tacticalbanjo

I can't be specific about the ports you're talking about because I haven't been through them with my 2 year old but I have cruised with her 5 times, 3 on Cunard. The kids club is great and the staff are qualified and vetted to UK standards. Sign up before you go and do make use of it - it's relaxing to be able to let kiddo let off some steam in a dedicated space for children. How old is your toddler? Under 2s it's stay and play where over 2s can be left and there will be a programme with activities and crafts. Under 2s do get access to a night nursery where you can exchange your sleeping child for a pager and enjoy a few child free hours while they sleep in a travel cot in the baby room. We've made good use of it in the past and it's one of the things I'll miss now that kiddo is over 2. I try to keep on top of my daughters salt intake but a little word to the waiter on the first night and that will be taken care of. You can preorder the next nights dinner and have it made to be low or no salt. There is absolutely no problem with ordering food from the main menu so don't feel like you need to stick to the children's menu if you see something on the main menu that you think they'd like. We've always found the staff to be really accommodating - my toddler probably gets more personalised service than I do! If you take a look at some of my threads you'll see some reviews and a trip report.

I've booked for 2025 knowing that fares will probably drop next year. I think there is so much supply on the Alaska route that prices are being driven down. Having said that, I'm happy with what I've paid and I wanted two balconies next to each other, one a three berth so I knew that I needed to get in early to secure my requirements. If I end up paying more to do that, so be it. Flexibility is often rewarded!

This post seemed to suggest that the shipyard workers party took place on Sunday. He confirms that it's 100% done and should leave the shipyard on the 19th forever.

It seems that someone at Cunard HQ changed their minds. An August 2023 press release announcing the Michel Roux partnership says : Three of these original venues aboard the luxury cruise line’s newest ship will be alternative evening dining options, available as a supplement, complementing the inclusive fare options offered for lunch or dinner in Tramonto and the Golden Lion pub.

I was also under the impression that Tramonto would be included in the fare but I’m not sure of the source of the information in this thread from last year.

Some people like to prepay so they know how much their bill is going to be at the end of the cruise even if it means paying more. I had Princess Plus last year and it was nice knowing that I'd be leaving the ship with absolutely nothing extra to pay because my drinks and gratuities has already been paid for. Having had a drinks package a few years ago on Cunard I enjoyed not having the inner tightwad whisper that I could make a cuppa for free in the buffet instead of paying to have one in a nicer location.

Gratuities, WiFi, some form of drinks package are the basics. Sometimes a speciality dining package, shore excursion credit, exercise classes. Essentially, anything that might be an additional cost item.

QE2 had her first refit in 1972 with whole spaces being completely changed with the disco becoming the Queens Grill, the Theatre Bar becoming the disco, Colombia and Britannia were enlarged, a casino was added. Cunard spent $4.6m on the changes, $2.6m just on the interiors, and the changes were quite well documented. https://www.ribaj.com/culture/qe2-50-years-later https://www.theqe2story.com/forum/index.php?topic=7118.0 This is the problem with letting designers go wild - what they produce often looks dated quickly and it's not always functional or profitable in the way you need it to be. Interestingly, one of the things that was added to QE2 in 1972 was a reading room so maybe the stick in the muds can decide to like it?

I went to Nordlys on QV on a Northern Lights trip in November last year and it was excellent. There’s a trip report of mine with photos on the board.

So classic and iconic that they started ripping out the interiors and replacing them after just three years of service. Cunard passengers and whining about a new ship’s interior, a classic pair.

I hear sage green is the new millennial grey so it's bang on trend. It all comes down to the fabrics and finishes as to how it all comes together and we won't be able to tell that until we've been on board and experienced it up close. Or seen how it photos in real life if we get treated to some photos of the finished product closer to launch.

Has anyone else splurged on a meal at one of the Le Gavroche at Sea residencies this year? No one else I'm sailing with is interested in fish so I'm going to go by myself but hopefully I'll have a great time and enjoy some wonderful cooking. I'll have hopefully sampled his new Golden Lion menu on the Queen Anne before I go so I'll be ready to give him what for if the fish and chips isn't up to snuff or - God forbid - missing!

Agreed. We had a wonderful dinner made even better by the lights actually coming out during out meal so we were able to head straight out of the restaurant to view them. A meal to remember!

She looks very different to the existing Queens but I really like the light and airy look. It's still got those art deco touches but has a more Mediterranean vibe. I think its a good thing that Cunard are trying new things and not just going for the same old same old. I can't wait to see it in real life next month.

I went on the noddy train when I was in Flam in the summer. It doesn't go far at all, just a few miles then turns around. You could walk the route if you wanted to and we passed people who were walking it. I did enjoy it and it filled a little bit of time. I had a young child with me so a 45 min land train trip was much more appealing than the actual train which is about 45-50 mins each way. Plus they let kiddo ring the bell when we got back so instant highlight for me 😂

Every time I look different categories are showing as sold out! I'm actually on this 2nd June QM2 sailing too and I was offered to upgrade to a sheltered balcony from my obstructed view. All the balconies including club are showing as sold out. I guess they are relying on just shuffling as many people up the chain as they can. I think each upgrade very much depends on what upgrades have happened in the grades above you.

Penthouses might be sold out but the grades above are not. I'm sure Cunard know how many of those cabins are opted into free upgrades and thus how many penthouses they can offer as a paid upgrade. They may also have offered paid upgrades to those penthouse occupiers in the hopes that they will pay a little more to get Q1, 2 or 3.

It's quite possible that cheaper cabins are an easier sell. So if you get people to pay to upgrade to PG or QG and free up a Britannia cabin which can be easily sold for close then you are quids in. It's all about maximising revenue per room and not risking the most profitable rooms going unsold or selling for too little.

I was intrigued by those Deluxe Oceanviews on deck 1 too. They can sleep four in two king beds and have a bath and a shower room. The big downside is that they are clearly below the galley for Britannia. I'll be keeping an eye on reviews for those rooms because they look idea for families.

Taylor the Technician looks very cute. I'm sure my toddler will love him just as much as her existing bears. You'll all be happy to know that the Cunard bears are preferred to her Princess Stanley bear and her P&O Britannia bear 😁

I still don't follow your point though. How does delaying the renewal of shareholder benefits encourage people to pay their full balances when they still wouldn't be apply for shareholder OBC at that point? Anyway, now we can have fun speculating as to why Carnival Corp have only chosen to extend shareholder benefits to the end of December when in previous years (I've checked each annual report going back to the 2015 report) they've renewed shareholder benefits for a whole calendar year. 😈

Not really. In the UK, at least, the rule is that you can't apply for shareholder benefits until you have less than 90 days until departure which is final payment anyway. Whether they let you apply before then is neither here nor there when the advertised rule per the FAQs is to apply between 90 and 21 days before departure.

To be fair to Alan Cumming, when I did my first TA for my honeymoon back in 2015 when I was still in my 20s, lots of our friends and family did express surprise that we were going to voluntarily lock ourselves on a ship for a week with a bunch of old duffers. Especially because we were known for all day drinking and general hellraising. And yeah, most people were decades older than us but we had a blast and we will both hit Diamond by the end of the year. Maybe being real ale pub type people we already knew that age is not a barrier to being fun or interesting to be around. I hope Cunard continue to be able to bring in new passengers who are willing to overlook the stereotypes - so long as they're willing to abide by the dress code!

The proxy statement can be found here. Shareholder benefits does not appear to be mentioned in any of the proposals unless I've been daft (high possibility!). It would be great if those who've managed to find the reference can tell the rest of us where it is. Or is the online version available through the investor relations site not what you have been sent?

Does this mean that Carnival amend the annual report after it's published every year? Without changing the date they were published? Because previous annual reports which are ostensibly published before the AGM have the Shareholder Benefit sections even though it has apparently not been voted on at that stage.