Seasonal Menus?

[babs135]

We will be on the westbound crossing of the QM2 which departs Southampton on the 15th December. Will the menus reflect the time of the year?

[Underwatr]

I know that the Christmas/new Years menus do but only on the actual holidays.

 

You should see holiday decorations throughout the ship.

[kbtb]

Hi Underwatr,

 

Thinking about the QM2 Caribbean Holiday Cruise this December. We have never been on Cunard. Can you give me an idea of what holiday things they do during the cruise? Also, I noticed the list of lecturer's, have you enjoyed the lectures onboard? What have been your favorite things onboard ship? Thanks,

[Underwatr]

Cunard's lectures are one of their strong point (we did a Carnival cruise last year but they seemed to think people slept until noon and were up until 2 AM). Bill Miller's cruise ship lectures are famous and he never repeats a lecture. I haven't seen the other speakers (after awhile you do begin to see some of them appear again). You should also plan to see at least one of the planetarium shows (they aren't shown every day or even every sea day, so go early). They're more like IMAX films than a true planetarium presentation.

 

Probably some of the holiday festivities are pretty standard but of course Cunard puts a British touch on much of it - Christmas crackers (snappers with trinkets and a paper crown inside) at the dinner table on Christmas day, celebration of New Years at various times based on the customer mix (European at 7 PM, British at 8 PM and I guess New York at 1 AM since the ship is still on Atlantic time, but we don't stay up that late :) ), a nice gift and a signed card in your stateroom on Christmas Eve (the 2013 gift was a pair of Wedgwood coffee cups with the Cunard logo and "Season's Greetings" in gold), your typical Christmas Eve carols and Santa/Father Christmas parade through the ship (carols in the Grand Lobby feature realistic fake snow falling).

 

New Years Eve is lobster (tail) night but last year the NYE menu also included roast Prime beef filet, seared magret duck breast and rack of lamb. I don't have copies of the Christmas Eve or Christmas Day menus but they likely included turkey and/or goose.

 

Surely the nicest part of the cruise is the five days between Christmas and New Years Eve all have port calls, and Christmas Eve, Christmas, New Years Eve and new Years Day are all at sea.

Edited October 5, 2014 by Underwatr

[brigittetom]

I didn't know that there was a 7pm European celebration. The 8pm British celebration seems to get bigger every year.

[Underwatr]

I didn't know that there was a 7pm European celebration. The 8pm British celebration seems to get bigger every year.

I guess the 7 PM was more of an impromptu one in Britannia by the Europeans (probably those pesky Germans ;) ).

 

I can usually count on DW still being awake at 8 PM so the British one becomes our celebration.