skipping Britannia dining room TA crossing- anyone done it?

[dfwguy]

Hello, we are looking at Eastbound TA crossing this year. This would be our 4th TA crossing on QM2. Seriously thinking about entirely skipping the main dining room and doing Kings Court or other venues in the evening. No formal wear, no waiting for sitting, etc. Has anyone done this? thoughts? Do we need to let maitre D know of our plans? I just want this crossing to be a low key deal. thanks for any replies.   

[neeuqdrazil]

I've never completely skipped it, but on my latest solo TA, I only ate in Brittannia twice - once on the first night, and once on the last or second last night. Otherwise I went to King's Court or skipped dinner entirely. I didn't let the maitre d' know, but I was solo at a table for 2. If you're planning to do this, I would suggest requesting a table for 2, or letting the maitre d' know, so that your table mates aren't stuck waiting for you. 

 

Do note that the majority of the rest of the ship also observes the dress code, so you'll be limited in where you can go if you're not dressed accordingly. 

Edited April 23, 2023 by neeuqdrazil

[Covepointcruiser]

Why travel on the QM2 if you completely avoid the Britannia?    The Kings Court is lacking compared to other lines.   I do know that the fares in Britannia can be significantly less than the comparable air fare.   Room service would offer a better meal than the Kings Court.

[nybumpkin]

1 hour ago, Covepointcruiser said:

 I do know that the fares in Britannia can be significantly less than the comparable air fare. 

Exactly how we ended up with three weeks on QM2 rather than the two we originally planned. In 2019 QM2 sailed a two-week TA via Iceland, and we quickly booked. When we looked at flights, it seemed that we could book an inside cabin for the TA the week before for less than the flight over - so we did.

 

As for dinner, on our NY-Southampton leg while dining at lunch one day we met a passenger who was a frequent QM2 guest. He told us that he took only breakfast and lunch in Britannia, and had dinner in King's Court. He did not want to dress up, and the arrangement suited him well.

 

[durante]

Covepointcruser- The QM2 is not just about dining in the Britannia restaurant. Many people have their evening meal in the Kings Court and It’s a matter of opinion whether a room service dinner is any better. 

[exlondoner]

9 hours ago, neeuqdrazil said:

I've never completely skipped it, but on my latest solo TA, I only ate in Brittannia twice - once on the first night, and once on the last or second last night. Otherwise I went to King's Court or skipped dinner entirely. I didn't let the maitre d' know, but I was solo at a table for 2. If you're planning to do this, I would suggest requesting a table for 2, or letting the maitre d' know, so that your table mates aren't stuck waiting for you. 

 

Do note that the majority of the rest of the ship also observes the dress code, so you'll be limited in where you can go if you're not dressed accordingly. 

I had understood that there were fewer tables for two than passengers who wanted them. So, isn’t it rather mean to ask for one, then not use it?

[tv24]

dfwguy:  I assume that you have had dinner in Kings Chaos so you know what you would encounter there.  Personally, I really don't like the food in that buffet.  But there is one bright spot for me in Kings Chaos, and that would be the pop-up restaurants that they usually set up at night, like Coriander.  Not sure how the dress code works for the pop-ups.  As others have pointed out, there is room service.  But note that on the QM2, the room service menu is extremely limited.

[exlondoner]

Just now, tv24 said:

dfwguy:  I assume that you have had dinner in Kings Chaos so you know what you would encounter there.  Personally, I really don't like the food in that buffet.  But there is one bright spot for me in Kings Chaos, and that would be the pop-up restaurants that they usually set up at night, like Coriander.  Not sure how the dress code works for the pop-ups.  As others have pointed out, there is room service.  But note that on the QM2, the room service menu is extremely limited.

The dress code applies to the pop-ups.

[57eric]

For us, dressing up and dining in Britannia with fellow passengers is the number one attraction of the voyage, but to each his own.

[RICHARD@SEA]

in this day & age (even on Cunard) the TA is your holiday - so make it as you like(w respect).  I remember sailing in Cunard ships on cruises, TA's & a segment of a world cruise on QE2.  The amount of luggage was unbelievable & a hassle to manage when travelling around Europe.

 

I now bring a dark suit(black or dark blue) and a navy blazer w a couple of ties & white dress shirts.

 

After a few days onboard I get fooded out(& certainly the food served onboard may be good to very good - its hardly gourmet as years ago - in any restaurant onboard).  So a simple easy meal in the specialty restaurants or  buffet breaks things up.  Room service is also a good alternative(especially for breakfast) and eating on my balcony is quite nice.

 

Being onboard any ship today is entirely different from years ago ...

[DrTee]

DFW guy,  we plan to eat at the buffet most of the time.  We cruise a lot and we don’t like the drawn out process of eating in the dining rooms.  I don’t cruise for the food or dressing up.  
 

Do what you want and don’t let people tell you you’re wrong.  
 

(Btw, I’m in Denton).  

[ovccruiser]

Not on the QM but have done it on a 14 day cruise on QE last year. Dined in the Lido every night with my wife and the staff were excellent. There is far more variety of food and if you want salad with anything or even gravy on your salad (?) you can.

 

One point, on formal nights I think you will be expected to dress appropriately visiting other venues on the ship, smart attire we found was ok, jeans or shorts probably not.

[Lakesregion]

On 4/23/2023 at 6:00 PM, dfwguy said:

Hello, we are looking at Eastbound TA crossing this year. This would be our 4th TA crossing on QM2. Seriously thinking about entirely skipping the main dining room and doing Kings Court or other venues in the evening. No formal wear, no waiting for sitting, etc. Has anyone done this? thoughts? Do we need to let maitre D know of our plans? I just want this crossing to be a low key deal. thanks for any replies.   

If you wish to sail Mickie D style I recommend a different brand entirely. Grab one of the really mass market repositioning sails. These folks know how to offer a down low low key no frills experiene for half the price of a proper Cunard sailing.

[DrTee]

If Cunard didn’t mean for the King’s Court to be used, why would they have it as an option?  
 

Gee, there are some snooty people here.  

[exlondoner]

7 hours ago, DrTee said:

If Cunard didn’t mean for the King’s Court to be used, why would they have it as an option?  
 

Gee, there are some snooty people here.  

There are indeed. But there are also people who genuinely, if mistakenly, think you will have a more enjoyable time if you eschew (love that word) the KC. Many think that it is a rather confusing and disagreeable space. On the other hand, if the meals aren’t an important part of the cruise for you, it serves up reasonable food that you can eat as you choose.

[tacticalbanjo]

I love dressing for dinner on the QM2 but if I didn't I'd still love the relaxed vibe, the great insight programme, the amount of space per passenger, sitting at the bar in the Golden Lion with a beer and a book, the uncertainty of how the Atlantic will behave and the sense of coming home I get when I step on board.

 

Honestly, with the way some people want to drive away customers who don't like things exactly like they do sometimes it seems like half this board don't actually want Cunard to be a financial success and remain a viable line long into the future.  

[rafinmd]

I say if you’re doing this book a large table and let the maitre’d know you won’t be using it so your tablemates won’t be left waiting.  If you do have a table and won’t use it some nights let others know as well.

 

 Roy 

[Sheltieluv]

We chose to eat at King's Court several nights during our transatlantic.   There were several times that the menu in the dining room didn't appeal to us.  We found the food in the buffet to be excellent and enjoyed it very much.  We did leave a note for our waiter and tablemates in Britannia to let them know, so they wouldn't be waiting for us.

[shipgeeks]

OP, Apart from the dining venue matter, I'm curious whether you are comfortable with the fact that certain bars, theater, and other evening venues might not be open to you without some sort of formal attire. 

[Pushpit]

On 4/23/2023 at 11:00 PM, dfwguy said:

 No formal wear, no waiting for sitting, etc

I'm not sure if this is something you are aware of, but Britannia now offers Open Dining, which seems to work really well from my experience, You go for evening meal whenever you are ready, you won't have a reserved table as such and clearly if you don't turn up no-one (apart from the computer) will notice. You can essentially turn up any time from 17:45 hrs to approx 20:40 hrs.  If your last QM2 was some time ago (looking at your sig.) then let's say sartorial standards haven't exactly climbed upwards either.

[MrsPeel55]

On 4/26/2023 at 10:26 PM, Pushpit said:

I'm not sure if this is something you are aware of, but Britannia now offers Open Dining, which seems to work really well from my experience, You go for evening meal whenever you are ready, you won't have a reserved table as such and clearly if you don't turn up no-one (apart from the computer) will notice. You can essentially turn up any time from 17:45 hrs to approx 20:40 hrs.  If your last QM2 was some time ago (looking at your sig.) then let's say sartorial standards haven't exactly climbed upwards either.

true, not sure if applies to QM, but we just bought QV 7 days and were offered the open dining, which we took 🙂

Edited May 2, 2023 by MrsPeel55
forgot a few words

[Pushpit]

3 hours ago, MrsPeel55 said:

true, not sure if applies to QM, but we just bought QV 7 days and were offered the open dining, which we took 🙂

Yes, it's available on QM2, I have it as a "confirmed" status on a QM2 crossing.

[GonzoWCS]

Looking forward to all of it!  Thanks for the discussion points.

 

Cheers