Cunard Care Coverage and Booking Questions

[cruisetonowhere10]

I am looking at Cunard for the first time so I have a ton of questions.  In looking at fares, I’m seeing the option to add Cunard Care but don’t know whether it’s worth the pretty small investment?  Mostly concerned what benefit there might be if I were to cancel before final payment is due.

 

Also there are three fare options…selecting a balcony (non obstructed) but don’t particularly care where it would be located (distance from things, floor, aft/forward doesn’t influence us much (unless there are particularly unsavory locations.) Thoughts/opinions/experiences?

 

Confirming that unless in a “Grills” stateroom nothing common is included (gratuities, beverage packages, etc?)

 

Anything I’m missing?

[TheOldBear]

53 minutes ago, cruisetonowhere10 said:

I am looking at Cunard for the first time so I have a ton of questions.  In looking at fares, I’m seeing the option to add Cunard Care but don’t know whether it’s worth the pretty small investment?  Mostly concerned what benefit there might be if I were to cancel before final payment is due.

Assuming you are a US resident, in state where Cunard Care is available [it is 'cancel for any reason' so not available to NY residents] it has the advantage of premiums not being age dependent.

You will likely want to compare the fine print of the CC policy vs third party offerings [visit the Insurance forum a bit further down the page]

Check Cunard's site [or with your travel agent] for the typical prorated cancelation penalties that are effective after the 'final payment date'.

 

53 minutes ago, cruisetonowhere10 said:

 

Also there are three fare options…selecting a balcony (non obstructed) but don’t particularly care where it would be located (distance from things, floor, aft/forward doesn’t influence us much (unless there are particularly unsavory locations.) Thoughts/opinions/experiences?

Your mention of 'obstructed' indicates a likely sailing on QM2 - many of the staterooms on QM2 deck 8 are obstructed [there is a 'sticky' thread showing their views of the tenders and lifeboats].

We tend to book the lower deck 'sheltered' balconies, and prefer a midships location between the 'B' and 'C' staircases. 

 

53 minutes ago, cruisetonowhere10 said:

 

Confirming that unless in a “Grills” stateroom nothing common is included (gratuities, beverage packages, etc?)

Sometimes there are promotions in effect that include onboard credit or prepaid gratuities.  There aren't that many things not included in the fare - and these are listed on the Cunard site [and are the things the Cunard is eager to sell you as a package]. We usually think we make out better as pay as you go rather than purchasing a package.

53 minutes ago, cruisetonowhere10 said:

 

Anything I’m missing?

 

[cruisetonowhere10]

2 minutes ago, TheOldBear said:

Assuming you are a US resident, in state where Cunard Care is available [it is 'cancel for any reason' so not available to NY residents] it has the advantage of premiums not being age dependent.

You will likely want to compare the fine print of the CC policy vs third party offerings [visit the Insurance forum a bit further down the page]

Check Cunard's site [or with your travel agent] for the typical prorated cancelation penalties that are effective after the 'final payment date'.

 

Your mention of 'obstructed' indicates a likely sailing on QM2 - many of the staterooms on QM2 deck 8 are obstructed [there is a 'sticky' thread showing their views of the tenders and lifeboats].

We tend to book the lower deck 'sheltered' balconies, and prefer a midships location between the 'B' and 'C' staircases. 

 

Sometimes there are promotions in effect that include onboard credit or prepaid gratuities.  There aren't that many things not included in the fare - and these are listed on the Cunard site [and are the things the Cunard is eager to sell you as a package]. We usually think we make out better as pay as you go rather than purchasing a package.

 

Thank you!  Queen Victoria and I’m looking at the Balcony Category but not one with an obstructed view.

 

Yes, US resident and the price seemed consistent.  I did read the find print on % reimbursement based on days from sailing.  Just feel like I’m missing something.

[Pushpit]

7 hours ago, cruisetonowhere10 said:

Thank you!  Queen Victoria and I’m looking at the Balcony Category but not one with an obstructed view.

I'm also not particularly fussy about location and often find the difference in pricing between balcony grades difficult to understand. Particularly the sharp uplift for mid ship locations. These are popular, often out of perceptions about sea sickness, when actually Point G, the centre of gravity is somewhat towards aft thanks to the weight of the turbines and propulsion systems. Particularly true on QM2 since CG is in the middle of the Britannia restaurant.  A few factors to bear in mind:

- port versus starboard for certain locations (e.g. Alaska and Fjords, NYC) if there are particular things you want to see from your stateroom.

- the bulge balconies, where you get a bit more balcony around changes to the ship's structures. The benefit here isn't so much the extra space but the fact you get a better / clearer and more open view.

- Some decks the balcony rooms are slightly longer - I don't think it's that noticeable, but you get a bit more space around the sofa area

- Whether the promenade deck is directly above - though I've never noticed it, other travellers report the noise of chairs being moved is troublesome.

 

But mostly the staterooms are pretty much identical, it is easy to overthink it. For the obstructed views, there is sticky on this at the top of the forum, but the short version is that some obstructed balconies are not particularly obstructed at all. If there are lots of sea days they would be quite acceptable in my view. If the weather is poor then obstructed balconies which really are obstructed can be quite useful at protecting the balcony area and making it useful.

[rakkor]

On Queen Victoria, Deck 4 Aft (glass balconies) and Deck 4 fwd (metal balconies) have significantly larger balconies and are generally great value.