QM2 booked....again!
 

And we're off....again! Nov 2015 on the QM2. Kennels booked although there will probably only be 3 dogs by that time not 4 :(

Can't believe we're going to do it again. Haven't told husband yet....... :o

Re: QM2 booked....again!
 

Ha ha you are so funny! :lol:

I'm surprised that you are returning again on the Queen Mary 2 - I remember that you thought it was boring last time you sailed from New York to Southampton. Is it because it's the cheapest means of travel with your pets? (How much are they charging for them to go into the kennels?)

How will you travel from Los Angeles to Brooklyn with the pets?

What has prompted you to ping-pong back to England again?

We are in limbo: my husband's contract in Switzerland expires next June and we don't know where we are going.....:unsure: :eek:

Re: QM2 booked....again!
 

It's really because I don't want to fly my dogs again!!!!

Last time we were exhausted after deciding to move back to the UK only 5 weeks before and having to sell a house etc. This time it will be more of an adventure! Besides my Mum and sister are joining us on the sailing so we're going to really take advantage of everything the QM2 has to offer instead of just sleeping and eating. I may even wear a little black dress and sit in the Brittania restaurant for dinner.........maybe!!!!

We'll rent a car again to get from LA to NYC. Because it will be late november we'll have to take the southern route so weather isn't too bad.We'll spend a couple days in NYC seeing family and then board the QM2.

Well.....that's the plan - but who knows what will happen between now and Nov 2015!!! We too are in limbo so I totally understand :)

As far as what prompted the move back - literally the day we arrived back in LA we realized we had made a terrible mistake. We made a panic move when we decided to move back to the US and as we all know panic moves are the worst type of decisions!!! We've spent the last 10 months really talking and figuring out what we want from life etc and we realize that we were (for the most part) completely happy being back in London. However just to make sure, we both said we wouldn't make any decisions until we'd been back for at least 18 months/2 years - which would take us to the end of 2015/beginning of 2016. The kennels department at the QM2 emailed me to say they had kennels and would I be interested.....so I took that as a sign! I booked them on a whim....just in case........at least I know I have them now.

Re: QM2 booked....again!
 

OP, all the best to you on the journey, & if I may ask - do you have any suggestions on how to get the best possible deal on an QM2 transatlantic crossing?

thanks

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Thanks :)

Join their mailing list. They are constantly having sales. Last minute fares are about $800 per person. Good luck!!!

Re: QM2 booked....again!
 

post#5 thanks for the tip

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Thank you for the update.

I strongly recommend the option to have breakfast in bed on the QM2 : :starsmile:

How much is it to have your dogs in the kennels? Do they all get individual kennels or do they share if they are small dogs? Do you think it is less stressful for them on board a ship compared to flying?

Re: QM2 booked....again!
 

Hi Englishmum,

Does it cost extra to have breakfast in bed?!?!?

I think it's less stressful for the dogs. I think the first night was hard for them because they were used to sleeping in the bedroom with us. However for the rest of the journey they slept and played and ate without seeming to be stressed. Dogs are creatures of habit so after about a day they got used to the "new routine" - besides they knew in the evening we would bring them up prime rib or roast beef to have with their dinners so they were very happy about that!!!

My dogs will be 15, 16 and 17 by the time we sail. I flew them from London to LA at the beginning of this year and even though they were fine I could tell the flight stressed them out. I can't put them through that again - and I can't deal with the stress of it again!!!

The 2 larger dogs will have a large kennel each with the dividing wall removed so they will share what will end up being an extra large kennel. The little dog will have a kennel to himself. If by some miracle my 4th dog survives the two little ones will share a large kennel - just like the last time. I believe it worked out to be about $600 for each dog. Can't remember exactly. Once I get the paperwork from QM2 I'll let you know. I think we payed about $3000 to fly them from London to LAX. I believe it's more expensive to fly them back into the UK though.

Re: QM2 booked....again!
 

Britwhore, glad to hear the good news and that you seem well-prepared this time for move back. Meaning you came back to US and realized not for you. I appreciate info you gave on driving southern routes as would never have thought of that when it's my time to likewise. Obviously in winter northern routes would be abysmal in some states. You also said you had call from QM2 about opening for dogs. Were you on a waitlist? How far in advance did you start the process? Wish you all the best..

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You ladies and your talk of the QM2 over the years has finally got me considering this as an option! A quick glance at their website and I notice they don't have Spring 2016 up yet, which is when we will be going. Not sure if we will be taking the dog yet or if she will stay with DD. It's more for me really. I can't stand the idea of such a long flight anymore.

Re: QM2 booked....again!
 

No I wasn't on the waitlist. I had emailed them the other week about available kennels on 2015 eastbound sailing and they wrote back to say there were none. So I emailed on wednesday and asked about 2016 and they wrote back to say that they actually had a sailing in november 2015 that had kennels. I seem to have really good timing with QM2!!!

Re: QM2 booked....again!
 

DO IT!!!!!!!!!!

Best to call or email the kennel department ([email protected]) and ask about spring 2016. The kennels book up 18 months to 2 years in advance. You can always reserve a kennel and then if you don't need it just let them know. You don't pay for the kennel until the sailing.

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Hi Britwhore. Sorry that things didn't work out for you back in LA, but I do envy you having another trip on the QM2. Sounds like it will be a great trip with some of you family joining you. Don't forget to represent us well on the pub quiz team!!! Great to hear from you again.

Re: QM2 booked....again!
 

for those that have chosen or traveled the QM2, which is the best cabin choice as the 'best bang for your buck' - is it the 'outside balcony' or the 'ocean view'?

Or simply go with an inside cabin?

Re: QM2 booked....again!
 

Not sure about 'best bang for your buck', but when we travelled from US to UK on QM2 in 2010 we had a Princess Grill balcony cabin and I would not hesitate to recommend that.

There were 3 of us - 2 adults and our 12 year old son and there was plenty of room for all of us in the 1 spacious cabin.

Princess Grill cabins have the use of a dedicated lounge and outside terrace (along with Queens Grill passengers) so it was always easy to find somewhere reasonably quiet to sit and get a drink etc.

For dinner, we had a specific table in the restaurant which was ours all evening, so we could arrive for dinner whenever we wanted - rather than a set time.

Re: QM2 booked....again!
 

No, it doesn't! :thumbsup:

The housekeeper assigned to your cabin collects your order the evening before; you can even choose the time you want your breakfast to be delivered to you and it always arrived on time :thumbup:

I was a bit naughty and stayed in bed, leaving my husband to answer the door when the delicious breakfast arrived lol! There is an extensive selection of items to choose from too. I found it to be much more civilised and relaxing than going to the buffet breakfast area and trying to find a spare place to sit down and eat (a mistake I experienced on our first morning at sea, I found it a bit of a zoo).

A couple of days though I did go into one of the formal restaurants for breakfast as I fancied kedgeree, kippers and salmon etc. (all waiter service, unlike the buffet). This is where I had a very interesting conversation with a couple of charming guys (one gay Brit, one married Aussie with his wife back in Oz) who were the 'gentlemen dancers' - they were volunteers, hired to dance in the evenings with the (mostly widowed and elderly) ladies in the ballroom. They had both done multiple trips with Cunard, free of charge!

PS: thank you for the reply about the dog kennels and cost. My husband's employer is always sending Americans from NYC, Minnesota, CA etc. to go on expat postings to London (oh, and some returning expat Brits too). Many of them have dogs and they often overlook the possibility of sailing on the QM2 instead of flying their pets.

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Hi not2old;

In the Summer of 2012 there was a late promotion with Cunard to celebrate HM The Queen's Diamond Jubilee on all their ships. They were not only offering super-inexpensive prices on the QM2 on their crossings between New York & Southampton, but also a free double upgrade from an inside cabin to a premium balcony, plus a $150 shipboard credit.

http://britishexpats.com/forum/movin...h-june-760400/

http://britishexpats.com/forum/movin...motion-767131/

After I posted the first link, three couples/families who post on BE could not resist the promotion and they all relocated to the UK in early August 2012! (If1, Pombat and Britwhore). Britwhore - the O/P of this thread - amazingly managed to get a last minute booking to take her four dogs in the kennels too!

Also after posting the first link, my spouse had a lovely surprise for me; our wedding anniversary is July the 4th. He had been posted to Switzerland with his job and I was still resident in New Jersey (then shortly due to get my US citizenship in August 2012). He flew out to NJ for our 25th anniversary and I woke up on July 4th to be given an envelope with the details of the trip he had booked for us to sail two days later to Southampton! He'd also arranged for us to reconfirm our vows with the ship's captain. (He is so romantic :wub:)
He used the shipboard credit to rent a formal suit onboard lol!)

Anyway....to get back to your question: personally I get claustrophobia and I wouldn't feel comfortable being in an inside cabin with no windows and only artificial light. Obviously it doesn't bother many people at all, and tbh some people spend very little time in their cabins and just use them as a 'crash pad' to sleep or freshen up. We were in an outside cabin with a balcony (with a very slightly restricted view due to a lifeboat hoisted up on the side) so the natural light was nice. The room was quite spacious too, with a sofa at the side of the bed - we didn't feel squashed in or cramped at all.

It was a bit windy to spend much time on the balcony when at sea, so I wouldn't have minded a cabin with a porthole window (we had one with a cruise on Royal Caribbean when we made a late booking during the Summer school holidays a few years ago).

I certainly seem to get the impression that Cunard is quite generous with various promotions and returning customers do seem to be offered free upgrades; I guess it depends on how full the ship is at the time of sailing. As mentioned before, do sign up directly with Cunard for online promotions and perhaps give them (not a travel agency) a call from time to time, asking if they have any promotions coming up....you never know, you may get lucky and get upgraded! ;)

Btw; they have a laundry on most decks - our cabin was quite close to one - and it has the US style top loader and tumble dryers, with free detergent. There is also an iron and ironing board in the laundry area.

Some reviews here:

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberre...hip&ShipID=294

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Englishmum @post#17... thanks for the super response with details & linked info

I have more questions on sailing the QM2, but shall wait see if others responses first with their experiences

Thanks all

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Britwhore, well, surprise, surprise! I only pop in occasionally and this is what i find!
I'm well jealous of your QM2 voyage, and hope that the UK works out for you next time round.

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Are the formal restaurants included? I was never sure.

I should sign my husband up to be a "gentleman dancer" HAHAHAHA!!!

Who is your husband's employer if you don't mind me asking?

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HAHAHAHA!!! Hi jemima55 :rofl:

Thanks. I hope so too. I feel much more at ease about the move back mostly because I now know what is in store.

Re: QM2 booked....again!
 

Hi Britwhore!
I've now been back two and a half years. Mostly I've been very happy to be back nearer family. Currently looking after my teenage nephew in deepest Norfolk while his Dad gets a well earned break.
I have to say my allegiance has gone from British Expats to Mumsnet. You don't have to be a mum or even female to post on there. It's quite entertaining!

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I wouldn't go with an inside room personally. I believe a window or balcony room is only about $100 more and IMHO definitely worth it.

Re: QM2 booked....again!
 

Deepest Norfolk!!! Glad to hear things are going well. Two and a half years already!! Time goes so quickly.

I've checked out mumsnet before but it can get really bitchy on there!

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spent an hour or so looking at the QM2 website at the different suites/rooms & it seems too me - excluding the pet travel & amount of extra baggage on board - as a comparison to say a seat on a plane,

Inside room = economy isle seat

Ocean view - economy window seat

Balcony = economy with the extra leg room widow seat

Princess = Business class

Queen = First class

as priced accordingly ...

As far as the 'sign up for email alerts' - I think that is great & hopefully a bargain can be had. According to traveler reviews found on several websites, Cunard never sails across the pond with empty state rooms/suites, so maybe, that is why (similar to airlines) booking last minute could get you a bargain or not?

I'd be interested to know more about the value for money (two traveling) comparing the Balcony room versus the Princess rooms & whether the extra value in the having your own dining table & food quality variety is worth the extra $1000 or so per person?

Balcony or Princess?

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That seems a reasonable assessment to me. My husband's employer had budgeted to provide business class flights for the 3 of us which we converted to our QM2 crossing.

I think that would be an individual judgement call.

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So jealous to hear that you are doing the QM2 again, Britwhore! We loved our crossing and would happily do it again, if it didn't mean having to go to the US first ;)

For the people interested in costings, we came back as a family of 4 in August 2012 on the Diamond Jubilee promotion previously mentioned. We booked 2 adjacent cabins and got a free upgrade from inside to balcony - unobstructed view. Hubby and I shared one cabin and our kids had the twin- bedded cabin next door. It worked out the same price as one way economy airfares!!!

Breakfast in bed was good, although I did quite like the buffet as well. The laundry facilities were a big plus for us. Happy to answer any other questions.

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+1 on the laundry facilities :)

I hadn't twigged that the laundry would be free - we had been travelling for a week before we got on the ship so I had been saving up quarters to use in the driers. I ended up with a huge bag of coins - the only thing to do was to blow them all in the casino :lol:

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Hi Britwhore,

Isn't it great when you can finally find peace with your decision!? I am really happy for you and hopefully it will all work out this time.

I am so glad we travelled back on the QM2 last year too. I hate flying and everything that goes with it so the QM2 was the better, and cheaper option for us.

not2old - we were 3 adults and 1 child staying in an inside cabin. I do prefer a balcony but due to not being able to sell our house in canada yet and having limited finances, an inside it was. It was cheaper than flying!
We find the inside OK as we literally only sleep, shower and dress in the cabin. Cunard are quite generous with their cabin size and so it worked for us. I have booked many cruises for customers and sailed on a few myself to know that there is smaller!
There is good lighting, air con and mirrors placed to make the appearence larger and the light bounce. I understand a lot of people don't like it though as there is no natural light.

The formal dining is included, as is room service, buffet breakfast, lunch, soft drinks and entertainment.
The specialty dining restaurants, spa, casino and alcohol is additional.

We did originally book a year in advance to return late in the July and we booked a dogs kennel at that time too. Again, it was a lot cheaper than him flying. Hubby got offered a job and left Canada in the June and at that point I just wanted to leave so rescheduled for the early July sailing and lost our kennel so unfortunately the dog had to fly - he cost more than all of us sailing! :blink:

Good luck!

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Will send you a PM ;)

Certainly in the evening the formal restaurant is included (we changed the time we were allocated, there was quite a queue on the first day with other passengers doing the same).

I just trotted along to (I think it was?) the same formal restaurant for breakfast, the Maitre'D just takes you along to any suitable table - I did go along once on my own and ended up sharing a larger table with the 'gentlemen' and a few others, but I didn't mind at all.

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wow this sounds great please i know your all very busy, but can you tell me if you need to get the same paperwork filled in as you do if you fly as last yr we used a pet courier company to fly our boy and i couldn't deal with the stress of that again and if its less stress on him that would be great plus a little family vacation wouldn't be a bad thing

Re: QM2 booked....again!
 

is there a baggage/luggage limit, because we would want to have a couple of the old fashioned shipping trunks with us, or it would be 20 suitcases.

Is there a limit on the amount of luggage based on the type of suite that have on the QM2, or, is there (service) provision for larger contents that they could put in the 'cargo hold', if so- does anyone have an idea what the charges are?

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No limit on the number of items as long as it fits in your cabin. They say that individual items should not be more than 20kg, but I am not sure how strictly that is enforced as I think that a couple of our suitcases would have weighed a little more than 20kg.

https://ask.cunard.com/help/cunard/b...luggage_amount

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rebs @ post #33 .... thanks

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You need to get yourself . ;)

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Junebug - yes you still need to complete the pet paperwork unfortunately and get up to date rabies jabs & dewormed within the specified time.
It is a holiday too and a great way to leave New York to return home :)

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Sorry chaps been busy with work!!

Yes it is the same paperwork for the dogs so still stressful but we have 4 fur children and I managed to deal with it without having to pay a carrier. I suggest if you have the time u should sail back - much less stress for u and the dog!! Plus a once in a lifetime vacation!! Although a twice in a lifetime one for me (whoops!!!)

I think a couple of our suitcases were over 20kg so we tipped our porter well and apologized profusely!!! ;) you can fit a lot in those rooms though!

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YES, YES!!! I think I want to - but whether the OH will is another matter. Will do some investigating. Will be coming up from Florida to NY so have to figure out that trip. Maybe rent a U-Haul and drive up. Lots to look at!

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I guess I better start "Send the puppy home fund"

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We'll be coming from LA so will rent an SUV for luggage and dogs! It's the best way to leave the US - a little road trip and then a luxury sailing!!!