JimDee363636

Well, I'm an old guy, too. we have to stick together! Jim

@Yesimapirate There's a reason that, as you yourself said, your posts aren't popular. They don't make any sense---or at least this one doesn't. "Poor service" doesn't make the cruise line "responsible" for illnesses or injuries? It's entirely foreseeable that if you force people to stand for an unreasonably long time in the baking Mediterranean heat, someone (maybe several people) will get sick. Heat exhaustion is not a joke. And to add insult to injury, Oceania charges this lady nearly $3,000 for the illness that they, in their negligence, contributed to and could have prevented. And then they refuse to discuss the issue with her in any meaningful way. This is customer "service" unbefitting a supposedly classy cruise line. Jim

@TorontoTL If, like me, you're an early riser, the International Cafe is a godsend because it's open 24 hours a day (in addition to, as you point out, having very good food options). There's nothing on HAL open 24/7, and really nothing comparable in quality on the Noordam. As @Sir PMPpoints out, the Dutch Cafe (which is similar to the IC except for the 24/7 aspect) is only on Pinnacle-class HAL ships (Koningsdam, Rotterdam, Nieuw Statendam). The Lido is your best bet.

@smblueyes I've had all four (in "up" martinis, with no vermouth), and my favorite is the Queen Anne. But of course you have to taste them for yourself. They're all quite different in their flavor profiles. As for tonics, the Cunard bars all have Fever Tree, which is my second-favorite tonic water. I've come to prefer "Q" tonic for G&Ts. I haven't seen Q on Cunard ships, however. Enjoy your "research" into the gins. Jim

@RinnyBess You may know this already, but you can expect Americans to be in the minority on your cruise. On our three Cunard cruises, the ones starting and ending in the U.S. had maybe 40-50% U.S. guests (the rest Brits, Aussies, Japanese, and English-speaking Europeans). On our most recent QA Baltic cruise (round-trip Southampton), I only met one American and rarely heard an American accent. There will certainly be Americans on your cruise returning to the U.S. after a holiday abroad, but I think you'll like the international atmosphere. It makes for more stimulating---and less predictable---conversations. Jim

@RinnyBess I've been on Cunard three times (QM2, QE, and QA), but not as a solo (I've only done solo cruises on Princess, NCL, and---next month---HAL). But I can tell you that on my 21-day cruise on QM2 in 2019 I would see a very well-attended solo get-together every morning around 9:30AM at the Carinthia Lounge, and I often bumped into solo travelers at the gym or elsewhere on the ship. It's a convivial ship, especially in the evening (the Chart Room was our pre-dinner hangout every night). As for fixed vs. open dining on Cunard, we've always opted for fixed, late seating, table for two. As I understand it, on Cunard open dining carries the risk of long wait times at the most popular times (7:00-7:30PM), and when you're finally seated the service may be rushed or disorganized. Why not put in for a table for two at either of the fixed dining times? If you meet someone during the day you'd like to have dinner with, invite him or her to join you. If not, enjoy your own company, people watch, and be "that mystery lady." And the tables for two in the Britannia dining room (MDR) are all fairly close together, so you'll probably have plenty of opportunities to chat with your neighbors. Have fun! Jim

@richwmn If you snag one early enough, the price can be considerably less than for one person in a "regular" OV or even in an inside. I'm on a four-night K'Dam repositioning cruise next month (Vancouver to San Diego), and my solo OV cost me $394.00, plus port charges. I purposely chose #1001, even though it's a bit smaller than the others, because you only have one neighbor and you're not under any of the music venues. (You're under the theater, but late-night noise shouldn't be a problem). I'm eager to see how it goes. Jim

@Budski54 I have twice (in thirty cruises) used a ship's medical center (once on HAL, once on Cunard), and I can tell you that they are a lot better-equipped than you might think. I got excellent care both times. However, they can't do surgery. If you are truly worried about all the worst-case scenarios, you should cancel, because no cruise is risk-free, and if you need an immediate disembarkation and you're a thousand miles from civilization...well, good luck. For what it's worth, I would roll the dice and do it. Enjoy life while you can. Jim

@Tampa Girl As @david,Mississauga points out, if there's no law being broken---and the only possible law I can think of would be some NZ immigration law---why should Cunard object? You're evidently not asking for a pro-rated refund for the final three nights, so Cunard would even be making a slight profit based on the food you're not consuming for three days. Again, absent some law prohibiting it, Cunard can't hold you prisoner. I would keep pushing the issue. Jim

Although I would never do what you're doing---I need to know as much as possible beforehand about the cruise line, the ship, and the likely demographics---I admire your adventurous, "que sera sera" attitude. At the very least, the fewer your expectations, the less likely you'll be disappointed. Good luck! Jim

@cmpmls1962 What is an "afternoon suite"?

@Redtravel My wife and I are four-star with HAL, which means we get unlimited free laundry on their ships (among other benefits). But we also cruise on other lines where we don't have free laundry benefits, and boy! what a difference. With most lines, you either have to deal with the crowds in the self-service laundry rooms, or pay an exorbitant amount to have it done by the ship's laundry (e.g, $3.00 for a pair of socks, $7.00 for a t-shirt). And since I'm the "laundry guy" in our marriage, I'm the one who has to deal with those laundry room crowds, and some of them are tough crowds indeed! This benefit is making Windstar look more and more attractive, especially since it's apparently available even to first-time Windstar cruisers. Thanks for the helpful information. Jim

@napria If you're looking for permission (or encouragement) to go totally offline while on a cruise, I'll give it to you. My wife and I recently took a 14-night QA cruise, plus a total of three hotel nights before and after, without once going on e-mail or the internet. We didn't miss it. We've done the same with all our cruises, including a 30-night one. In an emergency our daughter always has a way to reach us through the particular cruise line, but thankfully she's never had to. Disengage from the outside world. It will still be there when you get home. Jim

@hampshirelad Maybe Brits use the term "house gin" (or "house liquor") different from the way we in the U.S. do, but I would expect a "house gin" to be what they'd pour if I asked for, say, a gin-and-tonic or a gin martini without specifying a particular brand of gin. I'm not sure what the house gin on Cunard is, but my educated guess is Gordon's. By contrast, the four "Queens" gins are higher-priced gins in the way that Tanqueray, Bombay Sapphire, and Hendrick's are. On our recent 14-night QA cruise, I had a QA gin martini every night in the Chart Room, but my wife had her martinis made with QE gin. All four of the "Queens" gins are excellent in their own way, but you have to try them yourself to see which one you like best. Jim

This is not really relevant to tipping butlers or concierge people, but with respect to tipping bartenders, waiters, and room stewards I suggest doing it early and often---but in modest amounts each time. Psychologists have long known that small-but-frequent rewards are valued more than large-but-infrequent ones. In other words, you're better off giving a bartender an extra dollar for each drink rather than waiting till the end of the cruise and giving him or her $40 or $50. And if you give that $40 or $50 at the very beginning, you'll certainly be remembered but if you fail to tip again you'll probably be resented ("That s.o.b.---I thought he was a big tipper) or at least misunderstood ("What did I do wrong this time?"). With room stewards, if i normally tip $100 for a cruise I'll give him or her $20 the first day, then the other $80 in increments a day or two apart. It reinforces the idea that you're someone who tips and that you have an ongoing appreciation for their good service. All I can say is: it's always worked for me. Jim