Yes, thats a great deal........ As an ex TA who specialised in cruises, I had many dealings with Cunard offers and this is one of the better ones that I've seen.

Sandi
x

Hi Everybody I was lucky enough to sail on the Q.M.2 on Nov.20th 2005 and before I went I wanted to ask so many question about the Q.M.2 but could find no body that had sailed on her, so now I am in the position I can now answer all (well most) the questions that you have got about the chance of a lifetime cruise that everybody can afford. I sailed from Southapton to New York (6 days) then onto Las Vegas for a futher 5 days, (reviews submitted on both breaks).
So if I can be of any help please feel free to ask your question, happy sailing to all.....................Brian

Hi everybody its me again, I thought I would put a few lines together about joining the Q.M. 2 at Southampton as I can appreciate this could cause problems for some people. The follwing is mostly good points but some are advised to avoid.
I live in North Lincolnshire, so I decided to travel by car to Manchester Airport the evening before (19th Nov.) and park my car and stopped at the Airport Hotel (only £29 for the room for the night) The following morning we arrived at the airport at 7am ready for the 8.30am flight to Heathrow, we was lucky, we got 2 vacant seats on the 7.10am flight instead, giving us plenty of time at Heathrow airport. From here we got picked up by special coach direct to Southampton Docks (arranged by Cunard, but im sure it is available for all passengers travelling on the Q.M.2) the one way fare was £40 per person, ours was paid in our package. Its approx. 1 hour travel to the docks, we arrived at the Q.M.2 at 3pm (by the way, our suitcases went on in front of us on a lorry and was put on the ship and taken straight to our cabin and was there when we got there. With over 3 hours early that gave us plenty of time to explore the Q.M.2 before we sailed (6.30pm)

The actual sailing across the Atlantic is put in review, please read.
Now if you are just going to New York for the 1 or 2 day or coming straight back to the U.K. then you got no problems as all you transfers to Hotel and to airport of departure are included in you price you paid, but if like us, you are going else were in U.S.A. (we went to Las Veagas for 5 days) then you have to make yous own transfer arrangements which can all be done and paid for at the Pursers Office on the Q.M.2 But words of caution, we took a Sedan from docks to Newark airport, this was a rip off as we paid $115 usa dollars each and the journy was less than 30 minutes, there is coaches availabe from the docks to Newark Airport at $42 each, but my advice to you is to get a Yellow Cab which will cost you approx $70 for the cab fo a maximum of 4 passengers, so try to find out whilst on the ship if any other couple are transfering to the same airport as you, that way it only costs approx $35 per couple. I do have the current price of transfers from the N.Y. docks to other departure points ie Midtown Manhattan, Lagardia Airport, J.F.K. airport all available on request.

Transfering to Las vegas? Newark airport is a very large airport, the largest in America for there domestic flights, so dont make the same mistake as us, we told the Sedan driver that we was flying on to Las Vegas and for him to make sure that he dropped us at the correct terminal, he didnt and we had to walk nearly 1 mile to the correct terminal was I annoyed?
On arrival at Las Vegas airport, another very large airport and approx 1 mile to get uot the airport to the taxi rank.
The taxi from the airport to the Luxor Hotel was $10 and the Luxor is one of the nearest hotels to the airport so if you are stopping at a hotel further up the "Strip" then I should think it will cost you upwards of $20 or more if you are stopping at the "Stratasphere Hotel" which is far end of the "strip" sorry, they call it "Las Vegas Boulevard" now a days.

On my return we flew from Las Vegas direct back to Gatwick airport and flew with "Virgin Airlines", Great airline, with tv in back of every seat with at least 7 top movies on veiw. On arrival back to Gatwick (flying time, 9 hours 40 minutes) then internal flight back to Manchester to pick up my car.
Well folks I hope this small bit of information is of any use to you would be travellers on the Q.M.2 some time in the future. regards....Brian

hi everyone, any body going on the above cruise? would love to hear from you if you are. I have been on Q.M.2 before on Transatlantic crossing in Nov.05...Brian61uk

Hi

We have booked to go on the Queen Mary 2, on a cruise from New York around the Caribbean back to NewYork for 12 nights.

Has any body done this trip ?

What was the flight like ?
Anything you can think of just let us know, eager for any info

regards

Mr B

** Edit to remove unauthorised signature. luci HT Mod **

I recently sailed on the Queen Mary 2 on a Med. cruise and it was fantastic and well worth the experience but i would like to mention a couple of draw back for would be cruisers going on this ship.
First, when checking in at Southampton you have to produce your credit card and they take the details and your photo then give you a credid type card back, this is the key to your cabin and also covers you for any other purchases on board, but a couple of thing they dont tell you that at the end of the cruise you are charged $11 per day (about £9 per day) to cover for tips and also when you get back home you will find on your bank statement that not only have they deducted the full amount of purchaces inc,. the tip money but also deducted every purchace again on your bank statement, example: you spend £300 on board then another £300 is itemised for each purchase, this of course is not deducted from your balance and is credited back to you so the moral is if you only have £300 in your bank at the start of the cruise you could end up been overdrawn by £300 for a few days and the bank could charge you for been overdrawn.
there is one way you can avoid these draw back, first, when booking your cruise tell the travel agent that you wish to pay your own tip on board and secondly instead of using your credit card leave a deposit of the £300 or whatever amount of cash you want when checking in.
I hope all you would be cruisers in the future find this iimformation helpful.

Brian61uk

Was this your first cruise?

standard practice to use a CC for your on board account including spends the tips etc. are in the T&C and are optional.

Not sure what you mean by your bank is debited since you were using a credit card so at the end of the cruise there is a total charged to the CC.

(not a good idea to use a DEBIT card)

No this was not my first cruise on the Q.M.2 i went on the trasatlantic sailing in Nov. 2005 and again I was not informed by the travel agent about the option of paying the tips, that is why I was advising other cruise travellers to check when you book, this also applies to the Royl Carribean lines.
double banking? you say you dont understand what I mean, well I do my banking on the internet and when I got home I checked my account and found that I was over £400 difference in my account and phoned the bank to find out why because I thought my card may have been used illeagaly, the bank told me that this stopping double money is what Cunard do to ensure the person has enough money in the account to meet all expenses.
you say D.D. card are inadvisable to use but when you have only that type of card then there is not much choice but in future when I book a cruise I will notify T.A. that I will pay all my own tips and that I will put cash up front when checking in.
Hoping that this clarifies the situation........Brian61uk

I think that does clear things up, looks like you used a debit card and they will put hold on funds the same as they do on a credit card which makes the funds unavailable for other purposes.

Look like Cunard changed the tipping policy since last time you sailed, always worth checking the booking conditions since they do change but it helps if the TA tells you.

It may be worth having a credit card for these occattions because the holds only stop you spending money over the limit but do not affect your regular accounts which may have things like direct debit to pay essential bills.

You can still pay the bill in cash so never actualy have a CC bill that needs paying.

CC is the most convenient way to manage the systems with the cruise ships.

Have just returned from QM2 trans crossing to New York my 4th cruise on her but my first into the new Brooklyn berth and it was a nightmare waited 2 1/2 hours in a thunder storm for a taxi to transfer into Manhattnan I had read on Ship Happens that there was a problem with the docking out there but Cunard and the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal assured me that they had an abundance of taxis and private cars but that was not the case the New York taxi driver told me they seldom go out that far and on a wet morning they never come they can make three times the fares just driving around Manhattan
Once you leave the ship you are on your own Cunard are to busy preparing for the next paying guests

I hope you have informed Cunard. What a frustrating end to what I expect was a great few days cruise.

I had just read the comments on the problem OP had with the tips etc on the QM2. Also regarding the charges to their account and billing.

It tells you in all the information from QM2 that an $11 per day will be added to your account and this is readily available to see on your TV in the staterooms. Under Folio

It also tells you in the information on the daily newsletters that it is at your discreation and that you can opt to have this charge removed from your bill and this is what I always do. The recommended amount of $11 is distributed to the Cabin Steward your Waiter and Busboy an amount is also given to the Asst M'd and the Chief Housekeeper.

I want to tip the people who look after me and anyone who gives me good service. I asked my Waiter which method was best for him and he told me that it was entirely up to me. When I pressed him for an answer he said it was more benificial to him for me to tip directly.

This I did and believe me I tipped much much more than the $11 per day recommended. I don't know if you are aware that the pay to the waiter and cabin steward is $50 per month Yes $50 this is standard practice across the industry! If a cabin steward has anyone to assist him as in Celebrity then the Cabin Steward pays his assistant out of his tips.
The staff who are not in direct contact with passengers are paid a salary as are the staff in the self service buffet.

Cunard do not allow the cabin steward to have any help with the exception of change over days. This is absolutely and totally up to date and absolutely true.

I cruised on Cunard about 6 years ago and at that time you can also ask to have the tips removed. The tip recommeded at this time was $10 per day.

All that is necessary is to go to the Pursers desk and ask. They have a form which they complete and you sign. You will then see the tips added but a day or so later this will show as a minus on your account. You simply have to look at the TV. If you are in any way unsure how to use the facilities on your TV your cabin steward will assist you with this.

You may email from your room and I was unsure about this and had it explained without any problem.
I have cruised around 30 times with P&O Princess Cunard RCI Celebrity over the past 9 years.
The situation with Cunard is nothing to do with your TA. This situation is entirely to do with the on board situation. You simply need to go and request it. RCI and Celebrity will quote a price including tips and you at the time of booking or even later you can ask to have these included or not included. Part of this is to do with some years ago I remember an elderly lady was not aware that she should tip in cash and was upset because she did not have enough cash with her. I told her to tip what she could afford.
When I returned I contacted RCI and told them about this lady's distress. This was in 1997 and at this time they gave a talk telling people WHAT to tip and that this was these member of staff's wages.
The following year they offered the option of pre payment of tips. They then give you a voucher which you can then give to the people involved. These tips go directly to the staff at the end of each cruise. In fact the tips are given to the staff on the morning that your are given the voucherrs so they already have that money in their hand. How do I know? Because I made it my business to find out exactly how the system worked.
There are always people who go at the last minute and remove their tips and pay NOTHING or they do not go to the dining room on the last night and therefore dodge the tips!! I know this also to be absolutely true.

If I went into a restaurant and had a good meal I would have perhaps a service charge added to my bill or if not I would tip around 10% or even a little more if the service was good. $3.50 per day is the sort of accepted per day charge this is less than £2.
In my opinion not an unreasonable amount and you can shoot me down if you like but I would give a taxi driver a tip of at least 10% just as I would in many other services. eg Hairdressers
I tip generously much more than the recommended amount and when I consider what I get for the money a cruise costs me ie everything except alcohol I consider it the best value for money and much more than any land based holiday could offer me.

I also was cruising solo and have a hefty 100% supplement and still it is better value for money than any other holiday can offer me. I have a further cruise booked for October with Celebrity and did a Transatlantic holiday with Celebrity on Millennium in March of this year.

I appreciate that not everyone is in my position financially and I very much agree with Windjammer that it is a good idea if you do not have a credit card to get one. Nationwide which is about is one of the very few card which makes no charge for use abroad. Most cards have a hidden 2.5% charge which is hidden in the exchange of currency and so not obvious. Look at the Martin Lewis Web site he is the moneyexpert who is often on the TV talking about all sorts of money saving ways. I get an email from him on a weekly basis with all the possible saving that can be made for almost everything.

Sorry this is such a long post but I do hope that some of you may find it useful and I am not preaching to anyone as this is neither my intention to but that rather that you may find it helpful. I would not presume to tell anyone what they should do but I think the Martinlewismoneysaving web site will save you money in many ways as it has done me.

For bank charges you would find a template of a letter to send to reclaim your bank charges if you have ever had them/ For me I have never been overdrawn or incurred any charges but other hints on Telephone internet electricity charges etc etc. I have said enough and no I dont have a vested interest and this site is free and only depends on adverts for income.

Sue

When we were on the Sea Princess we could also opt out of the tips being automatically added to our account on a daily basis. We opted to reduce them by half and to tip our cabin steward and waiter/bus boy directly. Most of the British passengers onboard removed the tips altogether.

However, we did hear that if you removed your tips and tipped the staff directly, they had to hand over any amount up to the recommended tipping amount and could only keep anything over this.

luci

With Princess because they have several restaurants and you can eat in the any time dining room they operate a policy that they must hand the tips in. These tips are divided and given to the staff at the end of each cruise. If however you wish to tip individuals over and above and give this tip to your cabin steward then this is extra and he may keep this. I did this and clarified it with the Guest relations.

What I did with a particular South Africian wonderful Waiter that worked in the anytime dining room and I cruised with her on Golden Princess and 6 months later on Island Princess I bought her a very nice Silver Bracelet. She was delighted with this gift and really appreciated it.

But you are right and if you dine in the anytime dining room and you give them an envelope they will ask you for your room number.

Sue

Hi,
This is my very first posting so fingers crossed! We're sailing home from New York on QM 2 Oct 08, and hopefully someone can help me with the following queries:

What is the tipping situation? I know tips can be pre-paid, but have heard that extra is taken off daily in some form or another. I've also heard it's possible to bar these by reporting to the Purser's desk to 'opt out' on the first day (and ONLY the first day) of the trip.

Can liqueur be purchased in a shop on board - or brought on - for a nightcap in the cabin?

How strict is the dress code for men? Would a lounge suit suffice for formal evenings?

Any other advice would be most gratefully received, and thanks to any kind contributors in advance!

DS

Hi DS and welcome to HT!

I have merged your post with an existing topic on the QM2 which has some information on tipping in earlier posts.

luci

Yes is the answer to a few of the questions. I would not normally pre pay tips with Cunard and was not aware of this being offered to me. They do automatically add $11 daily and you see this in your folio on your TV. If you wish to opt out of this at ANY time right up until the last night and they will simply add the deductions to your account.
For me nowadays letting the tips be charged automatically is easier than bothering with envelopes and sorting out $$ on the last but one night. I normally will give a bit extra or a little gift if I have had excellent service.
Yes QM2 is dressy and more formal but a dark suit is still acceptable even if your partner/wife/whoever is wearing formal dress.
I love the QM2 and did the Caribbean on her in March this year. She is a glorious elegant lady and I adore every inch of her. Fell in love with her on sight and it would take some ship to change my view on her being the finest at sea. She is a "proper" Liner and not a Cruise Ship.
I've forgotten the rest of the questions asked but I am sure there are many out there who will be only too happy to answer.

Sue

hi

Is the crossing to new york rough??!!

It beggars belief that anyone would withdraw the tips Unless there was a serious problem with service.