LB_NJ

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Unless you want to use OBC (wish they were like some other lines that let you use OBC when booking before the trip) I see no reason to wait assuming the excursion does not have a no-cancel clause (read the fine print). While you may not have a problem waiting until you are on the ship why take the chance.

We did an obstructed view balcony in July to Canada/Boston which we really liked. Liked the cabin more than I had expected before the cruise. NOTE: Not all obstructed view cabins have the same amount of obstruction.

To some extent it depends on time of year and where you are traveling. I think the comment above by HaveDogWillTravel is completely on point. One thing I would add is that the lower down on the ship the less rocking. Of course if the waves/weather are not bad it does not matter.

You will probably be overdressed with a tux (or white dinner jacket) on the informal nights however if it does not bother you it probably will not bother anyone else.

FYI, I will not rehash it here however there was a very long thread (now closed) about the changes to the dress code. We did a short 5 day trip this July and the changes were not really seen or felt since it just rolled out.

I would ask you question again around January to see how the new dress code is playing out.

I'm very interested in this also. Our trip on NCL was cut short in April & it was because RCL was scheduled also. They were coming in as we were leaving. Somewhere here it was said that they had priority in Havana. I'm looking at another cruise in March & don't want it cut short again. Looks like Havana can handle one big & one small ship. tried to find Havana port schedule but haven't been successful yet. I'll try the site listed.

Do you know what size is considered a big ship and a small ship?

My scheduled trip to Havana has two ships in port at the same time. They are both around 2000 passengers.

On Friday my wife and I received an e-mail from Cunard advertising a sheltered balcony on the QM2 TA departing Southampton Sept 2nd (Fashion Week) for $849/pp plus $100/pp OBC. We bit and made the booking. This will be only the second time on a cruise ever and the first was a TA on the QM2 last May. However, on that voyage we were in Balcony Club. Balcony vs Balcony Club has often been debated on this site. Based on our one experience, we thought the dining flexibility, expanded menu and other perks were worth it. Now we will have the opportunity to make a decision based on first hand experience. For $849 can we really go wrong? We will take on the experiment and see. Of course everyone is different but we will be happy to share our experience in this thread.

The price seems really good for sheltered balcony. My only experience is obstructed view balcony in July.

There are two top tables in Britannia (which is what we had) however if you don't book them in advance they tend to not be available if you want to switch.

Good morning,

 

Does anyone out there have any experience with parking their vehicle at the Brooklyn Cruise terminal before a westbound crossing so that the car is conveniently waiting nearby when the crossing is over?

 

I just wasn’t sure if they allow you to park on days where there isn’t a cruise departure. I was planning on parking the car, then getting a ride to JFK for the flight to Europe.

 

Anyone out there ever done this for a westbound QM2 crossing? Any feedback would be appreciated!

 

Steve

 

 

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I have parked at the long term parking lot at JFK. Wasn't bad. Not sure it is cost effective compared to other options for a really long term.

We will make sure the walk with our suitcases is doeable before we set off to the port. We won’t be in a rush so that will make it easier. We have walked 15-20 mins with our full suitcases before. I’m 62 but strong hubby will just have turned 52. [emoji3]

 

 

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FYI, one thing to consider is depending on the day of week and time of day and where in Manhattan you are, street corners in Manhattan can get congested making it hard to maneuver even when you are carrying nothing.

I have a cruise booked on deck 3 (ocean view porthole) in August 2019 on Oceania out of NY to Bermuda. I haven't tried Celebrity however I like the idea of a smaller ship and that it goes into Hamilton and St George. I am OK with modest entertainment and "country club" style. Just want the food to be better than Princess. Not that I hated the food on Princess but would have liked better. If the service is as good as Princess I will be OK.

I am looking at the negative comments and wondering if there is any reason I should cancel my reservation? Or if people know of any problems with deck 3 (picked deck 3 because it is lower and towards the middle).

FYI, this is from the MET website.

"

I have never used them however you might want to look into a baggage check facility in Manhattan as stated above.

Also, while I love the MET a teenager may not.

How does your daughter like the British Museum in London?

I do agree with the previous post about going to JFK back to Manhattan and then back to JFK is NOT a wise use of time.

As you say you will not have much time in Manhattan. Also with luggage you won't have many options.

On a different cruise I did a tour after the cruise because I had a late flight and it was a good way to kill time.

Thank you all for the information.

First, if you spend the day in NY and you have a 7PM international flight out of JFK you need to go there in the middle of rush hour on a Friday. Getting there by car means you need to leave a significant time cushion.

There is mass transit from NY to JFK however I have never used it and can't provide any advice in that regard however here is a link: http://web.mta.info/lirr/airports/

You did not say if you have been to NYC before. If you haven't I would suggest trying to move your flight a day or 2 to really see NY.

Personally, I wouldn't bother with shopping, I would spend the time seeing NYC.

There is the Liberty Science Center and the Statute of Liberty/Ellis Island nearby however you have a luggage problem. No way will you be able to take luggage to the Statute of Liberty.

The best way to maximize time is to take a limo (or if RCL has a transfer to Manhattan) and store luggage in Manhattan for a day and walk around the city. Another possibility is one of the open top sightseeing buses. Very touristy however you might like it. Tried a tour a couple of years ago and thought it was fun. May even do it again.

You will maybe have 5 hours in Manhattan because of logistics. Somewhere in the 5 hours you will need to fit in lunch.

Everyone has their own perception of what is important. Booked a short cruise fairly close to sail time and had an inside cabin. Tried the deck camera trick. Not sure it really helped.

However, the cabin itself was a decent size and we were fine with it being inside, didn't really take away from the trip. We would do an inside cabin again if the price difference was big enough. Different priorities. We did not like the specific location of the specific cabin we had however that had nothing to do with whether it was inside or not.

Still needed to look at a clock to see what time it was.

So you won't know whether or not you will be OK with an inside cabin until you try. I was nervous about it until we tried it.

I was wondering if you had to make show reservations on Empress of the Seas or is it first come?

FYI, free internet for everyone was supposedly added fairly recently. In the recent past it was included if you took the olife package.

I booked bare cruise which you can do in the US.

Depending on when you asked the TA may have given you the correct answer about Internet.

Don't depend on the Calendar. On the big ships the Calendar will routinely list a Mytime reservation as "At Your Convenience" with a two hour window. The place to check your bookings is in the link at the top of the page that shows your orders. Those should list times, prices for items that had them, and who is booked. If a purchase or booking doesn't show up there you MIGHT be able to fix it onboard with a printout of the original purchase, but you are better off fixing it on the phone before you go.

 

As several posters have said, Mytime Dining reservations now seem to require making one reservation, going all the way through checkout, and then doing the next one. At least the system knows which dates you already reserved (I tend to forget while doing this).

 

In my view this is bad website design. It took me two calls to RCL to get it straightened out.

Has the cruise line said they are ok with only the two passports mentioned?

Do any of the countries you are visiting require passports?

I would think your son's girlfriend really should have her own passport, what if she has to fly back. Same with the children.

Personally I would not travel outside the US these days unless everyone in the group had passports.

P.S. The fact that the notary license expired after the document was notarized should not matter (no one will probably ever notice) HOWEVER you never know what someone will do.

No, reservation opening for MTD is independent of online check-in.

You can sometimes do my time dinning over 200 days before a trip. I would do MTD ASAP because the good times can fill up.

I also would not wait until the last minute to do check in because there are still issues with the web site having intermittent problems.

Is what you are talking about Mead or actual Honey Wine?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mead

I tried to use the online system and gave up and just called them and did it over the phone. I think the new web site still has bugs.

Also, some travel insurance has to be bought very soon after the purchase of the cruise or pre-existing conditions may not be covered assuming the insurance provides coverage for pre-existing conditions. Depends on the insurance company and where you live. As I stated before there are other boards and web sites that have much more info.

Also, from what I have read and heard insurance companies are very careful to NOT payout if the item is not squarely within the terms of coverage. Unfortunately you have to read the fine print.

I think they may have changed the terms since I last purchased it however, I had to cancel (before the cruise started) due to medical issue and received a refund. There was some paperwork I had to fill out and send in. It also required a statement from my doctor saying I could not travel. I live in the US and depending on where you live the terms may be different.

I am not sure I would be satisfied with Cunard Care on a long trip far away from home. Depending on whether or not your regular health insurance covers the trip I might consider a third party policy that is more comprehensive.

There are probably other boards that deal with travel insurance in general.

Forgot to mention that there is supposedly a corkage fee if consumed in public.

Rather partial to a French Rose. Can I take wine on QM2? if so is there a limit.

:wine-glass:

Officially 2 - 750ml bottles per cabin however there are many people on the boards who say they will not stop someone from taking more, within reason. Don't know from personal knowledge if that is true or not.

Thinking of when to have dinner if I want to see the shows.