Considerations for taking a Cunard Transatlantic cruise

A better source for answers for cruise related questions would be cruise critic at https://www.cruisecritic.com/
Go to cunard cruises and transatlantic cruise and there 1327 reviews. Some of them may have the answers you seek. At least you are assured that those people writing reviews went on the cruise you are considering. Bon voyage!

We've done the QMII several times, both directions. Like you, we've also done multiple transatlantic and transpacific crossings on other lines.
1. The ship has a "posh" reputation, but truly, is no fancier than your experiences on Celebrity. No need for formal wear ... a coat and/or tie would be nice but not required.

2. Unless you book a Princess or Queens lounge stateroom, amenities will be the same as you've experienced before ... pay for wine, beer, coca cola, bottled water, etc. Also pay daily gratuities and taxes. Keep in mind that Cunard is simply one of the Carnival Cruise Line brands.
3. Personally, I'd skip the veranda option on this crossing. You're crossing the north Atlantic and will probably spend very little time on your balcony ... cold and windy. Get an outside view room and use the savings to drink more wine! :)
4. Before booking your flight into London, check for transport options from the airports to Southampton. Personally, I'd fly into Heathrow ... you have your choice of Coach, taxi or train to reach Southampton. If possible, I'd also recommend arriving in Southampton the day before you depart. If traveling on the ship's day of departure, any glitch in your plans could be a disaster.

1. No. But you can wear a dark business suit and tie instead. On non gala nights, slacks and a dress shirt (DH also usually wore a sport jacket) will suffice.
2. This is the same as most mass market lines if you aren't in a suite. Soft drinks and alcoholic drinks are not included, but you can buy a beverage package at extra cost or just pay as you go.

3.The list of items not included is on the website: https://www.cunard.com/en-us/the-cunard-experience/whats-included

Spend some time on the Cunard website, and also ask any cruise specific questions on the Cunard forum on the Cruise Critic website.

I assume from your post that you're planning time in Ireland and Devon?Cornwall before your cruise, rather than flying into London for the cruise?
If you fly from Dublin you can get direct flights to Newquay in Cornwall, which will be both much cheaper and much quicker than flying into London and then facing a long transfer whether by train or car to the south west. Then have your London time at the end, from where you can take take a train from Waterloo to Southampton in about 75 minutes.

Thanks everyone for a very quick response to my inquiry.

We plan to take a tour of Devon and Cornwall from London with Trafalgar instead of doing it on our own.

We are in our late 70s and would prefer to do it on a tour. I understand that Cornwall can be very crowded and busy, driving there would likely be unfriendly.

I assume that the trip you are looking at with Trafalgar is the Best of Devon and Cornwall 6 day 5 night tour?

I have just had a look at this tour. You should understand that this tour spends just one day in Cornwall and even then that day starts and finishes in Plymouth so you will have 4 hours on the coach on that day just getting to Penzance and back. For Devon you will be travelling to Plymouth on the first day having driven from London via Stonehenge first. then day 3 is in Devon before you leave again. So really only parts of two days in Devon and Cornwall.

I suspect that you can do much better than that. For a start I would look at Rabbie's' 5 day tour which spends much more time in the two counties.

Thanks for the information about the Rabbes tour. It does spend more time in Cornwall and Devon and is 5 days, while the Trafalgar is effectively 7 days.

They haven't announced their 2025 tour dates yet, if the dates are similar to this year, we could do it with them.
Trafalgar does visit some other places like Bristol that we haven't visited, but the price for Traflagar is almost $2000 pp while Rabbes is $405 GBP or about $520 pp.

Rabbies is definitely a savings and I would expect a better experience, but remember that your accommodations and meals are not included in the Rabbies price.

Check out youtube videos on the ‘tips for travellers’ channel. He has several videos on Cunard transatlantic trips. Additionally, he has a livestream almost every week where you can ask questions

George,

I can answer some of your questions.

I suspect you can rent a tuxedo, though I suggest you contact Cunard. There are two formal nights. If you do not wish to dress up on these nights, you can have dinner in the buffet and can go to some of the bars and the casino, but there are areas of the ship you cannot go to, such as the other restaurants, the theater for the evening shows, and several bars. On formal nights, a man can wear instead of a tuxedo a dark suit with white shirt and tie.

On the other nights, a man is supposed to wear at the very least a buttoned-down dress shirt and dress trousers. Most also wear a sports coat, though it is not required. Again, if you do not wish to dress up, there is the buffet for dinner and some bars you can enter.

Unless you buy an alcohol package, drinks are extra, though they were reasonably priced.

I actually sailed on the QM2 in December. Because I was in Europe for a time before the crossing, I needed to have a suitcase with clothes just needed for the Cunard crossing transported to the ship (I wore a midnight blue suit rather than a tuxedo). It was worth the money.

If you have other questions about my experience, such as what programs were offered during the day, you can send me a PM, and I will be happy to respond.

Gary Bembridge is a cruising expert and has many videos with great information on his YouTube channel. He cuts to the chase and gives you the facts, the hidden costs, the pros and cons of various cruise lines, etc. This one is about doing a Cunard Queen Mary 2 Transatlantic Crossing and will answer most of your questions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExEhgNAxCK4
He has several specifically about Cunard Transatlantic trips, dress code, dining, and more.
You can send him questions using his Facebook page or by Twitter.
"Tips For Travelers" is his YouTube name.

The Man In Seat 61 has a great video of his transatlantic journey on the QM2:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKEKn-ilMB4
He answers many questions you've brought up in this video.
His YouTube channel is good for information on European transportation, especially trains.
From his website: fact sheet on taking Cunard's QM2 transatlantic:
https://www.seat61.com/queen-mary-2-transatlantic.htm

We sailed on the Queen Mary 2 in Aug 2022. We had an inside cabin which was fine. We spent most of our time out of the cabin. My husband brought a black suit which was fine for the gala evenings. People dressed nicely for the evenings and the gala evenings but not all long dresses and tuxedos. We had dinner mates and one of them was missing at the first gala evening and he told us they wouldn't let him in because he didn't have a tie. He just wore nice pants and shirt other nights. WiFi is extra and we did not get it because at the time we heard it was not very reliable. They have upgraded since then. They do have a drinks package which we did not get. We had wine every night at dinner, a beer or 2 in the pub every day and sometimes a cocktail before dinner in the Chart Room or Corinthian Lounge. Coffee, tea and juice is always available in the Kings Court which is the buffet restaurant. You are allowed 2 bottles of wine to take aboard to drink in your cabin. I have heard you can take more they don't confiscate it. They add a gratuity everyday and the drinks where all the extras we payed.

Look for the vlogger Jeb Brooks on Youtube he and his wife just did such a trans crossing.

He ended up buying a tux since he found it was cheaper.

By the way Rabbies now have 2025 bookings open. If you book before the end of June 2024 they are at 2024 prices.

I second looking at the youtube channel “tips for travellers ‘ - note the 2 “l”s, the British spelling.. “cruise with ben and david” also posted a video this week on their trip