This is the second installment of the Queen Elizabeth “Sydney to Melbourne 3-day” press tour organized by Cunard Line, and this time we will start with the room we stayed in.
Let’s start with the cruise card, the most important thing next to life. It used to be handed to you during embarkation procedures at the terminal, but now it is placed in an envelope on the letterbox in each room for the purpose of reducing contact opportunities. This card can be used not only as a card key for your room, but also for ordering paid drinks and shopping at the store by presenting this card during the cruise. The card is linked to the credit card registered on “My cunard” in advance, so if the statement you receive before disembarking is OK, the payment is complete. It was a 100% cashless world on board.
In the movie “Titanic,” Leonardo DiCaprio’s Jack is invited to dine in the restaurant for first-class passengers, which he would not normally be allowed to enter, as a thank-you for preventing the throwing of his upper-class daughter, Rose. Inheriting the traditions of the good old days in England, Cunard Line cruise ships still maintain such a grading system, and even on Queen Elizabeth, the dining rooms (restaurants) available are determined by cabin category.
I used the standard “Britannia” category this time, and the dining available is the Britannia Restaurant. Even in the Britannia category, there are several types of staterooms, such as with or without a sea-side balcony or without a window, and the cruise fare varies depending on which one you choose.
For example, for this short cruise, the cheapest standard (inside) room costs from 43,000 yen, sea-side from 52,000 yen, and the sea-side balcony room I used costs from 60,000 yen (*minimum price per person when two people use a double room). The tour price includes meals (alcohol is charged), so if you are not particular about the room, the price is within your reach.
Cunard Line, which welcomes solo travelers, also offers a “single stateroom” on Deck 2. Of course, it is also possible to use a double stateroom comfortably by yourself, as I did, for a 175% increase in the cruise fare (*suite staterooms are not included). Some cruises also offer a “special one-person fare” that is 150% of the regular cruise fare, depending on the number of cabins available.
Currently, Cunard Line does not conduct ship-wide evacuation drills prior to departure as part of its infection control measures. Guests are required to bring their cruise cards to the evacuation areas and have them scanned before the announcement of the end of the drill at 4:30 p.m. This means that they have participated in the drill. There was no need to bring a life vest, and the drill was completed when the card was presented to the officer and scanned.
My sea-side balcony stateroom on the “Britannia” had only a shower booth, not a bathtub. I would miss the hot tub on a long cruise, but since I was staying for two nights this time, I did not mind. Bath amenities provided include shampoo, body soap, and hand and body lotion. There are no toothbrushes, razors, or hairbrushes. Also, there are no pajamas, so I would recommend bringing your own to relax and sleep at night.
Since we boarded the ship a little after noon, we had plenty of time to take a tour of the ship before the 7:00 p.m. departure. So I spent the afternoon toasting on deck with my fellow journalists. We sipped on “CUNARD GOLD,” a craft beer available only on Cunard Line cruise ships. The other guests looked very relaxed. I was impressed by how luxurious cruise travel is. The weather was perfect, and all we had to do was wait for the ship to set sail! It was the most exciting time of the trip.
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