Should I consider a Transatlantic crossing with my family?

Let me give you some background ... then you can tell me if you think it is a good idea to do a Transatlantic cruise on QM2 in August.

We are 5 people -- my husband and me, my mom (age 87 and full of vigor), and 2 daughters, who will be 21 and 17 in August. We are all big-time cruisers; mom has done 42 cruises, and the rest of us, including the girls, have done around 30 cruises each. We've done Norwegian, Carnival (neither of which we'd try again), Celebrity, Holland America and Royal Caribbean, but never Cunard.

Because the airfares to Europe from NYC are crazy-expensive, it may not be worth it to book a Mediterranean cruise this summer. However, sailing to England and flying home might be an option. We would do an 8-night Transatlantic and stay in London for a couple of days, perhaps even going to Paris for the day.

What kind of activities are there to do onboard during a Transatlantic cruise? Is there a noticeable "class system" onboard? How is the service? The food? The shows and entertainment?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Debbie

Should you take an Atlantic crossing - definitely! There is so much to do. The Queen Mary 2 has the most varied entertainment of any ship I have been on. Unlike most cruises I have experienced, there is indeed something for all tastes. This may be of interest:

http://www.cunard.com/documents/transatlantic/101thingstodo.pdf

There is a bit of a “class system” - just like on aeroplanes, trains and many hotels. But those in the Grills have a small exclusive deck space, a fairly small restaurant and two very small lounges (one is hidden amongst the suites and you will probably never see it.) But 95% of the ship is open to all. It is not at all like the Atlantic liners of the past where First and Tourist were strictly segregated, with the latter being decidedly inferior. Over the last 40 years I have travelled in all types of accommodation on Cunard: inside, outside, balcony, Princess Grill and Queen’s Grill. No matter where my stateroom or restaurant has been, I have always enjoyed my crossings - and just one cruise.

Cunard’s dress code is more formal than most cruise lines, but it has been relaxed (I am tempted to say dumbed down) in recent years.

Let me give you some background ... then you can tell me if you think it is a good idea to do a Transatlantic cruise on QM2 in August.

 

We are 5 people -- my husband and me, my mom (age 87 and full of vigor), and 2 daughters, who will be 21 and 17 in August. We are all big-time cruisers; mom has done 42 cruises, and the rest of us, including the girls, have done around 30 cruises each. We've done Norwegian, Carnival (neither of which we'd try again), Celebrity, Holland America and Royal Caribbean, but never Cunard.

 

Because the airfares to Europe from NYC are crazy-expensive, it may not be worth it to book a Mediterranean cruise this summer. However, sailing to England and flying home might be an option. We would do an 8-night Transatlantic and stay in London for a couple of days, perhaps even going to Paris for the day.

 

What kind of activities are there to do onboard during a Transatlantic cruise? Is there a noticeable "class system" onboard? How is the service? The food? The shows and entertainment?

 

Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

 

Debbie

Welcome to the Cunard forum, Debbie. There is no shortage of activities on a transatlantic cruise. There are art classes, computer classes, bridge classes and competitions, flower art classes, the usually extraordinary Cunard Insights lectures, planetarium shows, trivia contests, Canyon Ranch Spa presentations, golf competitions, films, dancing in the Queens Room, acting classes led by members of RADA (Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts); on and on it goes.

There is no noticeable class system. Passengers in the Grills have their own dining rooms and lounges, and there is a small part of the deck reserved for their use. But 95% of the ship is available to everyone and most people mingle easily regardless of where they're staying or how much they paid.

We have the found the service on QM2 to be quite good, although there are bound to be disappointments every now and then. Food, of course is literally a matter of taste. We are reasonably sophisticated when it comes to dining and, with only a few exceptions, we have been very pleased with the food in the Britannia dining room. The Kings Court buffet gets considerably mixed reviews. We ourselves rarely eat there except to grab a snack.

The shows are a mixed bag, at least from our perspective. The performers are talented and energetic, but some of the productions are getting long in the tooth, especially for those of us who have made several crossings. We've seen some wonderful singers and comedians, and we've seen some that were anything but. RADA offers interesting abridged performances of Shakespeare, and some nights they will entertain passengers with ghost stories, readings from Pride and Prejudice, and similar diversions. There are often good jazz and classical musicians on board whose performances we especially appreciate.

I think that you and your family would enjoy a crossing. And, judging from what others report, you can rest assured that it would be very different from what you experienced on Norwegian and Carnival.

Let me give you some background ... then you can tell me if you think it is a good idea to do a Transatlantic cruise on QM2 in August.

 

We are 5 people -- my husband and me, my mom (age 87 and full of vigor), and 2 daughters, who will be 21 and 17 in August. We are all big-time cruisers; mom has done 42 cruises, and the rest of us, including the girls, have done around 30 cruises each. We've done Norwegian, Carnival (neither of which we'd try again), Celebrity, Holland America and Royal Caribbean, but never Cunard.

 

Because the airfares to Europe from NYC are crazy-expensive, it may not be worth it to book a Mediterranean cruise this summer. However, sailing to England and flying home might be an option. We would do an 8-night Transatlantic and stay in London for a couple of days, perhaps even going to Paris for the day.

 

What kind of activities are there to do onboard during a Transatlantic cruise? Is there a noticeable "class system" onboard? How is the service? The food? The shows and entertainment?

 

Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

 

Debbie

Hi Debbie. Regarding activities, there are many. A 'class system' has never been noticeable to me as a Britannia passenger. But what might be of primary concern is medical issues. Food and service are secondary, but I'm sure you will find both adequate (and more often, quite nice).

Anyway, it seems you have a happy family voyage planned. Good for you and your family. I hope you have a wonderful cruise.

Cheers & best wishes,

Salacia

Absolutely book it !

Do a couple of searches for 'Daily Programme' and also 'TA Review' or similar to find more detailed info.

You don't say what the girls are like.... if they are happy to be independent you may not see them til dinner ! The formality in the evening is lovely and brings (lets be honest) every girl's favourite pastime of people watching to another level.

As well as stuff already mentioned by others, there's the gym and exercise classes (some free, some payable), various 'sport' activities - which invariably involve throwing things - quoits, bean bags - but also table tennis. There's ballroom dance classes, line dancing, the nightclub, cinema. The library quiz (one of my faves - its really tough), bridge classes.

There's also nothing quite as bonkers as running out to the hot tub mid-atlantic!

Re. 'class system', there are few 'no-go' areas on the ship for those in 'Britannia' class.. as mentioned by others. The 'grillers' also have their captain's cocktail party on a different day, but that's about it. As a class system, it hardly noticeable. Seriously. Food and service in the Britannia restaurant is of a high standard and in beautiful surroundings.

If you do want to go to Paris, I'd recommend staying overnight - you're looking at 5 hours of travel before you've seen anything. Admittedly, that does add complications re. your luggage. Not sure if a hotel would hold big cases for you these days.

Go on. Book it !!!

... There's also nothing quite as bonkers as running out to the hot tub mid-atlantic! ...

On my first TA (2006), one day QM2 was at 25 knots in thick fog (I could just see the Terrace Bar from the other side of Deck 8!), it was breezy and cold as I went to one the hot-tubs next to the Terrace Pool. This what I said shortly afterwards...

"I got into one of the hot tubs. I sat there, with the rising steam from the water being whipped away horizontally by the wind. The decks were almost deserted. A few brave souls, wrapped up against this wind, while passing, looked at me and thought, I’m certain, “he must be mad”. I was sitting, outside, in a hot tub, in a thick fog, on the deck of a liner, speeding across the ocean at over 20 knots".

At that moment I knew I was permanently hooked :D .

Thanks for bringing that memory back Toffeegirl :)

Hi again, this is Debbie, the original poster.

Are there other teens/young 20s around on a Transatlantic cruise?

I did a TA in August but it dates back to 2008. There was a meet and greet for Young adults (18 to 29) the first ''sea day'' where a glass of bubbly was served and the DJ told us about the activities onboard we might be interested in. There were 10-12 of us, most being 20-24. At 29, I was definitely the old fart there as I was travelling solo and most of the others were travelling with their family :D

One night, I ventured to the covered pool area just to explore a little and there was also a group of 8-10 older teens/young adults hanging out there (there are table tennis tables and the pool) with evening lighting, a nice hanging spot actually.

People gave you a good idea of activities onboard but I don't remember the planetarium being listed. They used to have 4 different shows of about 20 minutes and I really liked those but you must get your tickets when they get them out in the morning or they'll run out.

I also liked the art auctions and purchased a lithograph that I still like on my walls to this day and it was not expensive at all (and much better quality than those posters you see everywhere in stores - good for Young adults who want to decorate a university room or first appartment).

I also took the begginner bridge lessons every morning and I am so glad I did! While the lessons are not enough to play in bridge clubs on land when you return, you will know if you like the game or not and then can take lessons when you return if you get hooked as I did. It's a great game to play with family, I now play with my parents and my uncle and aunt (I registered my parents to a bridge class as a Christmas gift).

I did many gym classes too in order to enjoy tea time without guilt ;) and danced in G32 nightclub a few nights. This time I plan on going to trivia much more though.

As long as you like dressing up every night (on my next TA there are 3 formal nights and 4 informal nights - not a single ''elegant casual night'' as they had before), I am sure everybody will love it.

Hi again, this is Debbie, the original poster.

 

Are there other teens/young 20s around on a Transatlantic cruise?

Shhhh...... we all think that we still are !!!!!

Yes you should.

Hi again, this is Debbie, the original poster.

 

Are there other teens/young 20s around on a Transatlantic cruise?

There will probably be some, but nowhere as many as on typical cruises - as opposed to a "crossing". If having a large peer group is very important to your young, they might be a bit disappointed on that score. There is plenty for them to do, however - and if it is to be a "family" trip, the peer group should not be all that important.

Two suggestions: consider flying over and sailing back -- you will have a lot of 25 hour days -rather than 23 hour - due to time changes, and it is good to get the T/A flight out of the way rather than have it to look forward to. Also, book you fares using Cunard's air program. One way T/A fares are brutally high - but we are doing a QM2 crossing in November, with air under $500 per.

You sound like a family designed for a TA! There is plenty to do (or, as tends to be our routine, observe others doing from a nice lounge chair), and while there aren't likely to be hundreds of people your daughters' ages, there will be at least some organized youth activities.

I'd suggest not dismissing the possibility of a westbound voyage; the great advantage is that the time change is in your favor, gaining an hour five days of the trip (each in the middle of the night), and I was stunned at the airfares on offer from Cunard. We did a TA last December, and our one-way fare to London from DC was a fraction of what was available anywhere else (something like $350 each instead of $1,200 or more).

Another poster mentioned the medical facilities - we did have to use them (for a false alarm, thank goodness), and they and the staff were excellent.

Finally, my favorite tip for London travelers, especially a group your size - do use Smith's for airports for your transfer to Southampton - reliable, well priced, and first-rate drivers.

There will probably be some, but nowhere as many as on typical cruises - as opposed to a "crossing". If having a large peer group is very important to your young, they might be a bit disappointed on that score. There is plenty for them to do, however - and if it is to be a "family" trip, the peer group should not be all that important.

 

Two suggestions: consider flying over and sailing back -- you will have a lot of 25 hour days -rather than 23 hour - due to time changes, and it is good to get the T/A flight out of the way rather than have it to look forward to. Also, book you fares using Cunard's air program. One way T/A fares are brutally high - but we are doing a QM2 crossing in November, with air under $500 per.

I am thinking the "Sailing home" idea is better, you can get much more shopping on a ship than you can on an aircraft. All the bad bits (long flight) is behind you.

Cunard are masters of the sea day they run the QM2 nearly all the time on sea days. So a full programme of activities is always on offer as has been said on the thread. The swimming pools are heated up to warm even when it's too cold to be about the lido. The theatre has guest speakers in the day as well as an occasional movie. You can generally sneak into a private box free of charge and watch them in my experience.

The medical centre is excellent and I believe they do dental emergencies too.

All you need to do is work out how many days in UK or Europe you want ahead of the cruise.

Regards John

Go for it! I think the people who moan about the class system on the QM2 just have a chip on their shoulder. Many cruise lines have segregated restaurants, and decks; NCL, MSC and Celebrity all have their own perks for the high rollers. Would you say that you would not travel American Airlines or British Airways,because there is a 1st class section on the plane?

I hope you book the trip and have an amazing crossing.

Hi again, this is Debbie, the original poster.

 

Are there other teens/young 20s around on a Transatlantic cruise?

We've booked what will be only our second cruise (did a week in the med last year to see if we liked it) back home to Uk from NY on 4th August. Our children are 14 & 17. Daughter excited at unlimited Iuggage coming home (already planning how much breakfast cereal she can bring home -as well as clothes, shoes,....)

Go. And, if your schedule allows, fly eastbound and take QM2 home westbound. You can't beat those 25-hour days on QM2 westbound. The dozens of QM2 Daily Programmes, menus, etc. from several recent crossings that I've uploaded here will give you an idea of what to expect on board. Bon Voyage!

Anyone who has a problem with the 'so called' Class system onboard Cunard have been watching far too much Titanic or Downton :D

Occasionally I'll treat myself to Grills (although as a solo I do prefer Britannia)

Cunard Grills or Britannia are nothing more than just a 'Brand or Product' that one buys into upfront, no different to international air travel these days.

I notice that Celebrity are now to follow Cunard's style in offering extra additional amenities for their Suite guests, e.g. a separate fine dining restaurant.

I aways have to smile when I hear folk (my good neighbour being one ) who often say " I would never dream of travelling Cunard due to not having access to all areas of the ship."

Sooner or later they are not going to have much of a choice, more and more cruise lines are offering premium amenities, at an additional cost of course .

:)

We think the daytime lectures are a highlight on any Cunard ship, but particularly so during a crossing. Look up the speakers in advance.

We are less interested in the evening entertainment, but have enjoyed some stellar performances. The fitness center has good equipment. Game tables are set with board games, alongside windows with fabulous views of the ocean.

Many activities for all ages. Time passes pleasantly.

Also lovely locations on the ship to sit and just enjoy the ship (sometimes involving a nice drink as well). A wonderful setting!

We have had pleasant conversations and interactions with people staying in all forms of accommodations. Not a particularly "snobby" crowd, in my opinion.

I think you and your family would have a marvelous time! A civilized way to travel (in my opinion) for those fortunate enough to have the time.

Happy Sailing to you and your family!

Let me give you some background ... then you can tell me if you think it is a good idea to do a Transatlantic cruise on QM2 in August.

 

We are 5 people -- my husband and me, my mom (age 87 and full of vigor), and 2 daughters, who will be 21 and 17 in August. We are all big-time cruisers; mom has done 42 cruises, and the rest of us, including the girls, have done around 30 cruises each. We've done Norwegian, Carnival (neither of which we'd try again), Celebrity, Holland America and Royal Caribbean, but never Cunard.

 

Because the airfares to Europe from NYC are crazy-expensive, it may not be worth it to book a Mediterranean cruise this summer. However, sailing to England and flying home might be an option. We would do an 8-night Transatlantic and stay in London for a couple of days, perhaps even going to Paris for the day.

 

What kind of activities are there to do onboard during a Transatlantic cruise? Is there a noticeable "class system" onboard? How is the service? The food? The shows and entertainment?

 

Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

 

Debbie

We're doing a transatlantic cruise as a family this June as my graduation present. I'm 23, my brother's 19, and my Dad and Mom are both in their 50's. I can't speak for anything onboard, but we're all very excited.

I'll throw in my 2 cents in support of cruising to England (eastbound) and flying back to the U.S. Although the days are shorter, every day is a sea day and I don't think in matters much--you can sleep as late as you want every day. But by sailing to England you do not experience any jet lag when you arrive and you will be ready to make the most of your post-cruise time in London (or Paris). I also find it easier to deal with the jet lag coming back--no overnight red-eye flight to deal with (on which I can never get any real sleep). I have done both eastbound and westbound and for my third transatlantic (planned for next year) I'll be sailing east.

Regarding the "class system"--I think Cunard get's a bad rap. There are now a number of different lines that have areas set aside for the highest-paying passengers--the Haven area on NCL, the Yacht Club area on MSC--and even more lines have special lounges exclusively for the suite passengers, such as Royal Caribbean. I think Cunard causes some to have anxiety about a "class system" because its ships are more focused on creating a "golden age of cruising" experience, such as more formal nights and classic decor and offering regular Transatlantic Crossings. In those "good old days" (not so good for the steerage passengers, there really was a class system and it was nothing like modern cruising where everyone enjoys great food and great entertainment.

I echo everyone else about all the activities going on during the day. If you enjoy cruising for the onboard experience, you and your family should have a great time on a Transatlantic.

Spot on flag fan ! and well said , I couldn't have put it better ;)