Whirled Peas

Here's a star class question.  Just how accommodating are the Genies?  Will they really get you dinner and/or show reservations with little notice?  Can they book you a cabana on Coco Cay during your cruise?  Will they serve you meals from any venue in your suite?  I've had butlers before, but I have heard a Genie is something more????

I only know what Nado44 wrote.  I just booked my very first RC cruise.  I usually book Cunard or Seabourn, neither of which have Pelotons at all.   But this cruise is for my granddaughter. I won't be boarding my cruise until April, 2025.  Hopefully someone else can give you a definitive answer before then.

On 2/8/2023 at 2:27 PM, Nado44 said:

FYI, the two Peloton bikes in the studio are usually reserved for those in Star Class. Your Royal Genie can make arrangements to have a bike brought to your suite.

Seriously?  I can have one of the Peloton bikes delivered to my Aqua Theatre balcony?  I can get my workout in while I watch the water show?  This would absolutely make my cruise the best ever!!!!!!  I am going to ask my Genie about it even before we board.  ThanksNado44!!!!!!!

Wow, that's a first!  We will be disembarking from the Jade on Aug. 14.  Wish we had booked for a week later than we did! Enjoy.

I was booked on a cruise last year that was cancelled.  The other passenger on the booking was my sister, but all of the funds paid in at the time of cancellation (about half the total cost of the cruise) were from me.  I agreed to accept a FCC rather than a refund.  Now, I want to use the FCC to book a cruise for me and my husband.  My travel agent says I can't do that.  I can only use the FCC for the two passengers booked on the original cruise that was cancelled.  The cost of the new cruise (only 5 days) is almost exactly the same as the total amount of the FCC.  So it's not as if I can use the FCC for my share of the cruise fare and pay for my husband's share.  Has anyone else run into this situation?  It's all my money, not my sister's.  

When can we expect deck plans?

I have never used NCL’s airfare offers, but a friend is thinking of joining us on a Greek Isles cruise next August and she is interested.  She’s not on this webpage, so I offered to inquire for her.  For any of you who have used this service on NCL, please tell me:

1.  How much in advance if the cruise did you get your flight info/itinerary?

2.  Was the itinerary decent?  No long layovers or switching planes more frequently than you would if you booked the flights yourself.  (We realize there will be flight changes to get from our home inAlaska to Athens, but she just doesn’t want to play her own version of Around the World in 80 days to get there.)

3.  Is it possible to arrange a flight itinerary through NCL that would get them there 2-3 days before the cruise so they could see the sights of Athens?

Thanks, Everyone.

Cruiseej, 

 

Thanks for the reassurance.  My two cruising companions are from New Hope, PA.  Perhaps we can swap cruise stories sometime.

All of this is quite helpful.  Thanks.  

 

I actually like the special dining room for Queens Grill guests.  One of the things that has changed so much in the past few decades is cruise ship dining.  I enjoy having the same servers so I can get to know them and they know me and my preferences.  I have cruised with some of the same Cunard wait staff several times, and they remember what I like from one cruise to the next.  If those with larger QG suites get better tables, I am not keen-eyed enough to have noticed.  I keep hearing that Seabourn is very personalized and "everybody knows your name," the implication being that they also know your preferences.  How is that possible if you eat at a different table every night?  I appreciate dining with the same passengers each night, as well.  I have been lucky never to have shared a Queens Grill table with a less than desirable table mate.  I have made some life-long friends in this way.  How easy is it to get to know other passengers on a week-long Seabourn cruise?  Where should we go to maximize the chances for great social contacts?  (We are three women on this cruise, leaving our husbands at home to rake leaves and walk the dogs.)

 

The whole Queens Grill butler thing sometimes is not all it's cracked up to be.  Some butlers are great, others not so much.  From what I have read, the room stewards/stewardesses on Seabourn will do just about the same things a butler is supposed to do on Cunard.  (I have never met a single cruiser who actually wants their butler to pack/unpack for them!) Do the stewardesses arrange cocktail parties if you have a suite large enough to support such a gathering?  Who serves your guests?  If you want to have a light breakfast in your suite every morning, will that happen at the same time every day if you let someone know that's what you want?

 

While I have never really known how to take full advantage of a cruise ship butler, I definitely enjoy having priority embarkation and priority tender access by virtue of being a Grills passenger.  Am I correct in assuming this is not that big a deal on Seabourn because you are only jostling about with a few hundred passengers, rather than a few thousand?

 

I am very excited to try the Seabourn product and expand my experience base.  We have booked a large suite for this upcoming voyage, and I am not a bit bothered that there aren't extra "perks" associated with that choice.  I just want to have a really great time, and to have things taken care of in such a way that my vacation is always relaxing and seamless.  Will I get my wish?

I  will be on my first SB cruise very soon - boarding the Ovation on Sept. 18.  I usually cruise Cunard in the Queens Grill because I get to cruise so infrequently that I want every possible amenity.  I know Seabourn is a very different experience than a Cunard Queens Grill cruise, but I am wondering if there is any advantage to booking a more expensive suite, like the Wintergarden or the Signature suite, on Seabourn.  Are there any benefits that come with those larger suites or does everyone on  Seabourn have the same experience (other than the amount of square feet in their suite)?  And if anyone has enjoyed both of these cruise experiences, I would love to have your thoughts....

I have sailed in Cunard Queens Grill suites a few times.  I very much enjoy the level of service I receive:  breakfast in the suite every morning, a butler to arrange the occasional cocktail party, etc.  I also enjoy having the same wait staff for dinner every night in the Queens Grill restaurant.  For anyone who has tried both lines, how does the service in a SB larger suite compare?  And are you able to develop relationships with wait staff under the Seaborn model? I am not sure if the trade off with having more dining options on Seaborn is worth losing that connection with those that are greeting you every evening at dinner.  Nonetheless, because our September Cunard cruise has been cancelled, we will be sailing on the Ovation in Greece this September.  Just trying to get a sense of how the two compare with respect to relationships with the crew.

I would pay a reasonable surcharge to be able to access a real Peloton bike with a decent compliment of on demand rides available.  Being away from my Peloton is the only cloud on my vacation horizon.

Thanks, Roscoe

 Is there a working hot tub on the Grills Terrace of the Queen Victoria?

I am pretty sure this is a mistake.  I received the same email and my August 30 cruise on QE is still a go.  My travel agent called Cunard and they told her they intended to send this email to those holding FCCs but who had not booked a cruise.  Instead, the email went out to everyone on their list.  I wouldn't count on my experience/information, but would check on your own to be sure this is the case for you as well.

V2, Thanks for your feedback.  

On 1/10/2021 at 4:46 AM, laktex said:

Personally, I would always go for the aft Q1 suites. As you say the balcony is great (although not as deep as I would like compared to some ships) and the whole set up works well.  I was last in the Rostron on deck 7 - magnificent.

 

 

Laktek, We have the Rostron suite for a 14-day Med cruise beginning August 30.  We also considered the Q2, but decided the aft would be ideal in the Med in late summer.  Please, what can you tell me about the suite?  Does it have a butlers pantry next to the dining room or a “snug” room as I have seen in videos of the new Q1 suites on Victoria?  If it’s a butlers pantry, does it have a sink?  What is the bathroom configuration?  Three separate sink areas but only one toilet?  Anything you can share about the suite would be appreciated.

There has been a refurb but nothing like the QV had.    It's more soft furnishings than anything else, so you won't be getting the darker interiors or layout changes that the Grand suites have on the QV. 

Thanks very much. This is exactly what I was wondering.


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I am terrible at posting from my phone. Sorry for the missteps. I am curious about the date of her last renovation because I am looking for videos of the suite I purchased (7150 - a grand suite for my 65th birthday![emoji3]). All the videos are from 2014 or earlier. I seem to recall she might have had a renovation since that time? Does she look more like the queen Victoria now in terms of the aft suites?


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We've booked as we had one of our cruises cancelled with another line already next year.
 
We managed to get one of the aft cabins on 18 May (10nt) and 24 June (7nt) cruises.

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Hello Fellow Cunarders.
This morning, I booked a 14-day Med cruise on Elizabeth. One of the new itineraries.
 
 
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Sorry. I hit send before I was ready and I don’t think I can edit from my phone. Anyway, I booked #Q129F - SouthHampton to Barcelona - Aug 30 - Sept 13. What have you booked?

And can anyone tell me when Elizabeth most recently was renovated and what that renovation entailed? Was it a wash and brush up or a large remastering?

Not gonna worry about the virus today. I just booked a fab cruise!


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Hello Fellow Cunarders.

This morning, I booked a 14-day Med cruise on Elizabeth. One of the new itineraries.

 

 

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Can anyone tell me if there are doors so that the sitting room, which has the sofa bed, can be closed off for privacy as a second bedroom?


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Hope these help... They are from www.cruisedeckplans.com
 

 
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Perfect! Thanks


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I am searching for pictures/videos/floor plans for the two forward Q2 single level suites on the Queen Mary. Does anyone have photos or videos? Do you know where we can find this floor plan? I am considering booking one in the second half of 2021 but it would be for 4 pax. I need to figure out if the second bedroom/bonus room is large enough for a couple.

 

 

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