Done with Cunard

[D&N]

48 minutes ago, QuestionEverything said:

then they pour hot water from china teapots into your glass.

That's all very well for 'mint teas' or other infusions. Most Brits would be a bit miffed if their tea didn't come out of a pot. A navvy on a building site might not have a lot of choice but in civilised surroundings tea must be served from a pot whether that is porcelain or metal.

[Megabear2]

52 minutes ago, QuestionEverything said:

Greetings. Was on the June 23 westbound crossing QM2.

Was in the Queens Room. Was at a table for 4. Given an empty plate and wait staff came around and placed a scone on the plate. Another waitstaff came around and spooned a wedge of something on the side of the plate. 

The wait staff did Not carry china teapots, they carried steel pitchers with hot tea.

I have in the past had the waitstaff walk around with a box of tea bags and you pick, then they pour hot water from china teapots into your glass.

It seems to me that the service has evolved over the years but that a change has happened lately - many people were complaining about the afternoon tea on the way out.

No one at our table was impressed and none of us went back to the afternoon tea.

Guess the mystery continues!

Keep well and enjoy.

The "steel pitcher" is a teapot and most certainly Cunard do not serve tea in a glass.  They use teacups and saucers (Wedgewood according to the one I own!)

[david63]

Just found this https://www.theteahouse.co.uk/products/Tea-Pitcher.html

[exlondoner]

4 minutes ago, david63 said:

Just found this https://www.theteahouse.co.uk/products/Tea-Pitcher.html

Well, it is certainly not one of those.

[3rdGenCunarder]

27 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

The "steel pitcher" is a teapot and most certainly Cunard do not serve tea in a glass.  They use teacups and saucers (Wedgewood according to the one I own!)

 

Yes, Wedgewood (I won't ask how you came to own one). On QE2 it was Royal Doulton, but they moved to Wedgewood for QM2 and, later, QV and QE. The china on QA is William Edwards. I guess it's another move to something new. (Or as the Python boys used to say, "And now for something completely different")

Edited August 12 by 3rdGenCunarder

[Host Hattie]

43 minutes ago, D&N said:

That's all very well for 'mint teas' or other infusions. Most Brits would be a bit miffed if their tea didn't come out of a pot. A navvy on a building site might not have a lot of choice but in civilised surroundings tea must be served from a pot whether that is porcelain or metal.

I have peppermint tea and I always get a pot of it. I've never been offered tea bags and had hot water poured over them on Cunard. 

[Megabear2]

1 hour ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

Yes, Wedgewood (I won't ask how you came to own one). On QE2 it was Royal Doulton, but they moved to Wedgewood for QM2 and, later, QV and QE. The china on QA is William Edwards. I guess it's another move to something new. (Or as the Python boys used to say, "And now for something completely different")

It was quite legitimate! My mother and I sailed on QE's maiden voyage  and when she died her ashes were scattered from QE in a ceremony conducted by the Captain.  In the run up to the event we told Tommi our Cunard organiser little stories about my mother's Cunard adventures including her love of afternoon tea.  She had never left the UK until her 80th birthday when I took her on QE2 and the highlight of every day onboard a Cunard ship was her afternoon tea. She absolutely loved QE and referred to her as her ship, QM2 and QV were very much second rate in her opinion!

 

On the last evening of my husband and I sailing back to Southampton after the ceremony a package arrived for us and inside was a tea cup and saucer together with a certificate giving the details and location of where my mother was scattered.  The note accompanying this asked us to raise a cup to my mother on Cunard's behalf.

[exlondoner]

6 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

It was quite legitimate! My mother and I sailed on QE's maiden voyage  and when she died her ashes were scattered from QE in a ceremony conducted by the Captain.  In the run up to the event we told Tommi our Cunard organiser little stories about my mother's Cunard adventures including her love of afternoon tea.  She had never left the UK until her 80th birthday when I took her on QE2 and the highlight of every day onboard a Cunard ship was her afternoon tea. She absolutely loved QE and referred to her as her ship, QM2 and QV were very much second rate in her opinion!

 

On the last evening of my husband and I sailing back to Southampton after the ceremony a package arrived for us and inside was a tea cup and saucer together with a certificate giving the details and location of where my mother was scattered.  The note accompanying this asked us to raise a cup to my mother on Cunard's behalf.

That is quite lovely. 

[vsbc]

On 8/9/2024 at 2:39 PM, exlondoner said:

But were the others all identical, which would apparently be a bad thing? 😀 If I were there, I might have asked for a little more cream.

I got off QA yesterday and the scones that were served in the Queens Grill Terrace were definitely irregular. Enough cream for my tastes and I thoroughly enjoyed them!

[3rdGenCunarder]

57 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

It was quite legitimate! My mother and I sailed on QE's maiden voyage  and when she died her ashes were scattered from QE in a ceremony conducted by the Captain.  In the run up to the event we told Tommi our Cunard organiser little stories about my mother's Cunard adventures including her love of afternoon tea.  She had never left the UK until her 80th birthday when I took her on QE2 and the highlight of every day onboard a Cunard ship was her afternoon tea. She absolutely loved QE and referred to her as her ship, QM2 and QV were very much second rate in her opinion!

 

On the last evening of my husband and I sailing back to Southampton after the ceremony a package arrived for us and inside was a tea cup and saucer together with a certificate giving the details and location of where my mother was scattered.  The note accompanying this asked us to raise a cup to my mother on Cunard's behalf.

 

What a lovely story, and how thoughtful of Cunard to give you that little gift. My bits of QE2 china are related to my mother, too, but a very different story--dishes would seem to jump into her suitcase and be discovered when she got home.

[QuestionEverything]

2 hours ago, exlondoner said:

I assume you are not serious that they really served tea in a glass on a past voyage. That really is bizarre. And those things may not be china but they are teapots.

Apologies, exlondoner - I meant a china cup, it was wonderful and you got to choose your tea type. 

I am older now bear with me, but I seem to remember they had the 3 level tiered "shelf" where sandwiches were already established on each "shelf" when you came to sit down.

I am reaching back aways to the earliest trips on QM2!

Recollections?

[3rdGenCunarder]

11 minutes ago, QuestionEverything said:

Apologies, exlondoner - I meant a china cup, it was wonderful and you got to choose your tea type. 

I am older now bear with me, but I seem to remember they had the 3 level tiered "shelf" where sandwiches were already established on each "shelf" when you came to sit down.

I am reaching back aways to the earliest trips on QM2!

Recollections?

 

I've had that in restaurants, but can't remember that on Cunard, except sometimes in the grills. On QE last month in the grills they had a menu, you chose what you wanted, and it arrived on the tiered server. But on QA, they served as they do in the Queens Room, you choose from trays. 

 

Going back to QE2, I only remember the Queens Room with pre-set tables and waiters circulating with trays of goodies.

 

Holland America serves tea on sea days in the main dining room. They do bring around the tiered server with sweets and sandwiches in place. 

Edited August 12 by 3rdGenCunarder

[3rdGenCunarder]

1 minute ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 oops, duplicate

 

Edited August 12 by 3rdGenCunarder

[exlondoner]

20 minutes ago, QuestionEverything said:

Apologies, exlondoner - I meant a china cup, it was wonderful and you got to choose your tea type. 

I am older now bear with me, but I seem to remember they had the 3 level tiered "shelf" where sandwiches were already established on each "shelf" when you came to sit down.

I am reaching back aways to the earliest trips on QM2!

Recollections?

You are totally forgiven. And I have on occasion had tea with lemon in something approximating to a glass - just not at tea on Cunard.😀

[exlondoner]

13 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

 

Going back to QE2, I only remember the Queens Room with pre-set tables and waiters circulating with trays of goodies.

And I think the scones were already halved, creamed, and jammed.

[NE John]

I asked what type of tea was served in PG on QE recently and the server simply said “English Tea”. I confirmed that it was not English Breakfast tea. We had some extra OBC and bought a box of that English tea to take home. To my American tea palette it was good. I can’t remember the type of serving vessel that poured out the English tea. 
 

[3rdGenCunarder]

23 minutes ago, NE John said:

I asked what type of tea was served in PG on QE recently and the server simply said “English Tea”. I confirmed that it was not English Breakfast tea. We had some extra OBC and bought a box of that English tea to take home. To my American tea palette it was good. I can’t remember the type of serving vessel that poured out the English tea. 
 

 

I don't know what that "English Tea" in PG was, but you're right, it wasn't English Breakfast. I did not like it. Maybe it was oversteeped or maybe it was an Earl Grey heavy on the bergamot. I couldn't drink it so I asked for Assam and was given my own china pot of that tea. 

[NE John]

23 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

I don't know what that "English Tea" in PG was, but you're right, it wasn't English Breakfast. I did not like it. Maybe it was oversteeped or maybe it was an Earl Grey heavy on the bergamot. I couldn't drink it so I asked for Assam and was given my own china pot of that tea. 

I’ll try some at home for a second opinion and steep less. I’ve never seen that being served before. 
 

 

Edited August 12 by NE John

[QuestionEverything]

19 hours ago, exlondoner said:

You are totally forgiven. And I have on occasion had tea with lemon in something approximating to a glass - just not at tea on Cunard.😀

exlondoner, you are great.

Take care and be well.

[candle in the wind]

On 7/14/2024 at 2:54 PM, exlondoner said:

So what do working class people, if you know any, have when they get home from work?

Tea, which is dinner or supper and lunch is called dinner. For anyone confused, you should be, but for those of you who watched the British comedy Dinner Ladies about women who prepared and served children at lunchtime it will confirm.

[vieux_carre]

On our recent QM2 crossing (July), there was no choice of teas in the Queens Room.  It was poured from silver plated pots.  We also went to the Grills Lounge for tea twice.  On the first occasion, when offered the prepared tea poured from a china pot, I asked for Darjeeling.  They had to go elsewhere to get one of the tea forte infusion bags and brought a china pot of very hot water with it.  There was no charge for this.  The server mentioned that the selection of loose teas had been in short supply of late.  On the second occasion, I asked for another different tea (I don’t recall which) and was brought a china pot with loose tea in it.  Both were excellent.  There was no printed tea menu, one had to ask if one wanted something aside from the standard offering.  The sandwiches, cakes, etc. were the same selection as offered in the Queens Room and were served from platters.  While not a scone connoisseur, I found them to be fresh and delicious and seemed to be made fresh.  They were quite consistent in size and shape.  The cream served was in a separate small dish in a quenelle shape.  It was definitely not whipped cream, but I lack the experience to say for certain if it was clotted or not. It was tasty though!

[Victoria2]

2 hours ago, candle in the wind said:

Tea, which is dinner or supper and lunch is called dinner. For anyone confused, you should be, but for those of you who watched the British comedy Dinner Ladies about women who prepared and served children at lunchtime it will confirm.

and to add, tea [cooked in our house] is what very young children have around 4.30/5pm when home from school and ravenous. Gives them a couple of hours margin for digestion before bed around 7pm.

[maz48]

4 hours ago, candle in the wind said:

Tea, which is dinner or supper and lunch is called dinner. For anyone confused, you should be, but for those of you who watched the British comedy Dinner Ladies about women who prepared and served children at lunchtime it will confirm.

 We have lunch at midday ish and tea at 6pm ish, though that really is our main meal, so should be classed as dinner?? Dinner is too posh a word though for what we eat🤣 Even when we go out to eat, we call it 'out for a meal', not dinner. But lunch is always just lunch. I was brought up with midday cooked 'dinner' and evening tea. Not sure what we call our evening meal on a cruise. Possibly just 'shall we go and eat now?'

[3rdGenCunarder]

7 hours ago, vieux_carre said:

On our recent QM2 crossing (July), there was no choice of teas in the Queens Room.  It was poured from silver plated pots.  We also went to the Grills Lounge for tea twice.  On the first occasion, when offered the prepared tea poured from a china pot, I asked for Darjeeling.  They had to go elsewhere to get one of the tea forte infusion bags and brought a china pot of very hot water with it.  There was no charge for this.  The server mentioned that the selection of loose teas had been in short supply of late.  On the second occasion, I asked for another different tea (I don’t recall which) and was brought a china pot with loose tea in it.  Both were excellent.  There was no printed tea menu, one had to ask if one wanted something aside from the standard offering.  The sandwiches, cakes, etc. were the same selection as offered in the Queens Room and were served from platters.  While not a scone connoisseur, I found them to be fresh and delicious and seemed to be made fresh.  They were quite consistent in size and shape.  The cream served was in a separate small dish in a quenelle shape.  It was definitely not whipped cream, but I lack the experience to say for certain if it was clotted or not. It was tasty though!

 

Darjeeling?!?!?!?!? My favorite tea! Where were they hiding it????

 

Until a few years ago, maybe longer (before Covid?), Twinings Darjeeling was in the rack of teabags in the lido. Fortunately, I can still get Assam, my second favorite on Cunard.