Traveling Solo on the Queen Mary 2

[penlady]

Hello:

 

I have made two phone calls to Cunard over a period of three days as I am hoping to be on the November cruise to the Caribbean. I have done this cruise a couple of times and loved it and want to do it again but have to wait to see if my new passport comes in time thus holding off making the booking. I enquired about dining for a solo traveler under the current situation with travelling and here is what I was told - the first rep said I would have to sit a table on my own whereas the second rep said no that is not true and wanted the name of the rep who told me I would have to sit alone so that they could report this rep for saying that. The way I look at it is one is right and one is wrong but which one ?? I was also informed that the World cruise from Jan. to April was cancelled and more Caribbean cruises will be offered so I figure if I cannot cruise on the November one I will get on one of those. Does anyone have any details about these as yet?

 

Thank you !!

[bluemarble]

The Cunard website offers the following information about dining arrangements for solo travelers. This is found at the end of the "Restaurants and bars" section of their "Your Cunard experience" page. The website states that page is "Correct as of: June 22, 2021."

 

"Solo travelers who do not wish to dine independently will have the option to dine with other solo travelers on a socially-distanced table that we will arrange for you on board in groups of up to six people or two households."

 

Now your guess is as good as mine concerning what "or two households" means in this context but that's how it's worded.

 

Concerning the replacement cruises for QM2's canceled 2022 World Voyage, the details have not been announced yet. Here is another quote from the Cunard website offering some hints about those itineraries.

 

"In place of her World Voyage, Queen Mary 2 will instead sail a series of three roundtrip voyages from Southampton to the Caribbean – one will sail via the Canary Islands and two will sail via New York - as well as three short cruise breaks. These voyages will be available to book in July."

Edited June 26, 2021 by bluemarble

[exlondoner]

I would think two households means that a family of, say, six, who live together could share a table with, say, two grandparents, who live in a different house. Two households but eight people. 

[bluemarble]

54 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

I would think two households means that a family of, say, six, who live together could share a table with, say, two grandparents, who live in a different house. Two households but eight people. 

 

Fair enough. Since the context appeared only to be discussing solo travelers sharing a table with other solo travelers, it seemed to me each of those solo travelers was by definition a household of one. That's where my confusion about households came from.

 

Here is the entire "Restaurants and bars" verbiage from the Cunard website.

 

Upon further review, that final sentence (which I quoted above) may be talking about the table sharing arrangements for both solo travelers and groups with linked bookings even though the subject of that final sentence is "Solo travelers".

 

Or who knows, perhaps they are envisioning a scenario where they might seat a solo traveler with another family group, not just other solo travelers. Hard for me to parse all the potential nuances, I'm afraid.

 

Restaurants and bars.

Dining on board one of our Queens will always be part of what makes a voyage with Cunard so special. All of our restaurants and bars will be open for you to enjoy on board.

All restaurants – including the Lido buffet – will feature table service, and we may change the dining options available in some venues as part of our enhanced well-being measures. But, rest assured you’ll have the opportunity to dress up and dine in style, or relax in more casual surroundings – the choice continues to be yours.

Please note, you’ll only be permitted to dine with your linked traveling group or household, up to a maximum number allowed by government guidelines at the time of sailing. Solo travelers who do not wish to dine independently will have the option to dine with other solo travelers on a socially-distanced table that we will arrange for you on board in groups of up to six people or two households.

Edited June 26, 2021 by bluemarble

[penlady]

2 hours ago, bluemarble said:

 

Fair enough. Since the context appeared only to be discussing solo travelers sharing a table with other solo travelers, it seemed to me each of those solo travelers was by definition a household of one. That's where my confusion about households came from.

 

Here is the entire "Restaurants and bars" verbiage from the Cunard website.

 

Upon further review, that final sentence (which I quoted above) may be talking about the table sharing arrangements for both solo travelers and groups with linked bookings even though the subject of that final sentence is "Solo travelers".

 

Or who knows, perhaps they are envisioning a scenario where they might seat a solo traveler with another family group, not just other solo travelers. Hard for me to parse all the potential nuances, I'm afraid.

 

Restaurants and bars.

Dining on board one of our Queens will always be part of what makes a voyage with Cunard so special. All of our restaurants and bars will be open for you to enjoy on board.

All restaurants – including the Lido buffet – will feature table service, and we may change the dining options available in some venues as part of our enhanced well-being measures. But, rest assured you’ll have the opportunity to dress up and dine in style, or relax in more casual surroundings – the choice continues to be yours.

Please note, you’ll only be permitted to dine with your linked traveling group or household, up to a maximum number allowed by government guidelines at the time of sailing. Solo travelers who do not wish to dine independently will have the option to dine with other solo travelers on a socially-distanced table that we will arrange for you on board in groups of up to six people or two households.

This sounds okay to me. I am the kind of person during the day I like the" alone time" traveling solo brings but come evening I enjoy dressing up and getting to meet people. I have to say one thing Cunard does not make it easy for a Solo traveler price wise. Lucky for me I think I am worth it or I would never be on board.

[Bigmike911]

I agree on your being worth it. I think I am too. I have two solo's planned for August 2022. By then hopefully the restrictions will have ended. Since I travel QG my fare doubles as a solo, but interestingly my nine day Southampton to Southampton booking was $10,000. less than the Viking Mississippi in a comparable accommodation for eight days on the Mississippi in 2023. 

[BlueRiband]

On 6/26/2021 at 6:23 PM, penlady said:

This sounds okay to me. I am the kind of person during the day I like the" alone time" traveling solo brings but come evening I enjoy dressing up and getting to meet people. I have to say one thing Cunard does not make it easy for a Solo traveler price wise. Lucky for me I think I am worth it or I would never be on board.

That's been my thinking in the past too.  But right now nobody is sure how dining for solos will work by the time QM2 starts sailing.  As of today, only Britannia first sitting will have assigned tables.  The former second sitting and those in the Grills will need to make reservations.  (Which is how they will maintain social distancing.)  Does each solo make a time reservation and do they have to just hope another solo reserved the same time? 

 

This "my time", "your time" and "anytime" dining turns me off to other lines.  As someone who does not have an outgoing and gregarious personality, the idea of having to find new dining companions every day is not appealing.   I looked forward to the assigned table with compatable dining companions.  When it goes well in the evening we were usually the last to leave.  After-dinner conversation will be cut short if the table is needed for another party. 

 

The dining situation is a deal-breaker for me.  I won't book if I have to sail under the current restrictions.

Edited July 1, 2021 by BlueRiband

[penlady]

7 hours ago, BlueRiband said:

That's been my thinking in the past too.  But right now nobody is sure how dining for solos will work by the time QM2 starts sailing.  As of today, only Britannia first sitting will have assigned tables.  The former second sitting and those in the Grills will need to make reservations.  (Which is how they will maintain social distancing.)  Does each solo make a time reservation and do they have to just hope another solo reserved the same time? 

 

This "my time", "your time" and "anytime" dining turns me off to other lines.  As someone who does not have an outgoing and gregarious personality, the idea of having to find new dining companions every day is not appealing.   I looked forward to the assigned table with

compatable dining companions.  When it goes well in the evening we were usually the last to leave.  After-dinner conversation will be cut short if the table is needed for another party. 

 

The dining situation is a deal-breaker for me.  I won't book if I have to sail under the current restrictions.

I booked my cruise today and was asked what time I would like to eat and what size of table and was

 

given a table for six.

[ddgarner1]

Solo dining is a deal breaker for me.  It's not worth it paying twice the fare and eating for one...   When Cunard and the governments involved make some sense of it all, I'll be back for a yearly crossing and a lovely month in London. 

My fondest memories of Cunard TAs are the evenings getting to know nine interesting people.  Each one remains memorable to me, even the lady from Florida who expressed disappointment that there were so few ballroom dancers amongst our table.

[exlondoner]

But nobody is saying you have to dine alone.

[Host Hattie]

I think there's been a misunderstanding somewhere, this is the current information on the Cunard website

 

 

[Lakesregion]

On 10/4/2021 at 1:34 PM, exlondoner said:

But nobody is saying you have to dine alone.

Spoke with a Cunard service rep this evening and she indicated that all a solo passenger has to do is request in their personal preference section of My Cunard prior to sailing a table for 8 - 10 ,second seating 8 pm and that information will be forwarded to the ship and you will receive a permanent reservation at the same table of that size for the full cruise. No need to make daily reservations and you will have the same table and tablemates for the full cruise. That certainly is better than having to reserve every day and not knowing where or with whom one will be seated. Assuming the nice customer service rep. knows from what she speaks.

[richard_london]

I've had mixed messages from Cunard on this.   It might be their policy is evolving, but I've been shifting a cruise around using their transfer policy.  When I shifted the cruise (back in July) I was originally on a table for six, and the agent said she wasn't sure how it would work with a solo passenger, so I just said to put me on a table on my own (which doesn't concern me).

 

I shifted it again (a few weeks ago) and have just paid the balance yesterday and the confirmation says "Sit With Singles".  So it does seem like it is possible, which is different from earlier. 

[ovccruiser]

This is where things, IMO, are questionable. I have just disembarked from QE after a trip around Britain, very enjoyable. In the Queens Room on that voyage they had, every night, ballroom dancing and on many occasions especially during a slow waltz, the floor was packed, no masks, no social distancing (how could you when dancing anyway 😂 ) so why social distancing would need to be observed in the dinning room baffles me. To board the ship we had to show proof of vaccination and have a lateral flow test just before getting on the ship.