abefroman329

We flew in that morning and got to the terminal around 12, after running some last minute errands. I really wanted to have lunch on board for free rather than paying for a meal at a restaurant, otherwise we might have boarded later. One plus to boarding early is that you’ll be assured of a good deck chair facing starboard to you can watch the harbor traffic and your departure.

Will Cunard let you bring bottles water aboard?

Yes, I brought 6 1.5-liter bottles on board with me. The other passengers thought I was crazy, but I saved a fortune.

If I had to do it all over again, I would’ve brought an extra luggage tag with me, stapled it to the carton of water, and let the baggage handlers bring it to our room. Lugging it all the way to the room was no fun.

Much cheaper and easier to get to the cruise terminal from JFK than Newark. LaGuardia is even better if that’s an option.

Smoking is not allowed on the deck 7 promenade or on any balconies. Smoking is only allowed in a tiny, open, unsheltered area well aft of any cabins other than the suites. We happened to hang out at one of the tables where they allowed smoking to watch the sun set, and it was so sparsely populated and airy, it was barely noticeable.

The only problem with that, they are free on ship and that is one of the reasons so must food is left on their plates.

If I left food on my plate, it was because I didn't like it. What better opportunity than a cruise to try foods I'd never had before? I'd never had kippers before my TA. Loved them!

Is there a particular brand and/or product you're hoping to purchase on board?

Forgive me, but what are "subway cookies?"

Cookies that are baked by the heat generated by subway cars. Next time you step onto one, reach underneath and grab one for yourself. Make sure you get to them before the rats do, though.

Yes, you'll never make it off the ship in time if you don't.

Noooooooo, we wouldn’t have chance for predinner cocktails then

 

 

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On those nights the show wrapped up by 8, that leaves 30 mins for cocktails. More, if you want to be rude and show up late for dinner.

The website just plain sucks year-round.

I found it difficult to kill the time, honestly, and would have much preferred that they did all of the shows for late seating prior to dinner, as they did with the NSO. But I also preferred dinner at 8:30 to dinner at 6, particularly on an eastbound TA where noon magically becomes 1 pm on 5 of the days.

I have friends still awaiting the arrival of their postcards that I mailed to them onboard several years ago. Other times I have posted cards and letters while onboard and it has taken several weeks for them to make their final destination.

That is unfortunate. We mailed postcards to the US and the UK from Southampton and they all made it to their destinations. The domestic postcard took a day or two.

I simply can't imagine asking someone else to do my unpacking or packing.

Me neither. Especially having to pack dirty clothes. I'd have to supply them with rubber gloves!

Also, what kind of postage is used and does it get a Queen Mary 2 stamp mark on it?

Yes, it is postmarked QM2. Frankly, I have no idea how the postage works. You're charged a flat rate to mail a postcard anywhere in the world from that port and you're charged in USD. The postage isn't applied in front of you. I would think the postage would have to be in the denomination of where it's being mailed from.

Connections are a little faster if you connect early am or late night when others aren't using the service as much. It's not fast but not really unbearable.

Connections are also faster if you use the desktop computers in the Internet Center rather than using one of your personal devices in your stateroom.

Log on when you're ready to use it and log off the minute you're done, and watch your usage carefully - we were charged twice for Internet time we didn't use. A quick visit to the Internet Center had it fixed quickly, though.

The woman working there was a saint, btw - every time I went, there was a long line of (mostly elderly) passengers who couldn't get their Internet working. Some would yell I CAN'T UNDERSTAND YOU at her because she spoke English with an accent.

They often sell out before that point.

This is the likeliest scenario. The TA we took last month was sold out for at least a month before sailing. At any rate, you're not going to pay less than what it would cost them to leave the stateroom empty.

If you have any special needs at all, such as dietary restrictions, you'd better make sure they don't need more than 24 hours' notice.

If time is no concern whatsoever, you could rent a storage locker. One company, Public Storage, offers some storage lockers for $1 for the first month, even if you only rent it for one month.

Any thoughts please?

Self-disembarkation puts the odds of this happening at as close to zero as possible.

Local offices MAY be cheaper than the airport (usually it's a higher base rate, offset by lower taxes and fees, and it comes out in the end). Local offices also have limited hours compared to the airport, will be far less flexible than the airport in terms of the car you receive, will probably give you an old and dirty car with high mileage and less than a full tank of gas, and are far less likely to be familiar with qualifying drivers with international licences for rental.

A suit and dress shirt, no tie. I never wore a tie unless it was required.

Nordic poles have been invaluable to my husband who has been diagnosed with Stage 3 cancer and osteoporosis. These enable him to walk further and enjoy the ports of call.

 

We have had so many sarcastic comments about mountains and snow and it is just not funny !!

 

If you happen to see us around the Grills please do not judge him as appearances can be deceptive.

You wouldn't have heard them from me - I'm able-bodied and nearly fell on my ass a few times in normal weather conditions. Nordic poles would've been a great idea!

One nice feature of the National Symphony crossing is the passenger chorus. There are several rehearsal sessions, followed by a performance with the Symphony on the last evening.

On our crossing, Captain Philpott was drafted to conduct during the concert :-)

Not sure if you were there on American Night, but he was also drafted to ring the ship's bell when the orchestra played the Liberty Bell March.

When boarding the ship and leaving will I have to walk far ? I ask this as I have recently had four Laser Surgeries on my legs and concerned about having to walk a long distance.

"Far" is a relative term. I felt like it was a longer walk on arrival in Southampton than boarding in Brooklyn.

If you can't be on your feet for long periods of time, then make sure you don't arrive at peak check-in time - we waited for two hours to check in at the terminal in Brooklyn and had to stand the whole time.

Edit: I do find it odd that there appears to be an eastbound crossing from 15 September to 22 September 2019 featuring the National Symphony Orchestra but the description of that voyage seems to make no mention of it.

I was on the eastbound crossing that the NSO was on last month and they started advertising it relatively late on cunard.com, probably only within 4-6 weeks of departure.

Does anyone else remember when US Customs and Immigration boarded at Southampton and did passport checks on board? Definitely on QE2, and I think I recall that on early QM2 voyages. (deep sigh)

That's a big reason why we'll probably never do a westbound TA. Being able to walk straight off the ship at Southampton was a treat.