Congratulations Christmas Winners

and welcome aboard!

Congratulations to today's winners. Hope you all didn't fall off your chairs like I did when I found out I won.

Congratulations winners!

CONGRATULATIONS WINNERS!

Hey everyone! I guess I'll be joining you!

You have no idea how excited I am! There just isn't a smilie to justify it. Where is the "can't breathe cause you feel like you are going to pass out cause you just won a cruise" smilie?

Thanks so much! Now I have to remove a cruise...lol. Bye Bye Oasis....lol. I need to move you!

Welcome! During Nina's absence please feel free to ask us questions, most of us on here have sailed Cunard more than once and many have already been on a Holiday Cruise on Cunard. This is so great! New faces, new friends and new experiences ahead of us!!

Marina is right - we're more than happy to field questions and hope to make you feel welcome until Nina can return to us!

Thanks all! And boy do I have some questions. I know nothing about Cunard so I am trying to get as much as possible.

What do I need to know? Yes, it's formal. I can handle that. {shopping woohooo!}

That's all I know about Cunard. I have to look into their onboard programs, kids clubs (if any), pools, Casino?, dining (how does that work)

Tell me all. Please

Hi Michele,

Glad to see you here on the Cunard boards! I'll try to answer your kid's program question to the best of my abilities....

The children's area, called The Zone, is open to kids ages 1 and up and kids are divided by
age.

The 1-to-6 set occupies half of a bright and cheery and roomy area with lots of toys, arts and crafts, a play gym and ball pit, and big-screen TVs (and the staff do change diapers).

There's also a separate nursery with crib/toddler-bed combos for napping tots (no other line has a separate room for sleepers). Bring a stroller if your kids are young: Remember the QM2 is the longest passenger ship in the world, so getting from one end of a deck to the other is a hike.

There is also a play gym outside on the stern of Deck 6, along with a wading pool, regular pool and a water spray fountain for kids (of all ages) to run through. Officially it's called
the "family deck," though anyone who doesn't mind screeching children can lounge there.

The other half of the play area is reserved for kids 7 to 17, with the 7-to-12 crowd usually occupying a play area with beanbag chairs, lots of board games, TVs, and a number of Xbox
video-game systems.

Activities for teens -- including ship tours, movies and production shows in the theaters, and pizza parties -- are usually held elsewhere.

The kids' program is staffed by several British nannies, who have completed a 2-year program in the discipline back in England, plus a handful of other activities counselors, many of whom have backgrounds as school teachers.

The best part? Aside from 2 hours at lunchtime and an hour or two in the afternoon, The Zone offers complimentary supervised activities and care from 9am to midnight, so you can dine
with the adults and know your kids are in great hands.

You can take your kids to eat earlier in the King's Court buffet restaurant in a special section of the restaurant, the Chef's Galley, that's reserved for the children's tea daily from 5 to 6pm (of course, it's not really tea that's served, but the standard kiddy favorites of pasta,
chicken fingers, and the like).

Though QM2's kids program is awesome, there are rarely more than 250 kids aboard - however, keep in mind this is a plus: Fewer kids mean more attention and space for the ones that are there.

Hope this helps to start answering some of your questions. Let us know what else is on your mind and we'll do our best to answer - can you tell I was a TA before I started this board?

Tina

Now on to Dining -

This is one of the few times you'll see Cunard's "class" system kick in. Those who book full suites have their own private dining venue called The Queen's Grill and those who book mini-suites also have their own private dining venue called The Princess Grill. Everyone else dines in the main dining room - Britannia.

The main difference? The Grill Passengers have more menu choices and more personalized service - plus they may dine any time they wish - I have to double check but I believe the hours are between 6pm and 10pm

Sample menus for the different restaurants on board can be viewed on the Cunard site - here is the link - note the menus are in pdf form:
http://www.cunard.co.uk/OurShips/default.asp?Ship=QM2&main=din&sub=

If you have other dining questions let me know - Britannia has two sittings like other cruise lines with early starting around 6pm and late beginning around 8:30pm

Casino?!? You BET - pun intended! And, that's where you'll find me as I make my donations to Cunard! The casino is fairly large and offers both tables and slot machines and there is also a casino bar.

Pools - QM2 features 5 pools and yes there is a kiddie pool

If you like - check out the dedicated website I made for the Christmas sailing and be sure to take a look at the photo albums - it will give you a better idea of what to expect and the sheer size of the ship.

Here's the main link: http://cunardholiday2009.makeswebsites.com/?cp=1

And photos can be found here: http://cunardholiday2009.makeswebsites.com/3/gallery.htm

Thank you Tina! That is exactly what I was looking for.

Don't forget the only Planetarium at Sea! I think that would be totally awesome for the kids!

Where do I begin?

First off...I never win anything. Tell me this is really true...cause I'm still not believing it.
I won a cruise? REALLY???? Somebody pinch me. No way.

NDJollyMon wrote:

Where do I begin?

First off...I never win anything. Tell me this is really true...cause I'm still not believing it.
I won a cruise? REALLY???? Somebody pinch me. No way.

Welcome aboard NDJollyMon - yes you won! Literally luck of the draw. Since no one correctly guessed the birth weight of Nina's baby - everyone that entered a guess was placed into a random drawing system and you were one of the three winners drawn!

We're very happy to have you join the group!

Tina

Im not on the Christmas but the July 4th cruise, but I have a question, if thats ok, about dining. We asked for early dinner. If I get hungry before bed, do they have a buffet or pizza or snacks or some other venue where I can grab a little bite to eat after dinner?

Im a newbie too, and looking forward to the experience.

There is...

The Boardwalk Cafe - Hamburgers, Hot Dogs, Etc

Sir Samuel's - Afternoon offerings include a selection of freshly baked quiches and a
variety of sandwiches, with a side of salad. The mid-afternoon menu
offers a selection of deep dish cheesecakes, Alsace Apple Tart, and
Austrian Sacher Torte.

Golden Lion Pub - Pub snacks and lunch features pub classics such as Fish & Chips

Afternoon Tea - a highlight on any Cunard sailing with scones, fresh pastries, and finger sandwiches

King's Court Buffet - offering late night snacks

You won't go hungry!

....deeeeeeep breath........YAAAAAAAHHHHHOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

OMG! I'm having the greatest day!!!! THIS IS INCREDIBLE!
Who do I need to credit for making this happen!?! I am wondering around the fire station smiling like never before! I had to call my wife and tell her...she couldn't believe it either!
She saw me entering all these contests...(and losing of course)...and said to me, "you never win anything."

I'm 'crazy-happy'!~ THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU!
I'm going to have to absorb a lot of information...cause just like cruisinmama06...I'm lacking in my knowledge of Cunard/QM2/NYC...you name it! I'll have to rely on everyone else for help.

HAPPYDANCE,HAPPYDANCE,HAPPYDANCE!

Hi and welcome! Feel free to ask anything and we'll all do our best to answer you!

Yes - I'll field all questions including NYC or Cunard questions as we wait for Nina's return to us.

And NDJollyMon - YOU'RE WELCOME, YOU'RE WELCOME, YOU'RE WELCOME!!

NDJollyMon wrote:

....deeeeeeep breath........YAAAAAAAHHHHHOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

OMG! I'm having the greatest day!!!! THIS IS INCREDIBLE!
Who do I need to credit for making this happen!?! I am wondering around the fire station smiling like never before! I had to call my wife and tell her...she couldn't believe it either!
She saw me entering all these contests...(and losing of course)...and said to me, "you never win anything."

I'm 'crazy-happy'!~ THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU!
I'm going to have to absorb a lot of information...cause just like cruisinmama06...I'm lacking in my knowledge of Cunard/QM2/NYC...you name it! I'll have to rely on everyone else for help.

HAPPYDANCE,HAPPYDANCE,HAPPYDANCE!

Isn't nice to find out that persistence DOES pay off!! I'm not sailing at Christmas but, am seriously considering booking 4th of July. However, I did want to say congratulations!

NDJollyMon wrote:

....deeeeeeep breath........YAAAAAAAHHHHHOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

Yep! I need to breathe too. I have been useless at home and work today. I keep trying to find out everything about QM2. You can't wipe the smile off of my face with a brick...lol.

We'll be easy to spot on the ship cause we'll be the ones carrying the brown paper bag, telling ourselves to breath slowly in and out of the bag.

Congrats!!!!!!

Congrats to the new winners!!

Michele......I know exactly how you feel....That Mon that I was notified, I didn't get ANYTHING accomplished at work...sshhhhhh don't tell the boss!!!

jul

cruiseforme wrote:

Congrats to the new winners!!

Michele......I know exactly how you feel....That Mon that I was notified, I didn't get ANYTHING accomplished at work...sshhhhhh don't tell the boss!!!

jul

Well since I am the boss, I should have been more productive.

Now I can't sleep. I am like that Disney commercial "I'm too excited to sleep"

It's midnight....
I can't sleep either.

I'm still doing the happy dance!

This is gonna be good. Real good!

Thanks for all the congrats!