3rdGenCunarder

I had a good snorkel trip in Barbados on Calabaza. Two different sites, including a stop that had turtles, and a very good lunch.

I would need 42 days to plan for a 42-day cruise!!!!!

Based on my experience at Pinnacle last month, about 50% of the men wore jackets and all the ladies were dressed nicely, certainly not in what they'd worn all day.

There was a long line on Zaandam last month. They had the cakes out at 11:30, but didn't serve until noon, so people could take pictures. I didn't feel like waiting in the long line, so I just got a dessert from the usual dessert station. I went back around 12:30, and there was plenty of cake left, so no need to rush to be first in the line.

The permanent signs were very small, but I've seen signs made at home. In some cases, it's ignorance. I know there are signs by the glass doors, but people see an unoccupied chair and grab it without checking anything around them. At least on Volendam, they're all together in a row, so it should be easier to see which chairs are reserved and which are for anyone to use. It was worse on other ships. I think on Veendam they were scattered, rather than grouped, and then people were more likely to sit on loungers for a lanai, especially if there were 2 general ones next to lanais and a group of 3 or 4 wanted to sit together. Friends had that problem frequently.

There wasn't a "mariner's lunch" on my recent cruise.

I don't buy wine packages in advance. I want to see the list before I buy. If you have extra OBC, consider a pass to the thermal suite. That's my favorite indulgence on board QE or QV.

I think sometimes the age limits are imposed by the cruise line's insurer, and not the vendor. Do some research to find independent snorkel trips. I have found that ship snorkels tend to use large boats and get large groups. I had a terrible time on one in St Thomas. The crowd was too large, people bumping into each other. As an experienced snorkeler, I was shocked at what passed for "instruction" for novices. It was so bad it bordered on irresponsible. Google is a start but ask people who have experience with the ports you'll be visiting. Join your roll call and see if anyone there has found some good tours. Look at the Caribbean port of call board to see what people there are recommending. That's how I chose Sea Cow in Bonaire and it was so good in every way, I didn't want to go back to the ship and continue the cruise--I wanted to stay there to do it all again the next day.

That's how it used to work. For me, it said "welcome back." The only issue was if your Mariner tier was in or out, it could be awkward at the podium. A friend was 2 star and got in one time and not the next. They should have had a sign "Luncheon for our 3-star and above Mariners" or something like that, the number depending on the passenger makeup.

I loved QE2! The current Cunard queens are following nicely in her wake, so to speak. The waiters still walk out in a sort of parade, with their teapots, and make their way through the Queens Room. And the goodies are served generously from trays. Ohhh, now I'm in the mood for a fresh scone!!!

I think the loungers are picked up and put out by deck hands, not room stewards. They clear the deck to wash it down. I doubt HAL would say you can't have them. I love to sit on my balcony at night and listen to the sea. I would be unhappy not to have somewhere to sit. I hadn't thought about that aspect of a lanai.

Sorry to be pedantic, but it isn't "high tea." It's afternoon tea. High tea is more of a meal and usually contains hot food, not just little sandwiches. It isn't fancier than afternoon tea, it's more to eat. I was disappointed in the Dutch Tea on Zaandam last month. It seemed to be their usual afternoon tea offerings. A woman at the table had lived in the Netherlands and she didn't see anything particularly "Dutch" about it. I know the tea stands are pretty, but they put out two of them on a table for 6. Even if it's three couples (and more often, there are a few solos), it's awkward sharing when each stand has no extras. Three different sandwiches on the bottom, two scones and something else in the middle, and three small sweets on the top. A table for six should have three of the stands. I know you can ask for more, but it's hard to flag down a waiter to do that.

They don't print any more. But there usually are some sample photos you can look at to get an idea of what the poses are like.

It's a lot of years since I sailed on ACL, but I remember that most descriptions--from the cabin to the food--were overstated. The website showed a menu with three choices at every course, but we always had just two. I remember one starter that was a "mozzarella Napoleon." What arrived was layers of mozzarella and tomato. No pastry! In what universe is THAT a Napoleon?? The only thing they had in common was that they were in layers. Why not just call it what it was, Caprese salad? I was very impressed with the food on AQV--quality, taste, and presentation. Sad to see them gone.

I was on Zaandam last month and had only dispensers. I was not in a Neptune Suite. I always take my own bath gel and shampoo as I don't like HAL's brand. Have a wonderful cruise, Kathi!

The current bag (not the coveted CO one), at least on Zaandam last month, is canvas with a HAL 150 design. It seems a bit smaller than previous bags, but it's pretty. I think I got the plastic one last winter, and I do use it for shopping.

Right. The big question is can you play the "CO game" twice on the same booking.

Me too. I rarely go to the MDR for lunch. The Lido is easy enough if I go early. On my last cruise, I never had trouble getting a table out by the pool--Lido pool, I rarely venture "out back." But on embarkation day, I like the quiet of the MDR after the hustle and bustle of port traffic, queues at security (I always get behind the guy who forgets about the change in his pocket), waiting to board. I'm on the ship, unpacking can wait, I just want to sit and have a nice lunch that doesn't involve standing in line.

Back when it was a Mariner perk, the only reason I knew it existed was because I learned about it here. HAL never made it known.

I used to like the embarkation lunch when it was the standard lunch menu. But on Zaandam in February, the embarkation day lunch menu was cut down to a few "express" items, none of which appealed to me. So I braved the Lido. Fortunately, I had boarded early and had no trouble getting my lunch and even a drink by the pool.

Cunard's photographers vary in imagination. Some just want to put people in the "prom pose," and only know how to pose couples. One woman on QM2 had me pose in ways that made me feel like I had an invisible partner. In all the pictures, I was off-center, like someone was missing. The good news is that if you don't like one photographer's approach, go to another spot and try with a different person. I have found that some photogs are happy to work with you. One of my favorite pictures is from New Year's Eve on QM2. They were doing photos on the curved staircase. DH couldn't stand well and I had a raging cold, but I wanted a picture of us in our best formal wear. I posed us sitting on the stairs and I still have that one framed in the living room. We look elegant and a bit world-weary, like seasoned travelers. I may be unusual in this, but I don't feel comfortable having a formal picture done all alone. I feel like what am I doing here, what's the point of this picture? (It's probably because I'm an avid photographer and I like a picture to have a story behind it.) One thing I like to do as a solo is have a prop. I go to the bar and get a glass of fizz and ask the bartender to put some grenadine in it for color. Then I can hold the glass like I'm at a cocktail party or making a toast. Another photo op that hasn't been mentioned is excursions. Sometimes a photographer goes along and takes pictures on an excursion. In Norway, a ship's photographer came on a northern lights chase. He took some stock shots and also offered to take pictures of passengers. I bought one because it shows me with the lights in the background. It isn't a great picture of me, as I look stiff, standing still for a 4-second exposure. But it's a great "I was here!" shot.

There needs to be some leeway for brief times away from the chair. Bathroom, quick run to the Lido to get a snack to take back to the chair, etc. It's hard to know if someone is in the pool, so that can get tricky. Maybe every hour, someone walks along the loungers and for those that have been "claimed," roll everything up in the towel and leave it. Next hour, any towel rolls still there get removed. Chairs whose occupants have returned will still have their chairs but the hogs will not.

I love aft cabins, and it would take something special to get me to move from one.

I have purchased an upsell in the past, not involving CO. I think I did it twice, both times because I decided I did want a better cabin, not because of any HAL offer. They were happy to take my money and I did not have to rebook. But if there's a price drop change, I agree with @terrydtx, they're likely to want you to cancel and rebook. I think HAL (and other lines, too) does this to discourage people from calling and wanting to refare for less.

Watching final payment date is a good strategy for finding a better cabin, getting sold-out excursions, and picking up a good reservation time in a specialty restaurant.