Considering Cunard, need advice

[4774Papa]

We are planning a safari in Kenya and don't wish to fly all the way from the US east coast to Nairobi.   We are looking at spending 7-12 days in England either on our way to Africa or on our return.   

We would fly to NYC, take Cunard to Southampton, spend several days in England, then fly to Nairobi.   We would purchase our RT London to Nairobi flight separately from or other flights.

Upon returning to London from Africa, we would spend a couple of days in London before flying home.    

 

Now if we do book Cunard, we would likely pay for  about $2000 each for a 7 night cruise.  This is a bit pricey, but we would save on airfare, say about $500 each.

Question 1) Cunard has a balcony that is partially obscured, perhaps by the lifeboats.  Any opinion on saving a bit by taking this option?

2) How is dining arranged?  Is there only set table/time seating or dine when you wish?

3) How casual can you go with dress?   Since we will be headed for a safari, we don't want to take much in the way of dress up clothes.

4) How much do alcoholic drinks cost.  Also how much does a bottle of wine cost.  Does Cunard have wine packages, like a 5 bottle package?

5) Since we won't be stopping at any ports, is there a library on board?  How good is the library?  How good is the entertainment on Cunard?

 

Any other tips would be appreciated.

[Underwatr]

1) There are lifeboats and there are tenders. The life boats aren't as tall as the tenders and at 6 feet tall I could just see the horizon over the top of a lifeboat. The lifeboats are more forward than the tenders - room numbers below 8043-8044 will have a lifeboat. On my opinion the taller tenders impose a bit more but neither tenders nor lifeboats are particularly close to the balcony

2) Cunard is largely traditional set dining with some specialty restaurants and the buffet. There is no anytime dining other than those options.

3) You can be as casual as you want during the day. In the traditional restaurants the evening dress code is more rigid than other lines (jacket required even on informal nights) but you can eat in the buffet with only minimal dress code requirements. There's a description somewhere on the site. If you're not dressed to the code there are a limited number of places where you're welcome in the evening.

4)There should be a link to bar drink menus in the top of this forum section. I'll try to find it. There are wines in the $35-40 range; I mostly drank wines under $40 in June. There are wine packages that might save you 15% off the oer-bottle prices but the wines in the selection are higher than $40 by the bottle.

5) Best library at sea.

[BigMac1953]

20 minutes ago, 4774Papa said:

 

Question 1) Cunard has a balcony that is partially obscured, perhaps by the lifeboats.  Any opinion on saving a bit by taking this option?

As you won't be spending much time on the balcony, it doesn't really matter. 

2) How is dining arranged?  Is there only set table/time seating or dine when you wish?

If you are not willing to adhere to the strict dress code, then it doesn't matter as you won't be dining there.

3) How casual can you go with dress?   Since we will be headed for a safari, we don't want to take much in the way of dress up clothes.

You can dine in the self service if not dressed properly.

4) How much do alcoholic drinks cost.  Also how much does a bottle of wine cost.  Does Cunard have wine packages, like a 5 bottle package?

Think city centre prices. A beer is about $7.50 inc. service charge. They have packages, but there's not much advantage. Average bottle $40

5) Since we won't be stopping at any ports, is there a library on board?  How good is the library?  How good is the entertainment on Cunard?

QM2 has the biggest blibrary afloat. Entertainment is first class and there are not enough hours in the day to fit it all in.

Stewart

20 minutes ago, 4774Papa said:

 

Any other tips would be appreciated.

 

[exlondoner]

23 minutes ago, 4774Papa said:

We are planning a safari in Kenya and don't wish to fly all the way from the US east coast to Nairobi.   We are looking at spending 7-12 days in England either on our way to Africa or on our return.   

We would fly to NYC, take Cunard to Southampton, spend several days in England, then fly to Nairobi.   We would purchase our RT London to Nairobi flight separately from or other flights.

Upon returning to London from Africa, we would spend a couple of days in London before flying home.    

 

Now if we do book Cunard, we would likely pay for  about $2000 each for a 7 night cruise.  This is a bit pricey, but we would save on airfare, say about $500 each.

Question 1) Cunard has a balcony that is partially obscured, perhaps by the lifeboats.  Any opinion on saving a bit by taking this option?

2) How is dining arranged?  Is there only set table/time seating or dine when you wish?

3) How casual can you go with dress?   Since we will be headed for a safari, we don't want to take much in the way of dress up clothes.

4) How much do alcoholic drinks cost.  Also how much does a bottle of wine cost.  Does Cunard have wine packages, like a 5 bottle package?

5) Since we won't be stopping at any ports, is there a library on board?  How good is the library?  How good is the entertainment on Cunard?

 

Any other tips would be appreciated.

 

1. Some cabins have a gap between lifeboats, so you need to study the plan carefully.

 

2. Set times for dinner in main dining room. But there is also the buffet, and various alternative venues and room service.

 

3. If dressing casually your choice of venues will be restricted but the buffet is available.

 

4. There are other threads on this.

 

5. The library is brilliant, as, usually, are the lectures.

[Underwatr]

Guide to deck 8 obstructed staterooms behind lifeboats & tenders:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2638167-what-do-the-obstructed-views-look-like/

 

How much are the drinks on board?

How much are the drinks on board?

 

Wine List - 2018

 

Nominally, to attend the evening entertainment you should be dressed according to the dress code. This is imperfectly enforced.

 

Edited July 18, 2019 by Underwatr

[Underwatr]

Dress Code information:

 

https://www.cunard.com/en-us/the-cunard-experience/what-to-pack

[PORT ROYAL]

Either purchase from the shops onboard (with OBC) or hire - cut/copy/paste

Can I hire formal wear?

Yes, gentlemen can hire tuxedos including shirts, trousers and dinner jackets on board from the shops. Tuxedo packages range from $90 for one night up to $250 for 5 nights*.

We do not currently offer a hire service for ladies formal wear on board however a range of woman’s evening wear is available for purchase from our on board shops.

 

Prices

Black Tuxedo Packages** Includes Dinner Jacket, trousers and shirt
Number of Nights	Cost (USD)
1	$90
2	$125
3	$170
4	$210
5	$250

 

Individual Items Per Night**	Cost (USD)
Black Jacket	$49.00
Dress Trousers	$33.00
Dress Shirt	$26.00
All items available in a wide range of sizes

 

Sizes

Jackets 
38 - S, R, & L, 
40 - S, R, L, & XL 
42 - S, R, L, & XL 
44 - S, R, L, & XL 
46 - XS, S, R, L, XL 
48 - XS, S, L
50 - XS, S, R, L
54 - R

Trousers (waist - length)
30- 29, 31 & 33
32 - 29, 31, & 33
34 - 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34
36 - 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34
38 - 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34
40, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33
42 - 29, 31, 33
44 - 29, 30, 31, 32
46 - 31
48 - 29, 31, 33

Dress Shirts

Available in sizes 14.5 to 18.5 (wing collar). Sizes 16, 17 or 18 (all white shirts).

 

*Prices are subject to change 

**Subject to availability

It is not possible to pre order formal wear and the hiring of shoes is not possible. Children's sizes are not available.

 

[naturelovergirl]

4 hours ago, 4774Papa said:

 Any other tips would be appreciated.

 

Cunard is much more formal than many other lines- it is one of the things that makes Cunard special and unique.

After 6:00 you will have several Smart nights where men are to wear jackets (no jeans) with the option of wearing a tie

Then on the Gala nights, men are to wear dark suits with tie or bow tie or formal tuxedos.

Attire for women follows the lines of smart and formal... basically and clearly... you dress up on Cunard.... a good rule of thumb is something you will hear (or read) many Cunarders say— that you can never be too dressed up for Cunard.

It is part of their history and tradition.

 

There are limited places to go if you don’t want to dress up as much... but rules will still apply... and you would not get the full Cunard experience if you limited yourself... 

 

So if you choose Cunard, you will want to plan accordingly 😊

 

 

[Jack E Dawson]

4774Papa,

You have asked some really good questions although they are somewhat subjective. I noticed that you have 10K+ postings so I took a few minutes to scan some of them in order to get some insights. You seem to be an experienced cruiser,open to new experiences, pretty easy going but value is important. I can tell you, right off the bat, that Cunard is going to be a cultural difference for you. It's not everyone's cup of tea but I think you will like it. We absolutely love it. You mention $500 airfare, that's probably economy/coach. A balcony cabin on the QM2 is more like business class (a lay flat bed and good food🙂). I would strongly recommend a Sheltered Balcony over an obstructed view. Unless you are in Club or Grills cabins, there are two allocated dining times, 6:00PM and 8:30PM. Your best chance for a table for 2 is the later seating but my wife and I have always requested a table or 6 and have greatly enjoyed meeting and dining with our table-mates. Their lives and stories are far more interesting than ours. Breakfast and lunch are open seating with no assigned eating time. You can always skip the Britannia Main Dining Room and eat in any of the more casual venues for any meal, except for the Veranda Steakhouse which has the same dress code as the MDR. Dress slacks/sports-coat (tie optional) for men and cocktail dress for women, on casual nights, while tux/dark-suit for men and long dress/evening-pants for women on the 3 formal nights are required in the MDR as well as the Queens Ball Room. Cunard allows you to bring pretty much unlimited liquor onboard but there is a $20 per bottle corkage fee in the MDR. Onboard alcohol prices are inline with what you would pay at a nice restaurant/bar in Atlanta. The library is over-the-top great. You will be surprised how many passengers spend considerable time there. The speakers program is also first rate. While there are dozens of activities offered each day on board, a lot of passengers just chill, watching the North Atlantic roll by from a deck chair, walking the Promenade Deck or relaxing in their cabins. The somewhat unique result of this is that there is rarely that rush and crush of people in any one place/activity. I find that I really have to dial it back from being the "pushy American". It's like everyone has, what is it?, oh yea, manners! 

A couple more quick points that you didn't ask about. I strongly recommend a cabin on the sunny side of the ship, starboard if sailing to Southampton, port if sailing to NYC. An added bonus is that if sailing to NYC, the Statue of Liberty will be on the port side as you sail past it at zero dark thirty on arrival day. The other point, and I feel very strongly about this, is that you should do an East bound crossing not a West bound one. Sailing East bound (to SH) lets you gain an hour on 5 of the 7 nights as you pass through the time zones. So on those five nights at 2:00AM the ships clock is set back one hour to 1:00AM for an extra hours sleep. Whereas if you do a West bound crossing to NYC, on 5 of the afternoons the ships clock will be moved ahead one hour taking that precious (an expensive) time from your day. 

Now I may be getting a little full of myself here but if you are interested, I've posted a couple of slide shows to YouTube from our crossings in 2017 and 2018. You can search HGQM2-2017 and HGQM2-2018. The 2018 crossing also happened to be the Fashion Week voyage. Very interesting but I would probably not do it again. If you do look at the slide shows you will see that fashion is not my forte. 

Hope you give Cunard and the QM2 a try and if you do please post a review.

Jack

[Underwatr]

36 minutes ago, Jack E Dawson said:

The other point, and I feel very strongly about this, is that you should do an East bound crossing not a West bound one. Sailing East bound (to SH) lets you gain an hour on 5 of the 7 nights as you pass through the time zones. So on those five nights at 2:00AM the ships clock is set back one hour to 1:00AM for an extra hours sleep. Whereas if you do a West bound crossing to NYC, on 5 of the afternoons the ships clock will be moved ahead one hour taking that precious (an expensive) time from your day. 

On an eastbound the clocks go ahead on 5 of 7 days, at noon.

 

One hour back at 2:00 AM occurs on a westbound.

Edited July 19, 2019 by Underwatr

[Jack E Dawson]

YIKES, am i embarrassed!!!! Got it backwards. Do a WEST BOUND crossing to gain the hour the 5 days.

Sorry about that.

 

Jack

[Underwatr]

The result of this is that you're on the ship 10 hours longer on a westbound than an eastbound, but that also means the ship will be sailing a couple of knots slower.

[2Oldpeopleinlove]

Mr. Dawson, I have to compliment you (again?) on your consistently kind, generous contributions here. You always offer concise but detailed replies and never condescend. 

[Jack E Dawson]

Thank you so much. Now if I can just keep east and west straight.

 

Jack

[4774Papa]

Thanks everyone for all the great assistance, this is why I love cc boards.

 

Jack, special thanks to you.

We have done three transatlantic cruises and one transpacific cruise and prefer to do them from Europe to the USA, after our land trip in Europe.  We love not having another long flight.

 

We probably would not consider Cunard, due to the relative cost, but finding a transatlantic cruise in mid-summer leaves us with little choice.  

 

I would probably only bring some nice slacks with my navy blazer and a tie for the formal nights.  Based on the information everyone provided, that seemed to be sufficient.

 

I would be happy with an ocean view or even an inside cabin, but dear wife won't go below a balcony.

 

Still, not sure if we will do this, since I have to compare the cost of airfare from Jacksonville, Fla to NYC, then a one way airfare from London to JAX (or if we do the westbound, a one-way from JAX to London, then one-way from NYC to JAX).   When we do transatlantic cruises, we usually use flyer miles for the one-way flights.

[exlondoner]

15 minutes ago, 4774Papa said:

 

I would probably only bring some nice slacks with my navy blazer and a tie for the formal nights.  Based on the information everyone provided, that seemed to be sufficient.

 

 

I think for formal nights you would need at least a dark suit for the MDR, but fine for Kings Court.

[4774Papa]

8 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

 

I think for formal nights you would need at least a dark suit for the MDR, but fine for Kings Court.

Sorry, what is Kings Court?

[exlondoner]

11 minutes ago, 4774Papa said:

Sorry, what is Kings Court?

 

Their buffet.

[siforest65]

12 hours ago, Jack E Dawson said:

4774Papa,

You have asked some really good questions although they are somewhat subjective. I noticed that you have 10K+ postings so I took a few minutes to scan some of them in order to get some insights. You seem to be an experienced cruiser,open to new experiences, pretty easy going but value is important. I can tell you, right off the bat, that Cunard is going to be a cultural difference for you. It's not everyone's cup of tea but I think you will like it. We absolutely love it. You mention $500 airfare, that's probably economy/coach. A balcony cabin on the QM2 is more like business class (a lay flat bed and good food🙂). I would strongly recommend a Sheltered Balcony over an obstructed view. Unless you are in Club or Grills cabins, there are two allocated dining times, 6:00PM and 8:30PM. Your best chance for a table for 2 is the later seating but my wife and I have always requested a table or 6 and have greatly enjoyed meeting and dining with our table-mates. Their lives and stories are far more interesting than ours. Breakfast and lunch are open seating with no assigned eating time. You can always skip the Britannia Main Dining Room and eat in any of the more casual venues for any meal, except for the Veranda Steakhouse which has the same dress code as the MDR. Dress slacks/sports-coat (tie optional) for men and cocktail dress for women, on casual nights, while tux/dark-suit for men and long dress/evening-pants for women on the 3 formal nights are required in the MDR as well as the Queens Ball Room. Cunard allows you to bring pretty much unlimited liquor onboard but there is a $20 per bottle corkage fee in the MDR. Onboard alcohol prices are inline with what you would pay at a nice restaurant/bar in Atlanta. The library is over-the-top great. You will be surprised how many passengers spend considerable time there. The speakers program is also first rate. While there are dozens of activities offered each day on board, a lot of passengers just chill, watching the North Atlantic roll by from a deck chair, walking the Promenade Deck or relaxing in their cabins. The somewhat unique result of this is that there is rarely that rush and crush of people in any one place/activity. I find that I really have to dial it back from being the "pushy American". It's like everyone has, what is it?, oh yea, manners! 

A couple more quick points that you didn't ask about. I strongly recommend a cabin on the sunny side of the ship, starboard if sailing to Southampton, port if sailing to NYC. An added bonus is that if sailing to NYC, the Statue of Liberty will be on the port side as you sail past it at zero dark thirty on arrival day. The other point, and I feel very strongly about this, is that you should do an East bound crossing not a West bound one. Sailing East bound (to SH) lets you gain an hour on 5 of the 7 nights as you pass through the time zones. So on those five nights at 2:00AM the ships clock is set back one hour to 1:00AM for an extra hours sleep. Whereas if you do a West bound crossing to NYC, on 5 of the afternoons the ships clock will be moved ahead one hour taking that precious (an expensive) time from your day. 

Now I may be getting a little full of myself here but if you are interested, I've posted a couple of slide shows to YouTube from our crossings in 2017 and 2018. You can search HGQM2-2017 and HGQM2-2018. The 2018 crossing also happened to be the Fashion Week voyage. Very interesting but I would probably not do it again. If you do look at the slide shows you will see that fashion is not my forte. 

Hope you give Cunard and the QM2 a try and if you do please post a review.

Jack

 

A very good appraisal in my opinion.

 

Funnily enough, last Summer on a Fjords cruise we met an American family who were experienced cruisers but first time on Cunard. They said they absolutely loved the ambience and experience so much so they were looking at an Alaska cruise with Cunard.

 

Flip side was a British couple who had only sailed on Royal Caribbean who we met on the QM2 a few weeks ago said they found it not to their taste. They didn’t mind the formalities but wanted more action. Good job we are all different.

[Underwatr]

But down to brass tacks, you should be able to book an obscured balcony for less than you've been thinking, $1870 or so per person (Cunard's rate for a sheltered balcony in July 2020 is the same under the current Big Balcony promotion), and if you're cost conscious an inside is currently around $1350 with all taxes & fees.

I'm looking at the 24 July 2020 Westbound out of Southampton.

[majortom10]

1 hour ago, 4774Papa said:

Thanks everyone for all the great assistance, this is why I love cc boards.

 

Jack, special thanks to you.

We have done three transatlantic cruises and one transpacific cruise and prefer to do them from Europe to the USA, after our land trip in Europe.  We love not having another long flight.

 

We probably would not consider Cunard, due to the relative cost, but finding a transatlantic cruise in mid-summer leaves us with little choice.  

 

I would probably only bring some nice slacks with my navy blazer and a tie for the formal nights.  Based on the information everyone provided, that seemed to be sufficient.

 

I would be happy with an ocean view or even an inside cabin, but dear wife won't go below a balcony.

 

Still, not sure if we will do this, since I have to compare the cost of airfare from Jacksonville, Fla to NYC, then a one way airfare from London to JAX (or if we do the westbound, a one-way from JAX to London, then one-way from NYC to JAX).   When we do transatlantic cruises, we usually use flyer miles for the one-way flights.

I think you will need more than that i.e. dark suit if you intend eating in MDR on Formal evenings.

[ivanidea]

I can recommend buying formal wear from a charity / thrift shop before the crossing, and then donate to a charity shop in the UK if you don't wan't to carry it during the rest of your holiday.

[4774Papa]

The more that I think about this cruise on Cunard, the more I am not inclined to do it.

1) Expensive- a 7 day cruise cost about what a 14 day Celebrity TA costs.

2) Having to pack a business suit that I haven't worn in 5 years, or buy something at a thrift shop,, etc.

 

I won't save that much taking the cruise and I don't like going through NYC anyway.

 

Thanks for information.

[Hawaii136]

We take QM2 eastbound transatlantic as a way to beat jet lag traveling from California to Europe. DH has Taken a suit once, but the rest of the time his tuxedo and dress shoes. Since we then travel around Europe for 2-3 weeks, we either:

1. Mail the tux and accessories home

2. Leave a carryon size suitcase behind at our hotel in London.  ( stay at same hotel after arrival at Southampton and before flying home out of LHR)

Edited July 19, 2019 by Hawaii136

[Jack E Dawson]

I have to agree with the way you are leaning 4774Papa. Considering the enormity of your safari trip, trying to add a crossing on the QM2 may be just setting yourself up for disappointment and/or disaster. A classic case of over-stuffing the burrito, and you know what a mess that always turns out to be. A crossing on the QM2 can be one of life's great adventures and experiences. But it is not a "now or never" thing, the QM2 will be waiting for you when the time and circumstances are right. I would strongly advise you to watch the fares on the Cunard website. They post some incredible deals. We did a crossing last September in a sheltered balcony for $849/pp (plus $100 OBT). The deal popped up on their website about 8 weeks before the departure date. Being retired, we jumped on it.  

 

Jack