Jump to content

Planning to cruise

Members
  • Posts

    172
  • Joined

Everything posted by Planning to cruise

  1. At the end of a cruise last year my husband ended up helping an elderly couple with their cases in the shed at Southampton. He is not the fittest passenger but this pair with whom we had spoken in a bar on baord were clearly having trouble with their small cases and wobbling on their sticks. Porters?
  2. Triva every evening at 8 pm in the Explorers Lounge on port days on our VO cruises this year. On the one sea day it was around 12 noon in the theatre.
  3. The timings above are the reason why we have now decided to try to arrive on board earlier even if it means overnighting in a hotel. Travelling on the day of departure has resulted in more than one arrival on company transfers during the talk or the start of dinner without time to freshen up. We share cdn polar s views about getting unpacked and settled.
  4. I have no experience of P and O. I only know of MSC from my daughter and family with teenagers. She and her husband would prefer Cunard and told me that she knew I would hate MSC but that it was fine for them as the teens were having a fantastic time. I dont do party ships. I will let you make up your own mind. I do sail Cunard regularly. They are a quieter line than MSC and have regular fjord cruises. We have been to most fjord ports. You may wish to avoid a very large ship with many passengers for a fjord cruise where tenders are sometimes needed. To see the fjords you need an itinerary that does not focus on the coastal ports. You can probably do better than any of the options you have so far. I would suggest that you investigate a bit more.
  5. Viking is an itinerary led line. Its emphasis is not on daytime or evening entertainment.
  6. Another issue in Verandah on QM2 is its position next to a pool deck. At lunch time those in window seats have glass between them and people sitting on the other side by the pool. As there is a door from the restaurant to the outside deck it is not unknown for non diners, some in pool clothing, to enter from outside and use the restaurant as a thoroughfare despite this officialy not being allowed and imo rude. I agree that Verandah on QE and QV have a better ambience.
  7. I am pleased to see that there was a matinee classical concert. We were told on Anne that "all that has gone", to our concern and disappointment.
  8. Good to know, many thanks. Next year we arrive at the embarkation port a couple of days in advance. It will be good to get on board without delay. We have done a few Viking Rivers but always arrived latish after flights and transfers. That has never been good and this time we decided to get ahead.
  9. In over 200 nights total on QM2 I have only been inside the gym for muster drill.
  10. I have had experience of trying to do this sort of thing with Cunard but, like you, without success. We booked Cape Town to Sydney but having been to Sydney we thought we would disembark a few days earlier and visit someone. Cunard wouldnt entertain it. As it turned out it was academic anyway as we never went anywhere thanks to covid cancellation of the whole thing.
  11. We would never go on the "horrid monsters". There are smaller ships, more itinerary based with less entertainment. They will not be to everyones taste but we find we can mix that with Cunard happily. Cancelling. We have only done so once, not wishing to repeat QA as our next cruise on her was a longer one. We knew that unless we transferred the deposit to another Cunard booking of the same or higher value we would lose it. I might have been willing to cut our losses but DH was not prepared to lose the cash! Whilst still on board we looked at other Cunard cruises of at least equal cost and decided to transfer to another longer one on QM2. We went to the future cruise office and asked them to make the change. They said they could not do so, were unable to do the paperwork. Dont ask me why. Although the person was pleasant and polite we had the impression that they were more interested in making new sales. We contacted our agent on return home who immediately organised the change to a different cruise and ship in a cabin of our choice without fuss. I am UK based.
  12. We just go with the flow on close tables, sometimes getting chatty, sometimes it is only polite exchanges. Once we did have an issue. In PG on QV with tables side by side. Nothing wrong with the other pair, perfectly nice people but DH in particular didnt care for the mans frequent topic of conversation. Too medical, especially as at the time DH had seen enough of medical establishments for a while. We didnt want to move, we had a great window table. After a few days we realised that they were always in the dining room almost as soon as it opened. We deliberately went a little later, which suited us and were able to say something on the lines of hello, have you had a good day, oh dear I see you are leaving, never mind we ll see you again. It worked and we ate in peace. In PG since Covid the tables have been more angled, still close if you want to engage but are not face to face if you want to be less sociable.
  13. Correction. I now see that the post referred to the QE2. Apologies. My first visit was on QM2, and the subject of my photo. She towered above the houses.
  14. I have one like that too. On our numerous Stavanger calls we have always docked by the Gamle Stan. Old Town. This year we were further down by the new concert hall, still accessible enough. I note that some ships have to use moorings by the Oil Museum. When we were there a private yacht was docked in the harbour also. A massive thing, more like a small cruise ship, the type more usually seen around the South of France. It took up a stretch of waterfront opposite the Old Town. The Canning Museum, by the way, is no more. The smaller basic shed with only the exhibits about the fishing industry has been absorbed into a larger more modern building that portrays industrial history generally. We stuck our heads in to see what it was like but did not visit.
  15. Yep. I am familiar with the built environment too and the QA layout and sizing shortcomings were glaringly obvious to me, from our room to public spaces and traffic flow. I realise from posts that many people do love QA and look forward to sailing on her. Thats fair enough. Its a good thing that we dont all try to be on the same ship. Its also good that Cunard has a different style of ship to broaden their appeal. For some QA is the only realistic Cunard option while other ships (other than QM2) are not sailing from Southampton. I do appreciate the other views. But QA is not for us. We have other options with Cunard and another line and cancelled future QA cruises. I know I am not alone in doing so.
  16. ..... but not for non Grills passengers, the majority
  17. Possibly not, I dont know. QM2s size and any port limitations would be something for the OP to consider and investigate when deciding on a TA v port to port or a combined journey. Only QM2 offers the latter.
  18. I am on that too with the crossing back to Southampton from NY. Only one port in Iceland and its not going into the longer fjord port (Geiranger, Flam).
  19. We have learned to do so by experience. We once had the worst table in QM2 BC and couldnt get moved. Our fault for not checking first and probably getting bumped down. On QM2 as frequent flyers we ask for and usually get the front section of Britannia between the doors and the mural. In the "good old days" it was where officers sometimes hosted some large tables. Another input into the tabe allocation algorithms is length of time on board. The longer your journey the better your table. World cruisers trump those on segments. If there is an embarkation / disembarkation day on your cruise you may be asked if you wish to have a different table on changeover - the wonderful Stanley again who works various dining rooms on the ships.
  20. I have done TA and ports cruises on QM2 many times. I enjoy both. They are different. Obviously the ship, food, rooms and staff are the same. Both have formal nights. Both serve afternoon teas. TAs tend to have more daytime activities and talks. There is more than enough to do. With ports, there is clearly more emphasis on destinations. TAs, to me, feel less rushed but you also have daily time changes, gaining or losing an hour each tine depending on direction. I have been in PG on other Cunard ships but not on Mary so cant help.
  21. On Ocean too. I have done river cruises and experienced weather, river level, issues with Viking. I concur with what you say. I have also done many ocean cruises adding up to some 18 months at sea in total. Ports have been missed for good reason, sometimes but not always weather related. Port departures have been delayed, missed or ships diverted for medical reasons. At the beginning of a world cruise the captain addressed the passengers doing the full journey. He told us that we although had booked with an itinerary we should realise that it was nothing more than a wish list. Circumstances could (and in a few places did) dictate otherwise.
  22. Agreed. It is convenient, midships, but some tables are up against the window onto the atrium. I was glad not to be there, a bit goldfish bowl and feeding time viewing. Our own table was in a corner, up against 2 walls. We had refused one next to a noisy service station. The plus of being tucked away was the lack of constant passing traffic in a too cramped space
  23. Club dining on QM2 and QV / QE is more intimate with speedy good service by a waiting team that gets to know the limited number of diners. QA Club dining room is larger with more diners to be served. More akin to Britannia. We found speed and efficiency of service variable. Wait staff whilst good often seemed under more pressure to get around everyone. As in Britannia, there were long waits if more people turned up. Tables are close together, it was difficult to get cheese and flambe trolleys close to a table when service was sometimes further away with the plate then being carried to the table. Very first world, but not Club as we know it.
  24. The Casino pinch point was evident from day 1 on board. It affects the able bodied too when it is difficult for traffic moving in opposite directions to pass, especially at busy times such as theatre finish. Passing along the Queens Room thoroughfare by the bar can be another pinch point at times. Imo not well designed.
  25. Corridors are narrower. There are more rooms opening out into the space. Movement in the corridors is more restricted for all.
×
×
  • Create New...

If you are already a Cruise Critic member, please log in with your existing account information or your email address and password.