bluemarble

Even though all it says on the Cunard US website is "(Remainder ... due on April 11)", that must mean April 11, 2026. The standard final payment date for US bookings is 120 days prior to the departure date. For the QA cruise to La Coruña departing Southampton on August 9, 2026, subtracting 120 days to calculate the final payment date yields April 11, 2026. I think you'll find if you look again tomorrow, it will still say "(Remainder ... due on April 11)".

An update about this. I learned elsewhere that yesterday, 10 April, was a gala evening on QM2. My prediction that the gala evening originally scheduled for 12 April (now a port day in Cape Town) would be moved to 14 April was incorrect. I updated the QM2 2024 Dress Code and Theme Schedule document to reflect this adjustment to the QM2 gala evening schedule.

Cunard's newest ship Queen Anne, whose maiden voyage is scheduled for May 3rd, will be offering several specialty dining venues unique to that ship. Those specialty dining venues include Tramonto (Mediterranean), Aji Wa (Japanese) and Aranya (Indian). The menus @TowandaUK has posted are for those three specialty dining venues on Queen Anne. This is the first we've seen the menus for those new venues. This thread is specifically for the Aij Wa restaurant. Two other threads started by @TowandaUK show the menus for the Tramanto and Aranya restaurants.

The stated cutoff for submitting your shareholder benefit application using old system was three weeks prior to departure date. They did muddle things though with the information provided along with the 2022 annual report when they stated the cutoff was three weeks in one place and four weeks in another place. I see the current Carnival "Shareholder Benefit" page (which discusses the new process using the Stockperks app) still contains this quote. "Applications to receive this benefit should be made at least three weeks prior to cruise departure date."

Indeed. Let's include the two canceled crossings (April 23 westbound and April 30 eastbound) because of a 'technical issue' at the end of the 2023 world voyage as issues QM2 dealt with during the past 12 months. A Coronation Celebration cruise was added once that issue was resolved. Then there was also the scheduled drydock in Rotterdam during Oct-Nov to add to an already eventful year.

Sorry, I'm not sure what policies apply to changing the date of an alternative dining reservation booked in advance. I don't book alternative dining in advance since we are diamond status with the Cunard World Club. One of the diamond perks is one free dinner in the alternative dining venue so I only reserve once on board.

Now that we've reached 5300 posts on this amazing thread and are starting a new page, it's probably a good time for me to post the updated list of the ports we've seen so far as well as the list of Cunard ports we haven't seen yet on this thread. As a reminder, we welcome photos you may have of any of the ports on the unseen ports list even if they don't show a Cunard ship or weren't taken during a Cunard voyage. We also welcome any photos you may have of ports we've already seen that might offer a different perspective on the port. And we aren't picky about your photos having to show the actual port facility itself. Photos showing just about any feature of the port city are welcome. Where in the World 2024-04-06.txt Cunard ports not seen yet 2024-04-06.txt

That's correct. QE arrived at Shimizu this morning as the last port of call on her current Japan Circumnavigation cruise. I believe this is the first time any of the current Cunard fleet have called at Shimizu. It made our unseen ports list by virtue of QE2 calling there once in back in 1990.

Here's a webcam image showing a Cunard ship arriving at a port we haven't seen yet. It's unfortunate the image is so small, but you might just be able to make out the peak of a famous mountain in the background to help with the identification of this port.

Michel Roux was on the Festival of Food and Wine crossing we were on last September. I suppose the "La Gavroche at the Verandah" dinners on that voyage may have counted as a prelude to the series of La Gavroche residencies planned for 2024. We did not take part however so unfortunately I can't offer any feedback about that. Perhaps someone who was on that crossing and did participate in those dinners may be able to provide their impressions. As I understand it from the Cunard website, there are four La Gavroche at Sea residencies with Michel Roux planned for 2024. Queen Mary 2: Jun 2-9, 2024 Norwegian Fjords cruise from Southampton Queen Mary 2: Aug 6-14, 2024 Norwegian Fjords cruise from Hamburg Queen Anne: Aug 11-18, 2024 Norwegian Fjords cruise from Southampton Queen Anne: Sept 1-8, 2024 Norwegian Fjords cruise from Southampton Now this does beg the obvious question how Michel Roux could be on the QM2 fjords cruise, Aug 6-14, as well as the QA fjords cruise, Aug 11-18. Consider me a bit confused about that detail. 🤔 Edit to add: Maybe Michel Roux is planning to disembark QM2 at Bergen on Aug 12 and join QA at Stavanger on Aug 13? At least that's one possible explanation for how he could participate on each of those two overlapping August voyages.

It might be helpful to post versions of the renderings found on the Cunard website (which @3rdGenCunarder alluded to in the original post). The images found there for the Carinthia Lounge and the Artisans' Foodhall provide a wider perspective compared to what was included in yesterday's email or posted on facebook. The rendering of the Chart Room from the email provides a slightly wider perspective to what's found on facebook or the website so I'll include that here for those who may not have seen it yet. Queen Anne Carinthia Lounge Queen Anne Artisans' Foodhall Queen Anne Chart Room

I hadn't noticed the part about "London" until you quoted it. I suppose they will be welcoming some guests in London on the morning of May 3rd to transfer them to Southampton. But I also suppose it's more of Cunard's marketing for North America we've discussed before that would have us believe they sail to/from London.

Here's the Carinthia Lounge image found on Cunard's facebook page. This somewhat larger image may help with the seating arrangements. I don't think any of the seating is going to be outside. I think it's an illusion with how the lighting and window reflections are rendered that gives the impression some of the seating is outside on the promenade.

No, the only drinks package where the price varies by the length of the voyage is the Beers, Wines & Spirits option.

To be consistent, I imagine they will also be applying the existing pricing structure where the price of the Beers, Wines & Spirits option varies by the length of the voyage. Less than 5 nights: $82.50 in advance, $95 on board 5 - 14 nights: $72 in advance, $80 on board 15 - 84 nights: $67.50 in advance, $75 on board 85 nights or more: $49.50 in advance, $55 on board Edit to add: Yes, the price of the Beers, Wines and Spirits option is $67.50 in advance as listed on our 17-night Queen Anne voyage.

For the cruise you're looking at, you'll benefit from Cunard's standard US refundable deposit being lowered to 20% on voyages of 31 nights or more, rather than a 25% US deposit Cunard requests on voyages of 30 nights or less. You're just getting in under the wire for that policy with a 31-night cruise. Hopefully your travel agent will be able to reduce that deposit for you. Mine is quoting a 10% deposit for the "Upgrades on Us" promotion on that 31-night cruise on their website.

That's very interesting. Yeah, it definitely depends where you look. I'm not seeing a reduced deposit mentioned in the terms and conditions of the current "Upgrades on Us" promotion. When I price voyages using that promotion on the Cunard US website, I am seeing the standard 25% deposit being requested. Here's an example. Cunard US Website Westbound Transatlantic Crossing (M425B) Category: Sheltered Balcony BV Promotion: Upgrades on Us Base Fare: $2,169 per person (double occupancy) Total Base Fare: $4,338 for two (before TFPE) Deposit: $1,085 = 25% of $4,338 However, when I price that same voyage on the website for one of the travel agents I routinely check, here is what I am seeing. US Travel Agent Website Westbound Transatlantic Crossing (M425B) Category: Sheltered Balcony BV Promotion: Upgrades on Us Base Fare: $2,169 per person (double occupancy) Total Base Fare: $4,338 for two (before TFPE) Deposit: $542 = 12.5% of $4,338 I suppose this is another good reason to be looking into using a travel agent in the US. And that's not factoring in the discount off the base fare when I book through this agent. Thanks for encouraging me to look further into this @MCC retired.

For US bookings, Cunard used to offer reduced deposits on most of their short-term promotions (Presidents Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, etc.). I haven't seen as many of those short-term promotions lately though and I haven't happened to notice reduced deposits on those they have run lately. All I can suggest is to keep an eye out for future promotions that may offer reduced deposits. Sorry I can't offer more help than that unfortunately. Cunard does offer what they call "Our Lowest Fare" in the US for Britannia category cabins on their 2024/2025 cruises. That fare offers a 50% reduced deposit (12.5% instead of the usual 25% in the US). The catch though is that deposit is non-refundable (and it's a guarantee-only booking).

The three main themes for the Kings Court Alternative Dining venue (aka "pop-up" restaurant) on QM2 during a transatlantic crossing are Coriander (Indian), Bamboo (Asian) and La Piazza (Italian). The themes typically run for three or four consecutive evenings before switching to another theme. If booked in advance via My Cunard, the cost is $20 per person. If booked on board, the cost is $25 per person. The timeframe has varied quite a bit for when you are first able to see the schedule and book the Kings Court Alternative Dining venue in My Cunard.

If your booking does not specify "Do Not Upgrade", then Cunard may give you a complimentary upgrade without notifying you and without offering you the chance to decline the upgrade. Since they have started a bidding process (called "Cunard Upgrade") where guests can bid for a paid upgrade, I suspect the number of complimentary upgrades has decreased. But the complimentary upgrade process does still exist. Quoting from the FAQ: "(Q) What is the difference between the Cunard Upgrade program and the complimentary upgrade I opted into at the time of booking? (A) The Cunard Upgrade program gives you the opportunity to upgrade to a higher-grade stateroom at a price you are willing to pay. Once all upgrade offers have been considered and assigned, complimentary upgrades will be reviewed and guests who have booked a Cunard Fare will be given first priority for these." If you want to make sure you won't receive a complimentary upgrade (which you can't decline), call Cunard Customer Service (or contact your travel agent if you used one) and have them make sure your booking is marked "Do Not Upgrade". There is no online way to verify your current setting or make that change yourself using "My Cunard".

The lectures are available on TV but not on demand. They most recent day's lectures are repeated one after the other on the TV channel dedicated for the Cunard Insights Lectures. They usually commence in the late afternoon after all the lectures have been completed for the day and will repeat for 24 hours if you have multiple sea days in a row. When you have port days you'll probably see the most recent set of lectures repeated for multiple days until the completion of the next set of lectures on the next sea day.

They did things a little different this year with the big announcement of most of the 2026 itineraries all at once on February 20th. In the past they've generally announced the world/grand voyages (winter/spring) itineraries for two year hence in March and the summer/autumn itineraries in September. Covid did play havoc with that schedule for several years though. Anyway, this year the 2026 world voyages went on sale for Cunard World Club on March 6th. The remainder of the newly-announced 2025/26 itineraries went on sale to Cunard World Club members on March 7th. All itineraries went on sale to first-time Cunard guests on March 8th. I booked a segment of QM2's 2026 world voyage on line via the Cunard website as soon as bookings opened on March 5th. I had logged in to my Cunard "My Account" in order to identify myself as a Cunard World Club member. I don't know if that's strictly necessary since there is a field on the guest information page during the online booking process for you to enter your Cunard World Club number. I would have booked that voyage with the online travel agent I normally use but they hadn't yet listed the voyage I wanted when bookings opened on March 5th. I later transferred the booking to that travel agent when they did list the voyage. In the past I have booked a voyage with an online travel agent on the day bookings opened for Cunard World Club members. Some UK travel agents offer a pre-registration process where guests can register their interest in a voyage and specify their cabin preferences. I'm not aware of any US online travel agents who advertise a similar pre-registration process although there may be some who I've just not managed to find.

@Janay11, based on the clues you've provided, I'm guessing you booked Cunard's "Explore with More" promotion that was going on in the US into early January. One of the perks of that promotion is the following (emphasis mine for the part specific to your QM2 voyage). "Alternative Dining Offer – Guests sailing on voyages up to 20 nights in length will receive one dinner at the Lido Restaurant (available on Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth), Kings Court (available on Queen Mary 2), or another select alternative dining venue aboard Queen Anne. Guests sailing on voyages between 21 and 83 nights in length will receive two dinners at the Lido Restaurant, Kings Court, or another select alternative dining venue aboard Queen Anne. Guests sailing on voyages 84 nights or longer in length will receive three dinners at the Lido Restaurant, Kings Court, or another select alternative dining venue aboard Queen Anne." So yes, that second "Special Services Gift" is most likely two free dinners at QM2's Kings Court Alternative Dining venue. As @D&N has mentioned that's sometimes referred to as the pop-up venue since a portion of the King's Court buffet is turned into a themed restaurant with table service during the evening. The three standard themes offered at various times during most QM2 voyages are Bamboo (Asian), Coriander (Indian) and La Piazza (Italian). They may offer a theme called Nordlys on cruises to Norway and a theme called Riviera on Mediterranean cruises. Enjoy! Edit to add: That "Explore with More" promotion came with this perk as well. "Hotel and Dining Service Charge Offer – Offer based on pre-payment by Cunard of the suggested Hotel and Dining Service Charge in the amount of $16.50 per person per day for Grill Suites and $14.50 per person per day for all other staterooms." That would explain that first "Special Services Gift".

Interesting question. I priced all the 2025/26 QM2 crossings between Southampton and New York on the Cunard US website using the listed "from" fares plus taxes, fees and port expenses for each general category of cabin (Inside, Oceanview, Balcony, Club Balcony, Princess Grill and Queens Grill). On average, calculating the per day fares across those six categories of cabins, I found the US fares were 7.8% higher sailing westbound compared to eastbound. That's a bit more than a wash considering the duration of a 7-night westbound crossing is approximately 6.6% longer than a 7-night eastbound crossing (162.5 hours westbound versus 152.5 hours eastbound using the usual scheduled 5:00pm departure and 6:30am arrival times in both directions).

Thanks, @sogne. Here's a link to the article in the Daily Echo. https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/24205061.cunards-queen-anne-welcomed-southampton-flotilla/ This article also mentions an official blessing and plaque exchange ceremony to be held whilst Queen Anne is alongside the Mayflower Terminal on April 29th.