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Discover the 10 Must-Know Tips About Transatlantic Crossing On Cunard Queen Mary 2. One of the iconic trips available to cruisers today, many worry about being at sea for up to eight days. In this video I talk about the things I get asked the most about crossing the Atlantic on the QM2. I discuss everything including "will I get bored?", "when is the best and worst times to go?", "will I get seasick?", "what sort fo cabin should I book?", "what I have to dress up all the time" and "what about service and gratuities?".
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Every week Gary Bembridge's Tips For Travellers Channel posts a video to help you make the most of your precious travel time and money on both land and at sea. First-hand travel inspiration, advice and tips based on the over 20 years I have been travelling every month.
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0:00
in this video you will get the answer to
0:02
the ten most asked questions about
0:03
crossing the Atlantic on the Queen Mary
0:06
- hi I'm Gary beverage of tips for
0:08
travelers in this video I'm going to
0:09
give you ten tips around doing a
0:11
transatlantic crossing on canards iconic
0:14
Queen Mary - the first question I get
0:16
asked is should I do a transfer dented
0:18
crossing on the Queen Mary - or one of
0:20
the much more inexpensive repositioning
0:23
cruises on a cruise line now
0:24
repositioning cruises are a great way to
0:26
get a low cost trip these are when the
0:29
ships move between the Caribbean and the
0:32
Mediterranean at the beginning and the
0:33
end of the season you can only get great
0:35
deals on them crossing the Atlantic on
0:37
the Primo - is a very different
0:38
experience this is designed to recreate
0:41
and bring back the glory days of
0:44
cruising when the only way to cross the
0:46
Atlantic was on these magnificent ships
0:48
so in the 40s and 50s when it was at its
0:51
absolute height of popularity it was the
0:54
only way to cross it was glamorous it
0:56
was very sophisticated and the Queen
0:57
Mary - is designed to recreate this
0:59
travels between Southampton and New York
1:02
right throughout the summer season so it
1:05
normally starts sort of April mage time
1:07
and it returns from its world voyage and
1:09
carries on through until the end of
1:12
summer although they do do some winter
1:15
crossings as well the reason you should
1:17
do it is the Queen Mary - is the only
1:19
true ocean liner in service today it's
1:22
not a cruise ship and you're not cross
1:24
the Atlantic on a cruise ship you're
1:25
crossing on a ship that's designed to
1:27
cope with and deal with the Atlantic
1:30
storms the Atlantic weather and the
1:33
Atlantic seas which can be pretty
1:35
challenging at times and the ship is
1:37
specifically designed to maximize the
1:39
comfort of passengers it will cross
1:42
Atlantic in a much more comfortable way
1:43
than any cruise ship can also the ship
1:47
has a very large percentage of space per
1:49
passenger because it's designed for
1:50
people to be at sea for many days it's
1:52
got magnificent decor it's very Art Deco
1:55
inspired inside so tries to also
1:57
recreate the feel of those traditional
1:59
ships in the 40s and the 50s so it's a
2:02
true ocean line it's the only one in the
2:05
world so it is the only real way to
2:07
cross the Atlantic and it is an iconic
2:10
and really significant trip the second
2:12
thing I get asked is well
2:13
get bored now crossing can take up to
2:16
eight days the ship can actually cross
2:18
Atlantic in about four days but it
2:19
actually goes much slower to give people
2:22
time to really relax and enjoy
2:23
themselves so you'll be at sea for seven
2:25
or eight days and that terrifies people
2:27
because they're really worried that
2:28
they're trapped on a ship there's
2:29
nowhere to go there's no ports and they
2:31
will get bored quite the opposite in
2:34
fact everybody I know that's been on a
2:35
crossing complains that they didn't have
2:37
enough time to do everything that they
2:39
wanted to do and everything that's
2:41
available now canard has learned over
2:44
many many many decades how to deal with
2:47
activities and things to do on a
2:49
transatlantic crossing so you will find
2:51
this a huge range do from the time you
2:53
wake up till the early hours of the
2:56
morning
2:56
there'll be lectures by famous people
2:58
there might be authors they may be
3:00
actors there may be historians there
3:01
will be lessons and games you'll learn
3:03
how to dance you'll learn how to play
3:05
bridge there will be shows they'll be
3:07
taught so you can get to see how the
3:09
ship works you can get to go behind the
3:11
scenes maybe displays and demonstrations
3:13
by the chefs the florists and also
3:15
because it's at sea because you know is
3:17
open pretty much all the time if you
3:19
want to go gambling and gaming there's a
3:22
nightclub on board so there is a huge
3:24
amount to do and one of the most
3:26
important things of all that you should
3:27
do is the afternoon tea this is a real
3:31
classic
3:31
so afternoon tea it's held at around
3:33
about 3:30 in the Magnificent Queens
3:35
room it is extremely popular waiters in
3:38
white gloves serve you and it is an
3:40
absolute must do on a crossing you
3:42
should do it at least once there is no
3:44
way you'll get bored I guarantee you
3:46
will not get bored on a crossing the
3:48
third thing I get asked a lot is will I
3:50
get seasick you are at sea for up to
3:52
eight days you're crossing the Atlantic
3:54
which can be very unpredictable of
3:56
course there is always a chance whenever
3:57
you step on a ship that you will get
3:59
seasick now the ship is designed to
4:02
cater and cope with rough seas it has a
4:05
specific shaped bow it has stabilized to
4:08
keep the ship stable the three things
4:10
you should do if you are worried about
4:11
getting seasick the first of those is
4:13
book a cabin that's in the middle of the
4:16
ship and ideally as low as possible now
4:18
the reason that is if there is rough
4:20
seas and the ship moves it actually
4:22
pivots on the center points so in the
4:24
middle is where the least amount of
4:26
movement
4:27
and of course lower down is is even less
4:29
movement the second thing that you
4:31
should do is make sure that you take
4:32
with you and have taken before we get on
4:34
board those over-the-counter
4:36
motion sickness remedies so there are
4:39
things like Dramamine in the United
4:41
States or stir Geron in Europe and those
4:44
are fantastic you take them just before
4:46
you board William the couple days before
4:48
your board and that should do the trick
4:50
and the other thing you can also do link
4:52
to that is do things like eat ginger
4:54
make sure you get outside get lots of
4:55
fresh air the third thing and this is
4:58
the fallback option if you do get
5:00
seasick for whatever reason go down to
5:02
the medical center they can give you an
5:04
injection it'll really knock you out for
5:06
a while but you'll wake up and you'll
5:08
feel fantastic and ready to party and
5:11
enjoy the crossing it will cost you up
5:13
to about a hundred dollars to have that
5:14
jab so you do want to have that as in
5:16
reserve but know that there you have an
5:18
insurance policy if you do get seasick
5:20
you shouldn't worry about getting
5:21
seasick the ship really knows how to
5:23
cope with and deal with stormy Atlantic
5:26
weather the next question I get asked is
5:28
when is the best time to go and when is
5:30
the worst time to go now the best time
5:31
to go is in the middle of summer
5:33
so that's July August time it's when the
5:35
Seas like to be this karmis so you know
5:37
have the nicest weather it's also peak
5:39
time so the prices are highest one of
5:41
the things that I like to do is to go in
5:43
at the beginning and the end of the
5:44
season again prices tend to be a little
5:46
bit lower and also you still have a
5:48
great chance of great seas and good
5:50
weather if you are concerned about rough
5:52
seas and your sea legs avoid the winter
5:54
crossings so every year just before
5:56
Christmas just after Christmas the ship
5:59
does one or two trips across the
6:01
Atlantic you'll find great prices on
6:03
them but the seas are likely to be rough
6:05
it's very likely that the sea will be
6:06
rough but if you're not worried about
6:07
seasickness and you have great sea legs
6:09
it's a great time to go because you'll
6:11
get great prices the fifth thing I get
6:12
asked is which is the best way to go
6:14
should you go from Southampton to New
6:15
York or New York to Southampton now
6:17
personally I like doing the Southampton
6:19
to New York route the reason of that is
6:21
actually you get five days of 25 hour
6:24
days because of the time change because
6:26
there's a five hour time difference more
6:28
time on board to basically enjoy the
6:30
ship and really get your money's worth
6:32
if you head back the other way you lose
6:34
an hour for five days so you actually
6:36
have a shorter trip effectively because
6:39
you are losing time so
6:40
really strongly recommend if you can do
6:42
the Southampton to New York routes the
6:45
other great plus of that is you have
6:46
that great experience of getting up
6:48
early in the morning when the ship sails
6:50
into New York and you can see the Statue
6:52
of Liberty that's a fantastic and
6:54
magical experience so that's another
6:56
reason I'd recommend it that routine the
6:58
sixth thing I get arson it's one of the
6:59
things that people do worry a lot about
7:01
is dressing up people ask when I go in
7:04
the primary - on a crossing do I have to
7:06
dress up all of the time the answer is
7:09
no during the day it's very casual you
7:12
can basically wear jeans or t-shirts or
7:14
shorts or whatever you want to wear it's
7:16
very casual at night there is a very
7:18
strict dress code there are two broad
7:21
dress codes one of them is formal and
7:23
quite a few nights on border crossing
7:25
will be a formal night formal night for
7:27
men is tuxedos and bowties for ladies
7:30
it's cocktail gowns ball gowns and it is
7:33
very strictly enforced now if you really
7:36
do not want to dress up on formal nights
7:38
you can go to the buffet restaurant the
7:40
king's court and they do allow you to go
7:42
there without getting dressed up but
7:44
they do ask that you don't really use
7:45
the other parts of the ship when you're
7:47
not in the dress code although I have
7:50
seen quite a few people they'll slip
7:51
into the theater the other dress code is
7:53
a smart dress code for men you expected
7:55
to wear jacket there's no tie required
7:58
it still is a relatively dressy code
7:59
versus other cruise lines the seven
8:02
thing I get asked is what happens if I
8:03
fall ill or I have dental problems
8:05
there's a medical center you do have to
8:07
pay to go and see the doctor and the
8:09
nurse they are able to do things like
8:11
x-rays which actually gets sent and
8:13
evaluated on land they do have a high
8:16
dependency bed so something's very
8:17
serious they can also look after you
8:19
sort of like a intensive care until they
8:21
can really get you off the ship the goal
8:23
though is to keep you stable so the idea
8:27
will be as soon as they can get you off
8:28
the ship they will now there it's a very
8:29
short period of time for a couple of
8:31
days in the middle of the crossing where
8:32
you can't even be airlifted off the ship
8:35
because it's just too remote for
8:36
helicopters to get to you but sometimes
8:38
you might have seen on the news reports
8:40
when it gets close to land sometimes
8:42
people will be evacuated if they are ill
8:44
if you have a dental problem that's more
8:46
of a problem there's no dentists onboard
8:47
so one of the things I always recommend
8:48
you do is take with you one of those
8:50
dental repair kits you can base a patch
8:52
yourself up if you
8:53
you have something like a filling come
8:55
out or a crown come off or something
8:56
like that very important of course take
8:58
out travel insurance because first of
9:00
all it will cost you a fair bit of money
9:02
if you do have to see the medical center
9:04
and have to have pills and drugs etc and
9:07
of course if you do have to get
9:08
evacuated from the ship that is very
9:10
expensive so make sure you have travel
9:12
insurance before you go on a crossing
9:13
the other question I get asked is what
9:15
sort of cabin should i book now on Queen
9:17
Mary - there are three grades of cabins
9:20
this Queens grill
9:21
princess grill and Britannia now the way
9:25
of thinking about it is Queen's grill is
9:26
sort of like driving first-class if you
9:28
are on a plane Princess is sort of like
9:30
travelling club or business class and
9:33
Britannia is sort of coach class now
9:35
saying that it's a very special kind of
9:38
coach so you can actually cross the
9:39
Atlantic in the Queen Mary - spending
9:41
just a couple of hundred dollars after
9:43
spending you know forty thousand dollars
9:45
on the same ship because they have
9:47
massive big Suites down to inside cabins
9:49
so you can actually probably find a
9:51
cabin to suit your budget no matter what
9:53
that is another question I get asked is
9:55
what about my table for dinner how do I
9:57
get a great table now in princess school
9:59
in Queens quelle based on my experience
10:01
it does seem to me that the best tables
10:03
get allocated to people who have the
10:05
higher grade of cabins and also our
10:07
regular travelers one of the things to
10:09
do though if you do get a table that you
10:11
don't like speak to the maitre d now in
10:13
all of the restaurants you can choose a
10:14
table size you can ask to have a table
10:16
for two four six or eight now in
10:18
Britannia Grill there are much more
10:21
limited to tables for two so other
10:23
things you need to think about when
10:24
requesting a table is do you go for
10:26
table of four six or eight one of things
10:28
I often recommend to people if they're
10:29
traveling by themselves is go for a
10:31
bigger table size because then you're
10:33
going to meet more people and also
10:34
you've got a greater chance of clicking
10:36
with people so in terms of getting a
10:37
great table it does appear to really
10:40
depend on the grade of cavern you've got
10:42
and also your how much of a frequent
10:44
traveler you are and of course speaking
10:46
to the maitre d now the tenth thing I
10:48
get asked about is service and
10:49
gratuities now Kennard like many cruise
10:52
lines auto ad gratuities to your bill so
10:55
it's not in your fare it will be added
10:58
to your onboard account
10:59
now the actual gratuity level keeps
11:01
changing and evolving going upwards all
11:03
the time but you will pay
11:05
gratuities if you're in Britannia and
11:08
you will pair different level gratuities
11:09
if your princess girl or Queens grill
11:11
and it varies between about $14 and $18
11:14
per person per day of course to find out
11:17
what the current rigidity is when you
11:19
book asked what the gratuity level is it
11:22
will be Auto added to your bill you can
11:24
of course go to the purses desk and ask
11:26
for it to be increased decreased or even
11:28
removed if you want to actually hand
11:30
over cash chips crossing the Atlantic on
11:32
the Queen Mary - is a magnificent
11:34
experience it really is i something i
11:36
strongly recommend people do it is just
11:39
an iconic trip and it is really
11:40
magnificent it really is a glorious
11:43
thing to do those are the things that I
11:45
get asked the most
11:46
okay that's helped give you a good sense
11:48
around translate Crossing what it is
11:50
what it isn't and the things you need to
11:52
know before you actually go on one I
11:54
hope you found that helpful I'd love it
11:56
if you gave the video a like and a
11:58
thumbs up but please very importantly
12:00
subscribe to tips of travelers and get
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[Music]
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[Applause]
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