Cunard Newbie Intro + Questions! (We Can't Wait To Sail On The QE!)

[BeachTunes]

Greetings From Toronto, Canada!

 

My husband (54) and yours truly (47) recently booked our first Cunard cruise! Our last cruise was a Southern Caribbean/ABC Islands itinerary aboard the Celebrity Millennium in March. (Loved our first visits to Aruba and Bonaire!) It was blissful to be at sea again since our last cruise in 2019, before the woes of Covid. The Millennium and her crew were wonderful but fate has us trying something new!

 

Our October 9th-16th Queen Elizabeth sailing will mark our 8th cruise together. Along with three different Celebrity ships, we've sailed aboard the Crystal Serenity and the Paul Gaugin. I've also cruised on the Disney Wonder and Magic. The Paul Gaugin voyage was our favourite cruise overall for its incredible itinerary and immersive culture. We fell in love with Crystal for their all-inclusive, luxurious yet approachable experience. (We adored Crystal's piano bar!) While Crystal is hopefully making a comeback with new owners, we were gobsmacked by their introductory pricing. Our Canadian dollar has been brutally low compared to the US and Euro for a while but Crystal's current pricing for a one week sailing in an ocean view stateroom could almost afford us a bathroom or kitchen renovation! LOL! I like their concept of luxury but I appreciate value, especially during these unusual times. 

 

So this brings us to Cunard! I was desperately trying to knock Alaska off my bucket list this summer and was eyeing a few of Celebrity's itineraries on the Millennium. Dates weren't working out for us work-wise so I got looking at other lines out of curiosity. That's when I spied Cunard's 10 and 11 night sailings to Alaska from Vancouver! Wow! While Cunard's Alaskan dates didn't work out, I was instantly smitten by all things Cunard and probably watched every YouTube video posted about the QE since her Christening! From the ballroom to the nostalgic atmosphere, the itineraries, the decor, the pub, the dining menus to the quality of live music... I could tell this would be a line we would "get". I convinced my husband to book a Med itinerary out of Barcelona and couldn't be happier with our decision! We're young at heart but I am also an old soul. We had a big band at our wedding 12 years ago so I think we'll have a bit of fun on the QE! We're not dancers but we will happily dress to the nines on gala nights and observe the revelry from the sidelines. I might even convince my DH to take one of the included classes! Alright, that would likely be a stretch but a gal can dream. 😉 

 

So that's us in a very longwinded/large nutshell! On to my first set of questions... 

 

RED AND GOLD BALL?

Thanks to those who have updated the theme schedules on this site, I see we have a Red and Gold Gala on our cruise! I don't have much red in my wardrobe let alone a red formal gown. I do, however, have a gold one. Would that suffice? The photos I've seen online tend to lean more on people sporting red attire than gold. I know the themes are less important than adhering to the overall gala night dress code but I'd also like to have fun with the themes if I can. (OK, not going to lie, I'm actually looking for an excuse to buy a red ball gown because that would be fun! LOL! But if I don't find one I like, would a gold or black gown do? My husband will wear his black tux.)

 

BARCELONA EMBARKATION TIME?

Realizing that no one has a crystal ball, and confiding that I saw the recent thread about QM2 late embarkation times, I'm not looking to start more fires but can anyone with experience speculate what time embarkation might be for say, someone in a Britannia Balcony Stateroom on the Queen Elizabeth in Barcelona? October is a long time from now but I'm a planner so I'd love to sort out lunch plans on land on embarkation day should we be assigned late afternoon boarding. Otherwise, we'll try to hit up the pub onboard! 🙂

 

BARCELONA DISEMBARKATION?

Would we be crazy to think that we could disembark in time for a direct flight that departs BCN to Toronto at 11:55am? (That flight would get us home to see our fur baby by 4pm local time. Leaving our beloved dog behind is the worst part of traveling for us!)

 

TOULON EXCURSIONS?

Has anyone taken the excursion to St Tropez with Cunard? We have this reserved and are hoping to enjoy a nice leisurely lunch on the beach, weather pending! (There isn't much about Toulon on the port forums.)

 

LIVORNO TOURS?

We're planning to head to Pisa on our own, enjoy a pizza or pasta lunch followed by enjoying the ship for the rest of the afternoon. OR, should we include Florence? There is also a Cinque Terre tour that looks phenomenal but it's over 9 hours with a several hours of time in transport. If others agree it's worth it we'll look at it further! (We took a land based vacation to Rome and Positano last fall and became enthralled with Italy! I'm thinking more time on shore in Italia is a good idea!)

 

IBIZA?

This will be a lunch on the beach day for us with some shopping in town. Advice is welcome! (I sense the ship docks far from port so perhaps a proper shore excursion is in store? Or are taxis readily available a the pier? I'll look at other sites/boards for ideas too!)

 

VALENCIA?

Cunard excursion advice is welcome! We know this is the city that invented Paella so a lunch stop is on the radar! I also read this is home to what *some* believe is the true home of the Holy Grail and that it can be viewed at a church in the city. I find this intriguing. My husband is skeptical. LOL!

 

BARCELONA GOTHIC QUARTER HOTEL?

I have a few hotels shortlisted for our two-night pre-cruise stay (Kimpton, Neri, Wittmore) but if any "Cundarders" (Is that a thing?) have ideas, please feel welcome to share. Our hotel preferences lean towards those of the smaller, boutique, design-focused variety, but location is imperative. Right now the Kimpton is on top of our list for its location, the option of balcony rooms and our familiarity of the brand in the US and Caribbean. 

 

BARCELONA TIPS?

We plan to check out Park Guell and Sagrada Familia on our first full morning. (We have a private tour on hold.) The rest of our two pre-cruise days will be spent wandering the Gothic Quarter including the Boqueria Market and perhaps the beach area of Barceloneta. I have already reserved a dinner at Canete (Did I mention I'm an obsessive planner? LOL!) and am welcome to other dining suggestions as this will be our first visit to Barcelona and Spain! 

 

GENERAL CUNARD AND QUEEN ELIZABETH TIPS?

Bring them on! We booked an obstructed view balcony guarantee so our fingers are crossed for a nice assignment. The price on our voyage was reasonable and we plan to book the $70/day per person drinks package to have access to unlimited bottled water, specialty coffees and of course beer and wine. We're open to any and all insider tips!

 

If you read all of this, thank you! I follow other websites and forums but especially value the input we gain from others on Cruise Critic!

 

We know our first Cunard cruise will be a very special one and appreciate everyone's insights here tremendously! 

 

Happy Travels!

 

E & J

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To say we are excited to board the Queen Elizabeth is an understatement! 

 

Edited June 6, 2023 by BeachTunes

[LibertyBella]

Congrats to you on your first Cunard cruise!  I have sailed on many other lines as well, but always come back to Cunard for the traditions and "royal" treatment.

 

We enjoy dressing up (and we take a lot of formal photos), and the ballroom dancing is just beautiful.  We also love the refinement and sense of history on board Cunard ships.

 

I am also a Spain fanatic, so I think you will have a wonderful time visiting that country as well. 

 

I think your gold gown will be great--if you want to accentuate it with red shoes or red lipstick, or something else, you will be perfect!

 

I am going to Italy in a few months and I will just caution not to overload yourself, as there is too much to see and do. It would probably be better to go to either Florence or Pisa, but not do both unless you truly have the stamina and energy to rush around and just see snapshots of the cities.

 

Enjoy all your advance planning and have a terrific cruise!

[rakkor]

We did this last August/September albeit with slightly different ports - Have a look at my blog https://blog.rakkor.uk to see more.

[TouchstoneFeste]

7 hours ago, BeachTunes said:

LIVORNO TOURS?

We're planning to head to Pisa on our own, enjoy a pizza or pasta lunch followed by enjoying the ship for the rest of the afternoon. OR, should we include Florence? There is also a Cinque Terre tour that looks phenomenal but it's over 9 hours with a several hours of time in transport. If others agree it's worth it we'll look at it further! (We took a land based vacation to Rome and Positano last fall and became enthralled with Italy! I'm thinking more time on shore in Italia is a good idea!)

 

My wife and I have spent a total of about 2 weeks in Florence over 3 trips, and we feel like we've just scratched the surface. I agree with @LibertyBella that trying to do both there and Pisa (in one day?) isn't a good idea. It would just be frustrating :) Even if you get skip-the-line tickets, there will still be lines for the major Florence attractions - just shorter ones. (Plus, if you're renting a car, driving in Florence would also be ... let's go with "frustrating".)

 

I'd recommend a leisurely day in Pisa, maybe with some additional stops along the way.

 

Sounds like a wonderful trip, though. Enjoy it!

[exlondoner]

Yes, a day in Pisa could be fairly agreeable and relaxing. A day in Florence will be long, crowded, and frazzling. I would stick to Pisa.

[WantedOnVoyage]

We were on QE last September Barcelona-Barcelona.  

 

Re. getting to the airport for an 11:55 a.m. flight, no worries (although we had early disembarkation for Grills). You could easily do early self disembarkation... the terminal is easy to navigate and the taxis rank right outside. And Barcelona airport is a short under 30 min. drive from the terminal. Note that Barcelona can positively heave with cruise ships (too many) and taxis can get scarce so I'd try early self disembarkation. 

 

There was no organised Cunard transfer to the airport for our cruise, if there is they usually say only for flight departing "after 12 pm" but five minutes isn't going to disqualify you now is it?

[NE John]

For an upcoming TA, my DW is wearing a gold patterned dress (she agonized also…) and I’m wearing a red bow tie and red silk pocket square.  On the ship, take advantage of port lectures, mid-day dance lessons, and afternoon teas. 
As a veteran driver of all over Italy and Sicily, don’t drive in Italy!
Florence - Plan on a three day stay, it’s not worth a cruise stop visit and it’s too far inland.
Cinque Terra is very strenuous with lots of challenging steps. 
Valencia is a great cruise port stop, just avoid the paella restaurants around major piazzas as they mainly are pure tourist garbage. Find a paella joint a block or two off the beaten path and stay away from “plastic menu” restaurants. 
Barcelona - ask your guide to drive you up to the former Olympics site with amazing views of city and port. 
The food in Spain is up there with France and Italy. Focus on locally sourced offerings and ask about the source of the food. 
Like everyone already stated, don’t put too much pressure on yourself. You may need a vacation to rest up from this vacation!

[D&N]

17 hours ago, BeachTunes said:

I don't have much red in my wardrobe let alone a red formal gown. I do, however, have a gold one. Would that suffice?

As others have, and probably everyone else will tell you, of course it will.

Most people don't bother with the themes. The vast majority, easily 95%, do dress up for gala nights.

We dress up and try to follow the themes since we like dressing up, and travelling on Cunard is a good excuse to do so!

 

We've only done one B2B crossing in 2022 but will do another in 2025 and probably make it an annual event. We're not typical cruisers. We simply want to sail for a couple of weeks on an ocean liner and have no interest in using the ship to visit places.

 

Last time for red and gold my wife wore a calf length red dress with various gold accessories; on the left of this photo. The black hosiery didn't work and the plan had been light but she forgot when dressing! Next time, being perfectionists 🤣, we'll use the gown on right. It's just short enough to dance safely in and we think it's a shade or two closer to Cunard Red! I think I've found a more suitable replacement for my teddy bear tie as well.

 

 

But we've been thinking of gold with red accessories and considering dresses like those below. They are of a length that could be worn regularly going out for dinner but we're not sure if we should keep looking for a gown. But then it would only be usable for formal occasions.

 

 

I see you have Roaring Twenties on your cruise as well. My wife had bought a near full price dress from "Chesca" in London but we got her another in their online sale. It fitted well when she was 2½ dress sizes bigger than in the photo and still looks good without adjustment. Teamed with headband from a craft supplier. Next time she'll go with something more flapper like and a much cheaper headband with a nicer broch replacing the cheap pearls on it.

 

 

I'll repeat, there is no need to do anything other than dress formally on gala nights. And even if you did stick with "smart attire" there would be something to do/watch in several eating and entertainment venues.

[D&N]

18 hours ago, BeachTunes said:

Has anyone taken the excursion to St Tropez with Cunard?

 

18 hours ago, BeachTunes said:

and are hoping to enjoy a nice leisurely lunch on the beach

No we've not been on a Cunard Excursion. It's quite a few years since we've been to St Tropez. It's a bit out the way for us and since it's not on the rail line we need to get the train to St Raphael and catch a ferry across the gulf.

However I would suggest lunching on the north of the peninsula overlooking the Golfe de Saint Tropez and on a clear day having views of Port Grimaud, activities in the gulf, and towards St Raphael, The Esterel and the Lerins.

You probably want to be on Bouillabaisse beach. Of the restaurants there, two seem to be higher rated than others; The Golfe Azur and The Pearl Beach. The former's wine list looks reasonably priced, I can't see a drinks list for Pearl. Best to research them, and others on Trip Advisor.

By October you should be able to sit outside without getting too burnt, but make sure you choose a restaurant with cover in case it rains.

Edited June 6, 2023 by D&N

[alibabacruisers]

I love your enthusiasm!  The "first" Cunard cruise...how very exciting!  Enjoy the planning and gathering of information!  Thank you for your well written and contagious post!  Enjoy!

 

We love Cunard but with work and other commitments have not been able to sail with them as much as we'd like.  We are on QE in October and since our last cruise was in 2019 we are so looking forward to it!  Your thread re-energized  our excitement!  Thank you!

Edited June 6, 2023 by alibabacruisers

[Essiesmom]

We did Pisa on a HAL tour, and it was paired with Lucca, a lovely walled town.  Might be an idea.  There have been several Live from threads on the Carnival board from those on the initial Venezia sailing, and the first Pride cruise after drydock.  Both left from Barcelona and there is a lot of hotel and restaurant discussion there.EM

[BeachTunes]

OH MY GOODNESS! THIS FORUM AND ITS PEOPLE ARE THE BEST! 

 

Thanks to each of you for your incredibly helpful replies and detailed info. I appreciate your time and input so much! You've made us feel even better and more excited about our decision to cruise with Cunard!

 

I will send more detailed thank you notes and replies this weekend when I will have a little more time. Again, I'm blown away by everyone's helpfulness. Thank you, thank you, thank you! 😊

[tmee]

Hey there,  how exciting to go on your first Cunard sailing! My go to lines (at this moment:)) are Celebrity and Cunard. I think you will have a lovely time

Red and Gold
I believe either color would be appropriate. A gold dress would be nice for the red and gold theme, and would fit in well ( a sparkling highlight amongst the red :)) I feel you are correct that more of the ladies wear red than gold.  There is of course a lot of black in the mix too.

Livorno
I have hired a private driver to go from Livorno to Florence with a few people. I had been to Florence previously so it was more a leisurely scenic wander, we shopped, ate and looked at the outside of buildings. ( we didn't go to any museums or structures)  I peronally think (as has been stated)  that Pisa and Florence together would be alot, unless you are not planning on returning.

If it were me, I think I would just go to Pisa or a Pisa Luca combination.

Flight Departure BCN
While I think you can make your 11:55 flight from BCN.  I would definitely have a contingency plan if you don’t. More than once  I have been on ships delayed coming into that particular port ( medical emergency and weather were the major reasons) But I knew in advance what my options were for alternate flights and was able to suggest them to the ticketing agents as my primary requests.  I also researched alternative lodging in advance ( which also came in handy)

Barcelona
One if my favourite things to do in Barcelona is to "walk through history" Barcelona is interesting in that one can literally walk from the sea up into land and quite literally walk through the passage of time via the architecture chronologically. This is a particular phenomenon that I personally have not experienced elsewhere .If you are interested in art there are so many unique Museums to visit, ( some that are dedicated to specifc Spanish artists)

I tend find little small places to eat and ask locals so I am oblivious to the names of the establishments 🙂 But I would definitely grab something freshly made/caught from La Boqueria!  I personally am a fan of FRESH sardines as, where I live one cannot catch them ( the water temperature is wrong) and they need to be eaten very quickly upon catching so they don't ship well either ( but if fish isn't you thing X that 🙂 )

Queen Elizabeth
I haven't sailed on Queen Elizabeth since the cruise restart ( but I will soon 🙂 on one of those Alaska sailings :)) But one of the things I enjoyed and was unique about this particular ship amongst the fleet, was they still had a games deck with croquet, bowls etc.. (I believe it is still there)  and also the Garden lounge which is like a solarium ( this was transformed into a different lounge on the QM2 if memory serves)  I enjoyed the retro decor during the day and gave the feel of a nostagic "traditional" vessel (I know some people feel it is 'tired' but I think it is quirky and unique )

I think you will find the contributors on this board very helpful with tips and information.  They have always been helpful to me from my first Cunard sailing almost a decade ago and continue to be 🙂

tmee

[TouchstoneFeste]

1 hour ago, tmee said:

Livorno
I have hired a private driver to go from Livorno to Florence with a few people. I had been to Florence previously so it was more a leisurely scenic wander, we shopped, ate and looked at the outside of buildings. ( we didn't go to any museums or structures)  I peronally think (as has been stated)  that Pisa and Florence together would be alot, unless you are not planning on returning.

If it were me, I think I would just go to Pisa or a Pisa Luca combination.

tmee

This is quite a good point - if you think you'll never get another shot at Florence, just walking around is amazing (the city itself is a museum). As is true throughout the tourist world, the food nearest the major attractions is iffy, but walk a few blocks away and you could find some treasures.

[hmorrow]

Don’t miss the market in Barcelona. It’s amazing! Our first time there, we rode the hop on hop off bus all the way around to see everything. I think there are three routes. Such a great city! Enjoy

Edited June 7, 2023 by hmorrow

[SybilUnrest]

In terms of Barcelona hotels- I’ve stayed twice in the Hotel Pulitzer and been delighted both times. It’s got a terrific rooftop terrace and while it’s a short stroll to the gothic quarter, it’s also a short stroll to most other places of interest which is nice.

[WoorimBeachLady]

1 hour ago, SybilUnrest said:

In terms of Barcelona hotels- I’ve stayed twice in the Hotel Pulitzer and been delighted both times. It’s got a terrific rooftop terrace and while it’s a short stroll to the gothic quarter, it’s also a short stroll to most other places of interest which is nice.

Thanks for the tip! I’ve just booked for. 2 nights.