Queenvee

Great info - thanks everyone!  I'm a solo traveler so will only have the $135 credit to work with but I like the idea of planning carefully to use my 24 hour period over 2 days (e.g. 3:00 to 3:00 the next day).  Six days should work for me.  I like disconnecting as much as possible, and will use WIFI in ports too.

@Victoria2 and @NE John I have a similar question and would appreciate your thoughts!  I am on the 18 day QE voyage, Sydney to Tokyo, March 10-18, 2024.  I am Diamond level so will get the $135 internet credit.  I don't know what the daily rate is, but I'm sure the $135 won't cover all 18 days!  So, just to confirm, I can work w/Purser's Desk to set up daily access (good for 24 hours) whenever I want to connect?  Now that Starlink is so great, I'm thinking about connecting every 2-3 days.  Thanks for any insights!

I'm glad to hear about the return to the one singer; as many other posters have stated, the duos were often not so great and that area became raucous.  I missed the daily Lincoln Center on Stage performances on my August 23 NS voyage.  Guess you win some, you lose some...

Looks like a conference room in a mid-grade convention hotel.  Colors are bland and certainly doesn't read "glamour" or "anticipation".  I had already decided that QA is not for me, since I've sailed on her sister HAL ships and experienced the lack of a decent promenade deck and other issues for me.

@Down-Unders Did I see that you're on the March 10, 2024 Sydney to Tokyo voyage?  Me too!  You may want to look at the Roll Call for that cruise since it's pretty active; some people are arranging non-ship tours, etc.  (If you haven't used Roll Calls before, go back to the CC Board main page, select Roll Call/Cunard then pick Queen Elizabeth and March; the specific threads will appear.  Note that the roll call is for the full 28 day cruise, but plenty of the people posting are only on for the first leg.

I was on QE circumnavigation of Japan in 2019 and at that time, shuttle buses were provided but you may want to check w/Cunard to see if that's still the case.

If you didn't want to say anything yourself, you could have asked the waiter or manager to talk to her. I've done that in the past.

I don't remember seeing a Gideon's bible in the staterooms.

FYI...On the November 19, 2023 QM2 crossing, the ship was full and there was one dance host couple - man and woman.  A dismal reduction from a few years ago when there were at least 4 male hosts on crossings.

Interesting topic and one that I've grappled with in the past!  I've chosen to rent cars previously, but last month I spent a few days in Brighton prior to embarking on QM2 TA.  It was easy to take a train from Gatwick to Brighton but my plan of taking a train from Brighton to Southampton was squashed by train works (apparently Sundays are the days when train service is often disrupted).  What would have been a quick and inexpensive train ride turned into a two hour, £180 cab ride from Brighton Central Station to Southampton's Mayflower terminal.  Searching train options showed 4+ hour journeys, involving 2 or 3 changes often including a "replacement coach service"; coach options were worse and required going to London's Victoria Station.  I called a few car services (versus taxi) and they all quoted fares in the £170 range.  So, a taxi it was.  Lesson learned about weekend travel! 

I'll be on the QM2 again next November and am planning on spending a few days in the South Downs/Eastbourne area. Instead of a Sunday to Sunday crossing, mine is Wednesday to Wednesday so I think it'll be easier to take a train to Southampton (unless I decide to rent a car;  good to know the rental return place is near the pier).

@bluemarble Thanks for posting the schedule.  I didn't realize that other lines will be using the Brooklyn terminal quite heavily.  I wondered why many of the TAs now start on week days, versus the Sunday to Sunday schedule that Cunard has been following for a number of years.  (Of course, I remember back in the day when the crossing took 5 days so that was a whole different thing!). My annual November crossing now leaves Southampton on Wednesday, Nov 13 and arrives in Brooklyn the following Wednesday.  I can imagine the headache it must have been for Cunard to re-work their entire schedule, particularly for itineraries that had ports.  Someone mentioned that using the Manhattan terminal is more expensive for Cunard than Brooklyn - anyone know if that's the reason they use Brooklyn?  I always assumed it was because the Manhattan terminal was smaller than Brooklyn.

Thank you to everyone who provided input and helped me consider fare prices.  I'm glad to know that my original understanding was correct that most on-line agencies can/do give a discount off the fare out of their Cunard commission. 

The other thing I've confirmed is that I need to stop using my current on-line cruise agency since I don't trust the information they give me.  When I was on the QM2 last week I was speaking with another passenger (American) who uses a cruise specialist travel agency that she was very happy with; as someone mentioned above, they send her a rebate check of 5%-10% of the fare following the cruise so I will contact that agency for my November 2024 QM2 crossing.  It's a shame because for 10+ years I thought I had a great agent and would have kept using them until I keeled over but....no one likes being taken advantage of. Onward to someone else! 

@D&N and @Pushpit, I took your advice and just called Cunard.  They fare they quoted me is considerably lower than what my on-line travel agency charged me.  I then called my on-line travel agency and asked to speak with a supervisor;  he said the reason for the price difference is that the agency's fares are "prevailing market" and can change from minute to minute; and at the time I booked the cruise, the fares were higher than they are now.  The agency doesn't adjust fares to reflect drops in price.  

Given this, I think I'll book my next cruise directly with Cunard and see how that experience goes.

@Pushpit I agree - it's time to change on-line agencies.  But I'm trying to figure out if it is standard operating procedure for on-line travel agencies to add on some amount (say 10% of the fare) to the fare they quote people as additional revenue for themselves (beyond the commission they receive from the cruise line)?  If that's the case, I might be better off booking directly with Cunard but I want to understand the fare process better.

I'm feel foolish asking this question but after interactions with Cunard and my on-line travel agency, I think I should!  I'm an experienced cruiser (over 50 cruises, 20 on Cunard) and have used an on-line agency XXX for 10+ years.  Once XXX gives me a price quote, I check the prices from two other on-line agencies.  If the other agencies' prices are within $200 of XXX's price (which is about 10% of the fare), I book with XXX; even if another agency's price is $200 less than XXX's, I stick w XXX for the sakes of continuity, giving my "XXX cruise counselor" business and making getting some OBC from XXX.  I have always been under the impression that on-line cruise agencies receive a commission from the cruise lines and that's how they make their money.  My question for you is:  do on-line agencies add an additional amount to the fare they receive from Cunard and that is the price they quote me?  In other words, does the price from an on-line agency include a profit percentage for them, in addition to the cruise line commission? 

What raised this for me was receiving a wait list match notification from Cunard this morning stating that a single oceanview cabin on QE for an upcoming cruise was now available; the notification included Pricing Details and the total price was $150 less than XXX's price for a lower level cabin (an inside guarantee).  Since this match had to be accepted ASAP and my XXX cruise counselor doesn't work on Mondays, I called Cunard;  I specifically asked them to clarify whether the pricing shown on the wait list match notification was the correct price for this cabin and he confirmed that yes, it was.  He told me the cabin category, number and the total price.  I asked a question about OBC and he put me on hold; when he returned he stated that he didn't realize this was a travel agency booking and that he couldn't discuss or provide any financial information and that I should call XXX.  I explained that I just wanted to understand the pricing on the form and thanked him.  I don't think that normally i would have been sent the wait list notification; it would have gone to XXX BUT when I was on QM2 last week, I booked a future cruise and asked them not to assign it to me directly, not XXX so they removed XXX from that booking...and I guess that XXX was removed from my records for all cruises?  Anyway, seeing this lower price made me wonder if XXX is increasing the fares beyond the price quote they get from Cunard; I understand they're a profit-making business but I thought that cruise line commissions were the sole source of their income.  

I've had other issues with XXX recently where they gave me false information about payment due dates and cancellation fees; also, they were unable/reluctant/untruthful about contacting Cunard regarding OBC but when I called Cunard to discuss, I ended up getting the OBC.  These issues are why I did not have last week's FCC sent to XXX.  It's important to me to be an informed consumer, and I don't trust XXX or Cunard to give me an honest answer about whether on-line agencies increase the fares, so I'm asking my CC buddies!  Thank you...

@3rdGenCunarder I didn't think fast enough to say anything at all but that would have thrown her for a loop, I bet.  Killing them with kindness...  Someone mentioned Hyacinth Bucket in a recent CC post and although I've seen that episode several times, I'd forgotten about it.  These two women were like Daisy and Onslow (maybe that's too much credit...)

@exlondoner Sorry, I should have said...it was the Mayflower terminal.

On the Nov 19th TA, in the late afternoon of embarkation day, I was relaxing in the Commodore Club; it was relatively full and people were walking through who were exploring the ship.  Two British ladies were sitting next to me and the next thing I know one of them is Facetiming her husband with a running commentary of her embarkation, the CC lounge and she stood up to provide a panoramic shot of the CC; while she started off in a quiet voice, his volume was quite loud and as she described their afternoon, her voice got louder and louder.  I walked over and asked her if she would do that outside the lounge; she was astounded and said "I'm saying goodbye to my husband and showing him the ship"; I said "I understand but this is a sophisticated, quiet space and you're quite loud"; I went back to my seat and she said to husband (who said "who's that") "some stupid woman".  Fine, I can handle that.  The couple on the other side of she & her friend got up and moved to seats on the other side of me and said "thank you - I wanted to say something" as they re-settled.  The friend was silent and the women lowered her voice and disconnected quickly.  

As an aside, I noticed she and her friend remove their stateroom bottle of Pol Acker from their hand bag and open it; then realized they had brought the glass flutes from their cabin and glasses of cranberry juice from the Kings Court with them - that is so tacky!  I have no problem with people bringing their favorite beverage on board to drink in their cabin but to bring it to a lounge - along with glasses and mixers - is unacceptable.  They were happy to accept the crisps the bar server provided and he will have to clean up their stuff.  To my thinking, if you can afford to be on a cruise, you can afford to buy a drink in the lounge.  I have this seen this low-life approach on more mass market lines, but not on Cunard.  To finish this, i saw them later that evening as I was exiting the side elevator (that goes from Deck 8-11) and they were looking for the Deck 11 outside viewing area, so I said "it's just to the left" and as I walked through the door, one of them said "that's her, that's the one".  Too funny.  Then, on the day before we reached Brooklyn, I was waiting for an elevator and they got off one and said "that's her, that's her" and as they stopped on the stair landing to stare at me; I was so amused that I stared back and waved at them - no wave or smile back, just turned away.  And these women were 50+ years old but acting like children.  I wonder if they'll be back on Cunard...

FYI... I am Diamond level and boarded QM2 in Southampton last Sunday (Nov 19).  My boarding pass stated "Diamond/Priority Boarding".  My assigned boarding time (Deck 11 stateroom) was 1:45 pm and I arrived at 1:00.  There was a longish line outside the terminal but when I approached the check-in folks outside the main door and asked about a Diamond priority line, she sent me inside immediately.  The first stop was the Security line which moved fairly quickly (about 15 minutes) due to people having to take off their winter coats (despite check-in staff reminding everyone to remove their coats while still in line).  Then the actual check-in process and again the staff directed me to the priority line which had one person in it.  Speedy process and then up the escalator to the waiting room w seats but as I got to the top of the escalator, they were calling PG and QG AND Diamond passengers to board.  They specifically said "only these passengers can board now".  They had a number of check-in staff who questioned people walking toward the embarkation line to confirm that they were PG or QG; when I mentioned that they had just called Diamond, there was a hesitation but then the announcement was made again including Diamond and off I went to the final line.  It also moved quickly.  From arrival to getting into my cabin took 30-35 minutes.  So, that key perk does still exist...at least in Southampton!

As a side note to @Underwatr's comments about changes to the staterooms, not all the changes he noted (post #149) were made in my interior Deck 11 stateroom.  Thermostat is the same as always (no separate fan controls); shower controls are the old ones; fridge has shelf on door however I think the interior shelf was removed and there were no pre-stocked canned sodas - the only items in the fridge upon arrival were the two glass flutes and the small bottle of Pol Acker;  the 2nd small bottle of Pol Acker from the Cunard World Club arrived midway through the crossing.  These are minor points but wanted to clarify that not all updates occurred in all cabins, so that folks know what to expect.

@moses0 Interesting that you mention Carinthia since I attended all the progressive trivia and early evening events in there and we commmented on one of the ivory, armless chairs (with brass tacks) that where the entire side had the leather badly scraped off.  I didn't notice any shabbiness of the other furniture in Carinthia which probably means it was updated and that one chair somehow missed updating or was damaged in the process.  Note that Carinthia was overflowing for progressive trivia and the evening events associated with the Literary Festival; twice they had to bring in stacks of black plastic & metal office chairs for the extra people so the scraped chair I saw may have been placed in storage due to its' condition and brought out for the need.

15 hours ago, NE John said:

Hello neighbor!

Hi John!  Now that I'm back from the UK and QM2, I'll start planning my pre- and post-cruise activities for the March 2024 QE Sydney to Tokyo.  See you on board😁

Since OP specifically mentioned a winter crossing, I'll contribute my thoughts since I just disembarked from QM2 yesterday in Brooklyn.  Jeans are not considered "Smart Attire"; I heard staff in the Chart Room and Commodore Club suggest to two patrons who's attire did not fit the dress code that they might be more comfortable in the Golden Lion pub (one man was wearing neat jeans and the other time a man was wearing a polo shirt, e.g. a short sleeved shirt with a collar and several buttons).  In general, I thought the women were much dressier than normal every night - on Smart Attire evenings a lot of women wore some sparkle, lace or chiffon in a knee length outfit.  Very nice to see!  Not a lot of floor length gowns on Gala nights but if not floor length, the overwhelming majority were dressy w sparkles, etc.

I forgot to mention that the dance floor in the Queen's Room was redone.  Parquet in different wooden shades, I think the design is a compass and the QM2 logo appears in the center (maybe 10 inches in diameter?). The captain commented that the floor was slippery but I didn't try it out!  (Only one dance host on board, the husband of a couple.) 

Disembarked yesterday in Brooklyn.  The refit updates I noticed were in the Commodore Club:  all chairs have been re-upholstered and the carpet was replaced.  Chairs are covered in lux velvety fabric in either a soft blue jacquard pattern or gold jacquard (the pattern is diagonal lines - modern but not jarring).  The overall effect is elegant.  Carpets in Royal Court Theater were also replaced.  Note that in my Deck 11 inside cabin, there are no USB ports; the same sockets/outlets as they've always had (a US version and a UK version); so I used my iPhone charger and cable in the US socket.

Re: OP's original question: I was on QE for a 9-day circumnavigation of Japan just pre-pandemic and while there were Japanese passengers on board, I didn't notice changes to the normal Cunard processes, etc..  Specifically, there were no changes to entertainment that could be traced to the Japanese pax.  The Lido buffet has always offered a specific section of Asian dishes and that may have been expanded somewhat but there were plenty of the standard European/UK/American dishes as usual.

Of course, there may have been some changes but they weren't significant enough to bother me.  After multiple sea voyages, I've experienced various tweaks to daily schedules, meals, etc and I go with the flow.  Because more and more voyages are packaged/sold as one longer trip comprised of a 9 day plus a 14 day or something similar, there are often passengers on board for a longer duration than others.  I'm often onboard for a shorter leg and have never experienced any "second class treatment".  As someone mentioned further up in the post, the reason some newly embarked passengers received flower arrangements was likely due to them being part of a group with the group paying for the flowers in each passenger's cabin (my TA has done that).