RJChatsworth

Agree do it all the time especially with Md if he comes to table which he didn’t in two weeks on last voyage!

majortom10 - we have travelled in all categories many times as you might guess with 53 voyages. I couldn’t really say there is a lot of difference in the service we have received in all categories. They all have their slow moments but the staff are generally all caring. Having said that both my wife and I find PG on whichever ship have mostly had the best atmosphere. I can’t explain it and is better than we have found in QG, particularly on QM-2. On this ship there are areas in QG where the tables are really sqeezed in and worse than in PG or Club Britannia. In PG the menu is almost identical to that in QG if not identical, but I do enjoy the off-menu aspect in QG. On our recent QM-2 B2B to New York I could see the relief Maitre d’ buzzing between certain tables at lunchtime asking them what they wanted, but he never came to the back of the restaurant so you had to request his presence from a waiter. On one occasion he didn’t come so I went looking for him and he’d gone off duty. A head waiter sorted it for us but they were reluctant to if the Maitre d’ was about. Nevertheless, in the first week I was able to order a chicken jalfezzi and in the second week a lamb bhuna! Both were great. On another, three of us on separate tables, with all this fancy food about, said tonight we could murder steak pie (no kidney), wilted spinach, chips and gravy. We all thoroughly enjoyed it! I think you might have to go on bended knee a bit for caviar, we didn’t!

No, only on the last morning, but I’m reluctant to jump to any conclusions because their gesture might be one of good to meet you and have a safe journey home. Could be seen as good Cunard PR!

When we left the QG restaurant after breakfast on disembarkation day there were two head waiters either side of the walkway to the exit. Was that a friendly and polite goodbye to departing passengers or hovering. I wouldn’t have a clue.

I noticed in the QG restaurant the passing of tips was less discrete and in the form of rolled up notes rather than envelopes. I seem to remember in years gone by it was always envelopes!

Just off QM-2. I was told that Head Office was holding the details close to their chests and the only thing they have been told is that the internet was to be improved involving wiring each cabin. Not sure whether I can believe that internet point.

Indian guy I guess. We didn’t know him. He was rarely at the entrance podium when you arrived or left. Didn’t look at you and muttered a low level ‘Hello’ if he spoke at all. I was told he was a relief Maitre d’ to cover all restaurants. On outward journey there were many Americans where we were seated but they all disembarked in favour of Brits on the way back from NY and then he was rarely seen. The US citizens might have a different view as he was probably quite visible to them. I don’t know why. I didn’t hear the rumour about Osman moving to QA. However, one of the Head Waiters (I won’t identify him) with whom we got on very well said he’d had enough after a long spell on QM-2 and had been accepted for a transfer to QG on QA next year. He might be following Osman or fed up he wasn’t asked to act up to Maitre d’ in QG. Who knows! The acting M d’ is, in my opinion, certainly no Osman who is away until September!

Yes, I agree, even though a bit squeezed in. Don’t remember about the medals but there were many and the bar was level with the end of his shoulder. We were first allocated a not very nice table in the indentation, particularly so we considered, because of the number of times we’d been on Cunard. I requested a move by the relief Maitre d’ but perhaps I made a mistake in asking the whereabouts of Osman. He said he’d look into a move for us. A day later I reminded him as we hadn’t heard from him. We then turned down a share and accepted a table for 2 at the rear of the restaurant. A few days later he told us we would be moved in NY as he was changing two tables for 2 with a round table for 6. In NY we were moved a row forward but the table for 6 didn’t materialise. Instead 3 tables for two spaced so you couldn’t walk between them. We therefore benefitted from that move.

There was a concentration of Q5’s at rear of restaurant by the open deck. Interestingly on the way out to NY in the corner table by the open deck was a guy who on formal nights was displaying about a 12 inch bar of medals. He also had a large Star shaped medal around his neck. He was getting the attention and we wondered whether he was a knight of the realm.

This is a tricky subject. We are just off QG on a QM-2 B2B to New York. We always leave the auto-grat on and give extra only for exceptional service. Osman was on holiday and there was a relief Maitre d’. We just couldn’t warm to him and he never smiled. He once in 14 days walked us to our seat. On a second occasion he came from behind his podium to do so until he saw passengers from the Q1-4 end come into the restaurant and left us. We don’t really want to be escorted into the restaurant but that is not the point. It had been noted by others as well that he concentrated his efforts on certain tables, almost always those of US passengers as far as we could judge. Other examples were talking to them endlessly, relieving the Head Waiter of his flambé duties in favour of himself and at lunchtime asking them in particular whether they wanted a special meal that evening and not asking anyone else like those in the Q5 section at the rear of the restaurant. I wonder why this was? They couldn’t all have been related to him. I did see one passenger thrust money into his hand even before we sailed. I note this giving of extra tips is not so discrete these days as if some are saying we auto-tip but look at us now! On QV a few years ago I had just started a conversation with a PG Maitre d’ when we were interrupted by someone giving him a tip. He seemed so embarrassed he wanted to talk about it. He said he was salaried and well paid and the money should be given to those poorly paid behind the scenes. The tables in the Q5 end of the restaurant were poorly spaced, about 6 inches for many of them. This is far worse that PG and Britannia Club. At the other end of the QG restaurant they are wide-spaced. As Osman once told me if you want to be nearer the entrance to the restaurant you have to pay more for your stateroom. Thera are some 6 cabin categories in the QG so it’s always go into be a bit hierarchical. This is not the case in PG where there are only two categories and the passengers seem more integrated.

Not that I’m aware.

We now have new occupants in the ‘dog’ suite next door. The butler told me that it took a long time to defumigate and shampoo everything in the room with specialised stuff they have. As the occupants only went to the QG restaurant once he had to take in all their meals. The dog was quite partial to salmon!

The thought of this huge dog in a lovely Q5 stateroom and the unsuspecting embarking passengers tomorrow is awful. The dog seemed to be taken out twice a day for a walk but where did it do its business, what happened to the hairs when groomed, was it bathed in the jacuzzi, where did the food come from, what happened to the waste etc etc? If the kennels are full the dog should not occupy a cabin. When I first dropped this dog thing into a conversation with our head waiter he said don’t tell me I know about it. How did he know - perhaps it’s the talk of the crew?

It’s not 9058. Why are there kennels on QM-2? A photo my get me a black eye?!!

The dog was outside our cabin last evening and is bigger than I thought. The owners had to back it down the corridor so we could get out then asked which way we were going as you could hardly pass it in the narrow QM-2 corridors. The dog has long shaggy hair so dog hairs in the room must be a problem. I assume the owners booked a QG cabin because the dog would be difficult to house in something smaller. The owners certainly didn’t book the cabin to take part in QG dining. I am told they have only used their table once. They get off in New York tomorrow. More and more I am beginning to think this whole dog episode is outrageous and Cunard should note it and get a grip of it. We first noticed the dog early on because on opening the patio door on to our balcony there was a long shaggy tail waving on our balcony from under the partition separating the cabins.

I wonder what victoria2 would make of it?

We are currently on a QM-2 crossing to New York in QG. I have noted at dinner 20 to 30 of the men are not wearing jackets. I queried it and was told that on formal nights jackets are a requirement and it is enforced. On other nights the requirements for jackets has been relaxed since the pandemic because there have been so many complaints that I can’t breathe in a jacket to my doctor………. I am told they are fighting a losing battle. As a casual observer I would say it is mainly Americans who are less likely to conform. On another matter there is an enormous dog in the QG cabin next to us. It is there 24 hours and fortunately it doesn’t bark. The crew tell me it is a Siberian something or other, 2m long and 1m tall. It gets off in New York and I’m glad I’m not the next one in that cabin. I am told it provides no other services except as a support to the owner. Apparently you can buy certificates off the internet in the USA saying they are essential to your health. I think you have to get a doctor’s certificate for this kind of thing in the UK. I am told that more and more dogs are allowed in cabins and not using the onboard kennels. What’s the world coming to?!!

It didn’t matter at all we left late. Just curious as weather kept being mentioned and two other ships seemed to leave as normal. More concerning for me was getting into bed last evening in QG to find I was lying on the mattress springs. Very uncomfortable. I immediately called housekeeping. I was on an old style mattress with padding on one side and none on the other. A mattress protector had not been used either. The mattress had been put on the bed the wrong way up. Housekeeping turned it over and the padded side was stained. They immediately went and got a new mattress which can be used either way up and used a mattress protector. All is well now!

You mean we booked late?!

Moving now at 2208. Interestingly two ships berthed ahead of us left earlier, a Regent ship at 1816 and Anthem of the Seas at 1841. Why couldn’t QM-2? Answers on a postage stamp!

QM-2 also arrived about 0100 into Southampton today rather than usual 0600 ish. I understand this was to keep ahead of the weather. Hope we sail soon. No signals on TV.

After an enjoyable voyage we walked straight off the ship at 0815 this morning and a few minutes later we were leaving the terminal having identified our luggage. We had departed via Mayflower terminal and returned to Ocean terminal. I was relieved that CPS had moved the cars to Ocean terminal as the terminal change was a surprise to me. Perhaps I had missed an announcement! I haven’t worked out the changes in disembarkation arrangements. Previously we were given a time by the Purser’s office for, say 0915, which was subsequently changed by the loyalty staff in Future Cruises to around 0830. On this occasion we were given a time on 0950 for disembarkation by the Purser’s office. I didn’t receive a subsequent change to an earlier time by the loyalty staff. Being in Princess Grill I spoke to Concierge. I was told it was a floor-by-floor disembarkation time now and the loyalty staff were not involved. I asked if it was possible to change the 0950 disembarkation time. I was asked what time I should like to leave. I suggested a time of 0815 and an amendment of some kind was made on the Concierge computer. We went down at 0815 and disembarkation had just begun. We hadn’t been given replacement disembarkation luggage labels and there seemed to be no system to check whether we were queue jumping. We just showed our key cards as if getting off at any of the ports visited. Could everyone have just turned up at 0815 creating untold chaos? Am I missing something?

There were trips to Snowdonia and the Ffestiniog railway. I was hoping the one up Snowden would have been offered but it wasn’t. It had been previously but then Holyhead was bypassed because I think damage to the quay. The quay is very narrow but there seems to be some evidence of it being widened. When we got to the bottom of one of the two gangways off the ship we were stopped. The coach people were telling the ships crew to stop passengers getting off because the quay was overcrowded and safety might be compromised. An arriving coach had to proceed along a narrow gap between ship hoarding on one side and queueing passengers on the other. The coach had to go further down the quay to turn around and then come back to pick up passengers. There didn’t look to be enough room for more than one coach at a time. Once on the coach you went down a narrow causeway over water, perhaps one quarter to one half mile long, being one way at a time with no passing places and other traffic. This made the whole system somewhat slow and Maiden port or not it is hard to see how this could be much improved.

Exlondoner - glad you are out and about again. Our waiter began the conversation at dinner this evening with, ‘I’d be surprised if we went there again’ until I pointed out in August. The port shuttle was a bit chaotic but I have never seen one full-up coming back at 11am before!