3rdGenCunarder

That goes WAY back. I think it was a daytime thing. People wore costumes, usually that they had made, not purchased, and then paraded around the grand lounge or Queens room for all to see. There was a prize for best costume. I remember it because a woman at our dinner table loved bingo. She saved her used bingo cards and pinned them to a jacket or dress, added a paper crown and called herself "The Bingo Queen."

The "Prom pose" is so last century!! I refuse to do a stiffly posed picture. One of my favorite cruise photos is one I posed for us on QM2. DH had Parkinsons and standing up straight was a problem. I was coming down with a cold, but it was New Year's Eve and we were all dressed up. They were doing staircase photos. Rather than stand, he sat on a stair, and I sat one stair up, with my arm around his shoulder. Our smiles weren't great--his PH and my cold. A friend said we looked "elegant and a little world weary," which is kind of how we felt. My flapper picture was funny. She asked if I could do the one foot "flapper pose," which is normally done with the woman's hand on the man's shoulder for balance. I told her to count to three and take the shot while I quickly got into position. We were both laughing, and it's a fun picture. For Halloween, I wore purple and black with a big dollar store purple and black flower in my hair. I had gloves from a skeleton costume, and I held the glass so that the bones printed on the glove show. Photog was very helpful about posing.

I looked at photos in the photog gallery one day and it bothered me that EVERY single picture was couples. I felt like the cruise was Noah's Ark and I was the only solo. But dammit, I wanted a picture in my flapper dress, so I ignored the feeling and tried posing for a photo. Some photogs pose you like half of a couple, which leads to depressing pictures. Others are better. The guy at the atrium wasn't great. The woman by the clock (this was QE), was fun, and got a great shot. Tip for posing solo: go to the nearest bar and buy a glass of prosecco. Ask the bartender to put in some grenadine for color, and you'll have a prop to hold. Again, some photogs work with it, some are not as adaptable.

Yes! On my last cruise, I couldn't believe how short their hours were. It's a customer SERVICE job, HAL!! If they can't staff the desk, then they should have a direct text line through Navigator, with staff members taking shifts to check it and reply. Yes, they would get nuisance texts from people who are too lazy to look things up for themselves, but it would be a great help for people with issues they can't solve on their own.

I will be in Willemstaad on the Sunday of the Main Parade. This is a daytime parade, stepping off at 11AM about 3-4 miles from the port area, and ending at the floating bridge. Has anyone been there for this? I'm wondering how big the crowds will be.

I was at cas abao last year on a tour through HAL, so I can't answer about taxis. I snorkeled and saw some fish--sergeant majors, tangs, the usual suspects. Nothing special. No turtles. There's a long rock jetty where people snorkel. There's also a big rock not too far from shore. As I was walking to the water, I saw a snorkeler coming out. I asked how the snorkeling was and he said I would see the same fish at the jetty as at the rock, so I just explored the rock area, as the water was kind of bouncy that day. I didn't have fins, and I wore water shoes because it's rocky near the edge. (That tip came from online reviews of the tour) There are facilities. Showers aren't great. You buy a token and it gets you a very quick rinse. There's a bar, but I don't remember if there was food. They rent snorkel gear. I don't know how it was, as I had my own.

If it's a morning tour, people on tours will assemble in one area (in my experience, the theater) and people going independently will assemble elsewhere. The ship will get the tour groups off in time to meet the vendor ashore. For tours that depart a few hours after the ship arrives at the anchorage, groups may be instructed to meet ashore.

Unless you have something else booked, it can't hurt to show up "just in case." If I can't go last minute, I try to let the shorex people know. I did that one time when I woke with a cold and knew I couldn't snorkel. The young woman taking tickets said, "You won't get a refund this late." I tried to explain that I was hoping someone who was waitlisted could get to do the tour. No clue. Another time when I had to cancel it was the night before, so I could go to the shorex desk. I started with "I know I won't get a refund," so they would know they weren't in for an argument. They did manage to sell my place on the tour, and I got a refund despite the late timing.

So they were really 35 minutes late by the standards of most (but, obviously, not all) HAL passengers. Some people have no consideration for other.

Well, bless her heart. 😉

HAL usually tells you that the tour will meet 15 minutes before the departure time. In my experience, most people allow even more time than that. In fact, one time I was the last person on the bus--at 15 minutes before the departure time, not at the departure time (we still waited for departure time to leave). So if you're paying attention, you should be at the bus on time. Sometimes the departure area is busy, but HAL always has people out there to help you find your bus. Waiting 20 minutes is unfair to the people who show up on time. At tour stops, I can see a little leeway, especially if you have "free time." sometimes people get lost. But not 20 minutes. The problem is the vendors are afraid of getting in trouble because they left someone behind. Question about no-shows. Sometimes people aren't "late;" they aren't coming at all. Does the Navigator app let you contact the shorexstaff to tell them you won't be there?

I don't book guarantees or non-refundable deposits. I booked a July 2025 QM2 transatlantic in Britannia, and my booking summary shows early dining as it has for the past several cruises. I have registered my preference, but it won't be confirmed until I'm on board. It almost aways turns out to be what I requested. The one time it didn't, I queued on embarkation day and got it changed. I booked in October 2023. I can't believe early seating was full 20 months before sailing! Dining type. (You have previously selected) Early DiningRegister preference Late DiningAvailable Open DiningAvailable

What a lovely story! One of the things I love about HAL is that passengers are friendly. I think women traveling solo kind of look out for each other and try to be friendly. I guess we notice kindred spirits.

I don't know how they do it, but cruise lines manage to assemble tables of people who find common interests. Maybe it's just that people who ask for fixed dining at large tables are open to meeting others. Last winter, I sat with two other couples. We all love theater and art museums. What are the odds??? My last cruise was on Queen Victoria. It was a table for 10, one couple and the rest singles. On a table that large, conversations do get fragmented, but we filled in as we arrived, so we sat in different combinations each night. It was fantastic--we laughed so much, it was good we were way at the back where we couldn't disturb too many people! I met the food and beverage manager and I asked her how they put tables together and she said "Managing a restaurant is an art." All I can say is HAL and Cunard are good at that art. To anyone unsure about asking for a large table, I agree with @DaveOKC, go for it!

Somehow, "retreat" sounds more peaceful than what it's going to be now. I've often read that people book inside or OV cabins and then a cabana for outside space because it's expensive than a balcony cabin. People may be rethinking this strategy.

@mskitty1, as one who can speak from experiences, I am sorry to learn of your loss. Your attitude/approach to cruising sounds a lot like mine. I'm braver about wandering alone in some ports than in others. This thread was started last spring. Many long-time HAL cruisers posted their experiences. I think it will help you find the confidence to travel on your own.

And miss the gossip that flows through the launderette??? Now that there are multiple launderettes, there's less stress/drama than we used to see on QE2. On QV, I seemed to run into the same people in the launderette, quite a congenial group.

My experience was similar to yours. On QV this fall, they were holding early arrivals in a queue outside the building. I'm diamond, so I was waved right in. There were plenty of people there to check in arrivals, most of them with nobody to check in. The priority seating area was filling, but the nonpriority area had nobody sitting there. I think I sat for 10-15 minutes before they called QG, another 5 until they called PG, another 5 until they called Diamond. There seemed to be more priority people still seated after Diamonds left, so I guess Platinum and maybe BC? I know they want to send the message that you need to stick to your assigned time, but it seemed poor use of staff to have so many ready to work and no customers.

On QV in November, they had little boxes of powdered detergent. Given the small size of the washers, I think there was way too much in the box for one load, although the directions on the box said to use the whole box. I think I used half, maybe a third, and the clothes came out fine. No dryer sheets are provided, but clothes came out of the dryer soft enough for me. I did see someone use one of those dissolvable paper soaps, and someone with a little travel-size packet of liquid detergent, but most people used the soap the ship provded.

The absence of any browning makes me agree that it was probably steamed. Does a warm-water lobster always come out of the split carapace like that, looking almost like popcorn? Cold-water lobster comes out in on piece, with the two halves visible, not broken up. This discussion made me look up the biology of the lobsters. For those who remember kingdom, phylum, etc from bio class, cold water lobster and spiny lobster aren't even in the same family, never mind genus-species. Langoustines ("Norwegian lobster") are more closely related to the cold-water lobster than the spiny lobster is. I don't order lobster on a ship because I know it will have been frozen. I prefer to get mine in "lobstah" country.

Just be careful opening the door. Machines go all the way to one door, and the ironing board is near the other door, so you might bump someone.

I was very disappointed when the gym was my muster station. It broke my streak of never setting foot in one.

No calories or cholesterol on a cruise! (Doesn't it say that somewhere in the cruise contract?)

From what I've seen of the deck plans, the only place to walk or run is the "promenade" deck. QA Deck Plans (Dec23) (cunard.com)

@Gunther1, which ship are you on?