Gilpet

Sadly I didn't find what I wanted. We were hoping to go on the Brilliance of the Seas TA to Boston (via Iceland) b2b with the following Canada/New England cruise then home from New York on the QM2 but it looks like Cunard don't want to play ball! The first TA back to Southampton would be 29th October which is approx. one month after we would ideally like. However, there seems to be a gap of 18 days/nights between the QM2's return to New York from a Canada/New England cruise on October 11th and the TA on the 29th - has anybody got any ideas about why that would be, or have I missed something?

Gill

You will be interested to see what Christopher Edgington had to say on the matter a few weeks ago:

 

P&O TIPS

P&O Cruises Hi John,

 

We base the distribution of the tips on a number of different factors, factors around service that our crew members provide to our passengers. Some of this distribution is linked to the scores that crew receive through the customer service questionnaires that are handed out during the cruise, and are dependent on whether they meet or exceed your expectations. Crew members are fully aware of the way that the tips are distributed and what service standards are expected. When we set the scheme up we worked with our crew members on the dynamics of it.

 

Thanks Brayman, that does go some way to allay my fears! However, I'm not happy that other people's opinions could influence the amount of tips that (for example) my stateroom attendant receives, even if the money I have paid is distributed amongst other staff. I think I'll stick to tipping for myself.

 

Gill

There were a lot of rumours flying around last year about the staff not getting their "auto-tips" if they hadn't got a high enough score on the passenger questionnaire. Obviously nobody can know the truth of this but I certainly got the impression from talking to a couple of the staff that it was true. As far as I'm concerned if the staff meet/exceed MY standards then I will tip them, I don't expect somebody else to make that decision on my behalf, especially if I have already paid the money to P&O. I don't imagine that they refund the auto-tips if they aren't paid to the staff therefore I now have the auto-tips removed and tip myself..........and yes, I always tip over and above the recommended amount so I'm not trying to save money.

Gill

We have asked for and received lemonade every cruise that we have been on. Usually just ask the first night and every other night they have it waiting for you.

I must admit we've never asked, as it wasn't on display we just assumed it wasn't available, we'll know better next time. As for only asking once.......well that's why we love RCI, the others just don't compare.

Gill

You can have iced tea, lemonade, water, hot tea or coffee all for free.

All we've ever been offered free in the MDR is iced water and either coffee or tea at the end of the meal!

Gill

There are two different ice shows on Indy so hopefully on a B2B you'll get to see both of them - they're both great even though we've seen the same shows every cruise! There are usually several performances of the show and unless you want a particular time and date then there really isn't any need to join the very long queue on the Royal Promenade as we've always found there are plenty of tickets left - these can be found on the reception desk at passenger services. The tickets are just for "entrance" and you choose your seats on a first come first served basis.

Have a great time

Gill

Just a quick reminder for anybody who received free parking at Southampton as part of the previous RCI offer - you must book it by March 7th or you lose it :eek:

Gill

I rang them last Friday to ask exactly the same question and was told that the itineraries are available from the end of March and the brochures will be out in April.

Gill

I think we need to try Celebrity.

 

With Royals prices not rising with inflation... how can I put this nicely.... The clientele isn't what it once was, which changes the atmosphere, thus more tuxedo tshirts when they aren't appropriate ;).

Lol, that does seem to be the attitude of some people on this thread...... I'm assuming that the ;) at the end of your post meant the whole post was tongue in cheek - if not my response would have been totally different.

Gill

Oh dear, I think the request not to be flamed was a little optimistic :). I totally disagree with your viewpoint but I also totally respect your right to state it...........yes, I know I'm paraphrasing something that somebody (who I can't remember) said but it's true.

My husband doesn't own a tux nor does he want to either own or hire one and that's his choice, but on formal nights he does wear a dark suit with a shirt and tie, so we do adhere to the guidelines but I really don't let what other people are wearing make a difference to my enjoyment of the meal or my cruise in general.

I would be interested to know what the people who are considered to be "slobs" are wearing! Is it just a lack of tux or suit that makes them a slob?

Gill

Check out the "things to do" section of the Boston page of the website I put together for the Boston-to-Tampa re-positioning cruise in October: http://brilliance.ahecht.com/ports/boston. There are lots of ideas for activities, as well as info on public transportation. From the terminal there are both hop-on hop-off tours available and the Silver Line bus which will take you to South Station in Downtown.

 

I usually recommend that first-time visitors take a tour with Boston Duck Tours (not to be confused with Super Duck Tours, which is a different company). It's a tour through boston and on the Charles river on an amphibious vehicle, and the tour guides are always very entertaining (they each have a wacky character that they play).

Thanks a lot..........I'll add that to my list

Gill

Here is link to Boston Trolley Tours for consideration

http://www.trolleytours.com/boston/

 

We did this when we came off the Jewel TA from Harwich to Boston in 2010 and thought it was a great way to get around the main tourist attractions. However, we did stay over in Boston for a couple of nights so that we could spend time at the various stops we were interested in. At that time, the trolley ticket included a free Harbour tour which, despite our having spent the past 14 nights sailing across the Atlantic, was one of the highlights for us. Would respectfully suggest that Boston warrants more time than a short shore trip between cruises and, as such, I would recommend you consider staying in Boston for a night or two at least when you disembark the Canada/New England cruise.

We're hoping to be able to stay there after the cruise but, as I don't fly, it will depend on the Cunard schedules when they come out at the end of March. Ideally there would be a TA back to Southampton about a week after the second cruise arrives back in Boston but if it's a choice between "the next day" or waiting two weeks then sadly it would have to be "the next day" option.......if you see what I mean. I've always wanted to visit the New England area so the second cruise is perfect - we'll just keep our fingers crossed for the Cunard part. I have looked at the schedules for this year and if they keep the same dates for next year it would be perfect.

Thanks

Gill

Thanks for all your suggestions, I've saved them all and will be able to refer to it if we get this booked up.........what a shame it's so far away as I'm getting pretty excited lol.

Gill

Good point Jessicalorene :), the answer is more history than art or sport. Thanks for the suggestions everybody - the hop-on-hop-off trolley sounds like a good option.

Gill

thanks for your reply Carol. As you live in the Boston area what would be at the top of your list for "must see" if we only have the one day?

Gill

I can't help with Radiance I'm afraid but we had the balcony dividers opened on Independence last year. The stateroom attendant unlocked it and then it was clipped to stay in place - it was no problem at all.

Gill

We're seriously looking at Brilliance of the Seas North Atlantic crossing from Harwich to Boston for September 2015 then staying onboard for the following Canada/New England cruise. We would like to be able to get off the ship just like any other port and explore Boston but as we've never done a B2B before I'm not sure how it works and if this will be possible, especially bearing in mind US immigration. I'll be grateful for any information/advice that you can offer.

Thanks in advance

Gill

That's great Trolleydolley, well done :D. We've always been given the "new bookings only" or "wrong stateroom category" stories and have never received a price drop - but we have been able to upgrade from a balcony (E1) to a Junior Suite for £50 each on our last two RCI cruises and I was happy with that.

Gill

You'll find it very easy to navigate your way around Independence - I'm the world's worst at finding my way around a ship but on Indy the Royal Promenade makes it so easy that even I have never got lost lol :p. If you're on the Royal Promenade the Pyramid Lounge is at one end (the front) and one of the MDR's at the other (back), but for a basic rule of thumb food is at the back and entertainment at the front lol.

Somebody else mentioned lunch in the MDR but if you go to the lowest MDR level (deck 3) they have what I think is called 30 minute Brasserie - and you really shouldn't miss the salad there, you choose what you want in the salad and they prepare and toss it in front of you........my only complaint is that it's only available on sea days lol. As well as the salad they have a menu that changes every day with such things a pasta, curry, sausage and mash, fish and chips etc etc.

Where not to miss? We've been on Indy several times but it was only on our last cruise that we discovered a sheltered area on deck 11 - just behind the swing seats in the solarium there is a door into what is not much more than a corridor but it has loungers/chairs opposite the windows and is very quiet with no wind at all.

Have a great cruise

Gill

We are new to Cunard, and just received our info packet for May cruise. I noticed that luggage must not exceed 20kg. YIKES - that is less than airlines permit. Is Cunard strict regarding this policy?

:eek:Mary

Mary, unless you're flying then I think you'll find that the limit applies to EACH case but you can take as many cases as you want to :)

Gill

On Royal Caribbean, kettles in the rooms were banned. Elf n' safety!

 

Until, that is, they repositioned a ship to China, and lo and behold, kettles were installed in every cabin!

We've had a kettle in the cabin on every RCI cruise we've taken. As far as I'm aware the kettles are provided on all cruises from the UK because "the Brits demand it" :confused:, but how true that reason is I don't know lol.

Gill

I was going to suggest Viking Crown until I saw the "50+", it's plenty big enough but the problem is all the other passengers lol. The Pyramid Lounge may be better as people only tend to go in there if something is scheduled, you'll just need to check on the Cruise Compass - though generally the first thing is usually Bingo at around 11ish (I think) so if you arrange to meet earlier you should be ok. Alternately you could contact Crown and Anchor and ask if they can put you in contact with somebody on the ship.

Good Luck

Gill

We're thinking of trying out Celebrity this year so the timing of your comparison was perfect - thank you.

Gill

Thanks for your very speedy reply Salacia, it was very helpful.

Gill

We will be sailing from New York to Southampton in November of this year but I haven't been able to find out from the Cunard website which terminal the ship will depart from. Can anybody tell me if it is always Manhattan Cruise Terminal or if it may be another?

Thanks in advance for your help

Gill