Transatlantic on Cunard

[ak1004]

Hello all,

 

We sailed on Cunard few years ago and loved it! We are considering coming back and taking a 7 nights transatlantic on May 15 - https://www.cunard.com/en-us/find-a-cruise/M213/M213

 

Few questions:

 

The title says "London Theater at Sea". Anyone has any experience with those sailings? Does it mean they have some London performances? How many? What else except for performances? Behind the scenes of London Theater? We are big theater fans, just trying to understand what's included in those cruises.

 

Looking at prices, there is a huge difference between veranda and Princess grill:

 

 

I'm trying to understand if the Grill price is worth it. What do we get when paying 4 times more? Bigger cabin obviously which we don't really care. A separate dining room - but we can dine in specialty restaurants every day for a fraction of the price. What else?

 

Also, is mid May a good time for Atlantic crossing in terms of weather?

 

Thank you everyone!

[ak1004]

3 minutes ago, kohl1957 said:

Best answer: when you fly do you go First Class or Economy?  The difference in fare is comparable and the features (you decide if they are benefits) are similar.

 

Grill Class is akin to what First Class on liners used to be: superior accommodation,, more intimate atmosphere, enhanced menu (special ordering in QG), single sitting, same table throughout.  Private deck area.  The Cunard web site lists all of the features.  

 

Personally, I think the Grill features are more apparent on a longer cruise than a crossing.  And my goodness, what a deal on Britannia (Tourist) Class.  My first crossing in SS FRANCE in 1974 cost $220 Student Fare and this is almost the same in real dollars. A bargain.

 

I agree with you. Personally we fly Business class, so I'm willing to pay for quality, but it also comes to what's important to you. Accommodation is important to some people, not important to us. Veranda cabin is 250 sqft if my understanding is correct? Plenty for us.

 

Food is very important, but as I mentioned, you can eat in specialty restaurants, which are supposed to be a similar quality as Grills restaurants - correct me if I'm wrong. 

 

Is private deck area includes a private pool for Grills only?

[ak1004]

Also, my understanding is that Grills price doesn't even include alcohol, gratuities, specialty restaurants, internet etc? 

[ak1004]

4 minutes ago, kohl1957 said:

Well yes and no.  QM2 has only one true specialty restaurant (the Verandah) which is a steakhouse menu.  $49 pp for dinner and $29 for luncheon.  Not worth it, certainly if you are travelling Grills.  The other specialty dining venues are all set in the King's Court in the evening with a revolving international menu and a "Chef's Table".  A venue that we personally avoid but in the evenings, the specialty dining has tablecloths etc and they make an effort.  On my just completed 28-day QM2 cruise, these were practically deserted btw but we were at 50% capacity.  We have never done any of these as Kings Court anything sets our teeth on edge.  

 

The level of quality and menu choice in Britannia is pretty impressive... indeed their menu is about 65% the same in term of dishes as in Grills although the preparation is a la minute for the Grills.  So if you go Britannia, if you get bored, you can "dine out" on a whim.  When we went trans-Atlantic last time (years ago when she was still doing six day crossings), we were content with Britannia throughout.  For $1500 pp for a seven-day crossing, why it's marvellous. 

 

Thank you.

 

So in your opinion, the food in Britannia is pretty good, and The Grills restaurant offers more intimate atmosphere and more personalized service, but not necessarily much better food compared to Britannia? 

[ak1004]

3 minutes ago, kohl1957 said:

Perhaps.  Mind you, the cuisine and service we just enjoyed in QM2 Princess Grill was, hands down, the finest I have relished at sea in 48 years of ship travel. I could not fault any aspect of it.  So even if Britannia were only 75% as good, you'd have little to complain about especially if you don't  require a much bigger menu and additional a la carte items.  I think we ordered about six times off the additional a la carte menu and found the daily offerings more than satisfying and yes many are the same dishes as on the Britannia menu that day.   The maitre d's get bored and relish all the tableside preparations in the Grills but honestly, how much can one eat?  

 

Wow, that's amazing and very encouraging!

 

Can someone comment on the theme aspect of this cruise?

[Pear Carr]

This is going to be down to personal choice and what you feel will enhance your crossing. We have crossed both ways in Britannia class and been happy with the food and service in the beautiful Britannia restaurant. We have also enjoyed Princess grill during a segment of a world cruise and Queens grill on a European cruise. The service and food options are definitely on another level in the grills, however, having experienced all I am still happy to travel Britannia class dependent on trip/cost. Future trips include both.

[canoncruiser]

I was in Princess Grill once on a TA a few years back-very nice. I was upgraded-so no extra cost for me😊 More drawer and closet space  than I had clothes! I did not perceive a significant difference in food from Britannia - maybe a little.  I did enjoy the Grills Lounge.It was a fierce winter crossing so the grand balcony was out.  Once,  I was in Club for half of a World Cruise on QM2-I was with a friend, she preferred a comfortable dining time @ 7:30-we had a nice table with very nice folks; there were extra options on menu and a full cheese cart. Normally I travel in Britannia, Deck 5 balcony, far forward-my fave. It’s quiet and I can reach the Library, Commodore and spa with ease☺️ I really like SouthAsian cuisine and Coriander is very good-I think they do a very nice makeover of that section of  Kings Court for specialty dining; the chefs are from SouthAsia-they know what they are doing!😉 .

[david,Mississauga]

I have not done a theatre crossing, but have met people who did. The only details I remember is that you will not see full-length West-end plays and there were many workshops and interesting chats with actors. Sorry, that is all I know from those who have done it.

 

The fares shown above are Canadian $ which are very good in Britannia. The Grills are pricey, as they usually are. Our first Cunard voyage was in 1973 on the QE2. Our five-day crossing cost us Can.$363 and that was for an outside cabin, one porthole, two lower beds. It was much smaller than the balcony cabins on the QM2.   Using the Bank of Canada calculator the equivalent today would be $2314, so the Britannia fare on the above crossing is excellent.

 

We have made QM2 crossings in all four restaurant classes. (As I have said before our two times in Queens Grill were upgrades.) We have always enjoyed the trips no matter which "class" we were in and always felt we got our money's worth.

 

As much as we love the Grills, we would not pay quadruple the Britannia fare. I would never pay more than double. I note that the balcony fare quoted is for an obstructed view cabin, of which there are many available. The two times we had one of those we were able to get one between life-boats so we had a partial sea view. I doubt we would book one with a totally blocked view. A sheltered balcony costs only a little more.

 

On the subject of extra-fare dining in the Verandah, this might be good if travelling in Britannia if for no other reason than you get to choose a time. For us, first sitting in Britannia is too early and second is too late. When we have been in the Grills we have had a gift of  dinner in the Verandah but would never pay for it. On one crossing in the QG we had our free dinner in the Verandah. The two other couples at the table asked us what we thought. I said it was good, but QG was better. Despite that the others tried it and told us they should have listened to us.

[exlondoner]

What I value most about the Grills is the extra space, and, even more importantly, light. If that were of no concern, I should probably not bother, though the single sitting dining is very nice.

[PORT ROYAL]

15 hours ago, ak1004 said:

Hello all,

 

We sailed on Cunard few years ago and loved it! We are considering coming back and taking a 7 nights transatlantic on May 15 - https://www.cunard.com/en-us/find-a-cruise/M213/M213

 

Few questions:

 

The title says "London Theater at Sea". Anyone has any experience with those sailings? Does it mean they have some London performances? How many? What else except for performances? Behind the scenes of London Theater? We are big theater fans, just trying to understand what's included in those cruises.

 

Looking at prices, there is a huge difference between veranda and Princess grill:

 

 

I'm trying to understand if the Grill price is worth it. What do we get when paying 4 times more? Bigger cabin obviously which we don't really care. A separate dining room - but we can dine in specialty restaurants every day for a fraction of the price. What else?

 

Also, is mid May a good time for Atlantic crossing in terms of weather?

 

Thank you everyone!

You’ve received much high quality information from CC members, but there is small matter you have inadvertently overlooked.

With regard to Balcony price (highlighted), this is the entry level for an obstructed view.

Suggest one completes a dummy booking to ascertain the price for the desired grade.  Then compare to Club prices.  Club has the benefit of a dedicated private table for all Britannia meal sittings, with an open timeframe.  Also, there are upscale additions to the usual Britannia Menus, including a served cheese trolly, not a pre-set plate and the occasional table flambé.

 

[ExArkie]

3 hours ago, PORT ROYAL said:

You’ve received much high quality information from CC members, but there is small matter you have inadvertently overlooked.

With regard to Balcony price (highlighted), this is the entry level for an obstructed view.

Suggest one completes a dummy booking to ascertain the price for the desired grade.  Then compare to Club prices.  Club has the benefit of a dedicated private table for all Britannia meal sittings, with an open timeframe.  Also, there are upscale additions to the usual Britannia Menus, including a served cheese trolly, not a pre-set plate and the occasional table flambé.

 

I was curious about that very point, so I did the dummy booking this morning. The prices I was seeing, all in US dollars (sorry, didn't convert to Canadian for a direct comparison, but the exchange rate was about 1.3 to 1 this week):

Obstructed balcony US$999

Sheltered balcony US$1,149

Unobstructed Balcony US$2,109

Britannia Club US$2,399

PG US$3,999

QG US$4,999

 

The Princess Grill cabin, which is our preferred accommodation for transatlantic crossings, is well above the price I would be willing to pay for that experience. Not a lot of difference between the regular (unobstructed) balcony and the Club, but almost twice as much for the regular balcony versus the sheltered balcony.

 

[ak1004]

4 hours ago, PORT ROYAL said:

You’ve received much high quality information from CC members, but there is small matter you have inadvertently overlooked.

With regard to Balcony price (highlighted), this is the entry level for an obstructed view.

Suggest one completes a dummy booking to ascertain the price for the desired grade.  Then compare to Club prices.  Club has the benefit of a dedicated private table for all Britannia meal sittings, with an open timeframe.  Also, there are upscale additions to the usual Britannia Menus, including a served cheese trolly, not a pre-set plate and the occasional table flambé.

 

 

Yes. A lot of very useful information, thank you everyone so much!

 

27 minutes ago, ExArkie said:

I was curious about that very point, so I did the dummy booking this morning. The prices I was seeing, all in US dollars (sorry, didn't convert to Canadian for a direct comparison, but the exchange rate was about 1.3 to 1 this week):

Obstructed balcony US$999

Sheltered balcony US$1,149

Unobstructed Balcony US$2,109

Britannia Club US$2,399

PG US$3,999

QG US$4,999

 

The Princess Grill cabin, which is our preferred accommodation for transatlantic crossings, is well above the price I would be willing to pay for that experience. Not a lot of difference between the regular (unobstructed) balcony and the Club, but almost twice as much for the regular balcony versus the sheltered balcony.

 

 

Yes, the Canadian site shows the same prices in CAD.

 

For us, the cabin is among the last things to consider. We spend very little time in the cabin, so really couldn't care less about the view. The size is the same, and 248 sqft is more than enough for us.

 

As others mentioned, the PG is way too expensive for a 7 days sailing, so the real choice (for us) is between the Obstructed balcony and Britannia Club. Is it worth to pay more than double ($2,800 USD per couple in fact) for a slightly better selection and flexible dining times? Honestly, I'm not so sure.

Edited February 23, 2022 by ak1004

[laktex]

23 hours ago, kohl1957 said:

Best answer: when you fly do you go First Class or Economy?  The difference in fare is comparable and the features (you decide if they are benefits) are similar.

 

Grill Class is akin to what First Class on liners used to be: superior accommodation,, more intimate atmosphere, enhanced menu (special ordering in QG), single sitting, same table throughout.  Private deck area.  The Cunard web site lists all of the features.  

 

Personally, I think the Grill features are more apparent on a longer cruise than a crossing.  And my goodness, what a deal on Britannia (Tourist) Class.  My first crossing in SS FRANCE in 1974 cost $220 Student Fare and this is almost the same in real dollars. A bargain.

I would slightly disagree with this - on a crossing you are 24/7 on board the ship so for me the grills benefit is greater.  Eg. Greater use of grills deck, greater use of restaurant for lunch.  Just my opinion..

[D&N]

I suspect what you're looking at will be the first of this type. A search of UK websites indicates the partnership was announced in 2019 with a first themed cruise in May 2020. Of course that didn't happen nor did the 2021 event.

You may have seen this detail on Cunard:

"This unique crossing will showcase Olivier Award-winning talent both on and off stage. London Theatre at Sea will feature an illustrious line-up of guests in conversation about their careers, as well as talks on productions, how they are put together, and the theatres themselves.

One special evening will see the stars take to stage in the Royal Court Theatre for 'The Oliviers in Concert', where the orchestra and cast take you back over the last 45 years of the Olivier Awards in an outstanding one-off production.

With a chance to be involved in dance classes led by West End choreographers and a real look behind the scenes, guests can experience the very best the London Theatre has to offer - it's a must for any theatre lover."

It looks like one evening medley type performance and some talks/workshops. Given how many awards must have been dished out over the 45 years it's possible you might not recognise any of the "stars", but you never know who might jump at chance of a crossing.

My young sister was in the 1984 cast of 42nd Street that won Best Musical award. I know she's not going! 😂

[ak1004]

Thank you very much @D&N

 

The theater theme is a nice bonus, but my understanding is that even on non themed crossings, there is a lot to do. Can someone share what type of activities and entertainment can we expect and how does it compare to Celebrity/Princess? We sailed in the QM2 5 years ago, so my memory is a bit vague, but I remember that we were impressed.

[MarkBearSF]

7 hours ago, ak1004 said:

Thank you very much @D&N

 

The theater theme is a nice bonus, but my understanding is that even on non themed crossings, there is a lot to do. Can someone share what type of activities and entertainment can we expect and how does it compare to Celebrity/Princess? We sailed in the QM2 5 years ago, so my memory is a bit vague, but I remember that we were impressed.

In comparison to Princess, you can expect more lectures (and of a very high quality) typically 3 lectures per day. Also a variety of classes, a great watercolor class, dance, and on RADA crossings, acting. Also fencing classes, I recall. And, of course, the planetarium shows. And the usual trivia, bingo, and casino stuff. Also typically a passenger chorus. And fitness things (which I steadfastly ignore, so no help there). And, if interested art auctions (generally a higher quality of "art") and selling presentations for spa procedures and products (no escape on any ship these days).

I found the lectures superior to Princess and Celebrity (without the off-putting self-promotion I found on Celebrity). The trivia is more cutthroat than the other lines - and you MUST have both Brits and Yanks on a team to have a chance. 

[ak1004]

Can someone post a typical daily program?

[P2l]

I have seen some programmes posted recently, so they are on these boards. Good luck with your search!

 

NB Such a search may also uncover some historical programmes, which are also well worth a read.

[PORT ROYAL]

6 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

Can someone post a typical daily program?

Found an older one in the web, but the format and content give a idea of the diverse entertainment 

http://www.cruisewithgambee.com/curnard-queen-mary-2-daily-programme-activities/?sfw=pass1645829436

 

[bluemarble]

30 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

Can someone post a typical daily program?

 

@rakkor has posted a set of daily programmes from November 2019 on his blog here. The first seven are from a westbound crossing.

 

https://blog.rakkor.uk/blog/daily-programme/m938a-november-2019/

 

There are links to several other sets of daily programmes, including at least one eastbound crossing near the bottom of this sticky by @Host Hattie.

 

 

Edit to add: Here's a link directly to a set of @Underwatr's daily programmes from a 2019 eastbound crossing since that's the direction you are considering.

 

Eastbound

Edited February 25, 2022 by bluemarble

[ak1004]

Great info as usual!