skyhawk352

The sheltered balcony has a hull front (not clear glass). So when sitting down you cannot see out. However when standing you can view everything as normal. It also has more protection from the wind as well. I had it recently on the Caribbean sailing and was quite pleasantly surprised by it.

Tried to upload a picture, but was too large to upload, sorry.

Karin

Does anyone know? I just learned about the single cabins being added on decks 2 & 3. I went to the website to learn about booking one and they do not appear on any of the cruises scheduled after the retrofit. Does this mean that they will not be completed until later in 2016 or 2017. Why would Cunard announce these cabins long before they might be available? I find this a bit irritating. The website says that there will be more info on Dec. 1st. Maybe we'll know then.

 

Rick

I just randomly chose the 09AUG16 TA sailing and the KB and KC single outside cabins do appear on their website with availability.

Karin

You get new coloured luggage tags delivered to your stateroom before disembarkation. The colour relates to the various levels of priority for getting off the ship, including Grills, WC levels and onward travel arrangements. As far as we have seen, the embarkation labels are of no consequence at all once on the ship.

I just returned from the QM2, and the same embarkation labels were to be used also for disembarkation. Only Grills, Diamond, and tours/transfers received different labels delivered the last day or two of the cruise to use for disembarkation.

Most of the bags are laid out in an upright position. To play it on the safe side, if you're adding a ribbon or bow, make sure to put one on both the top and side handle just in case.

When you first arrive at embarkation, there is usually a place outside at the port where they can print up new ones. Saw the desk today at Red Hook while I was waiting for my ride home.

Just got off the 13-night Caribbean sailing of the QM2. The problem was noticed right before departure from Tortola. the explanation was that there are 2 steering pods, of which one was setting off an alarm. The first few announcements were that we will be leaving Tortola a little later than planned. A little after 7pm that night, the Captain came on to explain that the problem still exists. Although the QM2 can sufficiently travel with only 1 steering pod, the Captain felt it best to leave during daylight hours instead of maneuving the waters around Tortola at night. The ship was already cleared to leave the island and secured overnight so we were not permitted to leave and explore the island at night. Wasn't bad though as there was a planned deck party which was quite nice without the traveling ocean breeze. So we stayed in port overnight. At around 8:30am the next morning we set sail for Amber Cove. During the day the captain did make note that we may slow down at times so that they can test the pod. That I'm aware of, it was not fixed prior to arrival to Amber Cove. We docked on the original date as expected and had no further issues that day. Although we docked slightly late today in NY, I'm not sure if that had anything to do with the steering pod or not. Hope that helps!

I'm sure the water is fine, but the bottles are more of a convenience for me. I don't drink regular OJ in the morning, I usually drink powdered crystal light orange juice version. Having the bottles just makes it easier to mix, that's all.

I don't believe there are any issues with doing so, but would you recommend carrying it on or putting a luggage tag on it and putting it with checked baggage. What's the likelyhood of it not showing up? Seems quite easy to misplace. Or should I throw it into an extra suitcase and check that in?

I have first seating dining.. But I was hoping to get a picture going under the bridge.. The last time I was on the QM2, we left late and I missed it. I've checked the web cams of various departures, and it seems many times the QM2 leaves later than the estimated 5pm time. Anyone ever leave close to 5pm?

So there's still hope..... I'll keep my fingers crossed..

Perhaps a naive question, but how do you know when the Upgrade Fairy visits you? Do you get notified via email? Do you only accidentally find out if you check the status of your reservation online? Can they do it any time? Etc..

Traveling via Rail within Canada is quite popular and convenient. But yes, there is an International airport in Quebec. It's serviced by many different airlines.

Thanks everyone.. Time to go shopping as well..

Thanks!

Last time I was on the QM2, the Boardwalk Cafe wasn't open due to the chilly weather. I'm sure it'll be open for the Caribbean sailing in November. What should I expect? Just a basic outdoor place to grab a burger? How was their food? Better than the Kings Court?

Hi! I'm debating about the 13-night Caribbean cruise on the QM2. I'm familiar with the attire at night, but when in the Caribbean, what is the daytime (pre 6pm) attire? If I'm walking around with shorts onboard is that frowned upon?

Thanks!

Karin

Here's a link to some of the cabins and their view.

https://ask.cunard.com/help/cunard/fleet/qm2_obs

Hope that helps!

Karin

I've been on many Princess as well as Royal Caribbean cruises. This past September, I took my first Cunard voyage on the QM2. There were two major differences I found:

First was in the attire onboard. With Princess they typically have Formal, semi formal, and casual. With Cunard it's Formal and Semi formal. After 6pm, in public areas you're not to be in shorts, jeans, etc. Regardless of the attire for that night, unless you're in the one public area on the ship that permits it. With the formal nights, people do go all out with gowns, tuxes, etc.

Second was the entertainment. With Princess (and Royal Caribbean), I found the entertainment to be geared toward a lower age bracket. Both with the shows as well as the music styles. On Cunard, there was a flautist, a harpist, tenors, plus a comedian/singer, and a former gymnast/juggler/cirque du solei style. I could be wrong, but I've never seen a flautist as a headliner on the other cruiselines.

I know the music styles and entertainment acts can appeal to all types, all ages, etc. I'm not saying they were bad in any way, just different than what you would have seen in the past on the other cruise lines.

Karin

Since I have a house at Boca Raton I prefer to start at Ft Lauderdale on south and eastern bound cruises - and I have never been refused. Specially on winter cruises it is much nicer to start from FLA soutwards instead of beginning at NYC and taking the risk of severe weather (as we had on Dec 21st 2009 returning from the Caribbean without visiting FLA). Unfortunately Cunard doesn't visit Florida now as often as I would like them to do.

 

Sometimes i had to pay the price listed for NYC departures though.

Cunardaddict - The rules for closed loop sailing changed in the spring of this year. A closed loop sailing is one that leaves from and returns to the same US port. Originally, you were able to either join a ship late or get off early on a closed loops sailing. As of April/May 2013, this is no longer permitted with the exception of flight delays or medical/emergency leaves. The reason for this is that with a closed loop sailing a passport is not mandatory. By allowing you to join or leave at a different time, in the governments eyes, it affects the integrity of the immigration status of the entire ship. Unless its a set itinerary or segment, I foresee the theory of joining late a possible issue.

Karin