About 60.2 million American households own dogs. (1) People are very attached to them. In Europe, it’s common for people to bring their dog to pubs and restaurants. (In the UK you get the idea all dogs are on Valium, but that’s another story.) You might wonder, when I take a cruise, can my dog come along too? Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 is the only ship I’m aware of that has provisions for pets. There’s an …
Below is a blog courtesy of my friend, Bryce Sanders. Enjoy! Veteran cruisers choose 2nd seating for dinner. If you are travelling on QM2 and dining in Britannia, there’s a big window of time between 4:00 PM and 8:30 PM, especially on transatlantic crossings. This might be downtime, but it can also be put to good use. Let’s assume you went to afternoon tea at 3:30 PM. Who wants to miss out on white gloved servers …
Read moreNever Be Bored: 18 Things to Do Before Dinner on QM2
In recent years, the standard way of constructing new cruise ships is to make several of the same design, thus reducing the cost of creating and implementing different designs. Rarely can a ship call itself “unique,” means “one-of-a-kind.” The Queen Mary 2 — the flagship of Cunard Lines — does so and with justification. For one thing, she defines herself as an “ocean liner” which means she sails a regularly scheduled route between points A and B …
ABOARD THE QUEEN MARY 2 – We had a most interesting lunch today. Four of the people who joined our table in the Brittania Dining Room were part of the Road Scholar group and they were absorbed with studying British murder mysteries. The question they discussed between themselves today was which was better: The Detective Morse mysteries or the Endeavour series (which we learned came after the original Morse series but told of his younger years.) Now, …
Read moreThe Queen Mary 2: What is there to do all day long at sea?
ABOARD THE QUEEN MARY 2 – We have only been on the QM2 a couple of days. Our first day was mostly spent exploring the ship and its many activities. Rain and cold weather kept most everyone inside so the atmosphere was subdued. Yesterday was a whole ‘nother story. Much attention was paid to the Royal Wedding of Britain’s Prince Harry and American Meghan Markle which transpired early in the day. I turned on the telly to …
The last couple of days before departing on a trip are always busy with an array of last-minute to-dos. Today is no exception. We are leaving on Wednesday to fly to New York to board the Queen Mary 2 for a transatlantic crossing. Usually the crossing is straightforward – six days of sailing and then you get off in Southampton, England. This particular itinerary is a bit different in that while it does call in Southampton, it …
Cunard’s flagship liner Queen Mary 2 will set sail this month on her first voyage following an investment in the region of $132 million, one of the most significant refurbishments undertaken by the world’s most venerable passenger shipping line, now marking 176 years in operation. On 23rd June the remastered liner will sail into Southampton Water flanked by fleet royalty Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria, to be greeted by a host of high-profile guests. The vessel will …
For 12 July nights at sea, on a grand ocean liner crossing the Atlantic between England and New York, we dressed for dinner. That is, we dressed not as formally as the rich folks on TV’s Downton Abbey from the early 20th century, but we were decked out in plenty of formality and pomp for the 21st century. Not one of the 12 evenings was listed as “casual.” Explained a British passenger on the ship, the Queen …
Read moreCrossing the Atlantic, cruising in unaccustomed style on Queen Mary 2
ABOARD QUEEN MARY 2-When the Queen Mary 2 made its way toward the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, beneath which we could see New York’s skyline peeking into the purple sunrise, half the ship’s passengers already were on deck. Passengers began arriving from their cabins by 5 a.m. Clad in bathrobes and other early morning garb, we lined the deck railings to watch the city emerge as Queen Mary 2 glided smoothly toward Manhattan (in the middle of the picture above), …
Read moreA celebratory Atlantic crossing on Queen Mary 2 ends in New York City
On a July voyage between Liverpool, England, and Canada’s Halifax, Nova Scotia, Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 spent six nights and five days at sea. Nearly a week, without possibilities for going ashore, seems a long time when you are looking over a brochure for a future crossing of the North Atlantic. But once Queen Mary 2 leaves the last glimpse of land and the sea-day countdown begins, time zips by in a series of meals, concerts, parties, …
Read moreBring black tie, party dresses, for crossing the Atlantic on Queen Mary 2
Get cruise tips and the latest cruise deals sent to your inbox with Sea Tales, the AllThingsCruise newsletter.