milleruszk

We just got $150 each OBC by booking with our agent.

We just booked a 2025 cruise directly with our travel agent using FV23.

4 hours ago, novicruiser said:

I callaed Cunard directly and booked the bus to Heathrow on Jun 2.  

Thanks for the reply.

5 hours ago, CGreenhills said:

I'm not an expert but I believe if you are paying for the transfer you can book online but if it is a transfer included within your Cunard fare then you will need to book over the phone. Best of luck with that, I've been trying for three weeks to get through on the phone with no luck. We have given up and gone with other arrangements. There's a post about Cruise Connect/Intercruises over on the P&O thread. They are experiencing difficulties at the moment. 

Thank you for your reply.   We have, in the past, always booked the trip to Heathrow while on board the ship.  As I understand it from other posters this option is still available.

That is a relief...........Thank you exlondoner!

It seems that since our last voyage, Cunard has changed its disembarkation coach service from Southampton to Heathrow.  We went online to book the transfer now handled by Cruise Connect.  We were informed that it was not possible to book the transfer online.  In the past we just booked the transfer while we were on the ship.  Is that still an option?  Please advise.   Thank you.

3 hours ago, ORV said:

 

 

just out of curiosity, which other cruise lines or tour companies have booked your air for you and used your card exclusively to pay for it? 

We have used Viking, Gate1 and Road Scholars without any issue.   Because Oceania did not use my United mileage card to book the airfare we had to pay baggage fees.

12 hours ago, ORV said:

I think that is a United card issue. I believe this has come up before. You might have paid for your cruise with the United card, but I'm sure Oceania pays for all the flights from their corporate accounts, not each person's individual card. 

Exactly.  Not a card issue an Oceania issue.   No other cruise line or tour company operates this way.   They always use the card you supplied to charge the airfare.   Other lines do not use their own charge account.   I never had this problem with any other cruise or tour company.   This should be made clear on their website.  They will not honor your frequent flyer mileage account.

We recently had Oceania book our flights.   We requested United and used our United mileage card to book the entire trip.   Oceania got us flights on United as we requested.   However, upon checking in with United at the airport, we were informed that we would have to pay for our checked bags.  Our United card allows us two free checked bags.   The United customer service rep checked our information and told us that our tickets were not paid using our United card.   Oceania had used their account to pay for the tickets.   Therefore we were not entitled to our free bag allowance.  We contacted Oceania when we got home from our cruise and were told that there was nothing they could do for us.   They used my United card to pay for everything on our trip except for the air.  Has anyone else run into this situation?   We have used other cruise lines and tour companies and have never had this happen.  

My wife is a watercolour instructor on Cunard.   The kit costs $35.00.   There is no other charge.   If you have your own supplies it costs nothing.   This is for the entire voyage.  You can attend the 10:00 AM class or the 2:00 PM class on sea days.   Some students attend both.  We will be on the May 25th Queen Victoria voyage from Southampton around the British Isles.

We live in Northern NJ and most of the shops here have been closed for the past week.   Grocery stores, pharmacies, liquor stores are still open.  In our town there have been 19 cases of the virus.   Everyone has to be off the streets after 8 PM.

We are retired so staying home is not new to us.   We are waiting to see what Cunard is going to do after April 11th.   My wife teaches watercolor painting on Cunard ships.   She has an assignment on the QM2 leaving NY on May 13th.  Each passing day I become more pessimistic that the cruise will go.

It is hard to believe that this issue is still being discussed.   Passengers have been trying to bend the Cunard dress code to suit them since it was adopted.   If you don't like to dress for dinner find a different cruise line.   There are plenty to choose from.

We took the same cruise last year. Like you, it was our first US river cruise having sailed on just about all of the popular ocean lines previously. It is a very relaxing way to meander down the mighty Mississippi. The Riverorian on board was very knowledgeable of the sights and sounds along the way. Each day you stop at a different town and company Hop on Hop off bus awaits you to take you around town. The buses run on a route like a regular city bus allowing you to spend as much time as you wish at any given stop. The food on board was good. We opted for the extended stay in New Orleans which was fabulous. We enjoyed it enough that we are taking another American Queen cruise this weekend. This one will be on the Columbia/Snake river. Enjoy your cruise.

We will be on the Lewis & Clark excursion in July. I would be happy to give you my opinion when we get back.

There was another incident on a P&O ship out of Sydney on February 12th. A girl hit a guy over the head with a wine bottle and brawl broke out. Ultimately the ship returned to Sydney and 7 people were taken into custody.

http://www.cruisejunkie.com/events.html

Having been on all of the mentioned cruise lines I would rate them as most like Cunard in this order:

1. Princess

2. Holland America (a close second)

3. Norwegian - the least like Cunard of the three. No traditional dining.

*

 

*Internet is still pretty unpredictable and confounding. You’re literally 100 ft. off shore – with twinkling lights coming from houses there, and you can’t access anything from your AT&T phone (maybe I need another carrier?). The main lounge in the center of the ship is a good place I’m told (and I’m sitting here now, with good luck although we are in port) but I would love to see this being less of a hassle.

 

*Nothing I can think of in cruising beats sitting on the aft of a ship, listening to the rumble of the engines and the sound of the water whooshing through the paddlewheel, occasionally showering sprinkles here and there. The big, red paddlewheel is beautiful to watch, too. We are happy to be here!

 

I’m still struggling with posting photos but will try to make progress today. If not, I’ll just do the thumbprints.

 

Any thoughts, please share!

 

Carolyn

We were onboard in May on the Memphis to New Orleans cruise. The slow internet connection was one of the things that I found fault with. We could not access the internet in our cabin. We found that the best place was the Mark Twain room. I agree the paddlewheel is mesmerizing! Overall we certainly enjoyed our trip and would book on the AQ again.

The evening entertainment for the 8:00PM seating will be prior to dinner.

On our last cruise (not on Cunard) there was a woman on board that had a dog. On the dog's back was a cloth saddle which stated that it was a service animal. That dog went wherever she went. Later we found out that the woman needed the dog with her because she was anorexic. I guess the dog made her eat and swallow her food? :rolleyes:

There is no way I could come up with only one "love" and I can't really think of a "hate" but one change would be to have more cruises from North America (not TAs). Maybe if there was a fourth Queen?:D

I agree with you that there should be more cruises from North America especially from NY. It would make it much easier for Americans to cruise on Cunard. Maybe that is the objective? Just kidding. :)

One thing I am quite sure of; if Cunard gets another ship it won't be an ocean liner like QM2.

Cunard always touts the QM2 as the only ocean liner sailing the seas today, yet it takes 7 days for the transatlantic crossing. If Cunard was truly operating the QM2 as an ocean liner it would make the crossing in 5 days or less. Considering the cost of airfare, the QM2 could be competitive pricewise with air travel. Would you rather sit in a cramped tube for 7 hours or enjoy a luxurious 5 day sea voyage?

I think that we will use the ship's transfer. We are staying in Rome for a few days before the cruise so it will just be a short cab ride from our hotel to the Savoy. We have used Cunard's transfer a few times in London but this will be the first time in Rome. We have never had any problem with the transfer in London. Thanks for the replies.

A good alternative is to talk up on your cruise's roll call to see if you can connect with one or more other couples to share a car service (assuming you are staying in Rome pre-cruise). We've done this a number of times - saving money and having an easy, comfortable transfer.

Thanks Navybankerteacher. That is a good suggestion.

We will be taking a QV cruise later this year from Rome. Does Cunard offer a transfer from Rome to the port? I know you can take a private car or the train. The problem with one is the cost and the other is the schlepping of luggage through the train stations. Thanks!