Couple of Questions from First Timer on Cunard

[High C's]

We will be taking our first ever Cunard on the QM2 in August.  I've been reading the boards and hopefully have prepared us for what to expect.  Just a couple of loose ends:

 

- do we need to make a reservation for high tea?  If not, do line ups start VERY early for high tea?

- the never ending conversation about bringing wine on board!!! - I just want to clarify that we can bring on one bottle each without packing it away in our suitcase?

 

We are all set with our formal nights (red/gold night and roaring 20's night).  Really looking forward to this experience!

[exlondoner]

1. No. And the meal is tea, not high tea, which is an entirely different meal in the UK.

 

2. Yes.

 

Enjoy every moment.

[Host Hattie]

No reservations for afternoon tea except the paid for Champagne Tea. We don't often go but sometimes it's better to go a bit later after the first rush is over.

No problem with the wine.

Have a great time and let us know what you think.

[High C's]

5 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

1. No. And the meal is tea, not high tea, which is an entirely different meal in the UK.

 

2. Yes.

 

Enjoy every moment.

My mistake.  I meant afternoon tea.  Thank you for the correction.  🙂

[frankp01]

Host Hattie's suggestion about going a bit later is a good one. The first few days of the voyage there will be quite a queue waiting for admission to the Queens Room. I've never seen anyone turned away, but folks certainly do queue up for tea. By a few days into the trip the novelty has worn off, and you can pretty much just stroll in.

[exlondoner]

Ports days are good...unless of course you are doing a TA.

[High C's]

11 minutes ago, Host Hattie said:

No reservations for afternoon tea except the paid for Champagne Tea. We don't often go but sometimes it's better to go a bit later after the first rush is over.

No problem with the wine.

Have a great time and let us know what you think.

Thank you!  I feel like we need experience this at least one time 🙂. 

[High C's]

1 minute ago, exlondoner said:

Ports days are good...unless of course you are doing a TA.

Yeah - its a TA.  So no luck taking advantage of port days lol

[High C's]

5 minutes ago, frankp01 said:

Host Hattie's suggestion about going a bit later is a good one. The first few days of the voyage there will be quite a queue waiting for admission to the Queens Room. I've never seen anyone turned away, but folks certainly do queue up for tea. By a few days into the trip the novelty has worn off, and you can pretty much just stroll in.

Excellent!  Many thanks for this.  We will target later in the week 🙂

[D&N]

We took Afternoon Tea once last week instead of a lunch.

 

Completed immigration formalities in Britannia Deck 3 then went straight to Queens Room and sat quietly while a piano recital finished, then occupied front row seats about 40 minutes early. Used the time to take photos and relax until tea was served.

 

We were careful not to impede the waiters setting the tables.

[lissie]

2 hours ago, High C's said:

Thank you!  I feel like we need experience this at least one time 🙂. 

We are going to try to get to it this time! We were on a 14 day cruise pre-Covid - and there was always a queue or we had something else to do. 

 

Top tip - the same cakes/scones are in the buffet! 

[D&N]

I should also say, and this did not surprise us as others had pre-warned us.

Although the Afternoon Tea was very nice, the one aspect that let it down badly was the absence of clotted cream for the scones.

Scones, jam and cream are very nice, but clotted cream raises the level to a celestial experience.

[BigMac1953]

Only available in the Grills I'm afraid.

[jimbo1683]

5 hours ago, D&N said:

I should also say, and this did not surprise us as others had pre-warned us.

Although the Afternoon Tea was very nice, the one aspect that let it down badly was the absence of clotted cream for the scones.

Scones, jam and cream are very nice, but clotted cream raises the level to a celestial experience.

What was the cream if not clotted? Whipped double cream?

[jimbo1683]

On 6/17/2022 at 8:31 PM, exlondoner said:

1. No. And the meal is tea, not high tea, which is an entirely different meal in the UK.

 

2. Yes.

 

Enjoy every moment.

The meal is not called 'tea'. It is of course 'afternoon tea'. The phrases 'afternoon tea' and 'high tea' are frequently used interchangeably in 2022 regardless of the historical differences.

Edited June 18, 2022 by jimbo1683

[Se1lad]

5 hours ago, D&N said:

I should also say, and this did not surprise us as others had pre-warned us.

Although the Afternoon Tea was very nice, the one aspect that let it down badly was the absence of clotted cream for the scones.

Scones, jam and cream are very nice, but clotted cream raises the level to a celestial experience.

You only get clotted cream with the Grills afternoon tea 

[D&N]

12 minutes ago, jimbo1683 said:

What was the cream if not clotted? Whipped double cream?

Possibly. It was just thick enough to spread over the jam.

Not sure if they added icing sugar to thicken, it was quite sweet.

My wife describes the serving as 'quenelle' shaped on a tiny rectangular dish.

[jimbo1683]

1 minute ago, D&N said:

Possibly. It was just thick enough to spread over the jam.

Not sure if they added icing sugar to thicken, it was quite sweet.

My wife describes the serving as 'quenelle' shaped on a tiny rectangular dish.

How very strange. I've had afternoon tea without clotted cream at home but never been anywhere that claims to serve a traditional afternoon tea to paying customers that hasn't served it with clotted cream!

[bluemarble]

Apologies may be in order to some of our longtime contributors, but right on cue, I just couldn't resist posting the link to this oldie but goodie thread from 2011. I'm only posting this for its possible entertainment and historic value. It's not meant to inform the current situation regarding clotted cream on the Cunard ships.

 

What no Clotted Cream?

[Host Hattie]

On 6/17/2022 at 8:45 PM, High C's said:

Excellent!  Many thanks for this.  We will target later in the week 🙂

Also later in the afternoon can work, rather than queuing at the start of service, try about half way through when the early birds might have finished and moved on.

I hope you enjoy it, and don't mind too much about the consistency of the cream !

 

[Port Power]

I went to afternoon tea once with my late husband as he enjoyed scones with jam and cream, but I could not eat anything as I have coeliac disease. However, Cunard makes gluten free scones, which are available from behind the counter in the buffet. They were a nice treat, and without the crowd.

[High C's]

On 6/18/2022 at 5:57 PM, Host Hattie said:

Also later in the afternoon can work, rather than queuing at the start of service, try about half way through when the early birds might have finished and moved on.

I hope you enjoy it, and don't mind too much about the consistency of the cream !

 

I think I can suffer through! LOL

[techteach]

True clotted cream takes days to produce, and isn’t truly clotted cream unless made from milk from Cornwall. I have never had it, but based on the description from Harold McGee, even heavy cream whipped will not provide the same effect. Our creamery at Pike Place Market in Seattle carries jars of it, and I will be purchasing a jar on Saturday to enjoy with DH’s home-made scones.

[bluemarble]

1 hour ago, techteach said:

True clotted cream ... isn’t truly clotted cream unless made from milk from Cornwall.

 

Not that I really know one way or the other since I'm from the US, but I suspect contributors to this forum from Devon might have something to say about that. 

[exlondoner]

1 hour ago, bluemarble said:

 

Not that I really know one way or the other since I'm from the US, but I suspect contributors to this forum from Devon might have something to say about that. 

 

Or from the Channel Isles.