…example, on Silversea it is all-suite and butler service. On Cunard in the Queens Grill you have a butler, then on different ships, there are different rules. If you do have a butler, they will do things like pack and unpack for you, serve you your meals, sort out any problems you might have, make sure your shoes are shined… all sorts of little bits and pieces. The fourth perk you normally find will be some form of complimentary drinks. You might…
…bers in my post ‘What Cruise Crew Want Cruise Passengers To Know’. Crew of Queen Mary 2 Crossing The Line Ceremony Kindness A friend of mine in the service industry (not a crew member) once said to me, never be unpleasant or rude to someone who’s alone in your bathroom with your toothbrush or prepares and brings your drinks or makes your food. The images that conjured up has never left me. Now, I am not saying crew do anything suspect along those…
…in Ho Chi Minh City. Silversea was right in the centre of the city, while Queen Mary 2 was docked an hour and a half away. Upside #6: Nickel & Diming I have also found less nickel and diming on board. That’s partly because they don’t even have some of the departments, like a photographic department, as many shops or art auctions. As I will talk about more later, smaller cruise ship fares often have more inclusions. So, unlike on bigger ships, I d…
…or they are squeezing them in on refits. Like Cunard did. They added 15 on Queen Mary 2 and nine on their other two ships. Even small lines like Fred Olsen added 40 solo cabins onto each of the 2 ships they bought from Holland America in their refit for 2023 The only cruise line that has any real number of solo cabins is Norwegian, with the solo studios. For example, on Norwegian Encore, they have 82 solo cabins and 128 on Norwegian Epic, with a s…
…use the water levels were too low. #7 Queen Mary 2 Transatlantic Next is a Queen Mary 2 Transatlantic between Southampton and New York. I have done this 5 times now because it’s the only true ocean liner sailing today. It’s a truly unique experience, harking back to the glory days of crossing before aeroplanes, and no other line or ship replicates it. The highlights for me are dressing up and the balls, although dressing up is much less of a thing…
…t, I pointed out that we could get a suite for 30% less than one in Cunard Queens Grill. And, like with Queens Grill, we would have a dedicated restaurant, called Club Orange. I also pushed the entertainment versus Cunard, like the now expanded Music Walk area with live music rotating every night between Rolling Stone Rock Room, Lincoln Centre Stage, BB King’s, and Billboard Onboard. Plus, they’ve ditched the standard cruise themed song and dance…
…ened more widely. Here are my Tips For Travellers group cruises July 2027: Queen Mary 2 Transatlantic Crossing (ON SALE NOW) Bookings are open for my 2027 Group Cruise. It is a Cunard Queen Mary 2 Transatlantic Crossing departing New York on 23 July and arriving in Southampton on 30 June. To find out more and how to book visit: https://www.tipsfortravellers.com/2027-group-cruise/ January / February 2026: 15-Night Panama Canal Group Cruise SOLD OUT…
…etching deep into the hillside. We also went spent time at the multi-level Queen Hatshepsut’s temple carved into the mountain side. This is one of my favourites from the entire trip. Also in Luxor, we explored the 250-acre Karnak Temple complex, which transported me into scenes I remembered from Agatha Christie’s “Death on the Nile”. We also ventured north to the Temple of Hathor, Goddess of Love, near Qena with its magnificent blue ceilings depic…
…Dubai through the Suez Canal to Athens. Seabourn cancelled a similar trip. Queen Mary 2 turned their World Voyage around to head back around Africa instead of going through the Suez Canal. While Virgin Voyages announced the Resilient Lady was going to sail back to the Mediterranean from Australia via Africa, not through Asia and the Suez Canal. Last year lines were sailing Arabian cruises through the Red Sea with the bucket list transit of the Sue…
…Celebrity Retreat’s Luminae. There are large menu options, particularly in Queens Grill where you can also go off menu and have caviar for dinner as often as you want. The other big difference to all the others is that in Queens Grill and Princess Grill, while open seated dining you get allocated a table for all meals with the same serving staff, so you can build a strong rapport. They get to know you well and can tailor your experience. They do h…
…ravellers feel it is not Cunard enough, and dislike some features like the Queens Room, and the overall layout and design. The flagship transatlantic Queen Mary 2 liner is still getting overall good ratings and reviews, although many reviewers feel Cunard is watering down the experience and it feels more mainstream than luxury these days. I think Cunard created this issue themselves, as their advertising suggests a luxurious experience with White-…
