TheOldBear

2 minutes ago, lenquixote66 said:

Do you define a disembarkment as a stop ?We boarded a cruise in Alaska and disembarked in Canada.

Then you did not do a 'closed loop' round trip

1 hour ago, tomcherv said:

I used the search and didn't see my particular question (or one like it).

 

We're already planning on prepaying the tips before we board, but I want to also be able to tip extra to crew members.  My question would be the currency.

 

We're on Royal Caribbean Jewel of the Seas in July 2024.  Embarkation/Debarkation is in Amsterdam.  The cruise itself is to the arctic circle and the fjords of Norway.

 

What currency would be most welcomed by the ship crew?  USD, Euro, or Norwegian Krone?

 

Thanks,

If the ship's onboard currency is dollars, then dollars would likely be the most welcome.

1 hour ago, DarrenM said:

Sorry if I am misunderstanding here but are you saying you can he forced to do jury service and it may and probably will cost you money, or at least your vacation time?

Yes, it can happen

1 hour ago, DarrenM said:

 

How can that be?

 

How can doing your "civic duty" as some on here claim, actually put you out of pocket, or vacation time?

Some employers [but not all] will continue to pay salaried employees [for some time] while they are on jury duty. Others cannot afford to do so.

Hourly workers typically are limited in paid time off - ranging down to small business owners and independent contractors who have no paid time off.

1 hour ago, DarrenM said:

 

And surely most people have a career, and how will that remain if you are on a very long case?

In general, not well. That is one of the reasons folks will attempt to be excused from jury service.

1 hour ago, DarrenM said:

 

Apologies I have misunderstood here.

Back in 2017 QM2 was delayed leaving LeHavre by about 90 minutes waiting for the Ship's tour to return from Paris [mechanical breakdown]. The extra incentive to wait for the tour was that the next port was Brooklyn.

I like having a nice viewfinder - that would argue toward accepting the bulk of the G9 body [and getting the dual card slots and bigger battery]

2 hours ago, Mum2Mercury said:

- Yes, change into your swimwear in your cabin.  It's larger, more comfortable, and you have all your own things (and a mirror) nearby.  

- Wear a cover-up (if you're a lady) or a tee that matches your swim trunks (if you're a man) to the pool.  You will see people walking around the outdoor areas of the ship in this type of clothing -- even coming in and out of the buffet.  

- You may or may not have a robe in the cabin, but that's really not appropriate to wear "out and about".  

- You'll find bathrooms but not changing rooms near the pool.  Okay you could change in the toilet, but why would you?  

Some ships will have changing rooms by the pools [e.g. Cunard Queen Mary 2] but that appears to be uncommon [not a revenue producing space].

The Cunard voyage personalizer is at my.cunard.com

On the USA site, you login with name, birthdate & booking reference. [I think the UK site may have some sort of 'account' login as well]

On the US site, shore excursions can be booked online when they are offered [starting about 9 months before sailing date]

Some things can be ordered only via a phone call [wine or drinks packages; flowers and gifts]

Some others apparently can be ordered online [wifi package, spa, specialty dining] at varying dates before sailing.

Last week, Cunard had a 'Valentine's Day' sale - but I could not pre pay for spa service at the discounted price as it was too soon to take spa orders for October.

The terms and conditions for Cunard Care vary by state [and not available for NY residents].

See http://www.affinitytravelcert.com/docs/nwecpr01 for the details.

It does have the advantage [as far as I recall] that the premiums are not age related - an advantage for older travelers. 

Cunard has coffee makers in suites [Queens and Princess Grill] and kettles and instant coffee in the Britannia rooms.

UHT milk is included - but we order extra half & half with a room service breakfast, and put it in the refrigerator 

Back in 2022 the ship's tours bypassed the terminal both leaving and arriving.

Our tour was in the afternoon, and I decided to venture out in the morning.

Cunard provided a shuttle to Blankenburg - pickup was at the ship, but the drop off was at the terminal with the terminal shuttle to the ship.

The only data point I have is that QM2 missed both Alesund and Stravnger in November 2022 - weather forecast called for sleet both ports, so the ship diverted to Zeebruge  

I tried to book discounted spa services for our upcoming October sailing - and it was too early / not yet available

When I was last checking in (October 2022, Brooklyn) my printed 'boarding pass' acquired stickers and stamps. It is likely that paper documents would still be useful [or the check in folks will print a paper pass to hold the stickers].

I've been a USAA member since 1980 - but this is not available to NY residents

30 minutes ago, travelbuds said:

My wife and I have never been to Europe. Can we do this cruise (Southampton, Bruges and Norway) using only our credit cards, or do we need to convert US dollars into pounds, euros and kroners before we leave home? Buses, trains, tipping for excursions, restaurants, porters, taxi? Thanks.

Norway is almost completely cashless. I've bought a small amount [50] euros for a few trips [stops in Belgium, France, Germany ] but did not spend any [cash ended up as tips on the westbound crossing, or donated to the Prince's Trust].

For the UK, I've used credit cards for Uber and the Southampton 'Radio Taxi', pub and shop purchases. I did use cash for museum admission - but they were setup for cards as well. I did need to switch my Uber app from Discover to Visa - Discover is not commonly accepted.

It is important to setup the times / places you will be using the card with your card issuer - you may not want it frozen after a suspicious purchase in a Tromso coffee shop.

Cunard's Queen Mary 2 was purpose built for transatlantic crossings - and makes several each season. For 2025 the schedule shows eastbound sailings in March, May and June [and later in the year until the next world cruse].

QM2 voyage M515A is sold as a round trip from NY stopping at Southampton and Amsterdam - there may be a variant that disembarks near Amsterdam [often several segment choices are available - say the M515 eastbound crossing + M516 Rotterdam 'short break']

4 hours ago, Capt_BJ said:

https://www.miniatur-wunderland.de/

 

according to the web site open 365 days ..... I can say that when we visited, we planned to stay a couple of hours and had to PULL ourselves out after 4 ... and they have added since then.

QM2 is in Hamburg on 15 October - the wunderland is on my agenda.

1 hour ago, Cotswold Eagle said:

That's not what the previous poster said at all, as far as I can see. Taxis take credits cards, Uber needs a valid payment card (Discover is very uncommon in UK). Two separate issues, I think.  😀

 

I share you attitude to Uber, but they are gradually being forced to address the issues and in some areas are now effectively just a way of getting hold of a licensed taxi. 

Back in 2022 I did not have the 'radio' taxi app on my phone, and used Uber to summon a car. Mrs Bear is somewhat mobility challenged, and we elected to take taxi or uber instead of walking to or from the shuttle bus stop.

In addition to this forum, you may want to head over to the forums at dpreview.com - there are forums for beginner's questions, Fujifilm cameras and 'landscape & travel'. Some of the discussions there get into excessive detail - like comparing ships based on the padding under their stateroom carpets - but I try to be helpful.

The white 'radio' taxis took card payment in 2022

See https://radiotaxisonline.co.uk 

[quote]Card and contactless payment accepted in our vehicles at no extra charge![/quote] 

I needed to switch the Uber app to use a Visa card instead of Discover for Uber to work.

There are several 'always available' menu choices, as I recall from 2022 they included

chicken

sirloin steak

salmon

tomato soup [had this several times after reviewing other appetizer and soup offerings]

Caesar salad

I think one difference between the 'club' and the regular Britannia menus is the BC menu shows the 'always available' items

Perhaps it helps to be fairly local to Cunard's Brooklyn terminal, but we find taking a QM2 round trip crossing quite appealing. [and the ship itself is our major attraction]

We've done three so far [2017, 2019 & 2022] with our next one for this October.

My definition of a "round trip" means that I only unpack once as distinct from a multi segment trip with multiple embarkations, disembarkations, hotel rooms, air or land transfers...

A round rip is a lot less effort.

1 hour ago, D&N said:

June 2022 there was no sign of them attempting to open on both legs of the TA. I don't think we'd have been tempted to sit out there anyway even when it was sunny.

Unlike here in June where any meal Al Fresco is fine other than the rare occasion that it rains.

September 2017, on the last eastbound sea day, tables and umbrellas were out - but everything was re stowed as QM2 approached a squall line.

I brought 'Yak Trax' for my boots in November 2022 - but things then [late fall, not mid winter] were not icy

1 hour ago, Badatz2 said:

There is no "ferry across the river from South Street" to Brooklyn.  That ferry goes to Staten Island which is not where the OP wants to go.

The Manhattan side of the ferry is Pier 11, "Wall Street"

See https://www.ferry.nyc/routes-and-schedules/route/south-brooklyn/