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My 10 must-do and tips for anyone considering or planning doing a Cunard Queen Mary 2 Transatlantic Crossing. These are the smart questions and things to do if you are thinking of doing, or have booked, a Cunard Transatlantic Crossing
10 Must-Know Tips If Doing A Cunard Transatlantic Crossing and 10 Things You Need To Know About Cunard Transatlantic Crossings
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0:00
on my first cunard transatlantic
0:02
crossing an english couple on the
0:03
restaurant table next to me were
0:05
desperate to get off the ship they
0:08
hadn't understood what they'd signed up
0:10
for but had to endure another five sea
0:13
days before we got to new york on
0:15
another i met an australian couple that
0:17
hadn't appreciated what was required of
0:20
them on a crossing and were unhappy as
0:22
it was not what they wanted to do
0:25
i'm gary bembridge i've done five cunard
0:28
transatlantic crossings to date and
0:30
discovered
0:31
a bunch of smart things to do based on
0:33
mistakes people like that english and
0:35
australian couple and even i have done
0:37
to help make you
0:39
get it right
0:41
the first smart thing to do
0:43
is ask if a crossing
0:45
and not a standard repositioning cruise
0:48
is right for you
0:49
something the english couple had not
0:51
done
0:52
a repositioning cruise is when cruise
0:54
lines move their ships between the
0:56
mediterranean and the caribbean at the
0:59
beginning and end of each season
1:02
they tend to be up to 10 days or so long
1:05
they have a couple of ports of cool
1:07
along the way and you can choose your
1:09
favorite line to do it for example if
1:12
you need a modern ship ice rinks rock
1:14
climbing lots of special dining and big
1:17
production shows to have a good time
1:19
like the english couple did
1:21
you would definitely have more fun on
1:23
say a royal caribbean ship a queen mary
1:27
2 crossing is different
1:29
it's the only ship running a scheduled
1:32
transatlantic service running 22-25
1:34
times a year between southampton and new
1:36
york last seven days and has no stops
1:40
it's the only cruise liner
1:44
in service today
1:45
designed to cope with constant crossings
1:48
and is unlike any other cruise ship it
1:50
has an art deco inspired decor
1:52
referencing the old liners that used to
1:54
apply the same route before airplane
1:56
travel
1:58
but a queen mary 2 crossing is better
2:01
than a repositioning cruise if like me
2:04
you want to sell on a one-of-a-kind ship
2:06
and be able to say you're one of the
2:08
select crowd to experience the root
2:11
and the romance of the old transatlantic
2:14
liners
2:15
but
2:16
before you do book yourself on the next
2:18
smart thing to do is understand exactly
2:22
what you're getting yourself in for
2:25
are you sure that you will not get bored
2:28
with seven days at sea most people i
2:31
meet on a crossing tell me they are
2:33
frustrated
2:34
but that's because they ran out of time
2:37
to do everything the program is with
2:40
between four and seven activities per
2:42
hour busy but it may not be for you
2:46
it is a classic cruising program and
2:49
focus very much on enrichment
2:52
the showcase event is the cunard insight
2:55
lectures each crossing has four speakers
2:58
with three to four talks lasting 45
3:01
minutes each every single day on my
3:04
crossings it has included an ex-concord
3:07
pilot maritime historian
3:09
new york skyscraper expert crime
3:11
detective tv and film actress author
3:15
astronomers retired army general
3:17
broadway producer and politician
3:20
the queen's room is a major focus too
3:23
with zumba line and ballroom dance
3:26
classes in the morning the huge
3:28
afternoon tea attended by many hundreds
3:30
in the afternoon and packed dance balls
3:33
and dance nights with a live orchestra
3:35
there in the evening
3:37
other daily activities include shows in
3:40
the illuminations planetarium the only
3:42
one at sea
3:44
live music around the ship multiple
3:46
trivia games bridge classes and
3:48
tournaments hobby classes like
3:50
watercolor painting deck games bingo
3:53
cooking demonstrations fruit carving
3:55
demonstrations and meetups for groups
3:58
like solo travelers lgbt
4:00
christian fellowship friends of bill w
4:02
and other special groups
4:04
but even if that doesn't sound like you
4:08
another smart choice could be to use the
4:10
seven days to completely switch off from
4:12
the world helped by the less than
4:14
perfect wi-fi and the library of ten
4:16
thousand books something my partner does
4:19
while i go about enjoying the talks
4:21
often tea and quizzes he just relaxes if
4:24
this sounds good
4:26
there is another big consideration and
4:29
this is where the australians did not
4:31
make a smart choice
4:34
what is your view on dressing up
4:37
ownership cunard is associated with ball
4:39
gowns glamorous dresses and dinner suits
4:42
and tuxedos however the dress code is
4:46
not as strict as it used to be
4:49
five nights of the seven nights are now
4:51
smart attire so us men are expected to
4:54
wear collared shirt it can then be a
4:56
short sleeve shirt although probably 60
4:58
or more or a jacket and a long sleeve
5:01
shirt that's what i did on the two gala
5:04
nights they're no longer called formal
5:06
nights probably about 90 percent of
5:09
people dressed up most men were in black
5:11
tie tuxedo and women in glamorous
5:13
dresses or even ball gowns to eat in the
5:16
main restaurants you must follow the
5:18
dress code it also means that if you're
5:22
not dressed up you're not supposed to go
5:23
to the shows or any of the balls and
5:25
parties and the australians hated all of
5:27
that
5:28
while of course they didn't have to get
5:30
dressed up and could eat in the buffet
5:32
restaurant it meant missing out on much
5:34
that the crossing evenings have to offer
5:38
if you really do not want to dress up
5:40
then it's smart to reconsider doing a
5:42
crossing by the way
5:45
one smart thing to do is wear whatever
5:46
you would on any other cruise during the
5:48
day so don't make the mistake that i did
5:51
and think that you need to bring smart
5:52
clothes for the day too but do bring
5:54
layers because it can be windy and
5:56
chilly out on deck
5:58
and also by the way make sure that you
6:00
don't pack more than the airline
6:02
allowance for the flight to or from the
6:05
crossing home
6:06
there are some smart choices to be made
6:09
also about who you go
6:11
with
6:12
and why
6:14
most passengers on the crossing are
6:15
mature couples from their 50s and
6:18
upwards there is a smattering
6:21
of multi-generational families
6:23
40-something groups of friends and just
6:26
a few families many many people ask me
6:29
if the smart thing to do is to take kids
6:32
on a crossing in my view
6:34
no even in the peak summer season
6:38
there's not that many families with kids
6:40
the program experience dress code are
6:43
not designed for kids
6:45
it's not an adult only cruise but it
6:48
ends up being a largely adult-only
6:50
experience there are kids and teen clubs
6:53
up to the age of 17 but they're nowhere
6:55
near the scale that you'll find on
6:58
family orientated lines crossings are
7:00
popular with solo travelers with twice
7:03
daily meetups and some sort of cabins
7:05
and also with lgbt couples as you start
7:08
to plan
7:09
here's a few things that you do need to
7:11
do
7:13
i think the smart way to go is the
7:15
westbound route from southampton to new
7:18
york first of all you have longer days
7:21
as on five of the days you have 25 hour
7:25
days due to the time changes and second
7:28
you end the trip sailing into new york
7:30
with a site of the statue of liberty on
7:33
the eastbound route you have five short
7:35
23-hour days but you do get to sell past
7:38
the statue of liberty without having to
7:40
get up at 4 30 a.m to see it
7:43
so i feel that there's more bang for
7:45
your buck going westbound because the
7:46
fares are basically the same
7:48
but
7:49
when is the smart time to go
7:52
for most people the concern on when to
7:55
go is linked to weather
7:57
and risk of seasickness to be honest on
8:00
every crossing i've been on i have met
8:02
people who've been seasick
8:04
but that's usually because they did not
8:06
make smart choices and do a few things
8:09
upfront
8:10
for example if you're going on a winter
8:12
crossing because the prices are very
8:14
attractive it's great if you want
8:16
guaranteed big waves and lots of motion
8:19
but it's not
8:20
if you're prone to motion sickness
8:23
the calmest times are of course during
8:25
mid-summer periods
8:27
but the north atlantic is unpredictable
8:30
storms can brew up and you will get
8:33
movement though queen mary 2 handles it
8:35
better than any regular cruise ship on
8:38
every crossing even in summer i've had
8:41
some days with noticeable movement some
8:44
flat sea days with sun and some foggy
8:47
days so be smart and be prepared come
8:50
with motion sickness remedies that work
8:52
for you and know that if you do suffer
8:55
by the way there is a painful jab in the
8:57
medical center that will knock you out
8:59
for a couple of hours but will
9:01
absolutely do the trick now my partner
9:04
gets very seasick when the seas are
9:06
rough and on two winter crossings he's
9:08
had the jab and felt fantastic and it's
9:11
not been a problem at all
9:13
there is though one important and smart
9:16
thing to do if you're worried about this
9:19
it's something that people constantly
9:22
slip up on
9:23
if you're worried about getting
9:24
seasickness get a cabin in the middle of
9:27
the ship as you will get the least
9:28
amount of movement there i always go a
9:30
midship
9:32
always
9:33
if you're really concerned then also go
9:35
as low down
9:37
as possible on queen mary 2 there are
9:39
many cabins on decks 4 5 and 6 which are
9:42
right down in the hull you can even have
9:45
a balcony as they have shelter balconies
9:48
cut out into the hull
9:51
but to get a midship cabin you need to
9:53
be smart and book the cunard fare that
9:56
allows you to choose your own cabin and
9:59
not their guaranteed grade fare where
10:02
they allocate you your cabin
10:04
many people are tempted by the slightly
10:06
lower price
10:07
but regret it when they find the cabin
10:10
is at the front
10:11
or the rear and moves a lot however
10:14
don't let a concern about movement stop
10:17
you from choosing the right type and
10:19
grade of cabin to really get the most
10:22
out of the crossing as you can get mid
10:24
chip in most grades and that's what i do
10:27
keynote like many cruise lines today do
10:29
have a sort of class based system on
10:31
board
10:32
based on your cabin grade
10:34
if you sell in the biggest
10:37
suites you're in what's called queens
10:39
grill and you dine in the queen's grill
10:42
restaurant
10:43
if you have the slightly smaller suites
10:46
you're in princess grill and you dine in
10:48
the princess grill restaurant if you're
10:51
in a balcony ocean view or inside cabin
10:53
you eat in the britannia restaurant so
10:55
if you are traveling with friends and
10:57
family
10:58
make sure you're all booking in the same
11:01
grade so you can actually dine together
11:04
queens and princess girl have open
11:06
seated dining so no fixed time to eat
11:09
and you can have a table of any size you
11:11
want and that's guaranteed
11:13
in britannia there is a wider range of
11:15
table sizes two four six and eight and
11:19
you will have to choose a table size
11:20
when you book it's harder to guarantee
11:24
you will get a table for two if that's
11:25
what you really want britannia has two
11:29
sittings an early fixed time sitting and
11:32
then it's only the time of recording a
11:33
later anytime dining where you line up
11:36
or join a virtual queue on the app to
11:38
get a table
11:40
if you don't want to go to the cost of a
11:42
suite
11:43
but you want open seated dining and a
11:45
guaranteed table size a smart
11:47
alternative could be to try britannia
11:49
club which are the more premium balcony
11:52
cabins with their own area
11:55
in the britannia restaurant which is
11:56
which has open seated dining now
11:59
personally i like to splash out on a
12:01
crossing because i like having a bigger
12:03
cabin
12:04
because i feel i spend more time in it
12:05
than on regular cruises and so try and
12:07
go queen squirrel but again i book the
12:09
fare to choose the cabin and i always
12:12
make sure it is mid ship
12:14
by the way don't worry that you'll be
12:15
locked out of large parts of the ship by
12:17
not going in a grill's sweet cabin
12:20
they do have a small bar a concierge
12:22
lounge with someone to handle queries
12:24
and complaints and a small deck on deck
12:27
11 at the rear of the ship but that's it
12:30
the rest of the ship is open and used by
12:33
all
12:34
but no matter the grade
12:36
there is something you do need to do
12:40
you do need to be smart
12:43
about
12:44
budgeting
12:45
cue not have many add-ons once on board
12:48
gratuities are also added to your bill
12:50
at the time of the recording that will
12:52
add
12:53
around 80 dollars per person for
12:55
britannia guests and 94 dollars per
12:58
person for the grill's guests for the
13:02
period of the crossing you can have them
13:03
removed or increased we also do tip cash
13:06
to our waiters and cabin student on top
13:08
of these if they have been especially
13:10
good and that's fairly normal on cunard
13:12
drinks though is one area that adds a
13:15
lot to budgets i always see passengers
13:17
checking their bills down the person's
13:19
desk and they are gobsmacked at how much
13:21
they've racked up with all the sea days
13:24
and the evenings qnote have various soft
13:26
and alcohol drink packages the beer wine
13:28
by the glass and spirits including most
13:30
cocktails will add
13:32
483 dollars per person to your bill for
13:36
the week if one guest in the cabin buys
13:38
a drinks package all adults in the same
13:41
cabin must do as well so that would add
13:43
just under one thousand dollars to a
13:45
couple's bill for the crossing of course
13:48
shopping bingo casino especially coffees
13:50
and samuels and any specialty dining in
13:53
the veranda steakhouse or king's court
13:54
specialty evenings they will also be
13:57
extra costs
13:58
with as will wi-fi which can add quite a
14:01
bit on it can be up to 20 per day for
14:03
the streaming package with on-board
14:05
budget sorted there is one really smart
14:07
thing to do when you board
14:11
the queen mary 2 is an unusual and often
14:14
confusing ship to find your way around i
14:17
spent at least 11 weeks on her over the
14:19
years but when i get back on board like
14:21
i did for the crossing it takes time to
14:23
orientate and find my way around
14:26
once on board go on one of the ship
14:27
tours if they're offering them or grab
14:30
this little deck plan that you will find
14:32
in your cabin and walk your way around
14:35
because of the way the ship has been
14:36
designed pushing many of the big venues
14:38
low down on the ship some venues are
14:40
hard to find like the queen's room
14:42
tucked behind the britannia restaurant
14:44
reached by a hard to find corridor that
14:48
goes through the clarendon art shop
14:50
so this little brochure becomes a big
14:53
friend of yours
14:54
if you want to know more about queen
14:56
mary 2 including how the ship stacks up
14:58
today and some of the hidden features
14:59
and secret things that many never find
15:02
when they're on board watch this video
15:04
where i show you how to get the most of
15:06
queen mary 2 right now see you over
15:09
there
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