QE 2 Summer 2007

[Morgans]

Well we have booked ourselves a cruise for summer 2007. Although we are seasoned cruisers, does anyone have any tips for us in regard to QE2, as it will be our first time on board? Any information about entertainment (ie is it the usual format or do they offer anything slightly different?) Are excursions similar to other cruise lines and how do the prices prices compare. Needless to say we are looking forward to this cruise with great anticipation and any info would be gratefully received!!!

 

Marge M

[carlmm]

Congratulation. You have choosen a geat ship.

Some thoughts:

Entertainment: The main shows are similiar to those on other lines with some diffferences: There is no big theater like on modern ships. Shows take place in the grand lounge. Thus the stage technology is less sophisticated. Yet Cunard tends to have good singers and dancers eg. from the Bolschoi. This also means less Las Vegas. Comedians etc. might be more British than American.

Besides the main show there are a number of classical concerts, lectures, even dramas performed on stage. Harpists, pianists and jazz groups play in the bars. The QE2 band invites daily to ballroom dancing in the Queens lounge.

You will not find pool side entertainment, silly games and things like that.

 

Overall the QE2 provides a classic, traditional cruise experience. In general sea days are formal (tuxedo resp. evening gown) and port days, including the first and the last night, informal (suit/jacket and tie resp. cocktail dress). Service is very good, formal and unobtrusive. (E.g. if you declined to order a drink you will not be stalked again like on other cruiselines.) Holy Mass is celebrated daily. Tea is served daily with white glove service.

 

Feel free to ask further questions.

[Kindlychap]

The travel and tour office is the weak link. You haven't said which cruise you have booked, but the more you can sort out for yourself the better.

 

In those places where we can make a direct comparison, it appears doing a non-Cunard tour by taxi for two isn't far off doing the same tour on a coach with Cunard.

 

Their prices are high (although I can't say whether they are high in comparison to other lines) and the tour staff are bossy and rude.

 

Which is odd, because every other person I have ever had anything to do with on the ship (in terms of crew) has been delightful or better. And that's from deckies to penthouse butlers.

[Morgans]

Thank you both for your kind replies. I like what you say and enjoy the idea of the entertainmet in the bars and the dramas which may be performed. Our holiday is to the Mediterranean (which we have done several times previously and we were just wondering if QE2 provided anything different or out of the ordinary in comparison to other lines, considering their reputation. Thank you for the insight into the travel and tours office - all noted. I'm sure that if things prove to be disorganised we will be able sort out ourselves in a more organised fashion!! That being said there is no excuse for being bossy and rude is there ? Thank you both for your input. I'm sure we will have an exceptional holiday and are looking forward to it eagerly!

 

Marge M

[whylion]

We did a Med cruise on QE2 in 2004 and are booked again for this summer. It was great fun, but they're right about the tour office. There's one woman in particular who treats every passenger like they're a slow four year old. But the tour guides themselves were fine, although this time we will try to do more on our own. Beware of the maps that they give out for free at the pier, however. We found them very inaccurate which led to some forlorn wandering under the hot sun.

[Morgans]

The tours office sounds very formidable! Perhaps the lady won't be there by next year! We have been warned....

 

Marge M

[pnhmrk]

If you don't want to do something on a tour that you cannot do for yourself and there are at least two of you then you are better taking a taxi. You don't have all the hassle of being organised in the theatre, nor do you have to wait for the other members of the tour to catch up. Be careful when booking a tour - they are for people with more money than sense!

[Transatlantic Tom]

Marge:

 

Thanks again for your help late last year with regard to my visit to Cambridge !!

 

Glad to hear that you're making a voyage aboard QE2. I've made five transatlantic crossings aboard QE2 and have loved each and every one.

 

I hope that you and Dave have a super time !!!

 

Best Regards

 

Tom

[Morgans]

Tom,

 

Good to hear from you. I did read your follow up to your trip to Cambridge and am so glad to hear that you had a great time. Any other trips planned ? Yes, Dave has finally twisted my arm to go on QE2 - not that it took much twisting - more like a little tweak! He wanted to travel on her before (if?) she is finally dispensed with by Cunard so we have booked for next year and have been given a very good offer by our agent so no excuses!!! We realise that we are in for quite a trip. We have done most of the ports of call previously but are very eager to see the Grand Old Lady herself. We have read and heard so much about her. These boards are very helpful indeed.

 

Hope all is well, from a beautiful warm day in Cambridgeshire,(quite different to when you were here?)

 

Marge & David

[Transatlantic Tom]

Tom,

 

Hope all is well, from a beautiful warm day in Cambridgeshire,(quite different to when you were here?)

 

Marge & David

 

Marge:

 

Yes, the "warm" part certainly did not apply to Cambridge on December 31st (although it was a clear and sunny day) !! As you saw in my "review", it was a splendid day for us in Cambridge, and I know that we'll return someday...

 

As for future trips, Cunard seem to have our hearts (as well as our bank accounts !!) - we are booked for both a QM2 4-Day Canada Cruise in September, and another QE2 Transatlantic crossing in April. I think we're "hooked" !!

 

Tom:)

[travel-to-go]

As for future trips, Cunard seem to have our hearts (as well as our bank accounts !!) - we are booked for both a QM2 4-Day Canada Cruise in September, and another QE2 Transatlantic crossing in April. I think we're "hooked" !!

 

Tom:)

 

TT:

AS the song goes, See you in September! We (Marc and I) will be on that trip. As will Maria. As it gets closer we will have to pick a spot to meet.

 

Looking forward to it!

 

Karie,

who will try to do a better job with the name badges this time!

[Transatlantic Tom]

"TT: See you in September! We (Marc and I) will be on that trip. As will Maria."

 

Karie:

Glad to hear that a CC "Boarder" will be on that trip !!

 

 

"As it gets closer we will have to pick a spot to meet."

 

Karie:

You've got yourself a deal !!!

 

 

Tom

[carruthers]

My wife & I spent 31 Days aboard the QE2 during November & December 2005. We booked on every tour that we could get in all the ports of call and found the girls in the tour office extremely helpful, pleasant & obliging. On one occasion all the tours were booked out so they took our cabin number should there be a cancellation. I thought that would be the last we would hear, but low and behold some days later a note came under our door advising that two tickets were available. I can not speak too highly of the pleasant service we received.

Carruthers.

 

 

The tours office sounds very formidable! Perhaps the lady won't be there by next year! We have been warned....

 

Marge M

[pnhmrk]

We booked on every tour that we could get in all the ports of call and found the girls in the tour office extremely helpful, pleasant & obliging.

 

I'm not surprised:

31 days, say 20 of those were in port, tours are at least 80 USD per person, that means 1 600 USD each, 2 300 USD in total! I'd be "obliging" if you paid me that!:D

 

We were on the QE2 for Christmas and New Year 2005. We only booked one tour, in Dakar. We booked this because of advice that Dakar was not that safe. Had we not booked it I think that we would probably have stayed on the ship all day. The ship was late in getting clearance (not Cunard's fault), therefore the tours were late disembarking and the theatre, Crystal Bar, Casino, etc were packed with people waiting. After an hour I asked how much longer we could expect to wait -I was publicly told off by a member of the tour office and told what a hard job he had without my complaining. Once he had finished attacking me and had gone onto his other duties other passengers commented on how nastily he had spoken. This is not the standard of service I expect from Cunard, it's not the standard of service I pay for. It is one of the reasons I think that their tours are over priced and low on quality.

[bobby1119]

Since there is so much discussion in this thread about shore excursions, I wonder what advice can be offered regarding the tour office and the world cruise. I have traveled many times with Cunard, but have only used the tour office for some tours on 2 QE2 cruises (Norway, Baltic) and also for some tours on Caronia. As will be my first long sailing as a solo passenger, are the pre-arranged tours a better way to go in terms of comaraderie, safety in exotic ports, etc.?

 

Thanks for your combined expertise.

[pnhmrk]

Are the pre-arranged tours a better way to go in terms of camaraderie, safety in exotic ports, etc.?

 

Possibly! -a very helpful answer:( I think that an awful lot depends on the port. The only world Cruise sector I've done was from Istanbul to Southampton - we did a tour in Istanbul, we felt that was the way to safely see a big city; we did a tour in Naples, we wanted to see Pompeii and didn't feel that we could do it under our own steam; but that was it. The rest of the time we made our own way - it was cheaper and more fun.

 

That doesn't cover being a single passenger. I don't think that you should book all your tours at the beginning of your cruise. Book any that have very limited places and that you feel you must do, book for the first few days if you want and then hold back. You will meet people on board who will also want to go sightseeing, won't want to take official tours and will be looking for similar passengers. You can then make up a small group (3 or 4) and take a taxi together (certainly better for camaraderie and your feeling of security!).

 

Are you going to do the full WC? How do you get the time (and the money:( )? Do you want a travelling companion?:D

[J & J]

My husband and I have just returned from the World Cruise on the QE2. We would recommend that you attend the tour lectures given by the Tour Office for each port. These are given several days in advance of the port and give you detail about each tour - ususally you have time to either book the tour or cancel the tour. The destinations lectures - given in 2006 by Dr. Peter Crimes - are excellent. He will give you lots of tips on the port city and surrounding areas. He is extremely informative and has a great sense of humor.

 

Some of the tours are expensive. Others are not. Watch the tours that are "easy" walking. These tour will be filled with the older clientel and those with mobility issues. You will notice that when the ship reaches ports where there are language difficulties (China, Japan) the tours will be more heavily booked. Yes, lots of people went off on their own. It just depends on what you want to see and do.

 

The Egypt tours - both to Luxor and to Cairo were heavily booked due mostly to security issues.

 

You will most definitely meet other single people on the ship with whom you might like to tour. The QE2 is a very social ship and especially on the World Cruise.

 

You should receive a Shore Excursion book in late fall which will help you begin the process of selecting what you would like to see during the cruise. A tip that we heard on the ship was to avoid shore excursions that include lunch as the lunch wastes too much time.

 

We had the time of our lives and know that you will too!!

[Kindlychap]

After an hour I asked how much longer we could expect to wait -I was publicly told off by a member of the tour office and told what a hard job he had without my complaining. Once he had finished attacking me and had gone onto his other duties other passengers commented on how nastily he had spoken. This is not the standard of service I expect from Cunard, it's not the standard of service I pay for. It is one of the reasons I think that their tours are over priced and low on quality.

 

I'd echo that. I've had positive rudeness from them before too.

 

They are actively obstructive to anyone who has the tiniest streak of independence. Try asking for help to see a port without Cunard to get the full effect!

[bobby1119]

You should receive a Shore Excursion book in late fall which will help you begin the process of selecting what you would like to see during the cruise. A tip that we heard on the ship was to avoid shore excursions that include lunch as the lunch wastes too much time.

 

We had the time of our lives and know that you will too!!

 

J & J, Thank you very much for your thoughtful and helpful reply. The cruise is my retirement gift to myself, and as a young and active retiree and adventuresome, open-minded traveler, I want to do as much independently and, whenever possible, in the company of like-minded and fit passengers. Than you again for the encouragement.

 

Be well.

[ddr]

I had been wondering about the shore tours/excursions -- thanks to J&J for the report from the latest World Cruise. I'm fairly independently adventurous as far as these things are concerned, but I've never travelled in places that might be considered unsafe or dangerous (although one certainly can find those areas almost anywhere, including one's home city . . .).

 

I'll keep watching for helpful advice, but I suspect I'll do as J&J suggest and attend the on-board advance lectures and make decisions on a port-by-port basis. Like bobby1119, I'm travelling solo on the World Cruise, but I'm sure I'll meet plenty of interesting folks once I board in LA.

[pnhmrk]

DDR, Bobby - That's two single travellers doing the WC. When you get there there will be a lot more. Don't just rely on the port lectures; do some research in advance (the Internet's a wonderful tool) so that you've got an idea of what there is to see in a port, rather than relying on the lecturer to tell you.

[bobby1119]

I had been wondering about the shore tours/excursions -- thanks to J&J for the report from the latest World Cruise. I'm fairly independently adventurous as far as these things are concerned, but I've never travelled in places that might be considered unsafe or dangerous (although one certainly can find those areas almost anywhere, including one's home city . . .).

 

I'll keep watching for helpful advice, but I suspect I'll do as J&J suggest and attend the on-board advance lectures and make decisions on a port-by-port basis. Like bobby1119, I'm travelling solo on the World Cruise, but I'm sure I'll meet plenty of interesting folks once I board in LA.

 

Ddr, Count me in. J & J gave the best advice I have heard. Very reassuring for a solo passenger. Let's stay in touch through these boards and we'll see each other in LA... the Yacht Club? I am not sure exactly how cruisecritic members arrange to meet on the ship. I have heard of organized meetings, but I am not sure how that is done. Have you been on QE2 before?

 

Bell well & start packing!

 

Bobby

 

Bobby

[J & J]

DDR, Bobby - That's two single travellers doing the WC. When you get there there will be a lot more. Don't just rely on the port lectures; do some research in advance (the Internet's a wonderful tool) so that you've got an idea of what there is to see in a port, rather than relying on the lecturer to tell you.

 

pnhmrk, couldn't agree with you more about advance research. We must admit that eventhough we had done prior research, 109 days on the World Cruise does tend to mesh lots of information. The lecturers seemed to put the pictures, facts and travel ideas together in a 45 minute lecture. But, of course, they're not the only source of information!!!

 

Another excellent source of information on the the QE2 is the Library - it has lots of travel books - some that can be checked out and others that must be used in the Library. Don't overlook the knowledge of your fellow, well-traveled, passengers -- they can probably recommend some very interesting sites to see!! Ask around, you're sure to find somebody who's "been there, done that".

 

On the 2006 World Cruise, the Boardroom (set up for full World Cruise passengers only) had complimentary maps and brochures from many ports. There was also a Concierge to help with some reservations/recommendations in port. There were also travel books available there also - for use in the Boardroom only.