Freedom Dining in Club Restaurant

[Staffordshirecruiser]

Hello

We booked a club balcony on QE in Dec 14 and had a table for 2 allocated to us throughout the cruise which was just what we wanted. I've been advised that the system has changed for both Cunard and Saver fares. The new system is that you go to the Club restaurant and request a table of the desired size and you will then either be shown to a free table or given a pager and called when a table becomes available. i wonder if a recent cruiser could advise if this is what they experienced and how it went? Is the system the same for QM2 and QE?

[BlueRiband]

According to the US Cunard site, ".. If you are dining in the Britannia Club, Princess Grill or Queens Grill restaurant you will be allocated a table and this will be available for you at breakfast, lunch and dinner..."

 

(Details here.)

 

You just show up at your assigned table whenever you want during the posted restaurant hours.

 

There is no mention of this pager system - where did you see this mentioned? Nobody here has yet reported this to be the case. Let's hope it doesn't come to that. This is no "Freedom Dining" but more like NCL "free style" and why I would never sail with them. Cunard would be shooting itself in the foot. The ability to walk in right to a ready and waiting table is one huge reason why people will pay Club or Grills fares. And nobody would book a Cunard fare if they got the same dining preference as a Saver fare.

Edited June 14, 2016 by BlueRiband

[turnip eater]

Who told you this? Friend? Travel Agent? Are they mistaking Cunard for eg Celebrity?

 

Doesn't sound like Cunard.:confused:

 

I agree with BlueRiband....dedicated table for whenever you wish to dine.

[Scrapnana]

There aren't that many Club staterooms. When I was in Club last year there were enough tables for everyone if they should show up at the same time.

[Bell Boy]

No such thing as Pagers for dining on Cunard Line ( in any of the restaurants)

 

All guest's in Club dining (QM2 & QE) have their own 'dedicated table & same waiter' for the entire voyage/cruise. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.

 

Don't know who told you about Pagers or lack of tables ? I travel often Club Dining and will be again on the 1st September on QM2 crossing. My Voyage personaliser already indicates and confirms my preference for a table of six.

[tv24]

The system described by Staffordshire does not match our experience on the QM2 during spring, 2015 when we sailed Britannia Club. We had our own table for all meals.

[david,Mississauga]

There aren't that many Club staterooms. When I was in Club last year there were enough tables for everyone if they should show up at the same time.

 

As in the Grills, all Club passengers are given a table assignment that applies for all meals. If Cunard changes this dining system (which was called First Class as recently as the QE2) there will be no significant advantage for paying an often large amount more than a basic Britannia balcony stateroom.

 

In Britannia there is already "freedom dining," if we can call it that, for breakfast and lunch. It has worked well for us and we never had to wait more than a minute or two in a short queue to be shown to a table.

 

I have booked a Club room on the QM2 for later this year and will not be happy if they downgrade the benefits from what was promised. I doubt there will be any change. The single-sitting assigned dining is quite popular.

[Glenndale]

Hello

We booked a club balcony on QE in Dec 14 and had a table for 2 allocated to us throughout the cruise which was just what we wanted. I've been advised that the system has changed for both Cunard and Saver fares. The new system is that you go to the Club restaurant and request a table of the desired size and you will then either be shown to a free table or given a pager and called when a table becomes available. i wonder if a recent cruiser could advise if this is what they experienced and how it went? Is the system the same for QM2 and QE?

Who advised you - just interested?

Was it a travel agent, a representative of Cunard, a friend, of a friend, of a friend?

If you want the definitive answer contact Cunard :)

[steeler33]

When I booked on a cruise for summer 2017 in Britannia, I was offered Early, Late or Freedom (pager) dining by the Cunard call centre. I don't want to be stuck in random tables throughout the dining room each night so went with our normal second sitting, but it was the first i'd heard of Freedom dining on Cunard.

[Host Hattie]

This sounds more like the P&O system, I have never heard of it on Cunard.

[turnip eater]

Do P & O and Cunard use the same call centre?:confused:

[jburton59]

There is this statement on the ask.cunard.com website:

 

A dining preference (preference of type e.g. first, second or freedom and time) for Early Saver bookings will be collected prior to sailing and will be allocated as 2nd priority to those booked under the Cunard Fare and be confirmed once onboard.

[steeler33]

I suspect I was given incorrect information, but as I had no intent to book Freedom even if it were available I didn't question it. I wondered if it were something new for 2017 but again, I wasn't interested enough to make an already long phone call even longer!

[majortom10]

I suspect I was given incorrect information, but as I had no intent to book Freedom even if it were available I didn't question it. I wondered if it were something new for 2017 but again, I wasn't interested enough to make an already long phone call even longer!

 

Just returned off QV and there was no freedom dining in MDR only first and second sitting as it has always been.

[Host Hattie]

There is this statement on the ask.cunard.com website:

 

A dining preference (preference of type e.g. first, second or freedom and time) for Early Saver bookings will be collected prior to sailing and will be allocated as 2nd priority to those booked under the Cunard Fare and be confirmed once onboard.

 

I can't find that wording on the UK version of the site, can you post a link ?

It all sounds very odd and unlike anything we have experienced.

[Salacia]

For the first time I'm seeing "freedom" dining mentioned on the official Cunard website*: https://ask.cunard.com/help/before-you-sail/Dining_request_polar

 

However, I believe the above quoted page must be the result of a programing error of some kind because it seems to apply to booking agents using the Polar System, not to general passengers.

 

*"Requests for bookings made on Late Saver and other promotional fares cannot be made as per the terms and conditions.

 

A dining preference (preference of type e.g. first, second or freedom and time) for Early Saver bookings will be collected prior to sailing and will be allocated as 2nd priority to those booked under the Cunard Fare and be confirmed once onboard.

 

Britannia Club, Princess and Queens Grill passengers will be allocated dining applicable to their cabin grade."

Edited June 14, 2016 by Salacia

[sandjango]

Do P & O and Cunard use the same call centre?:confused:

Yes they do

[Staffordshirecruiser]

Thank you for all your comments and responses. To clarify, I book direct with Cunard and spoke with my 'personal cruise specialist' at Cunard yesterday That said, I wasn't convinced with the description i was given of the system, hence me checking with this Board. I'm sorry if I have inadvertently caused concern to others.

 

The issue we have is that we want a table for 2, and this does not appear to be possible with a saver fare, whereas if we had booked a couple of weeks earlier on an early saver we would have been able to express a preference for a table for 2.

 

Thank you again.

[turnip eater]

Yes they do

 

Thank you.

[BlueRiband]

Thank you for all your comments and responses. To clarify, I book direct with Cunard and spoke with my 'personal cruise specialist' at Cunard yesterday That said, I wasn't convinced with the description i was given of the system, hence me checking with this Board. I'm sorry if I have inadvertently caused concern to others.

 

The issue we have is that we want a table for 2, and this does not appear to be possible with a saver fare, whereas if we had booked a couple of weeks earlier on an early saver we would have been able to express a preference for a table for 2.

 

Thank you again.

 

Tables for two are in very high demand so priority is given according to booking date and fare paid. If you booked Britannia Club, you will be allocated a table which will be yours for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It won't make any difference which fare you paid, just that the table size won't be what you preferred.

 

You really did well to snag a Britannia Club at a Saver rate. This is usually the first category to sell out and there are rarely any available at that fare.

Edited June 15, 2016 by BlueRiband

[Adammara]

Wanting flexibility in dining, last month we booked the last Princess Grill suite for our cruise. Club and Queens were both full, and our booking is on a guarantee basis:

 

Princess Suite

Decks 6,5,4

There are only guarantee staterooms available.

 

Unfortunately we are unable to offer the selection of a specific stateroom for this grade. However, you can continue to book on a guarantee basis. This means you will be allocated the best available stateroom from those that are available within this grade and you will receive all the same benefits that the Cunard Fare offers.

 

If you do not wish to book on a guarantee please either search for another stateroom number or browse all stateroom styles.

 

Cunard seem to have all sorts of booking options, and was a little surprised at the message. I assume they are hoping somebody will not make the final payment, or they get a cancellation before we sail, if not what happens?

Edited June 15, 2016 by Adammara
Missing word!

[Lakesregion]

Wanting flexibility in dining, last month we booked the last Princess Grill suite for our cruise. Club and Queens were both full, and our booking is on a guarantee basis:

 

Princess Suite

Decks 6,5,4

There are only guarantee staterooms available.

 

Unfortunately we are unable to offer the selection of a specific stateroom for this grade. However, you can continue to book on a guarantee basis. This means you will be allocated the best available stateroom from those that are available within this grade and you will receive all the same benefits that the Cunard Fare offers.

 

In the days of the QE2, with no such thing as a "normal" stateroom, they frequently played games with calling a Princess stateroom a Coronia stateroom and Coronia staterooms became Princess stateroom as demand warranted.

If you do not wish to book on a guarantee please either search for another stateroom number or browse all stateroom styles.

 

Cunard seem to have all sorts of booking options, and was a little surprised at the message. I assume they are hoping somebody will not make the final payment, or they get a cancellation before we sail, if not what happens?

 

If some one does not cancel so they can fit you in, hopefully they have a Queens Grill cabin available and either you or someone else gets a visit from the upgrade fairy and you get the Princess Grill stateroom.

 

In the days of the QE2 where there were no "normal" staterooms, Depending on demand, Cunard would change designations between Princess and Coronia grade simply by reclassifying a particular stateroom based on which was needed so Coronia staterooms sailed one week as Coronia and the next week as Princess. I even saw a Queens Grill stateroom smaller and less upscale than a Coronia stateroom. Obviously they needed an extra Queens Grill stateroom for that sailing and Shazam, they made it up.

Edited June 15, 2016 by Lakesregion