3rdGenCunarder

I think all the ships do it. I'm pretty sure they did it that way on Eurodam. I can't remember what the newest ships do. They don't take the slips of paper to the kitchen like an old-fashioned diner. I believe they enter the orders at a terminal at the waiter station. I've seen waiters check the papers to verify that the orders are correct, so maybe that's why they keep that system.

Were you ordering the night before? From what I've seen of the menus (table companions ordering from a special menu), there usually are choices, not just one thing.

I had the same reaction to it. And inside, as well. I felt like I was eating in a goldfish bowl. The service is excellent, but the ambiance wasn't to my liking.

They do. Waiters circulated to take drink orders, and I had a yummy hot chocolate.

I think the aft cabins get a little deeper toward the center. My aft verandah on Eurodam was on 7. I noticed that there was a little space between the bathroom wall and a bedside table. A little more space between the other bedside table and sofa. Not a big deal, but it deal make the furniture look less crowded.

I agree about the Caribbean B2B cruises. HAL offers so many combinations that it's hard to search for a Caribbean cruise that isn't a B2B. I like HMC, but I don't need to go there twice in one trip. And I don't need the extra day docked in FLL. I'm doing a true 14-day cruise on Zaandam this winter because it is going to interesting islands, including the ABCs with late departures, which makes it safer to risk independent tours, rather than ship tours.

Montreal was the worst experience for us, too. It was in an old terminal, close to the old town. Actually, it was more of a cowshed than a cruise terminal. Total chaos--they were giving out numbers to be called to check in, but if you didn't happen to walk in past the right person, you didn't get a number. Not that it mattered. Every time a HAL bus arrived, that group went right to check in, no waiting. I like Montreal, had a number of non-cruise visits, but I swore I'd never embark there again. I suppose now that there's a newer terminal, I should try it again. @Blackduck59, I'm sorry you had such a bad hotel experience. And no, two pastries does NOT count as breakfast! I looked at their website, and the pictures look great. Just shows how a hotel can pick and choose what they show you. Choosing a hotel can be a gamble, even when you do your research. We had an odd hotel stay in Montreal one time. We stayed a few days connecting Amtrak with Via to Quebec City so we wanted to be near the train station. The Fairmont right over the station was closed for a renovation, so we stayed across the street at the Bonaventure, a hotel on a few floors at the top of office building. It got mixed reviews on tripadvisor because of the odd situation of nothing at ground level. The architecture is "brutalist," a 1960s style, and a bit strange. But the rooms were fine and not ugly like the hallways people complained about on tripadvisor. And I'm sure it was less expensive than the Fairmont would have been.

Yes, HIA becomes part of the fare. When I added HIA to a cruise that I had insured with HAL, I think it automatically increased the insurance.

It's unnecessary, yes, but what makes it a downgrade?

I call it the "club orange game." Book the lowest cabin in a "meta category" and when you add CO, you ask for an upgrade to a higher cabin in that category. So lowest grade inside to highest grade inside, or lowest grade verandah to highest grade verandah, etc. No jumping to the next meta category--no upgrade from inside to outside or verandah. I think you can even start with a guarantee, which might be even cheaper than the lowest grade cabin in the category you're looking at. HAL has multiple price structures, more than you see on the website, so it's best to book by calling HAL or using a travel agent to see what the different prices and amenities/restrictions are. The website does not show all of the available cabins. So have the deck plan open when you call and don't be afraid to ask about specific cabins. Club Orange has other perks, like some priority access and a separate restaurant for dinner and breakfast. But for many people, the biggest value is the upgrade.

Bon Voyage!!! Those corner afts are the BEST! Enjoy!!!

Yes, unless you're on a PInnacle ship--I wish HAL would widen it's vocabulary, this sounds so confusing! So on Nieuw Statendam, Rotterdam, Koningsdam, there is a CO dining room, and breakfast is served there for Neptune suites and people who buy CO. On the other ships, Neptune suites still get breakfast in the Pinnacle restaurant. People who buy CO do not get breakfast in the Pinnacle restaurant.

How often were you asked if you were in the grills? That usually doesn't happen. Honestly, I can't recall that happening, whether I was in the grills or not, and I have almost a year's worth of day's on Cunard. Most of the people who sail in the grills don't feel a need to show off about it. The "ship within a ship" thing on Cunard is overstated. Yes, the grills have their own restaurants (but so does CO on HAL). There's one lounge that's for the grills (but Neptune suites have their own lounge). The one "separate" area on Cunard not HAL is the deck space, the Grills Terrace.

It should be just the journey fare. Since you aren't going, you don't owe taxes or fees to any port.

My British friends say they don't find it very "British," but more "American." I suppose, as a company with transatlantic roots, it's somewhere in the middle. I agree with the various comments here. Cunard is way ahead of HAL on entertainment and enrichment. I used to think of HAL as "Cunard lite," but HAL has reduced so many aspects of the product, that I can't say that. It's just HAL. Fine for what it is, but nothing close to Cunard. The only thing HAL does better is variety of itineraries, but as was said already, they have more ships to do that. @Thetideishigh2021, whether the TA is at the start or end of a longer cruise, there are options for storing and/or shipping luggage. If I'm combining touring with a TA, it's usually a westbound at the end of the trop, so I ship the posh frocks to the ship to make the touring easier. Yes, it adds to the cost, but the older I get, the more I'm willing to pay for convenience.

The confusion with this is the advantage fare (which doesn't show online), priced between the nonrefundable guarantee cabin fare and the HIA fare. Adding HIA to the advantage fare usually works out to $50 pp pd.

Ohh, makes sense. It did look a bit dry for a flower. If it is grenadine and curacao, that's awfully sweet. I wonder what booze (or grapefruit juice?) is in it to balance the sweet. I've seen a lot of "new" drinks that had way too many ingredients to make me want to try them. The bar at a B'way theatre may have "theme" drinks with names that relate to the show. They usually sound disgusting, although I have to say the "close shave" at Sweeney Todd was good. Rum, lime, sparkling water and something else. I tried to duplicate it at home and didn't like it. Sometimes it's more about where you are than what's actually in the drink.

I would guess grenadine at the bottom and blue curacao at the top. I can't tell what the flower is. The fancy layered drinks were a bartender's show-off when I was first cruising.

Ohhh, you've made me homesick for my favorite ship! I'm glad you enjoyed QE. She is elegant! I agree that Cunard's enrichment is outstanding. And, sadly, I agree about the internet. I thought it was pretty good last summer on QE. OTOH, last fall on QM2, it was atrocious. And the excuses! One of the front desk staff told me the problems were because of the storm that had hit NE Canada and "the electric lines were down." Okay, they do plug in the ship at the Halifax dock, but this was a sea day!!

I always take a copy of the fax or email and the stock statement just in case the obc doesn't show up. I can't remember HAL ever getting it wrong, but Cunard has so I just take the proof as part of the paperwork for any cruise I do.

Cruising is supposed to be part of the "hospitality industry." Some people just don't get it.

I've never seen any, either.

My TA always requests a large (6 or 8 table), whether it's Britannia or PG so that's arranged in advance. In PG, I go to lunch on embarkation day and see where my table is. In Britannia, I walk through in the afternoon and see where the table is to make sure it's a 6 or8.

It wasn't double HIA. HAL's website usually only shows two fares. One is nonrefundable deposit no perks. The other is refundable deposit and HIA. In between, there's "advantage fare" which you need to ask about, either with a PCC or a TA. Advantage fare has a refundable deposit and is more expensive than the lowest fare, but not as expensive as the HIA fare. The difference between advantage fare and HIA fare is usually $50 per day per person. So what appeared to be double HIA was two steps up between lowest fare and HIA.

What makes gala night "gold?"