Is sailing across the Atlantic Ocean on your bucket list? Cunard’s flagship, Queen Mary 2 sails back and forth for about eight months of the year. All cruise lines have personalities. Cunard is more formal than most and the average age of the clientele is older than some other cruise lines. They sail to plenty of places, yet their best “product” is the transatlantic crossing. We have sailed 20+ times and most of those voyages have been sailing across the Atlantic for seven nights. How do we prepare?
- Use a travel agency / travel advisor. There are advantages of working with and booking through a travel professional. Travel advisors can help you navigate the options and offer amenities, like onboard credit aka OBC to spend during your cruise. (Editor’s note: CruiseCompete lets you request quotes from multiple travel agencies / travel advisors to compare behind the scenes and only be contacted if you contact them first.)
- Dinner seating. Cruise lines traditionally offer early (6:00 PM) and late (8:30 PM) seatings. In later years they offered Freedom Dining and specialty restaurants. You will likely still be offered a seating choice in the main dining room (by your booking agent.) You can also choose a table for two, four or a larger table. Your travel agent can help.
- Fill out the required online forms. Once you have a booking code, you can access your reservation online via the Cunard website. You need to upload a photo, passport information, credit card details and other information. There is an upside to getting this done. Years ago, check-in at the pier was tedious. Today, it is fast because you provided all your data ahead of time.
- Buy health insurance. It is likely your USA-based insurance stops when you leave the country. Buy a policy in case you need to be hospitalized or helicoptered off the ship. We usually buy an American Express package, but there are others.
- What can you book in advance? When sailing Eastbound to Southampton, we book the Cunard transfer bus to Heathrow airport. It gets you off the ship fast. There are cheaper ways to do it, but this is the most convenient. You will likely want to book the Internet package in advance too.
- Consider an upgrade. Cruise lines make no income on an empty cabin. Sometimes they give you the opportunity to bid for an upgrade. This is all done online. For us, this is not a big deal. Once you step outside your cabin, everyone is treated royally.
- Pack wine. We are wine fans. Cunard lets you bring a bottle or two per person for special occasions. There are rules. You can only enjoy it in your cabin or in the dining room. Corkage is about $25. That is a deal compared to NYC restaurants.
- Bring cash. The ship is a cashless society, but I think tipping in cash goes a long way. This might be done at the start of the trip when you meet your cabin steward, when you order cocktails or prior to disembarking. Tipping is usually added to your bill automatically, but we hand out extra cash anyway.
- Get to the ship. We usually sail in one direction, fly in the other. If we sail from New York, we drive to JFK airport, park the car and take a taxi to the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal. There are other options, like Uber and Lyft.
- Give your luggage to the porters. The next time you see it will be when you arrive at your cabin. Tipping isn’t required, but I always think it’s a good idea.
- Board the ship, have lunch. The buffet restaurant is open during embarkation. After visiting your cabin, drop your carryon and get something to eat. Your luggage should have arrived by the time you return.
- Lock your valuables in the safe. You will not need your wallet, house keys, car keys or passport for the next seven days. There are no port stops. Keep your watch and your phone.
- Check out your emergency evacuation station. This is a requirement replacing the lifeboat drill. The ship personnel will scan your room keycard to confirm you complied. This must be done.
- Check out your dining room table. Your stateroom has a card with your table seating assignment. I like to visit in the afternoon and see where it is located. If there is an issue, the maitre ‘d should be at their station. Other people will have the same idea.
- Buy flowers. I disappear, head to the Purser’s Office and order an arrangement to surprise my wife. It arrives the same day or the next day. The flowers stay fresh all week.
- Book the wine and food pairing lunch. This ran $80 the last time we sailed. It is a great deal, usually four or five courses, two wines matched with each course. It takes 2+ hours. You meet great people.
- Get a table in the Commodore Club for departure. This is ideal when the ship sails in Spring and Summer when the days are longer. It’s a great way to be comfortable as the ship heads out to sea, Your vacation has begun.
Getting everything planned and done in advance is a great start for your cruise vacation.
Ed. Note: CruiseCompete offers partner shore excursions here: Shore Excursions – higher quality cruise shore excursions at substantially lower prices
cover photo Queen Anne credit Cunard
Editor’s Notes:
If you’d like to get a quote and book a cruise, see Browse Cruise Ships and Cruise Lines
CruiseCompete and its member travel advisors provide many curated cruise and land deals, offers and amenities on over 50 cruise lines with over 500 cruise ships sailing all around the world.
Also see Shore Excursions – Ports, Day & Weekend Trips
Cruise Information Portal – All Things Cruise
