QM2 September 4 New York to Hamburg Advice

Planning but have not booked yet the Sept. 4, 2015 New York to Hamburg TA. I am a newbie to Cunard and QM2. Is there anything I should know about this trip. Seems like people have concerns about the Southampton to Hamburg leg.

Advice please?

Planning but have not booked yet the Sept. 4, 2015 New York to Hamburg TA. I am a newbie to Cunard and QM2. Is there anything I should know about this trip. Seems like people have concerns about the Southampton to Hamburg leg.

Advice please?

Hi Cindy, it seems you have read previous comments about similar crossings. What issue/s in particular are you seeing advice? I have no advice to offer, except perhaps that if you narrow down your concerns, advice from experienced passengers will be forthcoming.:) Best wishes, - Salacia

We did the New York to Hamburg TA last summer and it was delightful the whole way. No problems from Southampton to Hamburg at all. From what I have read on here, it seems that sometimes the 4 day trips that go from Southampton to Hamburg and back again or other short trips to Amsterdam can be party trips. I'm sure someone will clarify further than I can as I haven't taken one of those trips.

A TA on QM2 is a fabulous experience. I hope you will book it.

We did the New York to Hamburg TA last summer and it was delightful the whole way. No problems from Southampton to Hamburg at all. From what I have read on here, it seems that sometimes the 4 day trips that go from Southampton to Hamburg and back again or other short trips to Amsterdam can be party trips. I'm sure someone will clarify further than I can as I haven't taken one of those trips.

 

A TA on QM2 is a fabulous experience. I hope you will book it.

I had read that people were disappointed with the Southampton to Hamburg leg because of the "party boat" atmosphere. I selected this trip because it ends in Hamburg. My daughter lives in Germany and we plan to take the train from Hamburg to Frankfurt to visit her. September is a great time of year in Germany so this trip seems perfect. This is a real bucket list for me so I was a little concerned when I read negative reviews for the shorter leg of the sail. Glad to hear you had a good experience! It is good to have an idea of what to expect. Thanks for the reply.

if thinking about it .. don't wait too long

I just tried to book the June 12 Hamburg to NY and did not realize they sell the Hamburg portion separate .... I could not book 'straight thru'

We still got on, but will have to change rooms in SH. A quick check for the full trip said it was full in the categories we considered options ... but we could book the two parts and do a room change. Had I realized this (first Cunard cruise) we would have made the decision sooner.

I see on this board that the room change won't be a major hassle but I would have preferred to spend the SH time doing something else.

 

I see on this board that the room change won't be a major hassle but I would have preferred to spend the SH time doing something else.

We've had to do this a few times over the years and personally, I thought it was a major hassle. On the bright side, it doesn't take that long. You will start before debarkation even begins so it won't interfere with your time in SH. The cabin stewards will coordinate so your next cabin will have priority cleaning.

Cindy.....We have done the round trip to Hamburg three times and haven't seen any difference in the SH/Hamburg.....Hamburg/SH segments. Even if things were to get overly lively......it's a huge ship and anything can be avoided. :D

I see on this board that the room change won't be a major hassle but I would have preferred to spend the SH time doing something else.

Cunard provides a frequent shuttle to the West Quay shopping Center area and from there you can do the shops or walk downhill for about 15 minutes and walk around the old walls or look into the museums. You will have plenty of time in the city after finishing your move into a new cabin.

 

if thinking about it .. don't wait too long

I just tried to book the June 12 Hamburg to NY and did not realize they sell the Hamburg portion separate .... I could not book 'straight thru'

 

We still got on,….

Hi Capt BJ,

we have also booked 12.06.2015, but already back in November 2014! Even at that time it was already difficult to get the whole way through in our selected category. We were on a waiting list and luckily this worked out.

Possibly see you on board then! :-)

Last time we travelled NY to Southampton we met an American guy who was trying to find out the best way to get to Hamburg from Southampton. He was disembarking there. Apparently his travel agent had not told him that the ship continues on to Hamburg. The cruises seem to be marketed as transatlantic New York to Southampton and Southampton to Hamburg separately. Although a through voyage is also listed. The Southampton to Hamburg is often sold as a fly cruise as well as the reverse itinerary. Southampton round trip Hamburg is extremely expensive for what you are getting and similarly the shorter one way trips are quite dear. P&O offer an extensive network of two day weekender cruises ex-Southampton round trip Guernsey or Bruges etc which are substantially cheaper and I feel they may well cornering the "Party Cruise" market leaving Cunard with fewer short sector revellers next year.

Regards John

Thanks to all will lock it in this week! Appreciate your help.

Don't know if you're a fan, but Crosby, Stills and Nash will be onboard this sailing to perform.

I am on the 27 August - 4 September Westbound TA and am disappointed I will miss them. I missed James Taylor performing onboard by one sailing as well in 2013. Always a bridesmaid...

KK

I booked yesterday a cabin on deck 6...6127. That is the only deck my TA said was available through her all the way through. Wanted a sheltered balcony. If you think about it Sept. isn't really that far off!

Looks like you should be fine on this one to Hamburg - someone has posted a bit further down the Cunard forum that there is a German "party" cruise departing from Hamburg the day you will be getting off. The thread is entitled "beware another stars at sea cruise" .

You should miss it OK. Enjoy your voyage - sheltered balcony is considered the place to be on a TA.

We did NYC-Hamburg last Aug 2014 and didn't experience any "party boat" atmosphere on that short, final leg. New to us was the gift of a port day in Southampton and that late afternoon's transit down the Solent past the Isle of Wight--we were lucky to have a spectacularly sunny day, the views were gorgeous. Note that Hamburg receives a lot of rain, so a small travel umbrella may come in handy, as the receiving port terminal is mostly open air, and it's a bit of a walk to your transfer.

Best wishes on your voyage and continuing journey!

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Oh, and I will share my quick and dirty website for that sailing, as it does have all the Daily Programmes. Things change, naturally, but you can get a rough idea of how embarkation day, your port day in Southampton and disembarkation in Hamburg might be handled. See https://sites.google.com/site/qm2transatlantic28july2014/

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Oh, and I will share my quick and dirty website for that sailing, as it does have all the Daily Programmes. Things change, naturally, but you can get a rough idea of how embarkation day, your port day in Southampton and disembarkation in Hamburg might be handled. See https://sites.google.com/site/qm2transatlantic28july2014/

 

 

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Thank you so much for the great info. Now... one more question. Did anyone do shore excursions in Southampton? Recommendations?

Thank you so much for the great info. Now... one more question. Did anyone do shore excursions in Southampton? Recommendations?

Take the train to Winchester or Portsmouth. Both very interesting and historical cities.

I just booked this cruise, at least NYC to Southhampton. Does anyone know what kind of weather is most common in the north Atlantic at this time of year?