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seacruise9

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Everything posted by seacruise9

  1. Hi, I recently cruised aboard the Queen Elizabeth as a solo traveler and had dinner at the Verandah. I had no difficulty making the reservation and was seated alone at a table for two. My meal was excellent. Chuck
  2. Hi, Thanks, this is great to hear. Afternoon tea is one of my favorite activities aboard the Cunard ships. Chuck
  3. Hi, Thanks for this information. I will be boarding the Queen Elizabeth in 18 days. I am a big Cunard fan, but this will be my first Cunard voyage since April 2019. Is the afternoon tea in the Queens Room still excellent? I am looking forward to sailing with Cunard again. Chuck
  4. Hi, I am Diamond level and boarding the Queen Elizabeth in Vancouver 21 days from now. I checked in today (the first day for check-in) and have a 2:00 pm boarding time. I have booked a standard balcony stateroom on Deck 4. This check-in time is fine, but I am surprised that it is not earlier. The final boarding time is listed on my boarding pass as 3:15 pm. Because I am staying at the Pan Pacific Hotel which is located in the cruise terminal, the ship will only be a few steps away. I will probably spend a little more time exploring Vancouver prior to boarding the ship. Chuck
  5. Hi, I am booked on the Queen Anne's Maiden World Voyage for 2025 (98 days from New York to Southampton). I am then doing a westbound crossing on the QM2 so that I will make a complete circumnavigation roundtrip from New York. This will be my first very long cruise. I have done some short world cruise segments (QV in 2015 and QM2 in 2017), but I could not be away for too long due to my job. Because I am planning to retire in 2023 or 2024, I decided to book the world cruise for 2025. A Cunard world cruise has been my lifelong dream. I hope that I am not disappointed. Chuck
  6. Hi, I have had sheltered balcony staterooms on two crossings on the QM2. I think this is a good choice for crossings because the balcony is fairly well protected from windy or adverse weather. Chuck
  7. Hi, You both make a good point. A lot of what made the QE2 special was the atmosphere, crew, fellow passengers, etc. The QE2 experience was much more than the physical ship itself. I agree that visiting the QE2 in Dubai would lack the magic of the voyages on this wonderful ship. Chuck
  8. Hi, Thanks for the information. I sailed aboard the QE2 seven times between 1984 and 2005. The QE2 is my favorite ship and I have many wonderful memories. However, I don't want a visit to make me sad. I have visited (and stayed aboard) the original Queen Mary in California several times. Although I never sailed aboard this ship, my visits to the Queen Mary usually cause mixed emotions. I am thrilled that the ship is still around, but I am depressed by her current condition. I am cruising aboard the Queen Elizabeth next month and have booked a night on the Queen Mary following my cruise. I probably will visit the QE2 in Dubai. It will be great to see the ship again even though it obviously won't be same as when the ship was in service. Chuck
  9. Hi, In 2017, I sailed a short segment of the Queen Mary 2's world cruise from Hong Kong to Singapore. After the cruise, I stayed at the Marina Bay Sands. I loved this hotel and highly recommend it. In addition to being truly spectacular, it is conveniently located near Gardens by the Bay (also highly recommended). Chuck
  10. Hi, I am also interested in the QE2 in Dubai. I am booked on the Queen Anne's Maiden World Voyage that spends two days in Dubai in April 2025. I am thinking about taking a Dubai highlights shore excursion one of the days and visiting the QE2 (my all-time favorite ship) the other day. Is the QE2 located fairly near to where the Queen Anne will dock? Does Cunard ever offer a shore excursion to the QE2? Thanks, Chuck
  11. Hi, I cruised aboard the Celebrity Beyond in February 2023 and greatly enjoyed my dinner at Le Voyage. This is a small and attractive venue with outstanding food and service. In fact, I have booked dinner at Le Voyage for my cruise on the Celebrity Ascent for February 2024. I also really like Eden. Chuck
  12. Hi, I think the new ship will be Star Princess or Sea Princess. Chuck
  13. Hi, I cruised aboard the Celebrity Beyond the last week of February. I think the three production shows were outstanding. During my cruise, people started to line up prior to the doors opening 30 minutes in advance of the shows. I usually arrived about 40 or 45 minutes before the show and joined the line. I always was able to get an excellent seat. The production shows were very well attended compared to other cruises that I have taken. Chuck
  14. Hi, I cruised aboard the Celebrity Beyond in late February and made dining reservations in advance on the website for each evening (typically, 6:30 or 7:00 pm). I made reservations for five nights in the main dining rooms and two nights in specialty restaurants. I tried each of the four main dining rooms. My reservations were honored and I was not forced to wait to be seated. The ship was full my particular cruise. The Celebrity Beyond is an excellent ship that I highly recommend. Chuck
  15. Hi, I cruised aboard the Celebrity Reflection in February 2022 and the Celebrity Beyond in February 2023. I greatly enjoyed both ships, but I would choose the Beyond. The design of the ship is stunning and it has some of the best production shows that I have ever seen. Also, I really like Eden on the E class ships. Chuck
  16. Hi, I took my first NCL cruise in 1976 on the Skyward and remember all of these logos. One of my all-time favorite ships was the S/S Norway (cruised aboard her in 1980, 1987, 1994 and 2000). Although it now seems dated, I still have fond memories of the first logo (the bold wave logo) shown above. I like the way that most of these logos have a wave element that seems to reference the original logo. I will be cruising aboard the Norwegian Prima later this month. Chuck
  17. Hi, I am booked on the Prima's seven-day Bermuda cruise that departs on April 23, 2023. I chose this ship last fall after seeing the video tours of the public areas. The ship looked gorgeous. I am going with an open mind, but I am concerned about some of the shortcomings mentioned in the reviews. I have made dining reservations for each night (four nights in specialty restaurants and three nights in one of the main dining rooms). I have booked a standard balcony stateroom that overlooks one of the infinity pools on the side of the ship. However, I am not yet able to book any entertainment. My two most recent cruises were on Celebrity Edge class ships (Celebrity Apex and Celebrity Beyond). It will be interesting to see how the Prima compares to these ships. Chuck
  18. Hi, I cruised aboard the Celebrity Beyond in February 2023 in an IV stateroom. I did not encounter the window being locked, but the weather was very nice throughout the cruise. On the plus side, these staterooms have an unobstructed wall of glass with potentially excellent views of the ocean or ports. Although I like having a traditional balcony, I typically don't spend much time sitting outside. The IV stateroom met my needs. I enjoyed the view of the ocean with the shade up and occasionally lowered the window to take photos or get some fresh air. I love the Edge class ships (I also have cruised on the Celebrity Apex) and don't have a problem with the IV stateroom. In fact, I have booked an IV stateroom for a cruise on the Celebrity Ascent next year. Chuck
  19. Hi, I was assigned to 7123 on the Celebrity Apex last year. This stateroom was fine. Of course, the porthole veranda staterooms have a (small) separate veranda. Other than the veranda area, the design is identical to an infinite veranda stateroom. I preferred the infinite veranda stateroom that I recently had on the Celebrity Beyond (it feels more spacious since the veranda is combined with the rest of the stateroom), but I would not hesitate to book one of the porthole veranda staterooms again. Chuck
  20. Hi, The Celebrity Beyond also has an additional specialty restaurant, Le Voyage, which was excellent. Because the Beyond is about 60 feet longer than Apex/Edge, the pool area also has been enlarged. I cruised aboard the Celebrity Apex last year and loved the ship. I think the Celebrity Beyond is even better. During my cruise on the Celebrity Beyond last month, I did not experience any noise in my infinite veranda stateroom on Deck 11. However, the ocean was extremely smooth throughout my cruise. Chuck
  21. Hi, I cruised aboard the Beyond the week of Feb. 19 and had a similar experience. The Beyond has the best production shows that I have ever seen aboard a ship. I agree that this ship is stunning. Chuck
  22. Hi, I started cruising with Celebrity back in 1991 on the Horizon. I have taken 12 Celebrity cruises, including four after the pandemic (Summit, July 2021; Reflection, Feb. 2022; Apex, April 2022; and Beyond, Feb. 2023). All of these were seven-day Caribbean cruises. Celebrity certainly has changed over the years, but I honestly enjoyed my recent Celebrity cruises and did not encounter any bad behavior. I am 58 years old and think the newest Celebrity ships are stunning and offer a great cruise product. The entertainment and dining options on my recent cruise on the Beyond were excellent. I already have booked a cruise on the new Ascent for next year. Chuck
  23. Hi, Thanks for posting the updates and photos of the Sun Princess. As a big Princess fan, I am very interested in the design of this new ship. The Landing looks nice and is very reminiscent of the Destination Gateway on the new Celebrity ships (which I like). I intend to cruise aboard this ship during its first year of service. Chuck
  24. Hi, I am booked on the Norwegian Prima for a seven-day cruise to Bermuda that departs on April 23, 2023. I am a frequent cruiser, but this will be my first NCL cruise in many years. I viewed the video tours of this ship and was impressed with its design. I have made my dinner reservations for each evening (four specialty restaurants and three nights in one of the main dining rooms) and have booked a balcony stateroom that overlooks one of the infinity pools on the side of the ship. I always try to maintain a positive attitude on cruises and manage to have a great time. I have sailed on some ships with negative reviews, but I honestly have enjoyed every cruise that I have taken.
  25. Hi, I recently cruised aboard the Celebrity Beyond (Feb. 19, 2023 cruise) and did a Celebrity small group excursion in Puerto Plata (Explore Puerto Plata and Cable Car). There were nine of us on a minibus (there were some empty seats). This particular tour was excellent.
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