Sweetpea711423

Do you know what's in the Salene drink?

Can you explain what you mean by that? Are people not adhering to the guidelines for evening dress?

Many thanks for this! She looks absolutely beautiful in the dress (as she looks in everything you have posted). A lovely lady (and a handsome gentleman). Thanks again.

I'm not sure this is appropriate here, but I absolutely love the dress you are wearing on the blue sunburst rug. Again, not sure it's appropriate to ask, but if it is, could you share the maker of the dress and where you got it? Would be much appreciated. You look fabulous in it (as you both look fabulous in all of your outfits)!

Sorry I didn't see this until now. I'll try to give you my sense of both lines (while of course recognizing that this is all subjective, and both have good and bad points). My husband and I have done many cruises on Silversea over many years (starting in 2004). We have truly enjoyed them all. Generally felt that they had great food, service, cabins, etc. Shows and "enrichment" have been a mixed bag, but often have been outstanding. We are sorry that they started including excursions, since we have always arranged our own private tours. So we'll see how that goes. We have done many crossings on Cunard (first on the Queen Elizabeth 2 starting in 2000, then on the Queen Mary 2). Other than a cruise on the new Queen Elizabeth that went from Japan (with various stops) across the Pacific to Alaska (with various stops), we have never done any cruise on a Cunard ship. Only crossings. For us Cunard ships are too large to take if there are port stops. (We chose to do the Japan-Alaska cruise on Cunard because we thought a larger ship would do better crossing the Pacific). Now a transatlantic crossing is another story. It is an experience onto itself. It is not a repositioning cruise, as it would have been with Silversea. It is 7 nights on the water. Westbound you get the bonus of gaining an hour almost every day, as opposed to losing an hour almost every day on the eastbound crossing. Historically crossings were more formal than other cruises usually are. That has changed a bit in recent years (a change that I am not happy about). It used to be that the first and last night of the crossing was casual, while all other nights were formal. And that meant men in tuxes and women in gowns, or similar attire. On our last 7 night crossing, there were only 2 formal nights. People still dress up for that, but not as much as before. And on the other nights, people still dress "nicely"; just less formally. Often there are excellent "Enrichment" speakers, who you also have an opportunity to interact with if you desire. For example, off the stop of my head, we've had P.D. James; Geoffrey Howe, former Deputy Prime Minister to Margaret Thatcher; Tom Parker Bowles, food writer and son of Camilla Parker Bowles; someone whose name I can't remember who had been press secretary to Queen Elizabeth II; and John Sebastian and Donovan (singers from the 60's). There is always lots of live music in different venues, shows in the evening (quality varies), sometimes shortened versions of Shakespeare plays by actors from an English acting company I can't remember, sometimes nighttime stories by the same group of actors, and things like that. There is a large and excellent library. There are lots of classes (bridge; dance; painting; needlepoint, I think; napkin-folding; etc.) There is a Planetarium with a number of different shows during the crossing. Mainly there is a sense of this being something different. You're just there watching the ocean go by, relaxing, reading, etc. There are plenty of spaces to do that -- even though there are obviously many more people onboard than on a Silversea ship, it doesn't feel crowded. Oh, don't assume you'll be spending a lot of time on your balcony or sitting on a deck chair outside -- you are crossing the Atlantic and you should assume it will be too cold for that most of the time, regardless of the time of year you cross. As to food, I would say that Queens Grill is very good, but not as good as my memory of Silversea. Our most recent crossing in May was our first on Cunard post-this Covid business, and I would say that the food wasn't quite as good as we had remembered. However, you can order off-menu in Queens Grill and they are happy to make anything for you if they have the ingredients onboard. Just be sure to ask by lunch on the day you want it for dinner. I would say that our best meals were, for the most part, the ones we ordered off-menu. Please keep in mind that much of my description was pre-Covid, and things during our crossing in May seemed at times to be a bit "off", like my description of the food. The enrichment lecturers seemed more "B"-level speakers rather than "A" level. Same with the shows. The butler we had in our Queens Grill suite was not very good at all. All that being said, we still had a wonderful time, and would definitely do it again (as we have in the past). You should remember that Silversea is a luxury line, and so essentially everything you come in contact with is at a luxury level. The Queen Mary 2 (or any Cunard ship, for that matter) is not a luxury ship. If you are in Queens Grill (or Princess Grill), your cabin will be larger and you will eat in one of the Grills restaurants, with better food. You will also have access to the Grills Lounge and the Grills Concierge. However, other than that, your experience will be the same as everyone else onboard, which means at more of a "premium" level, rather than luxury. Hope this helps, and I would be glad to try to answer any specific questions you might have. And again, sorry for the delay in responding to your question.

Thanks. I did make sure that the hotel we booked is air conditioned. Appreciate your input.

Many thanks for your reply. I must admit to still being concerned. I've read a few reviews of the museums online, and see multiple mentions of how hot it is inside so as to be uncomfortable to be there, and to suggest that air conditioning is needed. Are there any attractions (other than museums) that are air conditioned? Otherwise I guess I'll have to hope for cool weather.

Hi. My husband and I will be in Copenhagen at the end of July for a few days before a cruise to the Norwegian fjords. We do not do well in the heat. Do you know whether any museums in Copenhagen are air conditioned, and if so, which ones? I have been unable to find the information online. Your help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Many thanks!

I know this will seem like a very strange question, because it is. My husband and I are booked on a cruise on the Silver Moon for late July. We haven't been on Silversea for a number of years. A few weeks ago we were on a transatlantic crossing on the QM2 in Queens Grill. To our surprise there was no bar soap in the cabin -- only shower gel and hand gel. We have made many transatlantic crossings over the years in Queens Grill on both the QM2 and the QE2, and this was never the case. We found it quite annoying. So now we're wondering if other ships are making a similar change. What about Silversea? Is bar soap still something that is standard in the cabins? Thanks for your help.

Thanks to one and all for your help. Most appreciated.

Such wonderful advice. Thanks so much. Just one more follow-up question -- if you make a "cheaper" holding deposit on a cruise and then cancel it, I assume you are charged the $200 per person "cancellation" charge (which I know can be put towards a future cruise). Is that accurate? Also, will you be charged this "cancellation" charge if you make a "floating" deposit, not on a particular cruise?

Thanks. Could you explain what you mean by not having a book an actual voyage while on board to get the 5% discount. How does that work? What do you actually do?

And if so, what is the amount? Can you apply it to any future cruise? Can you apply it to both Port-to-Port as well as Door-to-Door prices? Anything else I should know about it? Many thanks in advance for your help.

This is fabulous! Thank you so much for your informative and helpful reply.

Hi. This thread has been so interesting and informative. I’m hopeful someone can help with the following: My husband and I just this week booked a 10-night cruise for late-July/early August, 2022, roundtrip from Copenhagen, with stops in Kristiansand, Olden, Alesund, Flam, Bergen, and Oslo. Does anyone have any advice about what to expect for the weather and what type of clothing to bring? While it’s the height of the summer, I don’t know what that means in this part of the world. Also, someone mentioned that we don’t need to get any Norwegian currency – that credit cards are accepted everywhere for everything. Does this include things like paying for taxis, giving tips, and any other things I can’t think of at the moment when one might generally use cash? Further, does anyone know whether this “cashless” society would also apply to Copenhagen? I’m wondering whether we should get some Danish currency. We’ll be staying at a hotel for a few days prior to the cruise, and I’m wondering again about taxis, tips, etc. Also, while I’m at it, does anyone know what we might expect for weather in Copenhagen at this time of year? We put off until pretty “last minute” for us booking this cruise, since I wanted to see what was going on with Covid. And although things don’t look that great with Covid, we decided to go anyway! Would appreciate any help. Thanks.

Many thanks for this detailed and very helpful reply. I'll share the info with my husband. Hope you continue to enjoy your cruise.

Hi. I've been reading your review with interest, particularly your repeated references to playing poker in the ship's casino. My husband and I are both "land-based" casino poker players, but have not previously found poker being played on ships. Were these always structured as "tournaments", or was there ever just "live" poker games? And are the "tournament" structures themselves always the same (starting number of chips, length of play at various betting levels, etc.), or did that vary as well? Thanks for any information you can provide about this.

I realized that I forgot to mention that we were also careful with social distancing. Our table in Queens Grill was next to the windows on one side, and a decent distance from the 2 diners on the other side. We went for drinks before dinner less frequently than we would normally, and made sure to sit away from other people. Same with when we went to hear live music after dinner and any shows -- we sat far away from others, regardless of how that impacted our view of the stage/musicians. If for some reason it didn't seem to us that adequate social distancing was possible we simply left. While not ideal, we didn't think it negatively impacted our overall experience to any significant degree.

Hello. I received an email notification this morning from Cunard regarding my April 24 transatlantic crossing on Queen Mary 2 from Southampton. It states that they are currently managing a number of Covid-19 cases onboard the Queen Mary 2, and talks about need to wear masks, etc. It goes on to state that, “[h]aving read this notification, we encourage you to assess your individual risk factors for developing severe COVID-19 disease. If you have concerns about joining the ship and you wish to transfer, postpone or cancel your voyage on Queen Mary 2, you will be given a 100% refund on all monies paid, including on any company-booked shore experiences.” The fact that they are offering refunds, and not just Future Cruise Credits, made me concerned about the actual situation onboard. Does anyone know how many Covid cases there are, are they passengers and/or crew, etc.? Any information about the status of things on the ship would be greatly appreciated, as we are scheduled to fly to England from the US tonight, and I am immunocompromised so have a bit higher level of concern than others might. Thanks in advance for your help.

Does anyone have an email address for reaching Silversea Customer Service? Thanks in advance for your help.