3rdGenCunarder

Well, she is, in a way.

That definitely does not look like a buffet choc chip cookie! The buffet cookies all look and taste like they're made from frozen dough, which they probably are.

Probably not at all. They work for the consortium the agencies work with, not the cruise line.

Yes, sometimes I see "hosted voyage" on my TA's website, but I don't look at their site often. I usually do my research at the cruise line sites and call her when I'm ready to book. I tend to book early, and sometimes the "hosted voyage" is a surprise that pops up later. I don't think I would choose a cruise for the "hosted" perks.

I have never seen 3 ships schedule to be there, either. It's crowded enough with two of HAL's larger ships there. I have seen Carnival and HAL ships scheduled for the same day several times, but at some point, as you said, it gets changed.

You probably did immigration in St Thomas because it was your first American port after being in other countries. I've had to do immigration in San Juan for that reason.

When my BF's husband died, she complained to me that people would say "He had a good, long life." She knew they meant well, but she always wanted to say "Yes, but I want more!"

In my experience, a cocktail party and an excursion. The last time, the hosts were very accessible, providing their cabin number so we could contact them with questions. Other times, they were hardly noticeable.

Not my cup of tea, either, mostly because of the ear-splitting music walk, which was where all the entertainment was (other than the main showroom). I know I'm in the minority, as it was crowded to point of looking like Times Square on New Years Eve. So lots of people like it, just not me. It was so mobbed when I tried getting through there that I could barely wriggle through the mob. Horrible. Sorry to say, QA is based on the PInnacle design that HAL used for the K and two other ships. I agree that the K felt crowded and the theater was ridiculously small. If I wanted to see something, I had to get there at least a half hour early to get ANY seat, not necessarily a good seat. I have booked a cruise on QA because I trust Cunard to fix most of what I disliked on HAL, which was the entertainment. I doubt QA will have the hell that is Music Walk. I think it's possible to design a theater with more seating. The one thing that won't be fixed is the promenade deck, but I will have a balcony, so I will have somewhere to sit in the fresh air.

Better loafers without socks than sandals with them.

Thanks, Alex, especially for the heads-up on the transfer to the ship. It's earlier than I expected, so now I know to plan around it. I have done the boat tour in Chicago. If you ever get back to Chicago, check to see if they still do the tour that's mostly done riding on the "El." The tracks get VERY close to some of the buildings. I will check to see if there are other tours they offer. Viator sells a gangster tour. That could be fun. LOL at the reference to fudge stores. It's definitely a "thing" on Mackinac Island. Locals call the day trippers on the ferry from lower Michigan "fudgies" because they arrive in the morning, see the sights, buy fudge, and go home. A friend who grew up on the Upper Peninsula made us promise to stay overnight and not be "fudgies." We did not stay at the Grand, but the hotel we chose had a nice view of the harbor at a better price. We did go to afternoon tea at the Grand. I'm thinking about the ice cream parlor this time. I'm excited to go to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In Detroit, there's a Motown museum that I wanted to go to, but it's closed on Tuesdays, which is the day we'll be there. Very disappointing, as Motown was the music of my college years.

I have wanted to see this for years! I try to avoid peak times, but even so, it can be confusing knowing where to line up. Another thing that makes the Lido awkward is the spae for walking. The sitting area is bordered by a low wall, but at some point in the past, more tables (for 2) were added on the walkway side of that wall. So you've got people in line, people trying to figure out what's where, and people just trying to walk through in a space that's too narrow for all that traffic. I was on Eurodam in January, and I didn't see bad behavior like that. But I eat breakfast early and lunch is usually just the salad bar, so I avoid the mail crowd. I agree about larger signs. I'm short and have to look between people who are in line. And yeah, I don't know what the deal is with butter. Sometimes I got huge amounts and other times tiny amounts. I appreciate that they're cutting down on trash by not having the wrapped butter pats, but it's one more thing to have to ask for.

@Springfield6, thank you so much for posting! I can put up with shoreside cluelessness if I know things will be good on the ship. I always book through a TA, but I don't bother her for details I can find (or should be able to find) on the cruiseline's website. I have a strong need to know, and the AQV staff were not satisfying that. Your description sounds great. I don't need a lot of entertainment. I can sit and watch the water go by. I've been to most of the ports before, but not recently. I'm on this more for the ride than the stops. I hear you and @uktog about embarkation with the vaccination and test checks. So many people didn't understand what they had to do--including the people who checked in passengers! My embarkation in Vancouver for an Alaska cruise in June was an unholy mess. I don't know how people got into Canada without the ArriveCAN app--I needed it to fly to Vancouver. And we needed it to board because we had a stop in Victoria BC. I was ready to go (despite being a boomer in her 70s), but got stuck in a queue with the 95% of passengers who hadn't done the app. I stood in line for an hour, when I should have just breezed through. The port people did an awful job of trying to help passengers who didn't understand how the app works. Cunard could have done a much better job of informing passengers that they would need to complete the app before boarding. It would have been so much better if Cunard or the port staff provided a paper with the steps involved in doing the app. So at least we don't have that to deal with. And checking in 200 people instead of 2000+ (Queen Elizabeth) should make for an easier time than I had in June. I do have 3 questions. 1. On Mackinac Island, the included tour takes us to the hotel, and the description says we can tour on our own. So does the included tour give us access to the inside of the hotel? Because it's so famous, they charge ($10, I think) to just go in and look around. It's a long time since I've been there, so I'll go in and wander if it's included, but not if I have to pay. 2. Port Colborne is the port for Niagara Falls. Do tours leave and return to Port Colborne, or does the ship transit the Welland Canal while people are off on their tours and you go back to the ship at a different point? 3. What time did they transfer people from the hotel to the ship on the direct transfer? The hotel for my cruise is supposed to be the Sheraton Grand, about a mile from the pier. I don't want to do the city tour. I'd rather spend the afternoon doing something on my own and go back to the hotel in time to get my luggage and board the bus.

Maybe. Sounds like you're remembering the Neptunes, who played in the Ocean Bar. They were wonderful. But right now, there's nothing like that on HAL, except maybe the two small R ships. When I was on Eurodam in January, the Ocean Bar still had a dance floor and there was a sad lonely piano that was never used. HAL might be bringing back a small bar band as part of the changes in their entertainment, but who knows when (if?) that will happen.

I'm so sorry you have to have this on top of losing your husband. I'm sure your mother will be glad to have you there for her.

Good point about the key swap. They put a sticker on your key card the first time you check in at the spa. That way, each time you go to use the thermal suite, they don't have to look up your account. One time, I saw a woman trying to get into the thermal pool area, but the key she had didn't work. I was headed in there, so I asked if she was having a problem. She said, "They put the sticker on my key, but it isn't working." Seriously. You can't make this stuff up.

I don' know about the updated app, but when I was on Eurodam in January, a lot of things didn't appear until embarkation day. It seemed useless, even the day before embarking. Once onboard, I could see my restaurant bookings, tours, etc. Dining room and Lido menus were only available for the current day, but that wasn't an issue for me. So maybe Navigator will come to life for you once you're on board. 🤞

Almost! We went in July. 😀

Until the blue fades back to white.

QM2 was like that on her first circumnavigation of Australia in 2012. All I could book from the US was the full circle, but people from Australia could book shorter segments. I thought this was a smart move on Cunard's part. Give people a taste of life onboard Cunard and get them hooked. When I learned about the small segments, I joked with DH that it would be like a bus, with people getting on and off at every port. But I had no problem with it, and I didn't feel it lowered standards. That may be because our table companions (all Australians) were also doing the full circle. I did meet one American woman who was on the full world cruise and complained that not everyone on the ship was doing the full three months. Then she said, in a most disapproving voice that Australia was "like being on a bus with all these people coming and going." (She also complained that a tour in Bali went to a market instead of the Gucci store we passed)

Forgot to add, there's also a sauna or steam (or both?), which I don't use. They're off the room with the thermal loungers. The only ships that don't have the hydropool are the remaining R class, Zaandam and Volendam.

Yes, it's similar on Oosterdam. I'll see if I can find a pic. Worth it depends on what you enjoy. With so many sea days, I think you'll probably get good use out of it. I like to go in the morning, when it's quiet and walk in the warm water. I walked off a mild case of sciatica in one of those pools. The spa usually is open late enough that if you have early dinner, you an go after dinner. It's often quiet then. Ta da! Found them!

Ohh, the weather forecast! So useful if you were in an inside cabin, which we were for our first cruise.

Nothing. If I tap the pinnacle on the home page, I get the prices and a description of how wonderful Pinnacle is. If I try to get the menu, it doesn't do anything.

Thanks! She does look tiny next to QM2! Sad that I had to cancel the cruise I was going to take on her, and then she was gone.