Covepointcruiser

We don't wear jeans in the evening in Blu or in Luminae.

We don't even take jeans on a tropical cruise, they are casual and more importantly, they are hot and heavy.

We try to pack light and also pack clothes that are comfortable and cool. Can't beat a pair of khakis and a tropical travel blazer. My husband has one from Travelsmith and it is ventilated and does not wrinkle.

The air conditioning is lacking in many areas especially for men.

Asking someone what job they have always seems to come up at some point during a cruise. It can be awkward for me to answer.

 

I don't work because I get my father's defined benefit pension due to having ADHD and Bipolar Disorder. I will get this pension for life. I will keep it even if I get married(unlike later applicants).

 

It is enough to live off of and still save money each month. There isn't much of an incentive to work because of the amount. To keep my current income tax refund level, I would have to get a job that would put me in the 25% bracket on its own without putting me into a higher bracket when combined with my pension. Finding a job that meets that requirement would not be easy.

 

When asked, I just tell the truth and hope I don't get any dirty looks. I never reveal the amount.

 

I told a CBP officer during my Global Entry interview that I was effectively retired. He gave me a look, so I gave him all of the details. I was approved, so saying I am retired is apparently an acceptable answer for the US government.

 

Telling the truth seems to embarrass my mother. She thinks money shouldn't be talked about publicly. She also doesn't think I should be getting my father's pension. She thinks she should get it. She thinks the surviving spouse should get it instead of a child(minor or adult), but that just isn't in the rules of the specific program I am in. If I hadn't qualified, she would have gotten a lump sum of what my father put into the pension. She also is not a fan of community property laws.

 

How can I tell the truth without embarrassing my mother and sounding like I am bragging?

Best to keep quiet! Most folks save for a year or longer to afford a cruise with both working full time. Better change the subject and don't make them others upset about your ability to take cruises with a disability that prevents you from working.

San Juan is no problem but not likely St Thomas.

You aren't getting an answer because the answer isn't known yet. Your cruise is not going to get postponed because of a substitute port

Because of your surgery, you should have canceled your cruise as soon as that was scheduled. If you go, you will go to different ports. St. Thomas and St. Martin will take some time to recover. Luckily, there are other ports, St. Croix or Guadeloupe, and they mat be happy to accommodate the ship.

I can definitely understand why children can not be booked alone in a cabin. It's hard to imagine children 12 and under in a stateroom that does not connect to their parents. Very risky. I wonder what Disneys policy is regarding children in non connecting staterooms.

We always dress for this restaurant as it is expensive and we consider it a special occasion. We also dress for special occasions at home. My husband would be uncomfortable in this restaurant without a jacket and out of 30 plus cruises on this line people did dress up for the best specialty restaurant.

Sorry I check my carry on through once I get to the ship. I don't like to drag it around while I am waiting for our room to be ready, I just carry a purse onboard. So if my luggage doesn't make it to my cabin before dinner I show up in what I wore on board.

Please don't send your carry on through Celebrity luggage. You are instructed to always keep essentials with you, for example, electronics, medicines, toiletries, camera, as these are highly pilferable items. We also put extra underwear, change of clothes and books in our carry on. We are always ready for late arrival of luggage. With extra underwear, toiletries, prescription Meds and electronics, we are not as concerned about luggage. It is also nice to unpack the essentials in your cabin as soon as it is ready.

You must get the premium non alcoholic package. Then they are included. You also need the premium to get premium water such as Evian, Perrier or Pellegrino.

I find the bench seats uncomfortable with little back support, even with a pillow. The benches also were hard for sitting. This is on the S class ships. We prefer the regular chairs.

Turbobob lists Asmara and Seabourn(sp??) as his favorite lines. We have been on Seabourn and I would not expect Celebrity to ever match what they offer in the food or stateroom department. We have since only booked suites on Celebrity and still would not consider the experience to be of the same caliber as Seabourn. Celebrity, however, does have more entertainment, more restaurants and more bars. We also enjoy the variety of passengers on Celebrity.

We went on a tour organized through our roll call. Unfortunately, the tour was in a large van, not a small bus. We were considered the least disabled and had to sit in the very back on uncomfortable seats. This was a full day tour so our discomfort was major. My husband had recently had a hip replaced and I had sciatica and a bad knee. We won't take another unless we are assured it will be in a small bus!

Do not try dining in a Celebrity Suite on the Solstice Class ships. They are very tiny. The bedroom is walled off but it is very tight. If you are in port, the balcony would work for four. The living area with the L shaped sofa and coffee table is also small. It's suitable for coffee, drinks but not for eating a meal even breakfast.

We did once have a much larger balcony on the hump but our opened to the front of the ship so it was windy when we were underway. We now pay the premium for the Royal Suite but it is a substantial increase. You do get a dining area and an extra powder room.

My worse experiences in customs and airport security were in Ireland and most recently Australia. We were returning from a New Zealand Cruise on New Zealand Air and had to connect in Austrailia to our US abound flight.

Moving from our arrival gate to our departure gate within the same terminal we were forced to wait in a long line. When we finally reached the front we had to go through X-ray machines and every carryon we had were opened and tossed. I never realized that folks on New Zealand to Australia flights just connecting to another flight are such a danger! We are seniors and US citizens and fit no risk profiles. Same thing occurred in Ireland a few years ago. Thank the terrorists for this treatment!

We've been on the QM2 (before and after refurbishment) and are trying Celebrity for the first time. I'm hoping Celebrity is not a step down.

 

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We cruised in the QM2 last October and have many cruises on Celebrity.

Traveling on the QM2 is an event, on Celebrity it is just aanother cruise. You will find no Ballroom on Celebrity, and folks no longer dress for dinner. There are no formal dinners and folks on Celebrity will take that to the extreme. Example, short sleeved polo shirt at the Captains table. Depending on your stateroom (if not PG or QG), the food on Celebrity may be better. Your stateroom on the QM2 was larger than the equivalent on Celebrity. There are no self service laundries or irons on Celebrity. Celebrity has a great coffee shop with free pastry but extra charge coffee/tea. I found the prices for drinks to be less expensive on the QM2. You won't find a serious theatre on Celebrity or an English Pub. Celebrity has a Martini Bar, not a Champagne Bar. Many passenger on Celebrity have a drink package so the bars are well attended. On the QM2 we often found ourselves alone in a bar. On Celebrity frequent passengers are treated to evening cocktail parties or extra drinks. On Cunard there was one party with the Officers. Room attendants are great on both. You can dine anytime on Celebrity if you select that option. Celebrity ships are not traditional and very modern in decor. You will enjoy Celebrity but expect a different experience.

Yes it does

Sorry Host Hattie. We are in the U.S. and every offer we receive from Cunard, at least once a week, has included drinks for Grill Passengers. Is this a U.S. thing? Although we are loyal Grill passengers and are not yet diamond level, can't believe we are singled out for the offers. I am very happy Cunard is offering these voyages to us!

We ate in TK twice on our last cruise on the Quest.the food was good but the portions are too large. One side can easily satisfy two people. We were a little put off by the initial sell of high priced cocktails and wine and by the matre d informing us we had to be finished by 8:15.

The music, loud and not appropriate, needs to be changed. It may be great for Keller in his kitchen, not for the dining room. Music would be great in a dance club for us boomers, but not at dinner. The Doors "Light My Fire" is not dinner music.

Karen and Jin

We sailed out of Lauderdale in April and have a new favorite Marriott property. There is a new Residence Inn, converted from a boutique hotel, on the Inland Waterway. The room/suite was great with the usual kitchen but also included a washer dryer combo. You are short walking distance to some great restaurants especially La Dolce Vita. The cab ride was a little longer to the port but certainly acceptable. Kare and Jim

We have Global Entry and live in the D.C. Area. The last three times we have flown the TSA PreCheck line was much longer than the regular line. Too many folks in this area have PreCheck.

We have sailed celebrity, Cunard and msc. Cunard and msc have totally separate areas of the ship for suite guests which is a fabulous bonus. The food choices on Cunard was much diminished (imo) last cruise the entertainment is dire and the drinks prices are ridiculous. The grills lounge charge for drinks unlike Michaels. Msc is no where near celebrity suites (again in mo) luminae isn't open on port days and there is no separate deck area but for us it still outweigh the other 2 by a mile

On Cunard in the Grill class, all drinks are included up to the price of $12. This included all but a few specialty drinks in the Commodore Club. As for the menu, it is just a suggestion, you can order almost anything and they will provide it. Looking at the drink prices, they were much less than Celebrity. Cunard does not sell drink packages so they are more sensitive to drink pricing. Everyone pays by the drink unless you are in a

Suite.

When did you last cruise? On our January Australia cruise neither the Captain nor any of his officers dined in Luminae. We also dined at his table on one of the elegant nights, all but one of the gentlemen wore Tuxes. Maybe this is an Australia thing but we were not the only Americans at the table. One gentleman wore just a sport coat without a tie and looked, out of place, but I am sure he felt comfortable.

We heard Alaska was more casual and DH decided only at the last minute to take his tux. Turned out to be really glad he did as we had a invite to the Captain's table.

We always do formal still on chic nights and are never out of place.

Dress up and enjoy!

 

I'm glad you enjoyed your evening at the Captain's table. But the Captain's table is gone now. They now do dinner in specialty restaurant or Luminae with officers. When we had dinner with officers I worn jeans and a short sleeve shirt.

Our last cruise friend wore tux with tails. I was in jeans an a long sleeve shirt on Evening Chic night.

 

As to shoes. Bring the high heels as backup. Wear the saddles they will be fine. As to tux, suit... it is your cruise and your celebrating. Rent them if you wish, but not needed.

If Cunard is what you know re cruising, then you are in for a very pleasant surprise on a Seabourn ship. You will probably never want to cruise on Cunard again and find, like we did, that an occasional crossing on QM2 is the only voyage where their unique offering gets any attention from us.

 

The only connection between Cunard and Seabourn IS the Carnival umbrella. Seabourn, as an honest luxury brand, is just better value for what you get, as you will soon appreciate.

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

I am currently on the Quest with hubby. Our usual lines are Cunard and Celebrity, always in suites.

Other than the 450 passengers versus the larger ships, you will find Seabourn to be similar in many ways to QG on the Mary. You certainly have many more options for activities on the QM2 on a transatlantic, more higher quality speakers and entertainers.

The food is mostly excellent on the Quest, however you are not encouraged to make special orders for food as in the QG. Guess they are available, just haven't been offered. The wines are okay but you will pay to have a better wine. Now that Cunard includes all beverages, $13 and under, for both PG and QG, and all gratuities; there is less of a difference between the lines. Celebrity has also gone to all inclusive for all suites.

In summary, you will be happy with Seabourn but will alsocontinue to be pleased with the grill or suite experience on other lines.

If you expect a "class system" on Cunard you will be disappointed. We travel with Celebrity and with Cunard and enjoy both. Recently on the QM2, we were in a Suite. We had a different restaurant and a specific table with specific waiters for the cruise. We could come whenever we wanted (during operating hours) for all meals. There was a bar for suite passengers next to the restaurant but I never saw anyone refused service.

All drinks were included (up to $12) anywhere on the ship so we frequented our favorites. There is outside seating in an obscure area with a hot tub, also not policed. Cunard does still have a dress code and folks dress for dinner. You are not escorted into the theater nor are you brought to the front of lines. You will never notice suite guests unless you happen to eat dinner with them, there is too much going on in all areas of the ship.

Celebrity makes much more of a "show" and the waiters in Luminae can be overly attentive. The butler escort to bad seats in the theater made no sense and with no windows, Michaels Club can be dreary. There is very little upcharge dining on Cunard, everything is included.

I will be interested to hear what you think of Cunard, just don't expect to find class distinctions.

Welcome to Cunard. It will be different than RCI.

We may be on the same cruise on QM2 departing 9/27. I have printed out the schedule and it does not give exact timing for arrival or departures. I assume we will get that after we board.

They do give us the dress code for each evening. Unlike RCI, most passenger comply with the evening dress. You will find a quieter ship without the bellyflop contests. They also do not have bells and whistles such as Rock Climbing Walls, wave riders, water and ice skating shows, bumper cars or carousels.

You will have great lectures, a planetarium with several different shows, and entertainment that is more highbrow. You won't have any trouble finding a quiet place to relax or read.

Cunard leaves from Brooklyn. We stay overnight at the Brooklyn Marriott and have a very short cab ride in the morning.

Karen

Glad to hear some are still wearing tuxes, and that most of the gentlemen dressed well. We will be on the Solstice on 1/5/16 so it will be partially

Tropical(hot). Believe New Zealand will be cooler. My husband would rather stand out with a tux than feel underdressed.

We do eat at the Late seating and occasionally had the fortune of eating

at the Capains/Senior Officers table. He feels more comfortable dressed and will have a jacket ,no tie, for other nights .

Guess this is just our generation and where we are from.

I just bought a new outfit earlier this year. Looks like weddings and a couple of functions will be its only outings although I did make good use of it over the last year.

My husband will continue to bring and wear his tux. Men never look better than they look in a good fitting tux. Really don't care for the ugly tee faded

jeans concept.