June 3d, QM2, Eastbound TA

Hi,

I am new to cruising - having only recently taken my first cruise: a short, Caribbean cruise on the cheap and cheerful Carnival Line. I enjoyed it.

I'm now booked on the June 3d Eastbound TA cruise on the QM2.

I was pleased by the price for a balcony stateroom with a partially-obstructed view - and bought a 2d-hand tux for the "formal" nights.

It seems one must be prepared to queue for, e.g., the planetarium and afternoon tea. There's also the differentiation between the Princess Grill passengers and the rest - with more waiting in line for the latter.

I'd welcome any tips (I'd like to see the planetarium show and will start looking early for a ticket/seat), and to meet others on this trip - as I'm a solo traveller.

I live part of the year in Dublin, where I've lived for 22 years. So if anyone is going on to Ireland I'd happily give tips.

Bruce

Dublin7guy - You don't have to wait in line for the planetarium. They put out tickets on the desk in the Connections area on deck 2, forward, at about 9:00 a.m. There are tickets for the various times as the shows are offered several times in the the afternoon. They are popular so arrival at about 9:00 for the tickets is a good idea. You should arrive at Illuminations, where they show the planetariums shows, about 10 minutes early as they like everyone to be seated on time. The shows are approximately 20 minutes long and they usually have three different shows per transatlantic crossing.

If you go to the Queen's Room early for tea you won't have to wait long and will be able to get a table. It's very popular so early arrival is advised.

Not sure what you mean by having to wait in lines more often or longer than people in the Grills. We have been on the QM2 many times and don't recall waiting in lines anywhere.

On TA's Cunard excels at enrichment lectures and there are at least 2 a day. These are very worthwhile if the subject is appealing to you. Listen to the music in the lovely Chart Room, have a drink or read a book in the beautiful Commodore Club that looks out over the bow, join a group in the pub for trivia quizzes, check out the vast and impressive library, have a great pub lunch and a pint in the Golden Lion, enjoy the shows in the evening after dinner and sit on the promenade deck and watch the sea as you sail the enormous Atlantic. It's all very special and addictive; you'll want to do it again!

Welcome to Cruise Critic, the best place to meet others on your sailing is on our Roll calls, there is one for your sailing here.

Have a great trip

Dublin7guy - join the (rather quiet) roll call!

We are also quite new to cruising, this is our second cruise and first cruise on Cunard. Our first was a WB TA on Celebrity Eclipse which we enjoyed a lot.

Thanks for the tips - particularly re: the Planetarium.

There's another forum for this trip where there's talk of a "Meet & Greet" on board the first day at sea I believe.

Dublin7Guy

The Meet & Greet will normally be organised via your Roll Call.

I don't recall much, if any, standing in a queue on a Cunard ship--aside from boarding queue (when Grills passengers do have priority boarding).

Otherwise, everyone typically walks into the theater or planetarium (which is also used for cinema and daytime lectures). Passengers from the Grills and Britannia intermingle and seats are taken in a first-come--chose your own seat--basis.

If there is some congestion, because many people arrive at the same time, it's more of the rush of people moving-in at a pace than having an actual queue.

Ship life is really pretty hassle-free. One of the reasons it is addictive.

You will pick up many tips reading this CC board, but do ask specific questions, if you have any.

We were only in Ireland once and it was wonderful! No plans to return now that DH has passed the age of easy car rental. So glad we went when we did! So nice of you to offer advice to the many people on the message board who are going (and the rest who should).

Happy sailing, Dublin7guy!!!