Neuhoftraveler

We've cruised internationally in Europe, but never to or from the UK.  I realize that even today the UK is not in the Schengen Area, so presumably there are some border control procedures that apply to cruises departing the UK for a Schengen port.  How do cruise lines, and Cunard specifically, handle this?  Does anyone with cruise industry connections have any information on what in any changes are planned if and when the UK exits the EU on Halloween next?

We've sailed on at least 10 cruises over the years, but only one Cunard cruise, a westbound TA on QM2 last year.  It was outstanding, so much so that we're inclined toward Cunard for our planned Norway fjords cruise next year.  Most of Cunard's Norway itineraries are on QV., though there is one on QM2 we are considering.  Would we be disappointed with QV by comparison?  I realize everyone's mileage varies on this sort of thing, but would appreciate any informed speculation.

Other, non-Cunard possibilities we are considering are Silver Spirit, Silver Wind, and Oceania's Marina.  Comparative comments from anyone who's sailed on those ships as well as Cunard's would be most welcome.

For the record, our non-Cunard cruises have been on Royal Clipper, Star Flyer, Windstar, Wind Surf, Regent Seven Seas Explorer, and Silversea's Silver Whisper.

All cogent observations.  Thanks to all who chimed in.

This is really embarrassing.  Yes, "When all else fails, read the instructions (or look at the map)."  We haven't yet picked up a decent-scale Norway map, and just assumed the ports of call were on the sea not inland up the fjords.

So, thanks to both responders for their patience and their information.  Speaking of information, would either responder (or anyone else) care to nominate their favorite fjords?  We have a choice of iteneraries, and will have to decide on some basis.  Also, are there any cities of notable beauty  or architectural distinction we should try to include?  How about Trondheim?  Is that a must-see?

For those who may be dubious about carry-on and corkage, I can report that on our recent QM2 westbound TA we brought 6 lovely clarets purchased in London, handed them over to the sommelier  on our first night, and essentially had our own private wine list for (almost) the entire voyage.  The sommelier was accommodating, gracious, and helpful in matching particular bottles to particular main courses.  I wouldn't think of not doing it again.

Not only did this cost half the price (or less) of Cunard's comparable offerings, the wines were bottles we cannot get in the US that we consider the best Bordeaux values anywhere -- the house label clarets from Berry Bros. & Rudd (in St. James's St.) -- Margaux, Pauillac, Pessac-Leognan, Pomerol, etc.  These are special bottlings from mid-level classified-growth chateaus, not the very choicest grapes that go into the respective "first labels," but nevertheless lovely products of the same vineyards and the same winemakers.  Prices are £18-25.

We're considering a Norway fjords cruise, and would like it to be on Cunard (based on our westbound TA on QM2 last year, which was an experience to remember that we would love to repeat).  Our questions have to do with what the ever-popular Cunard website means by a "Cruise By":

Do the ships sail at least partway up into the fjords, or just "cruise by" the mouth of the fjord?

Is the answer different for QM2 vs. QE and QV?

If I recall correctly from our Alaska cruise a few years ago (on Regent), the ship sailed pretty far up into a couple of fiords, until it came as close to the glacier at the head as the captain was willing to venture.

A phone inquiry at Cunard (presumably the US  call center, by the agent's accent) was answered by "They go up as far as they can, slowly rotate 360 degrees, and retreat."  Taking this at face value, it really tells one nothing.  Can anyone shed further light?

If anyone can speak to what Cunard's competitors in Norway do (Oceania, Azamara, Regent, Silversea), that information would be most welcome too.

Fresh off the QM2's mid-December westbound TA crossing -- it was an amazing experience -- we are considering the NY-Quebec-NY voyage next September.  Does the ship tie up alongside in the various ports, or are tenders involved?  The website refers to "possible tender" in Sydney, NS, but is otherwise silent.  The ports involved are Bar Harbor, ME; Corner Brook, NL; Sept-Isles, Quebec City, and Saguenay, Quebec: and Sydney and Halifax, NS.

Speaking of the website: I'm finding the new US website almost impossible to use.  The layout is cumbersome beyond belief, It's difficult to drill down to get any detail, and searching for the same info at different times often yields different results;.  I make this observation in hopes that someone at Cunard or its web designer-consultant monitors this board to learn what the customers are saying.

Stella --Based on our experience a few years ago, we strongly endorse Alla Tours and their handling of private tours with made-to-order itineraries.  Our guide knew how to schedule the various venues so as to miss the long lines.  She also was fully familiar with the layouts in the museums so as to take us directly to the rooms of greatest interest to us, and even to second-guess the crowd movements within the Hermitage (it's huge) so as to get us to those rooms during slack moments.

Don't hesitate because of the extra cost of a private tour.  It will be the best investment of your trip.

3 hours ago, Underwatr said:

We bring a lever-actuated stopper so the champagne (sometimes) lasts long enough for a couple of days of mimosas.

On our recent westbound TA we were impressed to find, in the cabinet next to the mini-bar, in addition to two varieties of wine openers, a tight-sealing champagne stopper.  Now that's class.

This thread may already have died of its own weight, but I'm pleased to report that on our 15-22 December QM2 westbound crossing, we had no difficulty carrying on 7 assorted wine bottles in an innocent-appearing carry-on shoulder tote bag.  At dinner on the first night we turned them all over to our wine steward.  Each night we "ordered" our chosen wine when giving our food order, except that on the nights we wanted one of our white wines we asked at lunch for the wine to be chilled before dinner.  All requests were cheerfully complied with.  Corkage was $20 per bottle.

To those who ask, "Why bother?" -- The quality of the wine we brought on board was far superior to anything on the wine list at the same price point (c. $50 including corkage), and would have cost hundreds of dollars each night for the Cunard-supplied equivalent.

As to refilling an Rx early by reason of upcoming travel, different insurers (including Medicare Advantage and Part D) have different policies.  Some grant waivers easily, some only if you persist, and some not at all. If you plan ahead, you can game the system by starting to refill at the earliest allowable date a couple of refills before your planned departure.

For a NYC hotel, I favor the Michelangelo on W. 51st St. at 7th Av.  It's Italian-owned (surprise!), the only US property of a small Euro chain.  Rooms are quite spacious by any standard, which for NYC is really saying something, and we've always found the rates quite reasonable especially if booked well in advance.  Easy walking distance to Broadway theatres, and not much more than that to Lincoln Center.  Cabs to "Museum MIle" on 5th Av. are in the $10-15 range depending on traffic.

I suspect this will set off a firestorm, but in my experience, most US hotels and hotel chains offer direct  booking at the same rates as booking.com and other third-party sites, without the risk of the booking not being honored (which seems to happen at least occasionally with the third-party sites).  In addition, there are many reports of the third-party bookers getting the worst rooms in the house, with requests for a different room routinely rejected. Plus, direct booking often comes with a small perk or two, like free wi-fi, not given to third-party bookers.

This should not be surprising if you think about how the third-party booking sites make their money.  It comes from commissions paid by the hotels.  As there is no such commission paid with direct bookings, the hotel has some room to maneuver.

1 hour ago, BigMac1953 said:

There are no CD players, but you can connect your devices to the TV if you have the correct leads etc..

 

I seem to remember DVD players, but I can't remember seeing them recently, but there again, we never bothered using them. The concierge used to keep a DVD library.

 

There also used to be a classical channel, but as I stated it's gone.

 

Stewart

That assumes we have "devices."  Big assumption.

I believe CD's can be played through a DVD player.  Can anyone confirm or deny BigMac's observation?

On 10/27/2018 at 9:36 PM, VintageCCG said:

 

You'll want to take your own music, downloaded so you can play it offline.
My kids tease me for still using iTunes over streaming, but I always have hours of music on aircraft (or in this case while crossing the Atlantic).

For some of us, iTunes is out of our technology league.  Do the cabins (Grill class) have CD players?  We always like to have a little Debussy and VIvaldi (Tempesta di Mare) now and then.

4 hours ago, ToadOfToadHall said:

This has interested me so I've been Googling it and it seems that only Barclays' ATMs issue £50 notes, and then only at a few ATMs in London (that's the best info I could find).

 

So that would tie up with your £50 from Barclays in London.

 

In the UK, for some reason which I don't really see why, people think only drug dealers etc use £50 notes and for that reason there is a reluctance of shops/bars/etc to take them.   

In our part of the US, $100 bills are often viewed with suspicion, even $50 bills.  We stick with $20's or smaller, and do everything possible by credit card.

For the OP: It bears repeating, US credit cards often/usually have foreign transaction fees ranging from 1.5 to 3% (including on dollar-denominated purchases from a foreign merchant including, it is said, Cunard on-board), so for your travels abroad just get one of the cards that doesn't impose them, such as Capital One Bank's.

The following was written and posted before seeing the two preceding posts:

I can't speak for Cunard's "guests" (a/k/a customers), but I think you have it exactly right. Some US banks apply the fee to any transaction billed by a merchant outside the US, regardless of what currency the transaction was billed  in (forgive the grammatical lapse, I do know better).  You might consider switching to a different card issuer that doesn't charge foreign-transaction fees, such as Capital One Bank.  Or consider yourself lucky that the fee is only 1.5%.  Some banks charge as much as 3% (or used to).

Reinforcing and supplementing one of Underwatr's several cogent observations, we too have routinely gotten from our agent 10% off the cruise line's published fare whatever that fare may be -- promotional, flash sale, or what have you.  They also routinely give a modest OBC above and beyond what the cruise line may be offering.  (I would not  be surprised if it were the same well-known online agency).  When I spot a new reduction for a cruise we've already booked, our agent is happy to cancel and re-book if that makes economic sense after taking non-refundable deposits, lost OBC's, and so forth into account.

For our upcoming TA crossing, we've done that 3 or 4 times and are much the better off for it.  One of those rebookings required making $200 of our deposits nonrefundable, but this didn't bother us at all.  For a second one, which involved moving up from Balcony to Princess when the asking price for Princess was significantly lowered , we were allowed to keep the previously booked OBC from Cunard.

In addition, proposing to re-book at a new and lower promotional price may inspire the cruise line to offer an upgrade if the customer will stick with the former, higher price.  This can be significant. When Cunard offered large reductions for a 5-day period last month, we instructed our agent to rebook.  Cunard's response was to offer an upgrade to Queen's Grill from Princess at the previously-booked Princess price, which we accepted.

Of course the 10% simply represents a share of the agent's commission from the cruise line, invidiously labeled by full-price agents as a "rebate," which is a term with historical associations in the transportation industries (including maritime shipping).  When we first booked this upcoming crossing, a friend with whom we planned to travel encouraged us to get a quote from her favorite agent.  We did, and the quote was the full price then being offered by Cunard.  When I told the agent that our own long-time agent was quoting a significantly lower price, he first accused me of lying to trick him into reducing the quote.  When I bristled at this, he said in shocked tones, "Then they must be rebating!"

It is of course true that some cruise lines prohibit commission-splitting.  (They can't literally prohibit it, but they can and will refuse to deal with an agent who violates the prohibition.) In such cases, our agent will book, bill, and collect the price dictated by the cruise line, but after the cruise has ended, and the agent has received the commission, will send a check for the agreed rebate (for such it indeed is).

So there's more than one way to skin a cat (or a cruise line, if you prefer).

22 hours ago, Underwatr said:

A couple of years ago we sat near a 2-top at which the couple routinely arrived 45-50 minutes after the default seating time. They were still efficiently and professionally served (and her entrance was worth nothing).

Underwatr, I'm just curious:  Did you mean her entrance was un-memorable, or that it was worth noting?

This just in (from a Brooklynite and uber-foodie of my acquaintance): "Grimaldi's is the classic place, under the Brooklyn Bridge, and widely considered one of the best pizza places in the City."

This is not pizza, but if you decide to pass on the Verandah extra-cost floating steakhouse on board but might like to while away the afternoon at a real American steakhouse, the best in all of NYC is in Brooklyn, not too far from the cruise terminal -- Peter Luger's.

A really useful feature of the old format on this board was the link to the "last unread post" in a thread.  Am I right that this feature has been dropped?

Thanks to all who responded with such informative and precise answers.

Sorry if I'm missing this on the posted QM2 deck plans, but would someone please tell me on what deck the Queens Grill restaurant/dining room can be found?

Definitely not on the deck plans is a breakdown of how many staterooms are in each of the four main categories (Queens Grill, Princess Grill, Britannia Club, and Britannia.  If anyone has those numbers handy, I'd appreciate sharing.

Many thanks for the link.:)