alex_drew

Definitely call.  Husband doesn't even drink the sodas...only the bottled water that comes with the Refreshment pkg (when we are lucky it is on sale!) and I get the Deluxe Drink Pkg. The reps are very accommodating.  Just make sure you double-check as soon as you get your e-mail showing the sale because once they reversed it and he was showing the drink pkg and I was showing the Refreshment pkg, so I had to call back, cancel and re-book everything...

My husband worked for the airlines for 30 years.  He always says that if someone wants to get into your bag they will, but we use zip ties so that the bags don't accidentally come open when they are being handled by the airport or cruise staff.  I have witnessed bags coming open once on an airport tarmac and a couple of times when luggage was being transported to/from a couple of cruise ships.  It is not pretty to see someone's personal items strewn on the ground.  We don't ever carry anything of value in our suitcases, so zip ties work well for us.

ES does have a breakfast buffet, with made-to-order omelettes, along with the usual scrambled eggs, bacon, and sausage if you don't want to wait for the made-to-order eggs.  Also lots of pastries and fruit.  Loved their coffee.  No one asked for coupons for drinks, either, when we were there.  Agree that the munchie offerings are nothing you can make a meal out of...popcorn, salsa and chips, some veggies and dip.  Maybe we lucked out, but our room was very clean and everyone we met was friendly and helpful.  This was April 2019. 

Husband and I stayed there in April for the first time and would definitely go back.  Yes, it is a bit "tired", but still a lovely property in my view.  The afternoon cocktail hour is a nice perk, as well as the very nice breakfast which I think has something for everyone.  A very good value in my opinion.

When we arrived in NY on May 24th we (in PG) were supposed to debark at 8:50.  We were held in the lounge because of the long immigration lines.  After about 15 minutes they announced that US citizens could debark because that line was shorter (however when we got there it appeared to be just one long line). We got a porter who cut the que (I agree with Mickb that the line had to be at least 40 minutes, if not more!) and we waited about 10 minutes and then were on our way. It would be difficult to say at what time to arrange a car service.  We took a taxi but I think a lot of people were doing Uber.  Hope this little bit of info is helpful and enjoy your cruise!

ginak1112, I think you will be happy with both the Edge and your IV.  We were on the Transatlantic from FLL to Southampton, April 28-May 13 and I was very apprehensive having read the reviews here.  We absolutely loved the ship overall.  What was great about the IV was that on the TA, no matter the weather, you could put the window down a few inches and have lovely ocean sounds.  Our first port of call was Bermuda, and we had the window down with the balcony doors shut, and it was, in our view, a very nice balcony.  We found the chairs to be extremely comfortable.  There is a tray turned upside down on the table that is on your balcony, so you can use that separately on the sofa or on the bed, and, of course bring the little table "inside" as well.  We loved the extra space that the IV gave us in the room.  My only complaint would be that for 15 days there was very little hanging space in the closet, but actually most of the people that I spoke to on our cruise felt that the closet space was fine...haha, I guess I just bring more "stuff" than most!  Anyway,  just my thoughts.  We loved Edge.  We loved our IV.  Enjoy your cruise!

Joanne

Thank you all so much for this information; it is exactly what I needed.  We will have our tip (in pounds) in our hands when we arrive at the port, so will be able to tip the hard-working porter(s) before they disappear with our bags! 😊

I apologize in advance if this is a stupid question. We've cruised many times but always starting/ending in the US, so as this is our first time on Cunard and the first time embarking in Southampton, my question is: should we tip the baggage handlers at the port in US dollars or in pounds?  In the US we tip the baggage handlers when they take our bags at the port but in the US these baggage handlers are not affiliated with the cruiseline and I'm just not sure how that works in the UK.  I know that on board QM2 everything is charged in USD, so just want to make sure what is appropriate for the baggage handlers in Southampton, pounds or USD?  Thank you so much for your help with this; when I was trying to organize things  for this cruise earlier today I said to my husband "I'll just post on CC and they will let me know what is correct".  I am very grateful for the info/knowledge on CC!

13 hours ago, wpgcycler said:

For those who enjoy documentaries, I recently enjoyed this one about the food and beverage operation aboard an RC ship.

 

 

Thank you so much, wpgcycler, I LOVED watching this documentary!  Fascinating and informative, great video.

We took this Celebrity excursion a few years ago and they had the inflatable small boat that took people very close to the beach.  My husband doesn't swim, so that was a major concern for us and we were in maybe calf-high water getting out of the little inflatable boat.  We docked further up the beach from Soggy Dollar at a different bar but walked down  to Soggy Dollar for their signature "painkiller".  We had been on a private tour years before and spent the entire day at Soggy Dollar.  I loved that bar/place on the beach.  I often play the Soggy Dollar Webcam on cold, nasty winter days...makes me smile.

Joanne

We called into Le Havre on a mini cruise last year. Must admit we had been there before and not particularly impressed, but this time we found there was a "Tom's Port Guide" for Le Havre. We used that for a self guided walk around Le Havre and really enjoyed the day - I have put a link to his home page below, so you can click the 'port guides' tab at the top of the page and search for Le Havre, or wherever else you want. I keep the link saved in favorites.

 

https://www.tomsportguides.com/

Thank you so much! This will be very helpful.

Carlmm, we will be in Le Havre the day before disembarking in Southampton and rather than a long day (10 hour ship excursions), we are interested in exploring Le Havre for a few hours and then having time to pack. I had thought we would just get a local tour guide at the port, but now that I am reading about it on this board, I see that this is not done in France. So now I am very interested in the HOHO bus as a way of seeing the city. We will be on Celebrity so I imagine if Princess has shuttles into Le Havre, Celebrity must also offer those as well. Where would we find the HOHO bus and would you have an idea of how much that would cost? Thank you so much for any information.

Thank you so much, Newport Dave, John Bull and Markanddonna! I now have lots of information to work with and I very much appreciate your time to share your knowledge with me. Thank you again. :)

My husband and I will be doing our first TA next April (2019) arriving Southampton and then spending a few days in London. We are, ahem, a bit older and not at all familiar with either Southampton or London, so I thought we would just take a taxi into London, but maybe a car service would be better? Does anyone have any recommendations? And how much should I expect to pay for a taxi or car service? I really am not comfortable with a bus/train option (although I take public transportation all of the time at home, but then I've done it for years and know exactly where I'm going). Thank you in advance for any and all guidance.

You are correct, I just got a call this morning that showed it was from my local area code and prefix, I let it go to my voicemail, and they actually left a message stating I had recently inquired about applying for Social Security Benefits, and the woman's voice asked: 'Can you hear me ok?"

 

Two problems with above, another scam is having someone asking if you can hear them ok, you say "yes", they record that "yes", and off they go using your voice to defraud you.

 

Next problem, that woman's voice is the exact same voice last week that called me and told me my warranty on a car I owned 10 years ago (and no longer own), has expired, and I must purchase a new warranty now!

Well, I've always turned to Cruise Critic for valuable cruise info, but who knew that I would learn so much re scams. The first time I had one of the "can you hear me OK"? calls it went like this:

"Alex?" I said "yes" and then "Can you hear me OK?" I said "yes". So now they have me confirming my name and giving a "yes" answer on their recording. I hung up soon afterwards when it was a clear scam, but now I realize the possible implications of that call and that someone has me confirming my name and then saying yes on a recording. The second time I had a call from them, I recognized "the voice" and immediately started screaming into the phone "why are you calling me?! Don't call here again!" and hung up, but honestly, I did not realize that answering "yes" after the "can you hear me OK" would be something they could use. *sigh* Well, I will try not to lose sleep over this tonight and I thank you for this very valuable info.

I’ve been cruising for 25 years. Has there been a decrease in quality of food over the years? Yes. Has there been an overall decrease in service? Yes. Things have changed somewhat from 25 years ago, and not everything is “perfect” but cruising will always be my vacation of choice.

Do I enjoy going on vacation and staying at a nice hotel while exploring a new city? Yes, but then I have to go out for most meals and entertainment. It will be more expensive than cruising. Do I enjoy renting an ocean-front house for a week at the beach? Yes, but then I have to haul all of our linens, food and anything else that the rental may not have AND I have to cook!

Cruising is the most relaxing vacation ever! Maybe I’ve been lucky, but I can’t recall on any line that I’ve cruised (RCCL, Celebrity, HAL, Princess, Carnival) ever having a bad meal or ever having anything but pleasant staff. Yes, some waitstaff or room stewards are better than others, but honestly, I have never had an unpleasant experience with any staff on a ship; they tend to go out of their way to please. Love cruising! :)

Given RCI's unequal enforcement of the extension cord/power strip ban, I would call Special Needs, and request a ship's extension cord for medical use. Another option is a USB extension cable, which has a male USB on one end, and a female USB on the other. This would plug between the mask cord and the Kindle charger. Walmart has 10 foot ones for $4:

 

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Link-Depot-10-USB-Extension-Cable/15779601

 

or a 16 foot one for $7.

Thank you, that is perfect! I am so totally un-tech-savy when it comes to this kind of thing, and I didn't want to request a ship extension cord since my husband's condition is not serious (as those that have sleep apnea), just something that needs to be dealt with on a regular basis to keep it under control. I will order the USB extension cable. Thank you again for your kind assistance.

Chief, I would greatly appreciate advice from you for our upcoming (in 2 weeks) cruise. My husband uses (Dr. ordered) a heat mask for an eye condition. At home he plugs it into his computer usb port. For the upcoming cruise I was going to use the port on our Kindle charger, but the cord on the mask won't be long enough to reach the bed or sofa where he would be using the mask. I had intended to bring just a regular extension cord to plug into the ship outlet with the Kindle charger on the other end, but is there something else that you would recommend for this? I hope this makes sense. Thank you in advance.

Start drinking immediately to get the most of your package

Made me laugh. Yeah, I'm with you on that. :D

I'm always travelling solo, I just tend to go to the Windjammer to eat, however being solo it will be easier to meet others, and they will probably invite you to the MDR. (I don't really want to go there alone but with others it's fine).

I don't think you will have a problem heading to a bar alone.

And Cabin attendant still arrives twice a day, if you don't need it you could probably ask him to come every second day, or just leave the DND on your door to make sure he doesn't come :)

The only thing about that worries me about the DND sign and, hopefully, someone can tell me what the rules are now, but a few years ago (on deck 2) our steward just sat at the end of the hallway all day waiting for those people to come out of their cabins so he could make up their rooms. He had hoped to go ashore that day and, when I asked him about it, he said that he had to wait... I felt so badly for him and I think/hope this had changed now.

We go to the quietest bar we can find, get drinks and settle in at a table, breathe deeply and enjoy being on vacation. Then, I leave my husband there with his book/kindle and go to the spa to book any treatments that I may want during the week, as spa appointments fill up quickly. Then I go back to the bar, order another glass of wine and wait for the rooms to open at 1 pm. Then we drop our luggage in the room and THEN go to the Windjammer for lunch as most passengers have now vacated and there are plenty of tables and no lines for food. Works for us. :):)

I cannot sunbathe because of having Basel Cell Carcinoma, which is unfair in and of itself, because I was never a sun worshipper like all my friends! And when I do venture into the sea for a quick swim covered head to toe, I get a lot of stares as I waddle in wearing what I call a “Burkini”. But THIS post makes me feel better about my lot in life!! Thanks all! I can’t lounge by the pool. Check.

But you also cannot find chairs underneath the shaded area adjacent to the outdoor pool or inside the Solarium, because all of those loungers have been "hogged" as well! Those of us that need to stay out of the sun for melanoma or other issues are also trying to find chairs in the shaded areas near the pool or in the Solarium and are having the exact same issues with the hogs.

The ceiling and walls can also hold magnets, and it really does help a lot. We usually just use the ceiling because I find it a bit easier and more out of the way, personally. We use these http://amzn.to/2HoeLGT but there are lots of options. I got a 15 pack because we can be absent minded and sometimes accidentally leave one behind.

Thank you! I just clicked your link and instantly ordered. I had also read the CC article and thought they were a great idea, but the magnets that I already have are, as someone else mentioned, not very good, even though they say they can hold 10 lbs. I put less than a pound on the hook and it starts sliding. These look great! You should get a commission...

You've already tipped 18% on the drink package, why would you tip more and that much more per drink? Just curious.

OK. I am not good at math, but help me out here. Let’s just assume a drink is $9. Now, let’s assume my drink pkg was on sale for $45 per day. Let’s assume that I’m having only 5 drinks per day (Hahahaha). 18% would be a tip of $1.62 perdrink. Now, if I drink 10 drinks, it takes the price down to $4.50 per drink and my tip is down to 81 cents for the same drink... So, that is why I always tip $1 extra for my drinks with the drink pkg. It isn’t 18% for each drink...it is 18% on whatever you paid for the package.

Odd, Thor was on February 26th 2017 and July 13th

I'm not sure why that is odd; maybe they switch off when someone is on vacation? Delta, you were on both the March 27, 2017 and October 28, 2017 cruises as well. Wasn't it Captain Ante on both of those? Or am I just having a "senior" moment?