Oh wise board dwellers:
My fiance and I are traveling on the Queen Mary 2, departing from Southampton on 9 August. We just got our tickets today! We have a room with an obstructed view balcony on the 8th deck.
We are getting married in Princeton, NJ on August 18th and are using the Queen Mary 2 to transport ourselves and also my wedding dress from London (where we live) to the wedding.
Neither one of us have ever been on a cruise before, and it really is a fluke that we're going on the Queen Mary 2... This is mostly because it seemed like the easiest way to get the dress across the Atlantic and having a pre-wedding honeymoon seemed like the perfect way to combat wedding planning stress. We are very, very excited.
I do have a couple of questions, and I hope that you can help.
What can I do to make the trip very special for us? Are there things that I should/could sign up for ahead of time? And most importantly: what is the best way of dealing with my dress? Do I carry it on, much like in boarding a plane?
I've read here that the food is passable -- which worries me. I used to review restaurants for a living etc and really appreciate food with intention. I recognize that it's a very big boat with lots of people, but I had been convinced by a couple of family members that it would amazing regardless of the volume. (I am also allergic to cilantro, so worry about anyone attempting "fusion" food. Though my impression is that this should be a very old school experience.) Can you give me an idea of what to expect with the food and the wine? (How marked up is wine? How much a wine list is there with dinner? Is it all by the bottle or is there a selection by the glass?)
We've decided to embrace the dressy thing. My fiance is renting a tux and I've had my mom post me a couple of my old formal gowns. The thing is: will we feel ridiculous? We're not even 30, so if the only people who get dressed up are 80, it would be nice to know ahead of time. Any insights?
Thanks so much for making it to the bottom of this rambling post. I am very excited, and a bit overwhelmed. Mostly, I can't wait! (Of course, I have to get the seating chart and every wedding thing done before we get onboard, so the stress level is a bit high at the moment. 
)
-Emily
Queen Mary 2 for a complete and total cruise newbie
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Go to cruisecritic.com and visit the Fashion Board as well as the Cunard board. LOTS of good info there and far more active than this board.
I have travelled on the QM2 on 3 occasions and loved it each time, since you have booked already you will properly get upgraded before you leave, its happened to me everytime, the next upgrade from deck 8 is deck 4 where the view is not obstructed, my suggustion for the food is to make at lease one reservation in the Todd English, there is a $30 PP for Dinner and $20 PP for Lunch surcharge, but the food is amazing. its books out very fast so make the reservations the minute you get on Board, you cannot do it before hand.
We took the 15-day Caribbean Christmas cruise on QM 2 and had a fabulous time. For us the ship was the destination. So much to do on board we almost didn't have time to just sit and relax. We were on Deck 5 with an enclosed balcony which DH loved, but I didn't care for much. I like it more open.
We had first seating in the Renaissance Room. That allowed us to have a leisurely dinner and still have lots of time in the evening for the show and dancing in the Queen's Room or G32. The food-lovers I was with raved and things are described pretty thoroughly on the menu. You can ask about cilantro or anything else you might be concerned with.
We did dinner at Todd English two evenings. DH and our friends loved it. I thought it was OK, but I'm not the foodie they are.
Wine by the bottle was not as expensive as DH expected. No more--and maybe a little less--than we would pay at a decent restaurant. And they did have wine by the glass, both in the dining room and all the lounges. (Be SURE to check out the Commmodore Club!)
We had 5 formal nights, 6 semi-formal and 4 elegant casual. Even the kids dressed up. I loved the little girl who had a blue fringe dress that she was so in love with it. Sitting by the dance floor, my friend and I were "look at that dress", "did you see that green gown", etc. Checking out the attire was one of our favorite pastimes. You will not be alone, or the youngest, in formal dress.
As for your wedding dress...for such a long cruise and so much dressing up, we had 4 suitcases which, when emptied, fit under the bed easily--and everything fit comfortably in the closets. I don't know how you plan to pack the dress, but I would think it would fit nicely in either place.
I hope you enjoy the cruise as much as we did.
Just wanted to offer my congrats on your fine thinking
re your upcoming nuptials. You also might let the powers to be on board know this is your pre-honeymoon...who knows, you might windup w/a bottle of champagne or two.
There will be champagne in your room when you arrive. It and two champagne glasses will be on the coffee table. Hint: DO NOT bump into that table. DH did and a glass fell off and broke. Roberto came, cleaned it up and left a new glass. Dang if, 10 minutes later DH didn't do it again! Roberto was just as nice the second time he cleaned up broken glass and left a replacement.
We've crossed the pond on the QM2 and have been on several other cruises, and one thing I'd stress is that you should not infer much about "cruises" based on an Atlantic crossing. No ports of call, no excursion hawking, just sea days - a very different experience than port-intensive cruises. By far the best work-around for jet lag.
Cunard enforces its class system - a bit anachronistic IMO - so if you're in to the "dressy" thing you definitely won't be alone.
As for the quality of food, it's not bad, just not all that stellar. You'll do fine.
Congratulations and enjoy your time on the big boat.
We've been on the QM2 twice and both times enjoyed a wonderful dinner at Lotus. (A lunch time venue on the 7th deck that's converted to a rest. at nite.) It's asian food but I don't recall any cilantro. I'm sure you can check a menu ahead of time. Also, Todd English is a fine restaurant.
Are you going to pack your dress or hand carry it? You might want to check on the procedure if you're carrying it.
Best wishes!