Britannia Club ?

[JimDee363636]

@BklynBoy8 @exlondoner @Host HattieThanks for the quick replies. We'll survive!

 

Jim

[exlondoner]

27 minutes ago, JimDee363636 said:

@BklynBoy8 @exlondoner @Host HattieThanks for the quick replies. We'll survive!

 

Jim

As you can’t use the restaurant, you might even like to consider having an early lunch ashore before boarding, and missing the crowd. 

Edited June 10 by exlondoner

[Bell Boy]

1 hour ago, JimDee363636 said:

A quick Britannia Club question:

 

We'll be on QA in a Club cabin for the June 30-July 14 sailing. Can we expect the Club restaurant to be open for lunch on embarkation day?

 

Jim 

 

 

No, Britannia Club across the fleet is never open on embarkation day ,  however, oddly enough (can't they cope 🤷‍♂️)  the Main Britannia Restaurant on QA  is open for lunch on embarkation day as is the self service buffet.  

The Britannia Club Restaurant is  also used daily as an overflow for Afternoon Tea from the 'So Called Queens Room' 

Another example of QA promoting its self as a Trend Setter. 👎

 

[foodsvcmgr]

Would seem like Cunard opening the Club for embarkation lunch could be easily accomplished at little cost and would give them an additional perk to advertise.

[ew101]

7 hours ago, foodsvcmgr said:

Would seem like Cunard opening the Club for embarkation lunch could be easily accomplished at little cost and would give them an additional perk to advertise.

A guess is the venues are not open to allow a higher percentage of the staff to have a few hours of shore leave between voyages.   

[BklynBoy8]

32 minutes ago, ew101 said:

A guess is the venues are not open to allow a higher percentage of the staff to have a few hours of shore leave between voyages.   

 

As we have experienced, they use many for different tasks on the ship. One important one is in the Kings Court and Carinthia to service those boarding and get the job done before New Muster Drill (announcement of Muster Procedures) now done on the Public Announcement.

 

Past experience in the different Food Court areas, we have seen our future waiters helping in those area. We have heard that especially in NY the crew rarely get too much time for shore leave.

[exlondoner]

4 hours ago, BklynBoy8 said:

 

As we have experienced, they use many for different tasks on the ship. One important one is in the Kings Court and Carinthia to service those boarding and get the job done before New Muster Drill (announcement of Muster Procedures) now done on the Public Announcement.

 

Past experience in the different Food Court areas, we have seen our future waiters helping in those area. We have heard that especially in NY the crew rarely get too much time for shore leave.

Someone has to move all that luggage that everyone naturally wants as promptly as possible. And someone else has to sort the mountain of stores coming aboard.

[BklynBoy8]

8 hours ago, exlondoner said:

Someone has to move all that luggage that everyone naturally wants as promptly as possible. And someone else has to sort the mountain of stores coming aboard.

 

As our connection to many staff on board over the years, most of the staff are known to be assigned to their department. Housekeeping work with accepting luggage from the designated closed elevators to the cabins/suites along the hallways on the floors. While cabin steward ready the turnover for arriving passengers.

 

Deck hands accept the pallets onto the ship and shuttle them to storage and other locations on the ship.

 

Wait staff except assigned to the Grills are used to help move along the passengers during the embarkation boarding at the Food Courts. They also help with beverage deliveries to passengers.Have had many great conversations with restaurant staff over the decades and always asked where certain staff we are familiar with are. Ex. Grill waiter needed in KC on the day docking in Port of Call...  Even seen a Grill M'd assisting in Carinthia once.

 

Their assigned use maybe contained in their contracts. 

[Pitts27mf]

We like to dine at a table for 2. We went PG on a crossing in late April. They have tables for 2, but they're right next to other tables for 2, so you're essentially at a table for 4 (or six if yours is in the middle). You do not, of course, have to engage people at the adjoining tables in conversation, but it's very hard not to and difficult to carry on a "private" conversation.

So, my question - are there tables for 2 in the BC that are next to tables for 4 or more rather than right next to other tables for 2? If you're next to a table for 4 or more, they're carrying on their own conversations.

[PORT ROYAL]

1 hour ago, Pitts27mf said:

We like to dine at a table for 2. We went PG on a crossing in late April. They have tables for 2, but they're right next to other tables for 2, so you're essentially at a table for 4 (or six if yours is in the middle). You do not, of course, have to engage people at the adjoining tables in conversation, but it's very hard not to and difficult to carry on a "private" conversation.

So, my question - are there tables for 2 in the BC that are next to tables for 4 or more rather than right next to other tables for 2? If you're next to a table for 4 or more, they're carrying on their own conversations.

There are mixture of table configurations - 

Google “cunard britannia club dining room photographs” to browse.

 

But configurations photographed can change - But in Club, if not content with table, the MD will assist to ensure one has an excellent dining experience.  

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 4 by PORT ROYAL
Typo

[foodsvcmgr]

We had the two top next to the window in this photo.

The adjoining two top was fairly close but the waiter could pass between them.

Also note in this photo a four top set for two and the variety of shapes and configurations.

[Pushpit]

18 hours ago, Pitts27mf said:

So, my question - are there tables for 2 in the BC that are next to tables for 4 or more rather than right next to other tables for 2? If you're next to a table for 4 or more, they're carrying on their own conversations.

There are some PG seats on their own, including along the entrance passageway (so not so popular) and along the back wall. Unfortunately the small Club areas on QM2 probably has the fewest Greta Garbo seats of any restaurant, I counted 6 tables in all under the current seating. Naturally table can be and are changed from sailing to sailing. So here a few, under the paintings (Club on QM2 is in two sections, it's actually just an extension of the main Britannia restaurant, down both wings, so this is duplicated in the other wing).

.

 

Whereas there are plenty of two top tables, but presumably this is your worst nightmare:

 

 

The place with the highest number of solo tables, and probably the highest proportion, is the main Britannia restaurant, thanks to all those pesky columns, sweeping staircases,, galleries and wood panels everywhere.  Here are some examples, I couldn't count all the tables but I suspect it's well over 50.

 

 

[RK-NC]

12 minutes ago, Pushpit said:

The place with the highest number of solo tables, and probably the highest proportion, is the main Britannia restaurant, thanks to all those pesky columns, sweeping staircases,, galleries and wood panels everywhere.  Here are some examples, I couldn't count all the tables but I suspect it's well over 50.

 

Thank you for this description and photos. Your posts have been very helpful to us @Pushpit When we visit the maitre d on embarkation day, what is the most diplomatic approach for securing a solo 2 top table if we don't like our assigned table? 

[Pushpit]

56 minutes ago, RK-NC said:

 

Thank you for this description and photos. Your posts have been very helpful to us @Pushpit When we visit the maitre d on embarkation day, what is the most diplomatic approach for securing a solo 2 top table if we don't like our assigned table? 

This sounds like you are on fixed dining. Just ask for any other table options, it's not unusual, as far as requests go. You don't have to give a reason, and in any case the staff have plenty of experience in keeping people happy. If you do this before 3pm on embarkation day it's easier for all concerned.

 

I wouldn't want to give the impression that having a table next to you is problematic. Firstly the table next door may well stay empty, secondly many couples are perfectly happy to say "good evening" to each other and very little more, thirdly the couple next to you may not speak the same language as you, and finally but mostly, you may well actually enjoy talking to the people around you.

Edited August 5 by Pushpit

[RK-NC]

16 minutes ago, Pushpit said:

This sounds like you are on fixed dining.

Yes. We really enjoy meeting others but have some difficulty with dividing time between eating and socializing. We usually "go with the flow" but this is a 30 night voyage and have decided more private dining would suit us best. You are very helpful - thank you again.

[Pear Carr]

I have read that it is helpful to ask for a single table for two - might not be in the most prominent position for viewing the rest of the restaurant but that is the compromise.