axelskater

Wow  - thanks. The decorations are great. Nice attention to detail. The birds of paradise as orange accents are a nice touch. I have been on board 16X now - this will be 17, but almost never on a holiday - except July 4th! Back when we often sailed QM2 Caribbean they had a Pirate Night/Buccaneer Ball and we used to bring pirate costumes. We won the costume contest a few times but unfortunately the prize was Pol  Acker 🤣🤣

Though I have often brought masks on board and fully participated in the masquerade ball - I want to wear a costume this time. Even if we are a bit in the minority - I am going to go ahead and do it I think. Even though no one may recognize me, I am going as the "Tightrope Girl". My husband is going as the "Ghost Host" if I can talk him into it 

We will be on board Victoria for Halloween 🎃. Has anyone been on board a Cunard ship for Halloween ? Are there any activities ? It’s a formal night and the masquerade ball is planned but I actually was thinking of bringing a costume. Thanks. 

8 minutes ago, ballroom-cruisers said:

 

There are quite a lot of people who, like you and I, love the Big Band era music, the swing era, the RatPack era music, both to listen to as well as to dance to. But in recent years we have also danced to more modern music that is not just pop music but has a tempo that matches one or other of the International Standard dances - there are pop songs that are cheeky superb cha cha, wonderful waltzes, fabulous foxtrots, romantic rumbas, and fit beautifully to those dances despite being pop songs. 

If the band is aware of how people dance, they can indeed play a mix of traditional classic pieces or modern songs if they understand the rhythms properly.  There are also lots of classic film themes that are great ballroom or Latin dances - some of the Bond film themes are lovely foxtrots or rumbas for example. There are certainly disco music sets where dancers can also dance various ballroom or Latin dances to the music - and jives of course too.

So yes I didn't understand how the article I linked had any connection to what happens on today's voyages, from several of the bits of information in that story, which is why I raised the issue as a question.

Oh, I of course did not mean anything by it towards you - more that I cannot believe Cunard put out this article which makes one think of the way the voyages were pre-2020. I am glad you posted it because it makes me wonder if they are getting complaints and are trying to assure people they will still have all genres... One thing, is I do not mind the modern music mixed in. I do not really need 3 hours of it every night in the QR. I hope they find a happy medium. 

That article sounds like QM2 before covid. I have not been on her since then. But I was on the QE in July. Zero dance hosts. Music in QR is not my favorite. The most crowded night of dancing was the Big Band Night. I am not sure why Cunard has gone completely modern in their ballrooms. I am not really wanting to dance to "Don't ya wish your girlfriend was hot like me"? in the ballroom. Yes I am younger than many of the "average" age of Cunard pax but I sail Cunard because we love hearing big band and Sinatra and the like. 

Not sure why they cannot mix a few modern songs along with a few standards in the evenings i the ballroom if they are trying to trend in that direction. From my observations, it was not a popular change. I think people want a mix but who knows. The most popular night was the night we heard all the standards. The article linked by the OP was a complete fallacy. 

As for International dance couple - we had one and they performed in the queens room, gave all the lessons, and danced in the Yacht Club with passengers. 

Food and drink pictures are part of marketing the voyages if you are an agent. Selfies - no thanks, I don't do them. Taking unobtrusive shots displaying restaurants, dishes and drinks, or even a snippet of the entertainment can help sell trips and give people a feel for what the ships are like. Especially first timers. 

You know, I do not think you can count the college buffet experience. I mean, we all did crazy things back then so at least you made it through 😁

On 4/4/2022 at 9:43 AM, Raiders4Life32 said:

Totally agree with you about norovirus. My wife and I are far more concerned with catching noro vs. COVID on a cruise ship. Especially when research has shown that COVID is not prominently spread through surface contamination.

I had Noro after a Cunard voyage. I will take Covid any day of the week over the horrible feeling of Norovirus - especially in a foreign country. My bout with Covid (Delta variant)  was nothing since I got mAB & early treatment, and my bout with Omicron over New Years was nothing more than a very mild cold with a very low fever for less than 24hours (I got early treatment then too), With Noro I thought I was going to just die and we had just left the ship; it was the sickest I have ever been...in the dead of winter in a drafty castle LOL. The malaise from that one was 4 days or so. But I never blamed management or anyone else for it. Virus gonna virus, you just have to accept that if you want to travel and vacation.  

I am considering sailing on the Mardi Gras in April and have a few questions on dining and entertainment 

Is "YTD" meaning dine when you like if there is a slot available? I was thinking of just booking the assigned dining but paying for a few of the other restaurants such as the steakhouse or other alternative venues. Is this how it is done if you would like an assigned table but will eat dinner in a few of the other restaurants? 

The website is not very clear and when I called Carnival there was not a clear answer on dining. Perhaps because it is a new ship. 

I know the ship just started sailing but I was also looking at some vlogs and websites regarding entertainment venues. It seems like there is a New Orleans jazz band as well as a Latin band (perhaps with some Latin dancing?) but are there other non-disco alternatives on the ship or on this class of Carnival ship in general? I saw a piano bar which is promising but was wondering about any other styles of music...Is there a movie theater by chance? I saw a few theatres but they are perhaps for live shows. Thanks for any help or input. I may just book as the deposit is not very high right now!

Help! Cunard gave me no info on where the cruise transfer picks you up at Newark airport in the morning. The Cunard rep just said “between 10 & 11” and didn’t even know where! Does anyone know which terminal at the airport or the time the Cunard transfer picks you up at Newark airport?? We are supposed to catch it tomorrow! Thanks all 

I am working on trying to get from Southampton to France the day we arrive in port from NY. Ferries are not a good option as the high speed ferries leave too early from Portsmouth. Has anyone taken a Cunard transfer to London and hopped a quick flight to Paris? We could take a car to the airport or the Cunard transfer but the flight I was thinking of leaves around 3. Is that enough time to get to the airport ? We can easily carry off self-debark ...

Thx!

Ask a non-risk taker I carry my own sanitizer and pen. I also don't use the public bathrooms on the ship. As for touching handrails or elevator buttons - never done it, never well. Use my elbow for the button and don't touch the handrails ever even in heels. Have not eaten at a Cunard buffet in years either though I am not fond of the food anyway...but if I did I would just use a napkin to handle the serving utensils. These things are just a few extra seconds in life and no big deal but I have been on board during code red Noro breakouts and never had a problem.

Do they serve alcohol at happy hour?

 

 

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Lots : )

Where else will I go? Well I don't have to be on a ship. For me Cunard was not about the ports it was about the voyage, the history, the things on board and the formality/elegance.

There are 3 wonderful places for us to go within a few hours drive -

The Greenbriar - jacket/suits required, dining, dancing, live music, and things like shooting, archery and other interesting things to try.

The Homestead- same as above

The Hotel Roanoke with its beautiful Regency Room - while not as formal as the places above, still elegant and wonderful.

Society can move along without me. I will just enjoy a little taste of the past on land instead of at sea.

Exactly the responses I was expecting. Which proves my contention that it is pointless to wail and whinge on here about the lowering of Cunard's standards because the prevailing view and actions are just this. "I'll wear what I like when I like.' and all too frequently the attitude of , 'And I'll do what I like when I like.' goes along with that. And that's just how it is. See the many, many posts on here over the years from people, usually males, asking questions about what they can 'get away with' on formal nights, how far can they stretch the rules, will there be sanctions against dining etc. etc.

And of course my post was judgemental, (what a pejorative word that has become), if I can judge someone as being smartly dressed then I can do the same for someone who isn't. We all make judgements about other other people, it's human nature. How often do we hear the plaintive cry of 'Don't judge me'. Well how the dickens are we to come to any conclusions without a judgement.

MM

I actually loved it. I won't bother with Cunard either if they change the atmosphere though the person who remarked the entertainment & enrichment were "nothing special" is incorrect. Cunard is probably the only upper-middle line with enrichment lectures, programs, full orchestra, strings & such.

But alas, here in this thread anyway I am in the minority. We went to Alaska on the Eurodam in September - comparable cabin class as to what we sail n Cunard. The ship looked like it was decorated in the 80's, the music was loud and grating - which is fine for one venue but not all the clubs I would think. The entertainment which was pleasant - the "Kennedy Center" nights - were stuffed into a small afterthought corner. Alaska was beautiful. HAL was pretty awful. We booked another Alaska voyage on QE, then cancelled several weeks ago since I prefer the formality and tradition of Cunard and its dress code. The West coast of the US will bring out the less formal crowd. So we booked a TA on the QM2 instead to give it one last whirl.

Everyone has their reasons for sailing a certain line. With me and Cunard it is the formality and the elegance. Take it away and it is Holland America - a sad clone of their heyday. No thanks. I also sail Disney, who may charge triple what most lines charge, but they offer something unique too - superior service, beautiful ships, and the best entertainment. Disney knows better than to change its product. If Cunard doesn't then I won't bother sailing them anymore. I am sure plenty of others will take our place and it will be a nice memory for us while it lasted.

Thank you for that! Although it is a bit disappointing to not be able to make the high speed ferry the day we get in, I don't think I want to do a slower one to the Caen area port. I suppose 1 night in Portsmouth will be a necessity. I did not care for Southampton at all - but maybe we just went to the wrong areas! The Portsmouth Cherbourg ferry is so quick though, and the afternoon ferry to Caen looked like it was overnight....

We hit a Nor'easter a few years back on the sailing before Christmas. 35-40 foot seas and when we docked in NYC that morning, 5 inches of snow on our balcony. It was fine - but not really my preference

we leave it for the staff. Plenty of liquor at home : )

The Happy Limo company waited for us in an area then pulled up when we texted them

I think my mom might have paid 25.00 for mixology or something like that. Not more - and she did get 4 mini drinks which was *ahem* more than enough for her

We agree. We would actually cancel our next voyage if it wasn’t for the fact that we live in the UK and would lose our deposit if we did so but we now feel that the product we booked, and are locked into, isn’t what we signed up for, ie the expanding of areas where casual dress is allowed which will, in our opinion, spoil the ambiance of the ship.

I did actually cancel my 10 day Alaska on QE because the cost was so astronomical (which would not really be an issue if Cunard made no changes at all) and went ahead and used that booking towards a TA on QM2. That will be it for Cunard until we see how all of this shakes out. People can make jokes if they like, but for my money I want the formal experience. It is not about the ports, etc.; it is just the closest thing we can get to stepping back in time (orchestra, dancing, strings concerts, formality) - which is so rare now. The ship's atmosphere is what it is all about for us.

I did not see an afternoon ferry so I will take a look at this Ouistraham one thank you. I actually used a car service who is still in operation on my previous voyages so we could have him waiting for us. We would self-debark so we would get off by 7-7:30am...and the ferry departs Portsmouth at 9. The ride took 30 minutes in the past..

The main thing I was hoping to do was to have the high speed ferry rather than a longer one, but I am just unsure of timing. The Eurostar could be a great idea but goes past where we need to be...I suppose it does not stop until Paris and our time will be spent in Normandy before flying home.

I appreciate all of this wonderful information ad advice. I am looking at Portsmouth hotels and of course it is a while off so I have not really decided anything yet. Just looking to make sure I plan this one day the right way!

I've been reading the reviews of the Queens and I'm now thinking we are worried about the wrong thing. Dress is the least of our problems. The food was universally panned, service was awful, on and on. One man on a 4 week voyage got off after two weeks it was so bad. The upper deck buffet was called "nasty" and especially vilified. Think I'll book more evenings in the "Veranda" specialty dining room...

That is not my experience in 15 voyages. My last 7 voyages were Grills but we enjoyed Britannia before that, and the specialty restaurants too. A nice mix of each.

People often complain more easily than they praise. If you love your voyage you go home with great memories. Statistically you are not likely to write a review. People who are disappointed, be it real or imagined are more likely to complain and vent, if for no other reason than to commiserate and find others to validate that complaint. I guess that is Psychology 101. I have no complaints about the food, cabins, entertainment, majority of staff, cleanliness and upkeep of ship, afternoon tea, activities - like flower arranging or lectures, Grills areas, shops and library... My one and only problem is I like the formality of Cunard and don't want that to change. Everything else has always been great.

I have done 2 PG and 5 QG - I never really saw a difference except the suite size and I enjoy the vanity in QG.

As for Off menu - the one thing I loved to order off menu are flambe desserts and both restaurants had fun coming up with different things to light on fire for dessert. The only other thing I have ever ordered off menu is risotto once per cruise. Never had any issue with either restaurant - they seem the same to me. It is the flowers, the cabin size and the nice vanity and large closet which make the difference.

It would be interesting to see if those disliking the new rules were older. 70 and over? No offense to anyone in saying that either. It's a generation thing. Like it or not if Cunard doesn't change then in 10 years time you will find they go out of business. The next generation "mostly" don't feel the same about formal clothes being worn all the time. Or a tie etc, and just wait till you get the millennials all grown up and on mass! You may hate it and want to keep it but it is how it is.

42. There you have it.

I have previously only done westbound TA and have just booked an Eastbound TA (NY - Southampton)

The ship normally arrives in NY around 6-6:30-ish and I was wondering if this is true in Southampton also? Does anyone have time estimates on customs - which can vary of course - but a general time for the customs for NON-UK citizens. We always do self-debarkation and were thinking of hiring a private car to drive us to Portsmouth to catch the ferry over to Cherbourg but I am sure it would be tight, in regards to timing. It is a Sunday though so perhaps traffic would not be too bad. Just trying to see which option would be feasible.

Our other options would be a longer "ferry" (rather than the 3-4 hour high speed one) on an overnight crossing to St Malo or a stay over night in Portsmouth to catch the high speed ferry the next day. Does anyone have experience with either the long ferry or staying over in Portsmouth who can make a recommendation on these options. My preference is to high tail it off the ship and go straight to the Portsmouth ferry but of course that might not work...

Thank you!