First QM2 Trans-Atlantic: A mixed experience

[NeutralParticipant101]

Hi all,

 

we feel like sharing our experience with this Cunard trip. Also hopefully we could get some other perspectives on this journey from more experienced travellers. We sailed from Hamburg to NYC between 2023.09.20 and 2023.09.29.

Disclaimer: We have no prior cruising experience, so this was our shared first voyage experience. All expectations for this trip either came from Cunard’s marketing, other guest’s stories, or our heads.

 

tl;dr: While the experience of a TransAtlantic and the ship herself were remarkable, Cunard’s service, organisation and communication was mediocre to absolutely disastrous.

I will try to group the experiences instead of laying it out in a consecutive timeline.

 

Ports:

- Hamburg (Embarkation): The port was closed for 4hrs due to winds, which lead to QM2 being delayed. In the morning of the 20^th, day of embarkation, we received an email that they hoped we were looking forward to board the QM2 “tomorrow” and that all time slots for embarkation where postponed by 4 hours compared to the original slot. Three and a half hours later we receive another email correcting the false statement of “tomorrow” to today and letting us know “Check-in at the Cruise Center Steinwerder will start at 16:30”. No mention of how that applies to the embarkation slots.

That, combined with probably a few people not having access to their email (no sms were sent), lead to the terminal being swamped by passengers in the afternoon. Relatives going to their postponed 17:15 slot told us it was overcrowded with long lines everywhere. When we arrived to our postponed 19:00 slot, we were one of the last to check-in and board. Except for 15 minutes in the security line we did not have to wait anywhere else.

 

- Southampton (Going ashore): Customs check in the Britannia D3 restaurant was very fast and pleasant. We could also directly walk into the terminal from the ship at around 10:00. What was apparent was the complete lack of signs or any Cunard personnel directing people to the regular shuttle bus. Eventually someone from the tour bus going to Stonehenge, I believe, told people when asked to wait in line at the “Crew bus” sign.

Some time later, after a crew bus leaving, a pax shuttle bus arrived. But seriously? Why wasn’t there any sign for “Passenger shuttle bus” or someone directing people where to go?

The shuttle itself and going back aboard later went without issues. However I would advise taking any of the offered tours that go outside of Southampton, the city itself is a bit of a dud.

 

- NYC/Brooklyn (Disembarkation): A complete disaster. We stood in line at our assigned slot (08:45) in the ship and it took roughly 20 minutes until we could reach the scanning station and walk through the gangway. The advertised “from stateroom directly to the gangway” didn't work. But since we queued on time, we could walk straight to our suitcases. Other people that stood in line with us, apparently thinking being earlier than assigned was smart, had to wait in the terminal hall until the luggage assigned to their later group was released.

Customs took a good hour and was a very slow process, but that is not Cunards fault. The agents were just really slow/thorough and that combined with people having issues in their documentation lead to a slow progress.

When we left the terminal hall half annoyed from the waiting it got worse. It was still raining and stormy. We had booked a Cunard transfer to our Cunard-organised hotel and were told in writing on board to directly walk to the coach that was clearly marked with our hotel’s name. There were no coaches. Or taxis. Or anything similar, for that matter. Only chaos.

What we then learnt from a local worker was that, due to the heavy rain that night and morning and the previous days, the access roads to the terminal were flooded and nothing could get in or out at that moment.

Did anyone on board mention this to us? No.

Was there anyone posted outside from Cunard to direct or help people? No.

So what happened was there were a lot of people with no idea were to go or what to do. Some had to get to an airport, others to their hotels or any other destination.

One worker told us to wait under one of the roofed platforms for “a” transfers to arrive. It got really crowded there because there were also people waiting for anything else. We waited and waited and nothing happened, nobody knew more. Eventually another local worker went through and formed two lines, one waiting for taxis, one waiting for private car service and directed people to other lines for Uber, regular buses and the ferry. At some point a third worker recommended to all people heading for Manhattan to take a ferry as it would take a lot of time for enough cars to make it. Splendid.

We still were not sure if our platform was where we were supposed to wait for our coach. No need to mention there was no signage anywhere. There were a few coaches waiting a bit away, but after asking they were not affiliated with Cunard or hired by them. While we were there some 2 crew buses arrived, so at least they had a chance to get away. During that not even a handful of other cars made it.

After 1.5hours total standing in the wind and rain we talked to the absolute GOAT that was desperately trying to manage the private car service when a few vans and SUVs trickled into the terminal area. He was completely soaked from the rain, hope he didn’t get ill. After another 30-45 minutes he got us into a SUV with our Cunard-issued tickets and to our hotel. The bulk of the people there was still waiting for transportation when we departed.

All in all we left the ship at ~09:00 and reached the hotel in Manhattan at ~13:30. Only to then wait another 1.5hours for Cunard to transfer our reservation details to the hotel so we could get checked in.

0/10 experience.

 

Obviously the rainstorm is not Cunards fault, and some may argue that the terminal operator is responsible for some tasks, but in the end we had a contract with Cunard and were their customers, not the terminal’s.

For a company that allegedly has been doing this for 100+ years, the lack of any communication, organisation or taking responsibility for their guests (not even a “sorry for that, hope you’re ok” mail afterwards), this was a complete let-down.

 

The transfer a few days later from hotel to the airport, also organised by Cunard, went well.

 

Ship:

- Stateroom: It was an standard outer cabin with a window. The interior was clearly dated and very much used, but nothing was broken and it was clean. The bed was really comfortable. The in-cabin entertainment in form of the TV was questionable. With the exception of some local channels in Full-HD, the quality was close to VHS/DVD and the aspect ratio of many channels was wrong. It could also not be changed with the remote. The recordings of the on-board talks were barely decipherable and the shore-leave recordings for the destinations were a good 20 years old. Seemed odd for a luxury ship.

All in all we did not mind that too much as the point of a crossing like that for us is not to stay in our stateroom during the day.

 

- Exterior: After having rounded the ship we were a bit shocked by the state of it. There was a lot of rust on many parts of the exterior. Both in common areas and in/close to the cabin’s balconies. While, weather permitting, we did see crew painting parts of the ships constantly, it seemed to focus only on the eye-level parts of the promenade. However, having read/seen some experiences from people on QM2 shortly after the big break, she is in a noticeable better shape now. Still, a few days of maintenance in a dock seem like a very much needed treatment for her.

 

- Interior: Here we have almost nothing to complain about. We love the art-deco style and did not notice any broken, dirty or missing parts of décor or furniture. The only exception is one seat in the Illuminations theatre I sat in that seems to be stuck in planetarium mode.

Additionally, when the heavy rain started in Brooklyn, there was quite a waterfall coming down from the Deck 7/Stairway A starboard side ceiling nex to the door to the outside.

 

A lot has been said about navigation on the ship already. For a new guest, it takes days to learn.

 

- Entertainment: Every day there is a full program of things to do. Due to bad weather most of the days the outdoor activities fell through. We went to two talks by different people (“History if Immigration with Ocean liners” (paraphrased) and “The History of Cocktails” (paraphrased). Both were abysmal, so we stayed away from any other, although afterwards we heard there were also very good ones. The shows were great. While we enjoyed some of the musicians, others were more of a deterrent for that location while playing.

Either we did not check the schedule well enough, but it seems there was no bar we you could spent a whole evening without any music/entertainment and just talk to each other while drinking. When music was playing, it was always loud enough to make it difficult to converse without shouting.

 

- Food: Overall the food is of good to very good quality, the taste good, both in the Britannia restaurant and the buffets (King’s Court, Carinthia Lounge). A bit more seasoning would be nice, though. The desserts all were fantastic and you could easily overeat on them daily. The King’s Court was overcrowded during the breakfast and lunch rushes (around 08:00 and 12:30 respectively), but quiet enough for Afternoon Tea and dinner. We heard the menu in the Britannia restaurant was on a 12-day cycle, but subjectively some elements already repeated during our 9-night stay, But you always have a choice of four mains, so it didn’t bother us. The Afternoon Tea in the Queens Room is an absolute delight, but more suited for people with a late dinner slot.

We sampled many cocktails and also found many of them very tasty ;-)

 

- Service: We were left a bit confused regarding the “White Star Service”. There always was a lot of staff around, yet many seemed “neutral friendly” to just weary. No one was unfriendly or rude, but on average most seemed not to enjoy what they were doing or at least pretend so for the guests. We found ourselves actively seeking out the very few staff members that had a smile on their faces, who brightened our day a little with that.

Waiting for our food never took long in Britannia, however waiting for drinks took unusually long in most cases across the whole ship. We don’t know why exactly. In Britannia we always ordered the same wine from the same table at the same time from the same sommelier, but even on the last day we had to order and wait for over 10 minutes.

Based on other experiences and Cunard’s marketing (...), we expected more.

When you book a table in the main Britannia restaurant, look for tables towards the outer hull of the ship. The mid section was always packed, loud, and very busy.

The stateroom stuart however always greeted us nicely and on the day of embarkation directly knew our names just from the cabin number. The cabin always was in tip top shape.

 

Side-note: Cunard “suggests” that you tip 14.50USD per person/night in Britannia and 16.50USD in Grills for the hotel and service staff tip-pool. I find that bordering on outrageous. You already pay 15% for every non-included drink, snack or service and can optionally tip directly. Do they not pay their staff properly?

It was also interesting how Cunard phrased it in their letter, that it was “optional for guests booking from continental Europe” to do so. So is it mandatory for people booking from other continents?!

 

Journey:

- Experience: All in all being on a TransAtlantic is a very precious experience. Being away from everything (if you don’t opt to book the 15USD+/day Internet) is very refreshing and relaxing. Lounging on deck watching the ocean pass by can even be hypnotic. While passing the post-tropical cyclone Nigel the ship was very stable towards her sides, mostly only giving into the upward/downward motions while taking the waves almost head on. If you are into roller coasters, you’re gonna love it.

We were a bit disappointed with the dress code, especially towards the end there were several people with unfit cloths for “Smart Attire” in the Britannia restaurant for dinner. If you have the rule, please enforce it.

 

The ship and her story are fascinating. She is unique and you learn to love her quickly.

 

- Conclusion: So while we totally would want to experience the ship again, the experience with Cunard makes that decision very difficult. Adding to that, we fully expected to receive some kind of request for feedback during or after the voyage. So far nothing came and it looks like Cunard doesn’t actively do that. Doesn’t make us feel like they want to do better.

[Host Hattie]

Welcome to Cruise Critic and thank you for sharing your experience. 

[Pushpit]

An interesting read.

 

I was on the Hamburg end of this, disembarking, and there are multiple reports of the Brooklyn end. The Hamburg experience was unusual - I can't remember anything quite like it and it felt odd when on QM2 because the ship was so stable it was a bit tricky to understand that the weather had been so severe. I would not read much into your Hamburg experience, I cannot see you ever having that again. There are some reports of that event elsewhere in this board, plus other reports from Brooklyn.

 

Brooklyn is often not a great arrival, and a lot of that is thanks to the rigid processes of CBP, DHS and the Port Authority. But some doubtless is down to Cunard, who seem to do very little to improve the experience. The flooding and bad weather, though, was extraordinary, that certainly was off the scale unusual. My own tactic at Brooklyn - bearing in mind I'm not usually in a hurry - is to completely ignore my designated offload time, and leave as late as I can get away with. So I leave the stateroom at the appointed time, and dive off to the library or somewhere similar for as long as I think I can get away with. At some point there are tannoy announcements which pointedly tell everyone to get off. 

 

The rest of your comments - thank you for sharing your impressions, I see quite a mix of positives and negatives there.

 

The hotel fee I can explain. For UK and USA passengers, that fix is automatic and comes off the On Board Credit initially. We can go to the Pursers desk and get it removed if we wish, some do. Under German consumer law this isn't the right way around, so for you it's kind of opt-in rather than opt-out. It's just to comply with local legislation. It goes to people such as your stateroom steward and a long list of people who you don't see but who keep the ship running, pretty much everyone below a managerial level. It's a personal decision whether you opt-in, do nothing, give tips to your steward and others. 

Edited October 5, 2023 by Pushpit

[D&N]

Welcome and thank you for a very comprehensive report. It's very thorough.

I'm guessing due to you embarking in Hamburg and your comments on tips that you might be German.

We're British but live in France. We used to visit Germany between one and three times a year between 1992 and 2003.

I'll not comment on everything as we have specific interests and don't make use of much of the entertainment available. As we're only interested in the QM2 we join and leave at Southampton and have no interest in port call arrangements.

 

We don't really care about rust. It's superficial and the ship won't sink because of it. It's due a visit to dry dock next month when some of that might be attended to.

 

Living in France we're used to what appear to be moody service staff and don't expect better. In practice we generally get on very well with most of them, particularly in venues that we have visited over a long period of time, but it's a recurring theme when friends or family visit these venues without us that they often report that the service was borderline rude. We took all our meals in the Britannia Club Restaurant on QM2 and didn't experience any service problems. The sommelier did seem to be busier on our Eastbound trip. Regarding wine orders; 10 minutes is not an unusual time to wait for a bottle of wine to be delivered to the table at our local restaurants.  If I found on the first night that the wine didn't arrive as quickly as I would like, on subsequent nights I would refuse to order food until I had placed the wine order.

When we used to eat out in Germany I didn't find service staff any more friendly than in France. We always ordered everything carefully in German and invariably they would answer and summarise our order in English.

 

I'll jump to tipping. It comes down to cultural differences. In France almost all restaurants are "Service Compris". Gratuities are included in the bill and traditionally if you had paid in cash and received change you might leave the centimes and take any euros away. As Brits we generally tip 10% as we would have done in UK. If we're out with French friends we often tip less because that's what they are doing and we don't want to appear too vulgar. We try and make that up next time we visit the venue on our own.

In the US, tipping is the norm and 20% is more common. I imagine Germany is more like France.

Your correct. UK and US guests are charged for gratuities automatically and need to ask for them to be removed if they are unhappy with the service, and some do so because they don't agree with the principle.

 

Music. We dance; so are looking for music we can dance to in entertainment venues. The Chart Room often had a string trio or a jazz band playing when we visited. We could have talked over both of those easily. However we try not to ruin the experience for other guests and often feel it's rude to talk too loudly while artists are playing. I was most disappointed that my wife refused point blank to join me in a foxtrot around the Chart Room to some of the numbers performed by the jazz band!

 

 

 

Edited October 5, 2023 by D&N

[NE John]

A common complaint among Cunard pax is poor communications. 
Cunard seriously needs to create a new position of Chief Passenger Empathy Officer.  OK, it sounds corny but I believe needed.
This person can handle situations like what happened during the medical emergency delay on June 30, missed port situations, delays from last Friday’s downpour, and so on. When pax feel abandoned by their line, it takes lots of goodwill to make up from a lack of communication that should have been better in the first place. 
There is so much Cunard does right but the common thread I read of poor communication from then is maddening. 

[TouchstoneFeste]

Also, I think*, none of the automatic (or for EU passengers, "suggested") $14.50/$16.50 hotel fee goes to the bar staff. So, the 15 percent on drinks isn't on top of the hotel fee - it goes to different people. Don't know why they do it this way.

 

* Correct me if I'm wrong, folks.

[Host Hattie]

6 hours ago, TouchstoneFeste said:

Also, I think*, none of the automatic (or for EU passengers, "suggested") $14.50/$16.50 hotel fee goes to the bar staff. So, the 15 percent on drinks isn't on top of the hotel fee - it goes to different people. Don't know why they do it this way.

 

* Correct me if I'm wrong, folks.

You're not wrong, different charges that go to different groups of people. 

[NeutralParticipant101]

Thanks all for shedding some light on the service fee/tip situation. A bit of a pity if different fees/tips go to different parts of the service staff, that's bad. And to expect people to pay a few hundred USD in tips on top of the several thousand USD for the voyage, plus the mandatory 15% service fee just doesn't sound right. But we can't complain since the former was at least not automatic.

We received the letter about the tip pool on the 2nd or 3rd day, so gave on-bill tips before that. In the letter, you were free to give a pool tip at all and had the choice to give the recommended amount or write down a different fixed amount yourself.

 

@NE John That sounds like a very good idea and much needed.

Having read some other posts on here, the communication and customer care issues seem to be a common theme. And if you have a situation like bitob (luggage in water), it hurts even more. Whatever the reasons are, being late to port calls and other unplanned situation happen, regularly, so why aren't there processes in place to effectively and correctly communicate them. We will let our TA know about the experiences, hopefully they can place the concerns with the right people.

 

It also seems she will be in dry dock for almost three weeks soon, so we can expect many of the cosmetics and maybe other things to be dealt with. Great to hear. A bit of rust here and there is to be expected on a North-Atlantic work horse, but a pipe on the cabin's balconies doesn't rust over on the full length of the ship in a few weeks (found on a picture I took). That must be missed maintenance.

 

@Pushpit Having been in Hamburg the day before and the same morning, the wind never felt that bad. I read a report about the WW2 bomb being found near AIDAperla and that being the reason she stayed blocking the terminal, but according to a local newspaper the wind was the reason why the port was closed and she could not leave, even before the bomb was found.

So maybe the wind was worse in other parts of the port or the Elbe river around critical bottlenecks.

 

Also sorry for the crappy font and spacing in the initial post, seems something went wrong copying from the Word template.

[Covepointcruiser]

Sorry about the disaster in Brooklyn.   NYC was under a state of emergency and we were told to “Shelter in Place”.     Good that you were even able to disembark as the city rescue squads were already stretched to their limits.   We enjoyed Southampton and their museums, especially the Maritime and the Spitfire museum.    Sorry the city wasn’t to your liking.

[Kynance]

Thanks for your interesting & detailed review.
On the question of post-voyage surveys, here in the UK, I’ve only received a link to a consumer review site a few days after returning home. This was certainly the case for our 2 trips this year and I think for our last one before the pandemic, in 2019.  These reviews are published somewhere on Cunard’s website and just show a rating out of 5 and any comments which are made. Cunard used to provide a comprehensive paper survey in cabins just before disembarkation day and there was a prize draw to encourage completion. I think those stopped before 2019 & then there might have been a proper online, post-trip questionnaire emailed out but I recall discussions on this board that it was possibly a bit hit & miss as to whether you received one. All that said, on both our trips this year, members of the crew mentioned passenger feedback surveys, in particular the questions asked around service & friendliness, but I definitely didn’t receive anything like that. 

[exlondoner]

12 hours ago, Covepointcruiser said:

Sorry about the disaster in Brooklyn.   NYC was under a state of emergency and we were told to “Shelter in Place”.     Good that you were even able to disembark as the city rescue squads were already stretched to their limits.   We enjoyed Southampton and their museums, especially the Maritime and the Spitfire museum.    Sorry the city wasn’t to your liking.

As an (almost) local, I am baffled you didn’t like Southampton. It is where we go if we want to go somewhere near that is interesting. Perhaps that tells you a lot about Dorset.

[Winifred 22]

Thank you for taking the time for your review. It’s just shows how different everybody’s perceptions and expectations are. I recently did a 14 day T A on QM2 and my experiences don’t at all resonate with how you perceived yours.  As a regular Cunard traveller  I hope you do give them another try. I have never  since the pause filled out a review but I should have to say they would be 5 star. I am sorry too you didn’t like Southampton. I work there one day a week  my daughter has her boat in one of the marinas there. I think it has a lot to offer much more than my other nearest town Salisbury. 

Edited October 7, 2023 by Winifred 22

[exlondoner]

11 minutes ago, Winifred 22 said:

Thank you for taking the time for your review. It’s just shows how different everybody’s perceptions and expectations are. I recently did a 14 day T A on QM2 and my experiences don’t at all resonate with how you perceived yours.  As a regular Cunard traveller  I hope you do give them another try. I have never  since the pause filled out a review but I should have to say they would be 5 star. I am sorry too you didn’t like Southampton. I work there one day a week  my daughter has her boat in one of the marinas there. I think it has a lot to offer much more than my other nearest town Salisbury. 

Salisbury is always worth a visit for the completely wonderful and stunning cathedral, but Southampton has much more variety, and excellent chocolate brownies in the John Lewis café.

[Host Hattie]

Yes, it's a shame the OP didn't join before their cruise. They could have had lots of their questions answered and might have had a better idea what to expect. 

 

[sogne]

17 hours ago, NeutralParticipant101 said:

Thanks all for shedding some light on the service fee/tip situation. A bit of a pity if different fees/tips go to different parts of the service staff, that's bad. And to expect people to pay a few hundred USD in tips on top of the several thousand USD for the voyage, plus the mandatory 15% service fee just doesn't sound right. But we can't complain since the former was at least not automatic.

We received the letter about the tip pool on the 2nd or 3rd day, so gave on-bill tips before that. In the letter, you were free to give a pool tip at all and had the choice to give the recommended amount or write down a different fixed amount yourself.

 

@NE John That sounds like a very good idea and much needed.

Having read some other posts on here, the communication and customer care issues seem to be a common theme. And if you have a situation like bitob (luggage in water), it hurts even more. Whatever the reasons are, being late to port calls and other unplanned situation happen, regularly, so why aren't there processes in place to effectively and correctly communicate them. We will let our TA know about the experiences, hopefully they can place the concerns with the right people.

 

It also seems she will be in dry dock for almost three weeks soon, so we can expect many of the cosmetics and maybe other things to be dealt with. Great to hear. A bit of rust here and there is to be expected on a North-Atlantic work horse, but a pipe on the cabin's balconies doesn't rust over on the full length of the ship in a few weeks (found on a picture I took). That must be missed maintenance.

 

@Pushpit Having been in Hamburg the day before and the same morning, the wind never felt that bad. I read a report about the WW2 bomb being found near AIDAperla and that being the reason she stayed blocking the terminal, but according to a local newspaper the wind was the reason why the port was closed and she could not leave, even before the bomb was found.

So maybe the wind was worse in other parts of the port or the Elbe river around critical bottlenecks.

 

Also sorry for the crappy font and spacing in the initial post, seems something went wrong copying from the Word template.

Could not embark pilot at sea station due to weather plus bomb episode

[Winifred 22]

15 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

Salisbury is always worth a visit for the completely wonderful and stunning cathedral, but Southampton has much more variety, and excellent chocolate brownies in the John Lewis café.

I agree for tourists and occasional visitors Salisbury is not to be missed but as a local after 60 plus years I have seen a lot of change and do enjoy venturing further afield . Pre Pandemic Castlepoint was my Saturday go to but have never really got back into it. My favourite at John Lewis is the lemon meringue pie slice and sitting in a window seat watching whoever is on port. 

[RICHARD@SEA]

Brookly piers have been known to be a hit or miss w passengers both embarking or disembarking - I always preferred the Manhattan piers.

 

OP- as far as the particular date you disembarked  - NYC was indeed under a Disaster Alert due to the effects of a passing hurricane - records amount of rain did fall, flooding subways(think waterfalls underground) w roads unpassable & closed.

The Brooklyn Terminal was not developed well & the PORT of NY & the cruise lines are responsible  for that.  As for accommodation once ashore Carnivore Corp dictates procedure...they are responsible for Cunard & its actions.

[D&N]

About 36 years ago we were in Salisbury having afternoon tea with clotted cream at Michael Snell's tearoom. Unfortunately I believe the tearoom closed in 2003.

The Cathedral was quite impressive as well, but nothing trumps a clotted cream tea.

[Winifred 22]

Just now, D&N said:

About 36 years ago we were in Salisbury having afternoon tea with clotted cream at Michael Snell's tearoom. Unfortunately I believe the tearoom closed in 2003.

The Cathedral was quite impressive as well, but nothing trumps a clotted cream tea.

Yes they did. Their chocolate cake slices were amazing. At one time they had 3 branches in Salisbury. When they started they were just cake and chocolate shops. The tea rooms were much later. It’s a French restaurant now. Does a very acceptable steak hache and frites. 

[exlondoner]

11 minutes ago, D&N said:

About 36 years ago we were in Salisbury having afternoon tea with clotted cream at Michael Snell's tearoom. Unfortunately I believe the tearoom closed in 2003.

The Cathedral was quite impressive as well, but nothing trumps a clotted cream tea.

Oh come on, tea is tea, and quite nice every now and then, but Salisbury cathedral is a nonsuch. (I know you are only trying to be controversial.) I always quite enjoy cream tea when I have it eg on Cunard, but, if you said I would never have it again, I wouldn’t grieve. But never to see that amazing spire again…

[D&N]

4 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

Oh come on, tea is tea, and quite nice every now and then, but Salisbury cathedral is a nonsuch. (I know you are only trying to be controversial.) I always quite enjoy cream tea when I have it eg on Cunard, but, if you said I would never have it again, I wouldn’t grieve. But never to see that amazing spire again…

I'm not big on buildings, unless they have dance floors.

It is quite amazing how the spire stays up given it's lack of foundations.

[Winifred 22]

Just now, D&N said:

I'm not big on buildings, unless they have dance floors.

It is quite amazing how the spire stays up given it's lack of foundations.

Had a lot of work done on it in the late 80’s early 90’s scaffolding round it for years. I still wonder at it  it as I approach Salisbury from A338 at least once a week after all these years. 

[NeutralParticipant101]

9 hours ago, Host Hattie said:

Yes, it's a shame the OP didn't join before their cruise. They could have had lots of their questions answered and might have had a better idea what to expect. 

 

 

Guess hindsight is 20/20. Only found this board when looking for people with similarly experiences on this TA. If we ever do one again, I will for sure ask around here first for any tourist tips and general advice. Wish I had found it before embarking on this journey, it is a nice place.

 

Also, just for clarity, we don't put any blame on the people working at the port in NYC or drivers and such. They helped us out and gave us information. We solely put blame on Cunard for not providing their guests with any information about the situation upfront, nor any kind of help or information after disembarking, when we all were standing in the rain and cold wind not knowing what to do.

[exlondoner]

11 hours ago, D&N said:

I'm not big on buildings, unless they have dance floors.

It is quite amazing how the spire stays up given it's lack of foundations.

Yes, isn’t it? When you think that a lot of Mediaeval spires didn’t.

[Victoria2]

12 hours ago, exlondoner said:

Oh come on, tea is tea, and quite nice every now and then, but Salisbury cathedral is a nonsuch. (I know you are only trying to be controversial.) I always quite enjoy cream tea when I have it eg on Cunard, but, if you said I would never have it again, I wouldn’t grieve. But never to see that amazing spire again…

Only visited Salisbury cathedral once, having read Edward Rutherfurd's Sarum years prior and it was a half day spent in wonder, helped by the organist having a 'bit of a practise'! I can thoroughly recommend it as a day out if docked in Southampton or spending a few days there pre/post embarkation.