject. We are just off QG on a QM-2 B2B to New York. We always leave the auto-grat on and give extra only for exceptional service. Osman was on holiday and there was a relief Maitre d’. We just couldn’t warm to him and he never smiled. He once in 14 days walked us to our seat. On a second occasion he came from behind his podium to do so until he saw passengers from the Q1-4 end come into the restaurant and left us. We don’t really want to be escorted into the restaurant but that is not the point. It had been noted by others as well that he concentrated his efforts on certain tables, almost always those of US passengers as far as we could judge. Other examples were talking to them endlessly, relieving the Head Waiter of his flambé duties in favour of himself and at lunchtime asking them in particular whether they wanted a special meal that evening and not asking anyone else like those in the Q5 section at the rear of the restaurant. I wonder why this was? They couldn’t all have been related to him. I did see one passenger thrust money into his hand even before we sailed. I note this giving of extra tips is not so discrete these days as if some are saying we auto-tip but look at us now! On QV a few years ago I had just started a conversation with a PG Maitre d’ when we were interrupted by someone giving him a tip. He seemed so embarrassed he wanted to talk about it. He said he was salaried and well paid and the money should be given to those poorly paid behind the scenes. The tables in the Q5 end of the restaurant were poorly spaced, about 6 inches for many of them. This is far worse that PG and Britannia Club. At the other end of the QG restaurant they are wide-spaced. As Osman once told me if you want to be nearer the entrance to the restaurant you have to pay more for your stateroom. Thera are some 6 cabin categories in the QG so it’s always go into be a bit hierarchical. This is not the case in PG where there are only two categories and the passengers seem more integrated.

Not that I’m aware.

We now have new occupants in the ‘dog’ suite next door. The butler told me that it took a long time to defumigate and shampoo everything in the room with specialised stuff they have. As the occupants only went to the QG restaurant once he had to take in all their meals. The dog was quite partial to salmon!

The thought of this huge dog in a lovely Q5 stateroom and the unsuspecting embarking passengers tomorrow is awful. The dog seemed to be taken out twice a day for a walk but where did it do its business, what happened to the hairs when groomed, was it bathed in the jacuzzi, where did the food come from, what happened to the waste etc etc? If the kennels are full the dog should not occupy a cabin. When I first dropped this dog thing into a conversation with our head waiter he said don’t tell me I know about it. How did he know - perhaps it’s the talk of the crew?

It’s not 9058. Why are there kennels on QM-2? A photo my get me a black eye?!!

The dog was outside our cabin last evening and is bigger than I thought. The owners had to back it down the corridor so we could get out then asked which way we were going as you could hardly pass it in the narrow QM-2 corridors. The dog has long shaggy hair so dog hairs in the room must be a problem. I assume the owners booked a QG cabin because the dog would be difficult to house in something smaller. The owners certainly didn’t book the cabin to take part in QG dining. I am told they have only used their table once. They get off in New York tomorrow. More and more I am beginning to think this whole dog episode is outrageous and Cunard should note it and get a grip of it. We first noticed the dog early on because on opening the patio door on to our balcony there was a long shaggy tail waving on our balcony from under the partition separating the cabins.

I wonder what victoria2 would make of it?