SeaCBear

Thank you! We did enjoy the crossing, but - and I know I'm probably in the minority here - I did not like the QM2 as much as the Queen Victoria. I preferred the Queen Victoria as a ship, and also found the food and entertainment were better on our Baltic Cruise. But , we had a wonderful time on the QM2, and really enjoyed the lecturers - Ken Walsh (White House correspondent), Rick ? (former Concorde captain), and the gentleman who is an expert on cruise lines. Sorry, I'm terrible at remembering names. For us, the lectures were a real highlight.

Great photos, thank you very much for sharing them.

Just one question, did you enjoy the crossing ?

I should add that we ate in Tuscan Grille twice, and enjoyed it. I know it's had some negative reviews lately, but on the Reflection, it was very good.

Thanks!

I enjoyed the salads from the AquaSpa cafe a few times - always fresh and tasty.

But I don't think I had a favourite meal. I often had fish, and it was usually good. Creme brulee was always good. I enjoy putting together a nice salad at lunch, at the buffet, and even though I prefer Celebrity I think Princess does a much better job with their salad bars - at least on the new ships. They have so much more selection and variety.

We really enjoyed the coffees and teas at Cafe al Bacio, and the treats - especially the lemon and chocolate tarts. Yum.

But we certainly never went hungry and enjoyed most of our meals.

Wow! Beautiful pix and videos.++ Many thanks for posting. Looks like it was a very good trip. What was one of your favorite meals or snacks on the ship? By any chance did you try the AquaSpa cafe?

Hi everyone, I've finally uploaded my photos from our QM2 crossing last May.

You can view the photos here.

If I can answer any questions, I'll do my best!

Hi everyone - I have finally uploaded a photo album of photos from our New Year's Celebrity Reflection Caribbean cruise. Our ports were Cozumel (we spent the day at the Nacicocum Beach Club), Falmouth Jamaica (we just walked around the port), Grand Cayman (Royal Palms Beach Club) and Labadee.

If there are any questions, I'm happy to help if I can!

Photo Album

Perfect! Thanks so much Crewsweeper! :)

DW says, RG Salon in the Plaza or Spa& Nail Fever on Miami Ave. The latter is more n frills and cash only,she thinks. But you can usually get in quick without an appointment way in advance.

Hello everyone - Happy Boxing Day!

Can anyone recommend a nail salon in Brickell, Miami? We will be staying there one night before our cruise (at the Homewood Suites by Hilton Miami Downtown/Brickell).

Thanks!

Qsine on Celebrity Silhouette by Harrogate, on Flickr

Qsine on Celebrity Silhouette by Harrogate, on Flickr

We - my husband, adult son and I - really enjoy Qsine, and I do have some photos. On our Transatlantic cruise last year, I think we went three times (in 16 days) but they did keep offering us great discounts.

The staff are very good at guiding you on how much, and what to order.

It's not gourmet food, but it's tasty, and fun.

https://c6.staticflickr.com/8/7754/17690429853_e382af0ff4.jpg' alt='17690429853_e382af0ff4.jpg'>Qsine on Celebrity Silhouette by Harrogate, on Flickr[/img]

Qsine on Celebrity Silhouette by Harrogate, on Flickr

Qsine on Celebrity Silhouette by Harrogate, on Flickr

Qsine on Celebrity Silhouette by Harrogate, on Flickr

Qsine on Celebrity Silhouette by Harrogate, on Flickr

Thanks so much cjskids - these all sound like great suggestions for us! :) But, I don't think the Batch Gastropub is in our building. The Homewood Suites Brickell is apparently at 1750 SW 1st Ave?

There are plenty of places that you can walk to.

 

Right at the bottom of your building is Batch GastroPub.

 

For Italian you have Toscana Divino (one of my favorites), Perricones or Vapiano which is on Brickell Ave. They make the pasta fresh daily at Vapianos and I love the food there. Piola is another Italian place and right around the corner of the hotel.

A new pizza place just opened Visa-01 and I've gone twice in the last week. Very good.

 

Coyo Taco is near you and very fresh and good.

 

Fado's at Mary Brickell village is a pub and the food is actually good there. Don't eat at

Well, he'll eat pork, beef or chicken IF it's simply grilled with no sauces, and he will eat plain white rice. Again, no sauces, just plain. I didn't see anything that boring on the menu for Havana 1957. And no, he wouldn't eat black beans. He's ridiculously fussy. :(

Thanks for the tips re Batch Gastropub and American Social - I'll check them out!

Your son doesn't eat pork, chicken, black beans or rice? Actually, Havana 1957 would not be great for you and your husband because Cuban food is traditionally cooked with lard.

 

Periconne's is pretty popular. I also like Batch Gastropub and American Social.

We will be staying at the Homewood Suites by Hilton in Brickell, and would love any suggestions for restaurants we could walk to from there.

We - my husband I - love all types of food (although we are vegetarians), but our son, who is 24, is not very adventurous with his diet. So, Havana 1957 looks great for us, but not for our son.

Are there any pub, bistro, Italian, or American restaurants in that area that you would recommend?

Thanks!

I'll take your advice and will make a reservation.

There are two ships in Cozumel that day, and even it's not sunny, we would still go. Hopefully it won't be pouring rain. :)

Hi everyone - we're hoping to visit Nachi Cocum in early January, and will get the All Inclusive package.

I know we can make a reservation on their site, but do we actually need one?

I'm just thinking that if we wake up that morning to a cool or wet day, we may decide not to go.

Thanks for any help!

Wow - that is SO cool! Thank you so much for sharing this. :)

Thank you so much pepperrn - wonderful photos! I don't think we've ever left a ship without exploring every area that's open to passengers - it's part of the fun for us.

Hi SeaCBear,

 

I've been part of a couple of small groups (and one large) on a (unofficial) tour of QM2, usually after "boarding day" lunch and before Lifeboat Drill.

The tour took in most of Decks 2, 3 & 7, and parts of Decks 6, 8, 9, 11, 12 & 13, and lasted about 1 1/2 - 2 hours.

If you follow the link below, you'll find photos taken during the route we took (which, other than the Grand Lobby, tries hard not to visit anywhere more than once)(there is a "slideshow" feature).

Many passengers in the past have spent a week on board and didn't see all of QM2.

Some typically miss the quiet corners, the Observation Deck, the outside scenic elevators, the Bridge Viewing Gallery, and a couple of other places.

 

Good luck with your tour before lunch, hope the above helps :) .

There are a few 'obstructed' view cabins on deck 8 that do have some openview, notably 8013 and 8014. We've booked one for our upcoming crossing, and I think we'll be happy with it.

Oh, so it doesn't sound like the full top to bottom, bow to stern tour I was hoping for.

When on a new ship, we usually explore every deck thoroughly, shortly after boarding and before lunch - it's a great time to take photos with no, or few people. So I think we will probably just do our own self-guided tour.

We've done four galley tours now, on very large ships (Celebrity Eclipse), very small (the Ocean Princess), and very tiny (Viking river cruise), so I think we'll probably pass on that option.

Thanks everyone!

Great - thanks very much LankyLad and bluemarble.

Hi everyone, I was just reading Cunard's 101 Things to do on an Atlantic Crossing, and noticed #7:

Can anyone tell me more about this? Do you need to sign up? Is there a fee?

Thanks!

I agree! Thanks.

Out of curiosity I checked the fare from London to Southampton and this site quoted £51 which works out to approximately Can.$100. Cunard's transfer fare is a comparative bargain.

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What is the cost, approximately, for the Cunard transfer from Victoria Station to Southampton?

Thanks!

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Hi there - not sure if it's the same room, but we stayed for two weeks last May in a Family Room on the Silhouette. Is your cabin at the bow (front) of the ship, with windows facing forward and to the side? If that's the same room, I can tell you that we absolutely loved it. We loved having all that space, and views in two directions. We would book that cabin again in a heartbeat.

We just got off the Eclipse this morning. We did dine at Tuscan, as have done on the Reflection, Silhouette and Solstice. Our meal this time was very underwhelming and disappointing. The portions were small (and we are not big eaters), and nothing special. We just don't feel that Tuscan is worth the upcharge now - even though we did get a 30% discount. The antipasti is now free again, but you need to order it. We were told that two weeks ago they started charging for the antipasti, but there were many complaints, so now it's free again. :confused:

A few days later the staff seemed very anxious for our honest feedback about the Tuscan when we booked Qsine for another night. They seem to recognize there are 'issues' with the Tuscan, at least on the Eclipse (although we were also disappointed with the Tuscan on the Silhouette in May, compared to our previous dining experiences). We overheard others on this cruise who did not seem to be happy with their dinners at Tuscan, including one couple who demanded, and were given, their money back.

And yes, there are now two additional steak options on the menu for which there is a charge.

I should add that we have no complaints about the service we received in the Tuscan.

We will be back on the Eclipse in April, but we do not plan to visit Tuscan. We did enjoy our meal last night at Qsine, and will return on our next cruise.

Hi everyone - We're interested in booking Larry's Limo from the Port of Miami to FLL. They gave me a quote of $102, for three adults in a private (not shared) car. But before booking online, I noticed in the fine print that there is also a $15 charge for parking at the port. I don't think I've seen that mentioned before, so I just wanted to ask here if other's have also been charged this added fee when picked up from the port?

The extra $15 would bring the total to $117, which is quite a bit more than a taxi would be. I know it would be a nicer ride (and we've had some crazy drives with Miami taxi drivers) but would it be THAT much nicer?

Any thoughts or opinions would be appreciated. Thanks!