Smokeyham

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?

Thanks for that information. Just confirming this was on QM2? Also, did you have to run an extension cord from the desk across the cabin? Someone else mentioned having to do this.

This has all been very useful information, especially the link for the Marks & Spencer formal wear option. Like many others, we are flying to Britain and then taking a QM2 crossing back and are lookin for options for clothing that we will only be using on the crossing.

That is great news! Thanks so much.

That is actually very useful. We will be doing a crossing on QM2 and this is exactly what I needed to know.

Thanks for the referral to TickerFactory.com. I am looking for one that provides a picture of the specific ship we will be going on.

I agree, this was a really nice way to have a ticker and also to copy and paste into the document where I keep track of all of the cruises I have done. Does anyone have a suggestion for a replacement?

Hello, For many years I used the countdown tickers available on cruise-ships.com (see attached). Trying the website today I see that it is no longer in service. I loved the look of this and the consistency I could get in saving a picture of the ship with the length shown. Does anyone know if there is anything similar to this available online? Many thanks,

Thanks, I appreciate it.

A friend lives on the Southern Oregon Coast and was monitoring marine radio traffic when she heard traffic from the Ruby Princess. She could only hear their side of the conversation but it sounded like the ship was receiving some sort of assistance. Does anyone know what may have happened?

Thanks for all of the great, and very specific, feedback. Seems like this system works well even if you are leaving your home well in advance of your planned crossing.

Thanks .... That is very helpful!

Hello, Doing some research and we see references to Masquerade, Red & Gold, Roaring 20's, etc Gala/Theme nights on board QM2. We will be doing a Southampton to New York crossing. I did look at the website (https://www.cunard.com/en-us/the-cunard-experience/what-to-pack#evenings) and saw some ideas but would welcome thoughts from those who have experience with the themed evenings on what to wear/bring for men and women. We will be travelling for a few weeks beforehand so are trying to keep our suitcases to a manageable number/weight, so ideas for easily packable items are extra welcome. Thanks for any ideas.

Hello, We are thinking of using "Luggage Forward" to ship a bag from the US west coast to Southampton for a QM2 Crossing. Has anyone had any recent experience with them and also do you have any suggestions/hints? I understand this is the service that Cunard uses. FYI - When I went on to their website (https://www.luggageforward.com/) they gave us a pick up date which would be after the date when we plan to start travelling. I called them up and they said they could arrange for an earlier pick up date if I made the reservation by calling, as opposed to online. They were careful to confirm the port we were sailing out of as they cannot do this for all ports that they service. Thanks for any thoughts.

Thanks so much for doing this and sharing your research. Very helpful!

Hello, We have a booking for Island Princess' Balcony Cabin B431 and were wondering if anyone has had any recent experience with this cabin? I did find a closed thread from 2012 (https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/1530432-island-princess-cabin-question/) that mentioned that the forward facing balcony is a bit smaller than some other balconies and that, since it is on a a bump out, that the balcony has a bit less privacy than some other balconies. Also mentioned was that it might be a bit more open to rain. On the plus side, it was mentioned that this is a great cabin for the Panama Canal, which is the cruise that we are booked for. We also like the idea that this cabin is on the starboard (north facing for much of the trip) so perhaps might be a bit cooler. If you have any experience with this cabin please let us know. Thanks!

Good advice! On our recent cruise (first time in Oceania - in a B1 cabin) I waited for a couple of days after our pre-cruise window opened for dinner reservations. I was only able to make a reservation in Polo Grill for one night on our 24-night cruise and that was for a 9:00 PM shared able. We were on the last segment of a Round The World and they, and the suite guests, had priority above us. We were able to change that reservation to a 7:30 PM shared table once on board, but reservations were still pretty tight. Some nights we passed by Polo Grill and it seemed pretty quiet. I don't know if we could have just turned up and got in.