Smokeyham

I know this is an old thread, but we are in Southampton today and can see P&O's Britannia from our hotel room. As someone living in America, it would be interesting to try this line.

I love that this thread is still going! Hoping to hear many more crazy stories over the years.

Sending the bag to the hotel is a great idea! We will be in Southampton for two days prior to boarding, so this is a great solution. As you say, then you know that you have your bag.

Thanks for all of these great suggestions and information!

We are in the same situation, i.e. no dancing experience but want to give it a try. We will try to learn from YouTube dance lessons, though we live a long distance apart and so cannot practice together. My hope is that the reality of the situation is that there will likely be some "serious" dancers, but also enough people that are in a similar position to ours that we still give it a go.

Actually, this was posted March, 2023 (one year ago) for Star Trek VI. The information seems relevant for the Star Trek cruises and most will likely apply to future cruises. A friend works on these cruises and the information posted tracks with what she has told me.

Can anyone advise if waltz lessons are offered on the Queen Mary 2 on Transatlantic crossings? If so, when are they typically offered and is a sign up available/recommended? Thanks. P.S. We know it would be better to take these on land in advance, but our circumstances don't allow for this.

I know this is an older post, but I am still hearing good things about Dora The Explorer in 2024. Thanks for your recommendation.

Thanks so much. That is very helpful!

Thanks for that info. We are currently trying out a variety of cruise lines so have not yet settled on as our favourite so far. Our thinking is that we would like to find a good TA who will do a good job on both cruises and on land based trips, including securing good rates. We would like to have a one-stop shop where the TA would also make air bookings for us, but after reading the posts above it seems like some will no longer do air fares, and that is not critical to us.

Hello, I previously started a thread asking about power outlets in the QM2 Britannia Club Class balcony cabins and had some very helpful answers. I know the ship recently went through a refit and was wondering if there have been any changes (i.e. more plugs added by the beds and/or USB plugs added? From the prior thread I understand there are American and UK power outlets at the desk, and one UK power outlet behind the bed (which is used by the beside lamps). I am wondering if anything has been added beyond those. Thanks

Thanks so much. I understand that QM2 recently did a refit, so I wonder if they updated/increased the number of plugs in the cabins? I have started a separate thread to ask that question:

@rimmit Thanks for this great review! It is really interesting to learn how themed cruises are different from a regular cruise. I'm looking forward to reading the next segments of your review.

Thanks for the responses so far. If we are not to get a better fare, and only get a small reward for booking through a TA, then I guess we have to wonder if using a TA is worth the "cost" of losing control of the booking and relying on them to watch for lower fares. Am I missing something here? Our TA will not book airfares for us. She will look into hotel bookings and transfers, and is a one-person operation.

OP here....... Just wanted to say thank you to those who provided feedback on how many people actually wear tuxedos on formal nights. Looking through those answers it seems like a small number (roughly 10% to 20%). This will help us decide whether or not we want to bring formal wear or to dress alternately on our 15 night Fort Lauderdale to Los Angeles Panama Canal cruise on Princess. I'm including those specific details in case anyone else has specific information on formal dress on this cruise. Thanks again.

We recently booked a Cunard crossing that will cost us US $6,574 for the basic cruise fare. Our travel agent is giving us a US $200 on board credit. She wasn't able to get us a break on the cruise fares. Seems like a pretty meager reward, but I wanted to see what others think. For reference, at the current rate of $14.50/person/night this will cover the cost of gratuities.

Thanks, We have a nice "bump out" mini suite cabin that faces forward, which I really wanted, and there are none available on the port side. Our cruise is not for awhile so I will continue to watch the website to see if one becomes available.

Arrrgh.... We booked a starboard side cabin. Wish I had researched this thread before booking.

I'm really enjoying the various viewpoints here. My girlfriend is more introverted than and I and much prefers a table for two for our meals. Many people do, so I think it is good that there is that option. Although I might prefer more people to share dinner with I do find that we still get to meet other people on board. Very much agree that the instances of people having conversations on their cell phones in loud voices, or stopping abruptly in the the middle of a passageway, are very annoying.

I would be interested in hearing, especially from those who have done a Princess Panama Canal Cruise, how many people wear actual formal wear (i.e. tuxedos) on a 12-night Panama Canal full transit? We have formal wear, and while it might be fun to wear it on the three formal nights, we would not want to do so if very few people actually do so. Thanks for your thoughts.

Something we really enjoyed in Japan was the cultural norm not to have conversations while on a cell phone on trains and other public transport.

I wonder if passengers will be more focused on being connected, via devices, with people they already know than in creating new friends and connections on board.

Of course, there are advantages to the increased connectivity but I am a bit worried that the sense of a group of people being together on a journey will be lost if we are more connected to the outside world.

I reading about many ships adding Starlink satellite equipment to improve internet connectivity. If this results in improved internet speed/reliability, and decreased cost to access, I am wondering if this will change the atmosphere on board? I'm thinking that more people be on their phones, making calls and also more people will be working while on board. There are already a fair number of people, including ourselves using devices on board but it still seems to be less than in other public locations such as airports. Will the increased connectivity mean that people will be focused on their devices in bars and other venues so there will be less social interaction? What are your thoughts?