jimmybean

now we're making progress! I think you've started a theme there that could evolve quite entertainingly.

 

J

; )

It is amazing how quickly weight in a suitcase can add up : )

Should a true Cunarder have the capacity to both down Pol Acker to the last dribble and then complain endlessly about being giving it FOR FREE?

I have no issues with people smoking where the policy allows. Then we can avoid the area if we wish.

If the guidelines are clear and adhered to then smoking is not an issue.

 

We choose to cruise with certain lines knowing the rules will be acceptable to us as non smokers.

I agree about rules being important… Cornerstone of civilization! I am all about following rules!

But, the ships weren't built with smoking restrictions in mind, so the rules may be difficult to follow on some ships and for some smokers. I think that could be an underlying reality.

Do I wish smokers could or would just stop smoking? If only it were that simple. It's not.

Smoking may not be my choice, but it is a legal activity and many very nice people do smoke. I don't want them to impinge upon my desire to live smoke-free, but I wouldn't want them excluded from the opportunity of traveling by ship.

Having greater restrictions on smoking--as noted in this thread--are new rules. That also makes it difficult for smokers who have enjoyed ship travel in the past, when smoking was handled in a different way.

I'm not saying I'm not in favor of these new rules. I'm saying I have sympathy for smokers who are now asked to adhere to them, because ships were not physically designed with smoking restrictions in mind. Had ship designers known there would be smoking restrictions coming, there could have been features which could have helped make both non-smokers and smokers completely satisfied and comfortable.

From a health standpoint, the world benefits from less smoking. AmTrak allows no smoking, anywhere, on its trains. Smokers get two puffs at quick station stops, then back on the train. Many hotels no longer offer any "smoking rooms." Stance on smoking has taken a dramatic turn.

None of that means (to me) that smokers shouldn't have rights and be treated with respect and understanding (on ships and elsewhere).

I'm not implying that you disagree jomf. Your post just started me thinking about rules and how new rules may take a period of adaptation.

You state very well that clarity of smoking rules is beneficial for everyone.

Jimmybean, I'm sorry that we didn't meet. I had meant to seek you out during the M&G and got sidetracked and forgot. I hope you had a wonderful voyage. :)

DH and I didn't make the M&G last week… A disappointment for me. All in all though, we did have a wonderful time as I'm sure you did. Great crossing!

Will look for you and Tom with delight the next time we are all on the same ship---which I hope won't be too far in the future.

Smoking onboard any ship is certainly a difficult subject.

DH and my sympathies extent to both sides of the dilemma.

We have close family who does smoke and won't/can't cruise because of the restrictions (which would make their lives uncomfortable). We (as long-ago x-smokers) don't like exposure ourselves (which would make us very uncomfortable).

Ships are confided spaces, needing to use every square inch (often) for many purposes. There aren't as many options for problem-solving on a ship as there is on dry land.

Ships we sail today were not designed to deal with smoking vs non-smoking issues. Most were built when smoking was allowed in more places and haven't been altered to accommodate changes to smoking policies.

My heart goes out to everyone who has issues with smoking as well as issues with smoking restrictions!

Well, first I believe you have to apply and, mind, there will be an application fee. ...Then, there is the rigorous screen process. Then, don't you have to be dubbed something by someone?

Naw, there is a kennel onboard and even the dogs can be Cunarders after a single crossing.

It isn't a club. It's a state of mind. It doesn't take so very much money. Something like 22 % of the staterooms on theQM2 are inside cabins.

It's probably an addict more than anything else. More than one personality type is susceptible. There is no 12-step program, although there can be a lot of dancing steps along the way.

Yes, there is a secret handshake, which you can only learn onboard in the Commadore…

Or, is it a new marketing term that we noticed on our last brochure?

Fine and accurate summary, Keith. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

You did say "September 9" at the beginning of your review, which was of course a tiny mistake.

Happy future sailing!

Thanks for sharing this article, Ray66… I would have missed it without your thoughtfulness..

I wonder how the crossing "back" is going… Lots of Cunarders going in that direction, too, I assume… Happy Voyage to whomever is currently onboard the QM2!

Well said jimmybean.

Thank you, jz…

And, then, of course there are Captain Wells' eyebrows : ) : ) : )

While onboard, you put $300 down for a future cruise with your credit card. If you book a cruise within a period of (I believe) three years, the $300 is applied to your first payment and you get cruise credits varying according to the length of cruise you book. A seven day cruise gets you $100…

If you don't book a cruise, the $300 will be returned to you.

When you and your spouse each put down $300, the cruise credit will be twice the amount.

If you are a veteran of the military, it is worth another $100 cruise credit (depending on the voyage booked---all sailings on Cunard don't seem to award credit for veterans service, although some do).

I think this is the same system used on Princess.

So I'm curious, why all the love for Captain Wells?

In my opinion, Captain Wells has a great personality that readily comes across during the noon report. He's confident, but not cocky. He exudes interest and enthusiasm. He is just just a pleasure, both over the loud-speaker and out and about on the ship.

We have sailed with him on a 7 day crossing (QM2) and a 36 day segment (QE). On both occasions, he got our attention in a very positive way.

Chris Wells is an asset for the Cunard line. Originally from Poole, England. A long career in the cruise industry… Formerly, I understand, a captain on Princess.

Why do I know these things? Because he "got my attention." I can name, at least, three other Cunard captains I know nothing about and who have not garnered my interest in any way… That is the difference...

Sail with him and you, too, will feel the "love" : )

In the past, I have googled specific ports and found names of ships with arrival and departure times posted on the port's website---not years in advance, but a few months.

Unfortunately, these are not necessarily written in stone (things can change).

I've also emailed port personal to ask about dock location and have always received a correct reply (allowing enough time for the answer--sometimes takes a few weeks). I've found email addresses on the port's website.

Good luck finding the information you are seeking and have a great voyage!

We also have had no problem boarding early in Brooklyn. Last time we sailed on an eastward crossing was in August 2012. At that point, the situation was as you have described.

Have a great crossing!

Priority passengers---grills people as well as those with diamond and platinum status--board first. Depending on the port and number of priority passengers, this can take a while---could be as much as an hour---or could be a much shorter period of time.

If you arrive "early," you won't be treated any differently than passengers assigned slightly earlier times. You just won't board before the queue of priority passengers has cleared.

Comfort during a wait varies port to port. Some places have a good amount of seating. Some places you wait mostly standing in a queue.

Duh!!!! Of course : ) Thanks for explaining.

So, Capt. Chris Wells will be in charge for part of the time you will be onboard.

He is our favorite (current) captain! Captain Personality! In comparison, we find Capt. Oprey very reserved, although certainly no less capable.

It will be interesting for you to listen to the noon report and hear the differences in their communication styles.

Happy Sailing!

Hi Pepper---Sorry I didn't get meet you on the ship last week. Maybe, we passed anonymously on the stairway? Great crossing, hey? Hope to meet you on another Cunard sailing.

As for the original questions on this post, I don't think Cunard wants to hide any secret advantages on the ship. Staff wants passengers to have a great time and will try in any reasonable way to make that happen.

Enjoy the ship--which won't be difficult or take much effort!

Did I miss something? The link referenced by Capnpugwash only lists QM2 captains until April 2014 from what I could see. ???

We only received the half-bottle portion on our first crossing. On all subsequent Cunard voyages, we have been given a full-size bottle.

To my knowledge, Cunard has never forced any passenger to drink it. This always seems a matter of personal choice.

I enjoy every free alcoholic beverage offered on the ship, except "champagne" offered at the art auctions. I would rather stay sober forever (or even attend the scarf tying seminar) before I would attend one of those.

….Does anyone know if the champagne they advertise is actually something else??? More of Pol Acker?

They asked him for the platinum membership number. It also shows on the confirmation. It is definitely applied.

Well, then my guess was incorrect and I consider your situation very good news.

Maybe, Cunard (or Carnival) is making some positive changes.

I applaud the idea that there be status recognition for cruises within the Carnival family of cruise lines.

Ooops! Not all the same day… : ) 3rdGenCunarder

Well, (truth be told) we have been know to lunch in the MDR and THEN (after skipping dessert there) go up to the King's Court for some of their hot dessert with ice cream (a weakness of DH).

I want you to know that (shock!) there was no weight gain from either eastbound 13 days on Celebrity Equinox or westbound 7 days on theQM2 this year…

Must that been the diet of wine and tapas and wine and escargot and wine and fois gras in-between : )

And, the pain aux raison….

Or, it was the vow of stairs on both ships?

You are correct. There was some adjustment of the time(s) lunch venues were open.

Personally, we never felt that was an inconvenience.

We have lunch in the MDR as well as in King's Court (and sometimes The Golden Lion).

Never had any trouble with service or feeling satiated after a midday meal with time changes handle this way.

Most importantly, we were able to sleep a full eight hours with time change at noon.

I've never heard of Cunard accepting "status" from sister companies (also owned by Carnival) nor awarding benefits for status on any other line.

Anyone else had personal experience regarding this?

My guess is that you lucked into a special offering which was applicable to your sailing.

I would be very interested if anyone has a different opinion.

In any case: enjoy and bon voyage (when the time comes). Happy Anniversary!

It WAS a great crossing : )

Time passed very quickly.

Excellent speakers.

Had a delightful encounter with Stephen Payne in the bookstore… Didn't recognize him (I'm just bad at remembering faces) when he engaged me in conversation (about a Cunard poster I was purchasing), then asked if I had been on the QM2 before. I said "yes" and told him the total number of days and that it was my favorite ship. Then, I (politely) asked if HE had been on the ship before as well. …He said that he (as a matter of fact) designed the Queen Mary 2.

I was too tongue tied to change gears and thank him properly. The QM2 has comfortably and safely taken DH and me to places I never dreamt I would go. How do you thank someone for such a gift? Literally, the QM2 changed my life.

Belatedly: thank you for designing such a great ship, Stephen. Thank you for your interesting and well-presented lectures and for being such a friendly gentleman!

Also, had a chance encounter with Maureen Ryan while wine tasting. What a great lady! Missed her lecture (not on purpose--it was a busy crossing for us), but found her as charming, interesting and well-spoken as I had read others describe her on CC.

Also, had a nice chat with Lynn Truss while she signed my book and corrected the punctuation of the little piece I asked her to write in it. Hers was very hilarious presentation and she was so very personable during a one-to-one exchange. What a privilege to have spoken with her!

Another highlight for me was meeting Andrew Vogts---a 13 year-old violinist, completing the last stage of a full-world-cruise with his mom, Annette. What a talented young man! He was a passenger, but his performance was equal to (or better) than paid performers aboard the ship. (Very polite young man---wild hair and great shoes! Maybe, you saw him in the King's Court? His is a career to watch).

One meets the most interesting people on the QM2---a reason we have enjoyed each and every day we have spent aboard her.

It was a great birthday party, Mary!

Our experience on Cunard ships is that later dining (in general) is very popular with British guests and earlier (in general) is more popular with Americans. So, the specific population---what nationalities-- of your voyage will have an influence with what will be the most sought after dining time…

I have noticed that dining room staff tries to be very accommodating with requests for changes. We were on the QE for 36 days in 2013 and talked to a number of guests who had their time assignment changed while on the ship.

Make your wishes known and feel confident every effort will be made to keep you happy.

I thought the dining room staff on the QE was great!

The QE is a great ship and you will have a wonderful time sailing on her. We sure did!