3rdGenCunarder

18 minutes ago, Colin_Cameron said:

Things are not helped when passengers are shown to a table and as soon as the waiter has left, move somewhere else. I saw this at lunch and last night we had a gent moved to a spare seat at our table because others had parked themselves at his table. I know BellBoy has had the same problem.

How rude!!! I've had my table hijacked in the buffet, but never the dining room.

If someone has a fixed dining table assigned and someone else just sits there, the waiter should say "Pardon me, but are you sure you're at the right table?" (Well, really, the waiter should say "This is NOT YOUR TABLE. Sit where you're supposed to be." But they have to be polite.) I suppose early on in the cruise, the waiters don't know their assigned customers yet, but supervisors need to tell them to "defend" their tables. 

31 minutes ago, MylesS said:

Rust found. Pursers desk complained to. Full refund requested. Early disembarkation wanted. Absolutely unacceptable! 

😱

43 minutes ago, TowandaUK said:

You pay the full amount +15% service charge and 20% discount for having the package. 

Not surprised. Other lines do that. At least there's some discount. About a year ago in a rare act of generosity, HAL changed their policy to just paying the extra cost plus service. It results in some odd small amounts when you check your account. 

I never buy the drinks package, but I've had it as part of a booking promo. I remember ordering a small glass of wine at dinner and the waiter asked if I didn't want a large one. I said no, I have the drinks package, so I'm staying under the limit. If I want more, I'll order another small glass. 

In the past the package has covered cocktails I like, and I can find wines under the limit if I stick to small glasses. 

What happens if you buy something over the package limit? Pay the difference or pay the entire cost of the drink?

The Queens Room doesn't have the luxurious look as on the other ships. I hope it's better in person.

I'm concerned about one comment in the section about the Pavillion. "Non-stop entertainment" could mean they blare music and show videos all the time. I hated that aspect of the Princess cruise we did--there was no outdoor lounging space that was quiet (unless you paid for the "retreat" area). HAL shows films at night, but during the day their midship pool area is not blasting music or the audio from films. 

9 hours ago, MylesS said:

We paid I believe $149 per-person for the week (may be a bit off, I’ve now had several drinks)

 

The thermal area looks great, much better than the other Queens in my opinion, though they are doing 2 hour slots per-day.

 

We’re now in Britannia for dinner, however, as impressive as the room is, I’m yet to even have someone take my order after 30 minutes. 

Sorry to hear dinner was so slow. Smart to go for the specialty restaurant rather than sit there with nothing to drink.

Did they say why they're doing 2-hour slots on the thermal area? Are you able to sign up for days in advance or do you have to go each morning to get your time? And is there any seating near the pool other than the heated loungers? I like those in a separate room as on QE and QV, with normal loungers in the pool area.

On 10/6/2023 at 4:14 PM, MkeCruzn said:

The ship's shuttle took people to the Arctic Cathedral and the cable car lower station. I don't know for sure if it went elsewhere, as we did not take it. I talked to some people who took it and they mentioned a few spots that it went. I would have been really happy if it stopped near the ferry dock as well.

Our ship was docked at the cruise terminal that is not close to the center of town, maybe 2 to 2.5 km away. There's a ferry port that is at the center of town, but it's upstream of a bridge that appears to be too low to clear many cruise ships.

Hope that's helpful!

Just to update, Cunard's shuttle ran between the port and downtown. It did not go to any other stops. I wish it had--I stood in a long queue to get the bus back to downtown from the cablecar. 

2 hours ago, exlondoner said:

No bookshop. There must be a reason other than corporate insanity.

Considering how the bookshop on QM2 has deteriorated, I wonder if low sales there caused Cunard to give up on the idea. Or perhaps it will be in a section of another shop?

I'm not loving the PG cabin. It doesn't look much different from Club. Same balcony and same balcony furniture. The room is a little longer, but I'd like to see what the closets are like. And the sink in the bathroom is ridiculous--I just know that's going to be splashy. Shower appears to be a nice size and I think I saw a wand as well as an overhead shower, so something positive there.  

What's with that wallpaper around the mirror? Looks like '60s pop art!

Supposedly people disliked the wedge-shaped cabinet that divided the two parts of the PG room on the Vistas, but I did like it. Even a little separation between living area and sleeping area is nice and it broke up the visual of the very long space.

4 hours ago, buchanan101 said:

Got to differentiate somehow...

 

The single-seating dining room is the big difference in moving up to Club.

29 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

I don’t think it is too bad, except, and it’s rather a big except, no space for chairs. It really is only for walking.

I tend to stop in my walking to gaze at the sea. I suppose this is better for exercise as there's hardly anywhere to stop and gaze. 

37 minutes ago, Host Hattie said:

Found it on Instagram, not sure if this will work 

Queen Anne Promenade Deck

 

 

Yikes, that's even more enclosed than I remember from being on K'dam.

2 hours ago, exlondoner said:

And in the PGs, the extra half is added on sideways, so they are a nice square shape, unlike the Vistas.

The PGs on QM2 feel much more spacious than those on the vistas because of the shape. They also have larger balconies, which I like. 

On 4/29/2024 at 4:28 AM, Colin_Cameron said:

I guess. 

 

I assume she stopped being Hull 6274 when she was handed over to Cunard but wondered if she should be Q8 or some other designation until the naming ceremony. It took me long enough to stop referring to QE2 as 'The New Queen'. 😀

 

Q1 Queen Mary

Q2 Queen Elizabeth

Q3 never built

Q4 Queen Elizabeth 2

Q5 Queen Mary 2

Q6 Queen Victoria

Q7 Queen Elizabeth

Q8 Queen Anne

 

For years, we referred to QE2 as "The Queen," as she was the Cunard queen. When QM2 came along, she was "The Mary."

2 hours ago, Selbourne said:

We haven’t bid for an upgrade on our upcoming Queen Anne cruise as we are keen to try Britannia Club, and the minimum upgrade costs were way too much. Can I ask those who have bid whether or not the upgrade cost is a big saving over the usual price differential?

 

I’m not as familiar with Cunard pricing as I am sister brand P&O, but in the case of P&O I have yet to see any bargains through the upgrade programme. The price differential in almost every example I have seen has meant that the passenger ends up paying pretty much the same as if they’d booked the higher grade cabin in the first place.

The low end of the range a good deal. I expected the high end to be closer to the difference, but still less than if you just paid for the upgrade. However, the math for my Alaska cruise doesn't bear out that assumption.

For my Alaska cruise, the range to bid on Q3, Q4 from PG is $715 to $2285 per person, so $1430 to $4570 per stateroom. 

To book that cruise now in PG, Sailing Soon is $5,118 and Cunard fare is $7,998 (per stateroom)

To book that cruise now in Q3, Q4 Sailing soon is $7,998 and Cunard fare is $10,878

But with the way prices change, your starting point in PG could be more or less than the fares currently available. All you can do is try some dummy bookings to see what the going rate is and decide if a bid is worth it.

4 minutes ago, NE John said:

For me, that call offered a very reasonable price for us to try QG for the first time. In Alaska, we’ll be off the ship for a good portion of the time so the QG dining is the difference maker for us. 

The attraction for me is the aft balcony. I love those, especially for scenic cruising. Of course, I would love to get for one of the corners with the lovely wrap-around balcony.

On 4/24/2024 at 8:18 AM, Csardas said:

What’s the minimum sum over the minimum bid that’s been successful?

 

Dollar amounts that people have bid won't tell you much, as prices vary with cruise length. I bid successfully on PG from Britannia balcony on QA and my bid was a bit more than halfway between minimum and the "noon" position on the dial. I did about the same on another cruise and the bid wasn't accepted--but that cruise was close to sold out, so I didn't expect anything to come of it. 

On 4/27/2024 at 8:51 AM, NE John said:

I got a call yesterday directly from Cunard offering, for a very reasonable upcharge, a move from PG to a Q6 for an upcoming Alaska trip. The only caveat is that it may be a handicap room, something I don’t need. While the bathroom is not as nice as a QG bathroom (no tub) I took up that offer because the price was very right and it gives us a discounted way to give us our first QG experience. If that room is needed for a disabled pax, we get upgraded from there. 
 

I got the email offer for upgrades from PG to QG on an Alaska cruise. That one handicap room is keeping me from bidding (because of the bathroom). I would LOVE to have an aft Q6 or Q5, and it would be nice to have a taste of QG. Still thinking it over. 

I've heard that when a car is delivered to a Boston dealership, the wires to the turn signals are cut. DH drove in Boston once and swore never again!

3 hours ago, twincheryl said:

Just know that the queue for cabs can be VERY long, depending on how many ships are in port and what time you disembark.  Plan accordingly...

There was only one other ship when I disembarked at Vancouver a few years ago and I was standing in the queue for an hour. The other ship docked first and their people got out first. I think this summer I'll do a ship transfer. I don't like the transfers, but I have too much luggage to do SkyTrain. 

The problem with Canada Place is once you get down into the bowels of the building to start the process, where are they going to make you wait? Or will they send early passengers back out to the street or up into the hotel? I hope they'll at least accept the luggage. 

When I boarded Queen Victoria in Southampton last fall, they were holding early arrivals in a queue alongside the terminal building. Priority passengers (Grills, Diamond, Platinum) got waved through, so I went right in and checked in quickly. The odd thing is that there weren't many people in the building and most of the check-in staff had nobody in front of them. It seemed like a waste of person-hours to have staff doing nothing while there were people who could be checked in. There was plenty of seating, too. But that's their rule and they stick to it. 

I love aft cabins, especially on Oosterdam and the other vista class ships. I've been above the dining room and had no issues with noise. Being over an entertainment area, OTOH, is not my idea of a good location.

22 minutes ago, kazu said:

There would have been a lot more choice if I got a lot bigger and a smidge more if I was a bit smaller.  LOL.

Isn't that always the way it is????? 🙄

7 hours ago, kazu said:

 

Thanks.  I’m going to break down and get something in the gift shop.  Was hoping to see a Lido sale today but so far,no word.

Now that you mention it, I don't recall any Lido sales on Zaandam this winter. 

It would be interesting to see if the other cruise lines are doing this on busy days. If HAL pax abide by this but Princess and NCL and whoever else don't, HAL's system won't make much difference.