bluemarble

One part of the survey I thought was odd was they kept asking this same question for each different itinerary they presented: "Assuming this cruise was available at an acceptable price with the following cruise companies which, if any, of these cruise brands would you consider booking with? Please select all that apply. Carnival Cruise Line Celebrity Cruises Costa Cruises Crystal Cruises Cunard Holland America Line MSC Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL) Princess Cruises Regent Seven Seas Royal Caribbean International (RCI) Seabourn Silversea Viking Ocean Cruises Virgin Voyages Another cruise brand Any of these brands None of these brands" This is after they already asked earlier in the survey "Which of the following have you EVER cruised with?" and "Which, if any, of the following would you NEVER consider taking a cruise with?" I kept repeating the same answer for each itinerary, reversing my answer to that earlier question "Which, if any, of the following would you NEVER consider taking a cruise with?". Does the list of cruise lines you would consider vary according to the itinerary?

Mrs. Bluemarble received the survey today. She was asked about a couple itineraries I didn't have in my survey. These look a lot like world cruise segments but they did ask what month she would be interested in taking these cruises with options for months that are not typical for world cruises. Perhaps they are suggestions for repositioning cruises. I thought the suggestion of Easter Island was particularly intriguing. 34 night one way trip between New York and Sydney visiting Aruba, Panama Canal transit, Manta, Lima, Valparaiso, Easter Island, Papeete, Auckland and Bay of Islands. Departing April-August 2025. 30 night one way trip between Dubai and Southampton visiting Safaga, Suez Canal transit, Port Said, Heraklion, Naples, Rome, Ajaccio, Marseilles, Barcelona, Malaga, Tangier, Lisbon, Belfast, Greenock and Liverpool. Departing May-October 2025.

There's one more 2023 Alaska itinerary change I don't think I've seen mentioned before. On the June 30, 2023 cruise the originally scheduled call at Glacier Bay on July 2nd is being replaced by a call to Tracy Arm Fjord instead.

There is a $35 charge for the water color painting kit. If you have your own kit you can bring with you, there is no charge for the classes themselves. Some of the exercise sessions sponsored by the Mareel spa incur an additional charge. There used to be floral arranging classes on QM2 for an extra charge (you got to keep your creations) as well as a very limited availability Behind the Scenes ship tour for an extra charge. Naturally Bingo sessions and anything involving the casino cost extra as do wine and cocktail tasting sessions. Champagne Afternoon Tea (and Godiva Chocolate Afternoon Tea on QM2) cost extra. And of course the alternative dining venues incur an additional charge. If you would like to reserve a theatre box on QV or QE for one of the production show evenings (with chocolates and champagne included), there is an additional charge for that. I've probably missed a few activities that cost extra but I hope I've managed to think of most of them. The vast majority of the activities listed in the daily programmes are at no extra cost.

I wouldn't count on a prompt reply from Cunard via email if you used the "Email Cunard" form on their website. They could surprise me and get right back to you tomorrow, but in general I've heard it can take weeks to get a reply that way. My understanding is that the Grills Suite Offer is automatically applied to grills suite bookings made in the US except for some deeply discounted promotions that specifically state they are not combinable with that offer. But please don't take my word for it. My suggestion is to contact Cunard Customer Service by phone tomorrow and see what they say.

If you do book a Grills Suite (either PG or QG) in the US, you should be entitled to the ongoing "Grills Suite Offer" for US bookings which includes a drinks package and pre-payment of the Hotel and Dining Service Charge (aka auto-gratuities). You would have to pay for internet on Cunard, even in the Grills. As far as help with further comparisons of the Cunard Grills experience to the Celebrity Retreat or similar offerings on other lines, I will have to defer to someone who has experience with any of those. I am strictly a "rower" who very happily sails in Britannia Sheltered Balcony cabins on QM2. And just to confirm, even lowly Britannia now offers the option of anytime dining. No need to book Britannia Club or higher for flexibility in dining times. The compromise is that you don't have a fixed table with the same servers each evening with anytime dining in Britannia. And you would want to reserve your preferred dining times for each evening once on board using "My Voyage".

I just noticed this on a Cunard FAQ for travel agents. The FAQ entry is dated 02 March 2023. "Following a review, Cunard will increase the Hotel and Dining Service Charge amount by $3.00 for all stateroom grades for the fleet from April 2023 From April 2023 the amounts will be as follows: Queens and Princess Grill Suites $16.50 per person per night Britannia Staterooms $14.50 per person per night"

I just received another of these Cunard surveys to gauge my interest in various aspects of vacations in general and cruising in particular. This time, I noticed only one combined question about dining and formality. "I'd enjoy the sense of occasion, when everyone dresses-up and sits down at the same time for dinner 1 - Strongly disagree 2 - Disagree 3 - Neither agree nor disagree 4 - Agree 5 - Agree strongly" A significant portion of the survey asked my opinion of a 7 night Alaska itinerary and several 7 night Caribbean itineraries. For Alaska, they also asked my opinion of Seattle and San Francisco as alternative departure ports to Vancouver (with San Francisco adding 3 nights and visiting one less port). One of the Caribbean itineraries presented was as a 7 night itinerary out of Fort Lauderdale. They also asked my opinion of Miami and Galveston as alternative departure ports (with Galveston adding 2 nights). Several other 7 night Caribbean itineraries they presented departed from Jamaica. They asked about San Juan as an alternative departure port (with no other changes to the itinerary) as well as alternative departures from Barbados, Antigua and Guadeloupe (extending the itinerary from 7 to 14 nights).

Once again we have conflicting FAQ entries. Here is another Cunard FAQ entry I've seen before which says something different. This has "if there is availability" qualifications which makes it hard to count on if you have to wait until you are on board to confirm availability. But we now have @esrs who has confirmed it has been possible in the past. "(Q) Is there the facility to store my luggage in New York or Southampton? (A) Yes, it is possible to arrange for your luggage to be stored in New York or Southampton. This is available for guests disembarking the ship in New York or Southampton who plan to return to New York or Southampton to embark the ship again within a few days. Please speak to the Pursers Office once you are on board who will be able to check availability for you. New York. If there is availability you will need to place your luggage outside your stateroom the night before disembarkation between 6.00pm and Midnight and attach your standard luggage labels. You will then need to collect your luggage from the baggage hall which is in the cruise terminal ashore, attach your second set of luggage labels to your luggage and drop your luggage off at the dedicated luggage Concierge Stand after going through Customs and Immigration. Southampton. If there is availability you will need to place your luggage outside your stateroom the night before disembarkation between 6.00pm and Midnight and attach the green luggage labels given with the information letter. The luggage will be automatically transferred to the storage facility. Please ensure you remove all essential belongings before placing the bags outside your stateroom. Cost. The cost to leave your luggage in New York is $195.00* per bag for up to 30 days and a further $30* per 30 days thereafter. This includes transport from/to the correct terminal, secure storage and insurance cover. The cost to leave your luggage in Southampton is $65.00* per bag for up to 30 days and a further $30* per 30 days thereafter. This includes transport from/to the correct terminal, secure storage and insurance cover. *Prices are subject to change. Please note there are no restrictions on the size or weight of your luggage."

Upon further review of the itinerary you have mentioned, I am not seeing Cunard offering your full 36-night itinerary as a single voyage. There is the 12-night Fremantle-Sydney voyage (5 Nov-17 Nov 2024) being offered as voyage Q432. Then there is the 24-night voyage Sydney-Sydney (17 Nov-11 Dec 2024) being offered as voyage Q433A. I am not seeing a single voyage being offered for 5 Nov-11 Dec 2024. There is also a more complicated alternative involving three segments. 12-night Fremantle-Sydney (5 Nov-17 Nov 2024), voyage Q432 10-night Sydney-Sydney (17 Nov-27 Nov 2024), voyage Q433 14-night Sydney-Sydney (27 Nov-11 Dec 2024), voyage Q434 Based on what I am seeing, the only alternative is to book your proposed itinerary as two (or three) separate bookings. Since you mentioned you are going to book when bookings open up next week, I would think there shouldn't be too much difficulty finding the same cabin available on each voyage (assuming you book the Cunard fare). You have mentioned "suite" which implies you are looking at Grill accommodations. Those tend to go faster than Britannia cabins. And the same cabin/suite can't be offered on different overlapping segments at the same time, so that might be an issue depending on what level of Grill accommodations you are looking for. Hope this helps some.

Let me attempt to expand on my earlier comments. It depends on how you book your back to back cruise as to whether you can be assured you will be in the same cabin for your entire cruise. If you book your cruise as one longer voyage on a single booking, then yes, you will be in the same cabin for the entire cruise. If you book your back to back cruise as two separate bookings at a Saver fare, which does not allow you to pick a specific cabin, then it is likely you won"t be in the same cabin for both segments. Cunard may assign any cabin in the grade of cabin you have booked (or higher) for each separate booking. It would be a coincidence if you ended up in the same cabin for both segments if you book a Saver fare. On the other hand, if you make two separate bookings at the higher Cunard fare, where you can select a specific cabin, and you are able to find a cabin that is available on both segments, and you have your separate bookings in that selected cabin marked "Do Not Upgrade", then you can be assured you will be in the same cabin for both segments.

Here is the pizza menu for the evening table service at QM2's Chef's Galley. This photo is from 2019 but I'm pretty sure it was the same menu when we ate there in November 2022. I think the selections offered by the slice at the pizza station during the day are mostly taken from this list although there might be some additional options at the pizza station.

There is no discount for booking back-to-back cruises that I am aware of. If you are considering a cruise where you have the option to book the cruise a one single voyage (e.g. a 14-night round-trip transatlantic crossing) or as two separate voyages (e.g. separate eastbound and westbound crossings), then it's a matter of pricing both alternatives to see which one works out the best. Yes, if you book the cruise as two separate bookings, you would get separate shareholder benefits for each booking. However, that doesn't necessarily work to your advantage. If you book two separate 7-night crossings, you would be entitled to $100 OBC for each booking (for a total of $200 OBC). However, if you booked a single 14-night voyage, you would be entitled to $250 OBC for that longer voyage. The shareholder benefit increases from $100 OBC for voyages of 7 to 13 nights to $250 OBC for voyages of 14 nights or longer. If you book the cruise as two separate bookings, then you will want to check cabin availability to see if the same cabin is available on both voyages. If you are able to book the same cabin for both voyages then you wouldn't have to change cabins between voyages. Otherwise, of course you would have to change cabins. It do you book two separate voyages and are able to obtain the same cabin for each, then you will want to make sure both bookings are marked "Do Not Upgrade". Otherwise Cunard might upgrade you on one of the voyages and then you would end up having to change cabins after all. Edit to add: This assumes you would be booking a fare that allows you to select a specific cabin. If you make two separate bookings on a fare that only offers guarantee cabin assignments, then there is no way of knowing what cabins you would end up with for each voyage and would most likely have to change cabins in that case.

Here is the image I have from that same Government of Western Australia Department of Transport Albany webcam showing a slightly better view of QE during her arrival at Albany on Saturday.

Here's a link to one of the shark attack news articles from August 16, 2022 I referred to earlier. https://www.perthnow.com.au/news/sharks/albany-shark-attack-hero-friend-conner-shirley-recounts-nightmare-swim-to-safety-c-7910831 Very good, @sfred. I was hoping you might revive that "not in New York" hint from previous references in this game.

Thanks to a lot of help from many of you, the Queen Mary 2 2023 Dress Code and Theme Schedule document is now complete! I could still use help to fill in these gaps for the other two ships. Queen Elizabeth Q322: 30 Jun - 7 Jul; Alaska Q325: 27 Jul - 7 Aug; Alaska Q327: 17 Aug - 20 Aug; Vancouver-San Francisco Q335: 3 Dec - 17 Dec; New Zealand Q336: 17 Dec - 22 Dec; Tasmania Q401: 22 Dec - 5 Jan; New Zealand Queen Victoria V320: 23 Jul - 6 Aug; Northern Europe and Scandinavia V331: 12 Nov - 24 Nov; Norway and Northern Lights V333: 6 Dec - 11 Dec; Rotterdam, Bruges, Le Havre V334: 11 Dec - 23 Dec; Atlantic Coast Adventure V401: 23 Dec - 7 Jan; Canary Islands Celebration If you are on any of these voyages, please let me know what you are seeing in the Day Calendar section of your booking in My Cunard. I just need to know which evenings are scheduled as Gala Evenings and what the themes (if any) will be on those evenings. Since we've started a third page for this thread, I'll repeat the links to the schedule documents here for easy access. QM2: QM2 2023 Dress Code and Theme Schedule QE: QE 2023 Dress Code and Theme Schedule QV: QV 2023 Dress Code and Theme Schedule

I see there are several news articles from this past August about a shark attack in the area if that helps.

That's a good one, @sfred. I will defer identifying it since I have that view in my webcam collection showing the same Queen arriving at that port earlier that morning.

Here is QM2 passing QV at Cairns as seen on CruiseMapper at 3:00pm March 5th local time. They were about 11 NM apart at this point.

I wish I could answer all your questions, but I must say I'm a bit puzzled by this itinerary as well. Yes, you have read it correctly. The specific timings I'm seeing listed on other sites indicate the scheduled arrival time in New York on 15 March 2025 is 12:00pm noon. So that's more like a 7-1/2 day crossing with 1/2 day in New York. The other 8-night crossings in 2025 are eastbound with conventional 8-night itineraries. Surely passengers will be able to disembark on 15 March to tour New York, so I don't see why you couldn't arrange to do your final disembarkation on the afternoon of 15 March if you wanted to. But of course Cunard and the port authorities will have the final say about that. I'm sure this has come up before when Cunard has had overnight itineraries calling at Manhattan, but as far as I know this will be a first for Cunard to have scheduled an overnight call at Brooklyn (assuming Red Hook will still be the terminal for QM2 in 2025; I have no reason to doubt that it will be).

Never mind! I completely missed that QV is headed to Cairns tomorrow morning (March 5). The two ships should pass each other while QV is docked in Cairns and QM2 is continuing on to Airlie Beach.

I estimate QM2 and QV will meet off the coast of Queensland between the community of Ayton at the mouth of the Bloomfield River and Cape Tribulation.

QM2's has done 8-night crossings on occasion in the past (not counting crossings with ports calls such as Le Havre or Halifax to account for the extra day). During 2015, Cunard added a few 8-night crossings to the schedule. For example, there was a 16-night round trip crossing New York-Southampton-New York on Aug 19-Sep 4, 2015. Cunard continued the experiment with a few 8-night QM2 crossings during 2016 but appeared to have settled on 7-night crossings after that. That is, until the 8-night crossings on QM2's schedule to start her 2023 and 2024 world voyages plus one more 8-night crossing scheduled during July 2024. Now, as you have noticed, @BrisbaneR, the first three (of four) crossings scheduled for QM2 in early 2025 are 8-night crossings. We may have to wait until the release of the remainder of the 2025 schedule later this year to see if this indicates a long-term trend toward more 8-night crossings for QM2. Regarding Queen Anne, the Vista-class ships Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth more often than not take 8 nights when they have crossings between Southampton and New York on their schedules. I expect that would be the case for the new Pinnacle-class ship Queen Anne as well. The crossing scheduled for Queen Anne in January 2025 to start her world voyage is an 8-night crossing with an overnight in New York to extend it to 9 nights.

The website that's being used on the QM2 World Voyage blog to show wave heights/sea state is "windy.com". There are various settings on that site to show other weather conditions as well such as sea temperature, air temperature, wind speed and direction, cloud cover, precipitation, etc.

The Cunard US website offers pre-voyage hotel options at these three New York hotels. NYC Hilton Midtown NYC Marriott Marquis The Knickerbocker