First time On Board QM2

[cruzzzinma]

We were first time Cunard cruisers on the June 7-14 crossing. The internet was very slow. We were in 11032 between the A & B elevators but closer to B.

 

i agree the beverage package is not worth the cost and has too many exclusions. I tracked our spending the first three three days. Even with ordering anything we wanted, our combined spend was about $65 per day.

 

We did buy the stateroom water package. We brought wine on board and I would never do it again. The wine prices are reasonable onboard and we disembarked with almost as much wine as we started with. We were gifted three bottles on board - the sparkling wine which we left in the fridge and never opened, a bottle of Cunard house wine (each had a glass and asked the wine steward to dispose of the rest), and a really good red to compensate for the horrible embarkation.

 

We ended up taking our wine to the dining room and paying the corkage to reduce the inventory on the last four nights. Even with all this, we left the ship with five decent bottles of wine.

[Underwatr]

The internet on QM2 is vastly faster than it was a couple of months ago. It used to remind me of 56K dialup but on the same crossing you were on I measured 8 Mb/second download speed. Other lines, particularly those who sell internet access at a fixed daily rate, have faster internet connections, no doubt.

Latency is an issue due to the satellite transmission distance, but after a bit of delay to get the request submitted and the response back, I thought pages load quickly enough, particularly compared to what I've grown used to over the years. 

I've also had better and worse cabins for WiFi reception. Cunard advises that reception is better in public spaces than in some staterooms. I had great reception eastbound in 5089 but westbound in 4022 the WiFi would drop out about where the coffee table is located.

[Bigmike911]

7 hours ago, cruzzzinma said:

We were first time Cunard cruisers on the June 7-14 crossing. The internet was very slow. We were in 11032 between the A & B elevators but closer to B.

 

i agree the beverage package is not worth the cost and has too many exclusions. I tracked our spending the first three three days. Even with ordering anything we wanted, our combined spend was about $65 per day.

 

We did buy the stateroom water package. We brought wine on board and I would never do it again. The wine prices are reasonable onboard and we disembarked with almost as much wine as we started with. We were gifted three bottles on board - the sparkling wine which we left in the fridge and never opened, a bottle of Cunard house wine (each had a glass and asked the wine steward to dispose of the rest), and a really good red to compensate for the horrible embarkation.

 

We ended up taking our wine to the dining room and paying the corkage to reduce the inventory on the last four nights. Even with all this, we left the ship with five decent bottles of wine.

Unfortunately, I have found the packages you buy to be less useful and less expensive than buying what you want.

If you left the Pol Roger "sparkling wine" in the fridge that was the very best place for it. One of these voyages, I hope that they will have given this 'treat' the permanent boot. 

The internet has never been stellar, but then some time my very expensive fiber optic land service is less than stellar as well, but I am an old codger and I can deal with it because it doesn't rule my life. 

I do hope that your voyage brought you some joy as well. I am addicted to the crossing, and I am always happy when new voyagers find it joyful as well. 

[Underwatr]

Best use for Pol Acker: with room service orange juice in the morning. We pack a stopper for the bottle so it keeps for a few mornings. 

[babs135]

3 hours ago, Underwatr said:

Best use for Pol Acker: with room service orange juice in the morning. We pack a stopper for the bottle so it keeps for a few mornings. 

One of the first things we do once we are on board is to get some orange juice and drown the Pol Acker in it.  And I mean drown it; by then it is just about drinkable 🤣🤣

[Alanxx]

It is really interesting to see the constant complaints on this board about Pol Acker. When I was the Marketing Director of a multinational food company many of my friends said they never ate my product as they didn't like it. One summer I had about 12 friends around for a garden party and asked if they would take part in a "blind" test of four products and tell me which they liked the best. The result was that 8 of the 12 put my product first even though they had previously said they would never touch it !!

Probably the best idea for Cunard would be to rebrand the same product and see what response they get.

[Underwatr]

Have you tasted Pol Acker?

[nybumpkin]

8 hours ago, Underwatr said:

Best use for Pol Acker: with room service orange juice in the morning. We pack a stopper for the bottle so it keeps for a few mornings. 

Sailing in two days - thanks for a great idea! DH doesn't care for sparking wine anyway.

[siforest65]

We find the stuff they put in the cabin a traditional way of leaving the first port. It’s not the best tasting but does us while sat outside enjoying being on board and looking forward to the cruise.

 

My parents are regulars with Cunard and reckon one way of having a glass before muster stations and saving the rest as you depart (ramming the whole bottle down your neck in 1 sitting can be a bit much I think) is to put an inverted teaspoon into the neck of the bottle and then leaving it in the fridge. Old wives tale?

[Colin_Cameron]

1 hour ago, siforest65 said:

Old wives tale?

Yes. But that doesn't mean it doesn't work. 😁

 

We've done this if we've forgotten to pack the stopper and it seems to help.

Edited July 5, 2019 by Colin_Cameron