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Thanks to all who responded, especially @bluemarble, @rsquare, and @foodsvcmgr. who raised the definite possibility that our dining status (to be "confirmed on board") is not a waiting list, but just new verbiage, and/or a peculiarity of the "My Cunard" website. I don't recall this uncertainty before our last QM2 voyage (May, 2022), but I'm pretty sure that was before the implementation of the open seating option. So we'll sit tight now. And yes, for the record, our emailed reservation shows "Second Sitting: Confirmed". I'll be sure to update this thread if we have any surprises after embarkation. Thanks again to all for taking the time to comment.

We'll be sailing on the 2023 Christmas cruise on the QM2 - we have a Britannia cabin. At booking, we requested a table for two at 2nd seating. I just checked "My Cunard" and our dining request is listed as a "...preference. It will be confirmed once you are on board". First seating and open dining are marked "Available". This is the first time our dining preference has not been confirmed prior to embarkation (though usually we've requested 1st seating). We've also always been assigned our desired table for two, though we sometimes have to re-request it from the maitre d' on embarkation day. We are Platinum and on this trip, in a mid-level Britannia category (neither highest or lowest). Here are my questions: 1) What are the odds that our 2nd seating/table for 2 will be "confirmed once we are on board"? Or is that code for "your desired option is unavailable: we'll tell you what is available in person." 2) if those odds aren't good, are we better off requesting "open seating" now? On a holiday cruise, it might be nice to have the flexibility to dine early or late. And I just received an email, that people on open seating can start reserving their holiday dinner times now. But that strategy wouldn't be preferable if it would expose us to lengthy queues, or reduce the odds of getting our preferred table size. Thanks for your time and advice.....

Glad you are safely on board. I haven’t gone out today, but saw that parts of Brooklyn (4th Ave, Prospect Expressway, and yes, Red Hook) were impassable, with fast moving water in some sections. You are safest on the ship! Yesrs ago, we were upgraded to Princess Grill (why? and never repeated) on the QE2. Wonderful to experience it - enjoy!

Nikola Tesla lived in the New Yorker Hotel. The hotel has a small exhibit about Tesla, and other aspects of its history, in an area below the main lobby. (There are stairs and/or an escalator from the lobby.). I found it interesting when I was passing by. Probably best you took a pass on the McDonald’s on 8th Ave at 35th (?) St. May have improved recently, but it had been a hangout for drug use. (When the City cleaned up Times Square a lot of the squalor pivoted south on 8th Ave.) Stay dry and enjoy your trip!

Just back from 8/29/2023 10 day Ireland Intensive. First time Azamara cruisers. Had many problems precruise with shore-side services in May- June when our final payment was due (invoice amount wrong, couldn’t process final payment until it was six weeks late, couldn’t reach a phone agent, no precruise checkin process). Even had a backup plan in mind if we couldn’t board in Dublin (take the train west). But we were on the list, embarked as quickly as we ever have on Seabourn, and had a great on board experience- possibly the friendliest crew we’ve ever encountered and food at the level one would expect from an above-premium line. People have been saying that the on-board experience has not been affected by the shoreside problems. I can confirm that was the case for us this summer.

Took the ship tour to Limerick from Foynes. The main attraction was the 12th C (?) St. John’s castle. Excellent multimedia displays on Irish history there/ and good views from the battlements. St. Mary’s Cathedral also worth the extra charge (on our free time). Nice to see that Limerick is rebuilding and renovating its riverfront - no longer “Angela’s Ashes” squalor. We liked all the ports on this trip.

SOME GOOD NEWS - the issues with MY reservation on Azamara's website have been resolved. My problem - in April, the balance due on my August cruise was incorrect, and I didn't want to pay the incorrect amount. Subsequently, the ability to pay online disappeared entirely. About three weeks ago I completed the online "Future Bookings and Loyalty Support" form. Other than an auto-reply email, I never heard back from Azamara. A week ago I completed the same form again. This time I received an email from an Azamara agent WITHIN A DAY. She corrected the balance due and offered to work with my travel agent to facilitate payment. Simultaneously, my travel agent told me that their systems could now, at last, connect with Azamara's system. My travel agent processed the payment on my behalf, and Azamara's site now shows me paid in full. So it seems Azamara is making progress. I do share concerns that this almost 3 month debacle may have hurt Azamara's cash flow, but we'll hope for the best.

Back in 2015, we went on a shore excursion (cruise line was not Azamara) that visited two wineries out of PIcton: Cloudy Bay and Wither Hills. Cloudy Bay was set up to allow us to taste five wines; I can't remember how many wines were offered at Wither Hills, but they bottle Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. I've been a fan of Cloudy Bay for years. Wither Hills was new to me. I don't think either winery offered a meal on this excursion.

My final payment was due the end of April. The Azamara website showed a balance due about $2,000 above the correct amount. For the past two weeks my ONLY option on the Azamara website was to pay the full, and wrong, amount. There was no option to pay a partial amount. This week the website shows something new. The "Make a Payment" button is sitll there but it opens a screen that doesn't show the (correct or incorrect) balance due and there is no option to pay. So because I've been told they aren't auto-canceling reservations for failure to pay, I'm just sitting tight for now. My cruise sails in late August.

I've stayed in two hotels in Amsterdam - both were new buildings, so no historical charm, but both have good views, all the modern conveniences. and are relatively close to the cruise port. 1) Hilton Doubletree - on an 'island' across a canal from the old city center and a 5 - 10 mt walk from Central Station (rail), which is also the starting point for the trams that can take you throughout the city. It's walking distance to many restaurants in the historical center. There are great views of the historical city. just across a bridge, from its south facing rooms. It would be a relatively short taxi ride from here to the cruse port (as opposed to from hotels on the south side of the old city.) Rooms are simply furnished (think "built-ins"), but do the job. 2) The Movenpick Hotel is part of the cruise port complex, so could not be more convenient for embarkation. The historical center is a lengthy walk, though I believe there is a tram stop nearby that will take you to Central Station (check this). A mid-market hotel but rooms are a little plusher than the Hilton. Or you can book a hotel IN the historic center and figure that the higher transportation cost to the port is offset by more convenience while you are touring the city. (And Amsterdam isn't that big anyway.) I've never stayed there, but I know some cruiselines used the Radisson Blu for guests with pre-embarkation packages. (Hah - I see Mercruiser just posted the same suggestions!)

In 2019, we stayed at the Hilton at Puerto Madero -a new hotel in the extensively redeveloped docklands due east of the Plaza de Mayo. Felt very safe- office workers during the day, genial crowds in the evening. Lots of good restaurants within walking distance. There was a Hop On Hop Off bus stop alongside the hotel. We used that bus to get to other neighborhoods.

To answer an earlier question, yes I was able to add my “Upcoming Cruise” by filling out the online form and clicking “Get Help”. It took a couple of weeks. My final payment was due in April. As of the end of last week, my travel agent can’t process it. I’m not willing to pay it myself on Azamara via my login, because there is only the option to pay “in full” - the wrong amount. I understand they aren’t auto-canceling for late payment right now. But I also can’t add shorex’s or transfers, presumably because of the outstanding balance. I’d be interested to hear if anyone with an older reservation has been able to make payments on the new system,

My "Upcoming Cruise" finally showed up today. (I filed out the online form late last week.) Yes, it sometimes still shows "No upcoming cruises". In this case, (as others have written), I need to "refresh" the screen by clicking on my profile button (upper right), then click on "upcoming cruises" a second time. The balance due they show is incorrect - it includes the price of shore excursions I booked and paid for several months ago. When I deduct the cost of the shore excursions from their balance, the result equals the balance due that I show.

Some people have had luck calling the Azamara phone number at 8am Central Standard Time (6am if you are in Oregon). When I've called later in the day, I get a recording that their lines are overwhelmed and they aren't taking calls or messages, but when I called at 8am CST, I got a different recording, and per some, the opportunity to leave a message to which they respond. They are prioritizing sailings within the month, so if you leave a message, maybe mention that you were supposed to embark this week. The certified letter may cover you better legally, but if you reach them by phone, maybe they can send you an email confirming you weren't a no show. So sorry you are in this situation- best wishes to you and your wife.

Thanks, JaneStarr, for responding to my questions (especially for taking the time on your way to the airport!) I'm reassured that your travel agent has been told that cancellations for non-payment are on hold. Thanks as well to everyone else who responded or shared their stories. Re the online "Future Bookings and Loyalty Support Form". The first million times I tried to fill it out, I clicked (alternately) the "Get Help" button, or the "Submit" button way at the bottom (which actually seemed to relate to a request for brochures). Either way, when I returned to the screen, the information I had entered was still there - as if it hadn't processed. When I tried it yesterday, the form cleared when I pressed "Get Help" - which I took to mean the information was finally transmitted to Azamara - but I don't actually know for sure. The screen is poorly designed - it should be clearer which button sends the data. I used to work in IT (healthcare) and remember nightmare long nights when it became clear that imported data had failed to correctly populate a new system. You need a big dedicated team to test and support these systems, especially during a transition. (I can only imagine how the Azamara reservations staff, probably already lean, is dealing with this.) This is why relatively small operations like Azamara have a structural disadvantage in our IT-driven world.