Golfwidow100

Another thing to consider with drink packages is how many port days there are versus sea days. 

Also if you do decide to buy, there's the option of purchasing on day 2 (unless this has changed during the last year) 

We tend to find that during the first few days of a cruise (we usually go from Southampton so these are sea days) we would possibly break even, but overall it's better value for us to pay as we go. 

We have self disembarked several times from different cruise lines/ships when on fly cruises to the USA/Americas and on every occasion we have each had a large suitcase, soft cabin bag and backpack. We self disembark to maximise our time prior to going to the airport and usually hire a car to do some more sightseeing. We do enjoy the formal nights and dressing up for dinner so for us it's not an excessive amount of luggage.

Sailing from/to Southampton we usually have far more! 

We booked an overnight with parking at the Hilton Aegeas in August and left our car there for the duration of our 3 week cruise. The cost was slightly less than parking with CPS and the benefit (apart from the B+B aspect) was the ability to self park in their main car park. Included in the cost was a taxi to and from the terminal. We pre-booked on arrival and it arrived the following morning on time. On our return to Southampton, we rang the taxi company to take us back to the Hilton. I would definitely use the stay/park there again without any hesitation. 

On 10/20/2022 at 8:14 PM, HLR said:

So if the spa passes are all booked....Are there showers at the gym or any steam or sauna available elsewhere? 

 

Howard

No unfortunately there are no showers at the gym and no other sauna or steam rooms apart from in the thermal spa area. We didn't bother booking the spa (pre Covid we always did for the full length of our cruises) as we didn't think it was worthwhile due to the restricted access that was still in operation on our last trip (Aug/Sep 22)

1 hour ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

Thank you for the detailed review. I love Carinthia for a light lunch, but never thought to try there for tea. On my list for my upcoming cruise. I will have to check the Chef's Galley for a lunchtime salad. The salad bar at Kings Chaos is one of my pet peeves. Such pathetic offerings. 

 

As for the photographers, yes, VERY stilted poses, particularly what I call the "prom pose," where the man stands behind the woman with his arms around her waist and her hands on his. Been there, done that when I was 18. Now, I want something different. Twice, on QM2, I was able to convince the photographer to take the pose I wanted and I still love those pictures. You have a chance if they're holding the camera and not stuck on a tripod. I have to say, the photographers on QE were very good about details, like fixing a crooked necklace. 

Thank you 3rd GenCunarder.  Yes, it was nice to be able to get a panini for a light lunch in the Carinthia Lounge. The Chef's Galley was usually very quiet and if you just wanted a side salad it was fine. It didn't have such a large variety of items though as the salad bar in the Kings Court where they had a pre-prepared salad each day, ie Greek, Caesar etc along with the 'make your own' items. 

Glad to hear the photographers on the QE were more observant! 

4 hours ago, deck chair said:

HI!  One thing is very clear from what I have read: No matter what you do or precautions you take including hiding in your cabin there is no guarantee you won't catch something.  If one is going to be so concerned, if one is going to worry so much that it takes over your trip much best to stay home.  IMHO.

Deck Chair

We accepted the risk and made the decision that it was worth taking. I do feel however, that where there is the opportunity to distance people who wish to be seated as a couple,  why not oblige. I would have thought that anything the cruise line can do to try to mitigate the risk of infection would be worth doing. 

14 hours ago, Desert Cruisers said:

Your comments regarding the closeness of the 2-tops is spot-on.  While on the Queen Elizabeth in May, I caught COVID along with 3 of the people at adjoining 2-tops. Only my husband and another spouse escaped the virus. 

 

There was a significant COVID outbreak onboard but people were continuing to be seated close to adjoining tables.  Once it was clear that there was a significant outbreak, we refused to be seated close to other tables.  The ship was barely at 50% occupancy so why the staff continued this risky practice is baffling especially in light of a masking and distancing mandate in most other public venues.

 

We are sailing the QM2 in early October and will be vigilant regardless of whatever rules are in place.

 

I hope you have a great trip and stay healthy this time. We felt we'd taken all the precautions that we could, but still ended up succumbing unfortunately.

Pre 'C', we always practiced good hand hygiene, used serviettes on the tongs in the self service areas, an elbow or knuckle on lift buttons etc. 

1 hour ago, portofrome said:

Thank you for the great review!

Thank you portofrome,  I'm glad you enjoyed it.

15 minutes ago, Jack E Dawson said:

Wow, what a wonderfully thorough review. Even with 3 Crossings on the QM2, I learned a lot form your experiences. Can you tell me if seating at the bar in Golden Lion and Commodore Club is back? 

Thanks

Jack

Thank you Jack for the nice comments and I'm glad it's helped. Yes there definitely was in the Golden Lion and the Terrace Bar but I can't recall if there was in the Commodore Club.  Logic would say that the CC wouldn't be an exception though. 

19 minutes ago, Host Hattie said:

That worked perfectly, thank you very much for writing such a thorough review.

I hope you're feeling better soon.

 

Did you go to the lectures by Adam Tihany ?

Thanks Hattie, I'm pleased it's worked. No, unfortunately we didn't manage to get to listen to Adam Tihany as this clashed with other things for us. Would have liked to though. 

Hi 

Here is the link to my review of my recent roundtrip transatlantic crossing. I'm hoping it's worked as it's the first time I've done this!

https://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?posfrom=1&EntryID=690690&et_referrer=Boards_Million_Member_Newsub&et_cid=3500453&stay=1&et_rid=16595718

Just noticed a couple of things which need correcting. 

The 1st is:-

Insight speaker - Andrew Jarrett and not Jallett as written.

The 2nd is:-

Spa gratuity refers to a manicure further on in the review. 

I forgot to mention the My Voyage app which we we felt could be better. On the occasions that it worked, it was fine, but it was intermittent which was frustrating. 

With regards to the hour change eastbound at midday (a question was asked on another thread), we preferred this and hardly noticed the loss of the hour. I personally feel it's a small price to pay to help the crew as it would be hard for them to lose an hour each night when they are already working very long hours. 

Since writing, I tested positive on Sunday and am feeling quite poorly. Hopefully the symptoms won't linger too long. I'd been testing each day last week as I was feeling off colour and husband had already tested positive. 

Hopefully the review will of interest to some of you and if you have any questions please let me know and I'll do my best to answer. 

This wasn't offered (to my knowledge anyway) on our QM2 roundtrip transatlantic Aug/Sep 22.

We did do a tour pre covid on QE and thoroughly enjoyed it so IMO it's well worth the money if offered again. 

5 hours ago, Host Hattie said:

I'm sure you're right but that's what the current site shows so they should honour it or get it changed.

Oh yes, I totally agree that they should. 

30 minutes ago, Host Hattie said:

It's probably too late but this is what My Cunard says 

 

 

 

I'm not sure if this is current though regarding the use of day passes. It was pre covid, as we've often used the spa a couple of times per day, but when we enquired at the spa reception when we embarked (QM2) on the 21st August, we were told that the pass was only valid for a 2 hr slot per day.  I have to say that the spa manager's customer service skills weren't the best we encountered so maybe they were applying the rules arbitrarily. 

46 minutes ago, Host Hattie said:

Thanks for reporting back, it sounds like Brooklyn is still a shambles, how was Southampton?

It was a complete contrast. Southampton was very quick and efficient both times. We had an embarkation time of 2.45 and arrived at the terminal at 2.20. We'd stopped at the services to delay our arrival but the car park was full so we headed straight there and were fully prepared to be told to wait until 2.45. Dropped the car and luggage off, went through all the embarkation and security checks and we were onboard at 2.45. We did however have priority boarding. 

Our debark time was 9.20 and we had collected our cases, picked up the car and were on the road at 9.45. UK immigration checks were all done onboard which made the process much quicker. 

On 9/2/2022 at 1:47 AM, 3rdGenCunarder said:

Another hijack question. How was check-in and boarding in Brooklyn?

We've just returned from a roundtrip transatlantic and it took us around 1.5 hrs to get back onboard in Brooklyn after going ashore. We were directed to the 'in transit' queue but unfortunately for us, this was also the queue that priority passengers were directed to for embarkation.  The queues were massive, a few rows deep outside of the terminal and it was packed inside.

When we eventually got to a desk and presented our ship cards and passports, the guy said he'd not seen the cards before and wanted to see proof of our covid tests. Explained we didn't have them as we'd boarded 7 days previously in Southampton, he then said he'd have to speak to a colleague so disappeared with our cards for 10 mins. He apologised when he returned and we were then allowed to proceed to security. The captain made an announcement after everyone had embarked apologising for the long queues in the morning and afternoon. It was shambolic to say the least. 

We were fortunate when going ashore though as we cleared immigration quite quickly (approx 20 mins) in comparison to others who experienced considerable delays. We left the ship just after 9am and were in the ferry queue by 9.30. Some of our fellow in transit passengers,  who left later, took a couple of hours and by that time had no option but to abandon their plans and return to the ship. According to people in the queue with us in the afternoon, they'd never seen it so bad before, so hopefully for future travellers, it won't be as bad. 

I would think you have a good chance if you book as soon as possible after boarding. Priority was being given to passengers wishing to book a block of sessions as opposed to booking individual days. 

Good luck anyway!

1 hour ago, gkerlin said:

Just checking in with some who’ve been on board recently, to see what the current status is regarding the aqua therapy center.

Previously, my understanding is that they were selling limited passes for the week with strict appointment times.

 

Just curious if it has loosened up some and what sort of passes are currently being sold. We’ll be making the westbound on October 18 and always like to get the week pass

No, they are still selling a limited number of weekly passes with a 2 hour time slot each day. 

1 hour ago, DrGonzo said:

I had the same issue trying to print out the e-tickets and luggage tags from my iPad and my Mac. I finally got it to work by using the FireFox browser on my Mac.  Make sure you have pop-ups enabled. It would not work using Safari.  Give that a try.

I have had the same issue as well on my Mac (using Safari) My DH was able to print them from his Mac using either Firefox or Google Chrome. He then logged in on his device using my profile but still couldn't access the e-tickets or luggage tags. The icons were there but it just kept going around in a loop the same as it did on my device. Pops ups were enabled on all of our devices. 

We've also had an issue trying to submit the dining preference form (we booked early saver so it's only been made available since our cabin was allocated last week) We've tried 3 browsers, Safari, Firefox and Google Chrome on our Macs, iPads and iPhones and each time we submitted the form, it resulted in an error message. 

I rang customer services and the very helpful advisor I spoke to apologised profusely and said it's an IT issue for some customers using Apple products. Advice was to speak to the Maitre D on our first night so I'm hoping it'll be ok. If not, I'm sure we will manage!

3 hours ago, escrick said:

I have read many posts about dressing up for dinners and galas.  I am now not sure that we want to take our first Cunard cruise next year.  I am happy for those of you who love the elegance and formality of Cunard: however both of our careers required smart dressing and black tie dinners.  In retirement, we are beginning to think that we need a different environment.  Thankfully, there are other lines from which to choose.  We have a deposit on a Queen’s Grill suite, but I think we will stick out like sore thumbs—dark suit for hubby and no ball gown for me.  Maybe, we are lazy.   We have time to think through our decision, but I have my doubts.  

None of my long evening dresses are what I'd class as ball gowns (to me these are what the ladies in the Andre Rieu orchestra usually wear) but I do feel well dressed wearing them.

My husband and I will be boarding the QM2 in just under 2 weeks for a Transatlantic round trip and I plan to take 2 long dresses (sequinned/diamante) and 2 sequinned cocktail dresses for the 4 gala nights plus 6 other knee length dresses (smart wedding guest attire) for the other evenings. My DH will take a tux, dark grey suit, a black jacket and several pairs of smart trousers. It would be a shame to miss out on the experience for fear of being 'inappropriately' dressed. I'm sure the majority of guests won't bat an eyelid at a dark suit and a cocktail dress. 

We were on Iona in November but never found any oat milk in the buffet or Costa. We asked on numerous occasions but were told there was none available. If it's a dietary requirement rather than a preference, it may be worth contacting P & O to check.

We were on Iona for 14 nights (Canary Islands, Spain, Portugal) in November and prior to going we worked out our daily intake of alcohol, coffee, soft drinks and water and thought we'd break even or be slightly ahead of the package costs even taking into consideration the port days. We added in all drinks to our calculations, even though non alcoholic aren't included in the 15 per day limit. 

We decided to wait until boarding and check the drink menus and if financially viable, buy the package on day 2.  After visiting as many venues as time allowed on the 1st day, we realised that it wasn't going to be good value for us as the menus were too limiting and decided not to bother with it. 

We were really glad we decided to 'pay as you go', as service was quite slow in a number of venues for the first few days of the cruise and we found it difficult to get served. It was table service only so you couldn't go to the bar. On several occasions (sea days) in the atrium, we were unable to get served with Costa coffees as we unknowingly sat in the 'wrong' area for service. 

I felt the choice and the quality of cocktails was very poor and definitely the worst of any cruise line we've been on previously (Cunard, HAL and Silversea) 

Our last 3 days were very rough (storm Arwen cruise) so we spent more time in our cabin than we would normally.

After totalling up all of our drinks we were approx £400 better off by not buying the package and had our preferred choices of drinks as opposed to settling for whatever was included. 

5 minutes ago, wowzz said:

the person I know on Iona appears to be mystified as to why they are in Palma this morning. It looks as if a full explanation has not been given to passengers.

Another person on board has stated on social media that the change in port was due to it being too windy to dock in Alicante.

1 hour ago, sogne said:

just passed Iona now  got glimpse through rain squalls I can confirm that having been on  both QE and QV as well as Arcadia in my opinion they handle bad weather well although not as good as QM2

 

is Iona delay due to possible problems berthing in Ocean or inabilituy nto handle bad weather ?

The delay is due to the safety issues regarding berthing in Ocean terminal.

I am on Iona at the moment in an Aft balcony on deck 12. It’s been a rough night with a bit of creaking and groaning but not too bad all things considered.

The decision was taken to delay our arrival due to storm Arwen and it’s associated high winds causing an issue with docking manoeuvres at Ocean terminal. 

QE, being smaller and docking in a different terminal, won’t be as badly affected due to the predicted wind speed and direction. 
The rainfall shower from the infinity pool hasn’t been an issue as we’ve had no inclination to sit on the balcony during the past 24 hrs! 
I think it’s drained in such circumstances but I haven’t ventured outside on the higher decks to check it out for obvious reasons.