QM2 Advance booking for shoreside tours

[hooked cruiser]

I am travelling on the QM2 this Christmas & New Year but have been told by Cunard (UK) that the tours will be available to VIEW shortly on the UK website but reservations cannot be made until boarding the ship (unlike Princess who are in the same office at Southampton). Can anybody advise me if this is the case no matter where you reside? For instance has anybody in the USA been able to pre-book tours for this Cruise??

Any reply would be appreciated as I believe it is time that they provided the same as all other Carnival companies.

[carlmm]

Cunard sends out tour information to all passengers booked prior to sailing. Thus everybody has the same information and can plan the excursions.

Upon boarding everybody has the possibility to book any tour in a simple way.

(With the exception of some extraordinary excursions which can only be prebooked in writing due to the need of special preperations.)

 

This way is very beneficial to passengers because

- everybody gets the same offer, no disadvantage is given to passengers without internet access

- no pressure is exercised to force anybody into early booking out of fear that a particular excursion might be sold out before boarding

- you can take you decisions on short notice considering eg. the weather, how your feel, the people you meet and would like to share the shore-experience with, the information given by lecturers or fellow passengers etc.

[Bramcruiser]

Our OP is correct in that we don't get to actually book any shore excursions on Cunard voyages until one has boarded the ship. Actually, I can see carlmm's arguments for this arrangement but I myself would prefer the chance to know well ahead of time. Sure the pre-cruise documents are a nice touch but arranging the money needed and the scheduling last minute is rather hectic for those of us who love planning way in advance. I thought I was terrible for advance planning but now I find a lot more worse than I lurking on these boards. Still, its something I am not going to have make or break my vacation as the ship is really the main reason for the trip and the ports are a nice after thought.

 

As for the Caribbean tours this December? Cunard is very late with both the posting of the tours on the websites and issuing out the pre-cruise documents. What should have been mailed out at the 60 day mark is still o/s and its about 47 days until my December 2 voyage. However, I heard through the grapevine they finally mailed out the documents last Friday. I'll have some intense planning to do when they arrive.

 

David

[lexxity]

I still don't have my docs for November 5th. So don't worry too much.:rolleyes:

[hooked cruiser]

Thanks for the replies they are much appreciated and put my mind at rest. As to the late arrival of tickets etc, I am off on the Caribbean Princess on the 29/11/06 and recieved the tickets and pre-cruise tour choices today. Thankfully with the www I was able to book the trips a while ago.