hungry

Hi Everyone

Never ever thought of getting a Cruise before. But our Honeymoon to Vegas is cancelled, so we are doing a Cruise on the Queen Elizabeth from Southampton instead following our wedding in a couple weeks.

It is Cunard Summer Sun Voyage thing. No destination just Southampton to Southampton via (hopefully) sun sun sun

Just wanted any advice / tips for first time cruisers? We are looking forward to the Gala evenings. We will take our black tie outfits.

Is it worth purchasing the Drinks Package? We both like a good sherry or ten. It seems a bit stingy though. i.e. about £50 a day (eek!!!) per person, and you only get 15 drinks a day. And the wine is only 150ml measures!!!!! WHAT??

Anyone have any experience and can give any tips, would appreciate.

Cheers

mahasamatman

Cunard is very formal compared to other cruise lines, which we like. Men are required to wear a jacket to dinner in the dining room every night except the first. I highly recommend the alternative dining which is served in a reserved section of the King's Court. I don't think many people know about them, but they were better than the main dining room and far better than the Verandah.

I knew the Verandah would be bad when the server told us the chef recommended the ribeye medium-well to well-done. They also have a seafood feast for two, but it's served cold and really not worth the price.

We don't drink enough to make the packages worthwhile. We just order wine by the glass.

hungry

Thats really helpful mahasamatman, thanks so much for the tips. I believe our meals are included and we wont be looking to upgrade that. Is there multiple restaurants to choose from? And is the jacket required in all of them?

We only have the basic inside stateroom. A friend was very very generously willing to upgrade us to a balcony room as our wedding gift but they was sold out anyway.

Yes I agree, anyone recommending steak well done, or even medium, I would be cautious of

Just out of curiosity, how much is wine by the glass in the restaurant with dinner? (a normal 250ml glass not a ridiculous thimble size 150ml)?

radonc1

In my experience, most people simply buy a bottle of wine if they are going to be at the same dinner table for the entire cruise. The wait staff will cork and save what is not used one evening for the next.

For many cruises, this appeared to be the best option for both choice of wine and cost. (However, I have not been on Cunard specifically).

Secondly, while the balconies are "sold out", given the pandemic and the fluidity of reservations, I would definitely try to upgrade out of the inner cabin for a balcony. While I understand that you may make more use of the cabin than others, inside berths still are claustrophobic. Sunlight and scenery definitely add to the cruise experience.

teddybear99

The first cruise my wife and I did we did the inside cabin due to cost and lack of knowledge. There were times we would go to the cabin in the early afternoon to rest, and with the lights out, it was so peaceful and dark that we slept for hours, once missing dinner. Since then I have gotten a balcony cabin, and I enjoy resting during the day on the balcony with the sea and salt air blowing across, it is so relaxing. Sometimes at night while my wife is sleeping, I will sit on the balcony watching the stars and moon, as well as a rare time a ship would go by, sometimes in the same direction. So, I would follow radonc1's advice and try to upgrade. Sometimes, after the ship sets sail, they have no-shows, and will upgrade you at low cost, just need to say something at check-in so they could notify you or go by their service desk to inquire.

gretchendz

I agree about upgrading to a balcony if you can. Much more romantic and interesting. Depending on the current protocols, you can even have a dinner on your balcony.

Personally, I rarely do a drinks package. While I do drink, 15 per day for a "break even" point is more than I can handle

mahasamatman

You will be assigned a fixed table and seating time in the main dining room, and that's where the jackets are required. The buffet does not require jackets. We also enjoy having lunch in the pub.

They have a range, but I believe it's generally about $10-12/glass. As suggested above, you can also order a bottle and they'll keep it for you for multiple nights.

hungry

Thanks for the tips everyone. I will certainly enquire about an upgrade at check in.

I can’t see anywhere on their website about jacket required for dinner. It just says this:

maybe they have dropped that requirement?

mahasamatman

That would be a huge change, but I guess we live in a time of huge changes. Looks like they've also changed Gala Nights and removed the various theme nights like Masquerade Ball and Royal Ascot Ball.

YVR Cockroach

I wouldn't put too much hope into getting an upgrade on board through any means. I have inquired (on other Carnival family lines and other cruise lines) and it would appear the hotel crew are not really empowered and are instructed to charge a very high price (pretty much full-sticker). Best is to check your e-mail (if you booked directly) or consult your travel agent (if you booked through one) for upgrade offers which can be quite a bargain but you have to respond to the offers quickly. Usually done 1-2 weeks before hand. I've always booked through an (deep discount) agent and have never received an offer

Dining (and access to certain parts of the ship) is rather classist. You'll be it the lowest grade dining room (pax in suites have "grill" in the restaurant name IIRC) and have restricted (or rather no) access to parts of the ship if in lower tier cabins. It is said that an a minimum, being in some "grill" class cabin on Cunard is desirable for a nicer experience.

As for drinks, over priced and the package is generally not worth it unless you are a heavy drinker (will easily drink the allowance) and there are no port days to disrupt consumption (which appears to be so in your case). Prices are very high (a small glass of wine will cost a lot more than the same bottle at a supermarket). You could wander over to cruise critic and see if there are any recent examples of drink menus and prices. You may also be permitted to bring onboard a couple of bottles of wine, and possibly more that you have to pay a charge for but you will end up with (much) better wine for (much) less. No spirits or fortifieds permitted.

Though it wasn't a first choice, my wife and I have done an inside cabin for a trans-Pacific and found it perfectly fine (more so because the per person ped day cost was in the order of USD40-50. for transportation, room and full board (so yes, a drinks package for us would have cost us more than the cruise).

Again, wander over to Cruise Critic and see what the tips and tricks of Cunard are.

mahasamatman

Other than the dining rooms and one lounge, I can't think of any other locations that are restricted to Grill guests.

It's officially limited to one bottle per person. If you consume it in your room, there's no charge, but if you want to have it for dinner, you will be charged a corkage fee.

hungry

Thanks again everyone for all the tips! I believe this MAY have changed also. We was planning to take a couple of bottles of champagne and maybe some spirits for aperitif to be consumed whilst getting ready for the evening in our rooms. The official Cunard website no longer lists any limits on bringing booze on board to consume in ones room:

from : https://www.cunard.com/en-gb/frequen...faq390.summary

YVR Cockroach

That's a very pleasant (surprisingly so) change.

In such a case, I'd take what you want/willing to haul onboard, at least a bottle of wine for each meal. You'll have much better wine for meals and it'll be a lot cheaper than the drinks package.

Case in point. Was on a sister line of Cunard and stopped in Montalcino for a night en route to the modern port for Rome. Bought a bottle of Brunello of Banfi. Net cost to me including the corkage charge was something like US$47. By coincidence, the ship had the same vintage. Price was USD120 + 15-18% SC.

hungry

that is quite a difference in price !!

Antonio8069

IMO, Cruise Critic is the equivalent of FT for cruising..
I discoverd it in 2019, on a trans Pacific crossing. Passengers were posting from the Q+A session!