Kynance

Thank you @Host Hattie - I will certainly post this as a review as well.

@BklynBoy8 - thank you for your kind reply. “Symphony” had a very eclectic range of music - a bit of opera, a John Williams medley, some Aretha Franklin. I think there was something by Beyoncé as well but I only know this because one of the vocalists specifically introduced it. My interest in modern pop/rock stops around 1997 —everything after that is a mystery to me!

@Jack E Dawson and @Pushpit - thank you for your kind comments! I was indeed very surprised that despite the overnight gales, nothing moved in our cabin - not even the unused hangers in the wardrobe, despite us being pretty far forward on the top deck.

This was our first time on QM2 since 2017 - we very much enjoyed this 4 night break in a deck 13 Britannia Club cabin. Here are some thoughts for anyone who might be interested. Cabin Despite being adjacent to the door to the open deck, the location was generally pretty quiet. The Art Deco design highlights gave the cabin a nice touch of elegance. The shower with the glass door was great, good water pressure and consistent temperature control. It was a small thing, but having 2 shower caddies for shampoos and shower gels was really useful. I loved the soft, fluffy bath robes, with the Cunard logo embroidered in gold and branded slippers were also back (had plain ones on QV in June). The Club cabin came with an “enhanced” hospitality tray - nice packets of Walkers biscuits but we had some comedy moments trying to get the Illy coffee machine to work. When we eventually worked it out, the half mug of coffee was way too strong for us (espresso maybe?) - we stuck to lattes from the bars afterwards! Dining I had optimistically requested a window table for 2 at the time of booking. On the first couple of nights, we had the table adjacent to the window table and then when its occupants left the ship in Hamburg, we were moved across by the Maitre D’. There was about a foot and half (measured by Mr K’s size 12s) between the tables and on 2 nights out of the 4 we didn’t have table neighbours, so really lucked out, as we’re more than happy in our own company. We were also fortunate to be in the discrete dining room (starboard side), rather than the screened off area at the back of the main Britannia restaurant. We made good use of the options from the evening a la carte menu, pre-ordering the Dorset rack of lamb for the final night. The other a la carte main courses were sirloin steak, coquilles St Jacques, Gressingham duck and whole lemon sole meunière. The flambé trolley was in operation on the second and final nights of the trip, offering pears and peaches respectively. I also enjoyed a selection from the cheese trolley one evening but calling it international was possibly a bit of a push, as it was mostly British. However, if you aren’t from Britain, then it would be a fair description I suppose! We had two lovely lunches in the Club restaurant as well - the restaurant was fairly quiet on both occasions. Service was friendly, attentive and unrushed and the quiet, calm ambiance was perfect for us. However, I’m well aware that we had our fair share of luck this time around - there were more than a few tables that I wouldn’t have liked as much but perhaps after our June experience on QV, the dining gods were on our side. There was only one tiny thing which struck me as a bit at odds with the overall dining experience - presentation-wise, the additional vegetables or potatoes would have looked better served in a bowl or gratin-type dish, rather than “plonked” on a round plate - and possibly stayed a bit hotter for longer too. Entertainment A shout-out for a couple of shows I enjoyed: “Symphony” featured the Cunard singers and massed musicians (including a virtual orchestra recorded at Abbey Road Studios) and was loosely themed on music performed at some of London’s iconic venues such as the Royal Albert Hall and Ronnie Scott’s jazz club. It ended with a rousing Beatles’ medley. On the final afternoon, Royal Shakespeare Company actors on board performed a version of the RSC musical “Miss Littlewood” about the theatrical pioneer Joan Littlewood. I always used to like the RADA performances on QM2, so was pleased to have the chance to catch this event. General Thoughts A few general observations to end with - rather than a party cruise, this felt like the extension of the inbound TA, with the atmosphere to match, so that was nice. I think it was reflected in participation in the optional gala night, which seemed to be high, even though we were arriving in Hamburg the following morning. Service in the bars seemed pretty swift and we were never left waiting long for an order to be taken and as usual, we had a cheerful, very hardworking cabin steward. Some furnishings need replacing- I saw a few tatty chairs here and there - but overall, I didn’t think for one minute that the ship had aged badly in the 6 years since our last voyage. I’ve already mentioned elsewhere that I thought the delayed arrival into Hamburg was well managed & Cunard did their best to ensure we had the maximum time ashore that was possible in the circumstances. The small cost of upgrading to Club from the main Britannia grade was well worth it for this short trip (as it was when we did a similar trip on QV in 2018). I still think, on balance, we couldn’t justify/get the benefit of the additional uplift in price for a longer voyage but I’ll certainly considering bidding on an upgrade for next June if an opportunity is offered.

Weirdly, I noticed the same thing in Britannia Club in QM2 this week!

@Pushpit - so sorry to hear about your litany of travel woes but glad you still enjoyed the trip. I think your approach to disembarkation was fair enough in the circumstances. As you say, there was no point in others joining the queue if their luggage was still on the ship. When we disembarked there wasn’t a lot of baggage in the hall at all - hence most of it was still to come ashore. We had calm weather overnight. We’ve just had the Captain’s noon address - the ship is expected to be alongside in Southampton by 7am tomorrow.

We”re back on board having pre-dinner drinks in the Commodore Club. There is a pleasant sunset. I must say, from my perspective, Cunard did a good job in challenging circumstances. We were kept well-informed by first the Captain & then the Hotel Manager. Some passengers did decide to ignore the request not to queue early for the gangways which did contribute to some crowding and there ended up being a bit of confusion as to which gangway was which - one for was “in transit” guests like us and the other for everyone leaving the ship altogether. Returning to the ship, those of us in transit had 2 security lines to ourselves so the wait wasn’t too bad at all. All in all, we had a good day despite the delays. I hope everyone making onward journeys is getting on ok.

We’ve arrived. Just waiting for the lines, air bridges etc to be secured.

We are almost there…

A photo taken from QM2 a couple of minutes ago.

As posted above by Austcruiser84, the hotel manager confirmed we are due to be tied up by 2.30 and to depart at 10pm. For in transit guests, Cunard are running a shuttle service to the town hall, with the last departure back to the ship at 9.30. Guests finally leaving today can now stay in their cabins until midday - luggage storage facilities are being provided. Hope you have a smooth embarkation, albeit a later one!

Cunard is laying on a programme of entertainment this morning. Quite nice & bright at the moment. We’re disembarking the original pilot & taking 2 more on board for the second half of the transit. No further news yet around arrival & disembarkation times. Passengers leaving the ship today can remain in their cabins until 11am.

We’re on board too, on deck 13. Must admit I was quite impressed with how stable the ship felt despite the winds. We’re on the port side and we able to see the pilot boat come alongside at about 7 to embark the pilot. We’re coming into the Elbe now. All shore excursions have been cancelled - fortunately we had nothing booked. I don’t know whether we will be able to make it ashore but we’ll see. In the meantime, as @Pushpit says, we can enjoy the sail in along the Elbe.

@Host Hattie - thank you! I will post some thoughts when I get back. Glad to hear you’ve enjoyed your time in Ireland. Great photos!

We’re off on QM2’s 4 night Hamburg break tomorrow - first time back on her since 2017. Trying out Britannia Club again, due to the favourable pricing for shorter trips. At almost the very last minute, I took advantage of Cunard’s UK sale a week or so back and booked QM2 for next year as well - the 7 night early June sailing with an overnight stop in Oslo was appealing. I got round to telling Mr K yesterday - as it’s a bit of a fait accompli, I have promised him a visit to Rome some time next year as well. If only the Romans had made it to Scandinavia, we would probably have the perfect itinerary for us!

@delgirl I searched “lost property” on Cunard’s FAQs and found this for you: https://www.cunard.com/en-gb/frequently-asked-questions Not sure if you have tried via this route already, but fingers crossed for your daughter. Just tried the link myself - it just takes you to the page, but search on “lost property” and you should find the advice that I did.

Well, yes! It’s another case of somewhat mixed messaging from Cunard which gives rise to a lot of comments and questions on this board. Another couple of examples I can quickly think of relate to the dress codes and how much alcohol you can carry on. I’m sure there are lots more. We could probably do a whole thread on it! I do wonder just how many people write the online content for Cunard and how the quality assure it before publication. On the specific hairdryer point, I’m pretty sure the question about hairdryers used to be one of the FAQs in the print edition (yes - fine to bring on) and I’m sure I’ve seen it in online FAQs before now, again the same response. When reading around & looking for the quote I pasted above, I found other messaging around hairdryers was that there’s no need bring them because Cunard provide them. In the same paragraph, it went on to say that irons must not be brought on board, which was clearer and consistent with all the other messaging around them. It made me wonder if the conflicting advice on hairdryers has something to do with wanting to reduce the ship’s electricity consumption rather than a bona fide safety one.

I am not sure if you can find this information on the Cunard website, but if you have a booking and log into My Cunard and then go to Before You Sail / Important to know / Safety and click more details, the following appears which indicates taking your own hair dryer is allowed: Use of electrical appliances Passengers are not permitted to bring on board irons, kettles or appliances with heating elements, however hair dryers, straighteners and curling tongs are permitted. Electrical chargers, adaptors and e-cigarette charging devices are to be CE marked and should not be left unattended or left charging overnight or when the stateroom is unoccupied. Personal extension leads are not permitted on board unless to be used with essential medical equipment (e.g. CPAP and nebuliser machines). These will be checked for electrical safety along with your piece of medical equipment prior to sailing. Surge protected extension leads are not accepted in any circumstances as they interfere with the ship's electrical distribution.

I always take my Dyson hairdryer wherever I go. It’s combination of heat & speed settings, plus the tools really works for me and I wouldn’t go back to any other brand. Before I owned the Dyson I once forgot to take my own own hairdryer and I didn’t really like the hair dryer provided in the Britannia cabin. It just seemed to take a lot longer to dry my hair and it felt under powered. If you’re happy to use hairdryers provided in hotels, you may be be ok with the one Cunard provides. If you are like me, however, you won’t be. I can understand perhaps not taking a hairdryer on a fly cruise where luggage weight is a consideration but for Southampton round trips that obviously doesn’t apply. The concept of what’s adequate can be quite subjective of course - my advice would be to err on the side of caution unless you are concerned about weight limits and take your own.

Given that dining is such a big part of the experience, you might want to mix things up on a longer trip by eating elsewhere once or twice. If you’re in Britannia and on fixed dining, then you have the option to eat at a different time and you could well be lucky requesting a window table, (maybe your fixed table in Britannia is in the middle of the room). You might want a break from a busier dining room too or to go somewhere different if celebrating a special occasion. When we have had a really great table location in Britannia & great waiters, then the alternatives are less of a draw, though we normally do one of them on a 2 week trip, as I get the Diamond Cunard World Club benefit. We also only visit them on the non-gala nights as the main dining rooms offer enhanced menus on these evenings. We have never had a bad meal or experience in any of the Lido pop ups or the Verandah but whether they are worth the additional cost, is a subjective question. I would generally say “yes” if dining in the main Britannia restaurant. That said, the attraction of them varies from trip to trip, depending a host of circumstances. We had an issue with our dining arrangements on our June cruise and were considering more than one visit to the Verandah until we managed to get it resolved. Had we not been able to do so, I would have considered it money well-spent to ensue I enjoyed my holiday.

@bluemarble - I am on the 18 September Hamburg short break too and am not seeing any drinks packages being offered either. The screen shot below is from my “My Cunard” and confirms what you are seeing.

Have a fabulous time & I look forward to reading your review once you’re back. It’s always good to hear more from QE - I feel we hear a bit less of her than we do about the other ships in the Cunard fleet. As I’ve said before, she’s my favourite. If we send Queen Anne over the pond to you next year, will you send QE back the other way? 😃😉

Have a great time! We’ve only just opened the hazelnut chocolate I bought in Gijón in June - a nice reminder of an enjoyable itinerary. The biscuits from Bilbao went an awful lot quicker though… 😁

Really enjoyed reading your review and seeing your photos. Glad to hear you enjoyed the QE experience overall - she is my favourite Cunard ship & I wish Cunard would bring her back to the UK! Very interested to hear about embarkation in Vancouver especially - thankful that it is far less complicated at Southampton. Thanks again for taking the time to share such detailed thoughts.

Today is apparently International Cat Day - I’ve just observed a neighbour’s cat enjoying the nepeta (cat mint) in our garden as part of her festivities. Unfortunately we have yet more miserable weather so I think most of our local felines will be curled up somewhere warm, dry and cosy. For the many cats and their human friends who frequent this board, have a purr-fect day! 😻