BklynBoy8

Our first Cruise was in 1969 on the Ellinis on what was called a No Where Cruise.

Friday Evening to Monday 8AM just cruised in international waters.

I still can remember certain parts of the Sailing.

Remembered the First QE2 in 1983....She came in Late and we sailed out around Midnight.

12 minutes ago, NE John said:

We were in a PG on recent transatlantic on QM2 and enjoyed it greatly. Lots of table service and flambé in PG restaurant. You’ll enjoy the suite with a real bathroom and walk-in closet. I recently posted a review on CC Cunard site on that PG/QM2 experience so check it out. 
Also, embrace the dress code as a vast majority of people are formal on Gala nights and even on Smart Attire nights, many men wear blazers etc, especially in the PG and Grills Lounge. Embrace the dress code, it’s a very nice part of Cunard. 
Don’t worry yourself too much in Theme Nights though.
Onboard is not a stuffy or snobby atmosphere, just relaxed and elegant. 

John,

Ditto to our experiences last September on our 14 day sailing in the PG Class Cabin and Restaurant.

We very much appreciated the Cabin space that was available. And the experience of the PG restaurant at each meal, we appreciated the dedicated Dining Room Staff with those little touches of caring for us. And we got to use the Flambe' more than we had in past sailings.

Of course, ditto with the dress code was one of the reasons we look forward to enjoy as part of PG.

Also sailing those 14 days, we enjoyed experiencing four different and not repeated Theme Evenings.

We met many wonderful passengers both in our PG Class and through out the ship we enjoyed continuing our company together. 

We are looking forward to continue to enjoy and experience the PG and it's features especially the dining room hours and continued staff to our table.  

2 hours ago, marti2282 said:

Thank you.

You will be near all the sights down there. Wall Street, Stock Exchange, Trade Center, 9-11 Memorial & Museum, South St Seaport, Gouverneur Island, World Financial Center and Brooklyn Bridge. Chinatown and Little Italy.. Statue of Liberty......

Marriott a good product.

New York Marriott Downtown was good in past.

2 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

Go see the b'way musical!

On our Bucket List...

Just got our RCMH Christmas Show tickets good prime spot 11AM show...

4 hours ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

Sounds like they're really leaning into their themes. What movie(s) did they show to go with Masquerade? I remember that for Roaring 20s, the TV programming including "Some Like It Hot."

Thee favorite movie each time played

6 hours ago, Victoria2 said:

You were right. They are in the Cunard shop at the moment on QV.

Got the member of staff to hold it to get some idea of size.

 

 

Thank you...   QM2 was Black cover w Red Letter if memory serves me right. 

6 hours ago, Victoria2 said:

We have quite a reasonable obc so got these two, for starters. 🙂 Cute.

Forgot what the theme of the teddies this year?

Didn't look at them so close. Not sure same from September to last months.

Nice Presents !

1 hour ago, Pushpit said:

On the QV service that left last Sunday, there were no dance professionals, but Victor and Linda were dance hosts and introduced as such; they also ran the classes for beginners. There was also a group of skilled dancers who wore badges and at least unofficially were happy to be paired up with solo dancers.

On QM2 the June 30th - July 7th we did have a two Dance Professionals that preformed in the QR twice during the sailing. Also saw them giving lessons twice before BINGO in the QR. Don't remember their names.

And the last several 4th July sailings on the QM2 we had the group with name badges that sort of took over the dance floor and danced with their own group. Never offered to a Solo or Dear Lady with a companion with 2 left feet.

2 hours ago, ballroom-cruisers said:

The question was not about past sailings but current voyages.

As mentioned, last September and last month is as current as I experienced and viewed....Sorry...

6 hours ago, Winifred 22 said:

I had to buy one of those bags on wheels  last Christmas after 2 weeks Christmas shopping in various ports I needed one to pack all my extras in. I got mine on QV but didn’t see them on QM last month. 

They were there on the 4th of July Sailing...Quite a number of them......Don't know if passengers knew what they were since they are folded up flat....

On the September and recent July sailings. We did recognize and view a Dance Host offering his assistance to each side of the room with female passengers accepting their offer.

Past Sailing we have viewed them assisting in BINGO also.

Also in the past,  as an accompaniment on shore excursions to help keep those in the rear with the group together.

So yes Dance Hosts have been active on our past sailings.

10 hours ago, Victoria2 said:

Yes, the book shop will be my first go to, with my iPad to take a photo. The Cunard shop might also have one. It’s a sea day today ( glorious weather so far) so I’ll go and spend some obc on teddies and look for a journal. 🙂

Cunard Shop is our favorite stop for OBC...Their fudge, hard candy, Shortbread Cookies. But we bought in September some small travel bags that came in handy. Black with read lettering. Even have small wheels on the bottom that helped. DW enjoyed the clothing selection.I saw this years version of the teddies right by the door. Even got nice passport covers to keep our doc's for next voyage. Enjoy your time in the Shop.

9 hours ago, Victoria2 said:

I have to go and get some Cunard teddies so when I do, I’ll look or ask about journals for you.

Look in the Shop on Deck 3 with Miscel Items. We saw something like that.

9 hours ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

Happy to hear that it's a good day. I hope your hands heal quickly. 

 

Shopping question. Does the ship sell any kind of Cunard journal, maybe with the ship's name on it? I very much miss the Ocean Books journals with the wonderful pictures. For a while after they were gone, the journals that were available looked cheap. But the ones I've seen more recently on QM2 and QE are pretty good. They're red or black with the ship's name on the front. Anything like that?

Kathy,

I think I saw a travel journal in the Logo Shop with Miscel Items on Deck 3

10 hours ago, Victoria2 said:

There’s a WC cocktail party tonight. We shan’t be going. If there’s a smaller do later on in the cruise, we might attend but this will be busy!

I agree V2,,,,,,

Just Look Forward to the Sailing and Enjoy the Caribbean like we do and don't worry about illness.

Just keep informed with the Line's policies.

1 hour ago, GeorgianGal100 said:

My daughter and I have just returned from a week in Norway on Queen Victoria.  This was our first ever cruise and we chose Cunard for the formal dress code (we just don't get to spruce ourselves up enough these days) and for the old world charm that Cunard was appearing to offer.  We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, attending dancing lessons, shows, talks, a hobby corner and Karaoke.

We didn't pre-book any excursions for our four port days as we just wanted to take each day as it came, this worked very well for us as we're great walkers and didn't want to be working to another person's schedule.  We'd arrive back for a late lunch either in the Lido or in the stateroom on our balcony and head off to a lecture after that, many about jewellery given by Natalie or Mark which were excellent.  We'd then get our glad rags on and head up to The Commodore Club (our favourite for pre dinner drinks) and if we didn't attend a show we would either head off to the The Chart room after eating, or up to the Yacht Club, we attempted Karaoke for the first time too, apologies to anybody who was there.  

I felt I knew the ship well, even before boarding, through watching all the you tube videos and the many helpful tips from all on this wonderful site.  My daughter was most impressed with me when I'd point something out which would otherwise have been missed.  Our favourite part was the sail away from Olden with the wonderful locals playing music and waving their flags, we both were quite choked up.

We dressed up every night, and were thrilled to see so many dapper looking men and women around the ship.  I feared we may have been in a minority of those wanting to push the boat out a little.  We did meet a lovely gentleman and his wife in the Yacht Club on the Black and White Gala night who had been refused entry to everywhere but there, as he didn't have a jacket as he said he had been totally unaware Cunard had a dress code.  They'd eaten in the Veranda restaurant but been lent a jacket by the Maitre 'D' so standards were being upheld on Gala nights at least.

Unfortunately on the first sea day I started to feel sea sick, or so I thought, and started on medication but it never really cleared and on the second to last day I developed flu like symptoms and of course tested positive for Covid, my first time ever getting Covid.  As it was a sea day we both happily camped out in our room watching the waves, me from my bed as I was pretty poorly.  My daughter tested negative so she was able to do everything as normal, even eat in the restaurants but she'd eat with me to keep me company.  We were asked to clear the linen from the room ourselves on the last day, empty all the bins and then were escorted off the ship at a very civilised 10.15am.  That was a rather sad end to our trip, but our photos remind us of the fun we had and the lovely people we met.  Almost all the staff were cheerful and helpful and it was so sad that we didn't get to say goodbye and make our thankyou's.  We also didn't get to order any professional photos as I couldn't leave the room to view them which I know I am going to regret more and more each day.

 

So, a big thank you to all who answered my many questions before we sailed, the build up was half the fun!  

Pls keep safe and all feel better. 

What a wonderful review!

I felt I was sailing with you with your description. So happy your first sailing was a happy experience. 

I know you caught the cruise bug and will enjoy many, many more sailings in the future.

Cunard does offer a very good product and also have met many wonderful people to this day we are still in touch with.

Sorry you couldn't purchase a memorable photo, but next time.

Once again, thank you.....

24 minutes ago, Cancun01 said:

We have done 5 crossings in a sheltered balcony on deck 5. I think they are the best staterooms on the ship. Laugh if you like.  I will explain my rationale.  The first time we booked we had little choice.  We booked within a month of embarkation and it was our only option.  I fretted over it as my first choice would have been the Grills if available and questioned my booking but did not cancel as we also had a dog booked in the kennels.  When the weather is less than pleasant and foggy on the North Atlantic and all the outside decks are closed, kennel visits are stopped and they ask those in the “better accommodation” to not open their balcony door, those of us in the sheltered balconies can at least step outside and obtain some fresh air.  After that first experience in the sheltered balcony, we always booked in those steerage rooms!  Certainly not the level we normally travel at but on the QM2 for transatlantic routes the sheltered balcony rooms are our preference.  

As mentioned,  personal preference is what counts with individuals comfort and likes.

Our sailings are regular travels and not TA's. So any conditions can be encountered on any sailings.

1 hour ago, Victoria2 said:

Well right at this moment, there are quite a few folk taking to their cabins. The sea is very lively. Walking in a straight line is a bit of a challenge. We lost power for a couple of minutes but that was a respite for us at the back as the ship became less wobbly as it wasn’t powering through the waves. Engineers soon had us up and hitting the waves again. We could hear the boom of the waves hitting the ship when as we decamped to the restaurant. Captain's sensible warnings were to be very careful walking around and find a comfortable chair and sit down. Always ready to do as I'm told, (when it suits 😄) I think we will spend the afternoon in a comfy chair with a good book. 

Hope the white bags aren't out for use.....

11 minutes ago, ballroom-cruisers said:

I imagine that cannot be reported on this forum!

A number of times we saw when booked into Britannia and sitting near the door the M'd kindly asked a passenger to return to his cabin to change.

As said in the past, after 6 properly dressed passengers does display a certain aire of elegance one looks for when on the Queen. That's why we book a sailing on her.

1 hour ago, H926PDC said:

Hi I’m new to cruising and looking at booking our first Mediterranean cruise for September 2024. 
Could member’s give me a rough idea of cost of shore excursions?

I appreciate this will vary from port to port, but I’m just trying to get an idea of costs. 
 

Thanks

Gary

When booked and the shore excursions are posted, you will be able to view the complete details of each excursion in your booking in My Cunard with your booking number.

Will tell you the name, time of day, length of tour, cost pp and description of tour sights and locations. Also the stress level the tour may effect some disabilities of passengers. 

If wish, you can before boarding purchase tour with a personal credit card.