Jack E Dawson

Well done Marfette. Jack

Jim Kennedy, retired Director of NASA's Kennedy Space Center was the best speaker I have ever heard, on or off a ship. Jack

Our experience is that theme night participation depends greatly on the theme. Black&White, Red&Gold and Ice White seem to have a very high participation (often with some artistic interpretation) while Roaring Twenties and Masquerade less. Absolutely a "black tie setup" is always acceptable on Gala Nights. Dee often tells me that if men knew how good they look in a tux to a woman, they would wear them every night. Jack

Thanks so much bluemarble. We have not booked but will do so now. Jack

Good luck to you CPs4591. We have bid on upgrades 3 times and were successful on 2. You definitely have the right attitude towards bidding. Ironically, our 1 unsuccessful bid was on a QM2 TA last year. We were in a Sheltered Balcony and bid, quite highly, on a PG but didn't get it. As it turned out, the the table-mates we met in the MDR were GREAT and we have kept in touch since. Jack

Good question Caipi. I think that some people just want to "beat the house."

We have enjoyed wine in the hot tubs on the QM2 served to us in plastic glasses. Not to be snooty, but I think a little chardonnay in the water may be the least thing I would worry about getting in the hot tub. Jack

We were on the QV 6 weeks ago and had the $12 Grills Drinks Pro package. My wife in particular is a fan of the Old Fashion. The DELUX Old Fashion was $13.50 however the "standard" Old Fashion was $12. We were amused to find out that the DELUX version is made with Makers Mark Bourbon while the "standard" version is made with Jack Daniels Tennessee Whiskey which is actually our preference. So it was a win/win for us.

Thanks DukeBeetle24 for your great postings of this cruise. My wife and I have been discussing the idea of an Alaskan cruise for a few years now and your excellent narrative and pictures along with the comments of others following this thread has convinced us to take the plunge. Thanks again, Jack

Thanks MajorRLC, that is the exact information I was looking for. I didn't want to be waiting for a promotion that was never going to come. We had a very positive experience with the Grills drinks promo 6 weeks ago on the QV and want to take advantage of it again. I just didn't recall if Cunard ever offered it on Alaskan cruises. Thanks again, Jack

We are looking at doing an Alaskan cruise on the QE next year. Does Cunard ever offer the $12 Grills Drink Promo for their Alaskan cruises? Not seeing anything right now on the Cunard website. Thanks, Jack

68W65D, We had the $12 Grills Drinks Promo on our May cruise aboard the QV. Below is a paragraph from the review I posted. Hope this is helpful. The secret is to make sure WHEN YOU ORDER that the waiter understands you are on the $12 Grills Drinks Promotion, not the $13.50 Drinks Package. Jack DRINKS: Our Grills fare came with the $12 Grills Drinks Package. This was a great deal but also a bit of a burden. There was absolutely no issue staying within the limits of the package. With the exception of having to substitute a nice Prosecco for Champagne, Dee and I were able to have every drink that we normally drink at home or when out for a special occasion. This included Old Fashion’s, Manhattan’s (2 choices of Bourbon/Tenn Whiskey), Cosmo’s (4 choices of Vodka), Chocolate Martini’s, Liqueur’s, including Grand Marnier, and Wines. For those who like a Gin Martini, there were 3 Gins to choose from. The Cunard Private Label Gins were not included. Highballs, such as Jack Daniels and Ginger Ale, all came as doubles, wines were always generous pours. Bottom line, ALL of the bar staff are very familiar with the Grills $12 Drinks Package and how to keep the passengers happy. The down side of the Package was it was too easy to have “one more”. The waiters and bar tenders were very accommodating. We probably each had 2-3 more drinks per day then we normally drink on a Cunard cruise. All of the bars on the QV are very good and very consistent. However, I still think the Commodore Club on the QM2 is the best. There were many factors in why we chose PG over Britannia and the drinks package was definitely one of those factors. When our final statement was posted there was not one charge for any drinks.

WOW, that is so cool. Thank you Jim. Jack

Are you able to share that website please? Thanks, Jack

I would recommend ordering the Cunard Private Label wines by the bottle at dinner. That will give you more flexibility. You may want to have.a second glass but not necessarily 250ml. They will hold the remaining bottle for you in the MDR even with Any Time Dining. We had the complementary Grills drink package last month on the QV and felt that we drank more than we normally would have and definitely more than we should have. Probably not a bad thing for 7 nights but 16 nights???? And that is without the pressure of trying to beat the system. Your cost for the drinks package would be $2160 for the 2 of you. YIKES! Based on the drinking habits youe described above, you will likely save $1,000 with PAYG, and that’s before applying OBC. I would still probably buy some wine at the Majestic for cabin/balcony consumption. By the way, they sell an excellent 6-bottle canvas wine carrier. for under $10.

Pushpit, Your well laid-out data analysis is consistent with my personal (antidotal) experience. We have booked early, where specific dates, cabin class or itinerary were the driving force and we have booked late where the trip was more of a whim. Later bookings have always offered better pricing. The downside has been that by waiting later to book, there have been cruises we wanted to take that we missed out on because there was no availability in an acceptable cabin grade. The upside is that there have been cruises we have taken that we never could have afforded to have paid "full price" on. Waiting is definitely a Risk/Reward venture. Jack

Terry Bill, We got off the QV 4 weeks ago on a cruise from Istanbul to Rome through the Greek Isles. The reliability was 100%. Because we had significant OBC, we purchased a basic package for the whole week. Usually we will only purchase 2 or 3 days spread out. Very happy with the product. However, would probably not do it again, it was just too easy to get sucked back into meaningless scrolling and missing amazing details of this wonderful voyage. We are both retired so no real need for us to be connected 24/7. Fully understand that other are in different situations. Hope this helps Jack

I agree with you pmd98052, About what I would pay here in Chicago. Based on the $25.30 charge that would have been the 250ml (8.5oz) glass of house wine which is 1/3 of a bottle. A very nice pour. Had you ordered the 175ml (6 oz) glass of wine, your total bill, including gratuities, would have been $20.70. Jack

Joe, Very impressed with your itinerary. Keep in mind that coffee is complimentary in the buffet area all day. There will also be a a hot water kettle and instant coffee in your cabin. In Britannia Club (and Grills) you will have a Keurig style pod coffee maker but I have to confess they always get the best of me. Jack

Nice pictures. Was that the last leg of V514? I think we were on the 2nd week of what I think was a total 4-week voyage Jack

It wasn't easy but knowing that we would be spending 4 days in Italy did help.

Thank you Victoria2. I have to say that your positive comments over the years, regarding the QV, was a definite motivation in our booking this cruise. Jack

I have posted on YouTube a photo montage of our recent (5/19-26) cruise on the Queen Victoria from Istanbul to Rome (Civitavecchia) via the Greek Isles if anyone is interested. The bar was high but I believe that I have reached a new level of cheesy and hokey. We were fortunate to have been joined by friends who were making their first voyage on Cunard. Their only previous cruise was a 3-night booze cruise to the Bahamas 30+ years ago. They found this cruise quite different. For those of you who have not sailed on the QV or who might be considering this itinerary, I hope the video is helpful. Jack Here is the link

Thanks Ciadan. We have found that there is a difference in cruising on the QM2 and cruising on the the QV or QE. I really can't put my finger on it but we have equally enjoyed both. Perhaps it is not so much the ships, despite the fact that the QM2 is an Ocean Liner, but that the atmosphere is different on a Crossing than on a port intense cruise. In any case, you should have tons (or should that be tonnes) of fun. Jack

Our modus operandi when in Britannia grade is to request a table for 2 (early seating). However, for breakfast we always request to join a larger table. This gives us the opportunity to meet new people each day but retain some privacy. Very often we will bump into our breakfast table mates at some point in the Chart Room or Commodore Club and can strike up a conversation as desired. Jack