momzcruzing

I did the World Cruise on the QM2 and took many magnets including the magnets that frame a photo print & hold it on the fridge. I had them all over my cabin, so your pack of magnets will definitely work fine. 

Bazzaw, your point is very true, the whole atmosphere of the ship changed with each change in continent and it was a lot of fun.  Americans were never the majority.  First British, then Aussies, South Africans, Asians then ending with Brittish.  And much of the food and entertainment changed with them.  I thought that was one of the nicest parts of the experience, tho I still don't understand British humor.  Often the movie shown each evening would reflect the part of the world we were in.

All in all very few children aboard but on some of the shorter segments there would be more little ones.   

After many weeks together our dining room waiter would bring us scallops if we requested a day or two ahead, tho I  doubt we could do that every day. 

My room service waiter brought me "my usual" on disembarkation day which is not the norm (no room service for those disembarking) 

I took the "behind the scenes" full tour of the ship and the medical center was experiencing an emergency, so the tour skipped that stop.   I mentioned my disappointment to our concierge and received an hour long private tour of the medical center... which was amazing. 

As world cruisers we had our own concierge and they would do what they could for you, within reason.  Cunard made me feel very special.  I realize that if I scrape together a few dollars and do a few back-to-back segments the "extra mile" that was extended to us as world cruisers will not be available to me.  

I did the full world cruise on the QM2 in 2018 as a single woman and loved every minute.  The ship has so much to offer, a wonderful combination of activities and leisure.  The people on every segment are interesting and there is a dedicated lounge for the world cruise guests so you see some of the world cruisers every day and become a familiar community.

Many of the waiters and room service people will offer to do "out of the ordinary" things for you as they get to know you, and I truly miss many of the staff. 

Due to the expense the 2018 cruise was supposed to be "one & done" but all I can think of is how to get myself aboard again... sigh....

I did the entire world cruise on the QM2 this year and at one port in Australia our group toured a winery an we all re-boarded the ship with cartons of wine in each hand that contained 4 bottles per carton. At other ports I bought wine ashore and security never questioned it. I asked my room steward to stock my room with wine glasses.

In another port our group went rum tasting and again our purchases breezed thru security.

Enjoy your cruise and your libations!

Hi Fayecruises, it sounds like you were on the 2018 World Voyage on the QM2 with me. I also chose an inside cabin (to offset the price of being solo in a cabin) and it was a mistake! I have always booked balconies and suites and while the inside cabin was very cozy, I had to make a real effort to do activities on deck that I would normally do in my cabin, like read. It is however perfect for sleeping well.

I too took too much luggage, but I enjoyed every minute of the cruise and would do it again in a minute.

To GoBucks... your plans are very doable. I knitted a great deal and it was fun having people inspecting my creations as they evolved. I had people come up to me at the end and tell me not to pack the items until they had seen them a final time. Hint: midway in the cruise I lost one of my knitting needles and we were never in a port where I could find a shop that sold knitting needles, so take a spare pair as I definitely will next time!!!

I loaded lots of book on my kindle and read about 30 of them by the pool... aaaahhhhh...I sure miss that!!

I participated in the bridge lessons every day and played many afternoons and am heading off to play bridge today! With that amount of practice you should develop a good game and the confidence to play it.

Enjoy your world cruise, it was a fabulous adventure and i enjoyed every minute.

I did this tour in April of this year and it is indeed $120. I enjoyed it immensely and am very glad that I did it.

Our group missed the medical center as they had an emergency and were closed to visitors. As a medical professional I was very disappointed and asked if it would be possible to include me for that aspect only on the next tour. They took my name and soon I got a personalized invitation to be toured around the medical center. I got to spend about an hour with a nurse inspecting their entire operation, lab, x-ray, pharmacy, ICU, transport team & morgue. I was very pleased with every aspect of touring the QM2.

I just spent 120 days on the QM2 and I'll try to answer your questions.

Alcohol can be carried on and sometimes bought in the onboard store to be consumed in your cabin. You can buy the wine by the bottle too in the MDR like all cruise lines. The wine packages offer very little discount. You can also carry on any wine you buy and pay the $20 corkage fee.

The balls really mean "it is formal night, dress accordingly" Most people WILL dress very formally. The actual "ball" is the ballroom dancing that begins in the Queens room at 9:45pm. For the themed ball some dress in the theme but probably only 20%

Where can't you go? The grills sections are not readily apparent. They have a separate restaurant, sundeck and bar, but you won't see them without looking. You can eat in MDR, Kings Court Buffet, the Verandah ($49pp) and the pop-up cuisine restaurants ($19.pp)

The planetarium tickets are put out about 9am on deck 2 all the way forward, at the main counter in front of the connections classrooms and near the internet room. They are free, just take a couple. There are some for every 1/2 hour. So about 200-300 tickets for each of about 5 shows. They are free. About 5 minutes before the show a line forms outside the planetarium and there is a side "with tickets" and another line "without tickets" I never saw the show full.

Any other questions will be gladly answered. :)

I just returned from 120 days on the QM2 and there is indeed a big bell in the Grand Lobby that is sounded every day at noon.

Kathi has warned me twice on these boards now that this will almost surely not be my only World Voyage.. and her words ring loudly of the absolute truth!! Sigh! I mentioned it to my two pups and currently they are not speaking to me ;p.

On the opposite vein Jan mentions that their upcoming World Cruise was on their "something we'd never do list" which has had me chuckling for days... it was on mine too. I thought I'd miss the kids, grandkiddos, pups, friends, etc way to much. "A month is the perfect cruise" was my motto. Chewing up those words as I type!

As several of you posted the details, (especially with Christmas mixed in) has my head spinning and I have a "To-Do" list that looks like one used by a bride prior to the wedding. (A month before page... a week before page.. 5 days before, etc..) I sat myself down and admitted that I may forget a few things and the world will go on just fine.

Finally as most of you have posted, with all this hectic preparation & anticipation be sure to relax and enjoy...trust me, that is at the top of my list!! And thank you for the reminders, I am to type not to miss a single lecture, show, needlework group, etc. I could kill my self on relaxing days at sea!! I have vowed that when I get to my cabin I plan to close the door and just relax for as long as necessary (possibly days) before I emerge. I am not much of a drinker but I am sure that a glass of wine will be involved here!

I love sharing the anticipation with those of you who understand my excitement!

Many Thanks,

Martie

I have really enjoyed all of your replies and they keep me sane as I count down the days. By being on Cruise Critic every waking moment that is not busy with planning & Christmas, my friends are relieved of the burden of listening to my "cruise chatter."

I have memorized both Scrapnana's & Keith's blog (as well as several others) and am ready for the quiz! They are extremely helpful and each time thru I find another detail that I had previously overlooked. I have bought the "IT" luggage that I found out about thru Kathi's blog and am amazed at how light it is.... HUGE help. The 7 pounds gained per case will be a huge help! Many Thanks!

Keith & Ann Marie certainly set the bar high for remaining diligent with healthy exercising and eating for the duration of the voyage. They are my inspiration & I will think of them when I am tempted to skip my Pilates & walking routine in favor of breakfast in bed with a pastry (or two...:eek:)

Great ideas everyone! Yes, the "tux" look for a woman is a great idea that I hadn't considered. In weighing everything I am finding some "blingy" jewelry weighs more than another dress. As a nurse, sadly my "bling" collection is lacking.... sob.

It has been fun shopping the sales for some gowns! (No beads, they are heavy) One pair of silver heels only! But it will be a challenge to pack everything that has ended up in my World Cruise closet into 2 suitcases, I guess I'll have to toss out any gifts for World Cruise participants, no room to bring them home!

Last night I actually counted, and we will have 37 formal nights. Like Scrapnana, I enjoy dressing for dinner, however I can see a room service burger & movie being relaxing after many days ashore.

Tho I have done about 50 cruises, I have never done a world cruise and I have never been on a Cunard Ship.

When I booked (the Queen Mary 2) for Jan of 2018 it seemed like a fantasy but I set about making all the necessary arrangements including buying formal dresses (I had disposed of all of mine in a recent move :eek:)

Now that almost every visa is secured, insurance policy paid up, and details of house, pups & car attended to, I am more wound up than a 5 year old anticipating Christmas morning! I think my friends & family must be weary of hearing me talk endlessly about my upcoming adventure & packing challenges.

I know the Christmas season will be a welcome diversion and I have lots of Grandkiddos to spoil, but honestly how are the rest of you coping with the anticipation of what will probably be the "Voyage of a Lifetime?"

Hmmm...we will be onboard for 120 days and plan 2 checked pieces and carry-on for each but we do NOT have any formal nights and will be mostly in warm climates.

Hi Deec, I am doing the World Cruise on the Queen Mary 2 for 124 days and am paying $100 each way for the second 50 pound checked bag (the first bag is free) As you may know the Queen Mary is a very formal ship with over 30 formal nights. I am trying to be calm & organized about packing and treating this as a science experiment. I have a food scale out and am weighing my shoes, jewelry, OTC meds, etc.

I am booked with the Road Scholar group which has booked my flight to London, transfers to the ship, etc. so probably no option to buy items when I land. Scrapnana gave me really good advice when I posted first on this thread a few months back, but as the time draws close, I'm wondering if I can really pull this off. All suggestions are welcome at this point.

Hi Everybody, I too am on this cruise and am losing sleep over this India visa issue. I did a cruise that visited 4 ports in India several years ago and getting the tourist visa challenged my mental health, so I was thrilled to read on the Cunard website that the E-visa would be sufficient (easier & less costly)

I too, would happily remain on the ship that day. As I am on the ship for the entire World Cruise, to be denied boarding would be unthinkable. GASP!!! (It is day 97 of the world voyage!

When we did the cruise with multiple ports in India (on RCL) we were also told that we would be denied boarding if we did not obtain the visa but there were over 100 passengers that did not have the visa, and they were even allowed to go ashore in Cochin thru some special arrangement.

To HiHilo, I was reading on my passport renewal that the reason they return you previous passport is so that you can make use of any visas that have not expired. This was from the Gov't website. Hope that helps. Sadly my tourist visa was only issued for one year... sob...

I'm looking forward to meeting all of you onboard.

Martie

Thanks Keith and Kathy for the hair advice. I like the idea of spending my first 5 weeks on board observing haircuts of officers, etc and approaching them as to who cuts their hair at the salon. I will be needing multiple cuts as I usually have it cut every 5-6 weeks. And like Kathi, even my own haircutter styles it very differently from the way I do it, but making me more current is hopeless!! Just ask my kids.

The Roadscholar "documents" tab for this trip, advises 46 blank passport pages, and tells you how to go about getting the new 52 page passport which I did a few months ago. My old passport had almost 3 years until expiration, but only about 6 blank pages. Getting the new "fat" one was pretty easy.

I just looked on the Cunard website and finally we are eligible for an "E-visa" for India. When they started the program it was only open to those arriving by air, but has recently been open to 3 cruise ports... YAY!

I am posting this in the middle of the night. too excited to sleep! I am leaving in an hour or two for the transpacific cruise on Celebrity from Vancouver to Japan. Once in Japan four of us are touring with a private company for a week or so. This cruise was in place prior to booking the World Cruise or I never would have added the expense and added pestering of my friends for additional doggy babysitting (I have two pups.)

As I was packing earlier Kathi's post of "ladies you can get by with a lot fewer clothes" was playing in my head. I am aware that I have to lug everything around Japan for a week. I have only one medium sized (24") suitcase and my purse, but it feels really heavy (tho under the 50 lbs.) Maybe I'm just weak and need to lift more??? ;)

For those of you addicted to World Cruises do you have to renew your passport each time even tho it is not expired just to get enough empty pages? Mine was 3 years from expiring but I had to renew because they require 46 blank pages. Just curious.

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. Please keep them coming.

Deec, I do use autopay for almost everything. But need online banking access to transfer $$ between accounts... so I don't run out.. LOL!

I'm rereading Scrapnana's world cruise blog and the one by Inside cabin she suggested and there really are good ideas. Reading Two to Travel I am realizing how much touring we will probably do in rainy weather, so when Costco had travel pants with a slick rain resistant fabric on coupon, I got two pairs.

As silly as it sounds my thoughts keep coming back to my hair. I wear it short and blow it dry. It is all about the haircut. I have had the same person cut my hair for the past 40 years & I am so nervous about numerous haircuts without her. (I have offered her the second space in my solo cabin..but alas...) I'm telling myself that if a bad haircut or two along the way is the worst thing that happens, it will be a wonderful adventure. :D

Tho I have no plans to write a blog, tho a few friends have requested it, I do need some internet to pay bills, check email, etc. Will any minutes purchased roll over to the next segment? Or do I have to be careful and purchase just the minutes I think I can use during just that segment?

Scrapnana, your comment that you took too much jewelry was interesting. I thought I'd need more, not less. hmmm....

I have started re-reading your blog of your Cunard voyage in 2014. Very informative! The comments made by your daughter sound exactly like the ones my daughter would make. HaHa...

I also have heard about laundry room wars, and your first trip was reassuring. My room is about 8 doors down from the laundry, so should be handy to case out a good time.

I have printed out Aquadesiac's post on getting the visa for India. I did an entire trip to India and found the visa to be challenging to my mental health. This cruise has only one port in India that I have visited before & would gladly skip, however Cunard (and all cruise lines) are insisting on the visa just to board the ship. This is interesting because the cruise I did with multiple ports in India had over 100 people on board who had failed to get the visa and they just stayed on the ship.

I too love talking cruise, and love any suggestions anyone has for a 123 day voyage. I am really trying to be organized as one of the far corners of the earth is no time to realize that you have not paid your property taxes, etc.

OMG, Scrapnana! I was going to say which suggestion was most helpful but essentially 1-15 are the applicable ones!

Will we have any ports in common on our upcoming Voyages?

I do have about 5 LBD's however I just managed to shed 40 pounds so the local seamstress is going to be making a profit. I bought a pair of floaty evening pants in both black and white and have lots of tops and scarves. I do have 2 gowns with a full skirt, I plan to take them but worry that they will require their own suitcase, tho they don't add much weight.

Having read your blog I am very afraid that World Cruises are very addictive!! THAT could be a problem.

I just opened a second ATM, just in case the first card gets shut down in some port despite notification of the bank.

Both Roadscholar & Cunard show this as one cruise, not segments, and I have no previous Cunard cruises. Do you think I'll still get some internet minutes during the second half?

I am an avid reader of this thread and anything else I can find on World Cruises as I will be doing the World Cruise on the Queen Mary 2 this coming January (2018)

I am a bit overwhelmed by the planing but making lists and taking it one step at a time. I have subscribed to Aquadesiac's "Round the World Writer" emails and find her preparations are very helpful. I have ingested every word of Scrapnana's Blog as well as H2SO4's blog and most of what Roscoe has written as well as several older blogs.

I have done about 50 cruises on various cruise lines tho mostly RCL, Celebrity & Princess. I have never done a Cunard cruise. I recently retired, making this dream possible, and I am living alone for the first time ever, which I am enjoying but lends a difficulty in turning off utilities, mail, care of car, dogs, etc.

I have booked the cruise as a solo thru Roadscholar, as I have done several trips with them and find their product exceptional. That said all my shore excursions are taken care of.

I have only done cruises in balcony rooms and suites, but my budget requires this to be an inside cabin since I am solo. (Road scholar would match me with a roommate in a higher level of cabin for a lower price, but and unknown roommate for 123 days is too risky... tho I have taken the Roadscholar roommate match with wonderful success, but this is just too lengthy a time to take that chance)

My lists are long, and I am chipping away at them. My major problem is suitcases!!!! Road scholar includes the flight from San Francisco to and from London, but in coach... so one 50 pound suitcase. It will be winter in London, tho most of the Itinerary is hot weather. As many of you know The Queen Mary is a very formal ship, requiring long gowns, etc. Obviously I will pay the $100. each way for the second 50 pound suitcase, but a third is a prohibitive price as is shipping, etc.

As Aquadesiac is doing I'd like to buy shampoo, toothpaste, sunscreen, hairspray, etc in London before boarding but Roadscholar is keeping our schedule pretty tight so I'm not sure if that is possible. as of right now, my plan is to buy 2 travel sizes of everything to keep things light and keep TSA happy. One in carry on, and one in packed suitcase.

I have a food scale in my room and am weighing my jewelry, iPad and everything I plan to take.

Sorry this is so long. I continue to hang on every word of advice & idea posted by my fellow travelers.

Hi Aquadesiac I read more of your blog after posting and saw that you are flying first class thus getting the extra luggage allowance, unfortunately that is not my current situation.

I am cruising on the Queen Mary2 out of Southhampton and I live in the San Francisco Bay Area. The cruise that I have chosen includes airfare, all shore excursions, tipping, etc. So as of right now I'm flying coach to London which means I will need cold weather clothes, then eventually warm weather clothing. Also the ship is Very Formal requiring much formal wear which can be very heavy. I have resigned myself to two 50 lb suitcases (paying $100) for the second one but it is gonna be tough. And I am the queen of light packing, but I may have met my match.

I am still eager to read your suggestions... and get ideas. Any idea no matter how small is helpful. When we get to South Africa won't be the time to remember I forgot to turn off the stove!! :cool:

Hi Aquadesiac, I am glad to find your thread and beginning blog, I will follow it eagerly as I too have always dreamed of a World Cruise and have just booked one. I am so excited that I can't sleep, and am boring friends talking about it constantly. I am trying to think of all that needs to be done to be gone for 4+ months.

After reading your blog I went on Amazon and bought an over the door hanger for laundry as I too hang my clothes to dry. Please keep the ideas coming.

Are you taking extra luggage? I am wondering how to pack for so long. Ideas?

I did a B2B in Dubai and we did not have to get off the ship for customs. We met in Viking lounge night before and got new cards.

I was changing cabins and my room steward informed my new room steward several days in advance so my old room was cleaned last and my new room done first. I slept until 9am, dressed and tossed the loose items in my suitcase. My room steward loaded it and all my hanging clothes on a luggage dolly and off we went to my new room. Clothes in closet and all done. Entire move and unpacking took 15 min.

It was a nice relaxing day. I realize the next one may not be so simple but this was wonderful.

I agree with 150 Central Park, it offers an elegant, romantic atmosphere & wonderful food.

I thought Giovanni's was loud and crowded tho the food was wonderful.