Mickb

Absolutely not acceptable. I hope you complained on board that the remedy did not work and also raised the matter with Cunard

MSC have just re routed the Poesia world cruise away from the Red Sea and round the Cape. Turns the itinerary upside down. I can’t believe that insurers would allow a large cruise ship to transit these waters in the present circumstances so suspect this may be the first of many world cruise itinerary changes.

Really interesting. There really isn’t a huge difference other than a bit more choice in the PG. Of course the a la carte menu widens the scope

I would endorse Keith’s advice. If time is not of the essence, disembark leisurely and transfer to the T5 Sofitel at LHR. It’s a nice hotel and you can walk directly onto the concourse for check in ( although BA 1st checkin is at the other end of the terminal, it’s only an extra 5 mins walk). There am any mid morning flights to the US so there is no pressure. The great thing is that if in the event of a hold up from Dover to LHR - quite likely - you will not be fretting that you are going to miss the plane.

The Hilton is quite good -

It may have something to do with HAL’s attempts to attract younger passengers due to the ageing demographic of their loyal clientele. IMO HAL is the only Carnival Brand that still does not seem to have a clear future before it. Princess has a niche, as do Cunard who espouse tradition and P& O who are transitioning into a large ship, fewer frills operation attracting a ‘new to cruising’ younger clientele but alienating many of their traditional past passengers. The Carnival European and Australian operations have a clear niche market. HAL cannot seem to make up its mind what it is.

What man excellent informative blog! BA seem to have upped their game a bit in Club! Let’s hope HAL lives up to expectations! Look forward to the rest of the trip. Bon Voyage!

Villa Vie Residences, an innovative new cruise line revealed in September 2023, has announced acquiring the Braemar from Fred Olsen Cruise Lines. The acquisition marks the beginning of a unique venture, transforming the Braemar into Villa Vie Odyssey, a residential cruise ship offering villa-style living on the high seas.

It’s a bit of a surprise that Ambassador beat FOCL ! Oceana, HAL and Disney are understandable as they operate modern ships with high numbers of balconies and multiple dining options. IMO the new management has a steep hill to climb with 2 functional but dated Ex HAL ships and Balmoral. Difficult to shake the money tree!

Good luck - I’ll start selecting ship and dates!😂😂😂😂😂

Maybe ask Cunard?

Precisely the reasons we sail with Cunard rather than aboard ‘Alton Towers of the Seas’ or similar!

As a grandparent with 2 toddler grandchildren, your toddler sounds amazing! All credit to you both and thank you for putting an entirely different complexion on a trip report! 👏👏👏👏👏

Ditto -

Certainly you could a couple of years ago just post covid but it may have changed now.

I think passenger demographics post covid also enter in to it. We have sailed on Rotterdam and Amsterdam when they were in the HAL fleet and they are nice, if elderly ships that really don’t offer what an ever more demanding younger market want. Think Iona, MSC, Royal Caribbean etc. Those sort of ships are an anathema to me personally, however I realise that with only a maybe three/ four years before insurance costs price out cruising as a holiday for my wife and I, we are not Fred’s long term target market. The question is - who is? As previous posters have pointed out, the reinvented SAGA are mopping up the better off ‘grey’ market and Ambassador are fulfilling a role at the budget end. That leaves the middle market’ still very price sensitive but with ever increasing expectations in terms of balcony cabins, dining etc. I cannot see Fred’s survival in the long term without a huge capital injection on top of huge losses.

Coming into the Princess Grill a year after our first crossing to be greeted - ‘Good Evening Mr & Mrs Mickb - how nice to have you back’. - probably only a good customer recognition programme - but we felt that we were walking on air - & all our preferences were remembered. Never happened on any other ship!

We have crossed twice in PG and believe it was worth every penny. The service and food were exceptional and nothing was too much trouble. The PG rooms on QM2 are much nicer than the QV/QM but they have a better location for the restaurant. If you do it , I’m sure you won’t regret it!

What wise words!

Thank you Victoria 2 for your very comprehensive review. Like you, QV is far our favourite Cunarder and it sounds as if she is better than ever. If a ship had a soul……..We have had to postpone our cruise booked for this autumn due to illness and have transferred to QA for next year. Feel very disloyal but we couldn’t find a QV cruise that suited when we wanted to go. Glad you had such a good time

Zuiderdam was in Torbay today. Torbay was the safe harbour for several months many HAL ships during the COVID layup. It was lovely to see a HAL liner back in the bay today on a lovely early summer day. She departed about 6pm with 4 long blasts on the horn.

Suggest you read the thread entitled as below. Not sure I would book Westerdam.

Thank you Pete and Judy for another really entertaining world cruise blog. It must take you a lot of effort to keep it up in the detail that you do but it really feels as though we were there with you. You are always positive, even during strong headwinds, and you make the absolute most of all the opportunities that life has brought you. Thank you!

We have sailed in 10042 which is a very nice comfortable cabin. The PG restaurant on QM2 is an attractive room albeit without the views of the QV/QE. staff will be really attentive and will very quickly get to know your preferences. Make the most of the table side flambée cooking and if there is something you particularly want - ask the Maitre D, as previously said they are very flexible. the Grills lounge is a nice if slightly soulless venue for pre dinner drinks. Usually the chart room has a really mellow jazz trio who are delightful to listen to after a 1st class dinner. I am sure this will be a very special experience for you - enjoy it!

We use the Ocean Village multi-storey.