Queenie52

Thank you

We are joining the ship in Rome and wondered what testing facilities are available either at the port or in Rome itself. Does the certificate have to be in English? Has anyone any experience of boarding in Rome? We are looking forward to the trip once we get this all sorted!! Thanks 

On 7/3/2022 at 7:35 PM, RJChatsworth said:

Trips in NY seemed expensive if you have been there before and know the ropes.

 

Tendered into the lovely Bar Harbor today on a beautifully sunny and warm day.

 

Not wishing to offend but there has been a noticeable change in the demographic since NY.  Rather than QM-2 being the classy liner that it is I think some think it is a holiday camp.  Shorts in the evening in public areas, including the Royal Court Theatre, even seen them in the MDR in the evening.  In the evening in the theatre on the last two evenings I could count five close by who took their masks off and not the same five.

 

It was very different on the transatlantic crossing to NY.

I have to agree - That second week we actually saw someone in an anorak jacket and flat cap in the MDR in the evening! Never seen this before. Also agree in the theatre it was a case of " mask rule doesn't mean me!" 

We are on the QM to New York, Halifax and Boston at the end of June/July. I am a little concerned about the news that COVID cases have been rising both on board and in New York and Brooklyn. What we don’t want to happen is that on board activities such as spa etc get cancelled because of an outbreak. We have already transferred this holiday (booked before COVID) so we’re getting worried. Our cabin has already been changed because they need it for COVID isolation. Evidently the crew new to the ship in Southampton have to isolate in a cabin for 7 days! I wonder how that affects staffing levels on board. What about speakers do they have to isolate too? Also testing - we have to test 24 hours before embarking and then again before NY - do we also have to test again before Boston and again before disembarking in NY. It’s all starting to look like a not very relaxing and enjoyable cruise. Does anyone have any latest info on the ship and what is happening? I believe QM is on orange level and being investigated by the CDC in the US. It’s all very scary!! 

Hi 

We are on the QM2 which docks in New York in July 2022. We have a flight back to Manchester included and this is from Newark. Does anyone know if transfer from the ship to the airport is arranged or do we have to sort this out ourselves? 
Thanks. 

We are looking for a cruise to take our family on and there are Two children aged 11 and 7. Are there enough activities on a Marella cruise to keep everyone happy? Thanks for your help.

Hi 

We did the two day tour and I can't recommend TJ Tours highly enough! The whole experience was amazing. We were in a mini bus for 10 people (with wifi and water) and we went absolutely everywhere! Our guide Alex was lovely and so knowledgable - she got us in to all the busy places without queuing, she even knew where the less crowded loos where! Her art knowledge in the Hermitage was outstanding.We even went down a subway (a fabulous experience!) as the mini bus was able to get up all the little side streets and dodge the traffic!  The first day went from 8.30am - 6.00pm and the second day from 7.30am - 4-00pm. We were on boat trips and driving in the mini bus so it didn't feel too long and we were back at the boat in plenty of time. 

We were charged 240$ each (with a discount for being on Cruise Critic) and we asked for a price in Rubles before we went and took the cash we had exchanged using John Lewis including cash for tips. In fact we got a better exchange rate on the day and so spent what we had left in the souvenir shop at the end of the trip where you pay (they seemed to give the best value for money too!). All in all a fabulous trip. I would expect that if you wanted a shorter day you would have to work out what you didn't mind missing and that depends on how young your children are. The Hermitage was amazing but very busy and we did see some very bored looking youngsters trawling around there. They would probably love the boat trip and the hydrofoil to Peterhof and the subway ( as long as they are ok on the longest escalator in the world!). 

Hope that is useful for you! 

Queenie 

Hello can anyone help? 

We have booked a two day tour of St Petersburg with T J Tours and have been quoted a price in dollars. We would prefer to pay in cash but the website says they only accept Rubles. Has anyone been on this tour and paid in dollars?  I am assuming if we ask them how much the tour is in Rubles we will get their exchange rate? 

Thank you - thats very helpful!

Hello

I wonder if anyone can help? We disembark this cruise in July in Athens and wonder if we get taken straight to the airport or do we have time to look around Athens. The customer service at Cunard said that sometimes they take you on a short excursion on the way to the airport but that sounded a bit far fetched ( I'm thinking it would cost them!!). I think we depart Athens at about 15.00 hours (although Cunard haven't confirmed this yet) and am just thinking if we have to disembark at 9.00 am its going to be a long day at the airport! Thank you

Thanks for that. Do you know how long it will take to get off the ship by tender?

Thanks for the replies this is really helpful!

Can anyone help? Looking at the port schedule it looks like the QE arrives in Geiranger at 8.00am on our cruise. How long does it take to disembark with tendering, bearing in mind we are not on a ships tour or in Grills so we probably won't be first in the queue! I'm looking to book a panoramic bus tour and am not sure what time to go for. Also has anyone done this 90 min tour and is it worth it? We also hoping to do the waterfall walk in the afternoon.

Thanks

Can anyone help? Looking at the port schedule it looks like the QE arrives in Geiranger at 8.00am on our cruise. How long does it take to disembark with tendering, bearing in mind we are not on a ships tour or in Grills so we probably won't be first in the queue! I'm looking to book a panoramic bus tour and am not sure what time to go for. Also has anyone done this 90 min tour and is it worth it? We also hoping to do the waterfall walk in the afternoon.

Thanks

Thank you for all your helpful replies! This is where a community forum is so useful"

Thank you all much for your speedy replies - very helpful! I think our ship has Kai next to it so I think that means we dock on the quay rather than anchor and needing a tender. So that should help.

Help please!

We have been trying to book for the Flam railway when we go on our Norway Fjords cruise, however the most appropriate times are all blocked out. Presumably the cruise ships by lock book in advance which means very few options! We could wait until we get there and see if there are any returns (tricky!) or we could gamble on an early departure (9.45) but as we don't dock until 9 and everyone else gets priority for disembarking (especially if tendered) could be problematical, likewise if we book the later one which gets back at 3.40 and the ship leaves at 5 which again could cause us to worry and not enjoy the trip. The other option is to pay the exhibitant price of a ship excursion and bite the bullet!

Has anyone managed to book this trip themselves with those time constraints?

Thank you

Help please!

We have been trying to book for the Flam railway when we go on our Norway Fjords cruise, however the most appropriate times are all blocked out. Presumably the cruise ships by lock book in advance which means very few options! We could wait until we get there and see if there are any returns (tricky!) or we could gamble on an early departure (9.45) but as we don't dock until 9 and everyone else gets priority for disembarking (especially if tendered) could be problematical, likewise if we book the later one which gets back at 3.40 and the ship leaves at 5 which again could cause us to worry and not enjoy the trip. The other option is to pay the exhibitant price of a ship excursion and bite the bullet!

Has anyone managed to book this trip themselves with those time constraints?

Thank you