BobBranst

OK, let's just be practical about this. The bean counters at Cunard/Carnival are highly unlikely to let 100 sq. feet of existing revenue producing space be replaced with a wood floor for more dance floor space. Dance floors, including the the one in the Queens Room, do not generate revenue while being used. It is the people drinking while seated at the tables around the floor that generates the revenue. While you are dancing, you are not drinking (at least not on this ship;p). This is why most lines other than Cunard no longer have large dedicated ballrooms.

 

Removing and replacing tables in any of the lounges where live music is performed would reduce potential revenue, and in the end, revenue is the name of the game. In addition, when most people are seated and listening to a band performing in a listening venue, in my experience, they prefer not to have to have their view blocked by dancers, even "romantic" dancers.

I've been on four crossings, and on each one the cruise directors mentioned ballroom etiquette every night. They talked about line-of-dance, travelling couples dance on the outside and slow moving or stationary couples stay in the middle. And most important, that the dance floor is not a place for unsupervised children.

Do you recall at what time during the night the cruise director made this announcement? We have been on seven crossings and I never recall this happening while we were on the ship. During our December crossings, I had to personally ask the mother of a child that had been repeatedly running onto the floor during dances to keep her child off of the floor. Many people simply do not consider the danger this poses to the dancers, especially older dancers, and to the children themselves if a dancer were to fall on them.

wife & I joked that these talks were aimed at the American passengers. We assumed the Brits already know their way around a ballroom.

We are Americans and unfortunately, I have to agree. Most (non-ballroom dancer) Americans have no concept of ballroom etiquette.

It is unfortunate that Cunard does not post basic "Ballroom Etiquette" on a wall in the corridor outside of the Queen Room so that those who are not familiar with ballroom style dancing will not feel uncomfortable or inconvenience other dancers. Basic information like where you should dance on the ballroom floor should have been taught during a person's very the first dance lessons, but that unfortunately is not the case for many.

Since you presented a challenge. I just searched two major US retailers. One is a huge bridal chain that also sells dresses for wedding guests. The other is a nationally recognized Fifth Avenue shopping destination. From $200, all the way up to thousannds, there were dresses with long sleeves, capelets, and jackets. They do want to sell evening wear to women who are over age 23 and weighing more than 105 pounds.

DW has had very good luck finding appropriate long gowns at Macy's, Dillard's and Nordstroms locally. However, selection availability varies according to the season. Sometimes, they are sold as "Mother of the Bride" dresses.

We’ve just booked our first Cunard cruise after several Royal Caribbean cruises and will be dancing. I can’t speak for Cunard but as on RC we’ll be taking a small Bluetooth speaker and can just about dance anywhere as long as we’re not disturbing anyone else. We even had a midnight dance on a helipad once. Actually that was a terrible idea as it was so dark and windy. But we did it anyway.

I seriously doubt if you ever will use your bluetooth speaker once you have been in the Queens Room and seen the beautiful, large hardwood dance floor and the 7 piece dance band plus Vocalist that plays there for ballroom style dancing in the evenings. When the band isn't playing as well as earlier in the evening, the QR has a great sound system playing "strict tempo" ballroom dance music as well as providing the music for sequence dancing when scheduled.

 

The G32 nightclub has a (smaller) dance floor and a band that plays more contemporary styles of dance music. If you would like the band in either venue to play a particular dance or tempo, just as them.

 

Be sure to bring your dance shoes - and don't miss the afternoon tea dance in the QR.

I know about space constraints etc. I'm not asking for a lot of space- just a 10 x 10 area when the combo is playing and the stage isn't being used for Trivia! I have seen very very few times when the lounges are so full that this could not be reasonably accommodated.

If Cunard were to set aside a 10' x 10' area in front of the Corinthia band stand for dancing, there may very well be some of those "someancy-schmancy show-offs" who would like to use this space for their dancing pleasure. Should they be allowed to use this theoretical dance space, or should it be reserved just for "less practiced" dancers?

I guess watching some of the 70+ and 80+ year olds dancing a fast quickstep on the Queens Room dance floor can intimidate some of the younger folks :D

This looks like an old post but will try a question. Sailing on the QM2 in September and wondering about getting from the airport to the boarding dock. How have folks gotten from Newark? From JFK?

We always use the Cunard coach transfers to and from EWR, JFK, and LGA.

Queen Mary 2 crosses the Atlantic many times throughout the year. Completely different than the repositioning cruises that other cruises lines do.

Granted that the timing of the QM2 Transatlantic crossing schedule is far more convenient for the average UK-US or US-UK traveler. However, "repositioning" cruises do cross the very same Atlantic Ocean with paying passengers on board cruises that are advertised as "Transatlantic" crossings. It's all a matter of semantics

You got that one right!

Actually no. There are several other lines that make one or more transatlantic crossings during the year. Cunard is just the only one that makes regularly scheduled crossings throughout most of the year. That translates to Cunard/QM2 probably being most convenient for Southampton to NY crossings - but hardly the only one.

This thread is unfortunately looking more and more like a female verson of the countless posts from men who complained about having to wear a dark suit or worse yet, a Tuxedo on formal nights. I had aways thought that the ladies showed far better taste than those men when it came to wearing appropriate dress, but ... :rolleyes:

I totally understand your position.

 

I have been referring to the drop in standards, by many ladies attending the formal nights in the Britannia Restaurant, by just wearing "simple plain trousers and top". More of an effort should be made. One is on a fantastic cruise ship and one has the opportunity to really dress up, yet many ladies didn't seem to make the effort.

I also agree.

 

I've never really understood why anyone but a masochist would want to cruise on a line that is so well known for being the most formal of all the lines if they have such a dislike for dressing up. The formality of Cunard is one of the reasons why we much prefer it over the more casual lines.

 

DW always takes along a different long gown for every formal night (and doesn't mind being complemented ;)).

 

I wasn't paying attention, but it's likely that the current movies had repeats between the two crossings.

We only attended one movie during the two crossings but that movie was only shown during the WB crossing.

While we were on the B2B crossings from NY in December, the Captain announced that there 180 people making the round trip crossings.

I agree with Pepperrn on the QM2's inside temperature. We have done crossings in all the seasons including B2B crossings in December and have always found the temperature inside to be quite comfortable throughout the ship. I'll hazzard a guess that temperature is about 68°F (20°C). However, DW does frequently take a shoulder wrap if we are going to be sitting for a show or lecture in the theaters or in the Queens Room ballroom for when we are not dancing. Outside can be anything, but is frequently quite windy and chilly.

Fair enough on the dancing - mind, neither of us can dance to save our lives, lol! We're not the kind of couple that likes to put on a show to force agendas and draw attention, and we respect that the passengers mostly consist of an older demographic, but I daresay we'll brave the dance floor together once or twice. G32 seems like the more suitable spot in my opinion, but we'll play it by ear! Will definitely look into the backstage tour as well. Thanks!

The Queens Room Ballroom is a great place for people watching on formal "Ball" nights even if you never go on the dance floor. If you do decide to dance there (on any night), it is best for you to stay in the middle of the floor so that you do not impede more experienced dancers moving around the outside dance lanes. However, be aware that ballroom dancing can be quite addictive. DW and I did not get on the dance floor on our first QM2 crossing even though we had taken a few private ballroom dance lessions prior to boarding as we were intimidated by the "real" dancers on the floor. Now, years later, we continue to take lessons and go dancing every week. It's great exercise for both young and for the not so young like us.

... and the most impressive theatre that I've ever seen at sea.

 

The theatre has a rise and fall stage at the front and a rotating area at the back.

Not sure about the QE and QV, but I know the QM2 theater stage also has these features as I observed them being used in shows during our December BTB crossings.

Is there a shaver point in the bathroom and if so what type of plug...thanks

Yes there is. It is located in the light fixture above the mirror. I'm not sure about other plugs, but I know it will take a US 2 prong plug.

Howdy,

I saw many areas on thge QM2 which need massive repair and improvements too!

Exactly what are these areas that need "massive repair"?

I should clarify my previous post by saying that the QM2 has a wonderful hardworking crew that do an amazing job overall. However, there are a couple areas such as Kings Court and the painting of the black portion of the hull, where moreattention to detail by whomever is managing and directing the maintenance andupkeep of those areas might in my humble opinion serve the ship better.

Perhaps Cunard could take the ship out of service and put it into dry-dock for a few days every few weeks to keep the hull black paint nice and pretty for the fish to look at ;p.

DW and I just completed 14 day back to back Atlantic crossings and think the ship looked absolutely great. I saw crewmen working outside on a very cold deck 7 scraping and repainting on most days when not battling Force 8 to 11 winds and high seas. That is a little different than working outside on deck in the nice warm weather in St.Thomas. Kudos to the QM2 maintenance crew for their hard work.

For us..suit & tie.

Same here.

Does Cunard ever plan on allowing men not to have to wear a coat around the ship after 6 pm? I don't mind formal nights every once in awhile, but wearing a coat every night if you want to go to the show after dinner definitely keeps us from even considering going on one of their cruises.

 

It's ok as there are plenty of quality cruise lines with great itineraries to choose from, but Cunard does have a few itineraries we wouldn't mind going on.

If having to wear a coat is that important for you, you should definately consider other lines.

Yet another viewpoint:

 

We didn't find the inconvenience of not having access to the Queens Room and Illuminations for a few hours to be that big of a deal. (On our return, leaving Southampton I don't think we used either public space on the departure day.)

 

We arrived at the Red Hook terminal with the intention of dropping off our bags and heading out to shop. There was absolutely no queue, so instead we went ahead and checked in and were aboard in 10 minutes! We had lunch, relaxed, attended the muster and then went ashore to shop in Brooklyn. Returning around 7:30, we got to walk on the red carpet and were entertained by the jugglers and mimes.

Perhaps if we had also chosen to be off of the ship during those hours, we might have also not found it to be inconvenient.

Personally I will fondly remember the 'event' and fireworks for many years to come

Sadly, for many of us long time Cunard customers, we will be remembering this 'event' for years to come. However, it does not fall under the category of "fondly" in our memories.