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A Cunard Transatlantic Is Different To What Most People Think
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Jan 28, 2025
I explore the 3 biggest concerns and fears people tell me they have about doing a Transatlantic Crossing on Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 between Southampton and New York during my latest Crossing. ABOUT TIPS FOR TRAVELLERS: If you want to get cruising right, Tips For Travellers makes it easy to plan and have the incredible cruise experiences you dream of every time. All my Tips For Travellers advice, tips and tricks tips draw on everything that I have learnt on the 90 cruises I have done to date. Links mentioned in the video: Cunard Queen Mary 2 Video: https://youtu.be/-qZ01XnoJ_U BUY MY CRUISE-THEMED T-SHIRTs ————————————————- * Check out my T-Shirt range: http://bit.ly/TFTStore SUPPORT TIPS FOR TRAVELLERS ————————————————————— * Become a Channel Member and get perks: https://www.tipsfortravellers.com/Join * Become a Patron on Patreon and get perks: https://www.patreon.com/tipsfortravellers * Make a donation: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=V9STJGYSEMGLJ * Buy my book “Cruise Traveler’s Handbook: USA Amazon https://amzn.to/2YVFmG4 and https://amzn.to/3tzIxBn UK Amazon https://amzn.to/3oXbzYc and https://amzn.to/3qawqIQ
View Video Transcript
0:00
there are seven back-to-back sea days
0:02
crossing the atlantic on cunard queen
0:04
mary 2. not surprisingly many people
0:06
tell me one of the biggest fears they
0:08
have about doing a transatlantic is
0:11
getting bored with with not enough to
0:13
occupy them i must admit i too is
0:16
apprehensive heading off again on the
0:18
crossing that i've just done because
0:19
after doing many sea day heavy cruises
0:22
since cruising resumed
0:24
i too was getting rather bored on sea
0:27
days welcome aboard i'm gary bembridge
0:29
join me as i look at this and the two
0:32
other biggest fears people tell me they
0:34
have about doing a cunard queen mary 2
0:38
crossing
0:39
there's four things i quickly discovered
0:41
about getting bored first of all i saw
0:44
again that a cunard crossing has the
0:47
most packed daily program of any line
0:50
any ship and any itinerary i have ever
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been on
0:54
qnart have been crossing the atlantic
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for over 180 years
0:58
they definitely know how to keep us busy
1:01
on my crossing they were between four
1:04
and seven activities every single hour
1:07
starting from around nine o'clock in the
1:08
morning right through until midnight
1:11
however while the daily program is
1:14
packed full of activities they are very
1:16
classical cruising activities so while
1:19
they suit me i realize they may not suit
1:22
all of you let me explain
1:24
there are three signature and wildly
1:27
popular activities that i personally
1:29
absolutely love
1:31
the first are the cunard insight talks
1:33
lasting 45 minutes each these are held
1:36
three to four times a day now despite
1:39
being held in the huge illuminations
1:40
theater they were often standing room
1:44
only on the crossing there are usually
1:46
three speakers giving a series of four
1:48
talks each and one celebrity headline
1:51
guest speaker now on our cruise that was
1:53
lord and lady howard he's an ex-uk
1:55
government minister and she was a 1960s
1:58
supermodel
2:00
our experts were general simon male who
2:02
spoke about military history
2:04
susan barlow who was a astronomer andrew
2:08
killigan who was an ex-stage manager and
2:10
spoke about musicals and captain rick
2:13
reynolds an ex-conquer pilot now i've
2:15
also been on transatlantics where we've
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had experts on skyscrapers broadway and
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maritime history all the speakers really
2:24
know how to keep passengers engaged
2:27
because they've spoken on the crossings
2:28
many times they know exactly what to do
2:31
the next event attended every day by
2:33
hundreds and hundreds is afternoon tea
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now something regular viewers will know
2:39
is a passion and weak spot for me
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afternoon tea now on qnad afternoon tea
2:44
is a really big deal and even more so on
2:47
the crossings the main event is held in
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the grand queens room here classes of
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sandwiches cakes and scones are
2:54
constantly whistled around by white
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gloved waiters
2:59
but afternoon tea is also available in
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king's court the buffet or by room
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service both of those are free
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if you're cruising in queens or princess
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grill suites you can also have it served
3:10
in the grill's lounge or you can have
3:12
itself served in the grills concierge
3:14
lounge you can also pay by the way to
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have champagne afternoon tea in the
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champagne bar or you can have a godiva
3:22
chocolate afternoon tea into samuel's
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coffee shop the other
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signature event are the planetarium
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shows in illuminations now queen mary 2
3:31
is the only ship that has a fully active
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planetarium and they run a series of
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shows every single day so those were the
3:39
three main activities that certainly
3:40
stopped me getting bored but there was a
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lot more to do that may actually appeal
3:44
much more to you there were four quizzes
3:47
and trivia held every day along with
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daily bingo i was amazed just how pat
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these events were also always packed
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with the three to four dance classes
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every day including zumba line dancing
3:59
and various types of ballroom less busy
4:02
by the way with the various paddle
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tennis table tennis deck coits and dart
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tournaments though bridge was a really
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big draw there were many informal
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unhosted get-togethers arranged as well
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by the way every day there were
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christian fellowship twice daily solo
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traveller get-togethers a late afternoon
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lgbt meet-up friends of bill w and hobby
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meet-ups every single day and then
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occasionally you also would have women's
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institute rotary masonic service clubs
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and veteran get-togethers were also
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listed live music was doctored around
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the ship all throughout the day there
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were for example a guitar duo playing
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multiple sets in the lounge a pianist a
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harpist a string trio and a party band
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called changes every few days a full
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classical piano concert also took place
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if you're into crafts they were
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watercolor classes twice a day these
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were popular and also always packed
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there were also ad hoc events every day
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like
5:00
fruit carving flower arranging and of
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course the inevitable spa and shop
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seminars in the evening the main events
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were twice nightly shows in the royal
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court theatre now these were a mix of
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very very standard cruise production
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shows not especially strong or to my
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liking supplemented on other nights by
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the usual i think predictable guest
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artists
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on this crossing there was a 60s tribute
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band a comedian and a flowertist cunard
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in my view is weak in the theater
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offering overall they're pretty dated
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themes predated music predated staging
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though they are trying to up it a bit
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recently i still skipped many of the
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shows the casino to be honest was a
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bigger draw for me the other evening
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focus is on
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full balls on former nights and then
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themed ballroom dancing in the
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magnificent queens room on other nights
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we had jazz big bad and dance party
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evenings they were all well attended and
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always packed the third evening activity
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is for the party crowd with live band
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and dj in the g32 nightclub it's a big
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space behind the queen's room it kept
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going until literally people left but as
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a fairly early to bed person i was not
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one of them if nothing appeals on the
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daily program there is actually
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even more to do queen mary 2 itself is
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part of the entertainment it's the only
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ocean liner in the world and there is no
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other ship like it it's full of quirks
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hidden spots and in fact lots of stories
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to explore for example homer simpson is
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hidden away in one of these art deco
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style panels near the golden line pub
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there's a much missed scenic lift
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between deck 7 and deck 11 where there's
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a magnificent open observation platform
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there's also a maritime trail with the
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history of crossings and all about
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cunard and the stars that have been on
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cunard to follow there's kennels up on
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deck 12 which if you find you'll often
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see the dogs out there being walked and
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very importantly the wraparound
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promenade deck which literally hundreds
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of people walk every day three laps by
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the way equals 1.1 miles the ship itself
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is quirky in layouts and actually quite
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hard to find your way around and
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exploring the ship is part of the
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entertainment as you discuss in another
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video i've made about the ship another
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thing i would say about getting bored is
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many see this as an opportunity to
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unwind my partner who works crazy hours
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adore the crossing because it was a
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chance to de-stress relax and recharge
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the wi-fi is pretty rubbish even though
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it's supposedly been upgraded and so
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also means that he had to disconnect and
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just relax i saw many people doing
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exactly that creamery 2 is a massive
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ship but actually doesn't carry that
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many guests there are many nooks and
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crannies and spots for passengers to sit
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and read and relax this is helped by the
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way by an enormous library with over 10
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000 books once people i speak to about
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doing a crossing a reassured are not
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getting bored many though still worry
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about not fitting in and it being a
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stuffy experience there are three
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concerns around this that i'd like to
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talk about qnote has a reputation for
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having a very formal and strictly
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enforced dress code their ads make much
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of people dressed up in black tie and
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glamorous gowns however you don't need
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to really stress about it as much as you
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had to in the past because cue not have
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dialed back a lot of the formality and
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the number of formal dress nights during
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the day people do not dress formally at
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all years ago when i first went on a
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crossing we were worried about that but
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you can wear what you'd wear on any
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other cruise shorts flip-flops jeans
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whatever
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in the evenings it is now no more formal
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than any other uk-based line like capino
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cruises or fred olsen though more formal
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than american focus lines like celebrity
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holland america and princess
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there are two dress codes only now
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first of all five out of the seven
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nights is called smart attire all this
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requires is for gentlemen a collared
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shirt which can be short or long sleeved
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and smart trousers for ladies blouses
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skirts stylish dresses or trousers are
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what they recommend in practice the vast
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majority actually dress a little bit
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more smartly than this i certainly wore
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a jacket every one of these evenings as
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i'd say about 60 or more of the other
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men from what i could see
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there are now just two gala evenings
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they are no longer called formal nights
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to get into the main restaurants the
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theater and most bars men are asked to
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wear a dinner jacket tuxedo or dark suit
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and tie or bow tie ladies evening or
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cocktail dresses those that didn't want
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to dress up could eat in king's court go
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to the casino and the corinthian lounge
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though many ignored the rule about not
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going to the theater unless in gala
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dress code i estimate over 90 of guests
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dressed up in line with a dress code on
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golden lights and 90 of that 90
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in black tie you could go on a crossing
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and not dress up but however dressing up
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for most including me is part of the
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experience
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i do wonder if these changes will
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neither satisfy those that did the
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crossing for the old-fashioned formality
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nor those that don't want to dress up at
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all on their vacation time will tell
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another concern raised to me
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by many people is a feeling that they
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may not fit in and this is around the
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perceived class system on cunard many
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ask me if you're not in the grills
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experience if you do feel and get
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treated as a second class citizen now
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the cunard class system is linked to the
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main dining rooms if you're traveling in
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queens grill which are the biggest
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suites you eat in the queen's grill
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restaurant if you're in princess grill
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which are the smaller sized sweets you
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eat in the princess grill and if you're
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crossing in britannia which are the
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balcony ocean view and inside cabins you
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eat in britannia restaurant or if in the
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upper grade britannia cabins balcony
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cabins you eat in britannia club which
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is a section within the main restaurant
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i believe about 85 percent of the
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passengers on board the ship are
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actually britannia guests so while
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cunard make a lot of noise about the
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girls experience on board it is actually
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no different and probably not as
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segregated as on pretty much every other
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mid to large sized ship that i've been
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on in fact gross passengers have fewer
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smaller and less spectacular facilities
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and areas dedicated to them than i've
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had when cruising in a suite on many
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lines including celebrity norwegian
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cruise line and msc cruises while other
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lions are creating access controlled
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ship within a ship for suites like msc
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yacht club and norwegian haven on
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creamery 2 there is only in addition to
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the restaurants grills lounge which is
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rather uninspiring and the public ones
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are in fact much much nicer there's a
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small concierge lounge which is a plus
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because you do have someone who will
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handle shore excursions and transfers
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and a concierge who will help sort out
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any problems and you then don't have to
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queue at the purchase desk downstairs
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which always has a long queue
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there's also a small grylls deck on the
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rear of the ship with a hot tub which
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very few people use that deck on a
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transatlantic crossing because the
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weather isn't actually that great for
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sitting out anyway at check-in while
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there was a priority lane it covered
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gross passengers as well as diamond and
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platinum frequent travelers no matter
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the cabin grade
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i would say well into 90 or more of the
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ship is open to everybody and i feel
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that you get more perks and dedicated
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spaces when cruising in a suite on other
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lines i get asked often if a cunard
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crossing is only for older travellers
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and if it's full of snooty stuffy posh
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people this is not my experience
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at all
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absolutely the vast majority are couples
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and they're in their 50s 60s and 70s
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there are many groups of 40-something
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friends traveling together always
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multi-generational families are on board
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too plenty of solar travelers too helped
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a little bit more by the solar cabins
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that canard have added to the ship
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there's also many lgbt travelers
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particularly gay
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male couples i get contacted frequently
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by gay travelers worry that cunard
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passengers will be very traditional and
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very conservative and not at all
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welcoming
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i have never seen this there will often
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be for example same sex couples dancing
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ballroom in the queen's room and in fact
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their dance skill will be of more
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interest than anything else
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most travelers by the way are british
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american canadian and australians
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though you do get a smattering of course
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of all nationalities many people also
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ask me if kids fit in my answer is no
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not really there will be very few on
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board and while there are kids and teen
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clubs they pale into the insignificance
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versus the much more family orientated
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lines the program as i've covered is not
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geared towards kids and teens and they
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probably will not meet many other kids
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to have fun with while it's not an adult
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only line i get the real strong sense
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that travellers expect their crossing to
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be very much an adult experience and
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i've probably even seen eyes roll a
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little bit when they see the few kids
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that are on board coming into the dining
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rooms not surprisingly and i'm sure you
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are thinking this too one huge concern
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about the crossing is the weather
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and seasickness both are without any
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doubt risks no matter what time of the
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year you go but there are a few things
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that you need to know that will help you
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queen mary 2 is a liner it's
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specifically designed to cross the
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atlantic it's designed to be incredibly
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stable through the whole shape with
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powerful stabilizers as well
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i find queen mary 2 is definitely much
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more stable than any other regular
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cruise ship the other really critical
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thing about the ship being designed to
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cross the atlantic is the key public
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venues and the restaurants are first of
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all much lower down in the ship and
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often much more midship than you
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generally find on traditional cruise
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ships if you want to know more i cover
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this in much more detail in my video
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about queen mary 2.
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but
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the north atlantic is unpredictable and
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it's very varied
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but if you want a high chance of a
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smoother crossing then of course go
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mid-summer and if you want big waves
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then go in winter now my partner for
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example mark is very prone to
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seasickness but he has only ever got
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seasick on winter crossings and never in
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any summer crossing despite some days
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inevitably where there's quite a bit of
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movement personally i like may june time
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as it's less costly than peak summer and
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have had some of the smoothest crossings
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i've ever had then every time i go i
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will be honest with you i do meet people
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who got seasick
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so
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i always recommend taking these
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precautions
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first of all
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pack motion sickness medicine or patches
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have those at the ready second if you're
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worried about it book a cabin midship i
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always always always book a midship
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cabin even though touchwood i've never
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been seasick go on really low decks too
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if you are really concerned like deck
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four five or six
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thirdly remember that if you do feel
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seasick you can go to the medical center
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and get a jab it knocks you out for a
16:08
couple of hours but then will make you
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feel fantastic so that's your kind of
16:12
fallback insurance also by the way pack
16:15
layers as it's going to be windy and
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often chilly out on the deck no matter
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what time of the year that you go if you
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find this interesting i want to know
16:21
more
16:22
about queen mary 2 and what to expect
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watch my video here about the ship where
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i also discuss if critics are right to
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say the ship is now well past her prime
16:33
see you over there
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