renji

3 hours ago, desertcactus260 said:

Is there any other source for this news item?  I have only seen the article sited here. It's hard to believe that someout so outrageous would not have made a bigger impact on the cruising/Jewish community, especially the the Arison name involved. I'm in Israel and haven't heard anything about it.

I would hope we're all not victims of fake news. 

1 hour ago, EnnZee said:

#6–I have thought exactly the same thing. No second source for the story—only QJL, and no statement from Carnival corporate. Very strange.

It’s in Jewish papers. Not picked up by mainstream media…

They also canceled without notice the fully paid for cabins of the Jewish customers who showed up for the cruise. 

Just to note, there were no Burgundy whites by the bottle on Queen Anne in May.  Maybe not stocked yet but might be worth bringing your own if you care. 

Thank you!  These are great suggestions…she’ll be happy to hang with us too 🙂

On 5/30/2024 at 1:04 PM, Foodluvr said:

If booked through the cruise line they will enforce their age rules. You probably can book that through the vendor directly which will enforce the local rules. 

Sounds like we can check with Royal and cancel by day 2 since the trip is day 4.  Will look for direct vendors!

4 minutes ago, The Fun Researcher said:

If in port, and the local country's drinking age is 18+ then yes she can drink onshore.  At no time will they be allowed to drink alcohol on the ship regardless of where they are ported.

Any idea whether that applies to the RCCL excursion?  We’re signed up for Margarita madness lol

31 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said:

 

You're welcome, apologies for using the wrong pronoun, no idea why I did that. Lack of sleep and too much forum reading maybe.

I didn’t identify it in the op!  

31 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said:

 

There is a program called "Hyperlink" that has specific events for 18-25 year olds. The app will show those events.

 

 

With the fairly safe assumption he is 18+ and not Young Sheldon, he is welcome anywhere on the ship. FYI, bars are used for family-friendly events like trivia and even young children are welcome there... they're not like bars on land.

Yes she’s almost 19. Thank you!

Hi, we are traveling with a college sophomore, B2B on Navigator July 1 and July 5.  Is there any solo programming for young people? Are they allowed into adult spaces (gym, spa, adult pool, bars and disco)?  I understand they can’t drink on board but perhaps can in Ensanada? What’s the best way to meet other college aged kids?

24 minutes ago, S1971 said:

 

What's the benefit of purchasing Bar Tab?
It pays to pre-pay! Boost your experience with a pre-purchased $100, $200, or $300 Bar Tab and score bonus onboard credit for extra rounds on us throughout your voyage. So feel free to order that extra drink - and don't be afraid to Shake for Champagne.
 

$100 Bar Tab: an extra $10 to spend and a total of $110 in drinks to share
$200 Bar Tab: an extra $25 to spend and a total of $225 in drinks to share
$300 Bar Tab: an extra $50 to spend and a total of $350 in drinks to share

 

By purchasing this you can buy drinks for anyone.

 

Makes a lot more sense than having to buy two packages and more Cost effective.

 

I would do the $300 tab in a heartbeat.  Norwegian is my least favorite cruise line but I used to love their premium package (included great bottles of wine, truly premium liquor and Starbucks). But then they got rid of the Moet so it became less appealing…and I’d still prefer Princess, Celebrity, Crystal, even Royal Caribbean. And believe it or not, I’d still prefer Cunard over all others with the unusable drinks package. 

11 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

You can arrive in the Golden Lion whatever time you like but assistance disembarkation now goes strictly by the order of passenger disembarkation, the list which the office has supplied to the assistance personnel in the Golden Lion.

Interesting. On May 24 they went strictly by arrival time at the Golden Lion, ignoring entirely the staggered time people were given to arrive. Hence the over two hour wait.  

24 minutes ago, S1971 said:

 

Totally agree, charge the difference fair enough, but the full price less 20% as @david63 stated is very underhand, more especially if your normal drink is unavailable.

I love this feature on virtually all other cruise lines. I actually spend much more because I’ll happily pay the difference to try better wines by the glass and have less of a commitment to a bottle. Cunard moved many wines to costing more than the package by vastly overpricing them. ($14.50 a glass for a $27 dollar bottle wine). So I find that so disingenuous, I would rather drink less on Cunard.   

30 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

Whilst we would never buy a drinks package, as it just wouldn’t be even remotely cost effective for us, I would also find all the restrictions to be infuriating, especially as many of the drinks we’d like are invariably excluded. However, for those who do buy them, I’ve never understood why you can’t order what you like and just pay the additional cost over and above any price cap. To make people pay the full price (as I believe happens) seems outrageous to me, and results in either restricted choice or effectively paying twice. 

I loved not having the package. I felt like I had $72 a day pp (we were 3 people) to spend on actually good wine and never came close to hitting the cost of the package.  But we drink primarily water/ sparkling water and fine wine, not too many cocktails…

1 hour ago, Bell Boy said:

Not only that , this drinks package malarkey is a hassle if one ( like me) enjoys a couple (or more) glasses of wine with dinner and trying to flag down a sommelier. You could probably have finished your main course before that second glass of wine is delivered, due to the sommelier who has to keep disappearing into the galley bar dispensary to pick up orders. 

In the mean time those of us who have purchased wine by the bottle - which is probably only an arms length away in the ice bucket (or on the table) end up serving our self whilst this cycle of the sommelier/s are back and forth to the galley and out of view.     

Also the pours on a glass are so stingy, whether on or off the package, I would always get a bottle from now on.

On 5/28/2024 at 2:16 PM, Selbourne said:

An excellent and balanced review. Thanks for taking the time to write it. We can relate to many of your comments as we are currently on board QA, although our challenges have been more to do with accessibility issues (my wife is a full time wheelchair user). 

Hi—was with mom in a wheelchair and might I advise that for disembarkation, you ignore the stated time to arrive at Golden Lion and check in early for assistance?  Our stated time to arrive was 8:50 for a 9:10 disembarkation. We were not helped off the ship until after 11.  

5 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

I’ve known this happen twice (on P&O). Most recently I was chatting to the ORCA representative on the promenade deck when a member of the entertainment team came flying through the door out of breath saying that she had been looking for her everywhere as her talk was due to begin 15 minutes earlier. The poor girl had been oblivious of the clock change. As I’d known this to happen before, it struck me that if I was a member of the entertainment team I would make contact with my guest speakers the night before to double check that they were aware of the clock change!

I’ve now realized I have a NY conference call during dinner rather than an hour before!  I wish they just gave the exact time and clock change information at embarkation…

1 hour ago, exlondoner said:

Yoga is there. Dance classes and lessons and Zumba seem to be in the Queens Room, according to the DP. I doubt the Wellness (how does that differ from health as a concept btw?) Studio floor is suitable.

Only private lessons happening.  Some tunes it’s the only space onboard. 

1 hour ago, exlondoner said:

Our neighbours at dinner said this is now their favourite ship. In contrast, a man in front of me in the queue for the Purser’s yesterday said to the man in front of him that this ship was just like a P&O ship, only not as good. This was clearly a pejorative comment, but its exact nuance was unclear to me, as I have never been on P&O.

 

I think most of the ship is gorgeous, and the crew lovely, though I wish more passengers would acknowledge them. The only place I complete detest is the Grills Lounge. I can solve that problem for them. The Wellness Studio is barely used in proportion to its large area. It is adjacent to the Grills Terrace and would do fine if converted to a Grills Lounge. The current lounge could become an outdoor dining courtyard, and, if the Wellness Studio is really necessary, a corner of the Grills Terrace could be sacrificed.

I think the issue with this is that Wellness space is available for all passengers as is all the surrounding seating.  There is no seating on the deck 3 promenade. There are yoga classes and dance lessons there given the lack of other spaces available. 

14 minutes ago, Host Hattie said:

Does that mean there aren't any Cunard employed Dance hosts on this sailing?

I believe I saw one gentleman last night. 

On 5/11/2024 at 6:30 AM, exlondoner said:

I agree the lifts are a hazard. They have the same capacity as the Vista lifts, I think. That is a highly fictitious 18. But the doors are hyperactive, and given the general decrepitude of Cunard passengers, many will be squashed. I have had several fights with them already, for they are quite determined.

I’ve been trying to do my civic duty and run to hold them for older passengers.  The best trick is to watch the numbers and try to get there in advance but it’s an imperfect system.  

9 hours ago, TowandaUK said:

We are not dancers but have been loving watching the ballroom dancing in the Queens room. Last night was particularly good. There was the usual host who danced with a variety of ladies. There also appeared to be a couple more gentlemen fulfilling that role - passengers maybe?  Early on in the cruise we watched one lady have a dance lesson - last night she was tripping the light fantastic like a pro. Lovely to see. 

Hi, that’s lovely to hear, I appreciate your grace towards those of us still learning! it’s a private dance group where we pay extra to the organizer who hires a few pros (2 male/2 female) and some hosts (3 additional men on this one) to dance with the guests in the evenings, and we can hire the hosts for private lessons as well. 

Bright Lights Society starting at 10:30 is far better than the Yacht Club and even somewhat better (although smaller) than G32.  Like G32, it’s a low floor, right by Queens Room but DJ is right there with you and it’s hopping!  Love it.  

Hello. Anyone have the current bar menu and onboard purchase price for the premium non-alcoholic package?  It’s jumped from $36 to $40.5 online…

12 hours ago, TowandaUK said:

I think it’s a very individual choice as each persons’ habits can vary greatly. For us what helped us to decide is the temperature of the area we are visiting. I don’t cope very well in the heat and will drink much more bottled water, juices and soft drinks in warmer climates. As with D & N I will drink water with every meal to keep hydrated. The 15% service charge is also a factor. I really think it pays to spend half an hour doing the maths before deciding. 

We find the $36 a day for non-alcoholic to be great value.  So am spending that thousand on a 14-day.  The question is whether to double it or to put the thousand dollars to 5 or 6 nice bottles of wine we actually want and a few cocktails.   

4 hours ago, LittleFish1976 said:

 

Yes, it does include soft drinks as well as specialty tea and coffee. The package price is inclusive of the 15% gratuity which would otherwise be charged on the listed menu price of each drink. As such, the package is better value than people give it credit for. As someone who has bottled water with each meal as well as a glass of wine with each meal, and maybe even two with dinner if I have a dessert wine as well, and the odd soft drink and non-alcoholic cocktail as well as a couple of alcoholic cocktails during the day, I find it reasonable value. I also like being able to try out drinks I'm not sure I'll like and feel okay about not finishing them.

And that is why I sometimes get the drinks package even though it’s a terrible value for me because I primarily buy bottles of wine for dinner and maybe have 1 or 2 cocktails at most. Just so I can try whatever I want and abandon it without feeling like I have to finish. My other alternative is to do the non-alcoholic package ($36 a day) because we drink a lot of latte, sparkling water and virgin Bloody Mary’s, and just pay for the occasional cocktail.