ClipperinSFO

We have done several winter crossing (they are the best!) and interestingly, once you are away from land on either side, its quite reasonable -- 50's and 40's - but with a stiff constant breeze. You need to be more worried about New York and Southampton where there are more likely to be more "realistic" December temperatures. Still each crossing is different however. My advice it is to pack layers, scarf and gloves and get ready for some gorgeous seas and skies.

Thanks for the encouraging insights @alc13. What was the split of guest nationalities if you can remember?

We too are regular TA Cunard passengers, experimenting next year with a QE 10 day cruise around Japan. No idea what to expect in terms of dress code, food, vibe and fellow passengers. I am assuming (hoping) there will be some nods to local culture and cuisine. I have heard good things about the enrichment talks that focus on the ports and history of Japan - so eager for that high quality aspect of Cunard to be translated to a Japanese cruise.

Here's a recent picture of one of RCI's Anthem of the Seas "docked" in Geiranger Fjord. It's no wonder the Norwegians are moving to zero emission ships in the Fjords -- hopefully this trend will spread.

When you're on a back-to-back! 🙂

Fwiw -- I like getting off the ship around 8-ish. The vibe on the ship changes so dramatically on the day of arriva that it's really hard not to feel like a guest that has overstayed his welcome at a great party. Also getting off QM2 is somewhat painful, so I just like to rip the band-aid (plaster) off quickly, and early and get back to my non-QM2 life. I hung around onboard once until around 10am waiting for a limo pick-up, and it felt weird and uncomfortable.

I have called an Uber on a couple of occasions to pick me up at the Brooklyn terminal with no issue at all. One time we also had Cunard transfer booked, but DH took it to EWR for his flight, and I needed a separate ride for my flight home ex JFK. We are a mixed marriage in terms of airlines, but thankfuly united in terms of cruise lines. 🙂

Thanks for all the pictures -- it's gratifying to see my favorite Lady getting a much needed "spa day" as it were.

Air Tags are also super helpful.

We also disembarked from Elation on the 21st in JAX and used the Hub App to grab for our debark time. It was very slick -- and disembarkation like embarkation (we had a late slot for that as well) was really painless vs other ports and cruise lines. There was that weird glitch when it first became available where all the debark time slots offered seemed to be in PM, vs. AM and they had to cancel everyone and start over. Otherwise it was great. Overall, I thought the Hub App and the Wifi in general was wonderful. First time on Carnival and it was one of the more impressive aspects of the trip.

My point in my post relating it to "United breaks Guitars" is that it's a potential PR black eye for Cunard. You turned your baggage over to them and did not get it back.

Cunard should take a lesson from United Airlines. Remember the "United Breaks Guitars" incident back in 2008 when they brutalized a musician's checked guitar on the ramp, while he watched in horror from the plane? I am sure Cunard doesn't want a song written called "Cunard Sinks Luggage" or something to that effect.

We also struggle a bit with their itineraries, as we prefer more sea days than their typical cruise offers. That said, the Norway cruise was excellent, and all the 6 port stops during the 9 day cruise were very well chosen and operated and weren't too much of a distraction from enjoying the ship itself.

Hi everyone, below is the link to my review of our recent Europa 2 Norway cruise (somehow it got tagged to the Baltic). Happy reading. https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=706210&et_cid=3718426&et

Hi everyone, below is the link to my review of our recent Europa 2 Norway cruise (somehow it got tagged tot he Baltic). I will also post it over on Luxury Cruise. Happy reading. https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=706210&et_cid=3718426&et

Thanks Jeff -- this is an excellent piece of advice, and I am not sure why it didn't occur to me to do this. We needlessly overpaid on this last cruise. There are lots of options these days for paying in foreign currencies, so this coaching is very helpful.

I second what Cathaana says about Hapag-Lloyd Europe 2. We are just off a Norway cruise with them and had an excellent experience in every respect. I would also suggest you check out Cunard's Grill suite cabins as they have bathtubs. More importantly for us, Cunard has really outstanding enrichment lectures. Their three (soon to be four) ships are all in the 2100 - 2700 passenger range.

We just got back from Europe 2 through Norway and loved it. I just submitted a detailed review and will post a link once approved. It was a great experience in every respect.

@frogfish12 Gary Bembridge is just back from his trip on Hapag-Lloyd’s Hanseatic Inspiration, and did a live chat today (at 1800 BST) largely covering his experience. You can go to YouTube and watch it, and gain some insights into what it would be like. As always, full of great insights. As an Fyi, he does cover other cruise related topics.

Thanks so much @Host Jazzbeau, very much appreciate your asking. The answers make sense, of course, and it is also a bit like chicken and egg. I don’t get the sense that Hapag-Lloyd is very serious about focusing on English language guests and POS, despite their two “international ships”. From what I can tell so far, as a non-German, you really have to seek them out and want to travel on them.

I realize Hapag-Lloyd is small and specialized, but think it deserves a dedicated chat board here on Cruise Critic. During my attempt to research my upcoming cruise on HLC’s Europa 2, it was really hard finding any information at all from English speakers, and once I did it was buried deeply as one thread under “Other Cruise Lines”. Ponant (small and French language oriented) and Ritz Carlton (just once small ship at this point) both have their own boards. Hapag-Lloyd although is and small (5 ships) and German-language oriented, two of their ships are “international” (for non-German speaking guesrts) and no-doubt generate enough English speaking followers to warrant a separate, easy-to-find board. To whom should I address myself to remedy this?

I second this — I have also been following Gary Bembridge’s posts during his current trip. He is a non-German speaking Anglophone so his review will be especially pertinent and give you a good feel for the ship and the over HL cruise experience from an English-speaker’s perspective.

@frogfish12 We leave in 2 weeks for the Europa 2 Norway trip, and are all booked for our shore excursions. There were multiple English language options in each port, and I was happy with the selection. Neither of us speaks German fluently, beyond a few rudimentary phrases, so we will be depending on the English skills of the crew. As for the food, I am especially looking forward to the cuisine aboard, both in the main dining room and the buffet. The speciality restaurants on E2 also look very very tempting indeed. I am a big fan of German breakfasts so am greatly looking forward to what’s on offer each morning. Full report upon in return in mid-September!

Thanks Jim -- we are hoping there will be some nod to Hapag Lloyd's history on board, although likely it won't be on the Cunard level. I recall seeing a large stylish caricature of (I think) Albert Ballin in one of the lounges of Europa 2, but not many hints beyond that. We are also booked on QA for her first transatlantic in Jan 2025, ironically from Hamburg. Something about Germany keeps pulling us in...

We are booked one a 9 day Norwegian cruise in early September 2023 on Europa 2 out of Bergen. While we have no previous comparison to HL and E2 cruises, will provide a report upon return. We are normally Cunard guys, sailing back and forth across the Atlantic, so the ship size and cruise aspect will be a relatively new one for us. We booked Hapag Lloyd based on the historic lineage of the line, and the fact that the ships are highly regarded.