DaisyUK

Really enjoying your blog and pics. Thanks for posting. Am intrigued by the cocktails also! We don't mix our own cocktails, but one thing I found in the QG restaurant is that my Cosmo was perfect every night - a delightful pale pink, with the ice crystals suspended. Not too sweet, not too citrusy - delicious. As my husband will attest, I am somewhat picky when it comes to Cosmo's and very few get the seal of approval.

Wonderful photos, thank you for sharing 😊

Enjoying travelling along with you. We are just off the QE in a Q2 and couldn't agree more about the 2nd WC. Not sure whether the layout is identical on QV, but we spent time walking around in circles looking for the 2nd loo - couldn't believe there wasn't one. That room next to the WC with another dressing table in was a very strange decision we thought. No natural light at all and a perfectly good dressing table in the bedroom, plus a desk in the living room which would have worked fine as a makeshift dressing table if someone was using the sofa bed. The lack of a 2nd loo gave us pause for thought if we wanted to do a longer cruise - I remember last time we were on Regent we caught some stomach bug and without 2x loos we would have been in serious trouble!!

Thank you Host Hattie. I enjoyed reading about your cruise also, but was so sorry that your husband succumbed to Covid. Glad to hear he is recovering well.

Yes it was a positive experience and I feel sure we will book QE or QV again. In fact we tried to book onboard but availability for the cruise/suite we wanted wAsn’t there so we are waitlisted. For us, I think we get more value out of PAYG; it is just a bit of a culture shock to begin with. Quercus Gate 😂😂😂😂 Not exactly a deal breaker!

Embarkation was funny. We arrived bang on time and went through the check-in process, after which we were told we needed to wait because we were going to be personally escorted to our suite. We were a little embarrassed by this, but hung around a while waiting during which time everyone who had been behind us in the queue checked in and trotted off to embark. After a little time had passed, a very sweet girl came and told us to follow her. Upon arriving at the ship, she was told by security that she could not enter because she didn't have a boarding pass. Once again, we were asked to wait while she went off to get one. After about 10 minutes, my husband lost patience and said 'oh let's just get on - what's the worst that can happen?' so that's what we did. We were shown our muster point, and then found our suite without issue. Debarking was a breeze. Just walked off the ship at 9.15 am as we had requested and our luggage was waiting for us. Easy peasy.

Yes, it was all good. Funny how little things can be an irritation, but that's all it was (ref the toiletries). Looking on the bright side, the missed ports give us an excuse to go back again! Mixed feelings on the all inclusive issue. On the one hand, it was nice to have the freedom to drink whatever cocktails and wines we wanted and pay only for them, and the same with excursions (if we had managed to go on any!) On the other hand, it did feel a bit strange having to pay for wifi, a cup of coffee and laundry etc and to have to dig around for our room card every time we wanted something which was not included. Also to receive a relatively large bill at the end. However, the cruise was substantially less expensive to book in the first place. On balance, I think we preferred it not to be all-inclusive. Back to the wines - it was another advantage with Cunard that whenever we bought a bottle of wine and didn't finish it, it was vacuum sealed and waiting for us - at our table - the following evening. Whilst we can do that on Regent also, our experience has been that it would take about half an hour to find the elusive bottle of wine we didn't finish the previous evening (at a different restaurant) by which time we were suffering a little alcohol deprivation syndrome and becoming somewhat ratty. Especially as the service is very quick on Regent (it has to be because they have another reservation after ours) so often we would be half way through our appetiser before a glass of wine appeared.

Not sure whether this will be of any help, but thought I’d post a few thoughts on our recent QE sailing. More than happy to answer any questions. This was our 2nd Cunard cruise, the first being a 4-night taster on the QM2. We were originally planning a 1-week Barcelona round trip, but on hearing that Alfie Boe was performing the previous week decided to add this sailing also for a total of 14 nights. Prior to Cunard, we have sailed Oceania, Crystal and Regent, with Regent being our current ‘go to’ cruise line. Cunard is obviously very different to these 3 lines and we found pluses and minuses in the differences. On the positive side, we found the service in QG beyond anything we have experienced on any of the 3 lines mentioned above, most particularly in the restaurant. It really was on a different level. Having ‘our’ table available to us for each meal at any time, for however long, felt like a huge luxury. Our wait staff were amazing – friendly, efficient, helpful – nothing was too much trouble. The food was very good to excellent on the whole. In terms of the actual food quality and menu choices, we both thought Regent has the edge but you can’t have everything! We ate in the buffet a few times and found the selections to be generally good and enjoyable. It was a bit of a zoo though – very difficult to get a table at peak times and some less-than-polite behaviour at the buffet itself, so this was a bit of a negative. Entertainment was also good. We booked one of the boxes for the Alfie Boe performances which made them seem that much more special. A half bottle of champagne and petit fours went down well also. Excursions were a non-event. We had 2 ports cancelled due to high seas which was disappointing but couldn’t be helped, and we were unwell for a couple of days so had to cancel our plans then also. We were in a Q2 mid-ship and it was very comfortable. We were struck by how stable and quiet the suite was – we had no noise from neighbouring rooms, and no squeaking and rattling in high seas (which we did get on Regent). The bed was comfortable and the linens excellent. The suite was a little dated in décor when compared with a comparable Regent suite, but we were generally happy with it. One minor irritation was that I had to ask for shampoo, conditioner, bar soap and bath gel as well as cotton buds and cotton pads and when they did arrive, they were less than impressive. I had to ask for additional sets as I didn’t want to have to move them from shower to bath to sink etc. Also, as mentioned in another thread, all of the above were watered down. I really felt it was a cheap trick and false economy on Cunard’s part. All in all, we had a delightful cruise and I am sure we will sail with Cunard again.

I know this subject has been done to death, but... There is absolutely no doubt that our Penhaligon's toiletries were watered down on our recent QE sailing. I use these products all the time, so am very familiar with them.

I received a survey after our recent QE cruise. It came from the email address noreply@qemailserver.com

Would be interested to read your thoughts. We used to sail Crystal but moved over to Regent and I don't think we'd go back to Crystal for the same reasons you cite, unless there was a very compelling reason to do so. We've also tried a couple of Cunard QG cruises this year. I'm curious about Silversea so will look up your blog. I'm sure you'll enjoy Regent; we were in a GS earlier this year on Explorer and enjoyed it very much.

Enjoying your notes - hope you continue to have a great time and that the various wrinkles get ironed out!

I agree that Alfie's show was much more Vegas than West End. Very high energy and very well done I thought, but I was a bit disappointed that there were so few operatic and musical songs. What a voice though

We're on the QE in the Med right now and we bought the premium package. Previously, a few months ago on a short QM2 sailing we bought the standard. In my opinion, there's no comparison. The premium is much, much better. I don't know whether it's the difference in ship or the difference in internet package though.

Thanks Victoria2. We're onboard at the moment, so will meet with the Cruise Consultant and find out what we can.

Thank you for all the great advice!

Thanks Host Hattie - I did see that on Cunard’s website. I should have worded my question differently, ie any additional benefits. Other lines I’m looking at include such benefits as included laundry or additional land tours or shipboard credit etc. I assume Cunard does not, but wanted to check I wasn’t missing anything.

Hi, we're considering a world cruise and wondered whether Cunard offer any special perks for their world cruises? Have had a look at the website, but don't see any mentioned..

We have taken our first Cunard cruise, post-COVID in QG, and the dinner menu was as per the first menu mentioned in the original post, not the shortened menu.

Onboard Explorer now, and yes it's there, exactly as GoArmy mentions above.

That's true (that testing isn't required for the USA anymore), but it was when we flew. Sounds like the Verifly app is a bit of a lottery. I was glad we did it, because the queue for those who didn't have it - on the day that we travelled - was very long.

We've used it. It saved us some time at check-in for a US flight recently because, rather than have to have all our Covid 'stuff' checked manually, we were just waved through by showing the app. It confirms that you have tested negative prior to a flight, and that you have been vaccinated. It's a faff uploading the info, but did save time at the airport.

Again, thanks, this is all great info. What is the 'pop up' menu? And the Chinese alternative dining menu - is this something which is available all the time?

I love sashimi, would never have thought it was available if not on the menu so again thanks for the info..

This is really great to know, thank you. Sounds like my perfect lunch. Do you just order it when you turn up for lunch, or ahead of time?