First time on cunard - some questions

Hello, My husband and I will be taking our first crossing on QM2, Sept. 9 to Sept 16. We are experienced cruisers and have been on many cruise lines. I do understand the Britannia and the Grills. On this first voyage we will be in Britannia as all the higher categories were booked.

 

In looking at our itinerary I see that we have two formal evenings, one a gala ball and the other a roaring twenties ball. We do love to dress up but if someone could explain these balls it would be helpful.

 

My other concerns right now is can we preorder bottles of alcohol to drink onboard? I see where I can buy wine packages if we want and some other goodies prior to boarding.

 

Do you have to make reservations for the planetarium? Is there a fee?

 

Being in Britannia where are we not allowed to go besides the grills restaurants?

 

I know I will have more questions in the next few months and I certainly would appreciate knowing as much as I can before boarding.

 

I already have learned a lot from these boards( what a godsend) and look forward to learning even more.

 

Thank you all.

I just spent 120 days on the QM2 and I'll try to answer your questions.

 

Alcohol can be carried on and sometimes bought in the onboard store to be consumed in your cabin. You can buy the wine by the bottle too in the MDR like all cruise lines. The wine packages offer very little discount. You can also carry on any wine you buy and pay the $20 corkage fee.

 

The balls really mean "it is formal night, dress accordingly" Most people WILL dress very formally. The actual "ball" is the ballroom dancing that begins in the Queens room at 9:45pm. For the themed ball some dress in the theme but probably only 20%

 

Where can't you go? The grills sections are not readily apparent. They have a separate restaurant, sundeck and bar, but you won't see them without looking. You can eat in MDR, Kings Court Buffet, the Verandah ($49pp) and the pop-up cuisine restaurants ($19.pp)

 

The planetarium tickets are put out about 9am on deck 2 all the way forward, at the main counter in front of the connections classrooms and near the internet room. They are free, just take a couple. There are some for every 1/2 hour. So about 200-300 tickets for each of about 5 shows. They are free. About 5 minutes before the show a line forms outside the planetarium and there is a side "with tickets" and another line "without tickets" I never saw the show full.

 

Any other questions will be gladly answered. :)

Hello, My husband and I will be taking our first crossing on QM2, Sept. 9 to Sept 16. We are experienced cruisers and have been on many cruise lines. I do understand the Britannia and the Grills. On this first voyage we will be in Britannia as all the higher categories were booked.

On our last round trip crossing, we shared a table with a couple sailing in Queen's Grill who preferred to have dinner in Britannia - they apparently saw no problems with having dinner there.

In looking at our itinerary I see that we have two formal evenings, one a gala ball and the other a roaring twenties ball. We do love to dress up but if someone could explain these balls it would be helpful.

I thought that three formals was typical from crossings (a recent change?) so you may want to double check in the VP. We has two 'theme' formal nights, and one without a declared theme.

My other concerns right now is can we preorder bottles of alcohol to drink onboard? I see where I can buy wine packages if we want and some other goodies prior to boarding.

You can bring aboard almost any quantity for in room consumption - bringing a bottle of wine to the dining room incurs a $20 corkage charge. We did a mix - some wine with corkage, and a few 'captains collection' pre-purchased bottles.

Do you have to make reservations for the planetarium? Is there a fee?

 

Being in Britannia where are we not allowed to go besides the grills restaurants?

Just their dedicated lounge and the grills terrace deck.

I know I will have more questions in the next few months and I certainly would appreciate knowing as much as I can before boarding.

 

I already have learned a lot from these boards( what a godsend) and look forward to learning even more.

 

Thank you all.

If you think you might like a planetarium show, (there are several different show titles) by all means make plans to see it sooner rather than later. Some titles may appear only one day and since the planetarium is also the lecture hall for the enrichment program there may not necessarily be planetarium shows every day.

seniorladycruiser,

 

The dress code schedule posted on the Cunard UK FAQ does indeed show there will be the typical three formal evenings (now called "Gala Evenings") on your crossing, Sept 9-16. The first of those gala evenings (Sept 10) is designated as the "Royal Cunard Ball", the second gala evening (Sept 12) is not themed, and the third gala evening (Sept 14) is designated as the "Roaring Twenties Ball". What's shown in the Voyage Personaliser could be different, so do double check there as TheOldBear has recommended.

 

If you would like to participate in the themed evening balls in the Queens Room and would like to dress according to those themes, here is how those balls are described along with the suggested attire for the themes.

 

Royal Cunard Ball

Cunard's signature gala event celebrating the glamour and elegance of Cunard through the ages.

Formal Wear

Red or Gold Dress code

Gentlemen - Tuxedo

Ladies - Evening gown

Appropriate red and/or gold gowns and accessories

 

Roaring Twenties Ball

Tonight we celebrate the era of the Charleston! Awards for the best costumes.

Formal Wear

Gentlemen - Double breasted pin-striped suit or tailcoat & waistcoat. Fedora or top hat

Ladies - Flapper dresses, feather boas, beads, headbands and glove

Thank you all for such wonderful information especially about he balls. We are really looking forward to being on the QM2. If you can think of anything else that you think would be helpful please post.

 

By the way I checked our itinerary and there will be 3 balls!

 

Thank you again.

 

Nan

About preordering drinks. Only some of the bottles can be pre-ordered. The QM2 has the largest wine cellar (or wine cargo hold) at sea. So I would recommend to have a look at the entire wine list before ordering something from the Voyage Personalizer.

 

https://carnivaluk.metafaq.com/resources/carnivaluk/life-on-board/QM2_Wine_list.pdf

 

The Grills area is not as secluded as on the other ships. You will be able to walk past the Grills Sundeck on Deck 9 - there is no difference to the regular Sundecks. Also you can have a look at the Grills restaurants from the Promenade Deck on Deck 7.

...You will be able to walk past the Grills Sundeck on Deck 9 - there is no difference to the regular Sundecks...

 

One correction: On QM2, the Grills Terrace (a.k.a., sun deck) is aft on deck 11. You really don't walk "past" it, but you can cross through it climbing (or descending) the stairs between decks. There is also a whirlpool (spa, hot tub, whichever is the correct terminology) reserved for Grills guests on the Terrace.