Subject: Cunard Caution
Good afternoon, Ziners - I recently received my April copy of Travel Scoop, a Canadian publication. There is a letter posted from a member who booked a trip on the new Queen Mary from June 5 to 11. When she received her invoice from the company, she was advised that there are now restaurant charges being levied on board ship for the Todd English restaurant beginning with the March 6 sailing - the charge is $20 per person for lunch and $30 per person for dinner. The reservations for this restaurant must be made onboard and cannot be made in advance. The Chef's Galley also has a charge of $35 per person - all the above are in U.S. dollars.

This lady was astounded and called Frank Sansone, Cunard's Director of Guest Relations and was told that because some rather fancy restaurants have become very popular in the U.S., it was decided that the QM2 should have one of those fancy restaurants. However, because of their popularity it was feared that the restaurant would be so popular that a lot of passengers would be unable to get a reservation. It was then decided that there would be charges for the meals so that the wealthier passengers could eat there. Other meals are included in the fare.

So if you are considering such a voyage, caveat emptor.

Pat, Ontario