We were on the Queen Victoria. Very elegant with a superb crew / staff. Visited Copenhagen, Visby, Tallinn and St. Petersburg. The first three cities really opened up after 10:00 am. We started out as soon as the ship docked and enjoyed walking the towns and planning our route back to the ship. After 10:00 am things got more crowded.
Best city tour in Visby was with Adrian. Did a great job.
St. Petersburg was VERY crowded. Best to be part of a guided tour (especially for Visa purposes). The Hermitage was CRAZY busy. Saw all 23 Rembrandt pictures in 3 minutes.
The best part of the 9 night trip was the people aboard ship. Mainly from Britian, New Zealand and Australia. They accepted us crazy Americans quite well. Had a good time with them.
FYI - Only got a few Euro's. Used a credit card for everything else. I had to sign for each purchase, but never used a PIN (except at the ATM).
ALSO, plan on 1.5 hours to get to any connecting flight at LHR. The security area and bus transfer to another terminal is not good.
Posted by
11156 posts
Sailing on a Cunard sounds like an incredible experience.
Sorry to hear about LHR taking more time. We have had excellent experiences in the past few years using their website and filling in the connections link.
Posted by
OP
5 posts
We followed the connection flights signage both times through LHR.
The actual process of getting to your connecting flight at LHR was not good. It was not a problem finding the connection. If you have to change terminals, you wait for a 15 minute bus ride and then go back thru security. The security process at LHR is VERY slow. It took us 30 minutes to get through. If your bag does not scan correctly, it gets sent to another conveyor belt where you wait an additional 40 minutes for a hand search (that's the amount of time stated by the security agent as a warning to you to do it correctly the first time). Even if you do not change termminals for your connection, you still have to go back through security with hundreds of other passengers.
Posted by
Atlanta, GA
1075 posts
How fun! We are tentatively booked on a short cruise with them next year (QM2) from Southampton to Hamburg. Do people really dress up super fancy every night, even kids? (We'll have a 10-yo and a 13-yo with us.)
Posted by
OP
5 posts
Yes, if you want a sit down meal served by a waiter, you will need to dress up. Coast for men , tie is optional. There will likely be at least 1 or 2 GALA nights that require formal attire.
You can eat at the LIdo buffet every meal for no additional cost. Good food, but it is a buffet environment.
The alternative restuarants (steak house, etc) require a reservation and cost. Still might need to dress upp for them.
The passengers were mostly 50 years old and above. We some some younger people, but very few. They do have events geared towards the younger set, but not too many.
Make sure to visit St Nicholas church in Hamburg. It is the bombed out remains from WW2. Little museum also. They only take Euro's to enter. 10 Euros per person. Lots to see in Hamburg if you are willing to walk. Probably stay away from the Red Light district near the harbor. Easy to get on a bus or train. The bus drivers only take Euro's.
Posted by
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
8293 posts
No, Kelly, people do not “dress up super fancy “ every night. I have done 5 transatlantic voyages on the QM2 and there are only one or two super fancy nights on the crossing. You need not go to the dining room on those nights if you’d rather not ....... have your dinner in the Lido restaurant or order room service.
Posted by
OP
5 posts
Just to clarify. You will be required to wear "smart attire" on the non Gala nights in the Britanica restaurant. That means a jacket with optional tie for men. Nice blouses / pants or dresses for ladies. Shorts and sandals won't cut it in the restaurant for dinner.
If you do not dress formally on the Gala nights, they request you avoid areas where people are attending "Gala" events (cocktail party, dances, shows, etc.)
Breakfast and lunch do not require nicer clothes.
FYI - The restaurant is assigned seating for dinner only. So, you will eat dinner with the same people unless you request something else.