If you are sailing from England, it’s highly likely your port of embarkation will be Southampton. You can catch an evening flight from New York, arrive in the early AM the next day and take your cruise line’s connection to your ship sailing the same day. This is almost a guaranteed way to raise your blood pressure if there are any delays in your journey. You don’t want to miss your ship! You will likely plan to …
In 17 voyages with Cunard, we have never booked in the Queens Grill category of accommodations. On our March 20th Queen Mary 2 Westbound crossing I was determined to learn how it’s different from sailing in Britannia grade. The Purser’s Office was able to unlock an empty cabin so I could look around. Cunard also arranged a meeting with Nicolas Oldroyd, the Operational Executive Chef on Queen Mary 2. What Does It Cost? Many people want to …
After 2+ years we finally embarked on an overseas vacation! My wife and I are fans of Cunard. In my opinion, the transatlantic crossing is Cunard’s signature voyage. This was our 17th trip with Cunard. We paid our own fares, but Cunard gave me perks like a cabin upgrade within Britannia class, unlimited internet, dinner in the specialty restaurant and a spa treatment for each of us. Full disclosure is important. Overall Score out of 100: 97 …
Sunday, March 27th – The day we return home Today is the day we disembark. How will it be different? On Saturday we got our luggage tags along with instructions to be ready to disembark at 8:10 AM on Sunday. The ship docks at 6:30. Breakfast in the Kings Court buffet starts at 6:00. In the Britannia dining room it’s 6:30. Sometime after 6:00 AM we received a notice slipped under our stateroom door. On Carnival Corp …
Saturday, March 26th – Our 6th and final day at sea Up about 5:00. Oops! It’s really 6:00. This wasn’t a day we set the clocks back. That’s happens after we go to bed on Saturday night. The weather was gale force 9 last night. The Beaufort scale goes up to 12. We felt a rocking when we were in bed, but it wasn’t bad. On the QM2, you don’t really feel the motion of the ocean up …
Friday, March 25th – Our 5th Day at Sea Friday is our second formal night. We set the clocks back again early Friday morning. I was up about 5:00 AM and at the gym at 6:00. Although the heavy door was shut, once you open it you see several people are already working out. The gym is pretty large. It has lots of cardio equipment, free weights and various exercise machines around the rooms. You wipe the …
Thursday, March 24th – our 4th day at sea Today is the day of my spa appointment! We slept well. The seas are a little more active. You can see whitecaps on the little waves. Not a big deal, but different from the last few days. Morning activities We started with a light breakfast in the cabin at 7:00 AM of yogurt, pain au chocolate pastries, toast and coffee. At 8:00 AM I was at the Mareel …
Wednesday, March 23rd – Our Third Full Day at Sea We had our second time change in the early hours. Having these 25 hour days on a westbound crossing is a luxury! Wednesday is the day everyone gets a Covid test. You are assigned a time, based on your deck. Testing starts in the Queens Room at 7:30 AM. Deck 11 is scheduled for 2:30 to 4:00. Morning activities Today is our third full day at sea. …
Tuesday, March 22nd: The clocks were NOT set back on Tuesday morning. We discovered this when there was a knock on the door at what we thought was 6:00 AM but was actually 7:00. Thank goodness I wear pajamas. Tuesday’s daily bulletin mentioned the clocks being set back an hour, but it was alerting us this would happen Wednesday morning p, not Tuesday. I must have missed that. After our rolls, juice and coffee we headed down …
Monday, March 21st: – Day two of our Atlantic crossing The clocks were set back an hour early Monday morning. This is the first of our five 25 hours days. Breakfast We started the day with rolls, juice and coffee delivered by our cabin steward. It’s much better than using an alarm or getting a wake up call. Knowing the time was challenging. The iPhone didn’t know where it is, so it still thinks it’s on UK …
Heidi, Editor-In-Chief
