Katgoesonholiday

Ugh! Just tacky!

Theoretically could you bring on two bottles at embarkation, then bring on more when reboarding at various port stops?

We have a drinks package and plan on busy days when in port so won't be shopping round for wine whilst on shore but I'm just interested in how far that 2 bottles rule applies.

Awesome! I am not human till I have had my cup of tea in the morning and have already trained two of my kids to bring me tea in bed. :p

Thank you for all the thoughtful and informative replies. They are very much appreciated and have helped clarify our thinking.

I do like connecting cabins, we had them on our last cruise, but as one poster mentioned they don't give a central 'living' type area which is a big benefit of the Family Cabin.

I have shown this thread to my husband and I think we will stick with the FV, It doesn't sound like the Sky Suites would necessarily give us the added benefits we might be interested in, and the cost differential would probably be better put into private tours in St Petersburg etc.

Once again, many thanks for all the helpful replies! :D

We sailed in the MSC Yacht Club last year and had a fabulous time. It was quiet and uncrowded - just perfect for what we wanted. There wasn't any organised activities but this didn't bother us at all. We loved having no crowding in the pools and plenty of sun loungers.

We are booked on a 14 night cruise next year with myself, my husband and our three sons (14, 10 and 8 at the time of travel) in a Family Cabin (FV).

I would much prefer connecting cabins as two bathrooms is a big asset.

I am looking at the Sky suites and thinking that, if there are connecting cabins available, they might be rather nice. My husband and I traveled in MSC's Yacht Club last year and loved it. Is this similar?

Obviously the biggest 'con' against upgrading is the added cost. But that isn't an insurmountable issue. What would be the 'pros' and do you think it is 'worth it' for the enhanced experience?

We are new to Celebrity so would be very grateful for advice and guidance in what to consider here.

We cruised on the Preziosa last July and there were kids in the Yacht Club but they had zero impact on our holiday. They were all well behaved and completely doted on by the staff who made sure they stayed happy.

Most of my recent QM2 Eastbound crossings the clock has been changed at noon (overnight Westbound). I actually prefer that as there's no loss of sleep.

 

Roy

That does sound much better!

Here is a video of our family's crossing last summer. Skip in about 45 seconds to get to the QM2 portion. We were traveling from northern California to Edinburgh last summer.... we don't fly, this is part 2.

 

 

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whyohwhyoh

Gosh it looks great! You have gorgeous kids and it looks like they had a fabulous time with plenty to do.

We are already flying Auckland to Houston which is going to result in horrible jetlag. My worst fear is doing the two 12 hour legs with a break of only 2 hours in between and arriving in London with jetlag that takes a week to resolve! I'd much prefer to spend that week leisurely relaxing on a ocean liner whilst the time changes are gradually introduced an hour at a time overnight. I was a mess for a week last July when we went from Auckland to London to Venice with no more than three hours between the stops. This seems like a MUCH more civilized way of doing it, especially with kids!

We have booked and paid our deposit and are all very much looking forward to the crossing.

My eldest is a highly intelligent, somewhat reserved and shy kid who doesn't easily click with more outgoing groups of teens. His biggest regret on our last cruise was 'Mum, I wish I'd spent more time hanging out with you and Dad.' He'll love the lectures, he'll join me on my runs in the morning, he'll get involved with whatever my husband and I are doing and happily chill out with his kindle or iPad if there is nothing else on offer. The chances of him joining a roving gang of troublemakers are pretty much zilch! He's more likely to spend his time roaming round the buffet filling his hollow lanky legs.

The younger two are more boisterous and will benefit from some structured activities with their own age group during the day. And from the responses it seems that Cunard provides this more than adequately. And I am quite a hands on parent so the younger boys will either be with me, or in the care of the kids staff. At no point will they be allowed to check themselves out of the club and go for a little wander, potentially disrupting other guests with their high spirits.

When on holiday together, we love to spend a lot of time together as a family. At home I care for three more teenaged boys who live with us in our home for most of the year, and my husband travels frequently for business so our family time is precious and valued by us all. We always eat all our meals together, usually in the restaurant, and attend the shows together. The kids love to dress up and use their restaurant manners. We really enjoy all the family activities. It's focussed time for us to be together and that is one thing that I am really looking forward to with the crossing.

We haven't decided yet. We'll rent a car and most likely stay up near Oxford and do a day trip into London. On the 'must do' list are also a Harry Potter Studio tour, Windsor Castle, Legoland and clotted cream. We like to bike so will try and experience a bit of the sights this way. The final day, after disembarking and prior to our evening flight back to NZ, we thought we'd rent a car again and go via Stonehenge.

We were originally going to do a 24 night Med cruise in 2017 but a) it's too long to wait, and b) I'm a little twitchy about the political and economic situation in the Med over the next 12 months. I'd prefer to defer that for a later trip rather than have second thoughts closer to the date. Darling husband was always angling for the Baltic since we cruised the Med twelve months ago so he is happy!

We saw a very strange phenomenon on board the QM2 doing a TA:

 

Have you seen The Invasion Of The Body Snatchers ?

 

Yikes! I shall remain alert for such a phenomenon and should I see it, I will immediately take evasive maneuvers and hide under my bed with as much alcohol as I can find.

My children have crossed the pond at all sorts of ages over the years on the QM2, and we are crossing again in a few months. My now 10 year old son is truly looking forward to his 7th crossing. Cunard has a great program for at least your 8-10 year olds, but it depends on their interests. They keep them very busy with various fun activities, free time with computer games, hockey on the deck, crafts, board games, etc. The staff are truly wonderful and have a great time with the kids. You will have to check your 8-10 yo out for an hour or so for lunch and dinner, and in the summer they close a little later ... around 11PM? I think... usually watching a movie late at night or playing video games. But overall my kids beg to spend their time in the children's zone; although I make a strong effort to spend time with the kids playing "tennis"/paddle ball, ping pong, ring toss, going to the pool, shuffle board, (and basketball back in the day when they had the court), and also boardgames on oceanview boardgame row, watch a movie in the theater (e.g. Lego Movie), planetarium etc.

 

Your 14 year old could get bored, but it really depends on the kid. The gregarious type 14 yo typically have a blast as they hook up with some similar aged friends... especially on a July crossing.

 

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whyohwhyoh

That is great to hear! I am really reassured by that. Those all sound like activities my younger two would love. Though like you we also love the time we spend together as family on board. We built some great family traditions on our last cruise, which was the kids first, and we look forward to continuing these on the QM2.

The 14 year isn't a gregarious kid. He's pretty reserved but he's also quite intellectual so he'll probably enjoy the lectures. Not to mention that hours can pass quite happily if he has his kindle and a steady supply of mango smoothies!

Given that the one teenager seems to be content to hang with the parents, doesn't it appear that Cunard's kids program will be good for the younger two?

I'm hoping so! The kids only need a few hours. Otherwise they love hanging out with us and swimming in the pool or playing games or watching a movie. On our Disney cruise six months ago they only went to the clubs for a few hours each day - but there were more port stops which made a difference.

Hi, we have just booked our family onto a transatlantic crossing from NY to Southampton next year and will be bringing our three sons with us. Our biggest concern is whether there will be enough to keep them happy. The younger two will be 8 and 10 and the oldest will be 14.

The older one will be happy hanging out with his Dad and I if there is nothing that interests in with the youth program. But if we don't have a couple of hours where the younger two can go roar around with other kids and do arts and crafts and stuff then its not going to be a very relaxing voyage for my husband and I!

Any thoughts, advice or suggestions?

We've just booked:

6th July 2016 - Eastern Transatlantic - Queen Mary 2 (7 nights)

17th July 2016 - Scandinavia & Russia - Celebrity Eclipse (14 nights)

We are taking the kids and all looking forward to it so much! It will be the kids 2nd & 3rd cruises so will cement the addiction that began for them with the Disney Magic six months ago.

Our last cruise was in the Caribbean with our three sons. We had flown from NZ to San Fran then San Fran to Orlando. Luggage space was at a premium and, given that we were heading up to New York for Christmas, mostly dedicated to winter clothes and coats. I used the ships laundry at least three times that week and it was a huge convenience for us.

We just got a taxi. It was simple and easy.

Make sure you allow a stack of time - the lines at the airport are sooooooo slow!

We took the kids out for lunch at a nice restaurant on the weekend. It reminded me our our cruise in December. Happy memories! :D

We found this a really simple and satisfying way to tip when we cruised Disney in December.

The envelopes and slips were left in our cabin on the last full day and we were able to give them to the relevant people with our thanks and a handshake.

Viking Oceans looks amazing! We plan on cruising with them once the kids are much older.

Love love LOVE this development!

Transiting via SFO for our recent Caribbean cruise was definitely not ideal!

I've only done two cruises so far - both seven days.

On the first there was one sea day plus we stayed on board for one port. That was a great opportunity to explore the ship, catch up on sleep, read lots of books and generally just relax.

One the second cruise we took our three sons and this one was also 7 days with one sea day. On this one we really enjoyed the trivia activities, the shows, exploring the ship, doing tasting classes in the bars and relaxing with our books whilst the boys were in the clubs.

I really like sea days. In my normal life, I have full time care of six boys (ages 7-15) and my husband travels a lot. It's sheer luxury for me to be able to relax and not worry about constantly preparing snacks and meals and chasing up homework and trying to stay on top of endless laundry and cleaning. Being able to have a nice breakfast at one of the sit down restaurants, followed by meandering the decks or reading my book, then more food and more relaxing .... Sheer bliss!

I'm loving your review! Thank you for taking the time to post.

There is a difference in taste and texture between the two. A omelette will generally be slightly drier and have a slight crispness to the outside while scrambled eggs are just kind of mush. I enjoy both, sometimes I want one and sometimes the other.

Oh great! It's 1am here and I had just talked myself out of scrambled eggs! :mad: Gee thanks! :P