QM2 Westbound to New York, plus 7 days stopover in New Jersey

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Mervyn and Trish
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QM2 Westbound to New York, plus 7 days stopover in New Jersey

#1

Post by Mervyn and Trish »

Overall impressions

Our master plan for this trip was to travel by QM2 to New York and then extend our stay by seven days to stay with friends before returning by air. We wanted to return to Manchester and the supplement looked steep as we were expecting to have to get to Southampton and then back from the airport at the end, which might have been complicated/expensive involving trains or one way car hire at the start and a taxi at the end. However it turned out the supplement included an internal flight from Manchester to Southampton, which made things very simple with the car left at the airport.

Varying the flight to return a week later was very simple with a very small admin charge. Upgrading to Premium Economy to get a bit more space was more complicated. The usual Cunard direct flight to Manchester is by United and they don’t have a separate Premium cabin, just some premium seats. These can only be booked at seat selection stage, which can only be done when full payment is made, so we’d either have to gamble on them still being available six weeks before departure or pay the airline element in full up front. And to make matters worse they couldn’t tell either Cunard or us the cost of selecting them until we actually committed to the booking. It would be, we were told by United, between $99 and $500 per person, depending on aircraft type and route. Despite us telling them both (the information was on the website) they still couldn’t quote a price.

So we took the option of switching to British Airways via a change at Heathrow, which we were pleased we did. The Newark to Heathrow leg was a new (and I mean looked and smelled like it was straight off the production line) Dreamliner and it was excellent. Very comfortable in Premium Economy and quiet, windows like patio doors so the view over New York as we took off after dark was amazing, and excellent (by airline standards) food and service.

The whole package hung together smoothly, with the sole exception that Flybe were confused about our luggage allowance when we boarded the internal flight. Cunard had booked us a case each and we’d booked an extra one, and Flybe had lost the record of the former. However it was soon sorted. On the way back Premium Economy includes two bags each.

The only elements not included were a taxi from Southampton airport (where they have a very efficient system) to the port and (because we’d varied the flights and were classified as independent passengers) the transfers in New York. However as our friend was picking us up that wasn’t an issue.

But if you do similar be aware of the ludicrous mark up Cunard add if they book you a taxi. This was offered a couple of days before arrival and if I remember it was $149 for a taxi into NY from the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal where we docked. Inside the terminal the official regulated price posted on the wall was less than $50! It’s still expensive as it’s not that far, less than 9 miles to Times Square for example, but in NY you’re not paying so much for distance covered as time spent sitting in traffic.

Coming next the bad news – embarkation and disembarkation.

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Re: QM2 Westbound to New York, plus 7 days stopover in New Jersey

#2

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Cunard are always excellent at arranging flight deviations.

Looking forward to reading more about your trip..
Gill

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Re: QM2 Westbound to New York, plus 7 days stopover in New Jersey

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They were excellent Gill. The next bit's not so good!

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Re: QM2 Westbound to New York, plus 7 days stopover in New Jersey

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Embarkation and disembarkation.

I’ll take these two together because they were both shambolic.

By the time our flight got in and we’d transferred to the terminal it was around 2.20 and as we approached I said to Trish “at this time we might even walk straight into the terminal and straight onto the ship”

Wrong.

Very wrong.

As we entered the terminal (Ocean) there was hardly an empty seat and an air of chaos. We were given our coloured cards, not even the same colour as the first group called when we finally found somewhere to sit. More than half an alphabet away!

There was very little communication going on and it was only after we’d been sitting a long while that there was muttering of technical problems.

It was almost two hours before we were finally called to check-in. The longest wait we’ve ever had with any cruise line on any occasion, including the P&O 175 bash where every passenger other than us seemed to have priority boarding!

On the plus side our cases were in our cabin when we finally got there.

Disembarkation was even worse, partly the fault of the usual laborious US immigration process, but exacerbated by some quite bonkers decisions and poor management by Cunard.

Apart from priority passengers, self-helpers and those with early onward transfers booked by Cunard, disembarkation is by deck – no choice, no negotiation. And Murphy’s Law is that we were the penultimate deck to disembark. We were thrown out of cabin’s at 8.30 and send to wait in the Queen’s Room until 10.40 (ha ha) which was very comfortable (except see below).

When P&O do similar there’s usually a crew member in the lounge to keep you informed of progress. We saw no-one until 10.35, 5 minutes before our scheduled time, when someone turned up to announce that due to long lines at the immigration desks we were bring kept on the ship for our comfort and would be half an hour late getting off (ha ha).

Now the deal in NY is this. Everyone on the ship has to go through immigration before any passenger is allowed back on. That includes passengers doing the round trip, who have no wish to set foot on US soil. They have to get off, go through immigration, then sit in the embarkation lounge until they get the all clear. It also includes the crew.

None of that is Cunard’s fault. What is, however, is their decision to push the crew through immigration and back onto the ship before all the passengers who are actually leaving had done so. That is over 1000 unnecessarily in the queue in front of us. Why not let them do their various tasks (making up cabins, prepping food, oiling the engine, whatever) and then do their immigration after the departing passengers have gone? They’ll still be back on board long before any passengers get back on for the next trip.

And on top of that, what did they decide to do? A crew drill in the middle of the disembarkation! So the previously comfortable Queen’s Room was suddenly full of crew in life jackets doing their drill, which made movement to go and grab a coffee to pass the time, or to skip to the loo, pretty difficult.

We were finally an hour late getting off, only to find that actually immigration was moving pretty smoothly.

Coming next, the news gets better with impressions of the ship itself.

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Re: QM2 Westbound to New York, plus 7 days stopover in New Jersey

#5

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Oh dear, not so good.
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Re: QM2 Westbound to New York, plus 7 days stopover in New Jersey

#6

Post by Raybosailor »

Sounds like you had a bit of bovver Mervyn, we want to do the opposite fly BHX to NY and cruise back as I hate long haul flights. This way I will have 7 days in NY to get over the flight and a leisurely cruise back to Southampton plus Eavesway coach return to Trowell Service area which is two fields away from our house.

Hope you have more to say about the rest of your holiday particularly the time spent in the Big Apple, looking forward to hearing more.

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Re: QM2 Westbound to New York, plus 7 days stopover in New Jersey

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Post by Mervyn and Trish »

It gets much better later. You've had all the bad news

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Re: QM2 Westbound to New York, plus 7 days stopover in New Jersey

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The ship

We’ve been on QM2 once before, for a four-nighter, and our impressions then are unchanged by this trip. She is a ship in a class of her own. Apart from the technicality of being the last true ocean liner (everything else, including her sisters Victoria and Elizabeth, being cruise ships) she is big, with comparatively few passengers for that size, so feels uncrowded and spacious for most of the time. And, despite not being that graceful outside, inside she is elegant.

Her interior has a lot of shiny dark wood and mostly her public spaces are generous. The exceptions are her Commodore Club, the equivalent of a P&O Crow’s Nest, which is smaller by comparison, and she seems short of pool space compared to other large ships. Having said that, her pools (the water bit anyway) were never crowded. That may be different in hotter weather. But, as seems the norm these days, the sunbeds round her inside pool were generally full – partly with fully clothed people clearly with no intention of swimming at all, but more so with towels, tatty paper backs and other personal items. If you actually wanted to swim there was usually nowhere to drop a towel or a robe while you did so, or laze and dry off afterwards. It seems Cunard passengers are as selfish as any others in that regard. We’ll give three cheers for the first cruise line to make a rule, and enforce it, that sunbeds in the close vicinity of the pool are reserved for swimmers only. Or perhaps I’ll just have to start splashing a lot!

But back to the Commodore Club, it was very pleasant for a pre or post dinner drink. It’s only downside, apart from size, is that it is below the bridge, rather than above on the P&O ships, so blinds have to be kept closed as soon as the light fades in the interests of preserving the bridge officers’ night vision. A shame as we quite like peering out into the night.

I’ll return to entertainment venues and restaurants later, but a brief word on the cabin. We had what is classed as a sheltered balcony cabin. That means it is low down, below the promenade deck, with a steel, rather than glass front to keep the Atlantic at bay. A plus is it was deeper than those higher up, with plenty of space. Midships as we were the cabin was very stable. Internally it was identical to other balcony cabins, with adequate storage for a week or two’s trip and a shower rather than bathroom. The shower room was pretty small and the shower curtain too short to prevent water wetting the shower room floor every time we used it, so we got through a lot of soggy bath mats. The cabin was okay and the bed comfortable but we felt it wasn’t as good as balcony cabins we’ve had on other ships. There was a good supply of toiletries, which were re-plenished later in the week.

We thought we remembered QM2 having interactive TVs where you could choose your own music etc. but it certainly didn’t this time, so either we mis-remembered or something has changed. The channels we did have were the usual cruise ship fare, nothing special. We did keep Sky News for the entire crossing.
We also had good wi-fi in the cabin. Officially it is only in public areas and not guaranteed in the cabins. But we were on deck 5, with public rooms on 7 above and 3 below so it was so solid, and reasonably fast for a shipboard service.

There are no tv/coffee facilities in the cabin, but when we ordered a pot of tea from room service it never took longer than 10 minutes to arrive. And apparently self-brew facilities are on the list for the big refit now underway. All cabins get slippers and robes, but the better cabins get fluffier ones!
Another quick comment on the refit. This was the penultimate crossing, and the last westbound, before the major refit, so we have worried that maybe the ship would be looking tired. Well yes if you looked closely you could see the odd furnishings that were becoming worn, but overall she was still looking very good.

Coming next food.

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Re: QM2 Westbound to New York, plus 7 days stopover in New Jersey

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Post by Mervyn and Trish »

Food

We ate in the MDR, second sitting, most nights, with most breakfasts and lunches in the Kings Court buffet, and one evening in the select dining venue, Todd English.

Overall we were happy with the food. In fact first impression of the MDR was that it was better than P&O. However, as the week went on, we decided it was actually about on par, with some pluses and minuses, but the plus we’d first noted was probably down to novelty with different menus. MDR was pre-plated, which suited us fine, with dishes nicely presented and not over piled. The only times we felt portions were disappointing was when I ordered cheese as my dessert course and that too was pre-plated and miniscule for a cheese-o-holic. I prefer a choice of cheese from the cheeseboard. One of our table mates had to complain one night when he ordered a pasta dish with a clam sauce. He picked out and counted the tiny clams – five! But it was quickly rectified and became the running joke with the waiters for the rest of the week.

The after dinner coffee was better than P&O in that Trish prefers decaf and in contrast with P&O, where that comes as a sachet of instant topped up with hot water, here it actually came out of a pot. As a side note decaf was also an alternative on tap in the buffet.

The petit fours with coffee were pretty insipid. Not a decent chocolate in sight!

We were very happy with our second sitting and had possibly the best bunch of table companions ever. We did think about booking the Britannia Club cabins, which give you basically the same cabin and food but with a single flexible sitting – freedom dining with the benefit of knowing you never have to wait for your table. But the downside is that, as far as I could see, the cabins are high and forward, so not a good choice for Trish as a not great sailor.

The buffet was good for breakfast, other than some days plates were cold, however we couldn’t quite put a finger on it but didn’t find it terribly inspiring for lunch. There were some extra choices most days but generally it seemed, well, boring.

The buffet layout is a bit confusing too, with different sections along much of the length of deck 7, but some of them with seats and no serveries. Perhaps you get used to it in time but we never did. It is, however, another thing on the agenda for a major redesign at the refit, so it’s perhaps not just us.

While we dally on deck 7, by the way, outside the windows is a full wraparound teak promenade deck. That’ll please some.

Now on to Todd English, which we booked for one night. Well it was okay. The service was good as was the food, but it didn’t feel as big a step up from the MDR as some of the P&O venues we are familiar with. That, however, looks to be ready for change. It’s to be renamed The Veranda, in honour of a venue on the original Queen Mary, and, according to a waitress we were chatting to, is going up a gear to Michelin standards of food and service, so perhaps the current concept is simply a bit dated in relation to the competition.

One further note on food. Although we didn’t use it there is a wide room service menu, which includes cooked breakfasts. On a longer trip we might well have tried it.

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Re: QM2 Westbound to New York, plus 7 days stopover in New Jersey

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Post by Mervyn and Trish »

Just a quick add at this point on dress codes.

If you don't like formal, forget Cunard. On seven nights we had three black tie and two informal, where a jacket but not a tie is required. The codes apply to most of the ship, are well observed and as far as I could see well enforced.

There was the odd casual dresser among the two thousand plus passengers but they didn't get within a mile of the MDR, the select dining venues, or most of the bars. If you're a jeans and t-shirt in the evening person you'll stick out like a sore thumb.

Other cruise lines are available!

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Re: QM2 Westbound to New York, plus 7 days stopover in New Jersey

#11

Post by Gill W »

I'm finding your reports very interesting.

I would like to try Cunard at some point - I'm sure I'll be in steerage rather than 'grills', so reading about the experience from a steerage point of view is very helpful.
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Re: QM2 Westbound to New York, plus 7 days stopover in New Jersey

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Post by Mervyn and Trish »

Hi Gill. Yes of course the Grills get better cabins and some perks, but they pay well for them. Overall we were very happy with the steerage experience and can't imagine ever forking out to upgrade. And 90% of what they get is the same - entertainment, bars etc

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Re: QM2 Westbound to New York, plus 7 days stopover in New Jersey

#13

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We were steerage on QM2 (not even a window!!) but thoroughly enjoyed her. She is definitely more formal than P&O so not suitable for those who get a rash at the thought of a DJ. Unfortunately the Cunard itineraries are all a bit samey or fly cruise but sailing QM2 is very much worthwhile if you fancy elegance and style.
Thanks for your reviews Mervyn.

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Re: QM2 Westbound to New York, plus 7 days stopover in New Jersey

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Post by Mervyn and Trish »

Entertainment

We thought Cunard was really off the pace at night in the theatre.

During the day there were plenty of choices to while away the sea days, though quite a few at extra cost. There were lectures, several a day, some good and fresh, some very familiar to regular cruisers, but a good selection to choose from.

There were films, quizzes etc. and of course QM2’s unique at sea planetarium. The shows there were good, but there were only two variations across the week and you had to be in the queue before 9 to get tickets, which were limited and gone by 9.10. Fortunately one of our table mates was an early riser and offered to get them for all of us. Ta muchly.

Some of the priced activities were frankly bonkers. Take the wine tasting, at a “nominal charge”. What does that mean to you? $10? $20? Even $30? No, it was $100 per person. Even at Cunard prices you could buy three whole bottles for that. Better than half a dozen mouthfuls any day! Funnily enough wine tasting re-appeared later in the week with a nominal charge of $40. Still too much for meany me.

So back to the evening, and the theatre. There was one “meet the entertainment staff” show, which we dodged, two production shows, one of those dangling from the ceiling on silk scarves things, and three guest artistes. The production shows we thought were not a patch on the Headliners, one in particular seeming very disjointed.

The first of the three guest artistes was Stuart Gillies. Remember him from Opportunity Knocks? No me neither, but he had a hit in 1973 and apparently was big in Jersey, where he now lives. This was his farewell cruise and frankly the time is right.

Next off was Mike Doyle, familiar to many cruisers. We like him but his evening show was a bit flat, with an unresponsive, half American, audience which he struggled to get to grips with. He was ten times better a couple of days later when he did a sort of “audience with” interview with the cruise director, with a packed house and which turned into a brilliant stand up show.

The big finish, on the last night, was a solo violinist. Doesn’t seem right for the big finale. She might have been brilliant, but we didn’t bother. As we hadn’t with the dangly from the ceiling thing. On those nights they did the thing we hate of doing an early before dinner show for the second sitting. That really doesn’t suit us. We prefer late sitting because we like to get ready in a leisurely way and then go for a drink before dinner at 8.30. If you’ve got to be ready for a 7pm show it screws up our routine. So PLEASE DON’T DO IT!!!!

Where QM2 really scores is dancing. The Queen’s Room is their dedicated ballroom and was packed with dancers every night. A note for the single ladies – if you didn’t already know, Cunard has half a dozen male dance hosts waiting to while the unaccompanied women round the floor, and they seemed pretty busy. And the refit includes some new single cabins.

Musicians on board were good, whether it was the Orchestra or the smaller outfits. There was one band who played in the disco most nights who were really good and kept the floor full.

There was certainly no shortage of choices at most times of the day, so apart from the disappointing theatre shows we’d give entertainment a pretty good rating.

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Re: QM2 Westbound to New York, plus 7 days stopover in New Jersey

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Post by Mervyn and Trish »

The ports of call

Well there was only one. New York. Assuming you don’t count Southampton.

We wondered how we’d cope with six sea days in a row. The answer is very well. Never short of a thing to do, even if it was, too often, eating or drinking.

Of the sea days two were mill pond days. For the rest the wind got up to gale force and the sea to rough, but good old QM2 took it very much in her stride and we were never remotely uncomfortable.

For us there were two reasons to do this trip, to sail in to New York, and to spend time with friends in New Jersey. And the sail in didn’t disappoint. We sailed under the harbour bridge at 5am, with what looked like a couple of inches clearance but I guess it’s more. As far as I know they’ve never lost the funnel. Then we sailed past the illuminated Statue of Liberty before the sun rose over the New York skyline as we turned to reverse into the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal. It’s a shame we didn’t go further up the river to berth nearer the city centre. Maybe it’s just so they can flog their expensive taxis and tours!

We were staying outside New York at Peapack in New Jersey but we did come back in later in the week to do part of the city. We concentrated on the area round the Twin Towers memorial (incredibly moving), Battery Park on the tip of the island, and a wander up part of Broadway. In reality we hardly scratched the surface.

It was my first visit to NY, and I’d always thought I might feel it threatening. As it was I loved it and at some point we will return to do more – possibly sailing home on QM2 next time.

New Jersey was glorious, not least because my friend there is a chef, so our eating stepped up a gear even after the voyage. And in his spare time he rebuilt and restored an MGB, which amazingly we were free to use. Who’d have thought my first venture onto US roads would be at the wheel of a classic British car with my initials on the bonnet?

So here’s the conundrum. Do you sail west and get the sail in to NY, or east and arrive home without jet lag? We did it this way because we wanted the sail in experience, but next we might well fly in and boat home. Be warned though, it’s a better bargain going west, because the clock goes back five times and you get five 25 hour days! Great for catching on sleep after a late night. Going east you get five 23 hours days, so overall you get 10 hours less for your money, and wake up tired most days!

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Re: QM2 Westbound to New York, plus 7 days stopover in New Jersey

#16

Post by Gill W »

I'm not keen on those dangling silk scarf shows - I don't mind a bit of it as part of a show, but a whole show of it is a bit much for me. I seem to remember the name Stuart Gillies from a previous cruise.... but the only thing I remember was that he seemed a bit past his sell by date, even then.

Mike Doyle went down a storm on Oceana recently - but obviously, it was an all British audience, who were up for being entertained.

But it's all been very interesting, and I will try Cunard at some point

Thank you!
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Re: QM2 Westbound to New York, plus 7 days stopover in New Jersey

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Post by Mervyn and Trish »

The class system

I know some people don’t like the idea of Cunard because of their class system where their “Grills” passengers (suites and mini-suites to the rest of us) get exclusive access to some parts of the ship. Well forget it. Their exclusive bit of deck is pretty small and no better than the steerage areas.

Yes they get a different menu in their restaurants, but they pay plenty for it. And they’re not allowed to sneak in and sit at your dinner table any more than you can theirs!

Plus, the peasants' Britannia Restaurant is comfortably away from prying eyes on decks 2 and 3. The Grills restaurants are on Deck 7 (remember the wrap round Prom?) where you can wander past the windows and watch them eating like animals at the zoo!

And they get a lounge you can spy on as you wander by too.

So overall I’m not overly excited about their exclusive areas and certainly not going to get hung up about it.

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Re: QM2 Westbound to New York, plus 7 days stopover in New Jersey

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Post by Mervyn and Trish »

Value for money

We thought the voyage itself was pretty good value for money. Around £3800 for two of us. Yes, a bit more expensive than 7 nights up the Fjords in an equivalent cabin but bear in mind that included two Premium Economy flights home and the internal Manchester to Southampton leg.

Where it does get expensive is on board. Remember the $100 nominal charge for sipping half a dozen samples of wine? Tips are $11.50 per person per day in steerage, that’s 50% more than P&O. And drinks come with a 15% surcharge. Shops aren’t cheap either. I don’t smoke but there was nothing drinks wise in the duty free shop that I couldn’t get for less at Sainsburys at home.

And the other factor too – exchange rates. Whatever you spend you have to convert back to Sterling at some point which, depending on the deal you get, can add a chunk more.

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Re: QM2 Westbound to New York, plus 7 days stopover in New Jersey

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Post by Mervyn and Trish »

In summary

Despite the embarkation and disembarkation nonsense we loved it and will almost certainly do it again in the other direction. Would we do Cunard’s other more ordinary ships, Elizabeth and Victoria (essentially Arcadia with different wallpaper)? I don’t know. It would depend on itinerary and if they offered something special we might. And we might too if P&O go any further down the casual route. So watch this space.

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Re: QM2 Westbound to New York, plus 7 days stopover in New Jersey

#20

Post by sunseeker16 »

That was a nice review - thank you. It sounds like you had an overall very nice cruise/holiday too.

We've done Cunard once - QV 14 nights to the Baltic. Very nice. There's a review on here somewhere. I'd be more than happy to do another, sometime, though there's seldom a price advantage over P&O and, like you I suspect, I don't think it's good vfm to pay a hefty 'Cunard premium'

I've got a fancy for the Cunard Transatlantic thing - one day!

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Re: QM2 Westbound to New York, plus 7 days stopover in New Jersey

#21

Post by Mervyn and Trish »

Just one quick add - forgot it above.

The loyalty scheme. On Cunard we are Gold Members. But don't get over excited. You get that after a certain number of days aboard or 2 cruises, so we achieved it on two previous trips, 4 nights on QM2 and 3 nights on QE2! The biggest benefit we got was two hours free internet time, and I know some people wish P&O did likewise. Just to point out that it saved us $47.95. Our P&O 8.5%, with no freebie internet time, would have saved us $76.33! So be careful what you wish for.

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Re: QM2 Westbound to New York, plus 7 days stopover in New Jersey

#22

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You'll have to do a few more Merv to get to Diamond level then you will enjoy eight hours free internet time ( you could live blog for us ) which equates to a value of about $168 ( each ) you will also get a complimentary Wine Tasting .. gosh I didn't realise it cost $100 I usually give mine away :o and also a complimentary lunch in Todd English ( although I believe this will become the Verandah when the refit is done )
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Re: QM2 Westbound to New York, plus 7 days stopover in New Jersey

#23

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Mervyn and Trish wrote:
The class system

I know some people don’t like the idea of Cunard because of their class system where their “Grills” passengers (suites and mini-suites to the rest of us) get exclusive access to some parts of the ship. Well forget it. Their exclusive bit of deck is pretty small and no better than the steerage areas.

Yes they get a different menu in their restaurants, but they pay plenty for it. And they’re not allowed to sneak in and sit at your dinner table any more than you can theirs!

Plus, the peasants' Britannia Restaurant is comfortably away from prying eyes on decks 2 and 3. The Grills restaurants are on Deck 7 (remember the wrap round Prom?) where you can wander past the windows and watch them eating like animals at the zoo!

And they get a lounge you can spy on as you wander by too.

So overall I’m not overly excited about their exclusive areas and certainly not going to get hung up about it.

Ahhh that old chestnut, the good old 'Class System' which doesn't actually exist except in the minds of those who like to ram it down your throat so I won't mention any names :lol: :yawn:

It's a bit like those who make out they live in a mansion only to put their house on the market and you realise it isn't quite as it has been described .. makes you wonder what planet these people are on :roll: :wave:

I would disagree with you on one point though, Grill passengers can eat in the Britannia restaurant if they so wish albeit not at an allocated table but it is allowed.
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Mervyn and Trish
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Re: QM2 Westbound to New York, plus 7 days stopover in New Jersey

#24

Post by Mervyn and Trish »

Dancing Queen wrote:
I would disagree with you on one point though, Grill passengers can eat in the Britannia restaurant if they so wish albeit not at an allocated table but it is allowed.
I stand corrected! :) But would they want to eat with us riff raff? :crazy:

Having said that I did hear one Grills passenger complaining bitterly about the food the previous night!
Last edited by Mervyn and Trish on 31 May 2016, 17:20, edited 1 time in total.

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GillD46
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Re: QM2 Westbound to New York, plus 7 days stopover in New Jersey

#25

Post by GillD46 »

A very good review and I agree with Jo about Grills passengers eating in th Britannia. It can definitely be done. The other thing I would say is regarding the prices.

A couple of years ago, we booked the Black Sea on Queen Victoria, in a Q5 (second cheapest cabin/ suite in the Queen's Grill, one of those with a wrap around balcony at the stern) Aurora was doing exactly the same itinerary just a few days later or earlier, I can't remember which now. Aurora's cruise entry level suite was over £1,000 pp more expensive than the Queen Victoria Q5, with Aurora having just the main dining room. The food in the Grills is very differnet if selected from the A la carte menu, or ordered off menu, so P&O was VERY much more expensive for a LOT less.
Gill

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