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18 hours ago, NE John said:

A white dinner jacket in the Caribbean may do the trick. I actually wore one for our Caribbean honeymoon cruise, quite a few many moons ago. It felt really good wearing that DJ and no one mistaken me for a waiter… 

This is coincidental to a discussion DH and I were having the other night.  The white dinner jackets are not so popular in the US, but we see them consistently on our Cunard cruises. It’s something we are considering for his wardrobe!

We have noticed that some cruisers dress up a bit more than others.  In QG last September on the QE crossing the were lots of people who seemed a bit more casually dressed. Once we hit Barcelona the crowd dressed up more.  
 

I’m curious to see how folks dress when QE does Caribbean cruises.  Cruisers who typically cruise from Florida don’t dress up as much, on average.  DH has asked if I will pack his tux.  Might only pack a suit….

We haven’t had an issue with the Internet either. We’ve just had issues logging in on sea days.  Once we’ve logged in, it’s great. 

Yes. We are aware we always have to log in.

That’s my point.

And logging in can take multiple attempts..it say “ not connected” on numerous logins.  

I will make a separate post regarding the dancing. For those  people who want to  know how the dancing is going…

There is dancing with live music, just about all evening in the Queen‘s room, and that’s very nice. No canned music.  However, quite often you can’t get a seat in the queen’s room. We don’t recall experiencing that problem on Elizabeth or Mary 2.  Someone misstepped here in the planning. Also we have had two nights where there was actually a show in the queen‘s room as opposed to dancing.  We weren’t crazy about that idea. Maybe everyone else loves it. You think you have a ballroom, the floor should be used for dancing.
 

Though we are not sequence dancers, we used to enjoy watching them on the other ships. Sadly, there’s no dedicated sequence dancing that we haven’t seen. However, the sequence dancers do get up when there’s a song they all want to dance to.   
 

It appears that the gala nights the orchestra has live ballroom style music and do the exact same order of dances for as in the past.  I.E. quickstep, foxtrot, etc. Other nights are theme nights, 70s, Motown, Latin, 80s. It’s a really eclectic mix, people are doing ballroom and freestyle simultaneously.  So people who only do ballroom dancing might not be thrilled…. On the other hand, folks like me who do both ballroom and freestyle like the change!  
 

The Bright Lights Society has nightclub dancing listed at 10:30 but it really doesn’t start till closer to 11. The DJ is very good, she takes requests and my only complaint is that the floor is exceedingly small. There’s seating on the edge of the floor because they’re trying to as many people as possible for the shows. 

Last night there was a silent disco on the Pavilion deck.  What fun for those who enjoy it.   (Yes, I was there, sans DH who was too tired!)
 

Aside from the evening, there are several dance classes, ballroom, and line dancing, and Zumba and chair aerobics during the day. Lots of options for people who want to get some dancing during the day.

That’s a quick commentary.  See you on the dance floor!
 

Currently on QA.  We are having issues connecting on Sea days.  We have to keep retrying to get on. Maybe 8 to 10 tries. Disappointing.

To all,

Yes we are on QA. I will write comments later.

The issue with the drink package is something we’ve had Queen Mary2  and Queen Elizabeth in the past. But the drink prices are higher now…To us it seems hypocritical to even claim this package is a perk if you can’t make it work reasonably for the people are paying the highest prices to board the ship.

Re UK v US….I don’t understand why the prices and packages are different for people in the UK versus the US. I would rather just pay a price for the room and don’t include this ridiculous drink package.  (For those who don’t cruise other lines, for a really reasonable price you can get an elite drink package if you’re in a suite.)
 

Anyway, the concierge didn’t help us, but her boss did. They have removed charges already made, but will not remove with any going forward — and we know better than to order those particular cocktails.

Thanks for you comments.  We know the game and will play by the rules.  But the rules are balderdash.  If Cunard is looking to up its game, especially with US cruisers, who are used to much better drink packages, it will have to do better….

Hattie, Yes.  But we met a couple who weren’t in the grills and also had a $12 limit.  
 

We find these types of perks to be inconsistent with other cruise lines that usually give a suite passenger the higher level of beverage package.  And it’s annoying that there are inconsistencies within different bars on the ship.  
 

And the concierge is useless, to be very frank. I’m wondering who is her superior?
 

We have had this exactly the same package several times since 2018.  But the drink prices keep rising, even thought the $12 allotment doesn’t.  A staffer told us to “ tell them to bill under $12” when you order a cocktail. So maybe you can sometimes order that way but not always.

It’s frustrating when one bar will bill you under $12 for the same drink another will bill you over $12. As customers, my DH and I don’t really want to get into a pricing debate every time we order a drink.  
 

We are looking for advice on how others handle this insane practice.   Especially since you get charged the entire amount on Cunard,  not just the additional cost.  
 

Thanks for any insight.

A couple of comments after reading through this thread.

1.  Buy a bowtie at the ship’s shop because they typically have them and they’re not all plain black ones. And they are pre-tied.  No problem if you haven’t learned to tie a bow tie….
2.  Anyone who is concerned about how many suitcases they have to bring, why not try using one of the luggage forwarding services? There are several.  We’ve had great success with Luggage Forward, especially with Cunard since they partner.  It’s not cheap but we find it’s the best way to get all our dressy clothes on the ship with having to lug another suitcase.

3. If you’re in either of the grills, you can order from the dinner menu earlier that day, and it will be delivered course by course to your cabin.  In Queens Grill, it will be delivered by your butler.
 

Embrace everything that Cunard offers. It’s different than any American cruise line.  We love it , but it’s definitely not for everyone.

We used it for wool trousers and wool tux pants. On two QE cruises.   The trousers were sent on both cruises!  I think it was better than the dry cleaning we have at home. Honestly. I’m not getting paid for this.🤣

I am careful to say, wool, because other fabrics might react differently than wool. I have no clue.  I’m just really pleased with how my husband’s trousers came out when he had made a mess of things at dinner!

Re tipping w OBC.  Two years ago, after Covid, we started taking extra cash with us to tip. We’ve gotten some excellent service from Butlers, stewards, maitreDs, head waiters and waitstaff both in the dining room and in lounges.  
 

We have had some odd occurrences that put us in weird situations and everyone helped us out.  Maybe our situations are not so weird ?  Our experience is that mostly everyone is wonderful on Cunard. (The first room steward we had in Princess Grill was terrible but we’ve done 8 cruises with Cunard now, and we love everyone else.)

BTW,  in all our cruising since Covid, on all cruise lines we’ve used, we’ve been tipping cash to our daily attendants and servers, and anyone who goes above and beyond. It’s now on our packing list to make sure we have the right currency when we cruise.  I have to be honest and say we don’t trust that if we assign tipping with our OBC that it gets to the persons… In any cruise line.  What can I say?

26 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

Do the other Carnival companies let you do this?

HAL does. we are cruising Alaska this summer with them, and I was able to use our OBC, the pittance that it was, towards excursions.  
 

Not sure about others.  

Thanks.  We cruise in the grilles and always end up with lots of OBC at the end of our Cunard cruises.  I don’t want to leave it there but I’d rather spend it on things we actually spend money on, than just shop. It’s one of the very few things I complain about re Cunard.  

This next cruise I will try the canceling and rebooking.

We travel on several different cruise lines as well as Cunard is the only one who still doesn’t let you use OBC to book excursions etc. prior to the cruise.  Am I the only one who finds this annoying? 

I’ve heard you can book and then reverse/ rebook on the cruise, but if you book a popular excursion, will your spots disappear if there is a waitlist?  
 

Curious how others feel and if there is something I don’t know about to circumvent this issue.

thanks,

Norma

As a Floridian with kettles that shut off automatically,😉, I want to note as an aside, that on Cunard, we always get kettles in our cabin, and the water seems hotter!! I’m not sure if it’s because of the higher voltage, or what, because water boils at the same temperature everywhere….or does it🧐?

Anyway, we were once able to get a kettle in our room from our butler on Celebrity. Just once… we’ve never asked Holland America as I’ve gotten accustomed to bringing a large insulated Tumbler, putting my own teabags in it and getting hot water from the Lido deck. No, it’s not as hot as coming directly from a kettle, but it does seem to work, my tea never tastes weak.   
 

All this from an American, who probably doesn’t know what good tea really is🤣🤣🤣…

You do not have to use the app if you don’t want to in the US, and according to the online info it appears similar in the UK.  They provide this information:

So I would think you can send an email with the information attached.  I did it 2 weeks ago and they added the obc in about 4 days.  They emailed to let me know.

Good luck.

We’ve cruised QG and PG, love them both…main difference for us is cabin size and butler, although there are several more.  Check the website.

There ARE diy laundry facilities on most floors at no cost, detergent provided gratis.  Great for every day clothes.  Best time to use is on shore days when you return to the ship.  Also you can send out for pressing, laundry or dry cleaning for a charge….We usually get so much OBC in QG that we send out the items we can’t wash and it’s not big deal.

Yes the beverage package is included up to $12.50 I believe, and most popular drinks are under that price point.  Anyway, their drink prices are very reasonable compared to other cruise lines. This applies to alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages. So things like specialty coffees and bottled water are included.

In your room, you’ll have a small refrigerator and your butler will stock it per your choices with two bottles of alcohol or two bottles of wine if you prefer. They will also stock it with sodas.

Not only is there no service charge for en-suite dining, you can order from the QG restaurant menu and your butler will serve you, course by course if you like.

Gratuities are also covered. Although we like to reward good service and give addl tips at the end of the cruise. 

The QG restaurant has a lovely menu every night. There’s only one thing we don’t love and that’s the beef, the steaks on Cunard. We Americans are used to much more tender quality of steak. We also don’t go to the veranda restaurant—we find there’s plenty of things on the QG menu.  The best meat on the menu is when they have venison. It’s outrageously delicious.  And the lamb is good also.  They serve duck, sole, and lamb table side.  It’s so nice. 
 

Last point, the grills lounge is nice to sit in the morning for a specialty coffee or a pre dinner drink.  It’s open all day and the concierge is located there, his/her hours will be posted.

Overall we love the grills and recommend you try them at least once!

We have been on six Cunard cruises and seven HAL cruises. We typically only choose HAL because we think that it’s got a great itinerary. Other than that, HAL is a decent cruise line and it’s quiet so you get a good night’s sleep. Entertainment is OK. Food is OK. Because we mostly travel in a suite, it’s disappointing that HAL doesn’t have a separate dining room for the suites. But we have been in the main dining room on both cruise lines, and they were fairly similar in our opinion.

We choose Cunard for the itinerary and the cruising experience. The experience is totally different and our opinion. It harkens back to a different age of cruising pre-2000….. just go to afternoon tea one day in the Queen’s room.  And then there is the dress code for evenings. On HAL, 10% of the people “dress” for dinner, On Cunard, 90% of the people follow that suggested dress code. (These numbers are based on my observations. Yes, there are people who complain that no one dresses up, but really most people who cruise on Cunard choose to follow the dress code)

When you’re on HAL, dressing up is not the same as on Cunard. People really do dress for the evening on Cunard. We actually take a separate suitcase with the dinner clothes and we are not alone. For HAL and other American cruise lines, I would say we dress “resort dressy”, which is more like Tommy Bahama and Lilly Pulitzer. On Cunard, we dress like people did 25-30 years go. It’s definitely a different feel.  Cocktail or formal…. 
 

Another difference is that on Cunard you never feel like any place you go is crowded. You can always find someplace to sit in any lounge you go to. I can’t say the same for HAL, or Celebrity, or NCL  or any other cruise lines we have traveled on.

I would say, the quality of the food is similar for the MDR and buffet, although, for instance, in the Buffet, you will find lots of British favorite dishes that you would not find an American cruise line. Which makes sense… we are American but we enjoy having something different!

The entertainment on both lines is decent, and we have had good speakers on both lines. I think the dancing is better on Cunard. Cunard in general has more options to listen to music on the ship.  And I hope that HAL has not gotten rid of Lincoln Center on board because that was one of the things we enjoyed most.  

One of my favorite features of Cunard is that they actually have laundry rooms on the ships. So on a long cruise, you don’t have to pack so much because you can actually do laundry yourself. You can also send out items for cleaning or pressing as needed.

I hope you enjoy your cruise on Cunard, it will be slightly different than Holland America. But we have never had a bad cruise after traveling on seven different cruise lines. It’s what you make of it.  Just be open to something different!

We cruised last September on QE and noticed the lack of dance hosts which we attributed to Covid. And there was a lot of Covid on that cruise.

We also noticed the mix of generic dancing with ballroom dancing. And there was a lot more happening at the yacht club, than on our previous cruises on QE. I’m not a big fan of putting the generic dancing on the ballroom floor, but it’s great to have a disco-like environment in the yacht club.

This year my husband is awaiting hip surgery when we come home from the cruise, so I doubt we’ll be doing much dancing together. I think it would be great to dance with a Dance host for a couple of Rumbas here or there. And if they’re not there, I guess I’ll have to settle for dancing in the yacht club to the disco music.

Calling all Princess experts!
 

We have traveled on several different cruise lines and amassed 20+ cruises. But we only took one Princess cruise 18 years ago and don’t remember much. so we are basically newbies on Princess.  We are booked on the Enchanted Princess for New Year’s  at the end of 2023.

So, I’m wondering what advice you would give to someone that you wish you had known about prior to cruising with Princess?

Thanks in advance!

follow up:

It worked!  The engineer said the interior was metal on metal and they put some insulation to prevent the banging.  Last nights sleep was great!

OP here,

Thanks for your comments. We went to the concierge this morning and told them we wanted the engineering supervisor, the one who told us they would be here to caulk yesterday, to come back and make sure the work is done today.  We also told him we felt we were due some compensation for the fact that we’ve had 4 really noisy nights. 
 

{Yes, this is not your regular creaking, engine noise or anything, it’s banging. That’s why I did more than one night of recordings on my phone.}

So the engineering supervisor had somebody come and do caulking, we can actually see the results right now. We’re hoping that this takes care of the issue. I also believe we will get some compensation because I told the  concierge that this should have already been fixed and we expect some compensation for too many interrupted nights.  She said she would follow up with that.

Thanks again for your feedback.

We are on a cruise now, the second of back to backs.  Approximately day 10 of a 12 day cruise, a banging noise started at night, and it was hard to sleep.  I recorded it on my phone, and notified our butler, and the manager.  They came with the maintenance manager and said they would caulk around the side window but we needed to be out of the room.  We suggested they do it on the change day, because we had a full day excursion. They said they would.

Today is the second day of the second cruise.  The seas are calmer and we believe we are sailing slower, but I still heard the noise last night, albeit less frequently.  So I asked the butler if the maintenance crew did anything.  She said no.

So we are in a suite, $$$, and we are loyal guests, and they just dismissed our legitimate problem.  (After promising to do something, which may or may not have fixed the situation, but at least they would have tried.)

What is the best way to handle this?  

We believe they should fix this or compensate us in some way.  We would prefer the fix, but that may not be possible. Should we go back to the manager, who will be different since the other one went home?  Or should we wait until we are home and contact Celebrity?  I don’t want to spend too much time on my cruise dealing with this, but it’s disappointing how they are not dealing with the problem. 

Appreciate any advice.  After 20+ cruises it’s the first time we’ve had a situation that wasn’t resolved.  
 

Thanks.

Norma

Wow. So not impressed by customer service at Celebrity air. 

It was easy enough to book 10 months ago.  Clearly they are trained to take reservations. And there was no huge discount like we had with other cruise lines….

We leave in 5 weeks.   Two weeks ago we received a notice that there was a schedule change and that they would get to it ASAP. Nothing has happened and the schedule changes were major, (we have one leg out at 3 o’clock one day and the second leg is out at 9 PM the next day).  So clearly we want that first flight to be corrected. Just move the first flight to the next day, the airline does it free of charge because the the major schedule change.  ( I already confirmed with the airline even though the travel agency pretends there is a fee as they state in their email). Well it’s not so easy with this travel agency.

I called today and basically talked to the three agents who have little ability to do anything. They told me they are not allowed to call the airline. Not only that, but they said could not even find the same flight the next day in the same class.  I had to go on the airline website and bring up the information and tell them how many seats were still available.  

One agent wrote up a case and told me it would take 5 days to resolve.  I am just glad I didn’t wait longer.  I have no confidence that anybody would’ve done anything. I just hope they will get it right when they finally fix it.
 

Its not possible to talk to anyone in schedule changes. It makes me wonder why anyone would use them a second time.  We certainly won’t.  I want to write Celebrity because they brag about the level of quality, but it doesn’t extend to their travel agent. Trying to find an email the CEO, when I called Celebrity  they just put me on hold, and then told me there was no email…not for customer service or the CEO.

any advice is appreciated…