jimmybean

Both DH and I have found the daytime lectures on Cunard ships to be a highlight of ocean travel. We have experienced Insight programs that include varied subject matter, interesting to ladies and gentlemen alike. Princess offers nothing to compare. But, during a port-intensive cruise, would this be of consequence?

Princess does have better desserts : ) and less harried staff (at least in non-Grill accommodations).

Shipmates vary with cruise destinations. We have found congenial tablemates on both Cunard and Princess ships.

We wouldn't hesitate to sail with either cruise line, but would always chose the QM2 above any other ship (when possible).

Enjoy your future voyages on both Princess and Cunard.

We always self-disembark and I'm pretty sure the self-disembarkers need to be off the ship before the organized-disembarkation begins, which (if I remember correctly) is about 8:30

Once you are onboard, the purser's desk can tell you the exact time(s), but I'm pretty sure self-disembarkation is between 7 and 8 a.m. I do not believe self-disembarkation would be an option as late as 9 o'clock.

They give you something (a card, I believe) to hand-off in the self-disembarkation queue---so do stop at the purser's desk to get this, sometime during the voyage.

The terminal in Brooklyn has both an escalator option and a couple large elevators, so there should be no difficulties managing your luggage.

Have a great voyage!

Thank you for the excellent postings and for sharing your experiences, Cruise NH and Bigmike911.

The timetable just isn't something predictable to the minute, when arriving in Brooklyn. I agree with suggestions that you get up and go a little earlier than the time that was announced.

Go to the top deck (not just your balcony or the promenade deck).

It really is memorable!

One of the nice things about an eastward crossing is that departure time IS much more predictable. Experiencing the whoosh under the bridge takes a bit more effort when going westward, but it is worth seeing : )

Views of NYC at dawn also take my breath away! Lovely!

Happy Sailing!

We think the daytime lectures are a highlight on any Cunard ship, but particularly so during a crossing. Look up the speakers in advance.

We are less interested in the evening entertainment, but have enjoyed some stellar performances. The fitness center has good equipment. Game tables are set with board games, alongside windows with fabulous views of the ocean.

Many activities for all ages. Time passes pleasantly.

Also lovely locations on the ship to sit and just enjoy the ship (sometimes involving a nice drink as well). A wonderful setting!

We have had pleasant conversations and interactions with people staying in all forms of accommodations. Not a particularly "snobby" crowd, in my opinion.

I think you and your family would have a marvelous time! A civilized way to travel (in my opinion) for those fortunate enough to have the time.

Happy Sailing to you and your family!

There was priority boarding in Los Angeles in 2013 (Pearls of the Pacific, I think the voyage was called).

Since there were far more people who were in the priority category, they all stood in a long, slow-moving queue, while non-priority folks comfortably sat, waiting for their turn.

After the priority people boarded, the non-priorities came aboard with very little time in a queue.

Travel can be an adventure, with some things (like how one is treated as a "priority") not always predictable.

We have been seated in both locations and have no complaints about either.

Nothing better than pleasant mealtimes with pleasant tablemates in a relaxed atmosphere--either on a crossing or longer voyage.

Upper or lower? Really makes little difference to me.

Congenial company is what I remember from all our Cunard travel and that isn't more likely to occur on one level more than the other.

Happy Sailing everyone!

I will be taking my first Cunard cruise on the QM2 in September. I am wondering: are there dinners with the Captain on the QM2 or other Cunard ships? Have any of you ever been invited to dine with him?

 

Vanessa

DH and I typically dine during the first seating. My understanding is that the Captain has a later bedtime than we do and dines at the second seating. We have had a variety of other interesting dinner companions, but alas never the Captain….

Have a great first Cunard cruise!

My husband and I are thinking about doing two crossings with ten days between to travel England. We'd love to be able to store our formal clothes for those ten days while we're traveling. Has anyone done this before? Is there storage somewhere at the Southampton dock or can Cunard help us make arrangements with this? :confused:

DH and I used this service in 2012 (when we had 10 days in England in-between crossings) and it was very convenient and very easy.

As old fool explained, you need a special colored tag (from the purser's desk) and Cunard does the rest.

The only snags were worries caused by staff, who either did not know about it (our steward) or gave us the wrong information at the purser's desk (the first clerk with whom DH spoke thought this was the White Star service, which of course it isn't).

You are wise to ask questions on CC. Shipboard staff isn't (unfortunately) always aware of this service and how it "works."

Have a lovely, lovely time !!!

Dear Jimsgirl,

Wishing you a speedy recovery and the eventual resolution of frustrating insurance issues...

Also… Don't rule out another voyage! Who knows? Time is a great healer, after a stroke.

Your postings and wisdom (and candor) are always such a delight. Please continue to share what you know and what you think in this venue.

Jimmybean

"What exactly is one supposed to wear to bed".

 

A smile :) .

 

 

 

As always, Pepper has the perfect answer to a tough and tricky question!

 

Bon Voyage, kelly3399 !!!! Pack that smile and wear it with pride !!!!

Pepper,

Have a great voyage and, please, post photos when you are back home. :)

Bon Voyage!

Jimmybean

I have been wondering whether you enjoyed your voyage, ItalianGuest, and was so pleased to find your posting! Thank you for reporting your experience on cruise critic. I wish you many, many, many more pleasant and successful voyages!

Jimmybean

Personally, I wouldn't bother going to a country that has such ludicrous restrictions. It is one of the reasons that both Cunard and P&O, for example, include world cruises, amongst many others extended cruises, that don't go into USA territory. A high proportion of potential customers are restricted from travelling!

 

There are hundreds of thousands of Brits with criminal convictions, many for incredibly minor offences that were committed many years ago. Why those people would want to subject themselves to scrutiny and judgement from US officials is entirely a matter for them. Many, the vast majority I would strongly suspect, choose not to or some simply ignore the rules and actually get away with it most of the time.

 

As we believe that both my wife and myself would, almost certainly, require a visa to visit the USA, despite me doing that several times prior to their bonkers policy being introduced & also having never been arrested or held in custody, we have chosen to avoid the place like the plague! It is far too much hassle & expense to bother with.

 

There are plenty of interesting places to visit without kow-towing and ingratiating yourself to the whim of bureaucrats & perpetuating such a jaundiced and unjust process. To those with convictions or arrests who want to visit a country that treats potential paying guests that way and categorises a token fine over 25 years ago for a moving vehicle or petty public order offence alongside major crimes like murder, rape, drug trafficking & fraud etc - well, good luck to you. I already know 2 people who were refused a visa, one had a drink/driving conviction 20+ years ago (fine & driving ban, no imprisonment), the other was for an unconditional discharge for unlawful picketing during the miners' strike in the 80's! Both are retired, ex professional people, one having aspired to become a local councillor & served as a Magistrate!

 

I wouldn't want to set foot in the place nor waste my time, effort or money trying to obtain a visa in order to go to the USA. Sod 'em, I'll go somewhere else where common sense, justice, reasonableness and fairness prevail.

 

By the way, it us unlawful for the Uk Gov't or Police authorities to provide the USA with criminal record data unless it is on the prescribed list of activities that are monitored by Interpol. So, there is no way that US authorities should have any information on UK citizens who have not committed a major crime and/or are suspected of major criminal activity. How much confidence do you have in that? I would have none at all, wouldn't trust either Gov't to uphold that for one minute - so it isn't worth the risk if you really want to go there. Grovel for the visa & hope you get lucky.

I feel a need to respond to this posting. I found it (as an American) hurtful and insulting.

We, on this board, are strangers whose communication is generated by common interests and a desire to be helpful to one another.

We come from different countries and different cultures. Historically, our countries have had differences.

I, for one, don't agree with all of my country's politics and policies. I am not a "my country right or worse" person, but it is my country.

Our spouses may be fat, or bald, or have crooked teeth, or warts---all visible--but not any reason for a complete stranger to make disparaging remarks calling attention to such flaws. We know our spouses flaws. In a similar fashion, we know our country's flaws. Similarly, there is nothing to be gained from a stranger pointing them out--except hurt feelings.

Not surprisingly, there are "mean things" I---or anyone else--could point out about the author's homeland. None of our countries are politically or socially perfect. But, I see many reasons to avoid exchanges of insults.

One of the things I have enjoyed and admired about CC boards is how sensitively cultural clashes have been discussed. We, who travel together and who communicate through the CC medium, come from different countries. We may see flaws in others' countries, but it is not typical to read anything insulting posted about someone else's country. …Maybe, there is another board for this purpose, but (in my opinion) cruise critic is not the place.

The author of this posting appears to be a man of principle. There are ways to stand up for principles without being hurtful to others. I do NOT believe his vehemence was intended to be hurtful. I just want to comment that--to me---it was.

Jimmybean

Port charges are fees charged to the ship by individual ports and passed on to passengers. If the fees charged change the fees section of the cruise fare is amended. On my Panama Canal transit the taxes and fees actually went down before sailing, but Cunard imposed a fuel surcharge in the meantime so the total fare ended up increasing by $28.

Can't win for losing : ( Underwatr!

Of course, it is reassuring "adjustments" are not more substantial amounts.

In theory, there isn't any "cap" on additional charges, but if substantial, there would be very unhappy customers.

Interesting to learn others' experiences. Thank you for sharing, soontoretire and underwater!

Have a wonderful, relaxing voyage, k9golden!

Adding my reassurance: have witnesses a good number of beverages brought onboard Cunard ships--- in different ports on different voyages-- and never seen any Cunard staff make an issue because of it.

Enjoy your balcony!

Jimmybean

I suspect it is pretty much standard practice to include wording such as you are seeing in cruise line passage contracts. Here is an excerpt from Cunard's U.S. passage contract.

 

Taxes, Fees & Port Expenses are subject to change and Carrier reserves the right to collect any increases in effect at the time of sailing even if the fare has already been paid in full.

 

With regard to Princess in particular, this happened to us on a Panama Canal cruise with Princess back in 2008. About three weeks after the final payment date, we were billed an additional $2.20 for increased port charges. I did not inquire about the particulars of which port had increased its port charges.

 

Regards,

John.

Since we have never been "hit" with additional port charges, we weren't sure if this was a policy change or just our neglect to read all of the small print… Thank you, John, for clearing it up… It is not a change in policy, just something that doesn't come into play often…. and, from your experience (a trivial amount added) nothing to worry about…

Which doesn't explain juicy juju's $315 pp port charges…. Juicy juju, have you considered calling Cunard and asking why port charges are so high on the particular voyage you are interested in booking? Please post their explanation, if you do call them. I would be very interested in what they say. Best of luck!

The lectures (insight programs) are held in Illuminations (one of the two theaters). This is the same theater where the planetarium programs are shown. Also, they have cinema in Illuminations on some evenings (first run movies).

There are no tickets required for the insight lectures. Just come in and find a seat.

You DO need tickets for the planetarium shows. You get the tickets (FREE of charge) on deck 2 forward---at a desk near the computer room.

The Daily Program---the ship's "newspaper" will be delivered to your cabin each evening, so you can find out the activities and entertainments, in advance, and plan what you will want to do the next day.

I hope you have a wonderful voyage, Debinnova. Lots to do! But, also great to just relax. Happy Sailing!

Hi Marym1,

I feel badly that you have not received responses to your query. I see by your number of posts that you are fairly new to cruise critic and wish for you to feel welcome.

Are you also new to the experience of sailing on cruise ships? Disembarkation is a lengthy process, involving many, many. many people. It takes hours.

Passengers are assigned time for their disembarkation according to things like location on ship (which deck) and loyalty status (people with more status get to disembark first). Also, I believe Grills accommodations disembark earlier...

I also think passengers can ask at the purser's desk for a particular time for disembarkation because of the timing of travel connections (like an departure time of an airplane).

Also, passengers may self-disembark, if they are able to manage all their own baggage (out of the stateroom, out the ship and out of the terminal). These people leave first---usually between 7 and 8 a.m. (or earlier). I don't think this would suit your purposes….

So, it is difficult, I think, to give advice, since little is know about factors which would affect the time for disembarkation you will be assigned.

Maybe, with more information, someone more knowledgeable will be able to answer your question. DH and I typically self-disembark and know little about the matter or assigned times.

I hope this helps.

Again, welcome to Cruise Critic.

May your voyage be smooth and pleasant!

Jimmybean

I'm not sure if my comment is in the same vein as posting by juicy juju, but….

We recently received an advertisement from Princess, which said (in fine print) that additional port charges COULD be added, if there was an increase in the port charges, even AFTER final payment had been made…

DH didn't know if this was a change from the way it was previously stated or if he never read the fine print as closely before.

We wondered if Cunard was now also taking this approach. ???

I would think port charges would have been agreed upon when a cruise ship books a berth… So, I am confused as to why there would be possibility of an increase (AFTER final payment has been made)…

DH stresses that Princess' wording was COULD, not would…

Anyone else out there reading the fine print?

Thank you for your detailed posting! It should be very helpful to passengers new to Cunard. Lots of useful information and sound insights.

I agree that an interactive link from TV to one's account would make so much sense.

On our first crossing ('07) this WAS available. The next time we were on the QM2 in '09, it had been removed.

DH speculated that Cunard didn't want people keeping close track of spending, which might deter continued purchases. ????

We learned last spring that Celebrity offers this feature--which was handy.

Thank you again for your posting!

If you bring your bottle of Pol Acker to Kings Court, you must dress in the appropriate attire: consult the Bomb Squad for protective gear.

 

If you want to have it served chilled, in individual glasses, there might be an added service charge due the need of enhanced security. I think that's called a corkage fee.:eek:

Thank you! Finally, a dress code response that was helpful and which I could understand and will follow! Cheers!

My memory of 28 and 36 day segments (of World Cruises) includes a change of performers at various ports. Off with the old and on with the new. Performers and insight speakers disembarked and flew "home."

Menus didn't seem to repeat in their entirety, but certain main courses were served more than once. The one that I remember (because it was so odd) was beans served on a baked potato… Honest!

I remember "Rock the Opera" from our first crossing in '07. The costumes were fabulous! (Singing and dancing were good, too)

Welcome to Cruise Critic, Taz-1,

Have a wonderful voyage !!!!

The Insights Program has always been a highlight of our crossings on the QM2. There is usually a variety of speakers, most of whom we have found to be very interesting.

There are the speakers listed for the Sept 27 voyage

M421

27th September - 4th October

Colin McDowell

Fashion Expert

Cpt. William Wells

Maritime Historian

Sue Cameron

US Journalist and Celebrity Reporter

Capt. Tim Orchard

Aviation

Sue Bowler

Royal Astronomical Society

The crossing before yours doesn't have speakers listed https://ask.cunard.com/help/cunard/life-on-board/Speakers

PS We have had lovely weather crossing in Sept.

Happy Sailing!