maina

We were upgraded on our first-ever "cruise" (crossing), transatlantic on QM 2, from oceanview to forward sheltered balcony. This happened a few weeks before the scheduled departure date. I've been checking on cabin availability for our upcoming trip (October 8th westbound transatlantic, 75 days from now, but who's counting). I see that there continue to be a lot of available cabins showing in better grades, as well as in the grade where we're currently booked. We're in deck 4 aft, sheltered balcony and would be perfectly happy with that. However, I'm curious as to whether having a lot of cabin availability this close to the sailing might be able to predict our likelihood of an upgrade? I gather from reading CC that the upgrade fairy works in mysterious ways, so there may be no answer or even guess. :D

The Intrepid museum is well worth a visit-good choice for a visit, and not just for the men in the family. We were in NY for a wedding last year and planned an extra couple of days to visit. I'm from NY originally, and have certainly seen a lot of the major attractions, but thought my husband would like the Intrepid museum. I was very pleasantly surprised to find that I really liked it as well. Cab to and from Red Hook terminal shouldn't take too long.

Much of the main part of Venice is accessible only by water (or on foot), so regular cab all the way is often not possible. Water taxi all the way from airport is expensive, even with 3 people sharing I would imagine. We (2 of us) took the bus to the transportation hub where the train station is, then vaporetto to our B&B. Vaporettos (water buses) are a great way to get around; you can buy a ticket for varying amounts of days and just validate as you get on. If you prefer not to tackle those upon arrival, it still might be worthwhile to take bus into the outskirts and do the water taxi for the shorter distance from there to your hotel. The Trip Advisor Venice forum has all kinds of useful information, probably more than is on cruise critic.

We have been going to Europe every year now for several years, so often have a few euros left from previous trip. However, we never bother going to the bank to get euros anymore as we've found that we never have a problem using ATMs at the airport when we arrive. We do almost all our purchases in cash and get largish amounts from ATMs on the days we know we'll be paying for big items, e.g., hotel. On one of our first trips we did use credit cards more, and the foreign transaction fees were awful. I know there are other cards with lower fees, but we really didn't want to get yet another credit card for overseas travel as we have enough already. We always use ATMs that are right at banks unless it's too difficult to find one.

If you are initially arriving somewhere in Europe where you are not sure about immediate availability of an ATM, it's of course wise to bring enough euros (e.g., from your bank) to get transportation to where you can get to an ATM. Here's a site VISA has where you can look up VISA ATM locations anywhere in the world. I just checked out Venice, and there are lots of machines. The site even shows them on a map. http://www.visa.com/atmlocator/index.jsp#%28page:home%29

Ann

Maybe mediamogul is a sociology, communications, or journalism student or researcher who's conducting an experiment to see how people respond. :D

I know there's a huge amount of research being conducted, both by business and academics, about online message boards and forums.

I think anybody booking the saver fare should NOT be allowed to change Cabin or Dining arrangements, if this was to be allowed what is the point of paying the full fare. A better solution would be cheaper fares when cruise dates are published and price increase nearer the sailing date, that way we would know what cabin , sitting and table number we would be going to.:confused:

That sounds altogether too reasonable so it's highly unlikely to be done. :D

Those fares and their associated benefits are very interesting to those of us who are not UK residents. So far as I know, people in the U.S. are not offered any of the complementary benefits available with the "Cunard fare." We have to pay for shuttle buses, hotel, parking, etc. We do, however, have the opportunity to select a particular stateroom, pay by credit card with no extra charge, and select Britannia dining option at the time of booking. I believe you can also request changes in stateroom (subject to availability of course) and changes in dining option after booking. We have to pay in full by 90 days from the trip.

I know Cunard fare differences between countries have been discussed elsewhere on CC, but I can't remember the various kinds of fares for UK residents. Pennbank says the US has "reasonable fares all round," and does not have "saver fares" vs. "Cunard fares." However, I'm not at all clear as to what the difference might be, for the same crossing, same cabin, for the sake of argument, between the US fare and those available to people in the UK. I would venture a guess that we in the US are paying more than the saver fare, and we do not have the option of trying to save money by going with this "lower tier" type of fare.

I surely can't understand why Cunard would have such different kinds of fare structures for residents of different countries, as well as varying regulations about refunds, credit card use, etc. I do recall a discussion about Australian fares, and some of the differences having to do with exchange rates. Does anyone know if there are differences in fare structures, refunds, etc., that might be due to the legal systems of the respective countries?:confused:

Being in the US where we don't have the "saver fares" I can't comment on the ins and outs of the requirements. I do suspect, however, that a person should be able to make a reasonable request for the sitting of their choice with the Maitre d' as soon as possible after boarding if the assigned seating is not their preference, for whatever reason. I don't really think Cunard is trying to "blackmail them into paying higher fares. To be able to eat in the Britannia Restaurant." There is nothing preventing anyone traveling with a saver fare from eating in Britannia, though if that person wants/needs a particular seating and does not get it, they might feel they must choose to eat elsewhere.

Moreover, withholding the service charge does nothing to punish Cunard, only the service employees who have nothing to do with Cunard policy, and who can't do anything about it. Threatening the Maitre d' with withholding the service charge is surely not the way to get his cooperation! If there's a medical reason for eating at a particular seating, I would hope that this could be mentioned when (nicely and politely) requesting a change in the seating assignment. As an old expression goes, "You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar."

I do really feel for all those who have to pay the single supplement. I'm not in your shoes, but we all could be some day. :(

Ann

Thanks very much. I think they seem to be pretty flexible about pricing, at least judging by my recent transaction. The "buy it now" price for the item I just purchased was $33.74. I put in $28 and got it instantly (so of course now I wish I'd put in less :D).

Ann

Has anyone purchased from LuLu collections on EBay? I just received confirmation on my bid for a dressy sleeveless top and jacket to go with a long black skirt I already have. It's this one, which I got it in medium. (But it's nice to know they have one in large in case medium doesn't fit.) http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Xscape-3-4-sleeves-formal-jacket-blouse-set-red-size-L-/271525795490

I got it for $28, shipping is free, and returns are accepted, so I figured I had nothing to lose. Never bought clothing on EBay before, so just wondering about others' experiences with this company.

They seem to have a ton of nice (new) dresses too, but I'm not sure if these are competitive prices or not. http://www.everyonecollects.com/lulucollections?categoryId=63861

Going on 8-night Queen Mary 2 transatlantic in October with 4 formal nights, so am trying to do some mix and match with outfits to (a) avoid over packing and (b) not spend a fortune.

Ann

I wouldn't rely on the website to see available cabins, as they only show a few at a time. If you call and explain your situation, the Cunard representative should be available to find cabins that meet your needs, possibly adjoining ocean view or sheltered balcony cabins. We liked our deck 5 sheltered balcony cabin in 2012, and think the lower deck cabins are just fine: less movement if you are prone to seasickness and usable even if the weather is not so great. We were in a forward cabin, and felt hardly any movement; we'll be in an aft cabin sheltered balcony on deck 4 for our upcoming (October) westbound transatlantic.

Ann

I'm looking for a fancy top to wear with a long black skirt for formal night. Anyone have something to recycle? Size 12 or thereabouts. I'm not a youngster, so prefer something that isn't too "revealing," not spaghetti straps, though sleeveless is OK. Preferably not black. I have 2 long black skirts, one lighter-weight and somewhat sparkly; have a red top to go with that. Other one is slightly heavier weight, plainer material--this is the one I'm trying to find a top for, though something that goes with both skirts would be great. This doesn't seem to be a good time of year for formal clothing shopping. Closer to the winter holidays there are often a lot more evening separates to choose from, but our trip is in October so I can't wait until then. I've loked at online stores, but tops are pretty expensive there and I'm concerned about sizing.

Ann

P.S. We're doing an 8-day transatlantic on the Queen Mary 2, so have 4 formal nights for which we have to clothe ourselves.

On Cunard, whatever the dress code is for dinner is the dress code pretty much throughout the ship for the whole evening. So if it's formal, you stay in those formal clothes until retiring to your cabin. It really does make for a very elegant overall experience, for those who like such things. If you don't want to get dressed formally on formal nights, you can eat in the buffet and there is one lounge/bar area where you can go. Even "informal" nights are petty dressy by some standards, i.e. jackets needed for men (ties optional), and nice dresses or "smart" pants for women. Same type of evening rules apply, so you'll never see people changing out of their outfits after dinner and into jeans, shorts or work-out type clothing.

But it's an interesting point about the pitfalls of sitting out on deck in one's "good" clothing. Hmmm... We're going on a Queen Mary 2 westbound transatlantic crossing in October so I'll have to check out what the evening deck chair situation might be (but October may be too cool in the north Atlantic for evening deck chair sitting). We did a prior eastbound QM crossing in early June, and I recall it being pretty nippy outside in the evening--and very windy.

Now that I know how to hide signatures from view (thanks for the tip!), I'll have no idea who's been on what cruise or how many. It will certainly make scrolling through posts a lot quicker, which is the main reason I did it. I don't have a signature, and because I'm such a newbie (all of one "cruise" to date, transatlantic) I try to indicate in my postings that I don't know much. That way, readers can draw their own conclusions. Now that I think about it, if I did have a signature showing just my one trip, it could communicate the same thing! Hmmm.

Ann

Website (at least for QM) seems to be mixed up again. Booking section shows the correct cabin categories but the link from there to the deck plan goes to the old version with the more numerous (and complicated) cabin types.

However, a quick google search turned up a link to the current correct deck plan which went into effect a few moths ago. http://www.cunard.com/documents/2014-2015%20deck%20plans/qm2%20deck%20plans%20may2013-may2014.pdf

Ann

On the Cunard voyage personaliser, after you've booked you have the option to do all electronic-"go green"-itinerary, tickets, baggage tags, etc. I believe you could have them mailed, and some may still do so, but I think Cunard is trying to push for the print-at-home option. We printed our etickets and baggage tags at home. However, when we went on the QM2 in 2012 we ended up getting upgraded (from oceanview to a sheltered balcony) a few weeks before our departure so had to reprint everything. I recall reading in one Cunard discussion here about someone who'd been upgraded (or had cabin change) at the very last minute and had to have their materials printed at the terminal during check-in.

Hope you don't get discouraged with Cunard website. We've already booked for our October transatlantic on QM, but I go on periodically to see what rooms are still remaining on our trip (with the hope that having more remaining unsold could translate into an upgrade for us :D). When I went on just now, I got an "internal server" error when I clicked on the booking link and was unable to proceed. Because the website will only display a set number of available cabins, it's worthwhile calling Cunard reservations. We found that there were a lot more cabins we were interested in than what came up on the booking site. You can also add other requests when using the live booking, e.g., ask for no upgrade, discuss flight options, etc.

Ann

Missfrankiecat--So sorry to hear of your very recent first-hand experience in Britannia. We had generally fine food there in 2012 on our EB transatlantic. We're doing WB in October, and hope things are up to the 2012 standard and not what you encountered recently. Would you mind alerting us as to which meals had to be sent back? There's of course no assumption those very same meals would be bad on our crossing, but it might give others some idea of what they might (potentially) want to avoid. Since we so much prefer the atmosphere in Britannia to that in Kings Court, and prefer not to pay extra for specialty dining, we'd certainly much prefer to stick with Britannia at the risk of an occasional less-than-stellar meal.

Given that the original poster wouldn't even try the Britannia main dining room for a single meal, I don't see how they have any standard by which to judge it other than hearsay. Paying extra for eating in Todd English doesn't necessarily make it a better venue for all possible dinners. I think there's some sentiment that if you pay more for something it's ipso facto better. It's hard to tell from the posting, but where did they eat breakfast and lunch? Was it in the much-maligned (and perhaps rightly) King's Court?

Maybe we are unfussy "cheapskates" :D but I'd sure want to try out and experience first hand what we've already paid for (main dining room) before opting to pay extra every night to eat elsewhere. We were very happy with Britannia dining 2 years ago, but I'm sure things can change, and perhaps even change from voyage to voyage in terms of service if there is short staffing. We were on our first ever ocean voyage (transatlantic crossing) so have no other comparison, but liked the food, atmosphere and service in the Britannia so well that we had not only dinners but most breakfasts and lunches there as well. We're doing a crossing again this October, so will see if we still like it as much.

Just to expand on and clarify what wripro posted, there is open seating in Britannia for breakfast and lunch so you could dine there any time with your friend. However, there is assigned seating in Britannia for dinner, so it would not be possible to eat there with your friend at dinner at her assigned table. However, others may be able to tell you what kind of arrangements could be made to allow you to eat with her in Britannia in the evening. You could also get together for any meal in King's Court, either the buffet or one of the evening specialty venues there.

I can't imagine why anyone would complain about your blog information. You are taking precious time on a short trip to do these informative postings. Hope all goes well as you cross paths with the remnants of hurricane Arthur. Flood watches up in NH and Maine because of heavy rain, and dangerous riptides and surf are expected through tomorrow, worse in easternmost Maine and the Maritimes.

Since this thread is already drifting well off topic, I'll add to the "drift" by noting that the Germstar® Noro sanitizer has been around for quite a while, and indeed has already been discussed on CC a number of times, including:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1567613 [started in 2010]

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1603188 [started in 2006]

Webentrepeneur-

Are you always so negative or is it just on anonymous message boards such as this? On the basis of remarks by a few people you heard you feel compelled to pronounce that the quality of the the wash was terrible? And you feel the machines are "rubbish" because they don't have an indicator light and also that half of them were broken? Did you check every laundrette to know that half of all the machines were broken? You do admit you aren't an expert since you never used washing machines before coming onboard. Feedback to others based on personal experience is helpful, but posting based largely on hearsay is not so helpful. Moreover, the original poster was just inquiring about the location of the laundry facilities. No one asked for an opinion about quality of the facilities, though of course we're all free to chime in on these threads even if our answer doesn't address the original question, as of course I'm doing now myself.:D

We didn't avail ourselves of Canyon Ranch spa on our first crossing on the QM 2, but hope to do so this time. We'll have more time because it's an 8-day crossing. I have questions from users of several services as to what they thought of the services (worthwhile, helpful, value for cost, etc.?). The services we might be interested in are: canyon ranch massage; chiropractic session; personal training session; basic fitness assessment. The massage and personal training session can be given for 2 at once, which lowers the cost if done separately. We are in the "elder" demographic, and reasonably healthy. Presumably the staff at the spa are used to dealing with folks like us, given Cunard's typical clientele. :D

Besides the services I mentioned here, are there other (non-beauty-related) ones that people particularly liked, especially the gentlemen out there? How about exercise classes? What's the typical age range of people who participate in those? Our shoreside experience is that most places that offer classes, fitness assessments, exercise equipment, etc. are geared toward a younger and already fitter clientele.