Thread: Favorite Cunard Cruise stories!

HRHugeness

I see that you are new to CLF.

Welcome.

Don't forget to stop by the "Introduction" section and introduce yourself.

Apologies to all those former residents of "the dark side" who may have heard this one before, but I thought it might withstand retelling given a potentially new audience.

Our first cruise (and only one to date) was on QE2. We were in one of the M grade cabins with the top and bottom bunks - it was like a walk in cupboard with shelves for sleeping on. Shortly after we got on board I made the serious error of opening the cabin door, the bathroom door, and the two wardrobe doors simultaneously.

It was like some kind of infernal vertical Rubic's cube - everytime I managed to get one bloody door shut another two got in the way of the third one. I was cursing and swearing and generally frothing at the mouth, and Maureen (She Who Must be Obeyed) was rolling around on the two square feet of clear deckspace that wasn't already occupied by me and the demonic doors. She was laughing so much she was in danger of having to go to the toilet very urgently indeed -------

only she couldn't ------ not until I'd sorted out the doors

I thought I was going to have to stay in the cabin for the rest of the cruise, or at any rate, at least until I could work out the correct order in which to close them all so that I could actually get out .



Jimmy

Jimmy, we had a very dear friend staying in an MI single on a crossing. She could sit on her bed, and nearly turn on the tap in the bathroom with her foot! We were so lucky that trip to be upgraded to a lovely P1 stateroom, and our walk-in closet was about the size of her entire cabin!

Andrew

My first sailing on QE2 was in the 80's when I worked in NYC. I didnt' have a lot of vacation time, but I saw an ad for QE2 fly/sail standby at a great price. We had done two HAL cruises to Bermuda, and I thought QE2 would be so far out of our price range that I never gave Cunard any thought.

I think I had very high expectations, which were not met by the experience of being in a 5-deck forward upper/lower inside cabin. I didn't mind the tiny cabin or that it was inside--we'd gone cheap on HAL, too. But I found service on the ship to be very disappointing. Our table waiters spoke very little English and the service was poor. You could sit at the table all night and you would not get a second cup of coffee. And they never refilled the water glasses. Sounds picky, but waitressing 101 says keep coffee cups and water glasses full. If you can't even get that right, it's downhill from there.

Bar waiters were snotty. We had horrible weather the first day. It's the only sailing in 30+ trips when I was seasick. The next day, I ventured to the Lido for a light lunch (this was the old magradome Lido). A waiter came by and asked if I wanted anything to drink, and I said a coke (this being Mom's remedy for a sensitive stomach). He looked down at me and said "Only a coke?" And I thought, listen, you, I order, you bring. That's what you're paid to do. If I want a magnum of champagne, I'll order it. Today I want a coke Who are you to judge me?

It wasn't all bad. We spent our days up on sun deck in our reserved chairs, and that made up for a lot. (By the end of the trip we were used to Dennis and his crusty personality)

I remember talking to other passengers who said the service was poor, and that HAL was so much better. So it wasn't just me.

Got off saying never again. But a few years later, when QE2 had been on charter in Japan, there was a transcanal in June, a time when we could go (DH was a teacher, and Jan cruises were a no-go). I remember saying grudgingly, "I know it's the QE2, but I'll put up with that in order to see the canal."

Everything that was wrong the first time was right this time, and we fell in love with the ship, and have been back many many times.

I don't know that this is my favorite Cunard story, but since Malcolm posted his bad beginning, I figured it wouldn't be heresy to post mine.

Sometimes it isn't love at first sight--you have to walk by a second time.
Kathy

Originally Posted by 3rdGenCunarder

since Malcolm posted his bad beginning

That trip wasn't my first one onboard, only my first with Paul. I actually turned Platinum on that trip

But you don't look a day over "gold!"