Am planning to surprise wife of 20 years with anniversary cruise. Any advice? C2 cabin, never been on a cruise before. Sounds adventurous! Early 40s, will we be average age? young?
You'll find that QE2 is not really like a cruise ship - more of an Ocean Liner. Indeed, when QE2 is scheduled to arrive in Southampton they announce her arrival as that of a passenger liner as opposed to a cruise ship.
Anyway - age wise you get a variety of ages ranging from young children to the quite old.
We are in our 30's and find plenty of others on board of a similar age.
C2? Single seating dining which is nice as you don't have to worry about eating at a specific time.
If you can scrape together a bit if extra cash, try and go in the Grill category. Princess and Britannia grill dining is superb, and you also have access to the Queens Grill lounge (where they serve very nice pre-dinner canapees!!!).
Let Cunard know that it is an anniversary and they'll lay something special on for you.......
C2 cabins are nice! I have stayed in C cabins. For the Bermuda cruise, I am doing an M inside cabin in order to save my pennies for the 9/19 transatlantic crossing.
You will find all ages on the QE2. I am 42 and did two crossings last year. There is plenty to do, or not to do, as you see fit to do or not to do. E-mail me if you want specifics on past rtips, such as copies of menus, daily events, etc.
My wife and I (in our 50s) are also booked on this cruise. Impulsive action based on QE2 fame and the very low price we got at moment's notice. Also on inside M but now concerned that we'll be treated like 2nd class citizens after reading being separated from Grill customers. This is our second cruise having been on Celebrity's Century to Easter Caribbean three years ago where we had a wonderful experience.
If Marc THompson can provide us with copies of past menu and daily activities, I would be very grateful.
I have never experienced a feelling of being second class when travelling Mauretania.
Most of the ship is open to all classes and no one knows what class you are in except when you are walking in to your restaurant anyway. C class restaurant has better service but give a few tips in Mauretania and this should make up for the difference.
Many people who have NOT travelled on QE2 take the fact that there are seperate restaurants and lounges as a negitive thing. Most people who have actualy travelled on QE2 believe that this segregation is a plus point as it gives you someething to aspire to!
I am on the 17.4 crossing to New York and would be very grateful if you could possibly email me any menu samples & or daily programs linked to a crossing.
It will be fun. Be the skies sunny or overcast; the ocean calm or rough, it will be great fun. Actually out of my two QE2 crossings, I have had more rough days than calm, so a calm sail to Bermuda would be a new experience for me!
What I am trying to say, is no matter what the weather, the QE2 is always a great place to be!
As you are in P category cabin, you can use the Queens Grill lounge. Afternoon tea is excellent - and you MUST go for the pre-dinner canapees in the lounge. They're lush!!!!
Easiest to ramble (very few rants), so here goes . . . What a great trip! My wife and I celebrated 20 years of marriage (feels like only 5 minutes . . . underwater). Just kidding. (My wife does introduce me as her first husband when I start acting up!). Leaving NYC on a sunny afternoon with a drink in my hand on the sun deck, listening to a very good reggae band, and seeing the skyline of the city grow smaller was magical. Do not miss the stack barely clearing the Verazzano Bridge, that is awesome. Smooth sailing the first night. First AM, many awake to a pitching and rolling QE2 in a gale. The “corkscrewing” of the ship had many of us feeling uneasy. My wife and I opted for the injection in the “bum” ($22 in the ship’s infirmary and worth every penny). Within an hour we were eating a large meal and never had any problems the rest of the cruise. Some other passengers were knocked out for over a day. Everyone has a different response. I loved it. Dining was exquisite in the Britannia Grill. The bars were quiet and sedate (I liked that). There were fewer than 5 passengers under 18 (of 1700) and the average age was somewhere around 65-70. Lots of couples celebrating 45th, 50th, 55th anniversaries! We made it to one show in the Grand Lounge (a Broadway review) that was surprisingly good and entertaining. Few smokers on board and no one smoke ever in our dining room (was it non-smoking?). Met some fascinating folks, some have been on the QE2 since 1969, some for the 40th time! Fun to dress up for dinner. I wore a tux and my wife had full length gowns. We were not overdressed, but were at the top of the fashion food chain. Many gentlemen were fine with a dark suit. Casual dress during the day could have been nicer (for my tastes). I would like to have seen more style and fewer people in jeans and sneakers. Spa was fun (bit expensive). I had a facial ($84) and on another day a massage ($84). My wife tried the hot rock massage ($150+ for 1.5 hours). Easy to sign for drinks and purchases with a signature and a cabin number (if only I could continue to do so at home!). Bermuda was fun, clean, refreshing. Newport RI was cool, fun and opulent. I liked going to 2 places, others wanted to skip RI and have another day in Bermuda. Staff and crew were wonderful. Knew our names and addressed us by name often. They make you feel very comfortable and welcome. The NYC ship terminal sucks and waiting on cold folding chairs in a warehouse like setting was very “unrefined”. Cunard needs to work on that. We reserved deck chairs (worth the 17 dollars for the week, even if used once or twice). They set up the cushion; wrap it in towels, very comfortable. We were on three deck and found the stairs a nice way to get around. Elevators seemed to be working well with minimal wait. Chart Room was favorite bar. Piano was from the Q. Mary. Tea was a treat. Do not miss it from 4-5 in the Queen’s Room. Sandwiches, desserts, and tea served by staff in white gloves. Plop yourself next to another couple, meet someone new, chat for an hour and relax. Enough for now. I’ll try to post some photos soon. Check back. Any questions?
Easiest to ramble (very few rants), so here goes . . . What a great trip! My wife and I celebrated 20 years of marriage (feels like only 5 minutes . . . underwater). Just kidding. (My wife does introduce me as her first husband when I start acting up!). Leaving NYC on a sunny afternoon with a drink in my hand on the sun deck, listening to a very good reggae band, and seeing the skyline of the city grow smaller was magical. Do not miss the stack barely clearing the Verazzano Bridge, that is awesome. Smooth sailing the first night. First AM, many awake to a pitching and rolling QE2 in a gale. The “corkscrewing” of the ship had many of us feeling uneasy. My wife and I opted for the injection in the “bum” ($22 in the ship’s infirmary and worth every penny). Within an hour we were eating a large meal and never had any problems the rest of the cruise. Some other passengers were knocked out for over a day. Everyone has a different response. I loved it. Dining was exquisite in the Britannia Grill. The bars were quiet and sedate (I liked that). There were fewer than 5 passengers under 18 (of 1700) and the average age was somewhere around 65-70. Lots of couples celebrating 45th, 50th, 55th anniversaries! We made it to one show in the Grand Lounge (a Broadway review) that was surprisingly good and entertaining. Few smokers on board and no one smoke ever in our dining room (was it non-smoking?). Met some fascinating folks, some have been on the QE2 since 1969, some for the 40th time! Fun to dress up for dinner. I wore a tux and my wife had full length gowns. We were not overdressed, but were at the top of the fashion food chain. Many gentlemen were fine with a dark suit. Casual dress during the day could have been nicer (for my tastes). I would like to have seen more style and fewer people in jeans and sneakers. Spa was fun (bit expensive). I had a facial ($84) and on another day a massage ($84). My wife tried the hot rock massage ($150+ for 1.5 hours). Easy to sign for drinks and purchases with a signature and a cabin number (if only I could continue to do so at home!). Bermuda was fun, clean, refreshing. Newport RI was cool, fun and opulent. I liked going to 2 places, others wanted to skip RI and have another day in Bermuda. Staff and crew were wonderful. Knew our names and addressed us by name often. They make you feel very comfortable and welcome. The NYC ship terminal sucks and waiting on cold folding chairs in a warehouse like setting was very “unrefined”. Cunard needs to work on that. We reserved deck chairs (worth the 17 dollars for the week, even if used once or twice). They set up the cushion; wrap it in towels, very comfortable. We were on three deck and found the stairs a nice way to get around. Elevators seemed to be working well with minimal wait. Chart Room was favorite bar. Piano was from the Q. Mary. Tea was a treat. Do not miss it from 4-5 in the Queen’s Room. Sandwiches, desserts, and tea served by staff in white gloves. Plop yourself next to another couple, meet someone new, chat for an hour and relax. Enough for now. I’ll try to post some photos soon. Check back. Any questions?
In response to a question you raised....... Britannia Grill is smoking allowed - Princess Grill is non smoking. I think though that in the Britannia Grill they make great efforts to keep the smokers very distant from non smokers.
Did you have afternoon tea in the Queens Gril lounge ever? We did and found it excellent.
Did not make it to the Queen's Grill Lounge for tea. Knew we were able to but just never made it that far. Guess it was very intimate. If Britannia was smoking there were no smokers and I loved that!
QE2 Bermuda 2003
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