New 6:30pm westbound crossing departure time?

[bluemarble]

I've noticed most of QM2's westbound crossings for November 2019 through October 2020 are showing 6:30pm departure times from Southampton in the itinerary details listed on the Cunard website. That's instead of 4:30pm or 5:00pm which has been the more usual departure time for westbound crossings. The only exception I'm seeing is for the August 14th 2020 "Journey of Genealogy" crossing which is showing an unusual 9:00pm departure time which we've discussed in another thread. Perhaps this is a real adjustment to the departure times or perhaps this is a glitch.

 

The reason I say this could be a glitch is that the Southampton VTS cruise schedule is still showing 4:30pm departure times for all of QM2's remaining westbound crossings on it's schedule (through the end of this year). Plus the listed departure times on the Cunard website go back to 5:00pm starting with December 2020 westbound crossings. And it seems odd for Cunard to start routinely scheduling sail aways during early sitting in Britannia.

 

Just throwing this out there in case anyone has any insight about this. I wouldn't want to start planning an extended independent excursion for my upcoming day in Southampton on November 19th only to find out Cunard's listed 6:30pm departure time is actually going to be 4:30pm. For what it's worth, I'm not seeing any of Cunard's shore excursions offered in Voyage Personaliser for November 19th scheduled to return back to the ship after 3:30pm.

Edited September 20, 2019 by bluemarble

[bluemarble]

I called Cunard customer service for an unrelated matter and asked about the departure time from Southampton for my November 19th westbound crossing. The representative I spoke with confirmed the departure time as 6:30pm. When I pointed out the usual departure time is 4:30pm, her reply was that I was correct, that's the usual departure time, but she is seeing the departure time as 6:30pm in her system for November 19th.

 

Now of course we know Cunard shoreside doesn't always have accurate information. I still have my doubts about that 6:30pm departure time. I may just have to wait and see until I'm on board for the earlier legs of the voyage. I will be keeping an eye on the departure of the November 3rd crossing (the first one listed for 6:30pm) to see what time that actually occurs. That should provide a clue.

[Lanky Lad]

I wonder if it should be 16.30 (24hr clock) which would be 4.30pm.   We will have to watch and see what time she leaves.

[bluemarble]

OK, what's the deal with the itinerary times listed on the Cunard UK website? All I'm seeing on the Cunard UK website are times such as "Departs afternoon", "Arrives early morning", and "Departs early evening".

 

Has the Cunard UK website reverted back to the old way of doing things, not showing specific times, or is it only the new Cunard US website that has ever shown specific arrival and departure times?

 

To make sure this is clear, here is what the Cunard UK website is showing for a voyage itinerary when displayed in "List view". Just vague "morning", "afternoon", and "evening" arrival and departure times are listed, the same as it was with the old Cunard website.

 

On the other hand, here is what the Cunard US website shows, listing specific arrival and departure times.

 

I remember thanking Cunard last year for adding the specific arrival and departure times to the itinerary information in the "New Cunard Website" thread when we started discussing the roll-out of the new Cunard website. Was this never done for the Cunard UK website?

[Lanky Lad]

The UK website stopped showing actual times some years ago.  Makes it tricky to pre book trips if you don't really know what time you need to be back at the ship.

[bluemarble]

9 minutes ago, Lanky Lad said:

The UK website stopped showing actual times some years ago.  Makes it tricky to pre book trips if you don't really know what time you need to be back at the ship.

 

Thanks for that. As often as I go back and forth comparing the US and UK websites, it's odd I never picked up on how even though actual times were added to the itineraries during the initial roll-out of the new US website last year, they were never added to the new UK website. Long past time for Cunard to have added that feature to the UK website, I'd say.

[Host Hattie]

Still showing times on the mobile version

 

 

[bluemarble]

That's odd. Here is what I'm seeing on my phone (from the US after I set up a vpn connection to the UK). Not sure what accounts for the difference, but glad to hear you can see the actual arrival and departure times from the UK.

 

[Host Hattie]

Very, I think this is more your area of expertise than mine ! I'm using Chrome on an Android phone if that helps.

[Bigmike911]

I am aboard QM2 right now underway to Le Havre. We left Southampton at about 5pm today. I am just back from my fifth deluxe Queens Grill dinner, tonight Lobster Thermador and it was delicious. A visit to Honfleur tomorrow and then we sail for NYC. The Southampton-Hamburg-Southampton was a delight with long term English Friends sharing a table, and more than a few glasses of champagne, Now I am on my own for the rest of the voyage. 

[bluemarble]

Well isn't this interesting? Here's what I'm seeing today on my phone. Specific departure and arrival times are shown in the itineraries on the Cunard UK website when I set up a vpn connection from the US to the UK. The same as Host Hattie reported last month accessing the site directly from the UK.

 

 

I'm also now seeing similar results viewing the Cunard UK website from my Windows desktop. Nothing has changed on my end that I'm aware of. Perhaps one of those mysteries that will defy a good explanation.

[bluemarble]

The plot thickens. The Southampton VTS "Planned Shipping Movements" page found at http://www.southamptonvts.co.uk/Live_Information/Shipping_Movements_and_Cruise_Ship_Schedule/Planned_Movements/ has just been updated to include activity through 3 November 2019. The Departures section of that page lists "QUEEN MARY 2 ... 03-Nov-2019 16:30". That page has usually been reliable in the past in my experience. Time will tell, I suppose, whether the departure will indeed be 16:30 or rather 18:30 as listed in the itinerary on the Cunard website.

[bluemarble]

The Southampton VTS Planned Shipping Movements and Cruise Ship Schedule pages have been updated to show QM2 departing at 18:30 on November 3rd. The Cruise Ship Schedule page is still showing 16:30 departure times for both the November 19th and December 15th crossings.

[gengens]

Getting 6.30pm as departure time for our cruise on the 19th from Cunard's UK mobile site. This is a bit disappointing as we're on early dining so will miss sailaway. If we made alternative dining arrangements that night would we potentially get a not great table in Britannia the next night?

[bluemarble]

48 minutes ago, gengens said:

Getting 6.30pm as departure time for our cruise on the 19th from Cunard's UK mobile site. This is a bit disappointing as we're on early dining so will miss sailaway. If we made alternative dining arrangements that night would we potentially get a not great table in Britannia the next night?

 

Right, that's what I was seeing too which prompted me to start this thread. What I'm seeing is all of the westbound crossings from now through October 2020 are showing departures times of 18:30 from Southampton on the Cunard UK website (and the equivalent 6:30 PM on the Cunard US website). Then they revert back to 17:00 (5:00 PM) departures after that for the westbound crossings in December 2020 and into 2021.

 

Your Britannia restaurant table assignment for the voyage which you'll find in your cabin when you board should have nothing to do with whether you have made alternative plans for the first evening. Cunard even encourages you to have dinner in the Kings Court alternative dining venue the first evening by typically offering a reduced $14.50 cover charge there on embarkation day. Unfortunately you won't know what the theme is going to be that evening nor can you reserve that particular venue prior to the voyage which probably has a lot to do with why they offer that discount.

Edited November 2, 2019 by bluemarble

[david,Mississauga]

12 hours ago, bluemarble said:

 

Right, that's what I was seeing too which prompted me to start this thread. What I'm seeing is all of the westbound crossings from now through October 2020 are showing departures times of 18:30 from Southampton on the Cunard UK website (and the equivalent 6:30 PM on the Cunard US website). Then they revert back to 17:00 (5:00 PM) departures after that for the westbound crossings in December 2020 and into 2021.

...

 

 

 The w/b crossing we are taking on August 14th next year is showing the Southampton departure as 9:00 p.m. The previous voyage is an extended 14-day e/b crossing, so I am wondering if the late departure is to benefit those taking the two consecutive voyages.  I believe Cunard doesn't usually have a late departure during other back-to-back voyages.

Edited November 2, 2019 by david,Mississauga

[bluemarble]

21 minutes ago, david,Mississauga said:

 The w/b crossing we are taking on August 14th next year is showing the Southampton departure as 9:00 p.m. The previous voyage is an extended 14-day e/b crossing, so I am wondering if the late departure is to benefit those taking the two consecutive voyages.  I believe Cunard doesn't usually have a late departure during other back-to-back voyages.

 

Oh yes, sorry, that Aug 14th 2020 crossing (Journey of Genealogy) is one exception to the 6:30pm departure time for westbound crossings next year. I remembered to mention that exception in my original post but forgot to include it my latest post. You'll probably recall our earlier discussion about that unusual 9:00pm departure time in this thread.

 

How late is “Evening” departure and can I trust it?

[Underwatr]

15 hours ago, gengens said:

If we made alternative dining arrangements that night would we potentially get a not great table in Britannia the next night?

Your Britannia table assignment is posted in your stateroom upon your embarkation (so I don't think it would change based on your dining options the first night). The Kings Court alternative dining venue is typically discounted ($14.95 rather than $19.95) on embarkation night. If you are determined to be at sailaway an alternative reservation might be a good idea, but expect others to have the same plan so book dining as soon as you're onboard.

 

Edit: Or what Bluemarble said up above. 🙂

Edited November 2, 2019 by Underwatr

[Host Hattie]

On our last QM2 trip we had a couple on our second sitting table who'd swapped for the first night as they didn't want to miss sailaway.

It might be worth asking if you don't want to pay extra.

[david,Mississauga]

12 hours ago, bluemarble said:

 

Oh yes, sorry, that Aug 14th 2020 crossing (Journey of Genealogy) is one exception to the 6:30pm departure time for westbound crossings next year. I remembered to mention that exception in my original post but forgot to include it my latest post. You'll probably recall our earlier discussion about that unusual 9:00pm departure time in this thread.

 

How late is “Evening” departure and can I trust it?

 

Sorry, I had forgotten the previous discussion.  I have my doubts about a 9:00 p.m. departure. We won't be making any plans for the early evening until I am on the ship and see the definite departure time information.

[bluemarble]

Looks like QM2 got underway this evening at about 6:20pm based on what marinetraffic has been showing.

[majortom10]

On 11/3/2019 at 6:35 PM, bluemarble said:

Looks like QM2 got underway this evening at about 6:20pm based on what marinetraffic has been showing.

We did but we were. not the only ones P&O Aurora left just before us and Ventura just after 5pm. Not sure what time QE departed.

[bluemarble]

Southampton VTS has now been updated to show an 18:30 departure time for QM2's November 19th westbound crossing. So, it looks like that time is now firming up. The December 15th crossing is still showing a 16:30 departure time on Southampton VTS, but I suppose that's likely to be updated to 18:30 as well closer to that date.

[bluemarble]

Just to put some finishing touches to this thread as it relates to the November 19th westbound crossing now underway...

 

All aboard time as listed in the daily programme was 6:00pm, with the sailaway parties scheduled for 6:30pm. By my watch, our actual departure from the Ocean Terminal was 6:22pm.

 

One important detail is that a 6:00pm all aboard time corresponds with the beginning of first sitting in the Britannia Restaurant. Therefore, the muster drill needed to be scheduled earlier and was in fact scheduled for 5:00pm. In-transit passengers. who are excused from attending another muster drill, did not have to be back on board by 5:00pm, but those newly-embarking passengers did need to be on board prior to 5:00pm in order to attend the drill.

[Underwatr]

Newly boarding passengers normally have a latest boarding time that's earlier than that listed in the Daily Programme (which is for the benefit of in-transit passengers). If they do miss the scheduled drill they hold a special remedial make-up drill. 🙂