Re: QM2 booked....again!
 

Absolutely!!! Make sure u book a kennel first so that you definitely have one! They book so far in advance.

Re: QM2 booked....again!
 

This is my preferred route for my return trip back to UK. But I used to get seasick on Lake Windermere boat outings! Also I cannot worry about it now as other things worrying me but took Laverne to vet today. The vet confirmed as his father had that she looks like she has some pitbull in her. will cross that bridge when I get to it. All the best Britwhore.

Re: QM2 booked....again!
 

I'm getting more and more excited about the prospect! I have one question: is the cabin booked per person? We may be taking DD with us so just want to calculate the expenses.

Re: QM2 booked....again!
 

Yes, our cabin prices were quoted on a per person basis.
I don't know how old your Dd is, but our kids really enjoyed the teen and tween activities on board. Our sailing was in August during school holidays, so there were a lot of school age children on board and our children made lots of friends.

Re: QM2 booked....again!
 

Put it this way.....I reckon that even being in an inside cabin for a week must be even better than flying First Class on a plane - yes, even those private 'suites' on Singapore Airlines and Emirates lol! Think of all the delicious food you get to eat, entertainment.....and of course LEG space on the QM2....including those lovely beds! :lol:

Re: QM2 booked....again!
 

We have yet to travel the QM2.

On the point of motion sea sickness fulwood, other than the gravol or some other meds or wristbands - looking at the deck plan you'd think a cabin in mid-ship would have the least movement.

Notice on the deck plan how the posh expensive suites are all forward deck

http://www.cunard.com/Documents/2014...y2014-2015.pdf

maybe those that have made the journey they can comment on the ship sections they experienced had the least movement as well as what they consider the 'best deck' choice?

Re: QM2 booked....again!
 

Btw - some great tips here on booking and prices for the QM2 (it's an old thread but still relevant). The lady who posted her experience was living in Florida, and they rented a van and drove to New York with their children and dogs:

See especially posts #5 and #7

http://britishexpats.com/forum/movin...%24%24-344267/

For families, there are quad rooms - not listed on the Cunard website, you need to phone them directly for various cabin options (See Post # 24)

http://britishexpats.com/forum/movin...booked-310324/

http://britishexpats.com/forum/movin...-310324/page2/

Re: QM2 booked....again!
 

When I was on the ship there was only one day of poor weather (although there was quite a bit of sea-fog).

This ship was commissioned as an ocean-going liner, rather than the cruise ships which typically ply the Caribbean and the Med. There is a big display on one of the decks which shows how the ship was constructed and the special stabilizers it has (and I'm pretty sure you could find a video about it on Youtube.com).

I actually found it fascinating when I went down to the lowest deck available to passengers on the way to one of the theatres.....you walk along an outside corridor (lots of passengers like this quiet area to play cards/jigsaws/board games) and as it was quite choppy we could see the waves. At no time did I feel queasy and I never saw anyone being sea-sick.

Perhaps you could call Cunard and discuss with them about the best place to be located (I guess a higher floor near the middle of the ship? I know on planes they say to sit near the wings if you tend to get airsick) or to look on one of the cruise critic (or similar) boards.

I'll see if I can find a Youtube video..... :blink:

Re: QM2 booked....again!
 

If you have a little time to spare, make yourself a cuppa and relax and read this wonderful informative thread; a family who moved from Florida back to the UK (Cheshire) with their dogs on the QM2. The lady had lived in the US since childhood but had always longed to move back to the land of her birth....England.

http://britishexpats.com/forum/movin...m-home-341555/

Re: QM2 booked....again!
 

Here's a video of a Winter Crossing (2013) from Southampton to New York (but it doesn't show the Canyon Ranch spa or the gym):

Re: QM2 booked....again!
 

Englishmum @ post# 48, 49 & 50 .... thanks & informative

I will read those threads as well as watch the video

to add ...

I'm back after watching the video & I'm sold. No worries about choppy seas...

What a life to imagine, with enough money, two people (getting the best bang for their buck with discounts etc) living on board for six months a year. Back & forth Southampton to NYC as well as take in a few Med cruises.

I wonder if there are great discounts or upgrades for multi journey travelers?

Re: QM2 booked....again!
 

That brought back memories - so many names on that thread I haven't seen in a long time.

Re: QM2 booked....again!
 

As others have mentioned because Cunard build true ocean liners they are amazingly stable. Not once did I feel like I was on a boat....until I went outside....and saw water...!

Re: QM2 booked....again!
 

does anyone know if club members get automatic stateroom upgrades, or a discount, over & above the small perks?

Cunard World Club | Membership Benefits | Cunard Cruise Line

Re: QM2 booked....again!
 

If it hasn't been suggested already, cruisecritic.com (I think I got that right) has wonderful information on almost all ships and Cunard has its own section where the QM2, amongst others, is discussed. Not everyone has had a positive experience but you can't please all the people all the time; right!

We are booked on QM2 with two dogs on July 14th 2015 (Vive la France) for our return to the UK. Inside cabin for two adults and one 13 year old.

Total cost including kennels is: $5800

Flying was going to be more and a lot more stressful and the 8 days we are at sea we get fed :)

Re: QM2 booked....again!
 

I believe we got a stateroom upgrade as we had sailed before and a small discount but so far that's it. Our sailing is a year away though so hopefully a few more perks will come!

moggie1964 July will be a lovely time to sail!! And I see you're in NJ so not a huge distance to travel to get to the QM2! We're driving from LA......a journey I have made too many times in the last 12 years and it never gets easier. Although the southern route is a little more interesting than going through the middle of the country. I can't handle driving through Nebraska again.......I JUST CAN'T!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Re: QM2 booked....again!
 

Just logged on for the frst time in ages, as I am newly returned to the US from the UK and regretting it .... but not wanting to ping pong my poor dog on a flight again .... thrilled to read your experiences, thanks for sharing!!!

Re: QM2 booked....again!
 

Mmmmm - I keep hearing of expats leaving New Jersey :blink: I've just had a message from a friend whom sold her house in Maplewood a few weeks ago and has just relocated to Zurich with her spouse and children. Why is everyone leaving?

I'm going to NJ for a month in December to see our son whom (unfortunately) seems to be settled for good there (my spouse will join us at Christmas). I don't miss the U.S. at all - with the exception of my big tumble dryer lol! :lol:

(The best way to get to the Cunard terminal at Brooklyn from NJ is to go via Staten Island and across the the Verrazano bridge....and it's fun to stand on deck as the QM2 sails underneath it as it heads out to sea, the funnel just clearing it by inches :cool:)

Re: QM2 booked....again!
 

Daisy09, how long were you in UK before you came back to US?

Re: QM2 booked....again!
 

I was there for three years (back to my home town), left NJ, came back to PA.

Re: QM2 booked....again!
 

I guess NJ has a pretty big Expat population given its proximity to NYC.

Britwhore, yes, an easy journey to the ship for us as Englishmum described.

Daisy09, sorry to hear it isn't working out for you on your return to the US. I'll be sure to share our QM2 experience next year so you have something to consider as an alternative to flying, should you choose to go back home.

Re: QM2 booked....again!
 

Hi Britwhore, just popping in! I just wanted to add that I always enjoyed the "star guests". We sailed back in 2010 for a holiday, and P D James, the crime writer and Dr Ruth Westheimer the sex therapist, were on the ship, giving talks. I'd have given anything to have dinner with those two!

Re: QM2 booked....again!
 

. We had "Pudsey" the celeb dog. Glad we didn't have dinner with him as I am not partial to dog biscuits and kibble, although, I do love dogs. :lol:

Re: QM2 booked....again!
 

I would have like to have been on the QM2 to see Sting in concert on the QM2 (which he's recently done):

Sting performs songs from his musical The Last Ship on Queen Mary 2 | Daily Mail Online

We didn't get really famous celebrities on our crossing....there was a chap who had some connection with the Football Association (think he was formerly the Chairman or/and on the governing board) a Yorkshireman who gave some very good lectures on the founding of the Welfare State; I was surprised that many Americans came along to those :cool:

Also there was an author (I've totally forgotten his name) who is apparently well known for his books on Spies, so he gave a couple of speeches about MI5 and MI6, spying operations and traitors like Kim Philby etc. and that was very interesting too.

Re: QM2 booked....again!
 

Blimey, I remember her being on lots of talk shows (eg. Parkinson) in the late 1970s/early 80s. She was/is a tiny, eccentric Jewish lady and seemed quite old even then.

OK spill the beans.....I bet her talks were packed out, but the thought of the elderly passengers listening to Dr. Ruth for tips for spicing up their love lives isn't exactly palatable lol! :rofl:

What was Dr. Ruth talking about? Did you learn anything? ;):lol:

Re: QM2 booked....again!
 

Yeah Pudsey the dog wasn't a great celebrity guest AND he got to sleep in the cabin not the kennels....unfair! Hopefully we'll have some decent speakers on the next one. It will be nice to do the sailing without the fog of stress and tiredness. I can actually enjoy it and take advantage of all the things the QM2 has to offer. Also it will be lovely to do the sailing with my Mum.

Re: QM2 booked....again!
 

English mum, re Dr Ruth, people were whispering under their breath "How old is she?"
One of her talks was "Sex for the over fifties". Sex? Some members of the audience were barely mobile! She was a a game girl, though. She must be one of those people who always looked mature because she looked the same as always, and very tiny!

Re: QM2 booked....again!
 

I'm loving reading these posts about the QM2, even if I am a little, well, green :lol:

Perth Home School - really?! You're going to go home on the QM2? How very excitement!! :thumbsup:

Re: QM2 booked....again!
 

:sick::eek::lol:

Re: QM2 booked....again!
 

Hi, I don't know how I ended up here was looking up transferring pension etc but happy I did .
i had never thought of going home this way .I have been in Canada for 35 years ,seriously thinking of going home to live in may\ june 2015.
worried about taking my cat and luggage on plane ,maye QE2 is a better option, any info on this would be great, price etc .

Also very concerned about returning to England after so many years here , i'm now 55, I work as a behavioural specialist with children and youth , don't know if my degree is enough there any ideas one this would be great.
I originally come from Hull dont really want to settle there, but the south seems so expensive. Any and all feedback would be welcome .
thanks

Re: QM2 booked....again!
 

is it possible to sail luxury from Australia to the UK (and the cost) - sort of a reverse "ten-pound pom" only with more class?

Now that would be a journey of a lifetime, after all, its only money :thumbsup:

added ...

http://www.cruiseaway.com.au/special...?sd=08/03/2016

http://www.cruiseaway.com.au/special...?sd=15/05/2016

Re: QM2 booked....again!
 

of course one must add one of these to the 'bucket list' as a journey of a lifetime

Paris-Budapest-Bucharest-Istanbul

Re: QM2 booked....again!
 

Well...I like the idea of it. But OH knows nothing of this yet. We shall have to see. :)

Re: QM2 booked....again!
 

Alright me old mucker? :) Yes, we can catch a QM2 Perth - Southampton leg of a world cruise - soooooo tempting! We fly business class for long hauls, so the price to go by sea isn't that much different to airfares (would that it was 10 quid, though!)

It's just impossible for us to make any plans at all at the moment, and it's driving me (and Scouse) crazy. Have to get an insurance claim out the way first as I may find myself the centerpiece of a court trial, and there's no sign yet of when that will happen.

Also, we STILL haven't worked out what to do about Murphy (old furry friend). If he's coming with us, we'd have to book yonks ahead for QM2, and we have no idea of dates yet.

Was thinking that if (if if if if if) the insurance thing is over by March, when QM2 is in Perth, it would be nice to go that way for a holiday. But then, we'd be away for yonks and it's hard to get a house and dog sitter for that amount of time (we wouldn't put Murphy in a kennel).

To cut a long story short, we're currently snookered. Stuck, we're stuck!

P.S. - I might have unintentionally fibbed about the QM2, it might be Queen Victoria. It's some bloody Queen, anyway.

Re: QM2 booked....again!
 

Pffft, he can mind his own business, just book it :lol:

Nice to think about anyway!

Re: QM2 booked....again!
 

You've hit our bucket list right on the head, this is something we've talked about doing for a long time!

Unfortunately, Scouse went off the idea when I told him he had to 'dress' for dinner. He's not fancy, but he's cheap :lol:

Re: QM2 booked....again!
 

see its not that difficult is it the 'bucket list'

The train from Lime St to Euston, Eurostar train to Paris, overnight in Paris. The Orient Express Paris to Istanbul, overnight in Istanbul, then a flight from Istanbul to Perth. Couple of days in Perth visiting relatives & friends, then boarding the Queen something or Princess xxx at Perth to Southampton, total journey is approx (on the cheap) its doable for ~$40k+ per person. By the end of the 80 days around the world you'd need a holiday.....

Before one is a long time dead - the journey of a lifetime

Re: QM2 booked....again!
 

We too are returning to the UK on the same voyage. 35 years in the USA and heading home.
See you in the Golden Lion :)

Re: QM2 booked....again!
 

Um, helloooooo :wave:

Re: QM2 booked....again!
 

Really?! I thought you mightn't be doing it any more because of some changes! Yay!! :starsmile: