FennoExpress

Hi folks and sorry if this has been discussed earlier in the forum, I just didn't find any recent posts on the matter.

I was shocked to read on another forum that the second sitting in QM2's Britannia dinner is still some kind of free-format affair where you get different table of varying size every night. And on top of this you don't even have the same waiting staff serving you. Is this currently still the case and has there been any talk of it changing back to assigned sitting? We prefer the later dining but if this is the case we need to change to earlier. We are only sailing in May next year but I am worried that if they introduced this practice during COVID time and it is still valid it might be here to stay.

2 hours ago, Ray66 said:

For Queen Mary 2 there are a number of factors affecting her current programme and after careful consideration, we are cancelling all departures up to and including 12 November this year.

Could this mean that she will be dry-docked before re-entry to service?

Any news on the refit? Has the QM2 arrived at Hamburg?

Greetings from Finland. Here we are enjoying the warmest November in recorded history. Today glorious sunshine, zero wind and temperatures above +10 degrees Celsius/50F. Could have been a day in April except for the short daylight hours.

We have fared quite well with the Covid-19.  Even though working from home is recommended there have been no lockdowns and summer was almost normal, some people even managed to travel abroad. Now the borders are more or less closed again. My last trip to another country was a day cruise to Tallinn in July, other than that just a few short domestic staycations. Schools were closed in the spring and kids sent to home school, but after summer holidays they remain open as normal. Gyms and shops are also open almost as before. Restaurants have to stop selling alcohol at 10pm and close at 11pm, which means nightclubs have remained closed for some time now. There are also restrictions on the amount of customers the restaurants can take in, I believe it is 50 or 75% of their capacity. Wearing masks in public places is voluntary but strongly recommended and on public transport and in the shops I would say 70% of people do wear them. Restaurants, theatres, cinemas, high street retailers and the whole travel industry have been hit hard. Cruise ferry traffic to Estonia and Sweden has almost ended, the ships transporting mostly just cargo. Daily passenger volumes at Helsinki airport are less than 10% of what they were a year ago. I have managed to keep my job, but as I work in the airline business a third of my colleagues have lost theirs. Simply awful. Fortunately we have a system of temporary redundancy where you can be laid off for a week, some months or indefinetely and get unemployment benefit of about 50% of your salary, still keeping your job.

Luckily we managed to make one cruise this year, a week in the Persian Gulf in January. We do have a Fjords cruise booked for next July but I'm quite pessimistic about that happening. A safe and working vaccine would be the best Christmas present ever! A couple of good thing have come out of this horrible year: I've never exercised this much or read so many books in so short time.

9 minutes ago, O Neptuna said:

Hello, how have these been sold out already, or am I missing something? I thought these only went on sale on 17 November 2020?

Most propably they are showing as sold out as Cunard is yet to publish prices for them.

19 hours ago, FennoExpress said:

I could swear that earlier this week I saw two of the 2022 Mediterranean cruises offered as split itineraries V224A/B and M221A/B. But now when I do a search on the Cunard website they are only availabe as 14nt and 19nt voyages. That would be a shame as we are looking to transfer our deposit from 2021 to 2022 and a Cunard Med voyage would be great, but 10nts is absolute maximum duration for us.

Just found out that I need to include sold out voyages in my search to show the split itineraries. M221A is my current favourite😎

I could swear that earlier this week I saw two of the 2022 Mediterranean cruises offered as split itineraries V224A/B and M221A/B. But now when I do a search on the Cunard website they are only availabe as 14nt and 19nt voyages. That would be a shame as we are looking to transfer our deposit from 2021 to 2022 and a Cunard Med voyage would be great, but 10nts is absolute maximum duration for us.

A definite no-go for me, unfortunately. That it not something I'd be prepared to pay for, it's not a holiday. Until there is a vaccine and these restrictions are lifted I will rather stay at home. Four months until our final payment is due, still keeping my fingers crossed. But a postponement seems more and more likely.

Caronia, Aquitania or Mauretania would be great, but I guess it will be a binomial name. How about Cunard Monarch or Cunard Sovereign, along the lines of Cunard Countess?

I think we'll take a cab to some Brooklyn hotel, have a slow lunch there and then head for the airport just in time as the check-in opens about three hours before the flight. It will be a long day...

Thanks for the comparison. Nice to hear that you actually liked many things that usually get criticized on this forum (mdr food, entertainment). A Canaries cruise on QV is on my bucket list for next year, but the prices have to come down quite a bit before we book.

1 hour ago, Underwatr said:

The Carinthia Lounge is the best place for a light lunch when there isn't enough time between second breakfast and tea.

I will be on the same westbound crossing and it's starting to get really exiting now!

Is the Carinthia lunch a good alternative to Kings Court? We are planning to do it wisely this time and try to keep the lunch as light as possible to leave room for tea and dinner.

The Champagne Bar is a nice place to enjoy a drink before or after dinner. It's usually more or less empty and the staff is happy to serve your favorite drink from the Chart Room bar. The music from Chart Room can be enjoyed at a volume which makes conversation also possible.

Many thanks for all the info Our flight departs at 5.45pm so the city tour is out of the question. But the Cunard transfer sounds ok, I guess we'll take that and try to kill the time at JFK before our check-in opens. Unfortunately we don't have any OBC so it will be right out of our own pockets.

45 minutes ago, hihilo said:

CUNARD will most likely offer a ' day tour' of the city that ends at JFK. You can also take a taxi, or UBER to the A/P but that sounds   like a   L O T   of boring time to hang around the airport.

I know but as we have all the luggage a daytrip to Manhattan is out of the question. JFK will be a miserable ending to a great week on the Atlantic But we'll have a look at the Cunard city tour.

Sorry if this has been discussed previously but I couldn't find anything with the forum search tool. We'll disembark the QM2 on 11th November and have a flight back home from JFK in the evening. What is the best option to transfer from the cruise terminal to the airport? Is there a Cunard transfer and what does it cost? Also how much should we budget for a regular taxi?

2 hours ago, VintageCCG said:

I bought the same book on Amazon for about $5 ... just be aware that it does not include the 2016 modifications.

I also bought the infamous "The Only Way to Cross" as a throwback reference from generations past.
https://www.amazon.com/Only-Way-Cross-John-Maxtone-Graham/dp/0020960107

I also bought "The Only Way to Cross" a few years back, been saving it for the "long cruise" I will some day take. A crossing is just too short to read a book that thick! John Maxtone-Graham was a brilliant author, I've read all his books and can recommend every one of them.

I've used Smiths several times and they deliver a very good service. Always ahead of or on time, clean cars, friendly and professional staff. With four adults and cruise luggage we needed a minivan, which is quite comfortable with more space to stretch the legs. Already booked them for our next crossing.

Thank you for the great report and Bon Voyage Deck Chair! Still three months before I will be onboard but thanks to you it feels like a part of me already is:D

I'm especially looking forward to hearing your opinion about the Verandah, although I assume that it will have reverted back to it's normal menu by November.

It seems you'll be docking in berth LMA in the Western Harbour, that is close to the terminals serving the express boats to Tallinn. From there there is tram line 6T which takes you to the main railway station, just remember to buy your tickets in advance from the vending machines at the tram stop. You can buy them by coins (Euros) or card.

Unfortunately I can't recommend you any car-and-guide service, but please contact the Helsinki tourist info( https://www.myhelsinki.fi/en) for further advice. The downtown area is really quite compact and easy to see by foot, should the weather be on your side that day. Suomenlinna island fortress would be something I'd recommend but half a day is just too short time for that, the queues for the ferry are usually quite long in the summer.

Welcome to Helsinki, I hope you enjoy my home town:D

Safety first. Looks like they will get a bumpy start for the crossing. But there's no better ship to ride those waves. I only wish I was onboard[emoji16]

Same here, I always take it onboard. And I've packed it into luggage, no problem. Very handy device.

port side prediction!

She doesn't look that top heavy in this profile. But the high forehead makes the funnel look stumpy. Would be nice to see how the Royal class design looks with Cunard colours and funnel.

Studying the graceful lines of the vessel I am thinking Queen Bertha (565-601) is more apt.Regards John

LMAO with that one:')

I think Cunard was a bit short sighted when they named the Queen Victoria. Obviously that seemed logical at that time as they already had a Mary and Elizabeth in the fleet. In my opinion the cruise ships should have been named after the Roman provinces and the Queens saved for the ocean liner(s). I would love to see her named Aquitania or Caronia, but agree with most of us here that QA will be the most likely name, be it Alexandra or Anne.

Now I haven't been on th K'dam but have read many comments about her and most are not very flattering. Is the interior layout of that ship close to the QV/QE, they seem to have a lot in common on the exterior? As this is the first computer generated image of the new ship I have great hopes that before the first steel is cut she will look somewhat different. It sure would be a very stupid thing to not design a proper promenade deck on the new ship and I think Carnival realises that. What I'm most concerned is how crowded she will feel with that amount of passengers. Well, after the QM2 every other ship must feel like that. One big question is the propulsion system, will she be the first Cunarder to use LNG and if so where are they going to store the tanks.

But it's great to see that Carnival has enough faith in the Cunard brand to approve such a big investment. I for sure am looking forward to a cruise on the next Queen<3:ship:

Ask if they still have some of the Delamotte in stock. IIRC it was $55 plus 15% on the QM2.

If my memory serves me right they did have Chapel Hill by the glass in the Champagne bar a month ago. I still have the receipts at home, have to check:D