old fool

Well I have been reliably informed that the 29th October crossing has been confirmed as 1 formal and six Informal with jacket Jeans Allowed. Relaxed dress code for this crossing.

Now wait for the Dress Police..........

Does that mean that I will have to go out and buy a pair of new blue jeans? Mine are torn and stained from changing the oil on my pickup truck and checking on the still up in the holler.............

Is LGA the most convenient airport from the Cunard terminal?

Yes; plus no tolls, but JFK isn't all that much greater distance/cost.

Also, NYC has "green" cabs that operate much like the traditional yellow cabs (except they can not pick up fares in Manhattan) and can take you into Manhattan or anywhere else in the city and to all airports.

Possibilities include, but not limited to:

SOOTY SHEARWATER

CORY'S SHEARWATER

GREATER SHEARWATER

MANX SHEARWATER

WILSON'S STORM PETREL (quite small and can seem to "walk" across the water)

SOUTH POLAR SKUA (large heavy gull like seen as single birds - not flocks)

Mid-ocean species seen are probably not terns. Species found in mid ocean only come to land for breeding / nesting. They spend the rest of their life totally at sea.

I would try the Edison Hotel. It's about 100 feet off Times Square on 47th. This October rooms are $300-$350 per room with tax. We have stayed there for more than 35 years and find that it works fine for us, but to each his own.

Cab from JFK is a flat rate of $52 plus tolls (one hour plus travel time with luck) and from LaGuardia is about $35 plus tolls (less than an hour on a good day)

Remind me -- do the "glass" elevators in QM II, that stop at both levels of the grand lobby and deck 7 in King's court also stop on deck 6?

Thanks

There are several hotels with a shuttle only 5 minutes from LGA in a couple of price ranges -- average is about $150. They will all arrange for a cab or car for you from the hotel to the terminal in the morning - $35 to $55 plus tip (there are no tolls on the route). Food is pretty much something from the hotel or delivery - no restaurants close.

OR

you can go directly from LGA via cab to Red Hook to a hotel very near the terminal. There is a Comfort Inn within five minutes of the port and they provide a complimentary shuttle. It's "basic" and the area is pretty devoid of restaurants but the location is the draw.

Yes, it's usually $58 more or less to LaGuardia in a "black" car. You can team up with another person or two and the price is the same. The yellow cabs are about $40 and now there are green cabs that work under different rules (they can't pick up in Manhattan, etc.) but charge the same. All get you where you want to go without drama.

Cunard - The last bastion of civilized society. Dress up and enjoy or sail another line. It is just as simple as that. If the British could "dress" for dinner in the middle of the deserts or the jungles of the world then we can certainly go formal on a Cunard ship.

Part of the enjoyment is dressing for dinner. There are plenty of other lines where a wet swim suit and T-shirt seem to pass for correct clothing.

For all the seasoned Transatlantic Cunarders:

 

My husband and I are doing back-to-back TAS in May and have sailed the QM2 before, but this time we are flying back to L.A. on the day the ship arrives. A discussion on a recent Roll Call got my nerves all atwitter: Will we be able to make a 1:15 pm flight out of JFK, or will that be cutting it close? Thanks for any information you can send our way...

Barring some unexpected delay, you should make your flight without problems. That being said you would not want to waste anytime making your way through the system.

My husband is American but we live in the UK. I rang a couple of travel agents today and they said the price you book at is the price you pay no matter how much it goes down. They tried to say it could also go up, but Cunard have previously told me fares don't go beyond their original price for the cabin grade. I've seen on Cruise Critic articles people being offered perks like on board credit for the difference in price at booking to the price at sailing but this seems to be only for US customers.

 

Also, I was under the impression that in the US it tends to be a cruise only fare whereas we are looking at the price for the cruise and the flight.

 

Really hope we can afford to sail this summer since I absolutely hate flying and we have been saving for 18 months so far to try and afford it!

If your husband is a US citizen I don't see why you couldn't simply book via a US travel agent and take advantage of the US booking rules. (Others may have better information on this and I invite their input). In the US we can cancel without any penalty up to 90 days before sailing so you could just book now and jump to the lower fare later if one should show up. We have done this many times -- actually we have gone to a lower fare more than once for a single voyage. Most of the time my travel agent just goes ahead and swaps us to the lower fare without me even contacting her.

Thanks so much for this information!

Yes, just speak with the purser on the trip over. They will give you a special luggage tag and put the luggage outside your door the night before you arrive. It will magically be back in your stateroom when you return to the ship. The cost was $65 per bag for up to a month of storage.

Strangely the crossing went off line for a couple of weeks..now its back on the website and there are plenty of cabins for sale...And the New York port website shows this as one of the now rare Manhattan cruise terminal sailings!! I want to sail down the Hudson from midtown...not Brooklyn..if so Im booking this one

If you are right and the QM2 is sailing from Manhattan that would be FANTASTIC. Is the NYC port website usually correct or just their guess this far out? Three years ago the Queen sailed from Manhattan because the Brooklyn terminal had been flooded by Sandy -- the trip down the Hudson in the mist and rain with the lights of the city was magical -- not to mention not having to schlep ourselves over to the boondocks -- er, I mean Red Hook.

Yes, I see availability for the 29th but at an increased cost in most staterooms. (We are booked for the voyage, but just wondering what might be going on that would take the trip off line, then full, then higher cost, etc.)

Just curious but it looks as if the October 29 TA is full or close to it. Anyone have ideas on why that might be the case. 9 months in advance is not the normal "fill" date for a TA. Anything special going on with that voyage?

We never have problems getting a time slot for a massage so booking ahead isn't really needed. They usually have a special rate (25% - 30% off) on the first and last day of the voyage

We are planning a B2B TA out of NYC to SOU and return. Do we have to get off in SOU for the few hours we will be there or can we just stay on board?

We are booked on the 2015 October 29 TA B2B returning November 5. If we don't like the fare when it gets to mid summer (by the end of July) we can just cancel without penalty. I predict a 30% reduction or even more --- but I sure can be wrong. I'll let you know the end of July 2015........:confused:

Tell me if this makes good sense: (we are in the USA)

We book a long way (a year or even more) in advance and get the cabin we want, etc. Then we watch the fares and since we can cancel (without penalty of any kind) anytime up to 90 days before the voyage just jump to the lower fare and go with it. Of course after 90 days out we are locked in and live with the results.

Anyone have a better idea on how to book a "bargain"....................

The US is much more liberal with the rules than the UK, etc. We have four years to use the deposit AND if we do not use it in that time we can get a full refund. Also, we can cancel, without penalty, any reservation made up to 90 days in advance of the voyage and get a full refund. Which means make your reservations early, get your pick of staterooms, etc. and switch to a lower fare if one comes available or cancel completely -- no loss. Less than 90 days in advance of the voyage -- you are locked in though.

If anyone has conflicting information, I would like to hear about it???

We used the Canyon Ranch spa everyday on the 8 day eastbound TA in August and the 7 day westbound in September. We love the spa but it simply is not up to the standards that over the years, most of us have come to expect and deserve. Just a lot of the details are being ignored and not addressed. One example; the entire EB trip and half of the WB -- the aroma therapy steam room had no "aroma" -- or more correctly the aroma of "stale". EVERYDAY the staff assured everyone that it would be fixed that day which was just a method of putting us off. A small amount of repair, attention to detail, and staff training will put this all right. We can then once again enjoy the Canyon Ranch Spa for the wonderful experience that it is - or can be.

If you are not on a back to back, then no, you cannot leave a bag(s) on board. QM2 does not have the storage space. As you stated that you would be touring for a time, then you must take all baggage with you.

 

However, there is an on shore storage facility. Go to the pursers counter, explain what you need. They will take care of you. We did this 2 years ago. The bag was picked up the night before, and when we embarked some 6 weeks later, our bag was waiting for us in our cabin. The normal cost, I believe, is 65 USD per bag for 30 days. At least that is what we paid.

We just did the Aug eastbound TA and returned on the September 8 westbound back to NYC. Yes, no problem leaving a bag with Cunard -- cost is $65 for a month or less. Just talk to the pursers office - they will give you a special tag; leave the bag outside your stateroom and it will magically appear back in your stateroom on your return trip. Its great!!!

It's almost always an hour or less to LGA. The cab is about $35.

If you can, without a doubt I would check on using a US travel agent. It always seems to me that we get very good prices in the US compared to the rest of the world. Also, we can cancel up to 90 days before departure without penalty, which means if the price drops you can just jump out and rebook at the lower price. All may change but I would make the effort to check out the US fares and rules, etc. with a US agent.

So, it would be correct to say that the "corner" cabins are larger and the balcony is more to see and be seen by your neighbors (for better or worse). Do you agree?

What is the difference in balcony cabins in the transition "corners". For example the difference between cabin numbers 6144, 6146. Cabin 6146 seems to be considerably larger as well as the associated balcony. Also, the shape and view of the balcony is different from 6144. Anyone have photos / information that show and explain this difference?

We were on the QM2 crossing in December 2012 from Southampton to NYC. This ship is a liner and came into it's own during that storm. Yes, there was some movement, and a few folks became ill, but for the most part it wasn't at all bad. Staying mid ship and lower decks made for much less movement, but even then 90 + mph wind and 35 + foot seas sounds much more dramatic than it actually was. Only the QM2 would ride so smoothly in those conditions. If you want more drama spring for the Grills (high and forward and aft) -- much like riding the mechanical bull in a rough Texas bar. I suggest the low and mid ship cabins for much less -- in both money and wild ride. In short, unless you are VERY susceptible to sea sickness don't worry at all about a winter crossing on the QM2.