FAQs

It couldn’t be easier to meet people on board your ship. Not only are you cordially invited to a welcome cocktail party for all our guests, you might also want to consider joining a larger table for dinner in order to get to know more of your fellow voyagers. On board activities like classes and quizzes are a great way to make new friends. For ladies travelling alone, there are gentlemen dance hosts on board to accompany you in a waltz or rumba.

If you are travelling on a flight, please check your luggage allowance which will
be displayed on your airline confirmation and itinerary or by contacting your air carrier. Guests who need to carry items that exceed the limit should make
arrangements in advance with their airline and there may be an additional
cost for this.

If you are sailing roundtrip from your departure point and you will not be
taking any flights or other modes of public transport, there is no limit to
the amount of luggage you can bring on board. However, the weight of each
piece of individual luggage is restricted to 51 lbs (23 kg) and guests must be able to store all luggage in their own stateroom. You will need to check with the respective carriers regarding any luggage restrictions if you are using other modes of transport to or from the terminal.

One of the great thrills of a Cunard voyage is the sheer glamour of the evenings. Generally, evening dress may be either formal, semi- formal or elegant casual when your ship is at sea, and semi-formal or casual when your ship is in port. There will be a maximum of three formal nights in a week. Evening attire for the ship's main restaurants, effective from 1800 hrs (6:00 pm), will be specified on your ship's Daily Programme.
Please refer to the below-listed dress code descriptions:

Formal:
Black tie or formal dark suit for men. Evening dress or other formal attire for ladies.

Semi-formal:
Jacket and tie for men. Cocktail dress or trouser suit for ladies. No jeans.

Elegant Casual:
Jacket, no tie required for men. Dress, skirt or trousers for ladies. No jeans or shorts.

It means there is just the one sitting for dinner, and guests can choose to dine at their reserved table anytime between 7 and 9pm. The Britannia Restaurant  on Queen Mary 2 (except for Britannia Club Balcony guests where dining is single-seating), Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth offer a choice of an early or a late sitting for dinner, which should be requested at the time of booking.

One of the best things about sailing with Cunard is the convenience of being able to sign for all your on board expenditures and have them charged to your stateroom. An itemised statement will be delivered prior to your disembarkation.

By providing your credit card in advance, you are automatically registered for
Express Check-Out so there will be no need to visit the Purser’s Desk to settle your account. We accept U.S., Canadian, British and Euro currencies and travellers’ cheques. Visa, MasterCard, Discover/Novus, the JCB Card, Diners Club/Carte Blanche and American Express/Optima are also accepted.

For World Voyages you will need to settle your account at the end of each sector.  These dates will be advised when you are on board.  

We recommend that you contact your credit card provider prior to travelling to ensure they are aware that you will be travelling overseas and that your
spending profile is likely to change.

Please note: SWITCH/MAESTRO, Visa Electron and Solo cards are not accepted on board. Those paying by travellers’ cheques or cash will be required to leave a cash deposit of $300 USD with the Purser’s staff at the beginning of the voyage. The on-board currency for all Cunard ocean liners is U.S. dollars.

Only in respect of your formal dining arrangements. On all ships your accommodation is paired with a specific restaurant.

All ships offer alternative dining options, available to everyone:

Queen Elizabeth
Lido Restaurant, Golden Lion, Cafe Carinthia, and The Verandah Restaurant.

Queen Victoria
Lido Restaurant, Golden Lion, Cafe Carinthia, Winter Garden and Todd English Restaurant.

Queen Mary 2
Kings Court, Boardwalk Cafe, Sir Samuel's, Golden Lion and Todd English Restaurant.

Advance bookings are required for Todd English on board Queen Victoria and Queen Mary 2, Chef's Galley on Queen Mary 2 and The Verandah on Queen Elizabeth. These dining options carry a nominal charge.

During your voyage, you will experience excellent service from many
members of our crew in a variety of locations. In addition, many more crew
behind the scenes support those who serve you directly. For your convenience, a Hotel and Dining charge will be automatically added to your shipboard account on a daily basis.

The Hotel and Dining charge will be shared amongst those staff that helped
provide and support your voyage experience, including the restaurant staff,
stateroom stewards and accommodations staff, buffet stewards and others. Casino and Spa personnel do not share this charge, as not all guests utilise these services.

The amount charged varies by stateroom category. Naturally, you are free to tip any member of crew over and above these amounts at your discretion.

Bar and Wine Service Charge – A 15% charge is automatically added to your
bar charges and dining room wine account. This is shared amongst the
beverage staff and their support staff.

Hotel and Dining Charge Per Person Per Day:

To make sure you feel special at all times, our ships have an on board hairdressing salon, a wide range of beauty treatments and well-being classes available throughout your voyage. They are equipped with a gym complete with
indoor pool, exercise equipment  and qualified instructors. There is also a full
range of personal health and well-being classes including aerobics, pilates, tai chi
and yoga, details of which can be found in your Daily Programme. Your exercise
can also be complemented by the healthy options menu at all meals.

Treatments may be booked either prior to travel or once on board.

Yes plenty! You’ll be amazed by just how much there is to do. From deck sports, friendly quizzes and dance classes to fascinating talks and terrific movies, there’s so much to choose from. Your ship’s Daily Programme (delivered daily to your stateroom) has full details of all the activities, events and entertainments happening each day.

Cunard operates large ocean liners which are fully stabilised. The majority of guests are not affected by the symptoms of seasickness, but those who are may obtain treatment from the on board medical facility or may purchase seasickness pills from the Purser’s Desk.

Approximately 60 days before you sail, you will receive a mailing with details regarding your voyage, including the shore excursions available. These can be reserved before you travel by:

1) Telephoning your chosen shore excursions through to Reservations
2) Returning your shore excursion booking form that was included with the mailing.

Shore Excursions can also be booked once you are on board, however to be sure that you are booked on your chosen trip, we strongly recommend booking as soon as you can.

We offer exciting, complimentary programmes to all children and teenagers, aged 1-17.

Highlights include:

• Opening Hours 09.00 – midnight. Closed for Lunch 12.00 – 14.00. Parents need to make dining arrangements for their children during the lunch period.

• Certified British nannies on board to care for babies aged one and above.
Supervised nurseries with baby toys and cribs.

• Special children’s supper/tea served between 17.00 – 18.00 daily, allowing
parents to have formal dinner by themselves.

• Children’s activities including: arts and crafts, sports competitions, discos,
games, pizza parties, storytime and movies.

• Teen activities including: Xbox video games, dances, parties, late-night movies, table-tennis tournaments, basketball and ship tours.

Hours may vary. Please refer to the Daily Programme on board.

Children between the ages of 1-2 travelling as a 3rd or 4th guest in a stateroom travel free on board. However, if travelling as a 1st or 2nd guest in a stateroom they pay the applicable adult per person fare. A nominal fee will be charged for children between the ages of 1-2 travelling where land, hotel and air are involved. Cunard only accepts guests over the age of 1 year; however on certain voyages Cunard will allow children from 6 months old, please contact our Cunard Reservations Team for further details.

Every voyage is a celebration in itself, an experience rich in sophisticated relaxation. No wonder, then, that so many people choose to mark their special occasions on board. Whether it’s a birthday, special anniversary or honeymoon, surely there’s no better setting for such an important event than on board a Cunard liner? To mark your special occasion, Cunard offers an extensive range of gifts, from floral bouquets & chocolates to a selection of fine wines & champagnes. To order a gift for your friend or loved one, simply call our Cunard Reservations Team or your travel agent.

For your Wedding Anniversary or Honeymoon
•Champagne in your stateroom on arrival
•Fresh flowers in your stateroom on arrival
•Congratulations card from your Captain
•Formal portrait photograph

How to request your special benefits
To enjoy your Anniversary or Honeymoon benefits, all you need to do is advise your Voyage Sales Consultant at the time of booking and send in confirmation of your wedding date (via a copy of your marriage certificate, for example). To be eligible for your benefit, your Anniversary or Honeymoon must fall within two months of your voyage date and your voyage must be 6 nights or longer.

All registrations for these benefits must be received at least 2 weeks prior to departure. We regret that we cannot accept any registrations on board. All benefits shown above are per couple.

Cunard's Wedding Anniversary and Honeymoon Programmes exclude World Voyages.

These offers are subject to availability and cannot be combined with any other Cunard savings or promotional programme.

Private babysitting is not available. However, complimentary child sitting on a group basis is available in the evenings. Please note that children must be a minimum of one year-old to participate in the Children’s Programmes without parental supervision. Children between
the ages of six months* and one year are welcome in the Children’s Centre, provided they are accompanied by a parent/guardian at all times.
.
*On certain itineraries children must be one year old to travel.

A kennel service is offered on board Queen Mary 2 and is available on all crossings between New York and Southampton in either direction. The kennel is overseen by a full-time Kennel Master who takes care of responsibilities such as feeding, walking and cleaning the spacious kennels. Reservations for the kennels may be made at time of booking, and are based on space availability. Please contact our Cunard Reservations Team for more details as well information regarding bringing service animals onboard.

A Cunard voyage is the ideal place to hold an event. There is no better reward for the delegates and unlike a hotel, all accommodation, meals, entertainment, meeting rooms and equipment are included in the price, making it easier to plan and keep expenses under control.

For further information please click here.

When you or your travel agent come to make a reservation you may be offered the guarantee of the stateroom grade, rather than a specific stateroom number. This is because we know from experience that a small number of guests will be compelled to cancel their arrangements, thus leaving the accommodation vacant. Accepting a guarantee means that you have a firm booking and can go ahead with your holiday plans in the same way as if you had accepted a specific stateroom number from the outset. When we allocate a stateroom number you can rest assured you will be given a stateroom of the type you have booked, or in some instances, of a higher rate, though it may be situated on a different deck to that shown on the deck plan for the grade guaranteed. The fare you have been quoted will, however, remain unchanged.

Accommodation, all on-board meals* and entertainment.

*There is a cover charge payable in Todd English Restaurant and Chef's Galley on Queen Mary 2, in Todd English Restaurant on Queen Victoria and the alternative restaurant on Queen Elizabeth.

International flights (where indicated and subject to availability).

Drinks: tea, coffee, water and fruit juice is available 24 hours a day at the Lido on board Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth, and the Kings Court on board Queen Mary 2.

Transfers between airport, hotel (if applicable) and the ship at the international port of embarkation/disembarkation but only when your international flight is purchased through Cunard (excluding Transatlantic Crossings to or from New York)

Port and Handling fees and UK & US taxes.

Yes, we have negotiated special rates on your behalf at the Hilton Hotel in Southampton. The Chewton Glen Hotel in the New Forest (approx 45 minutes' drive from Southampton) also offers exclusive rates for Cunard guests. We also offer rates at three hotels in central London; The Millenium Hotel, Renaissance Chancery Court and The Goring Hotel.

We are unable to hold these records, you may find what you are looking for at Liverpool University. Please contact our Archivist direct on m.watry@liverpool.ac.uk

Alternatively, you may prefer to write, the address is as follows:-

Archivist ( Cunard Project )
University Archives
University of Liverpool
PO Box 147
Liverpool
L69 3BX

Guests should provide their friends and family (also travel agents) with the following information to assist callers in reaching them at sea:

To connect to Queen Mary 2 or Queen Victoria from shore to ship, please call (877) 266-0985 (toll free from America) or dial 001 (732) 335-3272 outside of USA. These numbers reach the MTN voice platform where friends and family members of guests on the ship are prompted to enter their Credit Card number (Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Diners Club), expiration date. **Please note that the call will be billed at $9.50 USD per minute. In addition, calls on this network are limited to a maximum of 10 minutes per call.

** Please note that price listed is subject to change.

Or you may call our reservations number at 1-800-7-CUNARD (1-800-728-6273) and we will ensure a message is sent to the ship for you. 

Our Call Centre is open Monday through Friday from 5:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M. Pacific Time and Saturday and Sunday from 6:00 A.M to 2:45 P.M Pacific Time.