3rdGenCunarder

I love the ship paintings and memorabilia. QM2 probably has the most history on display, with the forward area and the large murals at elevator lobbies. QE has some display cases with mostly items from the first QE and some from QE2. She also has lots of paintings, including a gorgeous one of QE2 at Svalbard. QV has lots of paintings, too. Also models of her two older sisters, QE2 and QM2. I'll spend a couple hours on a sea day exploring the stairwells and bars to see what's on show. QA, OTOH, lacks that pride. No sense of history. I found no memorabilia beyond a "cabinet of curiosities," which was more general stuff than nautical, and only two ship paintings. Yes, two, and they were mixed in with a hodgepodge of bad art in the pub.

cruisetimetables.com says you'll be in Benoa on Oct 29. Timetables for Cruises To Bali, Indonesia on 29 October 2024 (cruisetimetables.com) Click on where it says Bali, Indonesia, and it will take you to a little info on Benoa

I thought the "artisan" title on QA was pretentious, but the food was good. And once I knew which stations had what I liked, it was easy to get around. The only thing I found disappointing on QA was the salad bar. Much more variety for a salad lunch on QE and QV. And Kings Court... the only polite thing I can think to say is it is not my favorite place on QM2.

But it's better frozen raw and cooked after defrosting than cooked first and then frozen.

I bounce back and forth between the two lines, so I get confused. And it doesn't help that Cunard now has three different kinds of ships (QM2, Vistas, Pinnacle) and HAL has four. Oh well, there are worse problems to be had than not remembering how the spa works.

So how many days does a cruise need to be before HAL decides to "please its guests?" Two weeks is not enough--I know that from this past winter on Zaandam. Three weeks is not enough, as OP has told us. How about how many sea days in a row before HAL does something? Because a crossing, even a "cruise crossing" doesn't have a port every day.

There's a form to fill out that asks your airline and flight number so they can assign you to the bus that goes to your terminal. I guess you could lie about the flight number if your flight is before 1400, but that's a risky idea.

One answer, of course, is the dining room. I did complain to a manager. The staff can't doing anything about rude people. But the big problem is that passengers settle down at a table in the buffet and stay there well after finishing their meal. Staff aren't allowed (or willing) to ask them to leave. The manager I spoke to on QV asked me to write a complaint letter to the Hotel director. She said that staff are aware of the people staying too long, but her bosses would pay more attention to a comment from a passenger than from staff.

On QV I was only missing a Britannia. I agree that it's harder to bring yourself to pay for an alternate dinner when you're in the grills, so I didn't try Frontier on QE.. I had the goose at Nordlys and it was delicious. I didn't order the seafood plate because that's for two, and there were things on it I wouldn't eat (like mussels). But I did have the langoustines and liked them. I know a lot of food is frozen. It has to be. But precooked and reheated is not as good as thawed and then cooked.

Shh! Don't give them ideas!!! @doublebzz, I am so sorry to hear that so much was missing. Yes, the loss of speakers and decrease in entertainment has been discussed here, but I keep hearing that "it's better for longer voyages." I would have thought "longer voyages" would include a three week cruise, especially considering all the sea days of the crossing. That is disappointing.

Is that true for Eurodam? I know some spas have separate buttons for the two functions. I love that. Unfortunately, for some it's all or none. (That's how it was on Queen Elizabeth and Queen Anne). Edited to add: I just looked back at my pictures of Eurodam from 2 years ago. Looks like the showers are near corners, not where they splash the entire pool. So even if they aren't independent of the bubbles, there will be a no-splash area.

Gosh, on a Vista? I thought only QM2's staff had that attitude. I agree about the pop-ups. For anyone on and Alaska or Norway cruise, try the "Frontier" (Alaska) or "Nordlys" (Norway). I don't know how local the food really is, as the menus are nearly identifal. So is it really Alaskan breast of goose in Alaska and Norwegian breast of goose in Norway? Or are they identifying the source by where they take it out of the freezer??? Either way, it's a lovely meal.

I think the "meal" wording as opposed to Verandah lunch or alternative dinner is because QA has so many upsell alternatives. I don't know which of those even serves lunch and what counts or doesn't in terms of WC perk. I usually use my WC perk for a Verandah lunch. On QE recently, I went on the second day, a sea day. I don't think there were even 10 tables occupied.

I'm sure the coach from the bus terminal is less expensive than Cunard's transfer, but it's door-to-door, which is worth the cost to me.

Holding a table isn't easy if you're a solo. I don't like reserving a table if getting my food will take a long time. I will get food and wander around at lunch, but at breakfast, I usually get coffee and juice and leave them on the table while I get my breakfast. I've had my table hijacked (on QV). I returned to my table and two young men were sitting there. My coffee and juice were still on the table! I pointed that out and they just shrugged. When I could not find anywhere to sit, I went back and gave them my plate. "Since you took my table, you may as well have my breakfast, too." I can't tell you what they said because it would get this post deleted. I should have brought a book to leave, although I'm not sure those [bleeps] would have cared. Next time, I will place items at BOTH seats and leave two books.

I agree with all of this, but some variation would be nice. I think QM2's Thanksgiving and Christmas cruises in the Caribbean have been the same since DH and I did the Christmas cruise in 2016. Even QE's Eastern Caribbean itineraries for 2026 use the same ports. I usually take a HAL cruise to the Caribbean for a winter break. There's a lot of repetition there, too. But if you hunt around, you can find something different. Last year, Zaandam had a 2-week cruise that included all 3 of the ABCs. This winter, I'll be on Eurodam because of calls to St. Martin, which I haven't been to in quite a while, and Guadeloupe, which I haven't seen on their itineraries since I was there on Koningsdam 5 or 6 years ago. So there are ports that other CCL lines visit that Cunard doesn't. I would think that would give Cunard some contacts to work with. But then, there's also the problem of getting a berth when other lines have long-standing relationships and take up most of the space.

In the US, WC (not sure which levels) get one day before the cruises open to all for booking. It isn't a reservation, it's a true booking.

I liked Escanaba! I was there in 2023. The AQV people tried to send me to the HoHo bus, but I wanted to go for a walk. So a local pointed out the gate to the port area and gave me some tips on things to see. I found a park with a bench swing looking out at the water. I planned to sit for a few minutes. I could have sat there all day, just relaxing. The local bakery delivered trays of delicious cinnamon buns to the ship!

The thermal suite is my indulgence on a cruise. I love the warm water for doing my knee and back exercises. If I'm the only one in the pool, I sometimes don't bother to turn on the bubbles, I just like the soak in warm water. I wish you could turn on the bubbles but not the showers. I don't like how splashy they are.

Which cruise are you looking at? Cunard is great for solos. They do solo get-togethers, usually morning coffee IIRC. I'm not sure what the comment above about Cunarders is supposed to mean, but I've found that passengers on a Cunard ship are well-traveled interesting people who are willing to engage with others. Ask for a large table at dinner, and you will get to know people. I'm just off QE, and every evening, I looked forward to dinner. I never knew where the conversations would go, but I knew we'd be sharing stories and laughing together. Single staterooms are few and do sell quickly. I don't know how the prices compare exactly, but a single cabin does cost more than half of a comparable double, so don't despair if they aren't available for the cruise you're looking at. In Britannia, the single supplement for a double stateroom is usually 75%, unlike HAL's 100%. Go up to Club or the Grills and the supplement is 100%. Of the lines you listed, I've only sailed HAL. I used to think of them as "Cunard Lite." Now I'd say "Cunard Very Lite." Compared to HAL, Cunard has much more to do during the day than sales pitches from the jewelry store or spa (although it does have those, too). There will be lectures by a variety of speakers. Sometimes they're related to your destination, but not necessarily. The evening entertainment is much better than what I had on Zaandam this past winter. Unlike HAL, where the "gala nights" don't mean much, Cunard still has what we used to call formal nights. You don't have to have a ball gown, or even a long dress. A cocktail dress will do. There are venues where you can avoid dressing up, but do dress up and enjoy the ambiance. You will see more tuxes than suits on the men, and women dress accordingly. it's a special atmosphere. I sail HAL for their itineraries. I sail Cunard for the experience.

@Ileneilene123, thanks for the review. I feel your pain about the weather. I was on Queen Elizabeth, and I think we were in Glacier Bay the same day. I didn't see more than 5 minutes of sunshine from leaving Vancouver the day after you did and getting back there 11 days later. Dogsled excursions for our ship were cancelled, too. I'm not sure about gray weather being the best way to see a glacier. A few "atmospheric" days are nice, but some sunshine mixed would be nice, too. I have a lot of respect for someone who will say "I don't know..." Too many people are afraid to admit they don't know something and just guess/make up an answer. Lying about her experience is unforgiveable. I agree with @Sea42 that claiming to be so experienced could make customers more inclined to believe and not check what she ways. Definitely needs more training!

The manager should have picked up the garments and put them in the servers' area until a waiter had time to take them to lost and found.

Mine, too! They've managed to keep out the cruise port chain stores, so it feels like visiting a real town.

Check the schedule for Sitka to see where you'll be and how many other ships will be with you. Cruise Ship Schedule Calendar Combined Ports (claalaska.com) I have tendered from the anchorage and been docked out at the cruise terminal. I actually prefer the tender because it drops you right downtown. Three years ago, we were docked with some big NCL ship. Shuttle bus into town wasn't bad. I don't recall a long wait. I think maybe the other ship didn't dock as early so we had all the shuttles. If you dock at the cruise terminal and take a tour, it will probably load the bus at the cruise terminal. Going back in the afternoon, the line for a shuttle bus was long and slow because there were people from both ships going back. The transfer point is near the city municipal building, downtown.

Thank you! I much prefer Hubbard. It's so big and so blue that even on a dreary day (cloudy/drizzle every day for 11 days on my recent cruise) it's still almost glows. I did this tour 5 years ago on a gloriously sunny day. Every moment was a "wow!" @titodewy, can you book the tour online? That's the easiest way. I'm just off an Alaska cruise on Queen Elizabeth, and that tour was offered. When we got the excursion list on board, it said "limited," but someone I spoke to said she went to ask about it right away and was told it was sold out. So don't wait. There's only one boat, you don't want to miss it!