buchanan101

If you do put bags in the hold I totally recommend AirTags (if you are an Apple user). You know where your bags are… useful too at Brooklyn arrivals… I am nowhere disciplined enough to be able to cruise with only carry on. Carry on only works for a 2 or 3 night break for us.

Americans call BA British Air it seems. 23kg is a very heavy small bag. Our large cases (obviously full of shirts both short sleeved and long sleeved 😉) never seem to weigh that much. But you are indeed correct! BA are generally pretty relaxed about bags. Certainly no Ryanair. (Club allows 2 x 32kg hold bags per person - very useful on skiing holidays)

Do they ever find someone who can’t be let in…? And if they don’t have a return crossing what happens?

They must do. Sounds great as they get 5 days of doing nothing… someone will know…

Staring at phones was a bit pointless on QM2 with the “internet” as it was but Starlink may mean a bit more staring. Give QM2 a go if you can.

Booked one for Sep…. 2026… nothing like preparing early. But am from UK, so flying to NYC and back from Montreal…transatlantic flights no big deal 😉

We wish we had done self disembarkation but only because it’s not difficult and you are in control. As it was we were front of the queue as was QG so was quite easy and were straight through immigration and could catch a cab off the rank. but may have taken a lot longer if further back by priority - have been through JFK so know what US immigration can be like.

I guess it’s tricky because of the fingerprints/photo, but U.K. is introducing something similar so it may change for eastbound crossings in time.

Shame the US doesn’t return the favour on west bounds…

Nothing wrong with Beatles music for a good old sing song... I remember way back in the 80s a feature of my Club18-30s ski holiday in Mayrhofen was dancing on the tables in Hotel Strauss to a guitarist singing Beatles songs. Those were the days (no that's not a Beatles song - Mary Hopkin wasn't it?) I suspect however, that this would not be appropriate for the Bright Lights? Maybe Virgin Voyages? (sorry, I digress...)

The deck plan looks better. Almost as wide as it is deep. I think the photos are deceptive.

Ok - Flam - railway (booked but not through Cunard). Olden - sky lift… What to do in haugesund?

maybe the bus then!

see @TowandaUK - not raining today! Not a walk to the cable car then? See you there @sogne !

Good - are you on the QA this June?

Cunard has had “early afternoon” on the timetable for a while but at least it’s very early afternoon. Is cable car nearer/better than funicular? Not rebooking ridiculous Cunard rates as no point going up if mountains shrouded in cloud. Cunard do have a fair range of activities which is a bit optimistic given realistically only 5 hours in Bergen.

Not sure how insurance would work for missed departure if they started asking for proof of how you got there. There has to be proof of some sort of delay/breakdown and the timings @gumshoe958 lays out are just normal. And his 90 mins in Dublin are tight as you have to clear immigration. I’ve sat at LHR on a plane after it landed waiting for a stand for almost an hour. T2 is also a few miles further from Southampton by the time you get out. Adds possible M4 spur/M4 hold ups to the already unpredictable M25. Can’t you add a day’s stay somewhere even if it’s Dublin to get the Southampton flight.

12:30 to 19:00 Not too bad…

Yes will only have time for funicular or cable car. Will eat on board first - paid for. Other 3 ports are full days. Google says 805 n.miles. 5pm departure to 10am local is 40 hours. 20 knots. Very possible… (ok first and last hour or two are slower).

Shame indeed. We don’t arrive in Bergen in June until “early afternoon” which is a bit rubbish really. I’m sure she could get there in the morning … (leaves “early evening” so 4 or 5 hours in Bergen….)

Leaving 2 hours for a connection to Southampton 😬 - and immigration has to be cleared in Dublin I guess they are all red eyes to Dublin so nothing the evening before... (of course if it's booked on one ticket and the luggage is booked through, they should wait...)

Agree - the Southampton flight from Dublin arrives by about 9am, so... 95% of the time that would be fine, but there's no obvious back up if that was cancelled - be a rush via a London airport Heck I don't risk it driving 2.5 hours from Cambridge (have booked the Hilton at the cricket ground with pitch view - no match on, just be interesting...)

UK is introducing a system a bit like ESTA (US) or ETIAS (EU) called ETA - an electronic visa waiver Not sure if that means any changes coming in to UK for alien Americans 😉 though there is this "On arrival, UK Border Force will check the ETA and ask supplementary questions before deciding whether or not to allow the traveller in. The government says: “An ETA does not guarantee entry to the UK.” https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/uk-electronic-travel-authorisation-visa-entry-b2362909.html https://homeofficemedia.blog.gov.uk/2024/02/01/electronic-travel-authorisation-eta-scheme-factsheet-february-2024/

It's going to be like that for the EU from October (fingerprints, photo first time of entry) because we are now like any other 3rd country who can get a visa waiver (ETIAS is pretty similar to ESTA, and the UK is doing something similar as well It's all about planning though with NYC... flying in, make sure your seat is on the left side of the plane as near the exit as possible (we were front of the queue in 2016), and at Brooklyn self disembarking seems to be the way to go (though we did ok at the front of timed disembarkation queue)

Yes. I wish we'd done this, though it wasn't too bad (as we were QG and were right at the front of the disembarkation queue) - but the supposed time to start disembarkation wasn't met - presumably to do with lining up all the bags in the arrivals hall. Disembarkation has priority for Grills and status, so if you don't have these probably more reason to take your own bags off. Sounds like you are travelling light anyway! If you don't take your own bags, highly recommend Apple Tags - was very easy to find our bags in the hall so we could get out and get a cab off the rank