Help for first time cruiser

[Camgirl]

Tanks for that Janem2, I will hold off for a bit longer then. Hope you have a fabulous cruise.

Sarah

[gometros]

I ask because I will be catching (do you catch a crusie? maybe boarding...)

 

You only catch a cruise if you can swim 25 knots an hour :D

[cunard candy]

Hi Camgirl,

 

We are on the QV Baltic cruise a week after yours. Do not worry about what to wear - I was really anxious on my first cruise but on the formal nights it is so much fun to dress up - and also to see everyone else.

On semi formal I wore a nice dress and on elegant casual,trousers with a sparkly top or a dress. Some people wore the same on semi formal and elegant casual.

I am glad your husband has his tux - now you have the excuse to keep cruising!! He cannot wear it only once!!

I am sure you will have a great time.

[Camgirl]

Not only has he got is tux, he has been out and bought a new suit, extra trousers and is in the process of 'up-grading' his shirts (his words!). He tells everyone that the cruise is all my idea, etc, but me thinks he is getting into it every bit as much as me! He can't even claim the suit is for work - he never wears one there (just trousers and shirt).

Sarah

[imacruizer]

Thanks Camgirl!

 

You asked all my questions for me. Thanks to everyone who answered her too :). I'm going on the 2010 world cruise leg from Southhamton to Sydney on th QV with my Aunt and now have many less questions - I do have a couple left though.

1) What is the age mix like? I am 19 (and will still be for the cruise - my birthday is about a week after I get off the boat) and while perfectly content to spend my time with the 'more mature' crowd that I am expecting, I was wondering if I could hope for a few people my age?

2)Library - what books does it have? I am a book-a-holic, I honestly read a book a day, three if I'm not working. Does anyone know how much fiction is in the library and what genres are avaiable? Particularly does it have fantasy, romance (more than just Mills&Boon please) or a few childrens titles for when my brain is tired? If anyone has any idea I would be greatful.

3) Back to dresses - its a recuring subject :). How many 'formal'-formal dresses do people think I will need for a 46 night cruise? I ask because I will be catching (do you catch a crusie? maybe boarding...) in England and I live in Australia so I will be packing months before the cruise, before we will recieve an event itinery. Any idea? It's fun though, I am collecting evening dresses! :p

4) Entertainment! What sort of shows, classes and activities are avaliable and worth while? I heard there are bridge lessons - my Aunt and I would LOVE to learn - but as there are many small legs in our big leg will they really be teaching properly? And fencing, what was that like? Also how do the shows work, do you have to book seats in advance? and

5) (the end at last, for the moment) Is there a soft-drinks package on the Queen Victoria?

 

Thanks to everyone who answered Camgirls question and please take pity on me and answer mine.

 

Thankyou

 

How exciting that you will be going on such a wonderful voyage with your Aunt! You are correct in your assumption that many of the cruisers sailing with you will be "more mature". Hopefully there will be a few cruisers in your age group at least on some of the segments. However, you will have a wonderful opportunity to meet fellow sailors from around the world. You can learn a lot from them and I'm sure you will have things to share with them. Join the Cruise Critic roll call for the World Cruise and possibly some of the segments that you will be on. That will give you an opportunity to "meet" some of your fellow cruisers before your voyage.

 

I think you will really enjoy the library on the QV. Cunard ships have wonderful libraries with a wide variety of both fiction and non-fiction.

 

On a 46 night segment of the World cruise, I would guess that there would be approximately 15 to 20 formal nights. (That is a guess from looking at your itinerary and seeing that there are quite a few days at sea. If someone else has a better answer, please correct me.) Of course, you don't need a different dress for each formal night. As has been discussed, you can give a basic black dress many different looks with scarves, jewelry and wraps. You can also take a long skirt with a variety of tops. Enjoy collecting those evening gowns. You will also have semi-formal and elegant casual nights. The great thing about traveling on Cunard is that there is not a lot of difference in formal and semi-formal. So if you plan for more formal nights and have more semi-formal nights, you can wear whatever you had planned for the formal nights.

 

There will be all types of shows, activities, and classes available on your voyage. Do a search for some of the posts with links to the Daily Programmes. Go to the bridge lectures in the early part of your voyage. Give yourself a few weeks to learn the basics. Some bridge instructors are better than others. Hopefully, you will have a great teacher and that you will enjoy the lessons.

 

I know that there is a soft drink package available on the QM2 and I would think there would also be one on the QV.

 

Have fun preparing for your cruise and learn all you can before you go. Read all the posts on Cruise Critic and you can learn so much. Have a wonderful voyage. If you have additional questions, just ask. This is the place to get answers.

 

Beth