ilv4cruising

Wow. That is great (and funny 🙂 )

Very nice

Thanks. Since we have never been to Brooklyn we were wondering how safe it is. Also, we plan on getting in 2 days before the crossing so we will have 1 free day. Any suggestions on what to do (subway isn't an option for my husband though). Thanks,

Thank you for your responses. You just confirmed my thinking as well. I'll continue to book direct 🙂 .

We have been to Manhattan before so not that critical to us. Brooklyn might be an interesting option to explore. Other than the Nu Hotel do you have other recommendations for me to check out? Thanks,

Hi All, We will be going on our first QM2 voyage RT from New York City. I started doing research on hotels in NYC. I decided to ask our rep with Cunard what they had to offer in the way of hotel stays. We are looking to stay 2 nights pre and post voyage. I was quite shocked at the prices for a 2 night stay so I decided to look at the cost booking directly with the hotel. In one example if I book directly with the hotel (and apply the senior discount 🙂 ) I can save $842 usd for 2 nights. Other than the price for Cunard including transfers is there any other benefit that I haven't been told (our rep says no). I just want to confirm I'm not missing something and booking with the hotel is the way to go :). Thanks in advance

I was about to post the same question. The difference between P2P and D2D for the cruise we are looking at (also our first Silversea cruise) is only $1,050. I haven't phoned to find out the cost for Business Class yet (which based on the distance we would be flying, would be a must). One additional question I have is can you fly in a few days before to spend extra time before boarding?

Thanks. We are excited to try it.

I did manage to get Club Orange :). That info is very helpful. Normally we are happy with the MDR but our one time on the Koningsdam we weren't impressed, although that might have changed since this was a number of years ago and pre-pandemic. I think this is a great solution for our trip, especially since we have a lot of sea days.

That sounds great. We are on the Koningsdam in April next year. I just added CO to our reservation. We are excited to try it.

Hi, Yes I should have mentioned our cruise is on the Koningsdam. For me "prime" time would probably be 7:00pm. We have done open seating only twice on all of our cruises (only because our friends that were with us insisted 🙂 ) and based on that experience that seems when everyone would go to dinner. The one and only time we were on the Koningsdam wasn't the best experience even for fixed dining, seemed noisy and chaotic (although this was in the 1st year of when the ship was launched). Based on your comments I think I'll see what the cost would be for our trip and see if it is available. Thanks for the feedback.

Hi all, I'm finding all of the CO posts very helpful. However, I have a question. We have never added this to our cruise but our thinking about it for our cruise next year. However, we would only be adding it for the dining room benefits. For many reasons we prefer fixed seating. My question about Club Orange is it open seating with a different table, servers etc. each night or can you request the same table? Also, if open seating if you go at "prime" times is there a wait? Thanks in advance.

Wow. That is close. Thank you so much for those details. Very helpful. All the best for your future travels 🙂

Hi folks, I actually have a followup question about staying at the Springhill Suites Downtown. I see a lot of comments about being able to walk to the pier for our cruise. Unfortunately my husband has chronic back pain and some nerve impairment in his leg. How far a walk is it and is it difficult terrain? If his back isn't up to it on the day (some days are better than others 🙂 ) will a taxi be possible or will they not bother because of how close it is? Thanks in advance

Thank you everyone for the great suggestions. I've booked the SpringHill Suites Bayfront (at least for now) as it offered the best rate. I'll keep an eye on the rate for the Marriott Coronado and the Embassy Suites in case the prices improve (fairly high for both right now). Thanks again for your help.

That looks amazing but it is a bit pricey since we are staying for 3 nights. Will keep am eye on it in case the price drops. Thanks for mentioning it.

Wonderful. Thanks

Ah yes. I should have been more specific. It is the SpringHill Suites Downtown/Bayfront that I was looking at. Does your earlier comment still apply (hope so 🙂 )

I was getting concerned about Springhill Suites as there have been some reviews saying it was dated and one reported bugs in the bed. Reviews were from April this year so was worried. I'm glad to hear some positive reviews. Also, I'm curious on why the Residence Inn is more expensive (since my understanding it is part of the same building). What makes it worth the extra money? Is it that much nicer? Thanks,

Hi there, We will be in San Diego next April, pre cruise and I'm starting to look at hotels 🙂 . We will be staying for 3 nights and I'm currently looking at SpringHill Suites and Wyndham Bayside. Prices are about the same but the SpringHill includes breakfast. We are looking for a hotel that is close to a few restaurants, very clean and comfortable beds and room with a coffee maker. We will probably take taxis/uber/lyft for getting to attractions so that isn't a concern. I wouldn't mind getting feedback on which hotel might be better. I've seen some suggestions on this forum already but I wouldn't mind some recent reviews. Also, if you have a different suggestion that would also be appreciated. Thanks,

Thanks. This helped 🙂

Hi there, I'm having trouble finding the cabin sizes for the Aft cabins on the Koningsdam. I'm currently trying to decide between 5219 and 6214 (only 2 left available). Does anyone have the cabin and verandah sizes for these? Thanks,

The issue we found with the Thermal Pool was it had seats and not really "beds" so I think people treated it more like a regular hot tub to socialize in. I agree with you about the way they designed the K'dam and placement of the thermal beds. I actually made that comment to them and said I hope it won't like this on your future ships (we were on the K'dam shortly after it launched). We haven't been on some of the more recent ships so can't comment. The K'dam was the only time we experienced this "chatter". All of our other experiences have been great.

Hi there, I don't see an answer to your question so I will give you some of my tips that have worked for me in the past. If possible I try to get a place on the rods at one end. That way I use one had to grasp the rail to stop me from floating away :). I also will take a towel in with me and role it up behind my neck. I've worked in the computer industry for over 40 years so sometimes my neck hurts. This helps a lot. If I can't get a spot on the end once I lie down I'll take one had a sort of grasp the bar near my bottom to help me from moving around to much. Since the Hydro Pool has minerals in it you aren't supposed to stay in longer than 20 minutes so I find this tips will help be relax and enjoy for about 15 minutes. I then go over to the middle and enjoy the stronger jets and the strong shower spray against my neck. Then I head for the heated beds :). I've traveled with others who have bought these passes and since you can go as often as you need it is a great value. I will admit though we did not like them on the Koningsdam. I'm not sure if it was the passengers on our cruise but folks were treating the Thermal Pool as a "hot tub" (lots of chatter, laughing etc) and even the thermal beds were being used like a social gathering. It was not relaxing at all. I hope this has improved (we haven't been on the Koningsdam in quite a while). I hope you find a way to enjoy the

I think it depends on the cruise. As an example, we just booked Koningsdam for Hawaii next April and I was told 5:30 for early and 8:00pm for late. You might want to contact HAL to ask about your specific cruise.