Can a Grill guest invite a Britannia guest to dine with them

[CrGuy]

in one of the Grill restaurants? 

 

[Poole Boy]

Simple answer , No

 

[BigMac1953]

Unless it's a ships officer.

[s.s.France]

The maitre d´ can invite lower class passengers for some reason or another. If he recognizes them as very frequent guests for instance. It is always possible to just ask friendly. Or bribe...

[Bell Boy]

4 hours ago, BigMac1953 said:

Unless it's a ships officer.

In 'exceptional' circumstances it can also happen the 'Other way Around'.   ie   a ships officer inviting a  guest ( or guests)  to the QG restaurant ,   as happened to me a couple of years ago.😉

 A former retired  Cunard Captain (and his new bride) who chose to be married onboard his 'former ship' invited several guests (travelling in other categories)   to enjoy an informal celebration dinner in the evening.

 

I expect we were fortunate that there was large table available and not in use on that particular voyage.  

  

Edited December 3, 2022 by Bell Boy

[EasternMarket]

It does happen. Be on good terms with the maitre d', ask politely, and be appreciative. An easier case to make if you're a solo passenger in the Grills, and thus already paying as much as two people.

[Bell Boy]

40 minutes ago, EasternMarket said:

It does happen. Be on good terms with the maitre d', ask politely, and be appreciative. An easier case to make if you're a solo passenger in the Grills, and thus already paying as much as two people.

Don't get me started on being a 'Solo passenger in the Grills' ...paying 200% and receiving only one amount of OBC.

The only thing I've ever managed to do is have permission to invite a friend from another category to join me for drinks in the Grills lounge ........The Bar/F&B Manger should be thankful I/we are supporting the Bar Revenue . 😉  

Edited December 3, 2022 by Bell Boy

[MylesS]

4 minutes ago, Bell Boy said:

Don't get me started on being a 'Solo passenger in the Grills' ...paying 200% and receiving only one amount of OBC.

The only thing I've ever managed to do is have permission to invite a friend from another category to join me for drinks in the Grills lounge ........The Bar/F&B Manger should be thankful I/we are supporting the Bar Revenue . 😉  

As a Solo Traveller, this also frustrates me.. at least we're not charged double for the drinks package!

[pberk]

9 hours ago, EasternMarket said:

It does happen. Be on good terms with the maitre d', ask politely, and be appreciative. An easier case to make if you're a solo passenger in the Grills, and thus already paying as much as two people.

 

Yes.  I does happen exactly as described by EasternMarket above.  We've done it a few times,  so I speak from experience.  Inviting people up for Drinks to the Grill Lounge is easier and done more often.  Regards the lounge, common sense applies as to space available.  Common sense also applies to having Britannia guests for dinner.   Remember, it is NOT done as a rule, so it is a rare privilege, not a right. 

[Jacqueline]

There often is no room or extra tables or space. True on the cruise we just disembarked. I guess if you are sitting alone at a two top, that is a bit different.

[Mickb]

On a recent w bound transatlantic on QM2, people we know who were in Britannia were invited to dine with friends in QG. They said that there was no difficulty about it.

[railfan1]

The maitre d in QG allowed us to invite one of the lecturers to lunch a few years ago. It was quite clear that special permission was required, but it was politely given. 

[Victoria2]

14 hours ago, Mickb said:

On a recent w bound transatlantic on QM2, people we know who were in Britannia were invited to dine with friends in QG. They said that there was no difficulty about it.

This makes it sound almost common place an opportunity to dine in QG  with friends if allocated other restaurants.

It's not. At all. In fact it is a rare event indeed.

Out of common courtesy I always ask the M'd if we can invite friends to the Grills lounge for drinks and it's always for after dinner when the lounge is quiet but when we want to have dinner with friends not in QG, it's in a Lido pop up.

[Mickb]

There was no difficulty in our friends dining as guests with friends in QG. 
Obviously,  the host had sorted it out with the Maitre d’. It was a clever move as our friends were impressed enough to have booked in 2023 in QG!

[Victoria2]

19 minutes ago, Mickb said:

There was no difficulty in our friends dining as guests with friends in QG. 
Obviously,  the host had sorted it out with the Maitre d’. It was a clever move as our friends were impressed enough to have booked in 2023 in QG!

Still very unusual.

[Mickb]

We have invited Britannia guests to join us in the PG on QV before ( always with prior discussion with the Maitre d’)   - so maybe not quite as usual as you suggest?

[Victoria2]

18 minutes ago, Mickb said:

We have invited Britannia guests to join us in the PG on QV before ( always with prior discussion with the Maitre d’)   - so maybe not quite as usual as you suggest?

I presume you meant, unusual.

However, I  have no experience of PG so can't  express an opinion.

[Mickb]

I did of course mean ‘unusual’ - apologies!

[sullaRaffaello]

I always travel solo in the grills. I once asked to have a friend from Britannia join me in the Queens Grill. Very directly, but very politely the maitre d' told me NO.

[Covepointcruiser]

On our current sailing the Queens Grill is fully booked and all tables have been used each evening. I doubt that an additional guest on this sailing would be permitted.   Dining at 7:30-8:00 ensures you are at peak times.   We have had to wait for table side courses and were even told we were too late to have our appetizer pasta prepared for us.    They do need additional staff and it appeared there were on two wine stewards in the QG so your wine glass is not refilled in a timely manner.   First world problems and the food has been he best we have had in The Grill on the QM2.

[LadyL1]

I was on the last QV cruise and did not want to post on this thread, to remain anonymous.

On the first evening we had a couple at the next table in QG, whose adult family were in. Britannia restaurant: this was their first Cunard cruise. We never saw them again for any meal.

One evening their 2 adult sons were “allowed” to occupy their table to experience QG, and were super company. The family had been eating in other venues around the ship.

I think it would only be on very rare occasions when guests would be allowed in The Grills as guests, because of setting a difficult precedence.

[Windsurfboy]

Given that their adult sons were using places allotted to parents, ie not extra to grills, and parents eating where Brittania guests can eat, it would be very unreasonable not to allow this

[seacruise9]

Hi, 

 

It is unusual but not impossible. Years ago, on the QE2, a friend asked me to join him for lunch in the Queens Grill. He was sailing solo and seated alone at a table for two. Thus, my joining him one day did not displace any Queens Grill passengers. As a repeat Cunard passenger, I convinced the hotel manager to allow me to have lunch in the Queens Grill. However, this wasn't easy to arrange. 

 

Chuck 

[Solent Richard]

On 12/3/2022 at 5:51 AM, Poole Boy said:

Simple answer , No

 

That's what I thought until I had occasion to witness it happen.

 

We were travelling on Queen Mary 2,  Queens Grill,  for her  29 night 2011/12 round trip Caribbean Christmas cruise. We had been allocated one of my favourite tables for 6 at the very rear of the  restaurant. 

 

The first few evenings we didn't see too much of one couple when on the fourth evening, while all dining together,  the couple who had missed two evenings announced that they wished to invite their daughter, who was travelling with a child in the Britannia restaurant, to join them in the Queens Grill.

 

Needless to say I wasn't at all enamoured at the prospect and made my views and reasons known. That of course, not unsurprisingly, somewhat soured the future conversational levels on the table while the couple in question made it quite clear that they were going to put their request to the Maitre d'.

Now at this stage of the cruise we still had 24 nights ahead of us and I, having no wish to exacerbate the situation, made my own approach to the Maitre d' with a request to move tables within the same area of the restaurant. My request was not difficult to meet as there was a largish turnover in New York prior to us sailing south.

 

They say the devil looks after his own and this little incident was no exception. We retained the same excellent waiting team and were joined by new arrivals in New York. One of those arrivals was one of the most amazing characters I have had the pleasure to meet - he had been the ‘Brooklyn Borough President’ during the 9/11 attacks and gave an amazing account of his role during that dreadful time. The same guy, Howard Golden, had actually sailed flat bottomed tank landing craft across the Atlantic during WWII.

 

For the final trans Atlantic home leg we were again joined by outstanding table companions,  Lord Dannatt and his charming wife Lady Pippa.  Lord Dannatt was a guest speaker for that particular leg of the cruise.

It was during this homeward leg of the cruise that I could not help noticing that the lady on our original table had managed to have her  join them for one evening dinner.